Can we go back to original Buddhism?

Finally, "Buddhism" makes verifiable sense!

THERAVADA Buddhism: Is this what the historical Buddha (Prince Siddhattha Gotama, "the Sage of the Sakas," the Shakyas, the Indo-Scythians) really taught? The Three Baskets (Ti-pitaka) of Suttas, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma (Discourses, Discipline, and Higher Doctrine). The Buddha did not speak Sanskrit, the exclusive liturgical language of Brahmin priests, but rather Magadhi (colloquial Pali, the lingua franca) and Prakrit. He certainly knew and understood Sanskrit, having been expert in it in past lives, a knower of the Three Vedas. The Pali canon is a collection of canonical texts preserved in the ancient Pali language the Buddha likely spoke.

• (Buddha's Wisdom) 

Why do monks and nuns chant in Pali?

The only reason Mahayana uses Sanskrit is because Brahmin (Brahminical Vedic Hindus) used it to whitewash Mahayana Buddhism into a kind of comprehensible form of Hinduism. The goal of Theravada, the "Teaching of the direct Elder enlightened disciples of the historical Buddha," is enlightenment here and now as soon as possible, whereas the goal of Mahayana is enlightenment never, only after an inexhaustible supply of living beings first attain it. When will that be? It will never be, alleviating the need for any Mahayana Buddhist to actually practice and bring what the Buddha taught about in one's own life. Imagining themselves supremely awakened buddhas of the future, there's never a need to do it now, the only time we actually ever have.

• What the Buddha Taught: revised and expanded edition with texts from suttas and the Dhammapada (Ven. Walpola Rahula, Paul Demieville)

Zen Buddhism came much later

(Tao Temple) We can't understand Zen until we understand this first

The Seven (7) Levels of Buddhism

(Greg Knows All) The 7 levels of Buddhism in 27 minutes

This silly looking cartoon of a video is profound, so much so that we are included to call its maker, Greg Knows All, "Añña GREGḍañña" or "Greg who knows" (after the Buddha's very first enlightened disciple, Añña Konḍañña, "Kaundinya who knows, who see").

When the wandering ascetic Siddhartha first thought to teach and make known the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhi) and Liberation (Nirvana), what today the ancient Theravada tradition calls "Buddhism" or Buddha-Dhamma (The Doctrine of the Awakened One), he had no one to teach, no one at least whom he thought would understand. There were his wise albeit unenlightened teachers, but they were passed away and reborn in worlds where they could not be reached for a very long time. Some planes of existence are so long lasting, it's staggering. So he realized his five former companions on his spiritual quest might get it. When he taught them, one did. And that was Kondanna (Kaudinya)

He may be reading this from somewhere, possibly What the Buddha Taught or a scholarly rundown of the historical Buddha's path by Bhikkhu Bodhi or Ven. Professor Analayo. Wow, Greg.

• Buddhaghosa's The Path of Purification
• Guide Through the Path of Purification
• Introducing [Theravada] Buddhist Abhidhamma
• Sila is virtue, morality, ahimsa (nonharming)
• Kasinas (discs) as Kammaṭṭhāna (one's Field of Effort in Meditation)
• Monastic Disciplinary Rules (Patimokkha, the "Path to Moksha" for Buddhist nuns and monks)
• The Buddha's Gradual Path of Progress does not drop off suddenly but deepens like the ocean shelf, producing its result. 1) Virtue is established to bring about peace of mind and serenity of spirit free of misgivings and worry. 2) Atop that foundation of peace and blamelessness, stillness (samadhi), profound peace of mind, is placed. 3) The crowning of this pyramid is what establishes it and makes it permanent, insight (the gnostic experience of wisdom for oneself and depending on no one's authority, direct knowing-and-seeing, personal realization)

White House recognizes Buddhist holiday

(Buddha Dharma) White House VESAK 2026 from the White House to Bodh Gaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), the light of Buddha-Dharma (the timeless "Teachings of the Awakened One") More

• Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International | Berkeley CA | Facebook
• Wangmo Dixey, Executive Director of Dharma College (Tricycle)
• Dharma-College.com
• Beneath the Bodhi Tree: LBDFI
• University of the West | accredited University in Greater Los Angeles, CA
• Naropa University | Buddhist-inspired Contemplative Education
• Buddhism in the United States
• Buddhism in the West
• Buddhism in the Americas
• Buddhist Association of America (BAUS)
• Hsi Lai Temple: Coming West
• Vegetarianism by country
• Vegetarianism and veganism in China
• Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawai‘i: An Illustrated Guide
• Creating a Buddhist Community: A Thai Temple in Silicon Valley (Asian American)
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Wangmo Dixey (Buddha Dharma), Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Dhammapada: The Buddha on restless mind

(Relaxing Subjects) The Dhammapada: The Buddha's words on the restless mind

English Buddhist Monk live from Asia

(English Buddhist Monk) English Buddhist Monk is LIVE

Dogma or Freedom?

