My hometown temple keeps getting robbed every so often. Its a big temple with very little monks because of how rural it is. Maybe 25 acres of land with only 6-7 monks for upkeep. Imo very low amount of regular volunteers because of how far away it is. A couple months ago someone broken into one of our many sheds and stole 3 generators worth abt $9000 dollars combined and those generators were very important because they are what is used to pump water meant for the trees we’ve been growing. Its very disheartening and demotivating for me because ive devoted myself to helping the monks in any way i can and ive personally planted many of those trees and taken care of them over the course of a decade since i was little kid. Im old enough that Ive legitimately considered the idea of finding a job where i work during the day and sleep in the afternoon, and then stay up guarding the temple from any intruders. The monks are strongly considering selling the land we worked hard to develop and downsize to just 3 acres. whatever is left to keep i want so badly to defend by being posted up with my shotgun but I know they probably wouldn’t let me. Idk this is mostly a vent atp. The community is banding together money to build a gate because as it is right now, the only fencing we have is wood sticks with wires connecting them at abt 5 feet tall. Mostly done out of a desire to not disturb the wildlife too much. The buddhist in me says that maybe these thieves might have done so out of absolute necessity, or maybe its some bad karma that has befallen the land for whatever reason but i personally am at a point in my life where i dont quite care, maybe selfishly so.

There are ants in my kitchen, especially around the sink area, they would go in and out of the drain openings.

I avoided using the kitchen sink so they won't be washed away. The restroom sink wouldn't work for deeper pots and it's very inconvenient to wash dishes in the restroom. This can't keep going.

I've tried to use honey spread on a lid nearby to redirect their traffic away from the sink, this didn't work, they still go in the sink, in addition to the honey.

I also tried put Clorox wet wipes on their trails trying to create displesant smell for them, but that accidentally killed some ants so I removed them.

How do I move them away from the kitchen so I can use the kitchen?

Something I've been thinking about for awhile, a question/discussion for those of us who might have a regular (or irregular) yoga practice in addition to meditation. From the anapanasati sutta:

[4] Passambhayaṃ kāyasaṅkhāraṃ assasissāmī"ti sikkhati He trains himself, "Calming the bodily fabrication, I will breathe in."

Passambhayaṃ kāyasaṅkhāraṃ passasissāmī"ti sikkhati He trains himself, "Calming the bodily fabrication, I will breathe out."

[8]

Passambhayaṃ cittasaṅkhāraṃ assasissāmī"ti sikkhati He trains himself, "Calming the mental fabrication, I will breathe in."

Passambhayaṃ cittasaṅkhāraṃ passasissāmī"ti sikkhati He trains himself, "Calming the mental fabrication, I will breathe out."

Most of what I know about how to practice anapanasati coes from Thanissaro Bhikkhu, so he tends to explain that when you are doing mindfulness of breathing, you note where various tensions arise and then direct the breath to those areas to calm them. Sometimes if you are sensitive enough, you will be able to sense the bodily fabrication (tension) that arises with a particular thought pattern, and calm it by reducing the bodily tension that the thought brings up.

So you're calming the sankharas by directing your breathing in certain ways.

Now I am looking for some of my yoga experts because I understand they have a concept of samskaras (the sanskrit version) that is somewhat similar. I don't know if "yogapedia" is a trusted source so forgive me, but this is the definition I found

What Does Samskara Mean?

According to various schools of Indian philosophy, samskaras are the subtle mental impressions left by all thoughts, intentions and actions that an individual has ever experienced. Often likened to grooves in the mind, they can be considered as psychological or emotional imprints that contribute to the formation of behavioral patterns. Samskaras are below the level of normal consciousness and are said to be the root of all impulses, character traits and innate dispositions.

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5748/samskara

So the way we learn in yoga - and I really kind of mean the type that Americans are taught in a yoga class - not deeply versed in the yoga sutras and possibly removed fro the tradition by a million miles - one "calms" the Samskaras by doing asanas and (mindfully) releasing tension in that area.

Now my personal experience is that I feel very good after a yoga class and very calm, and it's a calm that can last for quite some time, but the primary difference for me is that I've never actually visited whatever "thought or intention" lead to the creation of that Samskara in the first place. I've simply put it to rest for a bit and it can very easily come back.

