Our Buddhism & Meditation Blog

Many of the formidable social and cultural problems we face today are rooted in the sharp schism that has divided Western civilization between science and…

The two crucial aspects of the Buddha’s awakening are the what and the how: what he awakened to and how he did it. His awakening is special in that the two…

Delivered to the Western disciples at Bung Wai Forest Monastery during the rains retreat of 1977, just after one of the senior monks had disrobed and left the…

This work provides an analytical study of the jhānas, an important set of meditative attainments in the contemplative discipline of Theravāda Buddhism.

A brief talk given as final instruction to an elderly Englishwoman who spent two months under the guidance of Ajahn Chah at the end of 1978 and beginning of…

An informal talk given to a group of newly ordained monks after the evening chanting, middle of the Rains Retreat, 1978 …) Our way of practice is looking…

This is the third, further revised version of the original Sangha Guide on Buddhism and Sex published by the English Sangha Trust, Dhammpadipa, London NW3.

A lively talk, in Lao dialect, given to the Assembly of newly-ordained Monks at Wat Pah Pong on the day of entering the Rains Retreat, July 1978 .

A discourse delivered to the assembly of Western monks, novices and lay-disciples at Bung Wai Forest Monastery, Ubon, on the 10th of October, 1977.

The ultimate goal of Buddhism is the deathless condition of Nibbana, the sole reality. Hence, one who aspires to that state should renounce mundane pursuits and…

The word ‘mindfulness’ as an indication for a meditation system found its entry in the west when John Kabat-Zinn started his program of ‘Mindfulness-Based…

An ancient maxim found in the Dhammapada sums up the practice of the Buddha’s teaching in three simple guidelines to training: to abstain from all evil…

Like the Roman god Janus, every person faces simultaneously in two opposite directions. With one face of our consciousness we gaze in upon ourselves and become…

On first encounter Buddhism confronts us as a paradox. Intellectually, it appears a freethinker’s delight: sober, realistic, undogmatic…

Nowadays you can take a yoga class in almost every city and there are numerous online channels that make it easy to practice yoga at home.

Vipassanā means as much as ‘insight’ and is often translated as insight meditation. Sometimes this is seen as a separate form of Buddhist meditation.

There’s an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but that’s not really the case. The road to hell is paved with intentions that are…

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kosambi in a siṁsapa grove. Then the Blessed One took up a few siṁsapa leaves in his hand and addressed the…

Many people tell us that the Buddha taught two different types of meditation — mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation. Mindfulness meditation…

Buddhists accept that human life has a deeper purpose than sensual enjoyments, wealth, power, social status, and praise gained in this life…

“A son has been born to thee, O prince!” this was the message that reached Prince Siddhattha when returning from a drive through the city of Kapilavatthu and a…

In line with the present-day stress on the need for religious teachings to be personally relevant and directly verifiable, in certain Dhamma circles the time…

The practice of the Buddha’s teaching is most commonly depicted by the image of a journey, the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path constituting the royal…

The Maha-mangala Sutta, the Great Discourse on Blessings, is one of the most popular Buddhist suttas, included in all the standard repertories of Pali…

In this discourse, the Buddha shows the factors that go into deciding what is and is not worth saying. The main factors are three: whether or not a statement is…

In the practice of samatha meditation the mind is focused on a specific object. The Buddha taught 40 such meditation objects. He never said that one object is…

“Bhikkhus, suppose a man would throw a yoke with a single hole into the great ocean, and there was a blind turtle which would come to the surface once every…

The Pāli term for meditation is bhāvanā: development. It’s a shorthand word for the development of skillful qualities in the mind. Bhāvanā is a type of karma…

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time the householder’s son…

“What is the mind? The mind isn’t ‘is’ anything.” — Ajahn Chah “The mind is neither good nor evil, but it’s what knows good and knows evil. It’s what does good…

Guided meditation has become increasingly popular in recent years, mainly through meditation apps, YouTube channels and other (impersonal) online content.