Theravada: 'What the Buddha Taught'

[Ego (buddhism podcast)] Theravada Buddhism: Here's what the historical Buddha actually taught

• Theravada: "Teaching" (vada) of the [Enlightened] "Elders" (theras). How old were these elders? They were of all ages because it has to do with seniority (how many rains retreats as a monastic). They were the first disciples of the historical Buddha, the theris (nuns) and theras (monks).
• Buddhist canons: Tipitaka ("Three Baskets")
• Pali canon: Pali language collection of texts
• Theravada Abhidhamma ("Higher Doctrine")

British Buddhist monk explains

(English Buddhist Monk) Mahayana or Theravada Buddhism?

What the Buddha Taught

What the Buddha Taught

This comprehensive, compact, lucid, and very faithful account of the Buddha’s Teachings (Dhamma) persistently enjoys great popularity in colleges, universities, and theological schools both in America and abroad.

“An exposition of Buddhism conceived in a resolutely modern spirit.”—from the Foreword.

“For years,” says the Journal of the Buddhist Society, “the newcomer to Buddhism has lacked a simple and reliable introduction to the complexities of the subject. Dr. Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught fills the need as only could be done by one having a firm grasp of the vast material to be sifted. It is a model of what a book should be that is addressed first of all to ‘the educated and intelligent reader.’ Authoritative and clear, logical and sober, this study is as comprehensive as it is masterly.”

A classic introductory book to Buddhism, What the Buddha Taught, contains a selection of illustrative texts from the original Pali canon texts, including the suttas (discourses, sutras) and the Dhammapada ("Imprint of the Dhamma," specially translated by the author), 16 illustrations, and a bibliography, glossary, and index. More

• What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Walpola Rahula (author) and Paul Demieville (foreword)

Buddhist Lunar Observance (Uposatha)

(English Buddhist Monk) Second full moon uposatha (Buddhist "sabbath, Pagan-Wiccan "esbat," lunar observance): Best practice for lay Buddhists to develop (cultivate) equanimity

• Uposatha: HISTORY: The word uposatha ("observance") derives from the Muluposatha Sutta (AN 3.70), in which a laywoman named Visakha (Migāramāta, the "Mother of Migara"), visits the Buddha and says she is observing the uposatha day. The Buddha replies that there are different uposatha days, then proceeds to tell her the best version of the day, which he calls the "Uposatha of the Noble Disciples." More

Thai Wan Phra full moon uposatha: aging, sickness, death: loss and karma

Disenchanted w/ mundane world: Beth Upton

• Beth Upton update: Wildflowers and Wanderings

Disenchantment with the Mundane World: Conversation with former Theravada Buddhist nun

Disenchantment: Untold Tales

(The Theory of Samsara) Jan. 8, 2026: In this in-depth conversation on Ultimate Meaning: The Theory of Samsara, I speak with British Buddhist meditation teacher Beth Upton, a former fully ordained Theravāda Buddhist nun (Sayalay Anuttara) in Burma who spent nearly ten years training under Pa Auk Sayadaw (Ven. Bhaddanta Āciṇṇa) in the Burmese forest meditation tradition.

 

She shares her journey from ordination at age 25, through years of rigorous monastic training in calm-and-insight (samatha-vipassanā), to her decision to disrobe and teach as a lay practitioner in the West.

Together, we explore some of the most misunderstood questions in contemporary Buddhism, including:

• 

  Let go until success then go teach the world.

