KINDNESS: This wonderful painting was recently published in the online Pariyatti Journal. |
The Great Discourse on Causation |
Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi |
The Mahānidāna Sutta, The Great Discourse on Causation, is the longest and most detailed of the Buddha's discourses dealing with paṭiccasamuppāda—dependent arising. The Buddha often described dependent arising as deep, subtle, and difficult to see, the special domain of noble wisdom. So when his close disciple Ānanda comes to him and suggests that this doctrine might not be as deep as it seems, the stage is set for a particularly profound and illuminating exposition of the Dhamma. |
|
|
Excerpt: The worldling’s endeavour to understand his existence always turns into speculations on self because he carries into his systematic thinking the everyday presupposition that self is the basic truth of his existence. This presupposition he accepts prior to and quite apart from all serious reflection; indeed he does not even recognize it as a presupposition, for the reason that he perceives a self as inherent in his experience. Conceptually he tries to pinpoint this self in relation to the experiential situation, and this results in “considerations of self,” which become the pre-speculative basis for his more systematic “descriptions of self.” The Buddha’s method of dealing with views in this sutta is to pass directly from the descriptions of self to the underlying considerations. He sets forth the alternative ways of considering self, examines them, and shows that none can stand up under scrutiny. When all possible ways of considering self are seen to be defective, logic leads back to the conclusion (not explicitly drawn in the sutta) that none of the descriptions of self is tenable. |
Recently released as an audiobook, wonderfully narrated by a new volunteer reader, Shelina Hetherington, is the Bodhi Leaf Publication No 108—Aggression, War, and Conflict. The audiobook contains three essays by Bhikkhu Khantipālo. As is the case for all our Pariyatti Digital Editions audiobooks, it can be downloaded as well as streamed online. |
|
|
Excerpt:
Aggression is rampant almost everywhere nowadays, sometimes in its legal and approved form and increasingly in illegal activities. Where it is approved, it may be called “getting on in the world,” that is, stepping on others’ heads so that you can get to the top. This is success in a worldly sense, but not in a Buddhist one. It is also approved of for men (though not by them for women!) as being a mark of mastery and virility, yet it will never bring happiness. For if people are mastered forcibly, then how will happiness follow for the one who inflicts suffering? The rationale is that “progress,” that materialistic god so widely worshipped, will not come about unless force and power are used. But this argument does not take into account the fact that, sooner or later, what is won by aggression will surely be lost through conflict. What does the Buddha say about aggression? |
It is thanks to volunteers who generously donate their time and expertise that Pariyatti is able to offer many of our audiobooks for free. A heartfelt thank-you to them! Read The Art of Reading Dhamma Books to get an idea what is involved in the creation of an audiobook. |
Available in print, eBook bundle, free PDF and free audiobook |
|
The Equanimous Mind by Manish Chopra is now also available as a streaming and downloadable audiobook, narrated by the author. Manish Chopra steps forward with an act of daring confession, telling us in detail what was wrong with his life, and how, by learning Vipassana meditation, he reoriented every waking moment, and even some sleeping moments, to be in greater harmony with the power of Dhamma, the wisdom that is revealed by practicing the Buddha’s teaching of Vipassana meditation. (From the Foreword by Dr. Paul R. Fleischman.)
|
|
|
Pariyatti offers many resources in multiple or various languages. Volunteers continue to translate and dub books and videos for us into languages other than English. |
|
|
If you live outside the USA and are looking to order print books, please check our list of non-US retailers. Ordering with them could save you in shipping costs. Many of the titles we publish are set up with Amazon's print-on-demand service, so you may be able to order those directly from Amazon in your country. |
Exploring the Path with Klaus Nothnagel |
Klaus Nothnagel, Teacher of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka, and the driving force behind the majority of online Pāli courses on offer in the Pariyatti Learning Center, will join us on Zoom on Sunday, July 17, to talk about how he came to learn Pāli, how and why he started teaching, and how the course Exploring the Path (ETP)* came to be. Klaus will also touch on future plans for ETP. The interview is scheduled to be an hour; a following Q&A for questions from the audience will take another 30 minutes. |
Sunday, July 17
8am PST (11am EST) 11am EST, 5pm CET, 8.30pm IST Duration 1,5 hours. |
|
|
An interview with Yuval Harari |
 |
Professor Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (among several other bestselling titles). Prof. Harari is an AT (Assistant Teacher) in our tradition as well, generally serving at Vipassana Meditation Center Dhamma Pamoda in Israel. Our late Vipassana Teacher Goenkaji called the Buddha 'a super scientist'. After all, both patipatti and pariyatti (theory and practice of the Buddha's teachings) are in a way scientific, with the meditator being the neutral observer, and part of the Pāli Canon systematically dealing with mind and matter in detail. As Yuval publishes books from a macro-historical perspective he is not an author we publish, but there is so much value in hearing from an AT who is an author and (social) scientist—or listening to a publishing historian-philosopher who also meditates. Kory Goldberg, who co-authored the Pariyatti-published pilgrimage guide Along the Path, meets Yuval on Zoom for a cross-continental interview: Yuval calls in from Israel, Kory from Canada. |
