In this thoroughly researched but accessibly written book, the respected scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anālayo explores-and sharply criticizes-four examples of what he terms "superiority conceit" in Buddhism: the androcentric idea that women are not suitable for monastic roles and less capable of becoming advanced bodhisattvas the Mahayana notion that those who don't aspire to become bodhisattvas are inferior practitioners the Theravada belief that theirs is the truest, most original expression of the Buddha's teaching the Secular Buddhist opinion that Buddhism is best (...) practiced divorced of ritual and dogma Armed with his rigorous examination of the canonical records, Ven. Anālayo challenges the scriptural basis for these conceits and points out that adhering to such notions of superiority is not, after all, conducive to practice. "It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist," he reminds us, "no matter what tradition one may follow.". (shrink)

"The brightened mind is one that is able to make better choices," says Sumano Bhikkhu--choices appropriate to our true being that will lead to meaningful happiness and a fulfilled life. Having left the hectic world of Chicago real estate decades ago to become a Thai Buddhist monk, he knows what he's talking about. This simple, short introduction to meditation, particularly well suited to young people, can help anyone rattled with the stresses of living in today's society rife with financial (...) uncertainty, war, crime, and the psychological assaults of bosses, teachers, and the media. In plain language, Sumano explains techniques to sharpen alertness and quiet the mind. His methods increase awareness, strengthen positive mental states, and develop insight. Eventually, the feeling of being overwhelmed becomes replaced with a sense of innate brilliance and trust in one's natural abilities. Moreover, the meditation Sumano teaches opens access to the infinite wisdom of the Universal Mind. "We have the means to accomplish much more than we ever dreamed of," he says. "This connection to the divine realm is our birthright as human beings." An appendix on lovingkindness is an added benefit, providing the tools needed to face all challenges with a poised, cool, and compassionate heart. (shrink)

The only way of moving towards consensus on the controversial subject of the nature of Nibb?na is by appealing to the sole source of authority common to practically all Buddhists: the Nik?yas/?gamas. In the present paper I will first give an overview of the usage of the term Nibb?na in the Nik?yas. I will then argue that, according to the Nik?yas, Nibb?na cannot be regarded as a self. Next, I will point out that the Nik?yas do not see Nibb?na as (...) a form of consciousness, including such exceptional kinds of consciousness as anidassana viññ??a and appati??hita viññ??a. Nor can Nibb?na be regarded as equivalent to mind, or any particular state of mind. In the final section I aim to show that the most reasonable interpretation of the Nik?yas is that final Nibb?na is no more than the cessation of the five khandhas. (shrink)

1. The texts and inscriptions dating from the early period – roughly the first 500 years after the Buddha’s passing away – do not support the conclusion that fully-fledged sects existed at that time. Rather, we should think in terms of ‘sectarian tendencies’ that emerged as actual sects towards the end of the early period. The available sources that speak of the First Schism are best read as sectarian accounts depicting the situation in the Buddhism of their own time – (...) roughly 100-500 CE – rather than as historical records of the pre-A?okan era. 2. All of the Sthavira sources mention the so-called ‘five theses’ of the Mah?sa?ghika as either the cause of the First Schism or as important doctrinal issues. And a review of relevant Vinaya sources demonstrates that the ‘five theses’ were probably accepted within the Mah?sa?ghika, which confirms that this was likely the principal cause of the First Schism. (shrink)

Buddhist Monastic Discipline. Jotiya Dhirasekera. Ministry of Higher Education Research Publication Series, Colombo 1982, vii + 189pp. Rs 135.

Drawn from the Anguttara Nikaya, Numerical Discourses of the Buddha brings together teachings of the Buddha ranging from basic ethical observances recommended to the busy man or woman of the world, to the more rigorous instructions on mental training prescribed for the monks and nuns. The Anguttara Nikaya is a part of the Pali Canon, the authorized recension of the Buddha's Word for followers of Theravada Buddhism, the form of Buddhism prevailing in the Buddhist countries of southern Asia. These discourses (...) are called numerical because they retain the structure of the original Anguttara Nikaya. Sayings are organized not by topic, but by numbers mentioned in the texts. This organizational scheme, common in ancient Indian literature, can give the reader a haphazard view of the Buddha's teachings. To balance this tendency, Bhikku Bodhi provides a systematic introduction to the Buddha's teachings. To balance this tendency, Bhikku Bodhi provides a systematic introduction to the Buddha's Teaching in the Anguttara Nikaya. The translators also provide notes, a glossary, and another introduction placing the Anguttara Nikaya in the context of the larger Theravada Buddhist Canon. This readable butt precise translation will be welcomed by both students of Theravada Buddhism as well as anyone wishing to learn from the Buddha's teachings. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to determine the meaning and function of mindfulness meditation using as the source of inquiry the Pāli Canon, the oldest complete collection of Buddhist texts to survive intact. Mindfulness is the chief factor in the practice of satipa hāna, the best known system of Buddhist meditation. In descriptions of satipa hāna two terms constantly recur: mindfulness (sati) and clear comprehension (sampajañña). An understanding of these terms based on the canonical texts is important not only (...) from a philological angle but because such understanding has major bearings on the actual practice of meditation. The word sati originally meant ‘memory,’ but the Buddha ascribed to this old term a new meaning determined by the aims of his teaching. This meaning, the author holds, might best be characterized as ‘lucid awareness.’ He questions the common explanation of mindfulness as ‘bare attention,’ pointing out problems that lurk behind both words in this expression. He also briefly discusses the role of clear comprehension (sampajañña) and shows that it serves as a bridge between the observational function of mindfulness and the development of insight. Finally, he takes up the question whether mindfulness can legitimately be extracted from its traditional context and employed for secular purposes. He maintains that such non-traditional applications of mindfulness are acceptable and even admirable on the ground that they help alleviate human suffering, but he also cautions against a reductionist understanding of mindfulness and urges that investigators respect the religious tradition in which it is rooted. (shrink)