  What truly leads someone to renounce samsaric life
• Disenchantment vs. curiosity on the path to liberation
• Whether Buddhist enlightenment is possible for lay Buddhist practitioners
• The lived meaning of renunciation beyond philosophy
• Tranquility versus insight (samatha vs. vipassanā) — and why “vipassanā” is often a misused term
• Ultimate reality, momentariness (moment-to-moment presence), and non-self
• Why deep meditation can feel fragile outside the context of monastic life
• The role of community, wise friends, and authentic teachers
• Commercialization of Dharma vs. teaching by donation
• Sectarianism between Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism
• Why liberation is not just for “other cultures” or monastics

Canadian interviewer Lama Choga

This dialogue is not about spiritual abstract beliefs or spiritual ideals, but about what actually works when confronting disappointment (dukkha, suffering), impermanence, and the [impersonal] realities of samsara in modern life.

Chapters/Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro: Beth Upton and Path [to End] Samsara
• 02:18 – Why she chose ordination as a British Buddhist nun at age 25
• 05:10 – Meeting authentic Buddhist teachers and the power of sangha [community]
• 08:32 – Experimenting with life and early renunciation
• 12:45 – Discovering liberation as a real possibility
• 16:40 – Is enlightenment possible for lay practitioners?
• 19:55 – Stream entry, arahantship, and Theravāda views
• 24:10 – Did Beth Upton meet enlightened beings?
• 27:05 – Why she disrobed after 10 years as a forest nun
• 33:40 – Fragility of meditation outside monastic life
• 37:55 – Teaching the Dharma authentically in the West
• 41:50 – Disenchantment with samsara: knowing it in the bones
• 47:30 – Cycles of renunciation and returning to the world
• 52:15 – Creating long-term retreat communities in Europe
• 56:40 – Teaching by donation rather than selling the Dharma
• 1:01:30 – Can deep meditation be practiced while working?
• 1:06:55 – Permanent retreatants and Western monastic models
• 1:10:40 – Environmental ethics in Buddhist practice
• 1:15:25 – Sectarianism: Southeast Asian Theravāda vs. Tibetan [Vajrayana] Buddhism
• 1:21:10 – Personal liberation vs. compassion for all beings
• 1:26:30 – Shamatha vs. vipassanā: clearing the confusion
• 1:33:10 – Ultimate reality and momentariness explained
• 1:39:45 – Causality, impermanence, and non-self
• 1:45:20 – Reflexive awareness and observing mind moments
• 1:52:10 – How to find wise friends and authentic teachers
• 1:57:30 – Final advice for Western practitioners
• 2:00:10 – Closing reflections and future conversations

Lama Choga and a Canadian Buddhist Sangha

If serious about meditation, renunciation, and understanding liberation beyond romantic [New Age] spirituality, this conversation offers rare clarity and lived insight.

🙏 Keep wise friends. Beth Upton's YouTube channel: @beth.upton.meditation

• Beth Upton's website: bethupton.com
• Previous videos about Beth Upton's backstory: About Me
• Episode 138: Trained as a Nun - Beth Upton
• Canadian Lama Choga: ultimatemeaning.org
• Meditációs elvonulások (Gánti Bence)
• Disenchantment: Untold Tales, Vol. 1 (book by Matt Groening)

How this was made: Auto-dubbed. Audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. #DharmaTalk #Samsara #Buddhism #Theravada #Vipassana #MeditationPractice #Renunciation #Liberation #Enlightenment #BuddhistNun #PaAuk #NonSelf #FourNobleTruths #EightfoldPath #SpiritualPractice #Mindfulness #Jhanna #EasternPhilosophy #ultimatemeaning

• Host Lama Choga (The Theory of Samsara, Jan. 2026), guest Beth Upton; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Meditate w/Bhikkhu Bodhi, Vesak, sutra study

CLASS INFO: Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 pm (EDT) with Bhikkhu Bodhi

Our Theravada JuBu teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi

Dear Dharma Students, please join us tonight (May 6, 2026) at 7:00 pm for a meditation session over Zoom by clicking here.

Each Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a meditation session over Zoom. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting Pali verses of homage) followed by a 45-minute guided meditation.

All are welcome to join. The texts for recitation are attached separately. Please see class page on website (BAUS.org/en) for chanting text. Miss it? Don't worry. This is a recurring meeting from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (EDT, New York time), Wednesdays.

With metta,

Chuang Yen Monastery/BAUS

• Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/s/83540900862?pwd=V1VkL0NhVEVnbGU4RnByNVJGRUhNUT09
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• US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 835 4090 0862, Passcode: 368764
• Find local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kcYniDdmfU
• DONATION
• BAUS (The Buddhist Association of the U.S.)
• 美國佛教會, 2020 Route 301 Carmel, NY 10512
• contact@baus.org

More activities at Chuang Yen Monastery (BAUS)­ for May 2026

Dates: Saturdays, May 2, 9, and 23. Time: 6:30 am to 8:30 am (PT) - 9:30 am to 11:30 am (ET) On Saturdays, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a full morning program of meditation and sutra study.

