Bhikkhu Pesala

After his enlightenment the Buddha uttered the following spontaneous verse: Through many births I wandered, Seeking, but not finding, the builder of this house. Painful is repeated existence. Oh housebuilder, you are seen now. You shall build no house again. All your rafters are broken, Your ridgepole is shattered. To dissolution goes my mind. Achieved is the destruction of craving. (Dhammapada, verses 153,4) The Buddha-to-be, or bodhisatta, began his quest for enlightenment at some far […]

Good question. Short answer is, you don’t, at least not to begin with. The Pali words for the eight factors of the noble path all begin with sammā- e.g. sammā-diṭṭhi (right view), sammā-saṅkappo (right thought). However, sammā doesn’t just mean right. How do we usually translate “Sammāsambuddho?” You never see it translated as the Rightly Enlightened Buddha, do you? The usual translation is the Fully or Perfectly Enlightened Buddha. So our view has to be […]

All conditioned phenomena arise due to one of four causes. These are known as the four foods, or four nutriments: 1. Physical food. 2. Climate. 3. Mind or consciousness. 4. Kamma (including, but not confined to kamma in past lives). Physical food is essential for life and strength. Good healthy food eaten in moderation gives us health, beauty, long-life, and strength. Too much rich food can cause poor health, while insufficient or poor quality food […]

Not my first discourse, I hasten to add, but the Buddha’s first discourse. That seems like an appropriate place to start. If you are reading this thread then I assume that you wish to know more about the teaching of the Buddha. I will be do my best to reply to any questions that you may have, as long as they are respectful and sincere. Preamble The bodhisatta, Prince Siddhattha Gotama, renounced his palace at […]

In his discourse on the Vammika Sutta, the Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw relates the following incident that took place in Thanbyuzayat, a town within Moulmein District, and was published in one of the Daily Newspapers. Four or five elders from that town were chatting on a religious topic. It is customary in Burma among knowledgeable elderly people to meet whenever there is any social or religious function such as a memorial service for the deceased. They […]

Spoiling with too much Kindness Parents and grandparents who are too kind to children spoil their character. Doing whatever one wants, and being given everything that one asks for, is not the way for children to learn and grow up. They should be taught the values of contentment, gratitude, respect, and frugality from a young age. As my mother once said, when I asked for another apple: “Apples don’t grow on trees.” Well, we know […]

The picture in my blog header shows the man-made cave used for the Sixth Buddhist Council. Soon after regaining Independence, the Government of Myanmar began plans to hold a Sixth Buddhist Council (Chaṭṭha  Saṅgāyana) in Myanmar, with four other Theravāda Buddhist countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos) participating. For this purpose the Government dispatched a mission to Thailand and Cambodia, composed of Nyaungyan Sayādaw, Mahāsi Sayādaw, and two laymen. The mission discussed the plan with leading Buddhist […]