Introduction During the month of November, I stayed in Geneva, Florida, at a very small monastery—or what you might call a typical small three-bedroom house. Normally, the place is dormant and empty, but I was able to awaken this once-dormant monastery by going for alms, as I did in Kaua’i, ordinations, visitors and with my enthusiasm for teaching. About The Place: The three-bedroom house is supported by a very small group of Myanmar people on roughly 4 acres of land.

Ven Beralihela Upali Thero made me a pocket and belt today. The story goes like this. I sent him a message asking him about a monk who was wearing rag robes that looked like a Westerner but was actually a native Sinhala monk. He knew about this monk, but not very much. Afterwards, I told him about my lower robe I once kept going for four years and it had many patches on it.

Below are two talks based on the Dhammapada verses 49 and 118 The verses 49 yathāpi bhamaro pupphaṃ, vaṇṇagandhamaheṭhayaṃ, paleti rasamādāya, evaṃ gāme munī care. As a bee gathers honey from the flower without injuring its color or fragrance, even so does the sage go on his alms-round in the village. 118 puññañce puriso kayirā, kayirā naṃ punappunaṃ, tamhi chandaṃ kayirātha, sukho puññassa uccayo. Should a person do good, let him do it again and again.

Introduction My trip to America from April 29th to June 2nd was very fruitful, yet I was very busy. From Sri Lanka, I traveled to Chicago, Boston, Connecticut, and Orlando, Florida. The main reason for traveling was to see my mother and family for Mother’s Day during my break. However, I also wanted to check out two places that might be interesting if I need to stay in the USA for some reason or another.

Just a small “monk life” entry: IIT, Sri Lanka, June 23, 20204 Yesterday was the day after the Full Moon Uposatha Day. We didn’t get a lot of food from the village alms round. I went by myself on my usual route, and another monk went by himself on a different route that he sometimes goes to. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe the villagers were at the monasteries all night.

donor and myself at Golden Market Introduction Going for alms (pindapata) is certainly possible in the USA. There are different methods such as house by house alms, farmer’s market alms, visiting known donor’s houses, and supermarket alms. While house by house can take time to grow faith in a community, supermarkets can be quite easy to develop, even on the first day. Obtaining Permission When the supermarket is part of a shopping complex, you will need permission from both the store manager, and also the shopping center property manager.

Summary: Yes, it is possible, but it is difficult to recommended because it can be very dangerous for saṅgha. Some monasteries will prohibit ordinations of openly gay men. Why? The short answer is that the monastic environment is specifically designed to be segregated for celibacy. Segregation of genders breaks when homosexuals are ordained and mix with other monks. This is true especially at large monasteries where there is less supervision.

AmericanMonk.org has a new free home! I started the process last week and if you are a subscriber who gets this email, the task is 90% complete. There is still some refinement to do. Why Move? Originally, I was using a WordPress framework on a hosting company called NameCheap. While NameCheap sounds like a small company, they are one of the top ten names in hosting and DNS services (where you get a registered website name).

This Dhamma talk discusses the key elements of the Kāladāna Sutta in addition to three personal stories that show how donations can miraculously come back to you. Some of the stories can be found at my website at this particular webpage below with pictures of the original items: https://americanmonk.org/miracle-on-3-or-4-streets/ The video is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_h71a17Qo Miracle On 3 or 4 Streets If you have ever wondered how monks survive on miracles when things go wrong, read on!

Here is a post with a video link on how I got permission from my parents. In early 2001, when I was in Myanmar, and traveling for 1.5 years, I called my parents and asked them for permission to ordain as a monk. I didn’t get permission at first and then I told them I would never see them again if I didn’t get permission. “If I am hurt alive or dead, you will never see me ever again.

There are three stories of loving-kindness told in the video posted below. The first story is from Kaua’i, Hawai’i, when a person did not want me on “his” street. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. Another story was also from the island in 2015. There were children on bicycles who were yelling at us to go away on multiple days. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. The last story is from 2011 during a trip to India.

Ven. Nepal Nāthaputta and I have been going for alms together for some time now. He usually comes with me the whole way on Saturdays and on Sundays, he forks right after the 2nd or 3rd house. However, recently, a new monk decided to join our route. Last week, Ven. Nepal Nāthaputta went off on his own on Saturday while the two of us went on my usual route (good for two monks).

Palm leaf photo link wellcomecollection:[mfn]CC 4.0 iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/L0031774/full/760%2C/0/default.webp[/mfn] Today I finished memorizing the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha in Pāḷi (the 311 Theravāda nun’s rules). While I did not recite the whole lot in a single session, I did memorize in chunks until the total was completely memorized at one time or another. That means, I would recite a chunk of rules in front of a teacher by memory and then work on a separate adjacent succeeding chunk for memory.

During the Buddhist Rainy season, I was invited to go to Cambodia as part of a group to deliver some relics and see Angkor Wat. While most people don’t know much about Cambodia as a Theravāda Buddhist Country, it is actually 97% Buddhist, which ranks them as the most Theravāda Buddhist Country in the world. The trip ended up being more than 1000 times more powerful than we ever expected and it will be a memory for a long time to come.

Probably the #1 question we get is, “Why did you become a monk?” That question has many factors and answers. However, a better question is, “How did I actually get the nerve to become a monk?” I had a lot to give up. I was a computer programmer and really enjoyed my job. It did not feel like work actually and I was also making more than 15 times what someone on minimum wage was making at that time.

When it comes to shaving heads, Theravāda Buddhist Monks might be the authority on this issue. It is second nature for monks to shave but perhaps unknown to the rest of the world. In this article, we will discuss the motivation, Buddhist culture and methods for shaving the head and how it is done. Simplicity Inspires But Also Saves Money: For those of you in the layperson world (man or woman) who aspire to become monks but cannot plunge into a monastery just yet, you might want to try cutting your hair very short before shaving it.

Autopsy Table found on Wikipedia. The table we saw did not have “containment walls” Is it true that forest monks actually attend autopsies? Yes it is actually quite common. After being a monk for perhaps more than 10 years, I remember a senior monk expressing surprise when he discovered I hadn’t seen one. He said, “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?” “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?”

! Buddhist Compass - Apps on Google Play An App For locating the Buddhist Locations Why Another App? While traveling in Thailand, I had an idea where I would like to know and face the direction where Bodh Gaya is similar to Qibla, and how Muslims like to face Mecca wherever they are. I find it very wholesome to know where Bodh Gaya is in reference to my room and where I live and maybe you will too.

Ven Ananda with the two donors Recently, we received six new tables arranged by a monk’s two donors. The tables were nice but I didn’t think we needed them, so I asked the monk why. He said there was not enough room on the tables for his donors’ donations, so they decided to donate more tables so they can donate more. When his donors make donations, they are not small.

Monk walking towards the world of the 5% If you are a Westerner and new to Buddhism, you might be surprised to learn that most monks use and handle money. I have calculated that around 95% use money while 5% do not use money. The general consensus of those I have consulted say that about 2 or 3 percent do not use money but I used a 5% number to be safe.

monks seated for the patimokkha recitation in Pa-Auk Mawlamyine Introduction One of the things that you may notice when you visit a Buddhist monastery is that the monks sit, eat, walk, and pay respect to each other in a certain order. This order is based on the principle of seniority, which is determined by the date of ordination, not by age, education, or social status. Whoever is ordained earlier is considered senior, and whoever is ordained later is considered junior.

Introduction Foreigner monk gets a COVID vaccine jab during the times of the new Myanmar government In this article, I want to share with you some of my experiences of living as a monk in Myanmar during the covid pandemic and the government change that happened recently. I also want to explain why I left Myanmar at the end of 2022 and what I am doing now. I am an American Buddhist monk who has been living in Myanmar for many years.

Alms Tray and Cambodia Monk’s Full Bowl Introduction: This article explains the essence of piṇḍapāta (alms) and why we go for alms, even in poor villages. On the weekends, I have some time to go for alms in the nearby village. However, you might ask yourself, “Why would a monk collect food from a very poor village during an economic crisis when the monastery is mostly supported by wealthy people?

Pa Auk Monastery in 2014, Photo by Klaus The Pātimokkha is a set of 227 rules for the bhikkhus belonging to the Theravāda sect which is based on the Pāḷi language texts. The 227 rules are grouped into seven classes with the first two, Pārājikā and Saṅghādisesā considered as “heavy”. The first heavy group is also considered irrecoverable while the second requires official transactions to restore the full bhikkhu status to the offender.

Bowl with bowl stand (maybe Pa-Auk) There are certain characteristics of the Theravada Buddhist monk’s bowl that might be interesting to know, even though the information is quite dry. Enjoy! Material: The Buddha has allowed two different types of materials for bowls: iron and clay. When we say iron in Asia, we mean steel. Stainless steel is called steel. Is stainless steel allowed? This metal was not invented yet, but The Buddha left us with the great standards to judge if something should be allowable that was not mentioned during the time of the Buddha.

Water Purification Diagram While the first step of meditation is called Sīlavisuddhi (Purification of morality), another important part of our monastery is the water purification system. We basically have our own industrial Reverse Osmosis water purification plant with enough capacity to supply a whole village with drinking water. However, since we normally have 500+ residents, we only supply our own monastery instead of going into business. Ven Kāruṇika is one of the worker monks who keeps our water filtration machine in tip top condition, or shall we say “purerr-ing” ?

Recently, the doctor ordered some lemon juice for me to take as medicine, so I asked the office helper for some lemons. She went into the kitchen and then to the “walk-in refrigerator.” I just had to laugh and then snapped a picture. What does a walk-in refrigerator look like? How doe they make walk-in refrigerators in Myanmar Monasteries? Instructions: Take an eight by eight room, Lay the walls with tiles Insulation (optional) Put one or two air conditioners inside Pa-Auk Maymyo: Only 1 air conditioner.

A Money tree in Laos cc-by-attrib-sa https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddhist_money_tree_with_toilet_paper.webp Are Buddhist monks allowed to use money? The short answer is that monks are definitely not allowed to even touch money for all traditions; Theravāda, Mahayāna, and Tibetan. However, it is very common for monks to not only accept money from lay people without shame, but they even encourage lay people to offer the money. Nevertheless, it is still a rule and there are heavy consequences if this becomes a lifetime habit and a wrong mode of livelihood.

Ven Sunanda (China) One of the Chinese monks named Venerable Sunanda recently had his birthday. For his birthday, he determined to offer 100 shoulder cloths to various monks and ended up making 123. What is a shoulder cloth? It is a small robe that monks often like to wear underneath their upper robe. from http://www.justwalkedby.com/2016/03/sweeping-monk/ creative commons attrib nc We have an abundance of robes in the storage room and with vassa coming up, we will get more and more.

6 Color Buddhist Flag Yesterday, on Vesak, I was invited to go with Sayadaw Kumarabhivamsa, the Tipitaka Sayadaw and one more monk to visit the three very large Buddhas in our monastery and then finally to give water to the Bodhi Tree. When we give water to the Bodhi Tree, it is not uncommon to give pure bottled drinking water to it. Yes, you read that correctly. Bottled drinking water is used to water a tree.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a professor of World Religions in the College of Religious Education at BYU named, Alonzo Gaskill. He had read my previous article on Buddhist Monk’s Robes Information and wanted to interview me for another Buddhist robes article for Patheos.com. We talked for quite a long time about Buddhism, my past, and why I ordained, and then the time was up. So we scheduled another call to talk about robes the next day to actually talk about the robes.

Now the world is getting used to COVID-19 and many countries are announcing a new policy called “Living with COVID”. Now we are too. I will explain…. On March 17, 2022, Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin literally started to live with COVID. On that day, there were 5 monks that were sick and tested positive. When lunch came, we were on high alert. Massive testing happened within the next few days and we went from 12 positive cases to 25 and then to 35 and now we are at 50 cases for the male size and 15 for the female side only one week later.

