A Taste of Freedom

12 Saturday Aug 2017

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Ajahn Chah

A Taste of Freedom refers to a book/pamphlet that has been made available by Buddha.net that is a collection of talks by the Venerable Ajahn Chah first published in 1980.

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A Taste of Freedom - Ajahn Chah

The talks were recorded on a simple cassette tape recorder under less than ideal conditions, so the rendering of the talks has taken some non-insignificant effort on the part of the translators. However, that the talks given by Ajahn Chah exist is of immense benefit and due appreciation should be given to those diligent enough to offer electronic or print editions of these messages.

The Venerable Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah, as I have said before, was a pillar of the Thai Forest Tradition, and responsible for that traditions dissemination to the West. Please take time to read these talks, your practice will benefit no matter what your Buddhist leanings may be.

Ajahn Chah’s teachings are simple, as is the Dhamma, there is no flourish, no garlands and no unnecessary complication. Ajahn Chah teaches the Dhamma as it is, and that is what makes his teachings so valuable. Simple, and to the point.

May all beings benefit from these discourses, and live free from fear.

Aside

A Good but Puzzling Day

11 Friday Aug 2017

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Tipitaka Scripture

Tipitaka Scripture

Today is a good but puzzling day. I have just received a mountain of free literature from dhammatalks.org and I have no idea where to start. They provide many of Thanissaro Bhikku’s writings and translations for free distribution, and it would seem international delivery is not an issue for them.

I ordered about ten books, which may sound greedy but living in the UK I thought I may as well get everything I wanted in one go rather than faff around with smaller but more frequent orders. Unfortunately it would seem they could not provide one of Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s translations of a text by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, but instead of leaving me short, they added six other books to the order, most of them by Ajaan Lee!

I have had similar experiences with Amaravati Monastery. It would seem that Theravadin Monks and Nuns excel in customer service. I am so grateful!

These sites, and monasteries deserve every penny they get in donations because of the efforts they go to so they can disseminate the Dhamma.

Regarding the title of this post, the puzzle I have now, with fifteen free books in my eager hands, is which one to start reading first. Should I start with the four books from the Khuddaka Pitaka? Should I start with Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s take on the Vinaya Pitaka? Or should I delve into the writings of Ajaan Lee?

What a happy Buddhist I am!

May you all find peace and live without fear.

Worry, Stress and Dukkha.

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Worry

Worry

As I work on this site I keep finding myself worrying. I worry about the content, I worry about the reception that content will receive, I worry about the presentation of the content. In fact, the one thing that is guaranteed to occur when I log in to the administration panel of this website is that I will start to worry. Now I have realised this I have also realised this is a perfect example of where I need to practice. I need to practice mindfulness and breath meditation. I need to realise that, at the end of the day, it does not matter how this website is received, what matters is the practice I do whilst administrating it. What matters is the intent behind the website, and I must keep that in mind rather than worrying if someone is going to see the site and dislike it.

This is a prime example of becoming over-engrossed in something and becoming too attached to the outcome. The website is what it is. Obviously I do hope it will help someone, but I have found myself getting too attached to it; so I need to take a step back, take a few deep breaths, and relax. It is only a website… The world will not end if it goes down or is completely ignored.

Detaching oneself from the projects you have to, or want to, undertake is good, even necessary practice otherwise you will get too engrossed and attached to the outcome. This does not mean you should not care what transpires, but getting too attached can lead to stress, and stress is suffering. Stress is Dukkha. To be concerned yet detached from the project in mind allows one to approach the task with an openness that can lead to far better results than a mind will allow if it is tied up with undue worry and concern for the outcome.

So… I am not going to worry anymore… he says confidently! I will at least try to approach this site from a state of mindfulness in future, rather than buzzing around like a bee in a jar wondering what on earth I am going to put up next. This is a Buddhist blog after all, and it really does not need half a dozen updates each day. I will be, or at least intend to be, mindful of the content rather than worried about it.

May you all live in peace.

Lojong Practice

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Mahayana Pure Land

Mahayana Pure Land

For those of a Mahayana leaning, I provide an anthology of texts regarding the Lojong practice, or ‘Mind Training’. This text contains 15 texts regarding the Tibetan Lojong practice. It is not the be-all and end-all of the subject, but having been provided by Lotsawa House, it can be considered authoritative.

The text is provided under a Creative Commons License, meaning you can distribute it as you wish so long as you give the author, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, and the publisher, Lotsawa House full credit.

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Lojong Anthology

Whilst this anthology may not support the Theravadin view of meditative practice, I do believe it to be of value to any Buddhist seeking ultimate peace. Please feel free to add it to you own websites whilst crediting the source and author. I have several other Lotsawa documents to add, and I trust they will benefit your path to Nibbana.

May you all live in peace.

The Digha Nikaya

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Burmese-Pali Manuscript.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London.

I have just published an anthology of the Digha Nikaya made available by the Venerable Thanissaro Bhikkhu. It is made available under a Creative Commons license, meaning you can share it assuming you give due credit to the original author.

The Digha Nikaya contains much longer discourses than the other Nikayas, hence it’s meaning, ‘The Long Discourses’. There are only 34 Suttas in the Nikaya, but they are rather lengthy. This anthology provides complete translations of nine of the Suttas and partial translations of a further two.

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Anthology of the Digha Nikaya

Don’t forget, if you want to share this document, then you must give credit to Thanissaro Bhikkhu and dhammatalks.org

May all being live in peace.