Four-Day Hybrid Retreat with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi (online or in-person)
Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS, Chuang Yen Monastery, Carmel, Upstate NY
PRACTICING THE DHAMMA: From Bondage to Liberation
a Four-Day Hybrid Retreat with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Beginning Sept. 4th and running through Sept. 7th a retreat will study the groups of mental factors that hold us in bondage to samsara, the cycle of repetitive birth and death, and the opposing factors that lead to liberation.
This retreat is based on the Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, Chapter II, Sections 4–8, and Chapter VII, Sections 3–14 and 24–40.
The retreat includes Dhamma talks, discussion periods, and five sessions of meditation each day. It also provides the opportunity for those who haven’t yet “gone for guidance” (ti-sarana) to go for guidance to the Three Jewels, the first decisive step to formally becoming a follower of the Buddha-Dharma.
This retreat is conducted in hybrid mode, meaning it is both onsite in New York and online worldwide. Those who cannot attend in person can practice at home, participating online over Zoom or YouTube.
Those who wish to join in-person can come to BAUS/Chuang Yen Monastery and stay from Friday evening until Monday afternoon.
The monastery can accept only 50 onsite practitioners. If someone applies after the 50 spaces have been filled, that person will be put on a waiting list and accepted if prior applicants drop out.
Remember, anyone who can’t join in person can join from home via Zoom or YouTube.
REGISTER to participate in person only if committed to coming to Chuang Yen Monastery and staying all the way through Monday afternoon. If participating only part time, please join online.
A more detailed schedule will be posted later, but reserve these dates now. To register, go HERE.
Order a copy of the Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma (either electronic edition or hardcopy) from Pariyatti Press HERE.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ("Osho") was born Chandra Mohan Jain on Dec. 11, 1931–Jan. 19, 1990). He is was previously known as Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh [2], Acharya Rajneesh [3, 1], and is now commonly called "Osho."
He was an Indian "godman" [4], sadhu, philosopher, mystic [5], cult leader, corrupt "saint" with a messianic complex, comedian, scam capitalist, clever and funny speaker (whose talks were transcribed into books that are sometimes quite funny), and founder of the Rajneesh Movement [1].
He was a controversial new religious movement leader during his life. He rejected institutional religions [6, 1, 7], insisting that spiritual experience could not be organized into any one system of religious dogma [8], as Patanjali did with yoga and the historical Buddha did in outlining general Eightfold Paths.
As a scandal-ridden sex guru in America, he advocated meditation but taught a unique form of his own devising, which he called "dynamic meditation."
Rejecting traditional ascetic practices of all kinds, he encouraged his followers to [hedonistically] embrace life fully while remaining unattached to worldly desires.
Rajneesh claims he experienced a "spiritual awakening" in 1953 at the age of 21 [8].
Following several years in academia, in 1966 he resigned his post at the University of Jabalpur as a lecturer of philosophy and began traveling throughout India, becoming known for his criticism of the orthodoxy of mainstream religions [1, 9, 10, 11] as well as of mainstream political ideologies... More
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It's easy to love mom, but what about dad? What has the Men's Movement done for males in this patriarchy? (There are feminist men?) In the U.S., whether or not to celebrate "Father's Day" nationwide is a matter of debate. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton proposed a day to honor men who had died in a U.S. mining accident. It was rejected then.
But in 1909, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, who along with her five brothers had been raised by a single father, attended "Mother's Day" in a church.
She then convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association to celebrate Father's Day nationwide [7]. In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day is celebrated in many countries on Nov. 19th in honor of men and boys [8]: Father's Day
In the Pāli canon, there are only two discourses (sutras) that explicitly reference Suddhodana, the Mahāpadāna Sutta (DN 14) and in the verse prologue of the Nālaka Sutta (Sn 3.11). In each of these discourses, Suddhodana is represented simply as the Buddha's father and as a Sakyan ruler.
Who is Prince Siddhattha's father, the Gandharan (Afghanterritorialchieftain?*) King Suddhodana? In Theravada Buddhism (a major branch) — Suddhodana is recorded in the ancient Pali canon.
He was a Saka, Sakka, Shakya, Scythian, Sakiyan raja ("king," "leader," "head," "royal") in Kapilavatthu, the father of Prince Siddhattha Gotama, who became the historical Buddha.
He was the son of Sihahanu and Kaccana. His brothers were Dhotodana, Sakkodana, Sukkodana, and Amitodana, and his sisters were Amita and Pamita.
