Hinayana

As an aid to those unfamiliar with the topics presented here, some background information and a few technical terms and dates have been filled in to the summaries of some of the papers. Introduction to the Bhikshuni Vows The Importance of Having Bhikshunis The...

The Thai Theravada System of Four Close Placements of Mindfulness Many people nowadays practice so-called “mindfulness meditation.” Mindfulness meditation is one adaptation of the Theravada practice of the four close placements of mindfulness. The Pali term for the close...

The Source of the Tantras Tantra practice requires conviction in the authenticity of the tantras, correct understanding of their procedures and theory, and certainty of their validity as methods leading to enlightenment. According to the Tibetan tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha...

Review We’ve been speaking about the bodhisattva vows, and we have taken a look at their role on the Buddhist path. We’ve seen that in order to take them, we need to have already developed ourselves along the Buddhist way through the various stages of the lam-rim, the graded...

(11) Teaching Voidness to Those Whose Minds Are Untrained We’ve been going through the bodhisattva vows. We have covered ten of the 18 vows and we’re up to number 11. What we want to avoid with this vow is teaching voidness to those whose minds are untrained. This is talking...

“Hinayana” has become a collective term for 18 Buddhist schools, only one of which is currently extant and with scriptures in Pali, Theravada. “Mahayana” similarly spans several schools, not all of which have scriptures in classical Sanskrit.

In “A Filigree of Realizations” (“Abhisamayalamkara”), Maitreya explains the progression of the five levels of mind we achieve that serve as pathways leading to liberation and enlightenment.

When we understand different schools properly from their own points of view, we develop a great deal of respect for all of the teachings of the Buddha.

A short introduction to how Buddhism spread from its beginnings in northern India to become the major belief system across much of Asia.

Although there are several variations in ways to practice the four close placements of mindfulness, here we examine the Theravada methods as taught by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu.