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understand how the Buddha’s teaching can lead to its goal, or even what that goal is in the first place. Beginners on the Buddhist path often find themselves confused or overwhelmed, and some may actually become disenchanted with the Buddha’s teaching, thinking it an impractical or even useless teaching due to their inability to see clearly what it was the Buddha actually taught. Some may say that the Buddha taught people to just close their eyes and ignore the world around them, that he taught nothing about how to live one’s daily life. Even in the time of the Buddha himself, there were those who tried to pin various labels on him; in the Vinaya Piṭaka, for example, we find the Buddha confronted by a brahmin who accuses him of holding all sorts of extreme positions such as nihilism, self-torture, etc. In order to avoid such misunderstandings, it is important for Buddhist newcomers to obtain a comprehensive teaching; a teaching that covers all elements of practical Buddhism and provides a practice that is of use in all situations – a teaching that protects those who undertake it from all obstacles, challenges, and dangers on the path. When undertaking the practice of Buddhist meditation, we have to remember that formal meditation practice is only one part of the Buddha’s teaching and only one aspect of our development on the Buddhist path. Certainly it is the most essential, since only through meditation practice will one be able to see reality as it is. We must also, however, be equipped to deal with the many distractions, diversions, and obligations not directly related to the practice of walking and sitting meditation. In our daily lives, there are many challenges to our practice that we must face – for example, making a living, harmonizing with our environment, or tending to our physical health, to name a few. If we are unable to deal with the many various aspects of life and practice skillfully, our foundational practice of walking and sitting meditation will be incapable of bearing fruit, just like a fruit tree that needs support and care in order to grow to maturity. Once we understand how to incorporate the Buddha’s teaching into all aspects of life, our practice will progress smoothly, protected 26
from external interruption. One of the most comprehensive teachings given by the Buddha on practical development of empirical insight is found in the Sabbāsava Sutta, the discourse on “all of the taints”, or “all of the defilements”. This sutta is of great benefit even for new Buddhist practitioners, since it explains all of the various ways of removing unwholesome habits from the mind. As the title suggests, it claims to provide a comprehensive practice for ridding one’s mind of all channels by which unwholesomeness, and therefore suffering, might arise. This discourse, the second sutta in the Majjhima Nikāya, is recommended reading for all Buddhists serious in undertaking practice of the Buddha’s teaching in order to realize enlightenment for themselves, rather than just worshipping or venerating the Buddha as one who himself practised rightly. In this sutta, the Buddha explained seven practices that are intrinsically important in mental development, including but not limited to the meditation practice itself. These seven practices form a comprehensive practice, providing one with the ability to conquer any and all mental defilements that exist in the mind. For those approaching the Buddha’s teaching for the first time, it is also useful in providing a comprehensive understanding of the Buddha’s teaching as taught by the Buddha himself. By studying this teaching, one will see that the Buddha did indeed give instruction in all aspects of spiritual development, leaving out nothing of importance to the cultivation of the spiritual path. The subject of the discourse is how to rid oneself of the taints (āsava) – those qualities of mind that cause one to act or speak in a way contrary to one’s own best interest; the unwholesome tendencies and misunderstandings that exist in the mind and give rise to suffering for ourselves and for other beings. In Buddhism these are considered to be the only true source of suffering; Buddhism denies the belief that suffering can be caused by another. Even when we cause suffering for other people, it is understood that it is ourselves who will suffer from our own actions, due to subsequent feelings of guilt, anger, fear, worry, etc. – the person we hurt can only suffer if they react to our actions negatively. 27
Page 1 and 2: Lessons In Practical Buddhism Yutta
Page 3 and 4: Introduction This book is based on
Page 5 and 6: Celebrating A Buddhist Holiday When
Page 7 and 8: eons and 100,000 great eons to beco
Page 9 and 10: any of us know how we became human
Page 11 and 12: - AN 1.331 Rare are the people who
Page 13 and 14: Thailand: “So today is a holiday
Page 15 and 16: “Whether a bhikkhu or a bhikkhuni
Page 17 and 18: great suffering. This is a danger t
Page 19 and 20: actually most apparent in good peop
Page 21 and 22: suffering that comes to the recipie
Page 23 and 24: good ones, cleaning the defilement
Page 25 and 26: teachers, refusing to listen and ev
Page 27 and 28: since the brain and mind together b
Page 29: A Comprehensive Practice Introducti
Page 33 and 34: future advancement based on this kn
Page 35 and 36: when they hear such a teaching. To
Page 37 and 38: teaching that the Buddha advised in
Page 39 and 40: immediately judge and react to just
Page 41 and 42: If we want to remain free from slav
Page 43 and 44: to support one’s practice, protec
Page 45 and 46: however, for people to possess dwel
Page 47 and 48: clearly uncontrollable - it is mere
Page 49 and 50: tiṭṭhikā” - “patience, for
Page 51 and 52: end his practice forever. The merce
Page 53 and 54: unpleasant. Certain situations are
Page 55 and 56: truly beneficial - how much more so
Page 57 and 58: entered into absorption, their comp
Page 59 and 60: Delusion too can be incredibly into
Page 61 and 62: The first step in our progress, the
Page 63 and 64: towards observing the nature of phe
Page 65 and 66: further refine their observation; t
Page 67 and 68: A person who has realized nibbāna
Page 69 and 70: other recommended him to disrobe an
Page 71 and 72: the fact that “mindfulness” is
Page 73 and 74: cultivation of objective understand
Page 75 and 76: many minutes, hours, days, or even
Page 77 and 78: experience, not impersonal space-ti
Page 79 and 80: “Rising” and “falling” are
Page 81 and 82:
meaning is actually closer to “ac
Page 83 and 84:
emembrance. It is called memorizati
Page 85 and 86:
8. sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā, pe
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Once you see impermanence, it’s n
Page 89 and 90:
disgusting it is because, if you do
Page 91 and 92:
angel is still not as good as being
Page 93 and 94:
to create, wanting to become. When
Page 95 and 96:
knowledge, “I am freed!” - MN 7
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their beauty. This is likely the re
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2. paṇīto - is subtle 3. asecana
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The Buddha taught that inside of al
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Both greed and anger are caused by
Page 105 and 106:
of experience. Once we are able to
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was as “afraid, afraid”, as wel
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for themselves and others. Actually
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true freedom - to see that all thin
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When we undertake the practice of m
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you can build up that won’t fall
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and effect works incessantly. This
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When we practice meditation our goa
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Part Three: Subjective Experience N
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haven’t studied the Buddha’s te
Page 125 and 126:
happy. Even giving rise to good int
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The Nature of Reality Reality is a
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Simple Truth Studying the Dhamma is
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it changes. You will come to see th
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see the simple reality of our exper
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until finally the kid gets fed up.
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peaceful indigenous peoples of the
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to perpetuate themselves; beliefs i
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must look at it quite closely, whic
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and to agree with it, but the key i
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something goes contrary to our expe
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you obviously won't bump into anyth
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would like it to be. The technique
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