Buddha Words

To Be a Person Is to Be a Māra - Phra Ajaan Funn Ācāro When you see all four of these noble truths, that’s when you truly become a monk. If you don’t see them, then no matter how much else you may know, it’s all just book-knowledge. But once you see the four noble truths, you see the Dhamma. You can’t keep on living in this world anymore. What would you live for? There’d be nothing at all that you would gain. Think about it. Birth and aging: They’re nothing but suffering. Birth is suffering. When you arise in your mother’s womb, it’s painful—as I explained last night. When you get old, worn down, and decrepit, it’s another heap of suffering. That makes two heaps. Pains and illnesses are a third heap of suffering. And then there’s the fourth: death. You suffer to the point where you have to die. You can’t live in this world any longer. People for the most part don’t make the effort to contemplate how to escape from these sufferings. They just keep spinning back in, looking for more suffering, looking for status, looking for wealth, looking for something to depend on, looking for a place to live. They build this and that, they build homes, they build mansions: They’re just looking for suffering. The Buddha didn’t build. He let go—because he had seen through these things, that they lead to enormous sufferings, sufferings beyond measure. https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/ComeAndSee_251113.pdf

Do not find fault with others. Do not worry about what others do or not do. Rather, look within yourself to find out what you yourself have done or left undone. Stop doing evil; do good. - Buddha, Dhammapada 50

Topic of anger and hatred: Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.164 Khama Sutta: Tolerant (1) “Monks, there are these four modes of practice. Which four? Intolerant practice, tolerant practice, self-controlled practice, and even practice. “And which is intolerant practice? There is the case where a certain individual, when insulted, returns the insult; when abused, returns the abuse; when bickered with, bickers in return. This is called intolerant practice. “And which is tolerant practice? There is the case where a certain individual, when insulted, doesn’t return the insult; when abused, doesn’t return the abuse; when bickered with, doesn’t bicker in return. This is called tolerant practice. “And which is self-controlled practice? There is the case where a monk, on seeing a form with the eye, doesn’t grasp at any theme or variations by which—if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye—evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. He practices with restraint. He guards the faculty of the eye. He achieves restraint with regard to the faculty of the eye. “On hearing a sound with the ear.… “On smelling an aroma with the nose.… “On tasting a flavor with the tongue.… “On touching a tactile sensation with the body.… “On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he doesn’t grasp at any theme or variations by which—if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the intellect—evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. He practices with restraint. He guards the faculty of the intellect. He achieves restraint with regard to the faculty of the intellect. “This is called self-controlled practice. “And which is even practice? There is the case where a monk doesn’t acquiesce to an arisen thought of sensuality. He abandons it, destroys it, dispels it, wipes it out of existence. “He doesn’t acquiesce to an arisen thought of ill will. He abandons it, destroys it, dispels it, wipes it out of existence. “He doesn’t acquiesce to an arisen thought of harmfulness. He abandons it, destroys it, dispels it, wipes it out of existence. “He doesn’t acquiesce to any arisen evil, unskillful qualities. He abandons them, destroys them, dispels them, wipes them out of existence. “This is called even practice. “These, monks, are four modes of practice.” https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4_164.html

Your Biggest Enemy is Your Untrained Mind. Whatever an enemy might do to an enemy, or a foe to a foe, the ill-directed mind can do to you even worse. Whatever a mother, father or other kinsman might do for you, the well-directed mind can do for you even better. Buddha, Dhp III : The Mind

Ultimate reality as taught by Buddha – tilakkaņa of the aggregates and sense bases “What do you think, bhikkhus, is form permanent or impermanent?” – “Impermanent, Venerable Sir.” – “Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?” – “Suffering, Venerable Sir.” – “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?” – “No, Venerable Sir.” “Is feeling (perception, volitional formations, consciousness) permanent or impermanent? … “Impermanent, Venerable Sir.” – “Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?” – “Suffering, Venerable Sir.” – “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?” – “No, Venerable Sir.” (SN 22.59 The Characteristic of Non-Self)

Through the power of refuge in the Triple Gem: May all your diseases, griefs, misfortunes, pains, distresses, & despairs be destroyed.

Cultivate an all-embracing mind of love For all throughout the universe, In all its height, depth and breadth— Love that is untroubled And beyond hatred or enmity. May all be well and secure, May all beings be happy! -Buddha, Mettāsutta

1. The Story about the Elder Nun Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī. Full Story: https://ancient-buddhist-texts.net/et/Foremost-Elder-Nuns/01-Mahapajapati-Gotami.htm With permission from Anadajoti Bhikkhu