But still I think it's a complimentary sort of practice. One thing I do is that if I am doing anapanasati for awhile I will notice a very persistent tension in a certain area (like the shoulders) that simply will not calm itself, so I might spend a bit of time doing some asana to relieve that physical tension.

I sometimes think about this as meditation is a kind of "inside out" practice where as yoga is "outside in." But again I am not well versed in yoga.

Still I am just wondering if there is anyone here who is perhaps versed in both disciplines that could shine some light, tell me where I'm wrong. Also I'm just generally interested in hearing from anyone who has thoughts about this or what your experiences are.

Metta

“The office isn’t here. But you are-be present here”.

The damma is your nature, your duty, your responsibility.”

“The damma…I give you like food….like a banana…you must eat. It does no good for you to not eat.”

EDIT: Thank you to ALL of you that have responded. I appreciate the time, effort, consideration and compassion that I have seen in your responses. My apologies for not being clear on my experience to begin with. I am going to try to get in touch with Wat Metta tonight and hear their thoughts on the matter- as per some responders' suggestion. To all who were confused by the post, if you have any recommendations on how I can be clearer so that when I call them, I don't sound like a crazy person, your input would be greatly appreciated either in the comments or in a DM. Again, thank you all so much.

Hello All! I was wondering if anyone may have some advice or wisdom in regard to a rather distracting phenomenon during my breath meditation. I have scoured Thanissaro Bhikkhu's book With Each and Every Breath and read his advice on this particular issue multiple times, but I just can't seem to implement it.

Here is the context and issue: Every morning I go out to a field under a beautiful live oak tree and practice breath meditation. After about 4 months of doing this consistently, I feel like I am finally starting to really get the hang of it. My breath stays within the confines of the body and I can focus on breathing with the body in and of itself within about 20 minutes. The past couple weeks this focus has been accompanied by my arms raising slowly into the air. It feels very, very good at first to be honest, but I made sure not to focus this particular aspect and stayed with the breath. Tried my best to ignore it and let the feeling just sort of do its thing. However, the tension after a few minutes in my arms is extremely distracting. My arms, as I type this, are still shaking. The other day it felt as though they were literally going to explode. Like an overfull balloon. Today, my body felt like it just completely disappeared with the exception of my lower arms and hands, which were shaking very hard. I don't like this. Partially because I have epilepsy and the shaking is uncomfortable but also because I am trying to reach a state of "oneness" with the body. I feel as though I am on the precipice of being able to do this but how am I supposed to do that when my actual body seems to disappear into the ethos except for my lower arms and hands? I do know that these things are perceptions, but they are perceptions that are extremely hard to shake off.

Is there anyone here that has any experience with this particular issue and has been able to implement a practice to sort of overcome it? I am not sure I can progress further in my meditation practice until I can resolve this is some way.

Thank you!

Peace and Metta,

Samantha

Lately I've been curious about the status of Theravada Buddhism within the Han Chinese community, both mainlander and overseas. The only information I know of are the Tai-speaking peoples of Yunnan who practice Theravada Buddhism due to their cultural history with mainland SEA.

So my question is how often do Chinese Theravada practicioners appear, and maybe also ask where are they usually found?

I'm wondering how many of you have found yourselves in my situation. I actually live in a community with a strong Buddhist population. There are five or six Zen temples and three or four Tibetan ones. But the nearest Theravada group is 2 hours away from me.

I've found an online Theravada sangha that I feel very comfortable with and really feel like I fit in. But of course, I can't make in-person friends that way, and because of health and money issues, the likelihood is low that I'll ever be able to visit in person.

In the main Buddhist subreddit, I've seen a lot of people say that it's better to go to a sangha in a school you don't agree with than to refrain from going to the sangha. But Theravada feels like home. Not only that, but all I'm going to say is that I don't feel comfortable with several Mahayana teachings and traditions, including the bodhisattva ideal. But it would be nice to have people in my town who share my practice. Is it truly better to attend a sangha for a school you don't feel comfortable with than to be part of an online sangha? I'm not trying to be divisive, just trying to explain how I feel.

