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Here you will find written or translated texts, videos, audio files and more related to meditation and Buddhism. If you would like to support our work you can always make a donation.
The content is mainly intended for insight and inspiration. If you have any questions about what you encounter you can always contact us. We also invite you to read our recommended books.
One of the most challenging issues facing Theravada Buddhism in recent years has been the encounter between classical Theravada vipassana meditation and the “non-dualistic” contemplative traditions best represented by Advaita Vedanta and Mahayana Buddhism. Responses to this encounter have spanned the extremes, ranging from vehement confrontation all the way to attempts at synthesis and hybridization. […]
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 setting the mind on Right View. In other words, you use your discernment to gather together all the Dhamma you’ve heard. Then when you set the […]
The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana). Essentially metta is an altruistic attitude of love and friendliness as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest. Through metta one refuses to […]
If you start with samatha meditation on ‘buddho’ or any other object it may well be that after a short time you notice that it is quite difficult to keep up the meditation. There are so many other things that require attention, it’s so tempting to do something else. Here are seven practical tips to […]
In this Dhamma talk Ahba answers some questions asked by two Dutch disciples during their visit to his monastery. We realize that Ahba can be difficult to understand for people who do not know him, and that the greatest power of his words is in the energy he conveys while he speaks. Nevertheless, we want […]
The Buddha repeatedly discouraged any excessive veneration paid to him personally. He knew that an excess of purely emotional devotion can obstruct or disturb the development of a balanced character, and thus may become a serious obstacle to progress on the path to deliverance. The history of religion has since proved him right, as illustrated […]
There are two ways to support Buddhism. One is known as āmisapūjā, supporting through material offerings. These are the four requisites of food, clothing, shelter and medicine. This is to support Buddhism by giving material offerings to the Sangha of monks and nuns, enabling them to live in reasonable comfort for the practice of Dhamma. This fosters the […]
This presentation was given by Herman Schreuder in the Abbey of Berne in Heeswijk. If you can’t see the presentation above, you can download it here: Buddho, het geluid van stilte
One of the most delightful ways to receive instruction from Achaan Chah is to sit at his cottage and listen as he answers questions for the monks of the monastery and the constant stream of lay visitors. It is here that one can see the universality of this way of practice, for although on some […]
The new year is coming and many people are thinking about what they will do differently in the coming year. This often results in intentions to refrain from certain things or to reduce them, for example losing weight, drinking less, not getting angry so often, etc. In good spirits they get going, quickly find out […]
Words like citta (consciousness) or cetasika (mental factor) can be quite abstract (see also Ultimate Reality and Ethical Quality in the Abhidhamma). Your own experience is (I suppose) not a bunch of independent citta’s but the dynamic character of the cognitive process. Citta and cetasika come more to life when you look at the process […]
A short demonstration of the samatha meditation on the word ‘buddho’, as taught by Ahba (Luang por Opart). The volume and pitch used here are just an example, during your own meditation you can experiment with pitch, speed, volume and cadence. We strongly advise against practising this meditation technique without the guidance of an experienced […]
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 your teacher is fully experienced in that form of meditation, and be confident that the form of meditation he teaches is the right path for sure. At […]
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 achieved steam entry). The Shūraṅgama Sutta is based on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutta in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutta) en de Perfection of Wisdom Sutta in Twentyfive Thousand […]
The Maha Bodh Chedi (also called Bodhgaya temple) is a 1:1 replica of the temple with the same name in Bodhgaya India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. The opening ceremony was a big event in Thailand, many famous meditation masters and abbots visited the ceremony and paid homage to Ahba and his monastery. In the […]
Ahba has indicated that chanting Pali is beneficial. The chanting of Pali texts that one does not know by heart can even promote concentration because one has to be very alert and can have nothing but the texts in one’s mind. Here are some short and extensive Pali recitations by the monks and novices of […]
This discourse is one of the masterpieces of the Pali canon. At heart, it is a comprehensive portrait of the Buddhist path of training, illustrating each stage of the training with vivid similes. This portrait is placed in juxtaposition to the Buddhist view of the teachings of rival philosophical teachers of the time, showing how […]
Here are images of the opening ceremony of the Dhammacakka-hall in Australia, in the monastery of Ajahn Kalyano. Ajahn Kalyano invited Ahba to oversee this ceremony. Ahba gave a paritta chant and Dhamma talk about generosity, the benefits of meditation and the importance of living harmoniously and attentively.
Ajahn Kalyano, himself a pupil of the famous meditation teacher Ajahn Anan, in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, invited Ahba to oversee the opening of the Dhammacakka hall of his monastery in Australia. In these audio fragments we first hear an introduction by Ajahn Kalyano himself, followed by Ahba’s paritta chant, a blessing in Pali, […]
In our day and age, the practice of going into the forest to meditate and follow the ascetic dhutanga practices began with Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasilo, the teacher of Phra Ajaan Mun and, by extension, Phra Ajaan Singh and Phra Ajaan Lee. Phra Ajaan Sao was inclined to be, not a preacher or a speaker, […]
In 2012 the ground in Ahba’s monastery was blessed for the construction of the Maha Bodhi Chedi (also called Bodhgaya Temple), a 1:1 replica of the temple in Bodhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In this short video the western monk Ajahn Kalyano is speaking, himself a pupil of the well-known meditation teacher Ajahn Anan. […]
At the invitation of Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Nyanadhammo (also pictured) Ahba gave his blessing by means of an extensive paritta chant (in Burmese style) during a ceremony in Wat Ratanawan in 2012. Ahba sings Pali, the language in which the ancient scriptures are written, and in the meantime sends mettā to the listeners present. […]
The second paragraph in the first chapter of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha by Acariya Anuruddha reads: “In the ultimate sense, the Abhidhamma speaks of four categories: mind (citta’s), mental factors (cetasikas), matter (rūpa) and Nirvana (Nibbāna).” The Four Ultimate Realities in the Abhidhamma Let’s take a closer look at these four categories. We begin with the […]
This short documentary, made in 1977, shows the daily life in the main monastery of Ajahn Chah, Wat Pah Pong in Ubon Rachathani, Thailand. The highlights of the film are inspirational short fragments of Ajahn Chah himself, in which he talks about life as a monk, Dhamma and meditation. We also get a glimpse of […]
Whether it’s about finding new (Buddhist) books, audiofiles of Dhamma-talks, translations of sutta’s, or discussions and questions on a forum, we highly recommend the following websites. For ordering Buddhist Books: Buddhist Publishing Society (BPS) – The BPS is a Sri Lanka based publishing house founded by Nyanaponika Mahathera. After his resignation Bhikkhu Bodhi was at […]