Maya was his chief consort. After her death, her sister Pajapati was elevated to that position (Mhv.ii.15f.; Dpv.iii.45; J.i.15, etc.)
When soothsayers predicted that his son Siddhattha had two destinies awaiting him, either that of a universal monarch (cakkavatti, chakravartin) if he stayed in the world or a universal teacher (Buddhahood) if he renounced it, he exerted his utmost effort to provide the prince with all kinds of sensual luxuries and hedonistic pleasures to hold him to the household life.
It is said (e.g., J.i.54) that when Asita, who was his father's [Brahmin] chaplain and teacher, visited King Suddhodana to see the newborn prince, he paid homage to the infant by allowing his feet to rest on his head. Suddhodana was filled with wonder and also worshipped the child.
I wish for you to be a noble warrior, my son.
Seven years later, at the annual Ploughing Festival ceremony, Suddhodana saw that the shadow of the jambu tree under which the child had been placed in the shade when he spontaneously went into meditative absorption (jhana, samadhi) did not move even as the sun traveled overhead. Then the child, seated cross-legged without moving, levitated in the air. So he again worshipped him (J.i.57f).
Twenty-nine years later, when in spite of all his father's efforts, Prince Siddhattha renounced and left behind the household life and took to practicing austerities in the East, Suddhodana sent a messenger/private investigator to find his son and see what he was up to.
The investigator returned with news that his son had died, owing to the severity of his penances (tapas). But Suddhodana refused to believe it, saying that his son would never die without achieving his spiritual goal (J.i.67).
When this was afterwards related to the Buddha, he taught the Maha Dhammapala Jataka, showing that in the past, too, Suddhodana had refused to believe that his son could have died even when he was shown the heap of his bones.
I failed as a father. My son left.
Seven years after that, when news reached Suddhodana that his son had reached enlightenment, he sent a messenger to Veluvana in Rajagaha ("Bamboo Grove" in Rajgir, where King Bimbisara reigned) with many others to invite the Buddha to return home and visit the seasonal capital of Kapilavatthu.
But when the messenger and his companions heard the Buddha teach, they renounced worldly life, entered the Monastic Order, and forgot their mission. This happened nine more times with different messengers.
On the tenth occasion, King Suddhodana sent Kaludayi (Sanskrit Kālodāyin) who had advance permission to join the Sangha on the express condition that he give the king's invitation to the Buddha.
Kaludayi kept his promise, the Buddha consented, and seven years after having left home to embark on a massive spiritual quest, he returned home to visit Kapilavatthu, staying in Nigrodharama. There, in reference to a rain shower that fell, he taught the Vessantara Jataka.
The next day, when King Suddhodana remonstrated his royal (noble, warrior) son, the Buddha, because he was seen "begging" (going on almsround) on the streets of Kapilavatthu, the Buddha told him that surviving on offerings was the custom of all buddhas. Hearing this, King Suddhodana became a stream enterer (sotapanna, the first stage of enlightenment).
Son, at 16, you shall marry the beautiful Bimba.
He then offered to feed his new teacher the Buddha, inviting him to visit the palace, where he entertained him. At the end of the meal offering, the Buddha further taught the king, who became a once returner (sakadagami, J.i.90; cf. DhA.iii.164f).
This was when the Buddha was reunited with Princess Bimba (Yasodhara) and his 7-year-old son Rahula, both of whom were "saved" in that they were inspired to renounce their worldly lives in the palace and take up the path-of-practice the Buddha taught as wandering ascetics. In no long time, they both became enlightened. Many Saka/Shakya/Scythian relatives were inspired to follow suit, join the Sangha (spiritual community), and make an end of all suffering.
The king then became a nonreturner (anagami, the third of four stages of awakening) after hearing the Maha Dhammapala Jataka (DhA.i.99; J.iv.55).
Suddhodana was the Bodhisatta or Buddha-to-be’s father in numerous previous births, but he is mentioned as such by name in only a few birth (jātaka) tales, namely:
*Where is the real Kapilavatthu (Sanskrit Kapilavastu)? There were three seasonal capitals (with three palaces, one for each season) of the Sakas, Shakyas, Indo-Scythians of Gandhara, which we speculate were Kabul, Bamiyan, and Mes Aynak. Was Suddhodana really a "king" as we understand the term? A janapada is the "foothold of a family clan," in the case the Sakas. More likely he was a tribal leader as of the Pashtun's loya jirga. While the Pashtuns may be new to the area of Bamiyan, the tradition of leadership "councils" seems to be longstanding.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta’s Grove, in the millionaire’s monastery.
