Search found 26 matches

by Richard
Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:23 pm
Forum: Pāli
Topic: Bodhi Vandana
Replies: 4
Views: 1897

Re: Bodhi Vandana

There does seem to be a problem here. Both ime and ete should be plural, and Mahābodhi is also modified by the past participle pūjitā, which can be singular or plural. Maybe someone else will know about an exceptional usage, or perhaps influence from another language. By the way, where does this ver...
by Richard
Sun Nov 29, 2015 3:15 pm
Forum: Pāli
Topic: Verses of Protection
Replies: 2
Views: 1220

Re: Verses of Protection

Yes, I believe it is. The verb "bhavantu" goes with "sotthī" which here is plural, while "me" is indirect object in dative case. So in the first line it says "may every blessing be," but in the last line, "always may blessings be for me." Hope this i...
by Richard
Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:02 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: AN 11.13: Mahanama Sutta (six recollections)
Replies: 31
Views: 13491

Re: AN 11.13: Mahanama Sutta (six recollections)

I also make use of the Recollections, especially the first. And I am glad when anyone brings them up, because they are roundly ignored by today's meditation industry. The sutta makes it clear that they are serious and useful subjects for meditation, and AN I.30 (or 1.296) says they can lead to enlig...
by Richard
Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:12 pm
Forum: Pāli
Topic: What is the Pali word for humility?
Replies: 6
Views: 3759

Re: What is the Pali word for humility?

Another word for humility is nivāta, which appears in the famous Mangala Sutta, stanza # 8, which counsels humility along with reverence, contentment, and gratitude. Just reading through this brief set of verses has been a useful reminder to me.
by Richard
Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:07 am
Forum: Introductions
Topic: Hello from Champaign, IL!!
Replies: 7
Views: 2008

Re: Hello from Champaign, IL!!

Greetings, InfiniteSummer-- I am also in Champaign, Illinois. You might not know about the Prairie Sangha, a group which meets on Monday evenings for meditation. It's the only Theravada-related group around. I can tell you more about it, or you can see http://www.prairiesangha.org . Or perhaps I alr...
by Richard
Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:21 pm
Forum: Wellness, Diet & Fitness
Topic: Thoughts on weightlifting
Replies: 46
Views: 17892

Re: Thoughts on weightlifting

Friends,

I do some weightlifting as part of my daily routine, often after sitting meditation. I just use light hand weights and emphasize slow, circular motions. This does have health benefits, but for me it is a good way to develop body mindfulness--real kāyagatasati.

Richard
by Richard
Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:07 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Did the Buddha teach we have choice? (aka The Great Free Will v Determinism Debate)
Replies: 988
Views: 339346

Re: Free will and the mind

Friends, On the issue of free will from a Buddhist viewpoint, I know of nothing better than Peter Harvey, "Freedom of the Will in the Light of Theravada Buddhist Teachings," which appeared in the online Journal of Buddhist Ethics, vol. 14, 2007. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/fi...
by Richard
Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:06 am
Forum: Classical Theravāda
Topic: Learn Buddha Vacana
Replies: 13
Views: 4254

Re: Learn Buddha Vacana

Friends, I happen to have noticed that there is a French site with the very same content and format, called "La Parole du Bouddha." The address is http://www.tipitaka.fr . There seems to be no link on one indicating the existence of the other. Similar sites in other languages would be good...
by Richard
Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:36 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: qi gong
Replies: 6
Views: 2514

Re: qi gong

I have been doing qigong for some years, and can recommend it as a way to loosen up before meditation. It is also a great opportunity to practice mindfulness of the body. There are many forms of qigong, and some teachers have made outlandish claims for it; everyone should use their own judgement on ...
by Richard
Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:27 pm
Forum: Introductions
Topic: Members Bios - please contribute yours
Replies: 209
Views: 278175

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Hello everyone, I first became interested in Buddhism in the 1990's, and made my first contacts at a local Zen center. It took me about 10 years to explore and sort out all the different schools of Buddhism before finally settling on Theravada as the tradition I want to pursue. Now that I have learn...
by Richard
Sun Nov 13, 2011 8:46 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Richard Gombrich - Comfort or Challenge?
Replies: 156
Views: 35482

Re: Richard Gombrich - Comfort or Challenge?

I have read the lecture, and think Gombrich makes a good point when he says that Thai and other Theravada temples in the West function primarily as ethnic cultural centers, and don't really make an effort to introduce Theravada to peoples around the world. As he says in his most recent book, Gombric...
by Richard
Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:24 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Under-appreciated Meditation Techniques
Replies: 17
Views: 5486

Re: Under-appreciated Meditation Techniques

Hello everyone, I also like to do the five subjects for daily recollection. There is another form of meditation, also found in every chanting book, but taught (e.g., in AN 11.13) as an individual exercise: the Recollection of the 3 Jewels, beginning with the Buddha. The beginning formula, "itip...
by Richard
Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:07 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Right concentration as a basis for wisdom?
Replies: 7
Views: 1867

Re: Right concentration as a basis for wisdom?

Hello Starter, I have also been reading these meditation talks, which develop some ideas already stated in the three previous "Meditations" series. There seems to be an old controversy over how much concentration is needed in order to do effective insight meditation, and Thanissaro seems t...
by Richard
Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:12 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: The Truths and the Myths about "God" in Buddhism!
Replies: 25
Views: 7447

Re: The Truths and the Myths about "God" in Buddhism!

If this discussion is going to get anywhere, we need to make a distinction between the polytheistic culture in which the Buddha lived, with its devas, gandhabbas, nagas etc., and the supreme omnipotent God of the monotheistic religions. The Buddha apparently had nothing against people praying to the...
by Richard
Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:01 am
Forum: Theravāda for Beginners
Topic: Memorization
Replies: 14
Views: 3556

Re: Memorization

I like to memorize verses from the Dhammapada, Mangala Sutta and other suttas which contain metric verses--just to have some reminders to carry around with me. Most of all I like to keep in mind the 3 Recollections--of Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha--as the Buddha recommended to his kinsman Mahanama. I enjo...