Brahma-Vihara’s Exalted Mind States
There are four exalted states of mind taught by the Buddha. These are perfected mind-states that reflect an enlightened view of humanity…
The Sallatha Sutta – The Two Arrows
The Sallatha Sutta – The Two Arrows is a key teaching as it clearly explains what for many is a confusing aspect of the Dhamma – individual contributions to suffering…
The Sambodhi Sutta – The Wings of Self-Awakening
In any situation it is possible to maintain the eight qualities mentioned here. Nothing is more important then maintaining integrity with the Eightfold Path…
Samadhi Sutta – The Purpose and Practice of Concentration
The Buddha taught Shamatha-Vipassana meditation as one factor of the Eightfold Path for the purpose of developing the concentration necessary to support the refined mindfulness of the other seven factors of the path…
Yuganaddha Sutta Tranquility and Insight In Tandem
In the Yuganaddha Sutta [1] Ananda teaches that that those that achieve lasting peace and happiness do so by developing shamatha & vipassana (tranquility & insight) in tandem…
The Yasa Sutta – Freedom From Entanglements
The Yasa Sutta – Freedom From Entanglements teaches importance to avoid creating a “Dhamma” practice that depends on external entanglements as its theme…
The Arahant Sutta – Awakening in a Single Paragraph
Seeing the “five clinging aggregates as they really are” is understanding Anatta, not-self, or a self-referential ego-personality in relation to Anicca, Dukkha and The Four Noble Truths…
The Bhaddekaratta Sutta – Mindfulness of What Is Occurring
The Bhaddekaratta Sutta teaches the importance of being mindfully present of life as life unfolds. The title of this Sutta means an auspicious day…
Vitakkasanthana Sutta Relaxation of Thoughts
The Vitakkasanthana Sutta — the sutta on the relaxation of thoughts — the Buddha teaches that the refined mindfulness developed through the Eightfold Path brings a relaxed and peaceful quality of mind…
The Nagara Sutta – The Buddha Describes His Awakening
The Nagara Sutta is remarkable in its simplicity in describing Dependent Origination in a practically applied way. In this sutta the Buddha clearly shows how ignorance of Four Noble Truths and of The Three Marks of existence “originates” the process that all manner of disappointment, unsatisfactoriness, distraction, and suffering – in a word Dukkha – is “dependent” on…
Sundari Sutta, The Liberation Of Restraint
The Sundari Sutta, the liberation of restraint, teaches the unending peace gained through developing the Eightfold Path…
The Nidana Sutta – Ending The Defilements
In the Nidana Sutta, the Buddha focuses on recognizing and abandoning the Three Defilements of greed, aversion, and deluded thinking. All three of the defilements are rooted in ignorance of Four Noble Truths and the resulting ongoing self-referential “I-making”…
Upaddha Sutta – An Admirable Sangha
The context here is a Dhamma practitioners associations. Having admirable friends and admirable companions supports the joyful camaraderie that follows a well-informed and well-focused sangha…
Fire Discourse Attachments to Passion
About one month after the Buddha’s first two discourses, he presented The Fire Discourse to approximately 1,000 followers. Upon hearing this short discourse, most of those in attendance awakened…
Rohitassa Sutta – Inner Mindfulness
Rohitassa Sutta – Mindfulness of what occurs is an article and talk on the Rohitassa Sutta where the Buddha answers Rohitassa’s question regarding the possibility of awakening by seeking outside of himself in an actual or figurative sense…
The Lakkhana Sutta, Mindfulness of Actions
In this sutta the Buddha teaches that actions are the outward expression of either foolishness originating in ignorance, or wisdom originating in understanding…
Agati Sutta – Not Losing the Way
The difficulties of not losing the way as far as maintaining a Dhamma practice has always been a challenge. Dhamma practice is likely even more difficult today…
The Sabbasava Sutta
In the Sabbasava Sutta the Buddha teaches the ending of mental fermentations from the refined mindfulness developed through the Eightfold Path…
Malunkyaputta Sutta – Staying Focused
I do not answer these questions as they are not fundamental with the goal. They do not develop disenchantment, dispassion, with calming, with unbinding, with direct knowledge, with awakening…
Cula-Saccaka Sutta – A Fearless And Independent Dhamma
In the Cula-Saccaka sutta the Buddha is challenged to debate by Saccaka, a follower of Nigantha Nataputta, the local leader of a Jain sect….
Anuradha Sutta Authentic Dhamma
The Anuradha Sutta is another sutta where the Buddha is asked questions whose basis is rooted wrong views ignorant of Four Noble Truths and Dependent Origination…
Agi-Vacchagotta Sutta, Foolish Questions
“Vaccha, the notion that ‘the cosmos is eternal’ is a thicket of views, as are all these views. These views are a wilderness of views. These views distort reality. These views are fetters…
Becoming Explained – The Loka, Bhava, and Mula Suttas
There is much confusion as to the meaning of “becoming.” Due to this confusion, great license is taken in interpreting what is meant by becoming as taught by the Buddha. This confusion and the following misapplication of the Dhamma can be avoided by simply looking at the Buddha’s own words from the following three sutta’s…
The Meghiya Sutta
In the Meghiya Sutta, the Buddha teaches Meghiya five qualities that bring awakening or full human maturity…
The Culavedalla Sutta
“Clear knowing (true insight) lies on the other side of ignorance. And, Visakha, with clear knowing comes release (from clinging). From release from clinging comes complete unbinding.”….