When practicing samatha meditation, at first it may seem as if the mind is only becoming more restless. This is because you look at your mental processes with…

The essence of our practice must be founded in understanding the Dhamma. In understanding the teaching. By ­gaining – with clear understanding – deep insight…

The word vipassanā is composed of two parts: vi, which means ‘clear’, and passanā, which means ‘to see’. Vipassanā therefore means ‘to see clearly’ or rather…

At Savatthī. “Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Noble Eightfold Path and I will analyse it for you. Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.” “Yes…

What does it mean to be mindful of the breath? Something very simple: to keep the breath in mind. Keep remembering the breath each time you breathe in…

When the Buddha teaches how to focus on feelings as you meditate, there are four steps: Focused on the breath, you learn how to breathe in a way that gives rise…

While the Mangala Sutta deals with the way of life conducive to progress and happiness, the Parabhava Sutta supplements it by pointing out the causes of…

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the hall with the peaked roof in the Great Wood. Then Sīha the general approached the Blessed One…

The perfection of giving is to be practiced by benefiting beings in many ways — by relinquishing one’s happiness, belongings, body and life to others…

The doctrine of karma (kamma) and rebirth is often misunderstood. You sometimes hear people say rather fatalistically “it’s my karma” or with the desire to give…

What exactly is vipassanā? Almost any book on early Buddhist meditation will tell you that the Buddha taught two types of meditation: samatha and vipassanā.

Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at Anathapindika’s monastery. Now when the night was far advanced…

If we look at the cause of unsatisfactoriness, the second Noble Truth the Buddha taught, we see that the Buddha mentions desire as the big problem.

As from a heap of flowers many a garland is made, even so many good deeds should be done by one born a mortal (Dhammapada verse 53). The giving away of useful…

Who seeks to promote his welfare, Having glimpsed the state of perfect peace, Should be able, honest and upright, Gentle in speech, meek and not proud.

Achieving the ultimate complete liberation from unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) is a gradual process consisting of four stages. In the time of the Buddha there were…

The nucleus of the present book (A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha of Acariya Anuruddha) is a medieval compendium of Buddhist…

On the personal request of the Honorable U Nu, Prime Minister, and Thado Thiri Thudhamma Sir U Thwin, President of the Buddha Sasananuggaha Association…

Giving comes very naturally to some people — they enjoy giving and are unhappy if they cannot do so. And though it is obvious that one can give foolishly…

You could argue that Buddhism is about freeing yourself from samsāra and reaching nirvana (nibbāna). But what do samsāra and nibbāna really mean?

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Baraṇasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus of the…

The Buddha taught three characteristics (ti-lakkhaṇa) that apply to all existence in Samsāra, namely impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and non…

This treatise begins by pairing the five great forms of ignorance with the five types of light needed to destroy them. Take ignorance of the Dhamma.

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in the Eastern Park, in the Palace of Migāra’s Mother, together with many very well…

Dana, giving, is extolled in the Pali canon as a great virtue. It is, in fact, the beginning of the path to liberation. When the Buddha preaches to a newcomer…

Regardless of his past, the dhammanuvatti remains personally responsible for his liberation. The Buddha encourages each practitioner to examine the object of…

Equanimity is the apotheosis of the brahmavihāra’s. It is the nec plus ultra among the ‘Four Divine Abodes’. The first three ‘Immeasurables’ all still show a…

One of the keywords in Buddhism is dukkha, often translated as suffering. In everyday life, dukkha is most easily perceived as suffering, and that is why that…

What is written in this text by the Ledi Sayadaw might almost read like a fairy tale, something far away from what is held to be possible and true in our…

A kalyānamitta (a good companion, a spiritual friend) recently asked me how many people manage to experience insight into reality as it really is (yathā bhūta…

Khandha literally means: heap, stack. A synonym for the term khandha in the Dhamma context is: pañcupādānakkhandhā → pañca + upādāna + khandha: pañca = five…

Giving (dana) is one of the essential preliminary steps of Buddhist practice. When practiced in itself, it is a basis of merit or wholesome kamma.

The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one’s humanity and one’s…

Over the past few months, we have been working hard to expand our digital Theravāda Buddhist library. It contains a handpicked selection of books by renowned…

“Verify for yourself,” the Buddha said to his followers, “whether what I teach corresponds with the truth.” He condensed this into one word: Ehipassiko – ‘Come…

Talking about how to live a good life is easy, actually living it is difficult. Anyone can use terms like “enlightened,” “awakened,” or “liberated…

Vipassanā literally means: ‘seeing things as they really are’. This ‘seeing’ requires clear understanding of the three characteristics (tilakkhaṇa) of all…

Below is a translation of the Ānāpāna Dipani, a treatise on meditation on breathing in order to reach enlightenment, written by Ledi Sayādaw…

In deep concentration we experience that the phenomena arise and decay so quickly that we cannot grasp them. That they completely escape our mind. That we can’t…

For more than 2,500 years, people have followed the path to liberation as taught by the Buddha. For just as long, the Buddha’s life story has had a powerful…

When we talk about Buddhism, we are talking about the teachings of the Buddha, but the Buddha himself did not write anything down. So, you might wonder: how do…

Theravāda Buddhism is a Buddhist school that came to prominence during the reign of king Asoka the Great around 250 BC, after the purification of the Sangha…

In a striking piece of poetry (Sn 4:15), the Buddha once described the sense of saṁvega — terror or dismay — that inspired him to look for an end to suffering.