May 2nd and 9th is a "hybrid" program in-person and online. The May 23rd class online only this month. The online class can be accessed through Zoom. Please note: To participate in this class, one must register with BAUS ahead of time: Sign up for class with Bhikkhu Bodhi

The Sanctuary Within with Ven. Youmin

Instructor: Ven. Youmin Date: May 10th, time: 10:00 am-11:30 am and 1:30-3:00 pm. Place: Woo Ju Memorial Library. Lead by Ven. Youmin, we will explore the ancient mechanics of the mind through the art of breath, deconstruct the filters of our perception, and gain a definitive framework for stress management. This is more than a lecture, it is a mental operating system upgrade. THE SANCTUARY WITHIN with Ven. Youmin 4/19 & 5/10

VESAK 2026: "Buddhist Christmas" in New York: the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Place: The Great Buddha Hall at Chuang Yen Monastery. All are invited to celebrate Vesak, commemorating the birth of the historical Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni). We will recite the Sutra on the Merit of Bathing the Baby Buddha and make a Grand Meal Offering to all the Buddhas. BAUS invites everyone to sponsor the lighting of a blessing lamp or other blessing or memorial services.

• Vesak: The Buddha's Birthday Celebration • May 17, 2026

Group meditation Wednesdays on Zoom

Group Meditation on Zoom w/Bhikkhu Bodhi

Group Meditation over Zoom, Wednesdays, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Platform: Zoom. Every Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads online group meditation. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting verses of homage), followed by a 45-minute guided meditation, either on loving-kindness or on mindfulness of breathing.

Temple of Enlightenment (TOE)

• 3070 Albany Cresent Bronx, NY 10463
• TOE Meditation Class and Dharma Talk with Ven. Subodha

Instructor: Ven. Subodha, Sundays, 10:00 am to 11:30 am on Zoom and in person at TOE on Tuesdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Location: Temple of Enlightenment Meditation Program. In person only at the Temple of Enlightenment in the Bronx.

Children's Dhamma Class at Temple of Enlightenment in the Bronx, NY

• Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Quest to Awaken: Dhamma Earth, Asia

Dhamma Eart began in 2008 as a simple Buddhist meditation hermitage nestled in the forested region of Kuching, Malaysia.

Over the years, it has blossomed into an international ecosystem dedicated to Dhamma learning, service, and community building.

Today, its Buddhist monasteries can be found in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Dhampus (Nepal), and Penang (Malaysia), serving as sanctuaries for practice, wisdom, and compassion.

• Dhamma Earth 法域
• Buddhism in Malaysia

This Dhamma ecosystem provides various platforms for people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of spiritual development to benefit from the Buddha’s Teachings.

Dhamma Earth aims to nurture holistic well-being—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—through a dynamic Dhamma ecosystem structured around four key pillars:

1. MEDITATION
2. EDUCATION
3. HEALTH AND WELLNESS
4. SOCIAL WELFARE.

The Dhamma Earth ecosystem is dedicated to the growth and transformation of all. We invite you to be part of this journey. Explore more about Dhamma Earth

Buddhist Meditation Hermitage

Dhamma Earth offers a structured meditation training based on the teachings of the most Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw (Dr. Bhaddanta Āciṇṇa), as practiced in Pa Auk Forest Monasteries.

The meditation course is based on the Buddha’s systematic instructions from the Pali canon (Tipitaka) and its Commentaries (tika), focusing on the Threefold Training:

1. Virtue (sīla, morality): the foundation of ethical living
2. Stillness (samādhi, concentration): the cultivation of a focused mind
3. Wisdom (paññā, knowing-and-seeing): the development of insight

Dhamma Earth monasteries welcome practitioners year-round for meditation practice and scheduled retreats. As the Buddha taught, the gift of Dhamma (the Teachings) is the most precious gift. In this spirit, all meditation retreats at Dhamma Earth are offered free of charge, supported by the generosity (dāna) of donors who wish to help others experience the path of awakening.

