My Dear comrades may the Buddha bless you all. 

I wish you be happy and prosperous in the new year.

I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year 2018

MINDfULNESS

v I have no home. I make mindfulness as my home.

Ø When I first read these lines, I felt so happy. I felt this is true, so true.

Ø If you are not mindful, what happens to your mind? Your mind just wanders around; it has no place to rest.

Ø You may have a big house physically, but mentally you may be homeless.

Ø When you practice mindfulness, if you keep practicing for long time diligently, you will come to the point that you know that you know. You know that you are seeing, you know that you are hearing, you know that you are talking.

Ø And then thinking stops and the mind is quiet, and though it is quiet, there is still this knowing.

Ø It is called awareness of awareness, and at that point you feel a kind of energy and power.

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         By Practicing Ana-Pana Sati Meditation one can improve one’s mindfulness.   To practice mindfulness there are many Buddhist meditation centers around the world, one can utilize these centers.  If you can find a suitable one then you are lucky.

                       SOURCES: From Sayadaw U Jotika’s Dharma lectures

The Environment and Buddhists

The human being is a part of nature or Prakruti.  So we are living in nature, we should protect it, which is gift for beings. Protecting the environment is the duty of every one.  Present day many nation’s manufacturing nuclear weapons is nothing but destroying Mother Nature. As a ‘Dhamma soldier’ while working for social, political and economic suffering and injustice, we also work to protect our environment. Everybody should think to live like a 'Kalyanamitra'.

Modern man in his search for pleasure and affluence has exploited nature without any moral restraint to such an extent that nature has been rendered almost incapable of sustaining healthy life. Invaluable gifts of nature, such as air and water, have been polluted with severely disastrous consequences. Man is now searching for ways and means of overcoming the pollution problem as his health too is alarmingly threatened.

           

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

 He also feels that it is irresponsible and morally wrong on his part to commit the future generations to a polluted planet. If man is to act with a sense of responsibility to the natural world, to his fellow human beings and to unborn future generations, he has to find an appropriate environmental ethic today to prevent further aggravation of the present pollution problem.

 END

THE PAVARANA (INVITATION)

          The October month is to celebrate Pavarana for Buddhists all over the world.

This is a name for practicing one form of religious ceremony relating to giving the opportunity of mutual admonishment.   It can also be regarded as the mark of the end of the rains.  It is commonly understood as ‘invitation’ so that we hardly know the underlying meaning of this word. As a matter of fact, it is the relinquishment of one’s ego or self and giving the chance of having word of admonishment to others.  It is very obvious to those who are very selfish to ego centric or very much attached to themselves not give others the chance of having even a word of admonishment, suggestion, and advice.  All and all, he does not even want to ask others the question of ‘Any suggestion?’

As a worldly person, it is natural for us to be blind to our own faults since we naturally love ourselves most.  If we really love ourselves most we need to be very careful not to be blind to our own faults because this sense of love can blind us to the truth.  It is a great advantage to have co-resident monks who will help us to see the truth when we are in case of getting stuck in traps of some offences.  For this good and happiness of the Noble Order, the Buddha with boundless compassion, laid down this religious observation.  Overcoming one’s ego, therefore, is of overriding importance in the observance of this pavāraṇā ceremony as is in striving for the attainment of Nibbāna.

-END-

NOTE: from my Vinaya study notes

RIGHT TO SELF DEVELOPMENT

All religions fundamentally believes in potentiality of man in attaining the freedom, and happiness. As the goal to be achieved by every individual, freedom of self-development and the encouragement of opportunities for it have become a foundation of the ethics.

 It means, that every individual has the right to self-development.  All en-lightener's standpoint is that good life is open to everyone and the highest truth is the common treasure claimable by everybody; there can be no restriction because of castes or classes.  Moreover, he teaches the goal of freedom that is to be reached by means of noble path and a peaceful and happy means that leads to end of suffering.

The Author with Ven. Tich Nhat Hanh and others

      If the right to self-development is denied or restricted, it is right to struggle for it. If help and favorable conditions are not provided for it, it is good to make exertion towards the encouragement of the same.

If he is to struggle, he should do it for the sake of the Dharma, that is, for the good and for the righteous, out of love and compassion, not for personal gains or from any selfish motives, not out of greed or hatred. Only in this way can man attain to his righteous goal, achieving freedom without frustrating the freedom of his fellow-beings and winning happiness without inflicting more suffering on the world.  

By 

  Ven. Sumedha Bodhi

(DHARMA SOLDIER)

Resource: Electronic Buddhism.

HOW TO ACHIEVE OUR SPIRITUAL GOALS

         I am a learned Buddhist monk (both academically and religiously), international activist and traveler, author, writer, and preacher.  Many articles of mine are published in many countries and translated in Indian and foreign languages.  I also authored a book, “DHAMMA SOLDIER”, which was distributed globally.

Ven. Sumedha Bodhi
(DHAMMMA SOLDIER)

This month our discussion is to build network to practice spirituality and to achieve liberty.  Liberty is an important factor to realize spiritual goal.  So I am proposing a plan and you may write a comment on it.

How can we get Liberty & Enlightenment?

First of all, we remove the factors which causes injustice to us and for the people like us, to get liberty. For that, the Dhamma Soldier Association works with NGO’s, concerned Govt. departments, voluntary agencies, sympathizers, supporters, wise, etc.

After attaining liberty, we will built the just relationship with society, individuals, and all concerned.  We undertake all Dhamma activity as a karma-yogi.

The project which I created works to change culprits and to train aspirants. The motto is “Education for freedom through change,” to develop the educational standards of the individuals.  This also works to encourage wrong doers to leave the wrong path and work for his own salvation. 