Sayadaw holding one of his finished brooms Natural fiber brooms are quite common in Theravadan countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Laos. Since the plants that are used to make brooms grow in our monastery, one of our very senior monks takes pleasure in making brooms when he needs to stretch his legs after a long meditation. It is strange, but since our main job is to meditate, working can be a leisure activity!

Yesterday, I recited the 227 rules of the Pātimokkha for 110 bhikkhus at Pa-Auk Meditation Center in Pyin Oo Lwin. When a monk recites the Pātimokkha, traditionally he does so by memory and not by reading. My recitation was not the best quality, but it was not so bad considering I only started when I was 47, and I have only done this 5 times now. However, the recitations get better and better each time I do it and I hope improvement continues until perfection.

Eating Hall Feb 7 2022 Today is my 21rst anniversary for when I first got ordained as a monk on February 7th, 2001. As you know there was a hiccup and I ordained twice (back to back) leaving me with an official age of 15 years. However, the total years is 21 and this is my blackjack year when I first got my name. There were many reasons why I wanted to ordain as a Buddhist Monk.

Monks walking up the monastery road near the library 2014. (Double umbrella) Excerpt from Going For Broke: Monasterynote5: Walkman Karaoke, 2004 Rainy Season is luckily my favorite and I love all five months of it. It is the perfect temperature also, not too hot, not too cold. It’s quiet and the noises around me get white washed out from the rain striking the metal corrugated roofing. We had over 350 Bhikkhus and a total of more than 600 residents this past Rainy Season (2004).

Accused of Being Psychic A brief video describing this story has been added to this post below. The longer story is below that. I think it was in 2003 or 2004 when I was at Pa-Auk Meditation Center when this event happened to me. I was at the mountain meditation hall during the meditation break and I saw a yogi dressed in white yogi clothes. His outfit basically looked like pajamas to most Westerners, but if you know the meditation scene and you know how the foreigners usually dress at Pa-Auk, then you would know that he was a serious yogi.

Very few people from the West know about what the monks use for their bath towels and their bathing soap. Monks use items that are much different than those found in the West, although commonly known in Myanmar and other Buddhist countries. Furthermore, the monks use these items because of the monk rules associated with them in addition to the abundance and low cost. Monks at Pa-Auk usually use small hand towels instead of normal “wrap-around” sized towels.

Pa-Auk Bowl Blackening Foundry (not a political picture) We have seen many Facebook selfies of politically active monks with their bowls turned upside down. What does this mean and is that proper? The answer is: What you see on Facebook is not proper for monks or nuns. What you see on the news with monks and nuns as protesters is not proper. Overturning a bowl is an official Buddhist act, but what you have seen on Facebook and on the news are not official acts of overturning a bowl.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amerikanische_Gro%C3%9Fschabe_1.webp Today I saved an upside down cockroach in my bathroom. I thought he was dead but then saw that he was still alive and moving. I was late for breakfast and decided I would save him after I came back, but I became very overwhelmed with guilt 10 seconds later and could not go further. So I grabbed a tissue and picked him up with care knowing not to squeeze too hard.

My near-empty tube of Meswak next to the new one At Pa-Auk, we get different items throughout the year. Sometimes we keep them, and sometimes we give them away. I usually give my extra items away quickly so I don’t end up with a private Walmart inside my kuti. However, I do plan ahead sometimes. I prefer using strong fluoride toothpaste after lunch and then using a natural toothpaste in the evening after our 5 pm juice offering.

Various items for Kaṭhina It is quite common in Myanmar to offer robes at the end of the Rainy Season (vassa) in a ceremony called Kaṭhina. How long do monk’s robes last? A monk normally has a set of three robes; a lower robe, an upper robe and a double robe sometimes referred to as the outer robe. During Kaṭhina, a set of robes are offered, but usually just the lower and upper robes since the double robe or outer robe lasts a long time.

Only In The West, Only In Asia Different Cultures, Different Views Many Westerners don’t understand or appreciate the old Buddhist texts or teachings. They are very different from Asian culture and history. They find it hard to relate to them. Let me give you an example. This is a picture and story of a bidet (a device that sprays water to clean your private parts after using the toilet).

Injection on Western resident monk Pa-Auk finally vaccinated 2000 of its residents across its branch monasteries with a privately sponsored SinoPharm vaccine. Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin branch had its vaccines delivered on September 18th, 2021 with about half of the total population signed up. Vaccination was voluntary and provided by donors. While it did take a long time for us to get the vaccine, the government did invite us for the vaccine back in April or May 2021.

cc WTC 9/11, 2001 wikimedia Attribution: Robert J. Fisch “They always wanted to get that building” That was what I said when I first heard about 9/11 three or four days later. I once had a job interview at Merrill Lynch in The World Financial Center which was connected to The World Trade Center by a sky bridge. My goal was to eventually work at WTC, but luckily I didn’t get that job and it was the only job interview I didn’t get an offer on.

cc0 picture https://pxhere.com/en/photo/489726 There is not much written in English explaining why bhikkhuni ordinations are rejected by the Theravāda Community of Monks. The English writings are a poor representation of the vast majority of Buddhist Scholarship and that is why there is “controversy” regarding the revival of the extinct Theravāda Bhikkhuni order. There is really no controversy to speak about once you know the full story. Many Westerners believe that women are not able to become nuns without such a revival, but that is not true.

Recently, I got a nice message from a monk friend telling me he was taking vassa (3 month Rainy Season Retreat) on July 23rd (the Full Moon Day) and wishing me a happy vassa before he goes offline for three months. However, we at Pa-Auk are taking the vassa today on July 24 (the day after the Full Moon Day). The calendars often say it starts on the Full Moon Day, but we don’t do that at Pa-Auk.

Did the Buddha do intermittent fasting? The answer is: Yes. When I first became a monk, people were shocked about how I gave up eating after Solar Noon and I have not eaten dinner in over 20 years. Sometimes I switch to one meal per day, but I often find a light breakfast, mostly liquid foods or rice soup, with a full lunch works best for me. These days, many people are using intermittent fasting as a form of weight loss and when I describe my Buddhist monk diet, they give a nod and say “Intermittent Fasting… It’s Healthy.

Recently, I had a serious medical problem that had the potential to be extremely serious. Please don’t ask. In any case, I arranged permission to go outside and then arranged for someone to help me get to a clinic in Mandalay which had the proper technology to properly assess my problem. This article is not about going out. Instead this article is about coming back and staying in quarantine. Because we do not have monastery-wide vaccines yet, Pa-Auk is quite strict about letting people go outside because when you come back, you will need to be on a 3 week quarantine before testing for your release.

If you go to a Theravada Buddhist forest monastery in Asia, you are likely to find a full skeleton or parts of a skeleton somewhere where it can be viewed easily. Some monasteries also have cemeteries inside the boundary like Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Some other monasteries have a place were dead bodies are burned (with open wood fires), right on the premises, like Pa-Auk Mawlamyine and also Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand.

I’ve been looking forward to the Myanmar Internet being cut off, but it does not seem to be happening. I guess that is good for the people here. I will be taking a SIM break for about 5 days… Tuesdays are usually when I post things from the meditation hall because it is the day I have to manage the Tuesday cleaning crew. My job is to clean the Big Buddha (that is me below).

One of my earliest photos with messy robes My original ordination certificate Exactly twenty years ago today (February 7, 2001), I followed through with my decision to ordain with lifelong intentions. Although I am only 14 vassa because of a re-ordination ceremony, this day means more to me than my very own birthday. This day was also the day I got my name. Today, I not only have the monk name Bhikkhu Subhūti, but I also have an actual legal passport name of Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti as well as other essential ID’s too.

Pa-Auk Main Gate (cc-by-sa) Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Pa-Auk Sayadaw share the same names. Why is that? Some people might question why Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw have the same names. Did the Pa-Auk Sayadaw name his monastery after himself to immortalize his name? Is this an ego trip? What is the who, what, were, when, why, and how of this story? Who? Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadawgyi (cc-by-sa)

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. I have a Christmas story for you. I have tried to keep it short but it didn’t work out. When I was in Kaua’i on from 2017-2019, an 18 month run, I made it a point to go for alms by the house to house loving-kindness method on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as a way to get food. Early on, I was invited to Waiapua Road while standing in front of Hanalei Big Save which was my Monday stop.

In 1993, I visited China with five lucky School of Technology students at my University. Before going, I asked around for some cool things to say and “Chī le ma?” or “Have you eaten yet?” was the phrase I learned besides asking for the toilet. It does not mean what it literally says. Instead, it means a little bit like “How are you?”, but more casual like, “How’s it going?

In 2014, I came in contact with yogi Brahm at the Mawlamyine Branch of The Pa-Auk Forest Monastery during a 10-day fast with Venerable Mokkhita. He is a great photographer and I thought it would be cool to show him the Pa-Auk kitchen and let him capture how the meals are made for 1200 yogis each day. Take notice of the large quantities of food that are cooked on wood fired stoves.

Of course I’m happy! On November 24, I helped make a nice breakfast and lunch for Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin. I organized 28 monks including myself to be the donors for the whole day meals + fresh squeezed apple juice, for a full value of 1,250,000 Myanmar Kyat. It fed approximately 530 yogis across four sections in Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. But how is that possible for monks to donate money?

Today I turned fifty years of age. A few months ago, I was really happy about it but then as health problems piled up a few weeks ago (which ended up being a 2.5 week allergic reaction), I was unpleasantly reminded that our bodies were only given 40-year warranties and I was ten years overdue. As I told my parents this newly discovered truth that a birthday just means I’m getting older with more problems and eventually death, my father said, “Bhante, we have been 30 years ahead of you with this same stuff.

Chinese congee Photo By Daiju Azuma - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=567814 Rice soup is most popularly known as Congee (Kahn-Jee). However in the Buddhist world, it is referred to as yāgu in the Pāḷi Language. It occurs many many times in the tipiṭaka (more than 500 times) and it is still eaten today in Asia and Southeast Asia. To make it, you simply boil and then simmer one part rice with eight parts water for one or two hours.

A venerable tending the fire for cooking dye Here are pictures about the natural dyeing process. The monks boil the ironwood tree bark chips for a long time (days). When a drop of dye is dropped in a glass of water, a ball will form and sink to the bottom. At that point, the dye master will empty that batch of dye into containers and then reboil the same chips with fresh water to make more dye.

I remember when I was living in Kaua’i in a tent propped up in the corner of my friend Uncle Gene Taylor’s property. I had just come home from my daily alms round and I popped into his room to say hello. He is old and has difficulty walking, yet he is usually quite cheerful. As part of the visit routine, he asked me how my day was and I smiled and happily said, “Today was a great day.

Please note: this was written in 2020 but also applies to 2023. Vassa starts on August 1, 2023. There seems to be confusion about when vassa is this year. This year is a special year and Vassa starts the day after the full moon day in August. The full moon day is August 3rd and Vassa starts on August 4th. However, there are some traditions that believe that Vassa has already started with the full moon day of July 4th and Vassa on July 5th.

Today, as I was washing my bowl, I saw a local Myanmar monk with a swastika tattoo on his arm. As an American and someone with Jewish bloodlines, I am still not used to this no matter how much I know. However, it is important topic for all of you who are new to Buddhism or even for some seasoned Buddhists. Was the monk a racist? No. It is an ancient symbol which often means conducive to well being.

A kuṭi is a small hut or lodging that a monk lives in and it is one of the basic four requisites: Robes, Food, Lodging, & Medicine. They come in various sizes and qualities and I have prepared a small showcase of pictures which can show more than just the words. We are supposed to reflect on the utilitarian purpose of the lodging, also called senāsana. Before we begin, here is a small sample of the morning chanting monks must chant everyday.