DHAMMA EDUCATION

Dhamma Earth believes that Dhamma education should be engaging, accessible, and meaningful for all. Local educational initiatives span across different age groups and interests, including:

• Dhamma classes and camps for children, youth, university students, and young adults.
• Thematic courses in leadership, mindfulness, and creative expression
• Programs by affiliated organizations: Mangala Family, Tusita Youth, and Hai Ou – Promoting Dhamma education
• SOLID (Society of Leadership in De-Selfishness) and WISLEAD (Wisdom Leadership Society) – Cultivating leadership with wisdom
• Wisdom Light Publication Society (WLPS) – Publishing insightful books on Dhamma and beyond.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Out of Bihar, Magadha, India, into the world

Compassion in action is at the heart of Dhamma Earth, which strives to uplift the lives of the disadvantaged through our charities Tusita Foundation, Maha Mangala Charity of Malaysia, and Shayoung Club of Malaysia.

Future aspirations: Expanding into hospice care, elderly and disability services, counseling, daycare centers, and orphanages.

SOCIAL WELFARE

A healthy body supports a clear mind. Dhamma Earth integrates physical well-being into spiritual practice through programs that emphasize:

• Holistic health – Nutrition, lifestyle, and mindful living
• Healing and detox retreats – Combining the Buddha's ancient wisdom with modern wellness
• Mind Body Liberation Program – A free-of-charge medical therapy service offering traditional Chinese medicine and holistic therapies, incorporating Dhamma principles into healthcare to address physical and mental sufferings at the root causes.

VISION

Dhamma Earth envisions becoming a global center for Dhamma propagation, continuing to spread the Teachings of the historical Buddha and helping more beings find liberation from all suffering.

Dhamma Earth meditation retreat application

The future of Dhamma Earth includes expanding its ecosystem to encompass more charitable, educational, and health-related projects, ensuring that people at every stage of life can benefit from the Dhamma. More

• DhammaEarth.org; Yean C. and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

FREE: The 'Higher Doctrine' (Abhidhamma)

 

Unraveling the Mysteries of Mind

and Body through Abhidhamma

AUTHOR: Sayalay Susila

EDITOR: Dhr. Seven (Wisdom Quarterly)

FOREWORD: Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw Bhaddanta Accina

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa

("Homage to the Exalted, the Worthy, the Supremely Self-Awakened One").

INTRODUCTION

Unravelling Abhidhamma

"Mind leads the world" (Dhp 1). Is this really true? Only when we understand how the mind works will we truly know. Mind is something close to us yet very far away. Mind is the culprit behind all of our unwholesome karma (thought, speech, deed), yet it is also the director of all of our skillful, wholesome behavior, deeds that soothe the heart.

The study of Abhidhamma helps us gain an understanding of how the mind works, which is essential for us to lead happy and blameless lives. In Abhidhamma, the ultimate realities of mind and matter that make up this so-called "living being" are seen to be an impersonal stream of consciousness-moments and infinitesimally small particles that continuously arise and pass away utterly dependent on causes and conditions.

So the study of Abhidhamma helps the mind shed the painful illusion of there being an “I,” a permanent self persisting through all experiences.

Most of the problems of life spring from ignorance and craving associated with this “I” and the self-centeredness that is its offspring. When the mind understands that there is, in an ultimate sense, no such “I,” it will let go of intense clinging.

The truth sets us free. To be more precise, knowing-and-seeing what is ultimately true sets us free. Life’s problems suddenly evaporate. All becomes light. We awaken to truth and are freed from all forms of suffering.

This can be accomplished through a thorough study of Abhidhamma and practical meditation experiences.

The Abhidhamma Pitaka is one of the "three baskets" (tipitaka), the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings. Abhidhamma is a combination of two terms, abhi ("higher, special, sublime") and Dhamma ("universal truth or teaching"). Therefore, Abhidhamma is the "higher teaching" of the Buddha or the "Doctrine in ultimate terms."

This Dhamma is grounded in observable truth and reality one is able to directly experience. It is not a faith or belief system. It is not a metaphysical "theory," as some portray it, but rather a systematic explanation and guide to how it is possible for earnest meditators to directly know-and-see, finally culminating in enlightenment (bodhi).

All physical and mental phenomena are fully classified and explained in the system of Abhidhamma. That is why the Theravada Buddhist tradition regards the Abhidhamma as the most perfect exposition on the true nature of existence, realized by the penetrative wisdom of a supremely enlightened ene.

