Dhamma Articles And Talks By Subject
Right Meditation - Samadhi - Jhana
Articles And Talks Archive - Newest First
True Refuge - The Ratana Sutta
Becoming Explained - The Loka, Bhava, and Mula Suttas
Nothing Personal - A Buddha’s Analysis Of Self
Right Mindfulness And Authentic Dhamma
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta - The Buddha's First Discourse
Magga-Vibhanga Sutta - Analysis of The Eightfold Path
Satipatthana Sutta - Four Foundations Of Mindfulness
Anapanasati Sutta - Breath-Mindfulness Meditation
Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha - Three Marks Of Existence
Four Noble Truths Articles and Talks
Eightfold Path Articles and Talks
Refined Mindfulness Articles And Talks
Five Common Hindrances To Be Mindful Of
Modern Buddhism - A Thicket Of Views
Dependent Origination, Anatta, And The Myth Of Non-Duality
Dhammapada - Concise Instruction
Theragatha and Therigatha - Poems Of Awakened Monks and Nuns
Dhamma Articles And Talks Archive
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Atthakanagara Sutta – The Single Quality For Awakening
In the Aṭṭhakanāgara Sutta, the householder Dasama inquires of Ananda if there is a single quality taught by the Buddha that would result in release from all views ignorant of Four Noble Truths…
Balavagga – Of Fools And Foolishness – Dhammapada 5
In the Balavagga, the fifth chapter in the Dhammapada, the Buddha strongly emphasizes the singular importance of knowing and practicing his Dhamma…
Heartwood And Flowers – Pupphavagga – Dhammapada 4
The fourth chapter of the Dhammapada is the Pupphavagga. This chapter uses the metaphors of Mara and death to describe the ongoing suffering…
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…
Released From Affliction – Khajjaniya Sutta
The Khajjaniya Sutta is a profound teaching on the confusion and suffering that follows from clinging to speculative views rooted in ignorance of Four Noble Truths. The Buddha’s described the personal vehicle for ongoing stress and suffering as “Five Clinging Aggregates.”
Cittavagga – A Well Restrained Mind
The Cittavagga teaches the suffering that follows from a mind rooted in ignorance of Four Noble Truths and the peaceful mind developed through the Eightfold Path…
Appamadavagga – Refined Mindfulness – Dhammapada 2
This text is from the second chapter of the Dhammapada. This is called the Appamadavagga and teaches the importance of Right Mindfulness. …
The ‘Miracle’ Of The Dhamma – The Kevatta Sutta
As shown in this sutta, and the supportive linked suttas, it is clear that a “dharma” practice that encourages self-identification in conceptual, speculative, and suppositional realms was something the Buddha continually cautioned against, but sadly continues and is encouraged by most modern Buddhism By Common Agreement groups…
Yamakavagga – Mind Governs All
This sutta is from the Dhammapada 1. It teaches the importance of developing the Heartwood of the Dhamma – the Eightfold Path – to establish the refined mindfulness necessary to develop profound Right View.
The Phena Sutta – Emptiness and The Five Clinging-Aggregates
The Phena Sutta is another sutta on emptiness as the Buddha uses the term. In this sutta he teaches the emptiness of The Five Clinging Aggregates and the emptiness of creating self-identities by clinging to fleeting objects, events, views and ideas…
Judgment and Wisdom – Dhammapada 19
The sutta below s from the Dhammapada 19. It teaches the importance of developing the Heartwood of the Dhamma – the Eightfold Path – if one is to safely judge one’s own Dhamma practice and judge and teach others.
Nothing Personal – A Buddha’s Analysis Of Self
This most profound sutta relieves the fear and aversion that arises from the desire for continued self-establishment in impermanent objects, events, views, and ideas fabricated from ignorance of Four Noble Truths. ..
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…
An Admirable Sangha – Upaddha Sutta
The Upaddha Sutta provides guidance on an underlying theme running throughout the Buddha’s Dhamma – wise associations.
Devadatta Sutta – A Monks Greed
Devadatta was driven by the need to be acknowledged as an enlightened being rather than actually develop the Dhamma. He wanted to introduce his own “dhamma” and gain recognition with his peers material wealth, and power. Devadatta plotted to have the Buddha killed so that he could take over the Sangha…
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.”….
