It just means that through becoming well-versed in our practice of Anapanasati we become ex-
perts regarding the breath. We will know instantly whether we are going to die during this present breath or not. Then we can predict the final breath of our life. This is the special benefit which is knowing that last minute in which we will die.

The Lord Buddha himself declared that he realized Perfect Self-Awakening (anuttara sammasambodhi) through practicing Anapanasati. Consequently, we are pleased to recommend it to you, and to people everywhere, so that all human beings will know of it and be able to practice it. The Lord Buddha became a Buddha while practicing Anapanasati. Thus, he offered it to us as the best system of all to practice. He advised us all to use this practice for our own welfare, for the welfare of others, for the welfare of everyone. There is no better way to practice Dhamma than mindfulness with breathing. May you all give careful attention to it.

Our discussion of anapanasati-bhavana is sufficiently com- plete now. May we end the final lecture here.

===
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Dhammapada Verse 391
Mahapajapatigotami Vatthu

Yassa kayena vacaya
manasa natthi dukkatam
samvutam tihi thanehi
tamaham brumi brahmanam.

Verse 391: Him I call a brahmana who does no evil in deed or word or thought, who is restrained in these three respects.

The Story of Theri Mahapajapati Gotami

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (391) of this book, with reference to Theri Mahapajapati Gotami.

Mahapajapati Gotami was the stepmother of Gotama Buddha. On the death of Queen, seven days after the birth of Prince Siddhattha, Mahapajapati Gotami became the chief queen of King Suddhodana. At that time, her own son Nanda was only five days old. She let her own son be fed by a wet-nurse, and herself fed Prince Siddhattha, the future Buddha. Thus, Mahapajapati Gotami was a great benefactor to Prince Siddhattha.

When Prince Siddhattha returned to Kapilavatthu after the attainment of Buddhahood, Mahapajapati Gotami went to see the Buddha and requested that women should also be allowed to enter the Buddhist Order as bhikkhunis; but the Buddha refused permission. Later, King Suddhodana died after attaining arahatship. Then, while the Buddha was sojourning at the Mahavana forest near Vesali, Mahapajapati, accompanied by five hundred ladies, came on foot from Kapilavatthu to Vasali. They had already shaven their heads and had put on the dyed robes. There, for a second time, Mahapajapati requested the Buddha to accept women in the Buddhist Order. The Venerable Ananda also interceded on her behalf. So, the Buddha complied, with the proviso that Mahapajapati abides by eight special conditions (garudhammas). Mahapajapati undertook to observe the garudhammas as required, and the Buddha admitted her into the Order. Thus, Mahapajapati was the first to be admitted to the Order of the Bhikkhunis. The other women were admitted to the Order after her by the bhikkhus as instructed by the Buddha.

In course of time, it came to the minds of some bhikkhunis that Mahapajapati Gotami had not been properly admitted as a bhikkhuni because she did not have a preceptor; therefore, Mahapajapati Gotami was not a true bhikkhuni. With this thought in their mind, they stopped doing sabbath (uposatha) ceremonies and vassa (pavarana) ceremonies with her. They went to the Buddha and posed the problem of Mahapajapati Gotami not having been properly admitted to the Order of bhikkhunis as she had no preceptor. To them the Buddha replied, "Why do you say so? I myself gave the eight garudhammas to Mahapajapati and she had learnt and practised the garudhammas as required by me. I myself am her preceptor and it is quite wrong for you to say that she has no preceptor. You should harbour no doubt whatsoever about an arahat."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 391: Him I call a brahmana who does no evil in deed or word or thought, who is restrained in these three respects.


===
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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Frames of Reference
By Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

A practical explanation for meditators of the four frames of reference from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.

Free download available:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/FramesOfReference200826.pdf
===

Dhammapada Verse 392
Sariputtatthera Vatthu

Yamha dhammam vijaneyya
sammasambuddhadesitam
sakkaccam tam namasseyya
aggihuttamva brahmano.

Verse 392: If from somebody one should learn the Teaching of the Buddha, he should respectfully pay homage to that teacher, as a brahmin worships the sacrificial fire.

The Story of Thera Sariputta

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (392) of this book, with reference to the Venerable Sariputta.

The Venerable Sariputta was born of brahmin parents of Upatissa village; that was why he was named Upatissa. His mother was Sari. His very close friend was Kolita, another brahmin youth, son of Moggali. Both the youths were searching for the right doctrine, which would lead them to liberation from the round of rebirths, and both of them had a great desire to enter a religious Order. First, they went to Sancaya, but they were not satisfied with his teaching. Then they wandered all over Jambudipa looking for a teacher who would show them the way to the Deathless, but their search was fruitless. After some time, they parted company but with the understanding that the one who found the true dhamma first should inform the other.

About that time, the Buddha arrived at Rajagaha with a company of bhikkhus, including Thera Assaji, one of the group of the first Five Bhikkhus (Pancavaggis). While Thera Assaji was on an alms-round, Upatissa saw the thera and was very much impressed by his noble countenance. So Upatissa respectfully approached the thera and asked who his teacher was, what doctrine his teacher taught, and also briefly to explain the doctrine to him. Thera Assaji then told Upatissa about the arising of the Buddha and about his sojourn at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha. The thera also quoted a short stanza connected with the Four Noble Truths.