Going for Alms at Pa-Auk The world has has begun to know about Covid-19 and unfortunately, some countries know it better than others. As a monk, I try to stay away from basic web internet except one day per week, but I still hear what goes on and as of today, April 6th, 2020, Myanmar has 21 cases and one death. The number grows slowly in the beginning as you all might know and it is uncertain what will become of the virus in weeks to come.

There are many people who are inside their homes, so I thought it would be good to make a small 10 minute video on how to do basic walking meditation inside the home. Here it is. https://youtu.be/e1MCuTxcf7A

(Republished from June, 2015) Having Fun At The Pa-Auk Dentist Clinic (Repost/refurbish from June, 2015*) Because dentists are very expensive in America and the Pa-Auk dental clinic has pretty good sanitary conditions (for Myanmar), I went for a checkup before my trip to Hawai’i. Usually in Asia, you only go to a dentist when there is pain but I had some sensitivity I wanted to get checked and I waited for the Saturday dentist who is known on the street as “the old retired dentist who takes his time and does a good job.

500+ monks at paauk main. Some slippers go missing so people mark them with different patterns as a passive way to prevent loss. However, the slippers in the center were not as passive. (Reposted and fixed lost picture from 2013) Look at the writing on the slippers “No for Your” (Not for you).

reposted from https://withmetta.net (2016) . When a Buddhist monk says “sabbe satta,” that is a shorthand for metta practice. “Sabbe satta” means “all beings.” One of my friend’s collects the leftover food and cakes and says or acts on this everyday after each meal at the Mudon Pa-Auk monastery. But in reality, even though he says “sabbe satta,” he really just seems to feed the birds with the leftover food and cakes.

At Theravada monasteries there is no eating allowed after Noontime. Some monasteries only give one meal per day, while other monasteries give 2 meals per day. Both meal plans are allowed by the Buddha. However, some monasteries have no meals brought to the monks and they need to go out in the village and collect it. This last case is very rare and usually done by the forest monks living in secluded places or ehem.

The standing marble Buddha at Pyin Oo Lwin Pa-Auk On Feb 7th, 2001 I took my original ordination with The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Saydawgyi. It was the happiest days of my life and the most important one besides successfully being born as a human and surviving any serious death or injuries. Although there was a small hiccup, it has been 19 years total. I had just finished arranging my residential visa that was said could not be changed from a tourist visa without leaving the country.

Swedagon Pagoda, Myanmar On November 4th, I left The States for Sri Lanka, Thailand and of course Myanmar which I now consider a home for myself. Shortly after the Buddhist Rainy Season had begun in Kaua’i, the support for inviting a second monk fell through and I was tired of being alone which meant I needed to leave. Around the same time, in late July or early August, my Lao/American supporter named Thongvanh, sent me brochure with a monk who was leading a “Spiritual Sri Lanka Trip” which included the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura.

My family I did a brief visit with my parents on the corner of October and November. Although I have stayed separately at my grandmother’s house on the previous last two visits in 2006 and 2008, I had arranged for the porch-sun-room to be modified as a “separate lodging” for me in 2019. If you do the math, that means I have not visited Connecticut in eleven years. This in-house lodging arrangement worked out and instead of being 60 miles away and only getting a few visits in with my folks, I was able to spend some good quality time with them during the majority of my week long stay.

Recently, I had a chance to go to a Lao Monastery in Elgin, Chicago, IL, USA for 12 days. I usually avoid American Theravada Temples like the plague because most of these places have monks who use money and much of the monk life is centered around collecting money. This is a typical standard not only in America but in most countries. This monastery however, is different. In 2015, the committee decided to stop being a useless, unwholesome temple that teaches wrong dhammavinaya (teaching and training — on wrong ways to give donation and wrong ways to make merit, and obviously wrong kamma and results).

All-focus As the rest of the song goes.. “And I don’t know when I’ll be back again.” It has been almost 1.5 years living on Kaua’i. I have had an incredible experience here by doing an experiment to see if a monk can establish a monastery any place he travels to through the lost art of wandering for alms. A practice done in the name of the Buddha but rarely practised anymore.

I recently turned 49 and I found some old pictures of myself that I thought I would share. It is very difficult to get older pictures of myself because it was before the digital picture revolution. In those days, we used to hire (through a helper) the man known as “photoman” who had a camera and would take one single picture and then sell the prints for about $1 each. It was very expensive for locals to develop a whole role of film and this was how it was done.

Many people who have learned that I have re-ordained and actually know what that means have asked me why I did it. It is a long story, but I will try to be brief. During my first ordination in 2001, at Pa-Auk Main Branch with Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw as my preceptor, I was asked 13 questions. According to tradition, every monk is asked these 13 qualifying questions in the ordination ceremony twice.

A little while ago, I was asked what was the most important lesson learned and what was the most important thing that I taught. The answer spans two different videos and they are listed below: The first video gives a very technical answer, yet in very simple English that everyone can understand. However those who are into the deepest Dhamma and Abhidhamma will still appreciate what is said and how it is said.

I recently found this video in my Google Drive. I had a layperson (probably UKZ) follow me around in the line to show what it was like for a monk to go through the alms food line at Pa-Auk Main Center, Mawlamyine, Myanmar. It is not easy to manage so many donors with big hearts to give. Most of the time, I am giving hand signals to get less food. You might want to play this at double speed.

Recently, I ran into a very angry man who came out of his house yelling at me and coming closer and closer. Eventually, I won the fight with my two big weapons, loving-kindness and my commitment of being free from money for all these years. I have been going for alms in this neighborhood for a little over a year now, and while I did have two girls yell at me, they did not leave their property boundary.

Koral’s Family Just about every Wednesday, I still find the time to continue with my Kilauea alms round[mfn]map is here[/mfn] (which used to include Tuesdays too). I take a one hour bus ride from Lihue, and then set out on my alms round, wishing loving-kindness to the houses one by one as I walk along the road. In the beginning people thought I was some weird homeless person who might be crazy, but after some time, some fearless people spoke to me and then word started spreading.

All-focus Things have recently changed Things have recently changed in my life. I have now moved to Lihue. Things were going well at the place where I was at before in Kilauea. The owner was happy with what I was doing for the community and I was happy and fulfilled with what I was doing for the community as well. Unfortunately, the owner’s son came for a visit. In short, he said, “I want to visit a monk.

I recently changed my name officially to Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time but, unfortunately, I was unable to do it because the name change process has to be done in the probate court where one has residency. Since I had spent most of my time in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, it was just not possible, until recently. After being in Hawaii for a while, I committed to staying for at least three months longer to complete the name change process.

This is where I live Wow! Today is February 7th and another year has passed. I have now completed 18 years total as a monk and I am working on my 19th year. Of course, my monk age is 12 rainy seasons because I changed Nikayas after my 6th year. I have been living my monk life in Kauai, Hawaii for about 10 months now and things have been moving along.

On a warm Hawaiian Christmas day in 2018, I was off to collect my alms in the village. I was in a rush and worried that I would not be able to find a ride to the village where I go for alms because so few cars would be on the roads. Luckily, I got a ride and as I stepped out of the the car, I did my usual baggage check.

![Radio Tower ](/images/Telecommunication-Tower-Wave-Radio-Broadcast–273x300.webp" >}} Here is the link to the 2015 KKCR radio show. We were interviewed on Kauai Community Radio for about one hour instead of the scheduled 20 minutes. We all had fun doing it. It will give you a good taste of what we did on the island in 2015 and what I am doing now. I often enjoy revisiting this recording, and I hope you do too.

Here are a five remarkable stories of miracles to tell, but not all of them. There have been many miracles that have come my way when I needed them the most. For the Christians out there, they might say, “Doesn’t that make you believe in God?” My answer is, “It makes me believe there are heavenly beings (Devas & Devis)) who are looking out for me.”. There are other stories not included such as “My Watch Story”

Kauai Update #3 I have moved from the Botanical Gardens recently. I was able to stay there for 5 months and the majority of the time there was wonderful. However things were changing and it was time for me to look for another place and now I am staying in a new long term location in Kilauea. It all happened after a wonderful person picked me up on the side of the road holding my signs the day my parents, brother and in-law dropped me off (I’ll get back to that family-visit part later).

Monk bowls are black because they are fired with sesame oil 5 times to protect it from rusting. There are two types of bowls allowed; Iron and Clay. Iron bowls need to be fired 5 times and clay bowls only need firing twice. Obviously, the clay bowls do not need to be black in color but are rare to find because they are fragile and very very heavy. Iron bowls are black from the baked-on sesame oil.

The Seeds From Long Ago I remember when I first learned how to meditate on my breath some time in 1990, during my university years. Back then, meditation was not so well known. The beat generation’s Zen trend in the 60’s had died out with disco in the 70’s. Barnes and Noble maybe had only a few shelves in a single bookcase labeled with “Eastern Philosophy” that covered all Eastern religions, including Buddhism.

As a Buddhist Monk collecting alms in Kauai, USA for the past 4 months, the results are in. On Tuesday and Wednesdays as shown on the map above, I collect my food, wishing loving-kindness to one side of the street at a time. So how many houses have given food at least once? About 18 people from different houses have given me food at least once. About 4 or 5 cars have given to me, but they are not included in the 18 number.

Sewing pattern from BMC 1 (creative-commons, Thanissaro Bhikkhu) Robe Information Few people realize that the Theravāda monk’s robes are actually a piece of rectangular cloth with no sleeves.[mfn]While some monks use shirts with sleeves underneath their robes, it is not actually allowed [/mfn] If you see a Theravāda monk wearing his robes in different styles, then rest assured it is due to the art of “tying the robes” or “rolling the robes” or what I call “robe origami.

September 11th and Jeremy Glick I have a personal story I want to tell you about Jeremy Glick and September 11, 2001. The short story is that my name is Jeremy Glick and I was a computer programmer. However, I had left my regular world in 1999 and people who have lost track of me remembered me when 9/11 happened. About seven months after I ordained as a Buddhist Monk in 2001, the famous 9/11 or September 11th event happened.

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. Collecting alms, also known as piṇḍapāta by Theravāda Buddhists, is a legal activity in the USA. There are some restrictions though. I spoke with a lawyer who seemed to know civil liberties quite well, but there are no guarantees with what I say. However, this information should make sense and seem legal to you. It is legal to ring the doorbell of any house and preach to them or talk to them about politics under the freedom of speech rights.

Aloha! It has been a little over a month since I have been on the island of Kauai. Things have been going well although my situation is still the same. I am still in a tent at Anini, but I have a new tent in Anini with a better view of the pristine Kauai shore! Things are dryer than the record rains we had last month.. and I guess if it were wetter than before a new record would be set.

Kauai Update April 22 Aloha! I have been in Kauai since April 9th. It has been a rough start but things are getting better everyday. If you have paid attention to the news, you may have noticed an unheard of 30" of rain in 24 hours. Actually, there were several days of incredible amounts of rain, but only the third day broke the records. See https:www.washingtonpost.com I was in a tent in Anini Park during that time and I am still in Anini Park.

Muslim Imam giving dana. The short answer is, “Yes.” Of course we should be nice to Muslims, Christians, Atheist, animals, snakes and all beings. Sabbe Satta means all beings. In this long winded article, I speak about how the Muslims will win a majority in Myanmar and how Buddhism is already falling down in quality and quantity. Any “evil” actions like parochial schools, or large families were actually practiced in Myanmar by Buddhists only 20 or 30 years ago.

A Tale of Love and Samādhi Explained: A’capella Inertia A little Valentines story for all of you. The topside title is just a description of what the story is generally about. However, the real title of the story is called, “A’capella Inertia.” This is not a short one, but I think you will like this one very much. It has received high marks and it will take about 30 minutes to read.

It seems like that time has come up again. Time surely does happen and so does my anniversary. Now it is 17 years! As usual, for the disclaimer, I am only 11 Vassa in official years. But Wow! Now it is finally starting to seem like a long time! I have been blessed with a wonderful adult life. I worked as a professional for only about six years, got paid like a doctor, and felt relaxed and at ease the majority of the time that I worked.