With the present paper I study and translate a discourse in the Ekottarika-?gama preserved in Chinese of which no parallel in other discourse collections is known. This situation relates to the wider issue of what significance to accord to the absence of parallels from the viewpoint of the early Buddhist oral transmission. The main topic of the discourse itself is perception of impermanence, which is of central importance in the early Buddhist scheme of the path for cultivating liberating insight. A (...) description of the results of such practice in this Ekottarika-?gama discourse has a somewhat ambivalent formulation that suggests a possible relation to the notion of rebirth in the Pure Abodes, suddh?v?sa. This notion, attested in a P?li discourse, in turn might have provided a precedent for the aspiration, prominent in later Buddhist traditions, to be reborn in the Pure Land. (shrink)

With the present article I study the trajectory of the term therav?da from its earliest occurrence in the P?li canon to its present day usage as a designation of the form of Buddhism found in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. My presentation begins with the term therav?da in the P?li discourses, followed by turning to the P?li commentaries and chronicles. Next I examine the role of the P?li canon in the Therav?da tradition and the conception of Therav?da as a monastic (...) lineage, after which I discuss current usage and survey alternative terms. (shrink)

The present article offers a translation of the Sa?yukta-?gama parallel to the Channa-sutta of the Sa?yutta-nik?ya, which describes the events surrounding the suicide of a monk who might have been an arahant.

The present article studies the self-cremation of Dabba Mallaputta, based on a translation of the Sa?yukta-?gama parallel to two discourses in the Ud?na that record this event.

This article offers a critical reply to the proposal by Arbel, 2015) that the attainment of the first absorption has in itself a liberating function in the early Buddhist path to awakening.

The present article offers a translation of the Sa?yukta-?gama parallel to the An?thapi??ikov?da-sutta of the Majjhima-nik?ya, which records a set of insight instructions given by S?riputta to the terminally sick lay disciple An?thapi??ika. At the end of the discourse, An?thapi??ika sorrowfully remarks that he never received such profound instructions earlier. This remark has prompted me to undertake a closer examination of the teachings that, according to early Buddhist texts — in particular the Majjhima-nik?ya and the Sa?yukta-?gama — were given to (...) lay disciples. (shrink)

The present article offers a translation of the Sa?yukta-?gama and Ekottarika-?gama parallels to the Vakkali-sutta of the Sa?yutta-nik?ya, which describes the suicide of a monk who passed away as an arahant.

The present article offers a translation and comparative study of the conversion of Angulimala as recorded in the Samyukta-agama preserved in Chinese, with particular emphasis on what transformed a killer into a saint.

The present article studies the meditative approaches to imperturbability depicted in the?neñjasapp?ya-sutta and its Chinese and Tibetan parallels. By way of introduction to the main theme broached in this discourse, I briefly survey P?li discourses relevant to the early Buddhist notion of imperturbability. Next I examine the presentation given in the?neñjasapp?ya-sutta based on translated extracts from its Madhyama-?gama parallel, noting variations between these two and a Tibetan version extant in?amathadeva’s commentary on the Abhidharmako?abh??ya. In the concluding part of the article, (...) I turn to the relationship between tranquillity and insight reflected in the?neñjasapp?ya-sutta. (shrink)

The Abhidhamma uses the concept of lokuttara-jjhana to refer to the moment one attains any of the four stages of Awakening. In contrast, the Suttas use the terms jhana and samadhi to refer to aspects of the path leading to the stages of Awakening. Therefore, when the commentaries interpret jhana and samadhi in Sutta usage as lokuttara-jjhana, they are imposing an interpretation on the Suttas that is foreign to them. Directly contradicting the Suttas, this reinterpretation makes jhana dispensable as a (...) path factor leading to Awakening. More generally, this particular problem highlights the inherent danger of distortion when the commentaries use later concepts to explain the earliest teachings of the Nikayas. (shrink)

The Selfless Mind. Personality, Consciousness and Nirvana in Early Buddhism. Peter Harvey. Curzon Press, Richmond 1995. 293 pp. Cloth £40.00, paper £14.00. ISBN 0 7007 0337 3, 0 7007 0338 1.

Fragmente des Dharmaskandha - Ein Abhidharma-Text in Sanskrit aus Gilgit. Ed. Siglinde Dietz. Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Phil.-hist. Klasse, 3.Folge, 142. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1984. 104pp, 14 plates. DM 64.

Kacchapa-Jataka. Eine Erzählung von der Schildkröte und dem Kranzwinder. Akira Yuyama. Studia Philologica Buddhica Occasional Paper Series V. The International Institute for Buddhist Studies, Tokyo 1983. XXII + 43pp.