The verse runs thus:

Ye dhamma hetuppa bhava
tesam hetum tathagato aha
tesanca yo nirodho
evam vadi maha samano.

It means:

The Tathagata has declared the cause and also the cessation of all phenomena which arise from a cause. This is the doctrine held by the Great Samana.

When the verse was only half-way through, Upatissa attained Sotapatti Fruition.

As promised, Upatissa went to his friend Kolita to inform him that he had found the true dhamma. Then the two friends, accompanied by two hundred and fifty followers, went to the Buddha who was then at Rajagaha. When they arrived at the Veluvana monastery, they asked permission to enter the Buddhist Order, and both Upatissa and Kolita, together with their two hundred and fifty followers, were admitted as bhikkhus. Upatissa, son of Sari, and Kolita, son of Moggali, then came to be known as Sariputta and Moggallana. Soon after their admission to the Order, the Buddha expounded to them a dhamma and the two hundred and fifty bhikkhus attained arahatship; but Moggallana and Sariputta attained arahatship only at the end of seven days and fifteen days respectively. The reason for the delay in their attainment of arahatship was that they had made a wish for Chief Discipleship, which required much more striving to achieve perfection.

The Venerable Sariputta always remembered that he had been able to meet the Buddha and attain the Deathless through the Venerable Assaji. So, he always paid obeisance in the direction where his teacher was and he always went to bed with his head lying in the same direction. Other bhikkhus who were staying with him at the Jetavana monastery misinterpreted his actions and said to the Buddha, "Venerable Sir! The Venerable Sariputta still worships the various directions, viz., the East, the South, the West, the North, the Nadir and the Zenith, as he has done before as a brahmin youth; it seems as if he has not yet given up his old beliefs." The Buddha sent for the Venerable Sariputta and Sariputta explained to the Buddha that he was only paying obeisance to his teacher, the Venerable Assaji, and that he was not worshipping the various directions.

The Buddha was satisfied with the explanation given by the Venerable Sariputta and said to the other bhikkhus, "Bhikkhus! The Venerable Sariputta was not worshipping the various directions; he was only paying obeisance to his teacher and benefactor, through whom he had attained the Deathless. It is quite right and proper for him to pay homage to such a teacher."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 392: If from somebody one should learn the Teaching of the Buddha, he should respectfully pay homage to that teacher, as a brahmin worships the sacrificial fire.
===
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===

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Basic Themes: Four Treatises on Buddhist Practice, by Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

Uniquely among the ajaans in the Thai Wilderness tradition Ajaan Lee composed systematic treatises on the practice. These are valuable documents, giving a wilderness perspective on basic Dhamma topics.

Free download here:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/BasicThemes_181215.pdf
===

Golden Temple, Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

Dhammapada Verse 393
Jatilabrahmana Vatthu

Na jatahi na gottena
na jacca hoti brahmano
yamhi saccanca1 dhammo2 ca
so suci so ca brahmano.

Verse 393: Not by wearing matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by caste, does one become a brahmana; only he who realizes the Truth and the Dhamma is pure; he is a brahmana.

1. sacca: the Four Noble Truths.

2. dhamma : the nine Transcendentals, viz., the four Maggas, the four Phalas and Nibbana.

The Story of Jatila, the Brahmin

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (393) of this book, with reference to Jatila, a brahmin ascetic who wore matted hair.

Once, a brahmin ascetic thought to himself that the Buddha called his disciples 'brahmanas' and that he being a brahmin by birth should also be called a 'brahmana'. Thinking thus, he went to see the Buddha and put forward his view. But the Buddha rejected his view and said, "O brahmin, I do not call one a brahmana because he keeps his hair matted or simply because of his birth; I call one a brahmana only if he fully comprehends the Four Noble Truths."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 393: Not by wearing matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by caste, does one become a brahmana; only he who realizes the Truth and the Dhamma is pure; he is a brahmana.
===
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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

The Not-self Strategy
By Thanissaro Bhikkhu



Free download here:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/notselfstrategy.pdf

===

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

The Not-self Strategy
By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

As the Buddha once said, the teaching he most frequently gave to his students was this: All fabrications are inconstant; all phenomena are not-self (anatta) (MN 35). Many people have interpreted this second statement as meaning that there is no self. Others, however, have noticed statements in the Pali Canon—our earliest extant record of the Buddha’s teachings—that refer to the idea of self in a positive manner, as when the Buddha stated that the self is its own mainstay (Dhp 160) or when he encouraged a group of young men—who were searching for a woman who had stolen their belongings—to search for the self instead (Mv.I.14.4). From these statements, these readers conclude that the statement, “All phenomena are not-self,” is meant to clear away attachment to a false view of self so that an experience of the true self can be attained.


Free download here:
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===

Wat Ek Phnom, Angkorian temple at Sangkae River, Battambang City, Cambodia.