Truth

Ven. Dr. Pa Auk Sayadaw

According to Abhidhamma philosophy, there are two types of truth. The first is conventional truth (sammuti sacca), which refers to ordinary concepts, such as “tree,” “house,” “human,” “you,” “me,” “person,” “body,” “being,” and so on. Such concepts are closely linked to language, culture, and conditioning.

We assume that these concepts are objective realities, that they actually exist. They seem to exist, yes, but if we were to examine these concepts closely, we would find that they in no way exist as irreducible entities. Why? They can be broken down into smaller and smaller components.

For example, if we discern the Four Elements (the characteristics of matter) in the body, the “body” breaks down into innumerable, infinitesimal particles (kalapas). If we further analyze these particles, they also break down. We find that each particle contains eight inseparable elements or characteristics:

1. earth (solidity),
2. water (cohesion),
3. fire (temperature),
4. wind (movement),
5. color,
6. smell,
7. taste,
8. nutritive essence.

These elements are the final, irreducible components of matter (material existence). By penetrating conventional truth with wisdom, we can eventually realize ultimate truth.

Ultimate truth (paramattha sacca), according to Abhidhamma, means something that cannot be further broken down or subdivided into smaller components. It is a final and irreducible part of existence, which exists by reason of its own intrinsic nature (sabhāva).

For example, the earth-element in our human bodies, as well as in other animate things, exists with its intrinsic nature of hardness or softness, whereas the fire-element exists with its intrinsic nature of heat or cold. While a body is conventional truth, the elements that make up the body are the final, irreducible components of its existence, and no amount of analysis can break them down any further.

Of these two types of truth, Abhidhamma deals primarily with ultimate truth.

This book is divided into three parts. The first describes ultimate truths. In Abhidhamma, ultimate truth is fourfold:

1. Consciousness (conditioned phenomena)
2. Mental factors (conditioned)
3. Matter (conditioned)
4. Nirvana (unconditioned).

The first three of these ultimate truths comprise the totality of conditioned existence. Together, consciousness and mental factors are what we conventionally call the “mind” on the one hand. Matter, on the other hand, is what we conventionally call the “body.”

The successive coming together of mind-and-matter is what we conventionally call “I,” a person, human being, animal, or whatever the case may be.

The concept “I” is a conventional truth, whereas consciousness, mental factors, and matter are ultimate truths. These three ultimate truths are conditioned dhammas (phenomena) produced by causes and conditions, subject to radical change, dissolution, constant fading away, and are hurtling toward destruction.

They are subtle and profound dhammas that cannot be seen with the ordinary eye. However, they can be discerned by a mind well trained in concentration and insight.

Nirvana (nibbana), the fourth ultimate truth, is unconditioned. That is to say, it is not produced by any cause or condition. Therefore, it does not change. Nirvana can be experienced here and now.

The Buddha's path-of-practice is gradual (progressive) training in higher virtue, higher concentration, and higher wisdom. TO BE CONTINUED

• Unravelling the Mysteries of Mind and Body Through Abhidhamma (PDF)
• To order a physical copy of the latest edition, email Bro Low at janaka.low@gmail.com
• sayalaysusila.net/dhamma-gallery/books
• EDITORIAL NOTE: When the nun asked me to edit the first edition of this book, which is based on her very popular PowerPoint presentations, I did so thinking the final version would be run by me. It was not. Many hands contributed, often undoing much of the consistency I put in place. It went back and forth so often that I left it to her to leave it a mishmash. But here the standard American (rather than British) grammar is restored as is the choice of translated Pali and Sanskrit terms. These are minor issues but important to any editor. Much was fixed by the time of our third edition but imperfectly so.

INWARD PATH PUBLISHER, Penang • Malaysia. Originally published in Inward Journey Book Series (2005), an imprint of Inward Path Publisher for FREE distribution. This newly revised edition 2012 is published to support the establishment of Appamada Vihari, an International Meditation Center, where Sayalay Susila is the abbess. An Inward Wisdom Book. Published by INWARD PATH PUBLISHER. 14 Phuah Hin Leong Road, off Burma Road, 10050 Georgetown, Penang, MALAYSIA, P.O. Box 1034 General Post Office, 10830 Georgetown, Penang, MALAYSIA.