Late in the afternoon, he came out of seclusion, went to the assembly hall, and sat on a seat prepared for him.
Likewise Venerable Sāriputta came out of seclusion, went to the assembly hall, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. The great venerables Mahā Moggallāna, Mahā Kassapa, Mahā Kaccāna, Mahā Koṭṭhita, Mahā Cunda, Mahā Kappina, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ānanda did the same.
[As an example] the Buddha spent much of the night sitting in meditation, then rose from his seat and entered his dwelling. Soon after, the venerables each went to their dwellings.
But the junior monastics who had only recently gone forth from the home life to the left-home life, new to this Teaching and Training, slept until the sun came up and snored.
The Buddha perceived this with his clairvoyant vision which is purified, surpassing the human. He entered the assembly hall, sat on a prepared seat, and addressed them:
“Meditators, where is Sāriputta? Where are Mahā Moggallāna, Mahā Kassapa, Mahā Kaccāna, Mahā Koṭṭhita, Mahā Cunda, Mahā Kappina, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ānanda? Where have these senior disciples gone?”
They replied, “Soon after the Buddha left, those venerables went to their own dwellings.”
“Meditators, when those senior monks left, why did you sleep until the sun came up as you snored?
“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of an anointed warrior king, who rules his whole life and is dear and beloved by his kingdom, indulge in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as he likes?”
“No, venerable sir.”
“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.
“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of an appointed officer… a hereditary officer… a general… a village chieftain … or a head of a guild who runs a guild his whole life, who is dear and beloved by his guild, indulge in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as as he likes?”
Is there a best way to sleep to get great rest?
“No, venerable sir.”
“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.
“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of a wandering ascetic or Brahmin priest who indulges in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as he likes?
Sense doors unguarded,
eating too much,
not dedicated to wakefulness,
unable to bring forth skillful qualities,
unable to pursue the cultivation and development of qualities that produce awakening into the evening and before dawn
who yet realize an undefiled freedom of the heart, freedom by wisdom, in this very life? Or that they live having realized the truth through their own direct knowledge and vision (insight) due to their destruction of the defilements?”
“No, venerable sir.”
“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.
“So train yourselves: ‘We will guard our sense doors, restrain ourselves in eating, and dedicate ourselves to wakefulness (mindfulness), bringing forth skillful qualities, pursuing the cultivation and development of qualities that produce awakening into the evening and before dawn.’ This is how to train yourselves.” More
Dhr. Seven (ed.), based on Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), SuttaCentral.net, Soppa Sutta: "Warm-Hearted: On Sleep" (Numerical Discourses, AN 6.17.2), Wisdom Quarterly
What is "salvation"?Moksha (Sanskrit मोक्ष, mokṣa) is also called vimutti* or vimukti and also mukti and vimoksha [3].
It is a concept in the Dharmic religions -- Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism -- that means liberation, non-bondage, freedom, emancipation, deliverance, escape, salvation, release, nirvana [4].
I want your "Salvation"
In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from saṃsāra, the incessant Cycle of Rebirths and Deaths [5]. In its epistemological and psychological senses, moksha is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization, self-knowledge [6]....
NOTE: If moksha were just what the Vedas, Brahmins, or Hinduism says it is, there would be no need for a supremely enlightened one, the Buddha, to arise and make known a Teaching and Training that culminates in Buddhist nirvana, which is the real end of all suffering and rebirth, not mere rebirth in a long lasting heavenly plane or in the company of Brahma or other such stand ins.
Moksha (vimutti) is nirvana
Release from rebirth is release from all suffering
*In Buddhism the term moksha is uncommon, but there is an equivalent Pali term vimutti, "freedom," "release," "escape."
In the sutras two forms of freedom or release are mentioned, namely ceto-vimutti, "deliverance of mind," and panna-vimutti, "deliverance through wisdom" (insight or vipassana).
Ceto-vimutti is related to the practice of jhana or dhyana (shamatha), while panna-vimutti is related to the cultivation of insight.
Dharmas agree on moksha, they just define it differently, with Buddhism defining it as ultimate
. According to Gombrich, the distinction may be a later development, which resulted in a change of doctrine, regarding the practice of jhana to be insufficient for final liberation [108]. It is the first step, setting up the foundation of calm on top of which is built insight through mindfulness (sati,satipatthana, Dependent Origination).
With release comes nirvana (Pali nibbana), "quenching," "slaking," "cooling," "blowing out," or "extinguishing" the fires of the defiled passions and the wrong view of self [109, 110].