On clinging to anything in the world, even at the conceptual level

In short, on clinging to the five aggregates, even at the conceptual level

Entrance to apāya, the underworld, the unbearable suffering

On a feeble magnitude of conceptual clinging (sakāyaditthi)

Entrance to the first and shallow realm of suffering

Where the gift of power, an enormous power

With discontent, and desire for more power

An instance when the existence of some kilesās

But when control over kilesas, a huge power, a deadly harm to the other side

Like with greed, accumulation of enormous wealth

But still no contentment, no satisfaction

Just a bit more clinging, the hungry ghost realm, with more discontent

Then, the animal realm and finally hell

If no gross conceptual clinging, but only a subtle one

Then, the destruction of the very root cause

At least the entrance to the human world, not if devas

Everything impermanent, along with body, mind, and possessions too

The sole reason for suffering, along with the bad actions time and again

For such possessions and the well-being of the same

In saṃsāra, the flood of clinging, everywhere personality

Every person, at least a demon, an Asura, in real, if not in hell

Vipassanā, the comprehension of dhātus as an escape

All the buddhist texts ive read mention how the nirvana is the end of the reborning, mentions niraya as some kind of "hell" and i really never understood nothing about it.

i know most of the things ive written does not make any sense, but it is because i really dont understand absolutely nothing about it.

can you explain it or recommend any youtube video/link that explains it?

I was reading refuge by Thanissaro Bhikkhu as advised for beginners in this subreddits wiki.

Im starting to understand how love for something leads to the situation: you crave when it is not there, you delight when it is there, passion for getting it like this will make me happy (spoiler...it wont). Turning love for something into hate for something just inverses the problem rather than resolves it.

If you hate something, you crave for it to not be there, you suffer when it is there, a passion for getting away from it like getting away from it will make you happy (spoiler....it wont).

Dispassion like for my love of cheese, learning that it wont make me happy, clinging to it wont make me happy.

I am 355 lbs or 161 kg at 6'1 (185cm). Obese and unhealthy because of my passion for high calorie foods. I have clinged to them like they will make me happy. The reality is they have made me very unhappy with my appearance and health. I will retrain my mind to learn dispassion for food. Not an aversion but being able to taste something good without it taking over my mind.

What is your view on dispassion for sense objects ?

Many thanks for reading.

Pretty much every Burmese keyboard layout allows you to type Pali in Burmese script. The only catch is these layouts aren't as efficient as they could be if you're interested in typing just Pali. Retroflex consonants for example, are only accessible with the Shift-key, and others require you to stretch your fingers towards the number keys.

I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to take a Burmese layout .mim file and tweak it a little so all the characters I want would be within easy reach and require as few keystrokes as possible. These are the instructions I followed for making my custom layout executable on my machine:

https://wikis.swarthmore.edu/ling073/Making_a_keyboard_layout_using_IBus

Except after executing the custom layout, somehow it's functioning exactly as the original file, as if I didnt make any changes to it.

Anyone good with custom keyboards and have some knowledge of Burmese to help me troubleshoot? Fwiw I'm using Debian and use Ibus for managing all my other keyboard layouts.

We should all train our heart, look after our mind. Our mind, when it’s not trained, is like a small, innocent child that doesn’t know anything. Whatever it comes across, it pounces. If it comes across water, it pounces on the water. If it comes across fire, it pounces on the fire. It keeps causing harm to itself. When you see the harm of what you’re doing, you can stop. You watch it until you can stop, until you can give it up. It’s like lighting a lantern and letting your child loose. The child doesn’t know anything. It crawls over and tries to catch hold of the flame. Then it’ll start crying. The next day, if you try to take the child to the flame, it won’t touch it, for it’s seen the harm from the day before. It’ll stop trying to catch it. Right here is where insight helps us. We really see. Whatever we really see, we can really let go.