Sunday, August 14
8am PST 11am EST, 5pm CET, 8.30pm IST Duration 1 hour. |
|
|
Dhamma Story Time (DST)
Mondays, at 12:30pm ET (9:30am PT) CHANGED TIME
NOTE: this is on Tuesdays for many time zones
5:30am CET, 9am IST, 1:30pm AEST
Tuesdays, at 10am ET
(7am PT, 4pm CET, 7:30pm IST, 10pm HKT) b
NOTE: NO sessions on July 12, 19, 26 |
 |
Dhammānupassanā āyatanapabbaṃ—Understanding the Contents of the Mind * The Section on the Sense Spheres ‘diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṃ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṃ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṃ bhavissatī’ti. ‘In the seen there will be only the seen, In the heard there will be only the heard, In the sensed there will be merely the sensed, In the cognised there will be only the cognised This renowned advice on how to protect the sense faculties properly opens Exploring the Path’s current lesson: 3.8.13 Dhammānupassanā āyatanapabbaṃ—Understanding the Contents of the Mind * The Section on the Sense Spheres. When the ascetic Bāhiya Dārucīriya insisted that the Buddha should teach him Dhamma immediately, because he may pass away soon, the Buddha instructed Bāhiya with the above quote. With this advice he was to realize that sense perception should be mere perceiving only; with no ‘doer’ and ‘nothing done’ involved, so no clinging and attachment would arise. Holding safeguard of the six sense doors—chasu ajjhattikabāhiresu āyatanesū—in respect to the incursion of seen, heard, sensed, or cognized objects is one of the core elements of the Buddha’s teaching. So, the introduction to lesson 3.8.13 also presents further instructions by the Buddha to his disciples on how to ‘protect the sense-doors’—‘indriyesu guttadvāro’—on basis of which these ‘faculties can get developed’—‘indriyabhāvanā’. Summarised in the Khīrarukkhopamasutta the Buddha declares that when there is no clinging, no aversion, no delusion… “then protruding visible objects that enter into the field of vision do not obsess the mind, nor do those of an insignificant nature.” |
The course takes you through twenty-two topics (mostly Pāli words) related to the teachings of the Buddha. Some topics will ring a bell, others might be less familiar; all lessons will be inspiring reminders of both the teachings and Pāli vocabulary. Thirteen lessons have been posted already, with the latest being: Karuṇā, Mettā, Muditā, Nibbāna, Pañcakkhandha. |
|
Each week we make another lesson available until all twenty-two are online. |
We are also still continuing to upload new verses in the course called Buddhasahassanāmāvali. In total 115 verses have now been uploaded; each verse offers an inspiring way to improve your knowledge of Pāli, the language in which the teachings of the Buddha have been preserved. |
|
|
The Pariyatti pilgrimage program offers affordable and supportive travel to places connected with the teachings of the Buddha and Saṅgha. Pilgrims are expected to be serious Vipassana meditators (in our tradition) seeking a meditation-focussed expedition rather than a vacation. Traveling in India and Nepal can be challenging, and arranging transportation and suitable accommodation can be time consuming. Experienced guides—meditators themselves—lead Pariyatti pilgrims with ease past such inconveniences. The itineraries of the Pariyatti pilgrimages are put together with utmost care. Time is used wisely, and pilgrims are given ample opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the different sites while meditating with fellow pilgrims. Overall, participants report back that the experience is deeply beneficial to their meditation practice. Along the Path (North India & Nepal) October 8–29, 2022 February 4–25, 2023 |
 |
In light of COVID-19 the scheduled pilgrimages are still tentative; we will refund 100% of the fees, should a pilgrimage be cancelled before it commences. |
Donations: Either one-time or monthly pledge |
Pariyatti is a charitable, non-profit, educational support system for the Dhamma community. Pariyatti exists because of funds donated by supporters. |
FACT: Did you know that since 1995 Pariyatti has distributed close to 50 complete sets (over 100 volumes each) of Pāli Tipiṭaka books to scholars, monasteries and university libraries in the USA?
|
Maiṇ bhī dukhiyā nā rahūṅ,
jagata dukhī nā hoya.
Jīvana jīne kī kalā,
satya Dharama hai soya. Maiṇ bhī dukhiyā nā rahūṅ,
jagata dukhī nā hoya.
Sukha se jīne kī kalā,
Dharama satya hai soya. Listen
May I and may the world
be without suffering;
this is the art of living,
this is true Dhamma. May I and may the world
be without suffering;
this is the art of living peacefully,
this is true Dhamma. Doha (Verse) by S.N. Goenka |
Would you like a daily dose of inspiration delivered to you? You can choose to have Daily Words of the Buddha, A Pāli Word a Day, and/or Daily Dhamma Verses (Dohas) sent to your inbox each day. These inspirational daily messages are also available via RSS feed and mobile app. Across the services there are various translations available: English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Brazilian-Portuguese, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, and Lithuanian. |
Pariyatti 867 Larmon Rd. Onalaska, WA 98570, USA |
|
|
|
|
|
|