A recollection about how I went for Buddhist alms (piṇḍapāta) in a very small Christian town of Geneva, Florida. We discuss the method of going for alms and using mettā or Loving-kindness as a basis for going for alms, to make it a meditation, and to make one safe and approachable. I enjoyed this time. It inspired myself and I hope it inspires you too.

3:37min Here we retell the Dog Duty Ascetic Sutta from the Majjhima Nikāya, where an ascetic imitates a dog seeking heavenly rebirth. The Buddha reveals that such conduct only leads to rebirth among dogs. We conclude urging instead the cultivation of genuine virtue and the pursuit of Nibbāna. Transcript: There was a famous sutta in the Majjhima Nikāya called The Dog Duty Ascetic. There was an ascetic named Bhūna who came to the Buddha and asked, “Bhante, what would be the fruit of my practice?” This ascetic acted like a dog all the time—he walked like a dog, ate like a dog, and lived as a dog. That was his practice. He had been following it faithfully, believing it would bring him to the heavenly realms. The Buddha replied, “Don’t ask me this question.” The reason, the Buddha said, is that he only speaks what is true, beneficial, and timely. The Buddha always speaks the truth, but only when it is beneficial and at the right time. Sometimes the truth may not be sweet or pleasant—especially when speaking to someone whose practice may lead to unfortunate results. The Buddha told the ascetic, “If you do this practice perfectly, the best that can happen is that you will be reborn among dogs.” Now, in America, the dog’s life is quite different from the dog’s life in Asia. Some people even wish to be dogs! I have a friend who once said he wanted to be reborn as a dog because he has two dogs living on a nine-acre botanical garden estate in Kaua‘i. He said, “If I could come back as one of my dogs, that would be great!” But people don’t know what it’s like for dogs in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, or Laos. In many parts of the world, the dog’s life is harsh. Even in America, where there are animal shelters, many dogs are still killed every year. The Buddha said that if one performs such a practice with the wrong view—believing that acting like a dog will bring heavenly rebirth—this wrong view and wrong action lead instead to the lower realms, even below the animal realms, into the hell realms. So my recommendation is this: live a good life every day. Embody wholesome character. Be a “goodie goodie.” Be a little angel in your mind. Always do the right thing. Don’t put on a costume—embody goodness from within. If you act like an angel, that is what you become. But be an angel who uses that goodness for the purpose of reaching Nibbāna. Always wish for the conditions to reach Nibbāna. Be good. Be kind. Be someone others naturally describe as “such an angel.” Whether it comes naturally or takes effort—make that effort.

I recently found this DVD and extracted the MP4 from it. Then I extracted the \"story\" of how I became a monk. This is actually old information if you have been following my posts. However, this is from 20 years ago. It gives a glimpse of what the kuti was like and how I was at the time. At the very end, I was so grateful to the fact that I made it as a monk that I began to cry. However, the interview was cut at that point for privacy reasons. This is actually a book called Going For Broke: Travelogs on Becoming A Buddhist Monk \"I once had a visitor from America. He brought a video camera with him and asked me the David Byrne Question, \"Well, how did I get here?\" So I proceeded to tell him the story about how I first got turned on to meditation, how I decided to leave my job, the watch story, the Sai Babba slipper story, WPN and of course The Ordination Story. I completed the 30 minute saga with the phrase \"So…Here I am Bhikkhu Subhūti!\" while stroking the robes that I was wearing. I then thought about how I would explain the different adventures that I've had and all the exciting things I've done and then say that this experience has surely been the best. So I followed that thought and started to say, \"You know…I've done a lot of …\" but something happened at that moment. A big lump formed in my throat and I felt my eyes start to well up. I couldn't go on much longer. I cut everything short and finished abruptly with, \"… But this has made me the most happy!\" with a quivering voice. At this time, tears were falling down my face and I couldn't speak any more. I couldn't even tell the person who was filming me to stop. I could only wave my hand and do some \"cut\" director sign language to tell him to stop.\"

Learn how to sit in meditation on the floor without needing to do any stretching. The secret is to sit on the floor more often and do your work on the floor. But How? This short video shows you how with a bed laptop desk.

Here we discuss the details regarding what \"Beautiful\" means through the sobhana cetasikas (beautiful mental factors). There are no mysteries in Theravada. Everything can be defined if you follow the abhidhamma and commentaries.

Here I discuss some things about the support that came as a result of using my alms bowl.

I will be going to the USA in a few days. I was thinking of all of the anger that is on the left these days. When the left is in control, it is the opposite. Loving-kindness is a good thing and should be practiced often.

This is a Dhamma Talk I gave at Wat Khao Sanamachai about Kauai, alms and how loving-kindness wins battles. It is translated into Thai by a Lao monk who lives there. The full story can be seen at http://subhuti.withmetta.net/2015/11/26/676/

I had to remove a sticky label from a flask. I thought it would be good to give. a small video on how to remove adhesive residue simply by using oil. You can use any type of oil. I had coconut oil so I used that.

I’m very happy to announce a new update for the Buddhist Sun app on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store! For those who haven’t tried it yet, Buddhist Sun helps you keep track of solar noon, moon phases, uposatha days, and dawn rise—all calculated accurately using your GPS location. This is especially helpful for laypeople who observe the Eight Precepts, since the rule is to finish eating before true solar noon, not 12:00 PM on the clock. The app calculates this down to the minute. There’s also a countdown timer so you can eat peacefully without guessing how much time is left. The app was originally made for monks, since in the Buddha’s time there were no clocks and solar noon was judged by the shadow’s length. Now the app does all of that for you automatically—no calculations needed. You’ll also receive optional notifications for upcoming uposatha days and moon days to support your practice. I hope this update makes it even easier to follow the daily discipline and stay connected with the ancient way of marking time. May this be of benefit and help you progress toward Nibbāna. Sādhu, sādhu, sādhu. — Bhante Subhūti

In this talk, I explore the Cūḷakammavibhaṅga Sutta and share the story of reconnecting with my first meditation teacher after nearly two decades. The focus is on the seeds of kamma that we plant continuously through our actions. What kind of seeds are we planting right now?

A presentation on projects led by Bhante Subhuti. Tipitaka Pali Reader Buddhist Sun PM12E (also called PEU Pali English Ultimate Dictionary or English Abhidhan Dictionary) Classical Theravada Website (classicaltheravada.org) American Monk Website (americanmonk.org)

Description of Buddhist Sun app which helps monks know when Solar Noon is.