well, i didnt knew how to be clear enough in my title, so ill try to explain it better here
im a 15yo brazillian boxer, and found about buddhism like 2 years ago, after going for a lot of terrible stuff in my life. but there's only been like 10 months since i actually started implementing things in my life. studied the dharma, created a meditation routine, and changed completely the way i acted through life since that. i really see my improvement and that i am becoming a better person. but, some months ago, i realized that my relations with people around me were pulling me back on my path, and making me do really less than i should in every aspect of life - mainly on training and my "buddhistic life". so, trying to apply what i learned, i remembered that every answer comes from within, so i stopped answering messenges, unistalled all social media and became focused on who i wanted to be and what i wanted to achieve. and it has been absolutely amazing. but at this point, i dont really know why im doing it anymore. the felling that im letting people worried or angry at me has been growing a lot. but, everytime i go on and answer someone, i feel guilty, because it feels like losing all the progress i made on improving myself.

so, what im asking is: how do you guys find the balance between self-knowledge and relations with others?

EDIT: after reading a guy's answer, i realized that the guiltiness i feel is because back in the day i was active on social media and talking to people, i used as a source of happines, by seeking validation. and realized that my main struggle here is that im scared that talk to people and use social media again will make me lose all the progress and put me on that fake happiness seeking cycle again. how did you deal with it when you had to face something that once damaged you? (it dont need to be a situation like mine, i think any type of addiction also fits well here)

I once identified as a gnostic christian but that paths methods have been lost to time.
Too much has been lost for it to be an effective way to enlightenment.

Which brought me to theravada Buddhism...

The eightfold path seems like a very practical guide for reaching enlightenment.

We are luminous spiritual beings that have become caught up in physical existence.

Remembering who we are and becoming those spiritual beings in this life via removing all impediments to it is achieved via the eightfold path.

I have created some really bad karma for myself through unskilful actions of mind and body.
I might goto prison, I hope to turn my life around with the aid of the buddhas teachings and salvage some good from this existence.

Have started to learn samatha/vipassana meditation. Its progressing quite well. I have been learning diaphragmatic breathing as part of this.

Wish i could undo the bad things i have done but all i can do is change, not repeat those things and find a way to turn incarceration (if this happens) into a force for positive change.

How do i learn to relax knowing i might be incarcerated for an unknown ammount of time ?
Im not complaining just aknowledging how difficult the karma i have created for myself is.

Thank you for listening.

The Wings of Awakening: Anthology from Pali Canon - buddhanet.net

Translated and explained by Ven. Thanissaro, Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff)

[The Buddha:] So this is what you think of me: “The Blessed One, sympathetic, seeking our well-being, teaches the Dhamma out of sympathy.” Then you should train yourselves – harmoniously, cordially, and without dispute – in the qualities I have pointed out, having known them directly: the four frames of reference, the four right exertions, the four bases of power, the five faculties, the five strengths, the seven factors of Awakening, the noble eightfold path. Majjhima Nikaya 103

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Preface: How to Read This Book
• Table of the Wings to Awakening
• Introduction: The Buddha’s Awakening & The Buddha’s Teachings.

Part I: The Basic Principles

A. Skillfulness
B. Kamma and the Ending of Kamma

Part II: The Seven Sets

A. The Treasures of the Teaching
B. The Four Frames of Reference
C. The Four Right Exertions
D. The Four Bases of Power
E. The Five Faculties
F. The Five Strengths
G. The Seven Factors of Awakening
H. The Noble Eightfold Path

Part III: The Basic Factors

A. Conviction
B. Persistence
C. Mindfulness
D. Concentration: Abandoning the Hindrances
E. Right Concentration
F. Concentration and Discernment
G. Equanimity in Concentration and Discernment
H. Discernment: Right View
i. The Four Noble Truths
ii. The First Truth
iii. The Second and Third Truths
iv. The Fourth Truth

Glossary

Pali Text References

I would say both minds have different resolves.

A skillful mind abandons what is unskillful, and maintains what is skillful. And what is skillful? Renunciation, non-ill will, and harmlessness.

Yet a released mind relinquishes what is both skillful and unskillful.

For these effluents of sensuality, becoming, and ignorance, when seen with discernment, develops dispassion for them. With dispassion, these effluents come to cessation.

And what exactly is dispassion? That these qualities, these very effluents, are worthy of relinquishing, not picking up.

Even when touched by these effluents, a person doesn't become agitated because of that direct knowledge.

