Jay N. Forrest: Recent Episodes
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, I will teach and analyze for you the Noble Eightfold Path. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.” “Yes, venerable sir,” they replied. The Bhagavat said this: “And what is the Noble Eightfold Path? It is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and […]
The post Analysis of the Noble Eightfold Path (SN 45.8) appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
At one time the Bhagavat was staying near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Bhagavat addressed the group of five bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, these two extremes should not be cultivated by one who has gone forth. What two? Indulgence in sensual pleasures, which is low, crude, ordinary, ignoble, and pointless. And indulgence in […]
The post Turning the Wheel of Dharma (SN 56.11) appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
Thus have I heard. At one time the Bhagavat was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. Then Venerable Mahākassapa went up to the Bhagavat, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why there used to be fewer training rules but more […]
The post The Counterfeit of the True Dharma (SN 16.13) appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
The Buddha said: And what is right meditation? It’s when a practitioner, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and remains in the first [level of] concentration, which is accompanied by thought and investigation, which has the rapture and joy born of seclusion. As the thought and investigation are stilled, one enters […]
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The Buddha said: Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of suffering. What three? Suffering due to pain, suffering due to formations, suffering due to change. These are the three kinds of suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path is to be developed for direct knowledge of these three kinds of suffering, for the full understanding of them, […]
The post Three Kinds of Trouble appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
I see Christian bumper stickers all the time. And these “Christians” drive like jerks. They speed, cut you off, and even give you the finger. So I ask you, what kind of a witness are they giving to others. “Be a Christian and you can be a forgiven jerk like me.” Are Buddhists better? I […]
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A common misunderstanding among those raised within a Christian background is thinking that meditation means the same thing in Buddhism as it does in Christianity. This, however, is a mistake. As John Michael Talbot explains, “The word ‘meditation’ means somewhat different things to different traditions” (4). In Christianity, meditation is “The act of calling to […]
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The Pali Canon is divided into three large groups of books (literally, “baskets”). The first group is the monastic Discipline (Vinaya Piṭaka). The second group is the discourses of the Buddha (Sutta Piṭaka). This group is divided into five collections of discourses, of which the Long Discourses of the Buddha is the first collection. And […]
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Since my entire project is based on the general reliability of texts I am calling the “Early Buddhist Texts,” I think you should what I mean, what they are, and why I think they are reliable. Meaning of Early Buddhist Texts First, what are “Early Buddhist Texts”? I follow Bhikkhu Sujato and Bhikkhu Brahmali’s definition, […]
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All of the Mahayana Sutras that claim to be the word of the Buddha are forgeries. This includes the Lotus Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, the Diamon Sutra, and thousands more. A forgery, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, is a work of literature “that purports to be the […]
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The Suttas are the discourses of the Buddha. They are the scripture for those interested in the authentic teachings of the historical Buddha. The Suttavadins were an early Buddhist school generally believed to be descended from the Sthavira nikāya. The Theravada school also descended from the Sthāvira nikāya. So the two were related. Only the […]
The post Those Who Rely Upon the Suttas appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
Dukkha is a word in the Pali language of early Buddhism. It is usually translated as “suffering.” The following is a standard translation of the Buddha’s first discourse entitled, “Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma.” This translation is by Bhikkhu Bodhi: Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, […]
The post Translating Dukkha as Misfortune appeared first on Jay N. Forrest.
Suttavadin Buddhism only accepts the Early Buddhist Texts as authoritative. Bhikkhu Sujato and Bhikkhu Brahmali define Early Buddhist Texts as, “Texts spoken by the historical Buddha and his contemporary disciples.” This eliminates all the Mahayana Sutras since they were later creations and do not originate from the historical Buddha. It also eliminates parts of the […]
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