Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Light of Asia (full colour illustrations)
by Sir Edwin Arnold

In the sumptuous Buddhist literature of the world, “Light of Asia”, by Sir Edwin Arnold, is without any doubt, an unique work. It is primarily because, this is the only original poem written in English on the Buddha, throughout the long history of Buddhism. This distinction is quite necessary to be established, because there are translations of original Pali works into English and other languages. Some of these are outstanding instances of spiritual poetry.
Sir Edwin Arnold, the Author of this epic poem, was initially persuaded to compose this sacred work, as a result of his deep and abiding desire to aid in the better and more wholesome mutual understanding between East and West.
His discovery and profound appreciation of the perennial philosophies of ancient India, could form a subject for a substantial research paper. In his early youth in England, Edwin Arnold felt the first stirrings of the Muse. His adept command over poetic expression, won him the Newgate Prize at the University College, Oxford in 1852, for his poem “The Feast of the Belahazzar”.

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Dhammapada Verse 395
Kisagotami Vatthu

Pamsukuladharam jantum
kisam dhamanisanthatam
ekam vanasmim jhayantam
tamaham brumi brahamanam.

Verse 395: Him I call a brahmana who wears robes made from rags (picked up from a dust heap), who is lean with veins standing out, who meditates alone in the forest.

The Story of Kisagotami

While residing at the Gijjhakuta hill, the Buddha uttered Verse (395) of this book, with reference to Kisagotami.

On one occasion, Sakka, king of the devas, came with his followers to pay homage to the Buddha. At the same lime, Theri Kisagotami, by her supernormal power came through the sky to pay homage to the Buddha. But when she saw Sakka and his entourage paying homage to the Buddha, she retreated. Sakka seeing her, asked the Buddha who the lady was, and the Buddha replied, "O Sakka! She is my daughter Kisagotami. Once, she came to me in sorrow and distress through the loss of her son and I made her see the impermanent, the unsatisfactory and the non-self nature of all conditioned things. As a consequence of that she attained Sotapatti Fruition, joined the Order, and became an arahat. She is one of my eminent female disciples and is matchless in the ascetic practice of wearing robes made from rags collected from a dust heap."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 395: Him I call a brahmana who wears robes made from rags (picked up from a dust heap), who is lean with veins standing out, who meditates alone in the forest.

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Hsinbyume Myatheindan Pagoda, Sagaing, Mandalay, Myanmar.

Furthermore, I have explained to my disciples a practice that they use to develop the ten universal dimensions of meditation.

Someone perceives the meditation on universal (= kasina) earth above, below, across, undivided and limitless.

They perceive the meditation on universal water … the meditation on universal fire … the meditation on universal air … the meditation on universal blue … the meditation on universal yellow … the meditation on universal red … the meditation on universal white … the meditation on universal space … the meditation on universal consciousness above, below, across, undivided and limitless.
And many of my disciples meditate on that having attained perfection and consummation of insight.

MN 77 : Mahāsakuludāyisutta

Dhammapada Verse 396
Eka Brahmana Vatthu

Na caham brahmanam brumi
yonijam mattisambhavam,
bhovadi1 nama so hoti
sace hoti sakincano
akincanam anadanam
tamaham brumi brahmanam.

Verse 396: I do not call him a brahmana just because he is born from the womb of a brahmana mother. He is just a bhovadi brahmin if he is not free from moral defilements. Him I call a brahmana, who is free from moral defilements and from attachment.

1. bhovadi: 'Bho' is a familiar term of address used to inferiors and equals. The epithet 'bhovadi', therefore, implies arrogance. Brahmins usually addressed the Buddha as 'Bho Gotama!' The term 'bhovadi' is applied reproachfully by the Buddhists to the brahmins.

The Story of a Brahmin

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (396) of this book, with reference to a brahmin.

Once, a brahmin from Savatthi thought that since the Buddha called his disciples 'brahmanas', he should also be called a 'brahmana' because he was born of brahmin parents. When he told the Buddha about this, the Buddha replied to him, "O brahmin! I do not call him a brahmana just because he is born of brahmin parents. I call him a brahmana only if he is free from moral defilements and cut off all clinging to existence."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 396: I do not call him a brahmana just because he is born from the womb of a brahmana mother. He is just a bhovadi brahmin if he is not free from moral defilements. Him I call a brahmana, who is free from moral defilements and from attachment.

At the end of the discourse that brahmin attained Sotapatti Fruition.

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Ajahn Chah, Buddhist teacher of Thai forest meditation of Theravada Buddhism channel:


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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

The Roots of Good and Evil
By Nyanaponika Thera

Greed, hatred, and delusion — these are the three bad roots in us. Conversely the good ones are non-greed (i.e. generosity), non-hatred (love), and non-delusion (wisdom). All our troubles and suffering stem essentially from the bad roots while our joy and happiness come from the good ones. It is important to know and understand these roots if we are to make an end of suffering and attain true peace and happiness.
This book explains in a penetrative way the nature of these six roots. It contains discourses of the Buddha on the subject together with traditional commentarial explanations plus further exegesis by Venerable Nyanaponika Thera who selected the text. A careful reading of this book will help us better understand ourselves and others and further our progress on the path to wisdom and happiness.

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Pindacara. Buddhists offered food as "amisa dana" to the monk during collecting alms food or "pindapata".