When did the use of statues in Buddhism begin? What did the Buddha himself advise on their use? And wat do the various Buddha statues mean? In this text we…

The Dhammpada is a true gem of the ancient Buddhist scriptures (the Pali Canon) of Theravada Buddhism and probably one of the oldest Buddhist texts…

Abhidhamma, as the term implies, is the Higher Teaching of the Buddha. It expounds the quintessence of His profound doctrine. The Dhamma, embodied in the Sutta…

What advice would you give to western dhamma teachers and to those who may come to them for guidance as they continue in their own ways to spread the Dharma in…

If you want to start meditating, you will soon come across meditation apps. But do you really need an app to meditate? And which one is best?

About 8,000 people now visit our websites (buddho.nl and buddho.org) every month and new people subscribe to our newsletter almost every day…

In essence, meditation is focusing your attention on a specific object. Your mind then gradually becomes clean and clear. A clean and clear mind forms the…

The Buddhasāsana deals with “seeing”. With “looking.” With ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’ (janami passami). Not with the ordinary, everyday, sensory gaze of a…

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Baraṇasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus of the…

Several years back, I led a retreat in Santa Fe on the topic of karma. One of the readings was a passage in which the Buddha teaches his seven-year-old son…

Take a look at the example of the Buddha. Both in his own practice and in his methods for teaching the disciples he was exemplary. The Buddha taught the…

I am sitting in front of my meditation teacher Ahba, a Burmese Buddhist monk who fled Myanmar in the 1980s. After walking hundreds of kilometers through the…

Spontaneous is the antonym of ingrained. The opposite of conditioned. Of manipulated. Spontaneous leaves nothing standing of what the dhammanuvatti [1]…

Now please pay attention, not allowing your mind to wander off after other things. Create the feeling that right now you are sitting on a mountain or in a…

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Gaya, at Gaya’s Head, together with a thousand bhikkhus. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus…

The life of the Buddha has been described extensively and with a great deal of devotion in the suttas. Siddhartha’s odyssey comes down to this: he was born in…

Practicing mindfulness means keeping something in mind. Practicing right mindfulness means keeping in mind two activities that we’ll be doing here as we…

We often come to the meditation to gain a sense of peace and calm, to find some rest. And it is important that we gain these things from the meditation: We…

When the Buddha lists the factors for awakening, equanimity comes at the end of the list, which gives the impression that it’s the highest of the list.

Focus your attention right here. The mind will be creating other “heres” to carry you away from right here. But you don’t have to go with them.

As we meditate, we try to bring the mind to a state of calm. But you notice, if you look at the Buddha’s explanations for the factors for awakening…

Take a few deep, long in-and-out breaths and think of the breath energy filling the body. When we talk of the breath energy being full, it’s not a matter of…

The Buddha says that three factors of the path hover around all the other factors. There’s right view, which helps you to know what’s, say…

We all come to the practice with doubts and questions. But we don’t get past our doubts by not asking questions. We do it by learning how to ask the right…

When the Buddha lists the factors for awakening, he says that there are some that are appropriate when the mind is sluggish. Those factors are analysis of…

Several years back, I was asked to give a talk on the factors for awakening: mindfulness, analysis of qualities, persistence, rapture, calm, concentration…

Every month more than two thousand people visit our website, including many returning visitors. We are touched by the donations and positive reactions we have…

Below is a selection of texts from the Nikāyas (ancient Buddhist scriptures) on samatha (calmness) and vipassanā (insight) chosen by Bhikkhu Bodhi as an…

One of the hardest things for meditation practitioners, whether you’re a beginner or quite experienced, is to have the discipline to meditate every day.

Today the practice of insight meditation has gained global popularity, yet in achieving this success it has undergone a subtle metamorphosis.