It is a "timeless state" (akaliko) in which there is no further becoming [111]. Nirvana ends the otherwise endless cycle of rebirth and suffering (dukkha) in the 31 Planes of Existence, which for simplification Mahayana reduces to six realms of saṃsāra [112, Note 2].
It is the third of the Four Ennobling (Enlightening) Truths of Buddhism, which plays a central role in Theravada Buddhism [117, 118].
What can be said of the ultimate attainment?
Nirvana has been described in Buddhist texts in ways that make it sound like other Indian religions. Every tradition says it has complete liberation, freedom, ultimate bliss, the highest happiness, fearlessness, emancipation, dukkha-lessness, permanence, the deathless, the unconditioned element that is the only thing that is not dependently originated, the unconstructed, unfathomable, ineffable, indescribable [119, 120].
The unconditioned element: nirvana (Ven. Bodhi)
It has also been described as release marked by a realization of the "emptiness" (impersonal, non-self nature of ALL conditioned things but most significantly the Five Aggregates clung to as self) [121, 122, 123].
Such descriptions are debated by scholars because "nirvana" in Buddhism is described as a state or condition after the dissolution of ignorance and suffering (disappointment, dis-ease, distress, ill, woe, off-kilter, unsatisfactoriness), of luminous mind, which would seem to be "stopped consciousness (blown out), but one that is not non-existent," as Peter Harvey states, and for him "it seems impossible to imagine what awareness devoid of any object would be like" [124, 112].
Nirvana is much more than the end of suffering.
See Bhikkhu Bodhi's exhaustive description in The Teachings of the Buddha: As It Is (early lecture series). Words and concepts cannot do nirvana justice because it is unlike everything else in samsara. Therefore, it is not a thought or concept but something very real to be personally experienced. Freedom awaits. More
Rock 'N Roll True Stories; Punk Rock MBA; Rancid; Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
Sitagu Buddha Vihara, Austin, Texas: Dhamma. 🪷 Behind every great story there’s a chainsaw-wielding Buddhist monk.
Which is to say, what I actually mean is each reporting process is populated by vibrant hidden figures like American Theravada Buddhist monkBhante Nalaka (born Steven Waite).
He walked me and my family around Sitagu Buddha Vihara in Southwest Austin.
I was at the Burmese Theravada Buddhist monastery hunting for a painting by exiled Burmese artist and activist Sitt Nyein Aye, but more on him in a moment.
American Ven. Nalaka received us at the end of a meditation retreat, his voice starting as a whisper and rising throughout our chat.
Born in Massachusetts, he grew up an “Army brat” and has flowed in and out of monastic life since 1981. Ven. Nalaka has spent about three years as a caretaker of the monastery’s 16-acre property, which is crowned by a golden pagoda, the largest in the United States.
The Buddhist complex has 40 buildings in all, including a treehouse. Ven. Nalaka is eager to discuss his humble inheritance: endless maintenance issues.
“My first year was scraping all these walls” to remove bubbling paint from leaks and humidity damage, he said. In 2023, he chainsawed 13 acres of felled tree limbs after an ice storm. “I had burn piles going everywhere,” he claimed.
Last year, the monks repainted the pagoda’s exterior using a 135-foot crane and “at least 20 gallons” of imported paint. If suffering is the path to liberation, Ven. Nalaka is making progress—and the monastery is looking sharp.
Exiled art of Myanmar in Texas
Artists are artists and will let you know it.
The one feature of the property that Ven. Nalaka didn’t seem to know about was Sitt Nyein Aye’s artwork, a fact that had my nerves running throughout our interview. But after a bit of wandering,
It starts with his tragic death in Colorado and weaves backwards through his revolutionary work in Burma (Myanmar), exile in the Southwest, and late-career artistic projects.
I sought to examine Sitt’s legacy as a member of a “hyperlocal diaspora” -- Burmese artists, including @chaweithein (Ms. Chaw Ei Thein, profile, art blog) and @artisthteinlin (RIP, Artsy), who’ve found refuge in America and craft vivid portals back home.
(wrappedrockz) (37w) Fascinating. Can’t wait to read more. 🔥
(Roberthoerlein's) Great story. I didn’t know any of this. Thanks.
AUTHOR: obscuratorial (37w) 📷 PHOTOS: 1-3 are by my dad, Mark Eddy. The rest are by me, of Sitt Nyein Aye's untitled 2012 painting at Sitagu Buddha Vihara. The piece depicts some revered Buddhist temples in India. Source
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