1. Nature refuses to be rushed

    Comment

    Always remember that Nature refuses to be rushed. She can only be made to evolve and that takes time, so take heart. ~Dharma Mittra

    Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

  2. The Story of Samanera Tissa of the Forest Monastery

    Comment

    Verse 75: Indeed, the path that leads to worldly gain is one and the Path that leads to Nibbana is another. Fully comprehending this, the bhikkhu, the disciple of the Buddha, should not take delight in worldly gain and honour, but devote himself to solitude, detachment and the realization of Nibbana.

    1.Vivekamanubruhaye (vivekam + anubruhaye): Viveka – solitary seclusion. According to the Commentary, the three kinds of vivekas are kayaviveka (seclusion of the body or solitude); cittaviveka (detachment of the mind from human passions) and upadhiviveka (Nibbana).

    The Story of Samanera Tissa of the Forest Monastery

    While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (75) of this book, with reference to Tissa, a samanera, who dwelt in a forest monastery.

    Tissa was the son of a rich man from Savatthi. His father used to offer alms-food to the Chief Disciple Sariputta in their house and so Tissa even as a child had met the Chief Disciple on many occasions. At the age of seven he became a novice (samanera) under the Chief Disciple Sariputta. While he was staying at the Jetavana monastery, many of his friends and relatives came to see him, bringing presents and offerings. The samanera found these visits to be very tiresome; so after taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha, he left for a forest monastery. Whenever a villager offered him anything, Tissa would just say ‘May you be happy, may you be liberated from the ills of life,’ (“Sukhita hotha, dukkha muccatha”), and would go on his own way. While he stayed at the forest monastery, he ardently and diligently practised meditation, and at the end of three months he attained arahatship. Continue reading

  3. Darkness will all be cleared away

    Comment

    Following the Noble Path is like entering a dark room with a light in the hand; the darkness will all be cleared away, and the room will be filled with light. ~ Buddha

  4. When meditation is mastered

    Comment

    When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a candle in a windless place. ~Bhagavad Gita

     

  5. Love, concern, and affection are not optional

    Comment

    It is important to recognize that love, concern, and affection are not optional. We do not need any reason to offer love and affection. It is possible to have love without prices and without conditions. We do not need any further compensation beyond just giving our love. And love is an indefinitely renewable resource. For the well-being of society and for our own personal growth as well, it is crucial that we learn to love without needing a reason or reward. ~ 17th Karmapa

  6. Authentic love toward others

    Comment

    When you feel authentic love toward others, you will be deeply moved to act. You will not rest until you have found ways to secure the happiness of all those you are able to include in your feelings of love. As you learn to love more and more widely, your love will motivate you to act to benefit not just the few people in your inner circle, but your whole society, and eventually, the whole world. ~ 17th Karmapa

    Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

    Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

  7. Putting ourselves in someone else’s place 

    Comment

    Sometimes harsh words must be said in order to help someone, but generally when we speak harshly, it is because we are angry, and it does not help. It is difficult to speak harsh words with love and compassion. In these situations, we can take ourselves as an example. Putting ourselves in someone else’s place, we ask, “If someone said these words to me in that way, how would I feel?” When we truly think of others, we will find some part of them that resembles us, because every one of us experiences pleasure and pain. Before we act or speak, thinking of others as similar to us is quite useful. ~ 17th Karmapa

    Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

    Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

  8. Compassionate world

    Comment

    The most exalted example Buddhists use to explain compassion is motherhood. Consider all that your mother probably has done for you since the time you were conceived — carrying you for 9 months, experiencing the hardship of labor and birth, feeding and clothing you, taking care of all your needs, and worrying about you long after you reach adulthood. Most mothers never stop caring unconditionally for their children. Regardless of whether one believes in reincarnation or not, one can suppose that all living beings are like mothers to us. The food that appears in front of us at dinner was grown, packaged, and prepared by people we probably do not know. The clothes we are wearing were produced by people we probably will never meet. Yet we are benefiting from their hopes, dreams, and labor. Plants, animals, and raw materials have all been used to provide us these things. This is the interdependence that characterizes life — no one thing exists by itself alone, or can survive alone. We are all part of one world ecology and the world is extremely compassionate to us.

    ក្មេងៗហែលទឹកលេងនៅឃុំម្លូព្រៃ២ ស្រុកឆែប ខេត្តព្រះវិហារ ថ្ងៃទី២៥ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១៧។ រូបថតអង្គការពន្លកខ្មែរ

    ក្មេងៗហែលទឹកលេងនៅឃុំម្លូព្រៃ២ ស្រុកឆែប ខេត្តព្រះវិហារ ថ្ងៃទី២៥ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១៧។ រូបថតអង្គការពន្លកខ្មែរ

Live & Die for Buddhism

candle

Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...

Popular Posts