This is a small video on how to make a monk’s needle case from a used up disposable pen. It is one of the 8 requisites of a Buddhist monk. It is mostly intended for monks to view, but lay people might find it interesting. https://youtu.be/WwzeZHSz5r8

Inspire Means To Leave Facebook Much of what I write about is related to stories that happen to me that would charge me up and make me feel inspired. I would then write down what happened and share it with others. Often my stories are related to vinaya – the monks’ rules and living without money. These days it is special for a monk to live without money and I can inspire people simply by following the rules.

When Ven. Devananda and I traveled to Kauai in 2015, we did not have a Kappiya (helper) to buy us food or even pay for our luggage. One can live without helpers, but it does take some pre-planning. We had a ticket from Yangon to Honolulu that was dirt cheap at only $854 for a round trip fare. However, it came with 12 hour and 6 hour layovers in China.

Here is a quick tip on how to make a filter in just a few minutes. Maybe as fast as one minute. This is useful for monks who want to put filters on their water taps. It is my own invention as far as I know, but I am sure other monks somewhere else also do the same. The Buddha did mention that if we did not have a filter, we could use the corner of our robes (that we are wearing).

I Finally Did It! This Rainy Season (Vassa) I was able to learn the Pātimokkha (227 Rules) by heart. It is the first round and it takes me a long time to do it, and there are mistakes. Never the less, it is considered “learned” and “memorized” at this stage. I will hopefully recite the Pātimokkha for the full moon November 3rd if all goes well. I need to get my 2+ hours of recitation down to at least 1:15 minutes.

How Do Monks Say Grace Before Eating? Do Theravāda monks say anything before they eat? Do they give thanks? Who do they say thanks to? Or is it something else? Buddhist monks generally do a reflection and chant something before eating. In fact it is said that the monks incurs debt if they doe not reflect before eating. Actually, there are 4 reflections concerning the Four Requisites: 1. Robes

Racism in Asia, Myanmar and Monasteries I remember when I came to Sri Lanka, in 2007 and I met a monk who said he was from Slovenia. “Slovenia? What kind of country is that?” I told him that I had memorized the world map in school, but I didn’t remember any “Slovenia.” There happened to be a large world map in the other room and he called me over to see it.

When should you give to Saṅgha? When should you give to individual monks? This is a question that is not addressed very often and it can cause lots of trouble for monks knowingly and unknowingly. Quite often, many monks blindly prompt donors to recite a line of pāḷi before they offer anything to them. “Bhikkhu Saṅghassa demi.” There are some variations, but that is the generic formula. It means, “I give to the community of monks.

Here is an instructional video on how to make a foot-rug from old and discarded monk’s robes. If you are a monk, perhaps you will be very interested in this. I made the video as I was making my very first rug. Ven. Khemavamsa is the one who helped in the end. It was his idea and I have never seen this before. The story from the texts is below:

Update Aug 5: I am back at Varansi Monastery , Mingaladone as pictured. This is a general update. There are many sublinks to look at. Enjoy! I have passed all of my exams and finished my Diploma Course at ITBMU and have elected not to continue further. I wish to do meditation and if I study, want to focus on Pali and the memorization of the 45 page Patimokkha rules in Pali.

Why are most monasteries not allowable for vinaya monks? Today, I was Skyping my parents which is something we do once or twice a month now. I feel it is good for them to “see” me as a monk, rather than having them talk to me and visualizing their son from 1999. That was when I left home and things changed for me. We had a nice discussion. We spoke about possibilities for a visit, but I told them that finding a place was difficult, because the monks all use money and whatever they buy with that money becomes unallowable.

I had the day off from school and went for alms today in a new area unannounced. I wanted to go down a side street near “shit- mile.” “Shit-mile” means “8 mile marker” in the Myanmar language. So Before I went there, I saw an alley on the right with a small food-stall setup. Because it was a new area and nobody knew I was coming for alms, I need to explore every opportunity to collect enough food for my lunch, a meal that would need to last me until the next morning.

“Singing With My Bowl” Today, after I Skyped my parents to say hello, I was doing my usual weekend schedule after: Go walking for alms, and then meditate at Swedo Paya (Tooth Relic Pagoda down the street from me). It is my favorite part of the week. It is where I can stop being a college student and be more like the monk I prefer to be. Near the end of my meditation in the Pagoda, a large Vietnam group came and did a chanting procession circumnavigating the inside of the pagoda.

To receive this by email, sign up at https://americanmonk.org/subscribe/ Last year, this picture (without the writing) went viral. The viral post seems to makes its rounds from time to time and every so often, someone tells me they saw my picture. It started when I was in Bagan for an 8 day trip with my friend Ashin Pannyagavesaka. We did a slow and thorough excursion and walked a good chunk of Bagan when rides were not provided.

Alms Inspiration is like a bright star that shines among the dim. In Monastic life, there are few monasteries or monks that really inspire people. Following the vinaya (or rules) inspires people. It is tried and tested. This was an old picture when I was in a vinaya monastery that follows all of the rules including the “basic ten rules” that a 7 year old beginner monk is supposed to follow.

Here is a comparison of 5, 8 and 10 precepts. The Buddhist who follows five precepts is known as a regular lay Buddhist. The person who follows 8 precepts is known as a serious Buddhist yogi. The person who follows the 10 precepts is known as a novice monk. A bhikkhu follows 227 rules. It is important to know these classes to know which rules are more important to follow. It also can explain, what class of rules a monk is following.

Calculation of odds. Do you believe in devas? Devas are the Buddhist equivalent to angels. Ok .. Here is the story. I was on alms round two weeks ago and a regular supporter invited us to ask for anything for our studies at school. I needed some pens, so I asked for some pens. He told me to wait and showed up with a huge pen gift-box. He opened it up for me and there was a fat and expensive Cross pen inside.

A 2 part Powerpoint presentation about what two monks did in Kauai, Hawaii during June to December 2015. The theme was propagation, but the propagation was done just from being monks who do not touch money, and collect their food the traditional Buddhist monk way. The vision, how it got started, stories and experiences were shared. About 50 people were in the audience. Running time is about 1 hour total for both.

[![pexels-photo-13918](/images/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}} [![hatredlove](/images/hatredlove.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/hatredlove.webp" >}} This video clip below came my way and I would hate to say that not only is this guy is correct right near the end of his talk, but he is expressing the same thoughts as the Buddha and myself…well, at least the last part. This link will skip over to 3 minutes 38 seconds. Remainder running time is about 2 minutes. NOTE: There is more I say below after this video: https://www.

Here is a sample video and written instructions for making a self-contained incense holder made from a plastic bottle. It is the coolest incense holder I have ever used. The idea is not mine. An American lay person had one at his dorm room and I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. I made mine in minutes. The Problem: No matter how you slice it, incense holders often let the ashes fall outside of the “catching-base.

[![IMG_20160703_121038](/images/IMG_20160703_121038.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/IMG_20160703_121038.webp" >}} I had a really good day going for alms today. When it “rains it pours.” Although it rained today, I am talking about alms donations. I told myself, that if this village does not give (like usual), then I will skip it and find another one or stay with the shack village alone. After 3 weeks of only one donor in that village, I finally got some edible food….

Top: Ma Ba Tha conference Bottom: Reaching out to Muslims to show loving-kindness. Recently, I was convinced to go to a “seminar on peace” this past Saturday. Some of you may have seen my picture on Facebook in regards to a Ma Ba Tha conference I attended. I was told that I should not pay attention to the negative press and that they are a peaceful organization and the gathering was about peace.

[![cooler](/images/cooler.webp" >}}](/images/2016/05/cooler.webp" >}} I remember when I went to America in 2008 with one of my monastic friends named Ven. Visarada. He was an experienced monk and had good ascetic practices. When we went to America, he did not have any luggage and brought everything he owned with him. Instead of using luggage, he used a simple cardboard box. It is simple, easy to get, easy to dispose of and also more suitable for a monk than fancy luggage.

From my oldest posts from GPlus in 2015, which are slowly being restored. A Counterfeit Mitsubishi Truck was found in Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. I had my doubts, so I asked the driver to open up the hood. It was in fact, a Toyota engine block. Consumers, please be careful! In the olden days there were very high taxes on cars. I think 200% tax which made used cars hold their value well.

For those of you who do not know what an Asian shower room looks like! This one is luxurious with a stainless steel water bowl! Ahhh! I often prefer this method over a shower head (This shower room does not have one, but if it did I would still prefer this method). A long time ago, Westerners did this too. The toilet is inside the same room too, not shown.

Introduction A Sayalay is an ordained nun in the Myanmar Theravāda Tradition. It is similar to a sāmaṇerī or 10-precept female novice monk. However, to be respectful to the Theravāda tradition, it is not connected or equal to a sāmaṇerī and it is not a stepping stone for a bhikkhunī ordination. In the Myanmar Theravāda tradition, ordaining as a Sayalay provides women with a distinct path to practice the Dhamma formally without stepping into the roles traditionally reserved for monks or fully ordained bhikkhunīs.

There are three stories of loving-kindness told in the video posted below. The first story is from Kaua’i, Hawai’i, when a person did not want me on “his” street. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. Another story was also from the island in 2015. There were children on bicycles who were yelling at us to go away on multiple days. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. The last story is from 2011 during a trip to India.

The Wootens One of the few places I have been to in Sri Lanka besides Na-Uyana and The International Institute of Theravāda (IIT) is Spring Hill Forest Monastery located in the Hantanna Mountains above Kandy. My two donors from Kaua’i, John and Nandini Wooten were visiting Kandy and I decided it would be good to take a break from the IIT scenery and climate with a great inspirational place for the Wootens to visit me.

Introduction: There was a moment in world history where the Buddha’s teachings greatly affected world diplomacy during the Peace Treaty of 1951. We can learn from this type of history and apply the solution in our daily lives. In short, we can stop hatred with loving-kindness. J. R. Jayewardene President J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka exits from a helicopter and walks to his airplane for departure after a state visit.

Autopsy Table found on Wikipedia. The table we saw did not have “containment walls” Is it true that forest monks actually attend autopsies? Yes it is actually quite common. After being a monk for perhaps more than 10 years, I remember a senior monk expressing surprise when he discovered I hadn’t seen one. He said, “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?” “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?”

A lay person named Chathuranga came to the International Institute of Theravāda looking to ordain in November, 2022. He is now a sāmaṇera (novice monk) and not yet a fully ordained bhikkhu. I thought that it would be interesting to show his path to monkhood to you. Stage 1: Regular Person First he was a regular lay person working as a construction assistant engineer in the Maldives and then made the transition to a devoted layperson.

I spent a little over 30 days in Thailand and I learned a great deal about Thai Buddhist culture and how things things are for monks outside of the vinaya saṅgha. What did I learn? Uncle Sam’s Banana Farm Uncle Sam’s Banana Farm First of all, this trip was well needed. Sabai means to be comfortable and relaxed. I really needed to be comfortable and relaxed and the goal was achieved.

Ven Ananda with the two donors Recently, we received six new tables arranged by a monk’s two donors. The tables were nice but I didn’t think we needed them, so I asked the monk why. He said there was not enough room on the tables for his donors’ donations, so they decided to donate more tables so they can donate more. When his donors make donations, they are not small.

Monk walking towards the world of the 5% If you are a Westerner and new to Buddhism, you might be surprised to learn that most monks use and handle money. I have calculated that around 95% use money while 5% do not use money. The general consensus of those I have consulted say that about 2 or 3 percent do not use money but I used a 5% number to be safe.

Introduction Foreigner monk gets a COVID vaccine jab during the times of the new Myanmar government In this article, I want to share with you some of my experiences of living as a monk in Myanmar during the covid pandemic and the government change that happened recently. I also want to explain why I left Myanmar at the end of 2022 and what I am doing now. I am an American Buddhist monk who has been living in Myanmar for many years.

