- Unveiling "Skillful Means" in Buddhism: Early Developments
What is "skillful means" in Buddhism, particularly in early Buddhism? We'll look at its usage in the early texts, in particular in one odd text where it seems the Buddha recommends a practice of sense desire, and then turn to its more…
- Discovering the Path of Right Effort: Buddha's Surprising Recommendation to Preserve
Right Effort in Buddhist practice has four aspects. The fourth aspect is that of "preservation", and it has some shocking aspects. What does it mean, and how can we practice with it?
- Discovering the Path of Right Effort: Restraint for Inner Peace
Right Effort in Buddhist practice has four aspects. The first of these is the effort to restrain. What does that mean, and how can we work with it?
- Buddha's Surprising Views on Old Age
What was the Buddha's experience with old age? We will begin by looking at the role aging plays in the Buddha's dharma, and then turn to a few early suttas to gain insight into what the Buddha's later years were like. We will see some…
- Buddha on Practicing for Worldly Benefit
A viewer of mine wondered recently about practicing in order to gain worldly benefits. What did the Buddha have to say about such things? We'll look at a few suttas for answers.
- How Many Jhanas Were There in Early Buddhist Meditation?
Ordinarily it's said that there were four states of jhāna in early Buddhist meditation. But not always! Apart from considering some later understandings of the term that include eight, nine, or even more jhānas, we'll look at one early…
- Can You Practice Buddhism by Studying It? A New Paper By Analayo
Is there an important difference between study and practice in early Buddhism? We'll look to one recent article by Bhikkhu Anālayo for help in answering this question. He investigates one apparent mistake in oral transmission of a…
- Who Was Sariputta/Śariputra? (Life of the Buddha's Chief Disciple)
The Buddha's chief disciple was a man named Sāriputta. We'll look at his life and influence in this video. First we will look at where his main motivation seems to have lain, by looking in detail at how he encountered the Buddha dharma…
- What Is the Pali Canon of Buddhism?
Many of us may have heard of the Buddhist Pāli Canon. What is it? We will look at its early history and the material that makes it up.
- The Three Realms of Existence
What are the three realms of existence in early Buddhism? We'll begin by looking at the way early thinkers sometimes had odd ways of approaching the world. Then we'll turn to the early Buddhist account of the three realms themselves, and…