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…
Magga-Vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of the Path
Friends, I will now give you a detailed analysis of the Noble Eightfold Path. Listen mindfully. This is the Noble Eightfold Path…
The Buddha’s Noble Search For The Noble Path – Ariyapariyesana Sutta
The Ariyapariyesana Sutta is one of the most significant suttas in the Sutta Pitaka. It provides continual guidance on establishing and maintaining an authentic, practical, and effective Dhamma practice…
Maha Kotthita – Awakened Calm
In this poem Kotthita describes the quality of an awakened mind directly and attainable – calm…
Anupada Sutta – Ending Fabrications One After Another
The Anupada Sutta is similar to the Anapanasati Sutta. Here the Buddha uses Sariputta’s skillful development of Jhana as example…
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…
Sumangala’s Mother – Freedom Through Jhana, Too
In this poem, the awakened monk Sumangala’s mother concisely describes the quality of an awakened mind through Right Meditation practiced as part of the Eightfold Path…
Sumangala – Freedom Through Jhana
In this poem, The awakened monk Sumangala concisely describes the quality of an awakened mind through Right Meditation practiced as part of the Eightfold Path…
Rahogata Sutta – Ending Fabrications Through Jhana
In the Rahogata Sutta, the Buddha teaches that feelings of pleasure, pain, or ambivalence, when perceived through a mimd rooted in ignorance of Four Noble Truths will fabricate what is experienced in a way that reaffirms ignorance and continues stress…
Jhāna Sutta – Meditative Absorption – Mind And Body United
The four levels of Jhana are impermanent and are developed from engaging in Shamatha-Vipassana meditation as taught by the Buddha and so should not be viewed as meditative achievement. ..
The Kimsuka Sutta – A Swift Pair of Messengers Shamatha-Vipassana in the Pali Canon
A Swift Pair of Messengers Shamatha-Vipassana in the Pali Canon. The Buddha’s teachings on Shamatha-Vipassana are found throughout the Pali Canon…
Dhammika – Pure Protection
In this poem, the awakened monk Dhammika shows the importance of a well-practiced and authentic Dhamma practice and the protection from worldly entanglements provided….
Five Factors Of Concentration – The Samadhanga Sutta
The Samadhanga Sutta is another sutta on the proper use of the singular method of meditation as an awakened human being teaches – to engage with Shamatha-Vipassana meditation to increase concentration…
Upacala Defeats Mara
Upacala teaches how she has overcome suffering by establishing refined mindfulness and gaining insight into impermanence, not-self, and suffering through developing to its culmination the Eightfold Path…
The Waste-Water Pool – Jambali Sutta
The Jambali Sutta is another sutta on the proper use of meditation – to engage with Shamatha-Vipassana [1] meditation to increase concentration. Jhana means meditative absorption…
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…
Gilana Sutta: Seven Factors of Enlightenment
These seven qualities or factors of enlightenment are taught by the Buddha to remain free of the distraction of craving, aversion and further deluded thinking…
Rahula, The Buddha’s Son Unbound
This poem is from the now awakened son of the Buddha, Rahula. There is a beautiful sutta where the Buddha teaches a seven-year-old Rahula simple and direct refined mindfulness…
Yasadatta – Hearing True Dhamma
In this poem, Yasadatta shows the foolishness of debating the Dhamma rather than actually practicing a Buddha’s teachings…
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta – Four Noble Truths
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is the very first teaching ever presented by the Buddha. It occurred a few weeks after Siddhartha Gotama awakened…
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…
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My Dhamma articles and talks are based on the Buddha's teachings (suttas) as preserved in the Sutta Pitaka, the second book of the Pali Canon. I have relied primarily on Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s excellent and insightful translation of the Pali generously made freely available at his website Dhammatalks.org, as well as the works of Acharya Buddharakkhita, Nyanaponika Thera, John Ireland, Maurice Walsh, Hellmuth Hecker, and Sister Khema, among others, as preserved at Access To Insight.
Also, I have found Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations from Wisdom Publications Pali Canon Anthologies to be most informative and an excellent resource.
I have made edits to the suttas from these sources for further clarity, to modernize language, to minimize repetition, and maintain contextual relevance to Dependent Origination and Four Noble Truths.
Becoming-Buddha.com and Dhamma articles and recordings by John Haspel are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