'“What am I doing with their good intentions? Am I just wallowing in the comfort, or am I actually trying to create some goodness on my own to dedicate to them?” As the Buddha said, this is one of the motivations for actually becoming an arahant, so that all the good things that people have done for you will bear them great fruit.' ~÷~÷~÷~ We live in a society where people tend to take things for granted. It’s one of the drawbacks of having a lot of creature comforts to the point where they seem normal and we don’t notice them anymore. This taking things for granted tends to grow into a sense of entitlement. Not only do we have good things, but we feel that we should have good things and we get upset when we don’t. Some people have begun realizing the problem here, recommending that we cultivate gratitude for the things we have. But they’re not talking about gratitude for the things, but gratitude to the things. You’re grateful to your house for sheltering you; you’re grateful to your bed for supporting you, for giving you comfort. I’ve seen many articles written on the topic and have heard people talking about this many, many times, that we should be grateful to the things that provide us with comfort. But that’s not the Buddha’s take. Gratitude, he says, is not to things, it’s to people, to beings who’ve made choices. The Pali words for the two sides of gratitude are kataññu katavedita: Kataññu means literally knowing what was done. Katavedita means wanting to respond for what’s been done for you. This is an entirely different dynamic. Instead of being grateful to the bed, you’re grateful to the person who built the bed and did a good job of building it, or to the person who bought it for you to use. Here at the monastery, you’re grateful to all the people who’ve given the many things we have here that make it possible for us to practice—beginning with the land, then the buildings, and then all the things in the buildings. These have all been provided through someone’s skillful intention, someone’s compassionate motives, someone’s generosity. The reason that this is an important distinction—that you’re grateful to the people for the things, rather than being grateful to the things themselves—is that if you feel gratitude to your bed, it’s hard not to get attached to your bed, and to think that the goodness lies in the bed as a thing. Whereas if you’re grateful to people, you realize that the goodness lies in the action, the intention behind the action that gave the bed or made the bed. That helps you reflect that our society is held together not by good things, but by good intentions. We see this in our country right now. We’ve got plenty of good things, but more and more, there’s a lack of good intentions. No one appreciates what other people have done. They take it for granted. That it makes it hard for people to want to do good things. You feel underappreciated; you feel that nobody cares. And you wonder, “Why should I be doing good things for other people when they don’t appreciate it, when they don’t feel gratitude?” This is how a lack of gratitude causes society to unravel. Real civilization doesn’t lie in having good things. It lies in having good intentions for one another. Ajaan Fuang tells a story of Ajaan Mun when he was living out in the forest. He’d need a spittoon, so he’d get a coconut shell and make it into his spittoon. Someone once complained to him that this was a lowly thing so they wanted to provide him with something better: a nice ceramic spittoon. He said, “Wait a minute, which is higher and which is lower here? The coconut shell comes from high up on the tree; the ceramic comes from dirt.” The idea of high or low things, of good or bad things, is largely a matter of convention. It’s good to have your conventions turned upside down every now and then, so that you realize that they are conventions and you can begin to see what truly distinguishes between good and not good.

'“What am I doing with their good intentions? Am I just wallowing in the comfort, or am I actually trying to create some goodness on my own to dedicate to them?” As the Buddha said, this is one of the motivations for actually becoming an arahant, so that all the good things that people have done for you will bear them great fruit.' ~÷~÷~÷~ We live in a society where people tend to take things for granted. It’s one of the drawbacks of having a lot of creature comforts to the point where they seem normal and we don’t notice them anymore. This taking things for granted tends to grow into a sense of entitlement. Not only do we have good things, but we feel that we should have good things and we get upset when we don’t. Some people have begun realizing the problem here, recommending that we cultivate gratitude for the things we have. But they’re not talking about gratitude for the things, but gratitude to the things. You’re grateful to your house for sheltering you; you’re grateful to your bed for supporting you, for giving you comfort. I’ve seen many articles written on the topic and have heard people talking about this many, many times, that we should be grateful to the things that provide us with comfort. But that’s not the Buddha’s take. Gratitude, he says, is not to things, it’s to people, to beings who’ve made choices. The Pali words for the two sides of gratitude are kataññu katavedita: Kataññu means literally knowing what was done. Katavedita means wanting to respond for what’s been done for you. This is an entirely different dynamic. Instead of being grateful to the bed, you’re grateful to the person who built the bed and did a good job of building it, or to the person who bought it for you to use. Here at the monastery, you’re grateful to all the people who’ve given the many things we have here that make it possible for us to practice—beginning with the land, then the buildings, and then all the things in the buildings. These have all been provided through someone’s skillful intention, someone’s compassionate motives, someone’s generosity. The reason that this is an important distinction—that you’re grateful to the people for the things, rather than being grateful to the things themselves—is that if you feel gratitude to your bed, it’s hard not to get attached to your bed, and to think that the goodness lies in the bed as a thing. Whereas if you’re grateful to people, you realize that the goodness lies in the action, the intention behind the action that gave the bed or made the bed. That helps you reflect that our society is held together not by good things, but by good intentions. We see this in our country right now. We’ve got plenty of good things, but more and more, there’s a lack of good intentions. No one appreciates what other people have done. They take it for granted. That it makes it hard for people to want to do good things. You feel underappreciated; you feel that nobody cares. And you wonder, “Why should I be doing good things for other people when they don’t appreciate it, when they don’t feel gratitude?” This is how a lack of gratitude causes society to unravel. Real civilization doesn’t lie in having good things. It lies in having good intentions for one another. Ajaan Fuang tells a story of Ajaan Mun when he was living out in the forest. He’d need a spittoon, so he’d get a coconut shell and make it into his spittoon. Someone once complained to him that this was a lowly thing so they wanted to provide him with something better: a nice ceramic spittoon. He said, “Wait a minute, which is higher and which is lower here? The coconut shell comes from high up on the tree; the ceramic comes from dirt.” The idea of high or low things, of good or bad things, is largely a matter of convention. It’s good to have your conventions turned upside down every now and then, so that you realize that they are conventions and you can begin to see what truly distinguishes between good and not good.