The Buddha said, “The venerables agree on the meaning but disagree on the phrasing. But the venerables should know that this is how such agreement on the meaning and disagreement on the phrasing comes to be. But the phrasing is a minor matter. Please don’t get into a fight about something so minor” (MN 103).
Sep 4, 2020
5 min
Did you know the Buddha taught about heaven and hell? The Buddha said, "Some enter the womb; evil-doers go to hell; the good go to heaven; those free from worldly desires attain nirvana" (Dhp 126 Radhakrishnan).
Aug 28, 2020
5 min
The Buddha said, “And what is right meditation? It’s when a practitioner, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome qualities, enters and remains in the first level of concentration, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, which is accompanied by directed thought and examination” (SN 45.8).
Aug 21, 2020
8 min
The Buddha said, “And what is right mindfulness? It’s when a practitioner meditates by observing an aspect of the body or an aspect of feelings or an aspect of the mind or an aspect of experience, being ardent, attentive, and mindful, putting away worldly longing and distress. This is called right mindfulness” (SN 45.8).
Aug 14, 2020
5 min
The Buddha said, “And what is right effort? It’s when a practitioner generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise…. so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up…. so that skillful qualities that have not arisen do arise…. so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are fulfilled by development. This is called right effort” (SN 45.8).
Aug 8, 2020
5 min
The Buddha said, “Now this is the noble truth of the path that leads to the ending of suffering. It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation” (SN 56.11). The Buddha said, “Practitioners, a lay follower should not engage in these five trades. What five? Trade in weapons, living creatures, meat, intoxicants, and poisons” (AN 5.177).
Jul 31, 2020
5 min
The Buddha said, “And what is right action? Avoiding killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct. This is called right action” (SN 45.8). The Buddha said, “a noble disciple gives up killing living creatures…. a noble disciple gives up stealing…. a noble disciple gives up sexual misconduct…. a noble disciple gives up lying…. a noble disciple gives up alcoholic drinks that cause negligence” (AN 8.39).
Jul 24, 2020
5 min
The Buddha said, “And what is right speech? Avoiding speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called right speech” (SN 45.8). The Buddha said, “Mendicants, speech that has five factors is well spoken, not poorly spoken. It’s blameless and is not criticized by sensible people. What five? It is speech that is timely, true, gentle, beneficial, and loving. Speech with these five factors is well spoken, not poorly spoken. It’s blameless and is not criticized by sensible people”
Jul 17, 2020
4 min
In this episode, we discover what right intention is. The Buddha said, “And what is right intention? It is the intention of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness. This is called right intention” (SN 45.8). Right intention is the intention directed as renunciation, goodwill, and compassion. Wrong intention is the opposite of this, it is being motivated by sense desire, ill will, and harmfulness.
Jul 9, 2020
5 min
Before we can move on to the second component in the Noble Eightfold Path, which is right intention, we must first understand karma. Karma is the foundation for all Buddhist thought on morality. The Buddha said, “It is intention that I call karma*. For after making a choice one acts by way of body, speech, and mind” (AN 6.63). In Buddhism, morality is not prescribed by a transcendent God, but is an essential part of the nature of reality.
Jul 3, 2020
5 min
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