#Buddhist

As an ancient drum has disintegrated, so too will the true teachings disappear.At Sāvatthī. “Once upon a time, mendicants, the Dasārahas had a clay drum called the Commander. Each time the Commander split they repaired it by inserting another peg. But there came a time when the clay drum Commander’s original wooden rim disappeared and only a mass of pegs remained. In the same way, in a future time there will be mendicants who won’t want to listen when discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—are being recited. [Read More]

Only a speedster could catch arrows in flight, yet conditioned phenomena perish faster than that.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, suppose there were four well-trained expert archers with strong bows standing in the four directions. And a man came along and thought, ‘When these four well-trained expert archers shoot arrows in four directions, I’ll catch them before they reach the ground, and then I’ll bring them back.’ What do you think, mendicants? Are they qualified to be called ‘a speedster, with ultimate speed’? [Read More]

As it is not possible to bend back a spear, it is not possible to overthrow a mendicant who has developed love.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, suppose there was a sharp-pointed spear. And a man came along and thought, ‘With my hand or fist I’ll fold this sharp spear over, bend it back, and twist it around!’ What do you think, mendicants? Is that man capable of doing so?” “No, sir. Why not? [Read More]

Love is more beneficial than generosity.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, suppose one person was to give a gift of a hundred pots of rice in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. And someone else was to develop a heart of love, even just as long as it takes to pull a cow’s udder. The latter would be more fruitful. So you should train like this: ‘We will develop the heart’s release by love. [Read More]

As a family with few men and many women is easily attacked, non-human beings may attack a mendicant without love.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, those families with many women and few men are easy prey for bandits and thieves. In the same way any mendicant who has not developed and cultivated the heart’s release by love is easy prey for non-humans. Those families with few women and many men are hard prey for bandits and thieves. [Read More]

As the dirt in a fingernail is smaller than the great earth, the beings reborn as humans are few.At Sāvatthī. Then the Buddha, picking up a little bit of dirt under his fingernail, addressed the mendicants: “What do you think, mendicants? Which is more: the little bit of dirt under my fingernail, or this great earth?” “Sir, the great earth is far more. The little bit of dirt under your fingernail is tiny. [Read More]

As rafters depend on the roof-peak, unwholesome qualities depend on ignorance.So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha … said: “Mendicants, the rafters of a bungalow all lean to the peak and meet at the peak, and when the peak is demolished they’re all demolished too. In the same way any unskillful qualities are rooted in ignorance and meet in ignorance, and when ignorance is demolished they’re all demolished too. [Read More]

A Bad Novice Nun “Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a novice nun flying through the air. Her outer robe, bowl, belt, and body were burning, blazing, and glowing as she screamed in pain. It occurred to me: ‘It’s incredible, it’s amazing! That there can be such a sentient being, such an entity, such an incarnation!’” Then the Buddha said to the mendicants: “Mendicants, there are disciples who live full of vision and knowledge, since a disciple knows, sees, and witnesses such a thing. [Read More]