Monk at The Bodhi Tree located at International Institute of Theravāda Theravada (Theravāda) is one of the major branches of Buddhism and is often referred to as the “School of the Elders.” It is the oldest surviving Buddhist school and it is the predominant religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Because of its age and orthodoxy, it can also be loosely translated as “Old School Buddhism” in some ways too.

Alms Tray and Cambodia Monk’s Full Bowl Introduction: This article explains the essence of piṇḍapāta (alms) and why we go for alms, even in poor villages. On the weekends, I have some time to go for alms in the nearby village. However, you might ask yourself, “Why would a monk collect food from a very poor village during an economic crisis when the monastery is mostly supported by wealthy people?

Title Page In America, the Rote Method of learning is belittled as “learning like a parrot” and rarely or never taught in the Western school systems. However, it is a useful brute force method for memorizing Pali texts and the only way to memorize longer word for word Pāḷi texts such as the Pātimokkha. This system is used extensively in Myanmar schools and Myanmar study monasteries. If you hear lots of noise in the classrooms, rote learning is what they are doing.

Various items for Kaṭhina It is quite common in Myanmar to offer robes at the end of the Rainy Season (vassa) in a ceremony called Kaṭhina. How long do monk’s robes last? A monk normally has a set of three robes; a lower robe, an upper robe and a double robe sometimes referred to as the outer robe. During Kaṭhina, a set of robes are offered, but usually just the lower and upper robes since the double robe or outer robe lasts a long time.

Artistic digital recreation of Migalaṇḍika (an ascetic who looked like a monk) The Monastery Murder Massacre that happened in Vesālī during the time of The Buddha is not well known among lay people. It was because of this massacre that The Buddha made a rule about killing humans. For the first 20 years, there were no rules and this was the third rule that was ever created. Before this, the monks intuitively knew what was proper and there was no need for rules.

Download Android App Download iOS App Recently I made a mobile app to help me know when the Solar Noon is approaching and past. Why Is the Sun Important for Bhikkhus? Why Is The Sun Important for 8 & 10 Precepts? If you are a monk, nun or a practicing yogi who has vowed to not eat after Noon, you will benefit from this app. The real Solar Noon is not 12:00 pm when it comes to the Buddhist rules because there were no clocks back then.

cc WTC 9/11, 2001 wikimedia Attribution: Robert J. Fisch “They always wanted to get that building” That was what I said when I first heard about 9/11 three or four days later. I once had a job interview at Merrill Lynch in The World Financial Center which was connected to The World Trade Center by a sky bridge. My goal was to eventually work at WTC, but luckily I didn’t get that job and it was the only job interview I didn’t get an offer on.

15 Main Image Close Up, at the Mahabodhi Temple, cc-atrib-sa https://www.photodharma.net/India/Bodhgaya-Mahabodhi/Bodhgaya-Mahabodhi.htm Sometimes it is difficult to find free Buddha pictures. Even when Google shows you “free pictures,” sometimes, they require an account or were not really free in the first place. As a monk, even with our timeless Buddha, I still respect copyrights and encourage others to do the same. That is also one of the reasons why I use Linux as my main operating system.

Did the Buddha do intermittent fasting? The answer is: Yes. When I first became a monk, people were shocked about how I gave up eating after Solar Noon and I have not eaten dinner in over 20 years. Sometimes I switch to one meal per day, but I often find a light breakfast, mostly liquid foods or rice soup, with a full lunch works best for me. These days, many people are using intermittent fasting as a form of weight loss and when I describe my Buddhist monk diet, they give a nod and say “Intermittent Fasting… It’s Healthy.

Recently, I had a serious medical problem that had the potential to be extremely serious. Please don’t ask. In any case, I arranged permission to go outside and then arranged for someone to help me get to a clinic in Mandalay which had the proper technology to properly assess my problem. This article is not about going out. Instead this article is about coming back and staying in quarantine. Because we do not have monastery-wide vaccines yet, Pa-Auk is quite strict about letting people go outside because when you come back, you will need to be on a 3 week quarantine before testing for your release.

I’ve been looking forward to the Myanmar Internet being cut off, but it does not seem to be happening. I guess that is good for the people here. I will be taking a SIM break for about 5 days… Tuesdays are usually when I post things from the meditation hall because it is the day I have to manage the Tuesday cleaning crew. My job is to clean the Big Buddha (that is me below).

Chinese congee Photo By Daiju Azuma - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=567814 Rice soup is most popularly known as Congee (Kahn-Jee). However in the Buddhist world, it is referred to as yāgu in the Pāḷi Language. It occurs many many times in the tipiṭaka (more than 500 times) and it is still eaten today in Asia and Southeast Asia. To make it, you simply boil and then simmer one part rice with eight parts water for one or two hours.

I remember when I was living in Kaua’i in a tent propped up in the corner of my friend Uncle Gene Taylor’s property. I had just come home from my daily alms round and I popped into his room to say hello. He is old and has difficulty walking, yet he is usually quite cheerful. As part of the visit routine, he asked me how my day was and I smiled and happily said, “Today was a great day.

NOTE: Tipitaka Pāḷi Reader is the new Pāḷi Reading app. Click link below: Tipitaka Pali Reader A new beautiful app written in Flutter for all Desktops and Mobile Devices. If you are still interested you can read below: News: Developers are encouraged to join our Discord server for our 2.0 total rewrite called Ultimate Pali Reader June 21, 2022 Version 1.4.0 is now released (Win, Linux Snap) ( android 1.2.1)

It occured to me that people don’t know one type of Buddhist monk from the other and a post was needed to explain this. First a little bit of history. Theravada is the closest thing as one can get to the original form of Buddhism and is based on the Pali texts. The countries that have Theravada as their national religion are; Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia. It dates back to the Buddha from 5th century BCE Later, came Mahayana - Chinese Buddhism of the 1st century BCE.

A friend of mine once told me his story about how he had a knife in his hand and was raging with anger. He was going to kill his wife and her new found lover. Below is a short retelling of the story in third person. The Story My friend from the former Soviet Union did his first Goenka meditation retreat in 1999. The retreat was free and was very popular around the world.

Image not found. The Pali Text Society has made its Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma books available for non-commercial use since 2013. The Sutta books have been extracted from the Buddhadust Website which is still considered as “work in progress.” However, the work was good enough to reformat as eBooks in its current state. Stephen Torrence and myself did most of the work to reformat the web pages into eBook versions.

Recently, I had a chance to go to a Lao Monastery in Elgin, Chicago, IL, USA for 12 days. I usually avoid American Theravada Temples like the plague because most of these places have monks who use money and much of the monk life is centered around collecting money. This is a typical standard not only in America but in most countries. This monastery however, is different. In 2015, the committee decided to stop being a useless, unwholesome temple that teaches wrong dhammavinaya (teaching and training — on wrong ways to give donation and wrong ways to make merit, and obviously wrong kamma and results).

![Radio Tower ](/images/Telecommunication-Tower-Wave-Radio-Broadcast–273x300.webp" >}} Here is the link to the 2015 KKCR radio show. We were interviewed on Kauai Community Radio for about one hour instead of the scheduled 20 minutes. We all had fun doing it. It will give you a good taste of what we did on the island in 2015 and what I am doing now. I often enjoy revisiting this recording, and I hope you do too.

Kauai Update #3 I have moved from the Botanical Gardens recently. I was able to stay there for 5 months and the majority of the time there was wonderful. However things were changing and it was time for me to look for another place and now I am staying in a new long term location in Kilauea. It all happened after a wonderful person picked me up on the side of the road holding my signs the day my parents, brother and in-law dropped me off (I’ll get back to that family-visit part later).

How to Pronounce Theravāda Have you ever wondered if you were pronouncing Theravāda correctly? Read this article to find out how to properly pronounce Theravāda. Most of the resources out on the web mispronounce the word Theravāda, and Google has failed me when I did a search too. However, it was a good excuse to write this small article. The “Th” sound in Theravāda is not the English “Th” like “Them” or “Think.

Downloads: Download PDF Listen to Audiobook Going For Broke: Travelogs On Becoming a Buddhist Monk is a compilation of travel stories. It is an anonymously written book about a lay person who quit his job in order to travel the world and then become a Buddhist Monk. Most people either love it and read it in a few days or never finish it. Here is the back cover: “Going for Broke” consists of travel stories written by a young American man who gave up his lucrative job to travel the world and decide if he would fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a Buddhist monk.

The Seeds From Long Ago I remember when I first learned how to meditate on my breath some time in 1990, during my university years. Back then, meditation was not so well known. The beat generation’s Zen trend in the 60’s had died out with disco in the 70’s. Barnes and Noble maybe had only a few shelves in a single bookcase labeled with “Eastern Philosophy” that covered all Eastern religions, including Buddhism.

Bhikkhu Subhuti’s Blog has moved! pub domain monk seal from wikipedia The blog at https://Subhuti.withmettanet has moved to https://AmericanMonk.org The new title of the blog is American Monk: Bhante Subhūti Why change The Domain Address? The reason why I changed the name of the domain was to streamline my verbal website announcements to let them known how to find the monk in Kauai. Usually a conversation will start up with some new person in Kauai and then I say, “Hey, you can check out my blog at americanmonk.

September 11th and Jeremy Glick I have a personal story I want to tell you about Jeremy Glick and September 11, 2001. The short story is that my name is Jeremy Glick and I was a computer programmer. However, I had left my regular world in 1999 and people who have lost track of me remembered me when 9/11 happened. About seven months after I ordained as a Buddhist Monk in 2001, the famous 9/11 or September 11th event happened.

A Tale of Love and Samādhi Explained: A’capella Inertia A little Valentines story for all of you. The topside title is just a description of what the story is generally about. However, the real title of the story is called, “A’capella Inertia.” This is not a short one, but I think you will like this one very much. It has received high marks and it will take about 30 minutes to read.

This is a small video on how to make a monk’s needle case from a used up disposable pen. It is one of the 8 requisites of a Buddhist monk. It is mostly intended for monks to view, but lay people might find it interesting. https://youtu.be/WwzeZHSz5r8

Here is a quick tip on how to make a filter in just a few minutes. Maybe as fast as one minute. This is useful for monks who want to put filters on their water taps. It is my own invention as far as I know, but I am sure other monks somewhere else also do the same. The Buddha did mention that if we did not have a filter, we could use the corner of our robes (that we are wearing).

I Finally Did It! This Rainy Season (Vassa) I was able to learn the Pātimokkha (227 Rules) by heart. It is the first round and it takes me a long time to do it, and there are mistakes. Never the less, it is considered “learned” and “memorized” at this stage. I will hopefully recite the Pātimokkha for the full moon November 3rd if all goes well. I need to get my 2+ hours of recitation down to at least 1:15 minutes.

How Do Monks Say Grace Before Eating? Do Theravāda monks say anything before they eat? Do they give thanks? Who do they say thanks to? Or is it something else? Buddhist monks generally do a reflection and chant something before eating. In fact it is said that the monks incurs debt if they doe not reflect before eating. Actually, there are 4 reflections concerning the Four Requisites: 1. Robes

Here is an instructional video on how to make a foot-rug from old and discarded monk’s robes. If you are a monk, perhaps you will be very interested in this. I made the video as I was making my very first rug. Ven. Khemavamsa is the one who helped in the end. It was his idea and I have never seen this before. The story from the texts is below:

Here is a comparison of 5, 8 and 10 precepts. The Buddhist who follows five precepts is known as a regular lay Buddhist. The person who follows 8 precepts is known as a serious Buddhist yogi. The person who follows the 10 precepts is known as a novice monk. A bhikkhu follows 227 rules. It is important to know these classes to know which rules are more important to follow. It also can explain, what class of rules a monk is following.