• email: ijbook@inwardpath.org
• inwardpathpublisher@gmail.com
• inwardpath.org

Text copyright © Sayalay Susila 2005-2012. Layout and design copyright © Inward Path Publisher 2005-2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner, any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher and author. Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia cataloguing-in-publication data Sayalay Susila, 1963, Unravelling the Mysteries of Mind & Body Through Abhidhamma/Sayalay Susila. ISBN 978-983-3512-03-4.1. Abhidharma.   2. Dharma (Buddhism).   3. Mind and Body-Religious aspects--Buddhism.  I. Title. 294.3824. Cover design and book layout by Sunanda Lim. Printed in Penang, Malaysia.

How one woman changed Buddhism

Sanghamitta Day Celebrations

Sanghamitta and the Bodhi Tree

Saṅghamittā (Sanskrit Saṅghamitrā, "Friend of the Sangha") with the nun's name Ven. Ayapali Theri [1], who lived from 282 BC–203 BC [1].

 

She was a fully enlightened (arhat, arahant) Indian Buddhist nun and the eldest daughter (as recounted in Sri Lankan tradition as recorded in the Dīpavaṃsa) of Indian Buddhist Emperor Ashoka (304 BC–232 BC) with his first wife Queen Devi (302 BCE–242 BCE).

Together with her monastic brother, Ven. Mahinda Thero, she entered the order of Buddhist monastics. The two siblings later went as Buddhist missionaries to the island of Sri Lanka to spread the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha, at the request of Sri Lankan King Devanampiya Tissa (250 BC–210 BC), who was a contemporary of King Ashoka.

• (Theravada) Buddhism in Sri Lanka
• Buddhism was first missionary faith

Emperor Asoka at Nava Jetavana Temple, Shravasti, for the Third Buddhist Council

 

From Emperor Ashoka's India to Sri Lanka

Ashoka was initially reluctant to send his daughter (according to the Sri Lankan tradition) on an overseas mission, even one of only 35 miles, the distance between the subcontinent (India) and the island (dipa or dvipa).

However, because of the insistence of Ven. Sangamitta herself, he finally agreed. She was sent to Sri Lanka together with several other nuns to start the Buddhist nun's lineage of (Bhikkhuni Sangha or order of fully ordained female Buddhist monastics) at the request of King Tissa.

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  Sangha incomplete without women

  THERE ARE MANY GREAT WOMEN IN BUDDHISM: Many come to mind like the Buddha's enlightened wife (Bimba Devi, Yasodhara, Rāhulamātā, Bhadda Kaccana, Subhaddakā, and called by many other names to dilute her magnificence and prominence in the Bhikkhuni Sangha, as if she were the "Mary" so often mentioned in Christianity); Ven. Mahā Pajāpatī Gotami, the Buddha's mother and history's first Buddhist nun; Western German Jewish Buddhist nun Ayya Khema, who restarted full ordination in Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka; Khema Theri, foremost in wisdom; Uppalavanna, foremost in psychic powers; Ven. Sundarī Nanda, the Buddha's fully enlightened sister (possibly the same as the "Belle of the Land," the most beautiful Janapada Kalyani); Kwan Yin Bodhisattva, Goddess of Compassion; Prajnaparamita, Goddess of Wisdom (Buddhism's Sophia); the various colored Taras; Ambapali the Wise Courtesan; Ven. Kisa Gotami; Dipa Ma; modern American greats like Tara Brach, Ven. Tathālokā Bhikkhunī, Sharon Salzberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Shaila Catherine, Tina Rasmussen; and the many advanced ones like Beth Upton, Sayalay Susila, Sayalay Dipankara, and so on.

There she ordained Queen Anulā and other women in King Tissa's court at Anuradhapura who desired to be ordained as nuns after Mahinda converted them to Buddhism [2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

After Sanghamittā’s contribution to the propagation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and her establishing the Bhikkhunī Sangha or Meheini Sasna ("Order of Buddhist Nuns") there, her name became synonymous with "Buddhist Female Monastic Order of Theravāda Buddhism" that was established Sri Lanka, Burma, China, and Thailand, in particular.

The day she brought the most revered Bodhi tree as a sapling to Sri Lanka and planted it in Anuradhapura, where it still survives, is still celebrated annually on the Full Moon Day of December as Uduvapa Poya or Uposatha Poya and "Sanghamittā Day" by Sri Lankan Theravāda Buddhists [3, 5, 7]. More

• Venerable Gotami (video), Dec. 22, 2025; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit