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Why are there so many schools of Buddhism? Are the differences just cultural, or do they have fundamentally different visions of Dhamma? This work assesses the claims of the traditions, and takes into account to findings of modern scholarship. It pays special attention to the origins of the monastic orders. If we are to understand the differences, and sometimes tensions, between the schools of Buddhism today, we must examine more closely the forces that spurred their formation....

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Foreword Abstract 0.1 The Early Period (BCE) 0.2 The Middle Period (CE) 0.3 Comparing pre-CE & post-CE evidence 0.4 The Mahāvihāravāsins 0.5 The Dharmaguptakas 0.6 The Mūlasarvāstivādins Chapter 1 The ‘Unity Edicts’ 1.1 Schism & unity 1.2 Aśoka & unity 1.3 The Third Council 1.4 What were the heretics teaching? 1.5 Aśoka in the Mahāsaṅghika Vinaya? Chapter 2 The Saints of Vedisa 2.1 Gotiputa 2.2 Mogaliputa 2.3 Vāchiputa Chapter 3 The Dīpavaṁsa 3.1 The heresy of grammar 3.2 The Sri Lankan context 3.3 Was Buddhaghosa a Theravādin? Chapter 4 Monster or Saint? 4.1 Vasumitra’s Samayabhedoparacanacakra 4.2 Bhavya’s Nikāyabhedavibhaṅgavyakhyāna 4.3 Śāripūtraparipṛcchā 4.4 Xuan-zang’s Records of the Western Lands 4.5 Kuei Chi Chapter 5 Three Sins & Five Theses 5.1 Which Mahādeva? 5.2 The five heresies 5.3 ‘Outflows’ 5.4 Dhamma or Vinaya? Chapter 6 More on the Vibhajjavādins 6.1 The Kathāvatthu 6.2 Later Mahāvihāravāsin sources 6.3 What does ‘Vibhajjavāda’ mean? Chapter 7 Vibhajjavāda vs. Sarvāstivāda? 7.1 The early controversies 7.2 What schism? Chapter 8 Dharmagupta: the...

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Serenity and insight are the two great wings of Buddhist meditation. They each have a special role to play in the path to Awakening. While some modern approaches seek to marginalize serenity in favor of ‘dry’ insight, the Buddha’s own discourses place serenity right at the center of the path. This book collects virtually all the significant passages on this topic that are found in the early discourses, carefully elucidated for the modern reader....

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Introduction 1 A Handful of Leaves 2 Samatha & Vipassanā 3 The Wings to Enlightenment 4 Dependent Liberation 5 The Gradual Training 6 The Benefits of Samādhi 7 Jhāna & the Noble Ones 8 Counterexamples A On the Translations B Contemporary Teachers on Samādhi C Instant Enlightenment...

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Some 2500 years ago in ancient Northeast India, a young, brilliant and courageous man discovered the sublime answer to how the mind works and how to realise unconditioned happiness and bliss. For the next 45 years, he devoted his life to teaching the doctrine that helped bring unparalleled happiness, peace and relief to numerous people long after his death. In time stories began to emerge proclaiming his greatness and his near-divinity status. Over generations and into distant lands, those stories took on a life of their own. Eventually the real man is buried under a mountain of beautiful fantasies and magical tales. Scholars in Buddhist studies have never lost sight of the historical Buddha. There is a beautiful story to tell about the real man but the materials never quite made it to the mass market because academic books are generally hard to read and appreciate. This book seeks to bring the historical Buddha back into the popular psyche. That story is as intriguing, and is perhaps even more inspiring than the best fantasy story that had ever been woven....

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"Buddha did not waste time with external worldly conditions. He had seen through their transient nature and decided to go in search of happiness directly and not derive it through conditional proxies. At 35 (quite the prime ofhis life), Buddha knew exactly what it was like to taste that exquisite inner peace that is not dependant on fickle, short-lived external conditions. After six years of exacting spiritual practice under very painful conditions, he succeeded in his quest to realise unconditioned happiness (nibbana). By any yardstick, that attainment alone would already have made his life deeply meaningful. While the rest of the world hankers after passing moments of delight, he abided in deep contentment and happiness as a matter of course. There is no comparison!"...

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Table of Contents Abbreviations for Pali Canon Texts | i An Author’s Request | ii Foreword | viii Chapter One: Spread of Dhamma to Kosala | 1 Chapter Two: Establishing the Nun Order | 19 Chapter Three: Sangha Quarrels at Kosambi | 37 Chapter Four: Middle Age – Successes in Dhamma Work | 47 Chapter Five: Middle Age – Trouble and Unpleasantness | 93 Chapter Six: Troubling Times | 123 Chapter Seven: Troubled Old Age | 145 Chapter Eight: Last Days | 160 Chapter Nine: After Parinibbana – safeguarding Dhamma | 205 Short Reflection on Volume 2 | 225 Poems | 228 Glossary of Pāli Words | 231 About the Author | 241 Bibliography | 243 In Noble Service | 247...

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A Lecture by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu to Agricultural Teachers and Officials on 25 March 1991 at Suan Mokkhapharam, Chaiya, Surat Thani Province, Thailand. ธรรมบรรยายแก่คณะครูบาอาจารย์ 25 มีนาคม 2534 สวนโมกขพลาราม ไชยา จ.สุราษฏร์ธานี Translated by Prof. Lindsay Falvey, Chair of Agriculture, University of Melbourne, Australia Transcribed from tape by Lerchat Boonek, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. The Thai text is the most precise rendition of Than Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s words that is possible from the tape. It contains his earthy expressions and engaging and intelligent use of language in a manner that does not fully flow into the English version. Translation of puns, personal idioms, and circuitous incremental descriptions that form part of the masterful lecturer in the Thai language, must lose much of the original impact. In an attempt to retain the flavour of an outdoor lecture, with dogs and chicken wandering among the gathering, the English text retains some colourful and down to earth expressions that have some equivalence in Thai and English. Expressions or words specific to the Thai text that have been rendered lite...

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Contents กิตติกรรมประกาศ และ คําแนะนํา Acknowledgements and Comment ธรรมบรรยายแก่คณะครูบาอาจารย์ 25 มีนาคม 2534 English Translation Summary Translated Text Notes...

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Although historically marginalized, Buddhist nuns are taking their place in modern Buddhism. Like the monks, Buddhist nuns live by an ancient system of monastic law, the Vinaya. This work investigates various areas of uncertainty and controversy in how the Vinaya is to be understood and applied today....

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Introduction 0.1 The Nature of Vinaya 0.2 Vinaya in Context 0.3 Bhikkhunis in History 0.4 The Vinaya Texts 0.5 Schools 1 A Question of Interpretation 1.1 What can we expect from Vinaya? 1.2 The Scope of Vinaya 1.3 The Layers of Text 1.4 What is a Tradition? 2 Principles to be Respected 2.1 Garudhamma 1 2.2 Garudhamma 2 2.3 Garudhamma 3 2.4 Garudhamma 4 2.5 Garudhamma 5 2.6 Garudhamma 6 2.7 Garudhamma 7 2.8 Garudhamma 8 2.9 The Garudhammas​—​an Assessment 3 Towns, Rivers, Journeys 3.1 Some Preliminaries 3.1.1 What does ‘alone’ mean? 3.2 The Rule 3.3 Sectarian Group Similarities 3.4 Traveling 3.4.1 Interpretation 3.5 Crossing a river 3.5.1 Interpretation 3.6 Spending the night 3.6.1 Interpretation 3.7 Lagging behind a group 3.7.1 Interpretation 3.8 Going out in the Day 3.9 Conclusion 4 Bhikkhuni Pārājika 1 4.1 Can a Bhikkhuni Ordain Again? 4.2 Nuns and Rape 4.2.1 Mahāvihāravāsin 4.2.2 Dharmaguptaka 4.2.3 Mūlasarvāstivāda 4.2.4 Who is to blame? 5 Ordination of Nuns by Monks 5.1 Vinaya and variability 6 Vuṭṭhāpana & Upasampadā 6.1 Vuṭṭhāpana, Pavattinī, Sahajīvinī 6.2 Basic Dharma Bhikkhuni...

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Our struggles in this society constrict the flow of our natural thoughts that have led us far away from our divine principles in life as human beings. Our struggles are from within ourselves and in our mind, taunted by social deviations that involve the rules of life in our society today. Facing these struggles are just part of our daily burden to find contentment and self worth in order to be happily accepted in the society that we live on. It is a battle against our mind from within our consciousness to find “contentment” rather that pursue the fabricated joys of social living. This e-book will guide you on how to achieve weight loss without using any kind of supplement whether that be natural or synthetic, but, it does recommend the use of natural organic health supplements to help you in dealing with psychological downsides or mood swings which frequently occur when undergoing a diet program. Remember dear readers, it is all in the mind on how we perceive our understanding of the concept of fulfillment, happiness and contentedness from a simple point of view....

Excerpt Details
We always question life and it's purpose and despite of all that we think we have achieved to understand the meaning and purpose of it, we still find it rather hard to contemplate the dynamics and struggle to find a singularity as to how to be content with the never ending chaos that we created in pursuing acceptable answers in why life goes the way it does. Ever since we learned to think and started to question things that concern our existence, we have looked for answers around and within our minds in why we live life with such turmoil despite advancement in improving our selves as human beings. Most important of all, why we behave so irrational when it comes to understanding our fellow human beings. With the dawning of the Age of Reason, human society has been brutalized with war and conflict within the foundation of it's culture. It seems that human beings are easily intimidated by its own kind despite coming from one gene pool. No matter how hard we try to understand ourselves in this society we still lack rationality and may have overlooked the simple meaning of “peace” despite devising ways to fully utilize our mental facu...

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Chapter I Need or Want p4 Chapter II Natural Organic Health Supplements p6 Chapter III The Natural Way to Loose Fats p9 Chapter IV The G.M.O. (Genetically Modified Organisms) Syndrome p11 Chapter V Who We Really Are p13 Chapter VI The Zen of Life p15 Chapter VII Your Health is You're Only Wealth p17 Chapter VIII Things to Come p19 Chapter IX The Ugly Truth p22 Chapter X The Rise and Fall of Two Empires ...