A Story from 1993 from my college days, before the Internet was around. I remember all the way back in ‘93, when I was in college and I had just spent a few weeks in China for an academic scholarship. Because I was now some type of “International” student, I was asked to attend a “lunch hour” question and answer session with Helmut Schmitt. Although I had international travel experience, I was hardly experienced in “international issues,” and I did not even know who or what he was.

Calculation of odds. Do you believe in devas? Devas are the Buddhist equivalent to angels. Ok .. Here is the story. I was on alms round two weeks ago and a regular supporter invited us to ask for anything for our studies at school. I needed some pens, so I asked for some pens. He told me to wait and showed up with a huge pen gift-box. He opened it up for me and there was a fat and expensive Cross pen inside.

Download Free A4 format PDF Download Free A5 format PDF Tutorial on How to Sit Many times I have given advice to yogis on how to sit properly and I have received raving success. In fact, I asked one fellow student to model for the pictures you will see in this article and he was absolutely amazed at how comfortable he was as soon as he sat down. He spoke loudly with joy and excitement as soon as he was seated in the Samādhi-Sausage, which prompted other people to peek inside the room to see what all of the commotion was about.

Here is a sample video and written instructions for making a self-contained incense holder made from a plastic bottle. It is the coolest incense holder I have ever used. The idea is not mine. An American lay person had one at his dorm room and I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. I made mine in minutes. The Problem: No matter how you slice it, incense holders often let the ashes fall outside of the “catching-base.

For those of you who do not know what an Asian shower room looks like! This one is luxurious with a stainless steel water bowl! Ahhh! I often prefer this method over a shower head (This shower room does not have one, but if it did I would still prefer this method). A long time ago, Westerners did this too. The toilet is inside the same room too, not shown.

Introduction A Sayalay is an ordained nun in the Myanmar Theravāda Tradition. It is similar to a sāmaṇerī or 10-precept female novice monk. However, to be respectful to the Theravāda tradition, it is not connected or equal to a sāmaṇerī and it is not a stepping stone for a bhikkhunī ordination. In the Myanmar Theravāda tradition, ordaining as a Sayalay provides women with a distinct path to practice the Dhamma formally without stepping into the roles traditionally reserved for monks or fully ordained bhikkhunīs.

Introduction One of the most famous Theravāda dhamma books would be The Dhammapada. It is a book of Buddhist Poetry consisting of 423 verses. It has been translated numerous times in English and might be the most widely translated Buddhist Book in the world. Some of the translated titles are below: The Teachings Of The Buddha Footprint Of The Buddha The words Of The Buddha The verses Of The Buddha YouTube Video Of This Article Free downloads You can find some translated versions of the Dhammapada text here (as shown in the video):

This video is about alms giving in Sri Lanka, also known as piṇḍapāta. I share my experiences of collecting alms in Sri Lanka and comparing them to alms giving in other countries like Myanmar and Thailand. In Sri Lanka, alms giving is a daily routine for monks. People wait outside their houses with rice and curries, and the monks walk by collecting food in their bowls. This is different from other countries where monks might go out in groups and collect alms together.

Vesak is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the Lunar Full Moon Day of May, commemorating the birth of our Bodhisatta, the night he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, and the day Parinibbāna was attained (His Final-Death). This holiday is celebrated by Buddhists all over the world, especially in Theravāda Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. This year, it will be on May 23rd, 2024. You can find the dates here at timeanddate.

Left: May, 2023, Right: Feb, 2024. Introduction I recently lost about 10 Kg which is over 20 pounds. I’d like to share with you how I gained weight and how I also lost it. It is common for senior monks to gain weight, perhaps due in part to aging, as seniority implies being older. Even though we don’t eat after Solar Noon, gaining weight still can happen. However, if we really want to, we can all easily lose weight…“if we want to”.

Recently, I have been making more posts in video format. I share personal stories along with the dhamma. While most of you might be more insterested in monk life than the dhamma, we will still be doing both. This Dhammatalk explores the Dhammapada verse 53 and the different aspects of making merit I think you will like it.

In this talk, I explore many details about the monk’s bowl, how it is made black, the parts of the bowl, and several other things. It should be interesting if you are interested in Theravāda Buddhist monks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_GhgfnptEg&t=2s

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? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7LED3zIJo The Seeds From Long Ago The Seeds From Long Ago I remember when I first learned how to meditate on my breath some time in 1990, during my university years.

There are three stories of loving-kindness told in the video posted below. The first story is from Kaua’i, Hawai’i, when a person did not want me on “his” street. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. Another story was also from the island in 2015. There were children on bicycles who were yelling at us to go away on multiple days. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. The last story is from 2011 during a trip to India.

Introduction: Today we will have a short and brief introduction into the meaning of “Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa”. We could easily say it is the most frequently chanted stanza of all Buddhist Pāḷi because this is said before any other type of chant. It is also chanted before every proper Theravāda dhamma talk. We will discuss the word by word meaning and the basic grammar. In short, the phrase means “Reverence to the Buddha.

Introduction: There was a moment in world history where the Buddha’s teachings greatly affected world diplomacy during the Peace Treaty of 1951. We can learn from this type of history and apply the solution in our daily lives. In short, we can stop hatred with loving-kindness. J. R. Jayewardene President J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka exits from a helicopter and walks to his airplane for departure after a state visit.

CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=190448 The most popular Buddhist book is the Dhammapada which contains 423 poetic verses in the Pāḷi language. What are the most popular verses? While there are some classic chants and everyone has favorites, nothing compares to what the monks chant and what is found in most chanting books. Here are the chants that are integrated into many different traditions and usually chanted after the pātimokkha.

monks seated for the patimokkha recitation in Pa-Auk Mawlamyine Introduction One of the things that you may notice when you visit a Buddhist monastery is that the monks sit, eat, walk, and pay respect to each other in a certain order. This order is based on the principle of seniority, which is determined by the date of ordination, not by age, education, or social status. Whoever is ordained earlier is considered senior, and whoever is ordained later is considered junior.

Buddha by Numbers Introduction The Buddhist teachings are often organized by various lists. Various matrices of interlinked lists to organize the teachings are one of the distinctive features of Buddhism. In my studies, I find myself learning many different types of lists for memory. By doing so, I can see the benefit and how they can be expanded and interlinked. While it may seem like dry minutia and uninteresting at first glance, the lists run very deep when you start to understand how the whole system works.

Monk at The Bodhi Tree located at International Institute of Theravāda Theravada (Theravāda) is one of the major branches of Buddhism and is often referred to as the “School of the Elders.” It is the oldest surviving Buddhist school and it is the predominant religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Because of its age and orthodoxy, it can also be loosely translated as “Old School Buddhism” in some ways too.

Alms Tray and Cambodia Monk’s Full Bowl Introduction: This article explains the essence of piṇḍapāta (alms) and why we go for alms, even in poor villages. On the weekends, I have some time to go for alms in the nearby village. However, you might ask yourself, “Why would a monk collect food from a very poor village during an economic crisis when the monastery is mostly supported by wealthy people?

ai generated art for this post I asked openai chatGPT to write a buddhist poem on loving-kindness in the style of Dr. Seuss. This is what I got. With open hearts and open hands, We spread loving-kindness across the lands. Like ripples on a pond, it starts with one, But soon it touches everyone. With each kind word and thoughtful deed, We plant the seeds of love, in hearts to breed.

Introduction: While I’m sure most religions do not particularly like the tradition of Halloween, I thought it would be good to explain why Halloween is not good according to Theravāda Buddhism. Celebrating Halloween in modern times, regardless of the reasons why it was started in the first place, consists of dressing up in costumes. In celebration, you either dress up or you praise other people’s costumes. It is mostly bad karma for the one dressing up and if you praise that, it is not good either.

Sunrise behind clouds, free public domain CC0 image. Many people want to go to Heaven or at least be born in human worlds but most people do not know what is needed to go there, let alone how to achieve enlightenment. Previously, in a previous article, I explained what happens after death according to the Theravāda teachings. If you have not read it, you really should. It explains the five causes for the five effects to arise (rebirth).

https://unsplash.com/photos/j3R9C-Xqe1w Warning: This is a long but clear and interesting religious post on what happens after death according to Classical Theravāda Buddhism. Key Points: The Fully Enlightened do not take a rebirth after death. Immediate rebirth takes place after the death moment for all other beings. Kamma is what determines your next birth Lifetime and Momentary suffering Be careful what you wish for There is no such thing as a guaranteed intermediate stage (Bardo Plane).

6 Color Buddhist Flag Yesterday, on Vesak, I was invited to go with Sayadaw Kumarabhivamsa, the Tipitaka Sayadaw and one more monk to visit the three very large Buddhas in our monastery and then finally to give water to the Bodhi Tree. When we give water to the Bodhi Tree, it is not uncommon to give pure bottled drinking water to it. Yes, you read that correctly. Bottled drinking water is used to water a tree.

Sattigumba and Pupphaka Asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca sevanā; Pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṃ etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ. Avoid the Fools and Associate with the wise. Give respect to the respectable. This is the highest blessing. Maṅgala Sutta This small quote is from the first verse spoken by the Buddha when he was asked, “What is the highest blessing?” There are thirty-eight blessings listed and you can find them here. However, the first verse is the most important and we will only discuss the fools and the wise.

Robin Hutton cc-nc-sa https://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/35838229270 What to do when someone “gives” anger? Today, December 26th is Boxing Day. It is on this day when people give gifts to the poor, perhaps the gifts you received on Christmas but did not want to keep. It is also a day to give money or boxes to employees. Happy Boxing Day! The Buddha has spoken about not accepting gifts in his famous sutta in regard to those who give “anger”.

Only In The West, Only In Asia Different Cultures, Different Views Many Westerners don’t understand or appreciate the old Buddhist texts or teachings. They are very different from Asian culture and history. They find it hard to relate to them. Let me give you an example. This is a picture and story of a bidet (a device that sprays water to clean your private parts after using the toilet).

Einstein formula on blackboard see this [link for attributio](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_formula_on_blackboard_20190401.webp" >}}n The Mass–energy equivalence is one of the most famous physics equations known to the general population. Did the Buddha know this beforehand? We all know this formula as the explanation for how nuclear energy works, but we really don’ t know much more than that. For my one of my birthdays, I asked a monk who was once a nuclear engineer from Chernobyl to explain to me how it works.

Myanmar Pali Script (credit at bottom link.. cc-sa-attrib) There are many different Pāḷi chants to learn, yet I wanted to list the absolute basic chants that one should learn. If you are interested in Pāḷi chanting, these are the first to learn. The most basic and essential chants for beginning lay people should know are listed in order of importance: Namo Tassa, Triple Gem with the 5 precepts, Bare bones Triple Gem chant of the 24 qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha.

cc0 picture Recently, there have been some instances in the news of monks who have been accused of rape or consensual sex. One monk appears to have supported a child with his money. While we won’t know the true outcome until an admission of guilt is made, we should investigate what is a rule and what is not a rule. Although it is appalling that the Catholic church allows its priests to continue in the order even after such admissions of guilt for sexual acts, the Buddhist rules across all Buddhist schools have a different approach.

If you go to a Theravada Buddhist forest monastery in Asia, you are likely to find a full skeleton or parts of a skeleton somewhere where it can be viewed easily. Some monasteries also have cemeteries inside the boundary like Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Some other monasteries have a place were dead bodies are burned (with open wood fires), right on the premises, like Pa-Auk Mawlamyine and also Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand.

India 2011 Can Buddhist Monks Pray For The Old And Sick? Recently, a life long friend of the family has been diagnosed with lung cancer, a tough break because she is not a smoker. My mother asked me if I could say a prayer for her. I can, and have, but there was more to say about what I could do for her. When I chant the Loving-kindness sutta for someone in person as a “blessing”, I usually explain what it means beforehand and then I chant it for them.