Here I will take a fresh look at an often quoted discourse of the Buddha, the Kalama Sutta. The discourse has been described as “the Buddha’s Charter of Free…

I heard thus. Once the Blessed One, while wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of bhikkhus, entered a town of the Kalama people called…

The arahant ideal and the bodhisattva ideal are often considered the respective guiding ideals of Theravāda Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Samatha meditation on buddho is a form of buddhānussati, meditation focused on the qualities of the Buddha. In this method, the meditation object (the object…

Anicca vata sankhara — “Impermanent, alas, are all formations!” — is the phrase used in Theravada Buddhist lands to announce the death of a loved one…

At home through an app, at your yoga class or at work, mindfulness ‘without Buddhism’ can be found everywhere these days. Usually it is taught as a form of…

When I first went to study with my teacher, Ajahn Fuang, he handed me a small booklet of meditation instructions and sent me up the hill behind the monastery to…

A Dhamma-talk by Ajahn Chah to an aging lay disciple approaching death, translated from the Thai by the Sangha at Wat Pah Nanachat: Now determine in your mind…

The word “retreat” means as much as “withdrawing yourself” and, in a narrower sense in this context, withdrawing yourself from everyday life for spiritual or…

Newcomers to Buddhism often ask whether a person’s lifestyle has any special bearing on their ability to progress along the Buddha’s path…

Today, in both East and West, a general breakdown of law and order has planted in us an implacable sense of uneasiness that creeps up on us on the streets…

While the present book was in preparation, its author, the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma, passed away at the age of 78. Thus, unexpectedly — as death so…

When it comes to practicing samatha meditation on buddho, Ahba regularly speaks about the series saddhā, viriya, sati, samādhi, paññā and overarching khanti and…

One of the most challenging issues facing Theravada Buddhism in recent years has been the encounter between classical Theravada vipassana meditation and the…

Those who like it can study the Abhidhamma as an addition to the meditation. The prefix ‘abhi’ means ‘transcending’ or ‘higher’; in this case the word ‘dhamma’…

Two thousand five hundred years ago, underneath the Bodhi tree in northern India, Siddhartha Gautama understood reality and became a Buddha, a ‘awake’ or…

The Buddha advised five moral precepts (pañca-sīla) for the development of morality (sīla). The first of these precepts is ‘abstaining from killing’.

In essence Buddhism is all about liberating the mind. To accomplish this, the Buddha taught his path of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi) and wisdom…

Anyone who meditates daily, year after year, anyone who regularly does long retreats, knows that a meditation teacher is indispensable.

In general terms, Right Concentration means establishing the mind rightly. On one level, this can apply to all the factors of the path. You have to start out by…

Meditation is not a fast process. It is important to continue to make patient efforts without desiring anything. The Buddha once gave the example (in SN 22.101)…

When the Buddha talks about meditation in the suttas (sutras), he almost always talks about samādhi. The word samādhi has many nuances. The essence of samādhi…

The Buddha taught with great regularity that concentration (samādhi) is a cornerstone of the path to liberation from suffering. On this path, sooner or later…

Sexual abuse plays a role in an unacceptably high percentage of the member organizations of the Buddhist Union of the Netherlands (BUN).

In the West, we live in a time of unparalleled material prosperity, rellative world peace (never before has there been as little war as today), security…

Mālā is the Sanskrit word for chain or necklace. Specifically, it refers to the beaded necklace that is often used during meditation. The moment man began to…

Since the death of the Buddha in present day India in the 5th B.C., Buddhism has spread around the world. It is not surprising that it has changed over time by…

You started meditating, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s a way to relax a bit more, to let go of stress, or to make suffering that you have experienced more…

The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord…

If you start with samatha meditation on buddho, or any other meditation object, it may well be that after a short time you notice that it is quite difficult to…

The Buddha repeatedly discouraged any excessive veneration paid to him personally. He knew that an excess of purely emotional devotion can obstruct or disturb…

There are two ways to support Buddhism. One is known as āmisapūjā, supporting through material offerings. These are the four requisites of food, clothing…

One of the most delightful ways to receive instruction from Ajahn Chah is to sit at his cottage and listen as he answers questions for the monks of the…

The new year is coming and many people are thinking about what they will do differently the coming year. This often results in intentions to refrain from…

Words like citta (consciousness) or cetasika (mental factor) can be quite abstract (see also Ultimate Reality and Ethical Quality in the Abhidhamma).

When you go to study meditation with any group or teacher who is experienced in a particular form of meditation, you should first make your heart confident that…

According to the Mahāyāna-tradition, the Buddha has told the Shūraṅgama Sutta especially for Ananda, who at that time already was a Sotāpanna (a person who…

This discourse is one of the masterpieces of the Pali canon. At heart, it is a comprehensive portrait of the Buddhist path of training…

In our day and age, the practice of going into the forest to meditate and follow the ascetic dhutanga practices began with Phra Ajahn Sao Kantasilo…

The second paragraph in the first chapter of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha by Acariya Anuruddha reads: “In the ultimate sense, the Abhidhamma speaks of four…

By now you can find a lot of information on our website. That in itself is very nice, but if you came to our website with a specific question it can be quite…