Mystics from all the world's great religions have reported extraordinary meditative experiences that theists often attribute to the experience of God itself. But is it necessary to invoke the God-idea to explain these experiences?
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).
A short reflection on the Buddhist view of faith
(saddha).
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).
A short essay on the role of devotion in Buddhist practice.
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).
The Discourse on the Snake Simile (
MN 22
) contains important presentations of the Buddha's teachings on not-self and on the dangers of clinging to views. It also contains two of the Canon's most memorable similes: that of the raft, and that of the snake. Nyanaponika's translation is here accompanied by an Introduction and copious detailed footnotes.
An anthology of excerpts from the suttas and the Commentaries that address how to deal with the hindrances (sense desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt) when they arise in the mind.
Among the Buddha's most profound teachings is his observation that, like our bodies, our minds demand food for survival. Like a starving person, the mind hungers for sense-impressions; it feeds on thoughts, memories, ideas, and dreams; it even yearns for consciousness itself. This book includes carefully chosen excerpts from the suttas and commentaries that, together with the introductory essay, provide an excellent introduction to this vital topic.
A series of short but illuminating reflections on the development of the four
brahmavihara
("sublime states" or "divine abidings": love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) and the role they play in meditative practice.
In this short essay the author explains how the methodical cultivation of mudita (sympathetic or unselfish joy) can "act as a powerful agent in releasing dominant forces of good in the human heart." (From the anthology:
Mudita: The Buddha's Teaching on Unselfish Joy
, four essays by Nyanaponika Thera, Natasha Jackson, C.F. Knight, and L.R. Oates.)
An exploration of the subtle nature of
kamma,
and of the ultimate importance of cultivating wholesome kammic actions so that we may arrive at liberation — the final ending of kamma itself.
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).
The Life of Sariputta
,
compiled and translated from the Pali texts by Nyanaponika Thera
(1994; 55pp./166KB)
A biography of the "Marshal of the Dhamma," the Buddha's chief disciple, whom the Buddha praised for his deep wisdom, humility, patience, and forbearance.
An excellent overview of the powers of "bare attention" in mindfulness practice, organized in terms of four of its aspects: its capacity to "name" experience with dispassion; its non-coercive attitude toward experience; its capacity to slow down the mind so that the mind can see itself more clearly; and its capacity to see things directly, as they are.
A short reflection on what it means to see things as they really are — namely, in terms of the three characteristics of impermanence, suffering, and not-self.
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).
An excellent introduction to the multilayered meaning of "going for refuge," that crucial realignment of one's spiritual compass towards the highest Buddhist goal.
In this essay the author explores how the resolve to bring a skillful end to one's own suffering
(dukkha)
simultaneously works to diminish the suffering of others.
(This essay also appears in the book,
The Vision of the Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera,
(Buddhist Publication Society, 2000), which is available from
Pariyatti
).