This beautiful sutta from the Pali canon tells the story of what happened after the beloved disciple and arahat Sariputta passed away. Sariputta—(Sāriputta (Pāli) or Śāriputra (Sanskrit)—was a truly remarkable student of the Buddha’s, and along with Ananda, was considered his greatest pupil. As Nyanaponika Thera writes of him in The Life of Shariputra: “Shariputra..was […]
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Tag Archives: refuge
The Thorn in Your Heart
2010/06/18 
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The Thorn in Your Heart Selections from the Attadanda Sutta of the Sutta Nipata (935-939) (948-951) [Translation and comments by Andrew Olendzki] Fear is born from arming oneself. Just see how many people fight! I’ll tell you about the dreadful fear that caused me to shake all over: Seeing creatures flopping around, Like fish in […]
Continue reading The Buddha’s Last Instruction-Poetry and Music
2010/05/24 14 Comments
“Be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the […]
Continue reading Nirvana is a Verb, Not a Place
2010/02/22 3 Comments
A Verb for Nirvana by Thanissaro Bhikkhu “Back in the days of the Buddha, nirvana (nibbana) had a verb of its own: nibbuti. It meant to “go out,” like a flame. Because fire was thought to be in a state of entrapment as it burned — both clinging to and trapped by the fuel on […]
Continue reading Mindful breathing-our unsinkable boat on the river of suffering
2010/01/02 3 Comments
Thich Nhat Hanh “When we practice mindful breathing, we nourish the awareness of being there in the here and the now. When we practice mindful walking or mindful breakfast making, we give ourselves an opportunity to touch what is there in the present moment, to touch the wonders of life that are available to us. […]
Continue readingNew Year Message from Thich Nhat Hanh
2009/12/31 8 Comments
“The New Year is a great opportunity to begin anew. Because many people look at the new year, the year to come, with hope. “I will do better next year,” you promise yourself…Of course we have made mistakes. Of course we have been not very skillful. Of course we have made ourselves suffer. Of course […]
Continue readingMay All Beings Be Happy
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- Jesus and the Buddha on Good Friday
Metta Refuge 