What qualities make up the real Buddha Statues? There are certain qualities of a Buddha that makes one instantly recognizable from afar. There are many features that make the Buddha a Buddha besides the iconic drooping earlobes. From time to time, I see statues of the Buddha that are just not right. When you know the correct signs of The Buddha, you immediately know that something is wrong. While you cannot fool a Sri Lankan, you can fool others from all parts of the world.

Does Ajahn Brahmavamso Jhāna Have a Nimitta? Ajahn Brahmavamso (“Ajahn Brahm”) teaches about a samādhi nimitta. However, during jhāna, he says that there is no perception of light. He says that “The nimitta is the gateway to jhāna, but not the object of jhāna itself. Pīti or sukha are the objects of jhāna”. If you follow Ajahn Brahm, this article will help you follow his teachings better. If you follow another method, this article will help you distinguish the difference.

There are many people who are inside their homes, so I thought it would be good to make a small 10 minute video on how to do basic walking meditation inside the home. Here it is. https://youtu.be/e1MCuTxcf7A

Image not found. The Pali Text Society has made its Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma books available for non-commercial use since 2013. The Sutta books have been extracted from the Buddhadust Website which is still considered as “work in progress.” However, the work was good enough to reformat as eBooks in its current state. Stephen Torrence and myself did most of the work to reformat the web pages into eBook versions.

Recently, I had a chance to go to a Lao Monastery in Elgin, Chicago, IL, USA for 12 days. I usually avoid American Theravada Temples like the plague because most of these places have monks who use money and much of the monk life is centered around collecting money. This is a typical standard not only in America but in most countries. This monastery however, is different. In 2015, the committee decided to stop being a useless, unwholesome temple that teaches wrong dhammavinaya (teaching and training — on wrong ways to give donation and wrong ways to make merit, and obviously wrong kamma and results).

A little while ago, I was asked what was the most important lesson learned and what was the most important thing that I taught. The answer spans two different videos and they are listed below: The first video gives a very technical answer, yet in very simple English that everyone can understand. However those who are into the deepest Dhamma and Abhidhamma will still appreciate what is said and how it is said.

Kauai Update #3 I have moved from the Botanical Gardens recently. I was able to stay there for 5 months and the majority of the time there was wonderful. However things were changing and it was time for me to look for another place and now I am staying in a new long term location in Kilauea. It all happened after a wonderful person picked me up on the side of the road holding my signs the day my parents, brother and in-law dropped me off (I’ll get back to that family-visit part later).

Free Book: Abhidhamma Lessons PDF Abhidhamma Lessons Here is a book I wrote long ago that relates the Abhidhamma to Computer Science. As a programmer from the nineties, I “clicked” with the abhidhamma after reading just a small amount. When I learned that the mind does only one thing at a time, it instantly clicked with a graduate class I had taken on digital circuits. It gave me the faith in the Abhidhamma early on which is very rare among Western Monks and Western Theravada Buddhist lay people.

Why do monks have one shoulder exposed sometimes and both shoulders covered other times? There is a very small rule about having the robes fully covered when we are in a populated areas (sekhiyā 3). Although it is a very small rule, it can say a great deal about the monk and his respect for the monastic code, especially in the afternoons or evenings. “Populated areas” refers to when we are outside of the monastery and outside of the forest.

Here is a dhamma talk with a very brief instruction for Four Elements. It is not complete, but gives a small taste of four elements. Loving-kindness is also included as usual. The recording is cleaner using some post processing with the same recorder. [archiveorg id=BhanteSubhuti2018Sept9 width=520 height=140]

Image not found. With only 5 minutes left before we were supposed to start, the security guard told us that someone else had the room booked and we would need to move to a smaller amd inferior room. It was a mistake on their part, and while I did ask to see the schedule book, I opted out because we were running out of time and needed to setup the room again.

Vegetarianism and Theravada Buddhism I have been asked to write a little something on vegetarianism and Theravāda Buddhism. I am qualified to be quite objective, and to see both sides of the issue because I was a vegetarian for a total of ten years as a lay person and I had vegetarian eyes. That meant that when I looked at meat, cooked or not, I saw a dead animal in front of me.

Inspire Means To Leave Facebook Much of what I write about is related to stories that happen to me that would charge me up and make me feel inspired. I would then write down what happened and share it with others. Often my stories are related to vinaya – the monks’ rules and living without money. These days it is special for a monk to live without money and I can inspire people simply by following the rules.

Are You A Buddhist? Introduction Being a Buddhist is quite open because if you believe in certain aspects it is better than not believing in anything. We take what we can get. However, here are the more traditional aspects of being Buddhist. One should believe in The Triple Gem – ie**: The Buddha, The Dhamma and The Sangha).** This can be expanded to include The 4 Noble Truths. This can be expanded to include the Eightfold Noble Path as well.

Ajahn Mun dark Did Ajahn Mun say the Buddha congratulated him on the night he attained arahant? His biography books says it for sure. Venerable Ācariya Mun Būridatta Thera is one of the most revered forest masters of the 20th century. He is the root guru of both the Dhammayut and Ajahn Chah monasteries. He popularized the monastic practice of living under an umbrella in the forest and his relentless energy is fascinating and inspiring.

How Do Monks Say Grace Before Eating? Do Theravāda monks say anything before they eat? Do they give thanks? Who do they say thanks to? Or is it something else? Buddhist monks generally do a reflection and chant something before eating. In fact it is said that the monks incurs debt if they doe not reflect before eating. Actually, there are 4 reflections concerning the Four Requisites: 1. Robes

The Buddha in the clouds Does the Buddha Live in Nibbāna? Many people believe that the Buddha is alive and living in some sort of transcendental realm called Nibbāna where he can hear your prayers and eat and drink the food and water that you offer to Him. We Buddhist monks smile when we hear that people have such beliefs because nobody lives in Nibbāna, not even a Buddha.

[![fetus](/images/fetus.webp" >}}](/images/2016/12/fetus.webp" >}} What do Theravada Buddhists believe in terms of abortion? Much of what has been written are liberal beliefs and overturning what is written down in the texts. They claim “Modern Buddhism” as a section heading, but there is no such thing as “Modern Buddhism” since there is no such thing as “Modern Kamma.” The rules of kamma do not change over time, and abortion has been around since the time of the Buddha.

Summary: Yes, it is possible, but it is difficult to recommended because it can be very dangerous for saṅgha. Some monasteries will prohibit ordinations of openly gay men. Why? The short answer is that the monastic environment is specifically designed to be segregated for celibacy. Segregation of genders breaks when homosexuals are ordained and mix with other monks. This is true especially at large monasteries where there is less supervision.

This is Ven Indavimala. During my re-ordination in 2007, the ones who were previously ordained got to go first by previous seniority. This is to preserve previous order of seniority to those who lost it before, but the seniority only resides in our year of ordination (if that makes sense). Technically we are all the same monk age in years. We are all 17 years or vassa. However, the monk with the most experience will be ordained before the other and he will be senior sometimes by a day, an hour, or even by a mere second.

Palm leaf photo link wellcomecollection:[mfn]CC 4.0 iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/L0031774/full/760%2C/0/default.webp[/mfn] Today I finished memorizing the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha in Pāḷi (the 311 Theravāda nun’s rules). While I did not recite the whole lot in a single session, I did memorize in chunks until the total was completely memorized at one time or another. That means, I would recite a chunk of rules in front of a teacher by memory and then work on a separate adjacent succeeding chunk for memory.

When it comes to shaving heads, Theravāda Buddhist Monks might be the authority on this issue. It is second nature for monks to shave but perhaps unknown to the rest of the world. In this article, we will discuss the motivation, Buddhist culture and methods for shaving the head and how it is done. Simplicity Inspires But Also Saves Money: For those of you in the layperson world (man or woman) who aspire to become monks but cannot plunge into a monastery just yet, you might want to try cutting your hair very short before shaving it.

Although Buddhist lay people might be interested in having a monk perform their marriage ceremony, it is not allowed and doing so is classed as a heavy rule (Saṅghādisesa). Such heavy rules have penalties and require the monk to lose his full status for a minimum of 6 nights[mfn]mānatta[/mfn] and additional probation time if concealing the offense occurs. Image was created by AI DALL-E by openai. All participants do not exist in real life.

Pa Auk Monastery in 2014, Photo by Klaus The Pātimokkha is a set of 227 rules for the bhikkhus belonging to the Theravāda sect which is based on the Pāḷi language texts. The 227 rules are grouped into seven classes with the first two, Pārājikā and Saṅghādisesā considered as “heavy”. The first heavy group is also considered irrecoverable while the second requires official transactions to restore the full bhikkhu status to the offender.

Bowl with bowl stand (maybe Pa-Auk) There are certain characteristics of the Theravada Buddhist monk’s bowl that might be interesting to know, even though the information is quite dry. Enjoy! Material: The Buddha has allowed two different types of materials for bowls: iron and clay. When we say iron in Asia, we mean steel. Stainless steel is called steel. Is stainless steel allowed? This metal was not invented yet, but The Buddha left us with the great standards to judge if something should be allowable that was not mentioned during the time of the Buddha.

A Money tree in Laos cc-by-attrib-sa https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddhist_money_tree_with_toilet_paper.webp Are Buddhist monks allowed to use money? The short answer is that monks are definitely not allowed to even touch money for all traditions; Theravāda, Mahayāna, and Tibetan. However, it is very common for monks to not only accept money from lay people without shame, but they even encourage lay people to offer the money. Nevertheless, it is still a rule and there are heavy consequences if this becomes a lifetime habit and a wrong mode of livelihood.

Sattigumba and Pupphaka Asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca sevanā; Pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṃ etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ. Avoid the Fools and Associate with the wise. Give respect to the respectable. This is the highest blessing. Maṅgala Sutta This small quote is from the first verse spoken by the Buddha when he was asked, “What is the highest blessing?” There are thirty-eight blessings listed and you can find them here. However, the first verse is the most important and we will only discuss the fools and the wise.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a professor of World Religions in the College of Religious Education at BYU named, Alonzo Gaskill. He had read my previous article on Buddhist Monk’s Robes Information and wanted to interview me for another Buddhist robes article for Patheos.com. We talked for quite a long time about Buddhism, my past, and why I ordained, and then the time was up. So we scheduled another call to talk about robes the next day to actually talk about the robes.

Yesterday, I recited the 227 rules of the Pātimokkha for 110 bhikkhus at Pa-Auk Meditation Center in Pyin Oo Lwin. When a monk recites the Pātimokkha, traditionally he does so by memory and not by reading. My recitation was not the best quality, but it was not so bad considering I only started when I was 47, and I have only done this 5 times now. However, the recitations get better and better each time I do it and I hope improvement continues until perfection.

Copyright notice.. picture by Kim Traynor cc-by-sa Note: This post is not for everyone. Those who claim to be bhikkhunis and supporters of the movement, and monks and nuns in general will find this interesting. Did you know that bhikkhunis (nuns) are not allowed to sleep alone or travel alone and if they do, they are sentenced to 2 weeks of rehabilitation and lose their full status as bhikkhunis during this period?

Very few people from the West know about what the monks use for their bath towels and their bathing soap. Monks use items that are much different than those found in the West, although commonly known in Myanmar and other Buddhist countries. Furthermore, the monks use these items because of the monk rules associated with them in addition to the abundance and low cost. Monks at Pa-Auk usually use small hand towels instead of normal “wrap-around” sized towels.

Pa-Auk Bowl Blackening Foundry (not a political picture) We have seen many Facebook selfies of politically active monks with their bowls turned upside down. What does this mean and is that proper? The answer is: What you see on Facebook is not proper for monks or nuns. What you see on the news with monks and nuns as protesters is not proper. Overturning a bowl is an official Buddhist act, but what you have seen on Facebook and on the news are not official acts of overturning a bowl.