Giant Naga dragon statue, Phaya Si Mukda Maha Muni Nilapala Nakkharat, Amphoe Mueang Mukdahan, Thailand.

Phra Phuttha Mahanawamintra Sakayamunee Sri Visejchaicharn, Big Buddha at Wat Muang temple in Ang Thong Province, Thailand

Give Before You Get

On the ultimate happiness that comes from developing the skill of generosity
By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Part 1 of 2

We meditate to find happiness, but we have to bring some happiness to the meditation first if we want to get results. This is why the Buddha’s training doesn’t start with meditating. It starts with generosity. You learn how to be happy through giving.

A king once came to see the Buddha and asked him, “Where should a gift be given?” He may have expected the Buddha to say, “Give to Buddhists,” because the Brahmins would say, “Give to the Brahmins.” Other sectarians would have said to give to their sects. But the Buddha said something different. He said, “Give where you feel inspired, where you feel the gift would be well used.”

That gives you freedom. This is one of the reasons the Buddha would start mundane right view with the statement, “There is giving.” It sounds obvious, but there were people at that time who said that giving had no meaning at all, either because the people you gave things to would be annihilated at death—so nothing in terms of long-term consequences could be expected—or because you had no free will. If you gave something, it was because the stars or some other outside force made you do it. But the Buddha said something else. He said, in effect, “It’s your free choice, and when you make the free choice to give, that’s a good choice.”

When you were a child, this was probably how you first realized that you had that power of choice and could use it in a good way. You had something that you could use, and there was no compulsion to give it away, but you felt that it would be good to give it to somebody else. You weren’t driven by your appetites. That was your first taste of freedom and the benefits of freedom.

But then the king asked, “A gift given where gives the best results?” That, the Buddha said, was a different question. It required a different answer. This was where he talked about how to approach the act of giving as a skill. There’s a certain pleasure that comes with having freedom to choose where and what to give. But there’s a higher level of happiness that comes when you realize that you can put some thought into what you want to give and how you want to give it, and that increases its benefits.

There are several things that would make a difference in the results.

One of them has to do with the recipient: You want to choose someone who’s free of greed, aversion, and delusion, or who’s on the path of trying to achieve freedom from greed, aversion, and delusion.

You learn how to be happy through giving.

As for the gift itself, it’s interesting—the Buddha never talks about the material value of the gift as being important. It’s more, “Is this a gift that’s in season? Will it harm either you or the person who’s going to receive it?”

Then there’s the attitude you adopt while you’re giving it. You have to believe that something important will come from this—you’re not just throwing it away.

And there is your motivation: What do you want to gain from giving a gift? For the Buddha, the best motivations are those that focus on training the mind. The lowest motivation, he says, is in line with the teaching on karma, that you basically get back what you’ve given. This was very common in India, and it’s been common throughout the Buddhist world ever since: You give x and you hope that in the next lifetime, you’ll get it back, one hopes, with interest. It’s not a bad motivation—it’s better than not giving at all—but it’s not the best. The higher motivations have to do with how giving is inherently good, or how it’s not right when you have more than enough—and there are the people who don’t have enough—that you don’t give something to them. If you belong to a family with a long tradition of being generous, you want to maintain the family tradition. Or you find that it makes the mind serene: It’s a source of happiness simply to give. And finally, it’s an ornament for the mind. You’re doing it because it’s a natural expression of your inner goodness.

These are higher motivations, and the higher motivations get better results.

So you can see that approaching the act of generosity as a skill is aimed mainly at the mind. When you give to others, you want to give attentively, you want to give with respect, you want to give out of compassion. And the best motivation, of course, is that you want to benefit your mind.

You see this clearly when you sit down and meditate. There are times when you’re trying to stay with the breath, and the mind just won’t stay. It’s got other issues. The thought comes to you, “Maybe I’m not cut out to be a meditator. Maybe I don’t have the merit.” At times like that, you can think back on the times you’ve been generous, the times you’ve been virtuous—generous when you didn’t have to be, or generous when you really put some thought into it. You weren’t just going through the motions.
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Dhammapada Verse 397
Uggasenasetthiputta Vatthu

Sabbasamyojanam chetva
yo ve na paritassati
sangatigam visamyuttam
tamaham brumi brahamanam.

Verse 397: Him I call a brahmana, who has cut off all fetters and is fearless, who is beyond attachment and is free from moral defilements.

The Story of Uggasena, the Son of a Rich Man*

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (397) of this book, with reference to Uggasena, son of a rich man.

After marrying a dancer from a theatrical troupe, Uggasena was trained by his father-in-law who was an acrobat, and became very skilful in acrobatics. One day while he was demonstrating his skill, the Buddha came on the scene. After hearing the Buddha's teaching, Uggasena attained arahatship while he was still performing his feats on top of a long bamboo pole. After that, he climbed down from the pole and pleaded with the Buddha to accept him as a bhikkhu and was accordingly admitted into the Order.

One day, when other bhikkhus asked him whether he did not have any feeling of fear while climbing down from such a great height (i.e., about ninety feet), he answered in the negative. The bhikkhus took that to mean that Uggasena was claiming to have attained arahatship even then. So, they went to the Buddha and said, "Venerable Sir! Uggasena claims himself to be an arahat; he must be telling lies." To them the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus, one who has cut off all fetters, like my son Uggasena, has no fear."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 397: Him I call a brahmana, who has cut off all fetters and is fearless, who is beyond attachment and is free from moral defilements.


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