Then I develop the project which enables me and other Dhamma soldier’s to do right action for their salvation too.  So that I can get liberty and it is also possible to practice spirituality to get enlightenment.

-END-

Samatha & Vipassanā

'Tranquility and insight', are identical with concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (pañña), and form the two branches of mental development (bhāvana).

'Tranquility' is all unperturbed, peaceful and lucid state of mind attained by strong mental concentration. Though as a distinct way of practice, it aims at the attainment of the meditative absorptions (jhāna), a high degree of tranquil concentration (though not necessarily that of the absorptions) is indispensable for insight too. Tranquility frees the mind from impurities and inner obstacles, and gives it greater penetrative strength.

'Insight' (vipassanā) is the penetrative understanding by direct meditative experience of the impermanency, unsatisfactoriness and impersonality of all material and mental phenomena of existence. It is insight that leads to entrance into the supramundane states of holiness and too finally it leads to enlightenment.

"Two things are conducive to knowledge: tranquility and insight. If tranquility is developed, what profit does it bring? The mind is developed. If the mind is developed, what profit does it bring? All lust is abandoned.

"If insight is developed, what profit does it bring? Wisdom is developed. If wisdom is developed, what profit does it bring? All ignorance is abandoned".

I advise everybody should do meditation every day at least morning one hour and evening one hour.

-The End-

News: The rainy retreat is going to start on 9-7-2017 for the year 2017.

THE BUDDHA’S DAILY SCHEDULE AND ANNUAL ROUTINE

The Majjhima Nikāya provided a fairly satisfactory picture of The Buddha’s daily activities and annual routine during the forty-five years of his ministry. 

The Buddha’s daily schedule as having been divided between periods of instructing the bhikkhus, giving  discourses to the laity, and secluded meditation, during which he usually dwelt either in the ‘abode of voidness’ or in the attainment of great compassion.  The day’s single meal was always taken in the forenoon, either received by invitation or collected on alms round, and his sleep was restricted to a few hours per night, except in the summer, when he rested   briefly during the middle of the day.  The annual routine was determined by Indian climate, which divided the year into three seasons.  As was customary among the ascetics of ancient India, the Buddha and his monastic community would remain at a fixed residence during the rainy season, when heavy rains swollen rivers made travel almost impossible.  During the rest of the year he would wander through the Ganges valley be expounding his teachings to all who were prepare to listen. 

The Buddha’s main seats for residence for the rainy retreat were located at Sāvatthi in the state of Kosala and Rajagaha in the state of Maghadha.   His wonderings, during which he was usually accompanied by large retinue of bhikkhus. Occasionally, when he saw that a special case required his individual attention, he would leave the Sangha and travel alone.

Note: Extracted from Middle length discourses of the Buddha translated by Bhikkhu Nanamouli and Bhikkhu Bodhi.

May all beings be happy!

NIBBĀNA

The state that supervenes when ignorance and craving have been uprooted is called Nibbāna (Sanskrit, Nirvana).

Nibbāna is described precisely as "profound, hard to see and hard to understand, unattainable by mere reasoning”.   Nibbāna is merely the destruction of defilements. Nibbāna cannot be perceived by those who live in lust and hate, but it can be seen with the arising of spiritual vision, and in the depths of meditation, the disciple can attain the destruction of the taints.

The Buddha does not devote many words to a philosophical definition of Nibbāna.  One reason is that Nibbāna, being unconditioned, transcendent, and supramundane, does not easily lend itself to definition in terms of concepts that are inescapably tied to the conditioned, manifest, and mundane.

  Another is that the Buddha's objective is leading beings to release from suffering, and thus his principal approach to the characterization of Nibbāna is to inspire the incentive to attain it and to show what must be done to accomplish this. To show Nibbāna as desirable, as the aim of striving, he describes it as the highest bliss, as the supreme state of sublime peace, as the ageless, deathless, and sorrow less.  Above all, Nibbāna is the cessation of suffering, and for those who seek an end to suffering such a designation is enough to beckon them towards the path.

--END--

Greetings

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                                100 years old wooden monastery chauntha Beach

The pagoda in the Beach

The pagoda in the Island at Chauntha Beach

NEWS: Greetings

                                      By Ven. Sumedha Bodhi (Dhamma Soldier), India

For all the Buddhists in the world, who ever celebrating the water festival and new year.

PARITTA SUTTAS

          Paritta suttas are originally prayers for prosperity, safety and the welfare of the Buddhist devotees.  These Paritta Suttas are recited either individually or collectively in unison.   Some or all of these Suttas are recited as part of regular Buddhist devotions, to protect against dangers and disastrous whether they are natural or supernatural.  To ward off imminent unpleasant events, omens and to nullify the hazards which have already happened. These are two main purposes of recitation on special occasions.

The Buddha

          Prayer is a rite that cannot be neglected in any religious ceremony, but each religion has its own way of conducting the prayer, and some religious prayers are very complicated.  Even in present Buddhist community, they are indeed following the complicated rite.   There is a different between Buddhism and other religious practices.  Others basically perform their religious right under the influences of the hidden desire.  They request from their gods the well, wealth, free from dangers, longevity, be born in the heaven etc.  But the Buddhists are paying their due homage to the Blesses One.   During the Buddha’s time, The Blessed one rejected the rite and ritual which were performed by the devotees.   The Blessed One declared that rite and ritual does not have any concern with the attainment of Nibbāna. The Buddhist prayer is for the development of faith towards the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. And as a remembrance to the Buddha who was full of virtuous whom we go for refuge.

Sadhu!  Sadhu!  Sadhu!