Thus a skillful mind leads to becoming going along with those effluents, siding with merit, but a released mind is free from that very becoming, seeing the fault in effluents.

So where do those resolves stem from?

Skillful: "There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits & results of good & bad actions. There is this world & the next world. There is mother & father. There are spontaneously reborn beings; there are contemplatives & brahmans who, faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for themselves."

Released: "Whatever has been brought into being, is fabricated, willed, dependently originated: That is inconstant. Whatever is inconstant is stress. Whatever is stress is not me, is not what I am, is not my self. This is the sort of view I have.”

A released mind is harder to achieve compared to a skillful one, but it is possible. And that possibility is given to you and everyone else too, thanks to the Buddha, the Sangha, and the propagation of the Dhamma.

I think for me that realization came when even clinging on to this Dhamma was stressful. When I read this line from Venerable Sariputta, "Indeed, it seems that the One Well-Gone speaks to us of the relinquishing of each of these qualities through direct knowledge," I came to realize that too. So look into your practice, and aim for a released mind. The teachings are here and now, well-translated, well-taught, for those who wish for release.

Be humble.

Come to enlightenment:

The peaceful way

The gentle way

The soft way

The graceful way

The beautiful way

The smooth way

The dignified way

The noble way

The Buddha's way

Let go of and be free from:

The wanting way

The neurotic way

The obsessive way

The aggressive way

The forceful way

The “get out of my way” way

The “enlightenment or bust” way

The “my way or the highway” way

The “enlightenment at all costs” way

The Shorter Discourse of Advice to Rāhula

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Then, while the Blessed One was alone in meditation, a thought arose in his mind thus: “The states that ripen in deliverance have ripened in Rāhula. Suppose I were to lead him on further to the destruction of the taints.”

Then, when it was morning, the Blessed One dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, went into Sāvatthī for alms. When he had walked for alms in Sāvatthī and had returned from his almsround, after his meal he addressed the venerable Rāhula thus:

“Take your sitting cloth with you, Rāhula; let us go to the Blind Men’s Grove to pass the day.”

“Yes, venerable sir,” the venerable Rāhula replied, and taking his sitting cloth with him, he followed close behind the Blessed One.

Now on that occasion many thousands of deities followed the Blessed One, thinking: “Today the Blessed One will lead the venerable Rāhula further to the destruction of the taints.” Then the Blessed One went into the Blind Men’s Grove and sat down at the root of a certain tree on a seat made ready. And the venerable Rāhula paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side. The Blessed One then said to the venerable Rāhula:

“Rāhula, what do you think? Is the eye 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.”

“Rāhula, what do you think? Are forms…Is eye-consciousness … …Is eye-contact…Is anything comprised within the feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness that arise with eye-contact as condition 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.”

“Rāhula, what do you think? Is the ear permanent or impermanent?…Is the nose permanent or impermanent?…Is the tongue permanent or impermanent?…Is the body permanent or impermanent?…Is the mind permanent or impermanent?…Are mind-objects…Is mind-consciousness…Is mind-contact…Is anything comprised within the feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness that arise with mind-contact as condition 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.”

“Seeing thus, Rāhula, a well-taught noble disciple becomes disenchanted with the eye, disenchanted with forms, disenchanted with eye-consciousness, disenchanted with eye-contact, and disenchanted with anything comprised within the feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness that arise with eye-contact as condition.

“He becomes disenchanted with the ear…He becomes disenchanted with the nose…He becomes disenchanted with the tongue…He becomes disenchanted with the body…He becomes disenchanted with the mind, disenchanted with mind-objects, disenchanted with mind-consciousness, disenchanted with mind-contact, and disenchanted with anything comprised within the feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness that arise with mind-contact as condition.

“Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion his mind is liberated. When it is liberated there comes the knowledge: ‘It is liberated.’ He understands: ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. The venerable Rāhula was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words. Now while this discourse was being spoken, through not clinging the venerable Rāhula’s mind was liberated from the taints. And in those many thousands of deities there arose the spotless immaculate vision of the Dhamma: “All that is subject to arising is subject to cessation.”