Various items for Kaṭhina It is quite common in Myanmar to offer robes at the end of the Rainy Season (vassa) in a ceremony called Kaṭhina. How long do monk’s robes last? A monk normally has a set of three robes; a lower robe, an upper robe and a double robe sometimes referred to as the outer robe. During Kaṭhina, a set of robes are offered, but usually just the lower and upper robes since the double robe or outer robe lasts a long time.

Artistic digital recreation of Migalaṇḍika (an ascetic who looked like a monk) The Monastery Murder Massacre that happened in Vesālī during the time of The Buddha is not well known among lay people. It was because of this massacre that The Buddha made a rule about killing humans. For the first 20 years, there were no rules and this was the third rule that was ever created. Before this, the monks intuitively knew what was proper and there was no need for rules.

cc0 picture https://pxhere.com/en/photo/489726 There is not much written in English explaining why bhikkhuni ordinations are rejected by the Theravāda Community of Monks. The English writings are a poor representation of the vast majority of Buddhist Scholarship and that is why there is “controversy” regarding the revival of the extinct Theravāda Bhikkhuni order. There is really no controversy to speak about once you know the full story. Many Westerners believe that women are not able to become nuns without such a revival, but that is not true.

Recently, I got a nice message from a monk friend telling me he was taking vassa (3 month Rainy Season Retreat) on July 23rd (the Full Moon Day) and wishing me a happy vassa before he goes offline for three months. However, we at Pa-Auk are taking the vassa today on July 24 (the day after the Full Moon Day). The calendars often say it starts on the Full Moon Day, but we don’t do that at Pa-Auk.

Did the Buddha do intermittent fasting? The answer is: Yes. When I first became a monk, people were shocked about how I gave up eating after Solar Noon and I have not eaten dinner in over 20 years. Sometimes I switch to one meal per day, but I often find a light breakfast, mostly liquid foods or rice soup, with a full lunch works best for me. These days, many people are using intermittent fasting as a form of weight loss and when I describe my Buddhist monk diet, they give a nod and say “Intermittent Fasting… It’s Healthy.

cc0 picture Recently, there have been some instances in the news of monks who have been accused of rape or consensual sex. One monk appears to have supported a child with his money. While we won’t know the true outcome until an admission of guilt is made, we should investigate what is a rule and what is not a rule. Although it is appalling that the Catholic church allows its priests to continue in the order even after such admissions of guilt for sexual acts, the Buddhist rules across all Buddhist schools have a different approach.

Of course I’m happy! On November 24, I helped make a nice breakfast and lunch for Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin. I organized 28 monks including myself to be the donors for the whole day meals + fresh squeezed apple juice, for a full value of 1,250,000 Myanmar Kyat. It fed approximately 530 yogis across four sections in Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. But how is that possible for monks to donate money?

Please note: this was written in 2020 but also applies to 2023. Vassa starts on August 1, 2023. There seems to be confusion about when vassa is this year. This year is a special year and Vassa starts the day after the full moon day in August. The full moon day is August 3rd and Vassa starts on August 4th. However, there are some traditions that believe that Vassa has already started with the full moon day of July 4th and Vassa on July 5th.

Recently, I had a chance to go to a Lao Monastery in Elgin, Chicago, IL, USA for 12 days. I usually avoid American Theravada Temples like the plague because most of these places have monks who use money and much of the monk life is centered around collecting money. This is a typical standard not only in America but in most countries. This monastery however, is different. In 2015, the committee decided to stop being a useless, unwholesome temple that teaches wrong dhammavinaya (teaching and training — on wrong ways to give donation and wrong ways to make merit, and obviously wrong kamma and results).

Many people who have learned that I have re-ordained and actually know what that means have asked me why I did it. It is a long story, but I will try to be brief. During my first ordination in 2001, at Pa-Auk Main Branch with Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw as my preceptor, I was asked 13 questions. According to tradition, every monk is asked these 13 qualifying questions in the ordination ceremony twice.

Recently, I ran into a very angry man who came out of his house yelling at me and coming closer and closer. Eventually, I won the fight with my two big weapons, loving-kindness and my commitment of being free from money for all these years. I have been going for alms in this neighborhood for a little over a year now, and while I did have two girls yell at me, they did not leave their property boundary.

Below is a chart comparing special allowances by tradition which is useful for making a decision on where to ordain. If you need an explanation, read further.. DhammayutWat Pah PongWat Khao Sanamachai (Hua Hin)Pa-AukCigarettes AllowedNo SmokingNo SmokingNo SmokingBetel Nut AllowedNo Betel Chewing allowedNo Betel Chewing allowedNo Betel Chewing allowedCheese 7 Day (medicine)Cheese 7 Day (medicine)Cheese allowed before NoonCheese allowed before NoonDark Chocolate 7 DayDark Chocolate 7 DayChocolate allowed  before NoonChocolate allowed before NoonBottled Juice 7 DayBottled Juice 7 DayFresh Juice EveningFresh Juice EveningSoy Milk lifetime medicineSoy Milk lifetime medicineSoy Milk before NoonSoy Milk before Noon.

Monk bowls are black because they are fired with sesame oil 5 times to protect it from rusting. There are two types of bowls allowed; Iron and Clay. Iron bowls need to be fired 5 times and clay bowls only need firing twice. Obviously, the clay bowls do not need to be black in color but are rare to find because they are fragile and very very heavy. Iron bowls are black from the baked-on sesame oil.

Why do monks have one shoulder exposed sometimes and both shoulders covered other times? There is a very small rule about having the robes fully covered when we are in a populated areas (sekhiyā 3). Although it is a very small rule, it can say a great deal about the monk and his respect for the monastic code, especially in the afternoons or evenings. “Populated areas” refers to when we are outside of the monastery and outside of the forest.

Sewing pattern from BMC 1 (creative-commons, Thanissaro Bhikkhu) Robe Information Few people realize that the Theravāda monk’s robes are actually a piece of rectangular cloth with no sleeves.[mfn]While some monks use shirts with sleeves underneath their robes, it is not actually allowed [/mfn] If you see a Theravāda monk wearing his robes in different styles, then rest assured it is due to the art of “tying the robes” or “rolling the robes” or what I call “robe origami.

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. Collecting alms, also known as piṇḍapāta by Theravāda Buddhists, is a legal activity in the USA. There are some restrictions though. I spoke with a lawyer who seemed to know civil liberties quite well, but there are no guarantees with what I say. However, this information should make sense and seem legal to you. It is legal to ring the doorbell of any house and preach to them or talk to them about politics under the freedom of speech rights.

Muslim Imam giving dana. The short answer is, “Yes.” Of course we should be nice to Muslims, Christians, Atheist, animals, snakes and all beings. Sabbe Satta means all beings. In this long winded article, I speak about how the Muslims will win a majority in Myanmar and how Buddhism is already falling down in quality and quantity. Any “evil” actions like parochial schools, or large families were actually practiced in Myanmar by Buddhists only 20 or 30 years ago.

Vegetarianism and Theravada Buddhism I have been asked to write a little something on vegetarianism and Theravāda Buddhism. I am qualified to be quite objective, and to see both sides of the issue because I was a vegetarian for a total of ten years as a lay person and I had vegetarian eyes. That meant that when I looked at meat, cooked or not, I saw a dead animal in front of me.

Inspire Means To Leave Facebook Much of what I write about is related to stories that happen to me that would charge me up and make me feel inspired. I would then write down what happened and share it with others. Often my stories are related to vinaya – the monks’ rules and living without money. These days it is special for a monk to live without money and I can inspire people simply by following the rules.

When Ven. Devananda and I traveled to Kauai in 2015, we did not have a Kappiya (helper) to buy us food or even pay for our luggage. One can live without helpers, but it does take some pre-planning. We had a ticket from Yangon to Honolulu that was dirt cheap at only $854 for a round trip fare. However, it came with 12 hour and 6 hour layovers in China.

Here is a quick tip on how to make a filter in just a few minutes. Maybe as fast as one minute. This is useful for monks who want to put filters on their water taps. It is my own invention as far as I know, but I am sure other monks somewhere else also do the same. The Buddha did mention that if we did not have a filter, we could use the corner of our robes (that we are wearing).

I Finally Did It! This Rainy Season (Vassa) I was able to learn the Pātimokkha (227 Rules) by heart. It is the first round and it takes me a long time to do it, and there are mistakes. Never the less, it is considered “learned” and “memorized” at this stage. I will hopefully recite the Pātimokkha for the full moon November 3rd if all goes well. I need to get my 2+ hours of recitation down to at least 1:15 minutes.

When should you give to Saṅgha? When should you give to individual monks? This is a question that is not addressed very often and it can cause lots of trouble for monks knowingly and unknowingly. Quite often, many monks blindly prompt donors to recite a line of pāḷi before they offer anything to them. “Bhikkhu Saṅghassa demi.” There are some variations, but that is the generic formula. It means, “I give to the community of monks.

Here is an instructional video on how to make a foot-rug from old and discarded monk’s robes. If you are a monk, perhaps you will be very interested in this. I made the video as I was making my very first rug. Ven. Khemavamsa is the one who helped in the end. It was his idea and I have never seen this before. The story from the texts is below:

Why are most monasteries not allowable for vinaya monks? Today, I was Skyping my parents which is something we do once or twice a month now. I feel it is good for them to “see” me as a monk, rather than having them talk to me and visualizing their son from 1999. That was when I left home and things changed for me. We had a nice discussion. We spoke about possibilities for a visit, but I told them that finding a place was difficult, because the monks all use money and whatever they buy with that money becomes unallowable.

“Singing With My Bowl” Today, after I Skyped my parents to say hello, I was doing my usual weekend schedule after: Go walking for alms, and then meditate at Swedo Paya (Tooth Relic Pagoda down the street from me). It is my favorite part of the week. It is where I can stop being a college student and be more like the monk I prefer to be. Near the end of my meditation in the Pagoda, a large Vietnam group came and did a chanting procession circumnavigating the inside of the pagoda.

To receive this by email, sign up at https://americanmonk.org/subscribe/ Last year, this picture (without the writing) went viral. The viral post seems to makes its rounds from time to time and every so often, someone tells me they saw my picture. It started when I was in Bagan for an 8 day trip with my friend Ashin Pannyagavesaka. We did a slow and thorough excursion and walked a good chunk of Bagan when rides were not provided.

Alms Inspiration is like a bright star that shines among the dim. In Monastic life, there are few monasteries or monks that really inspire people. Following the vinaya (or rules) inspires people. It is tried and tested. This was an old picture when I was in a vinaya monastery that follows all of the rules including the “basic ten rules” that a 7 year old beginner monk is supposed to follow.

Here is a comparison of 5, 8 and 10 precepts. The Buddhist who follows five precepts is known as a regular lay Buddhist. The person who follows 8 precepts is known as a serious Buddhist yogi. The person who follows the 10 precepts is known as a novice monk. A bhikkhu follows 227 rules. It is important to know these classes to know which rules are more important to follow. It also can explain, what class of rules a monk is following.

[![fetus](/images/fetus.webp" >}}](/images/2016/12/fetus.webp" >}} What do Theravada Buddhists believe in terms of abortion? Much of what has been written are liberal beliefs and overturning what is written down in the texts. They claim “Modern Buddhism” as a section heading, but there is no such thing as “Modern Buddhism” since there is no such thing as “Modern Kamma.” The rules of kamma do not change over time, and abortion has been around since the time of the Buddha.

Calculation of odds. Do you believe in devas? Devas are the Buddhist equivalent to angels. Ok .. Here is the story. I was on alms round two weeks ago and a regular supporter invited us to ask for anything for our studies at school. I needed some pens, so I asked for some pens. He told me to wait and showed up with a huge pen gift-box. He opened it up for me and there was a fat and expensive Cross pen inside.

This Dhamma talk discusses the key elements of the Kāladāna Sutta in addition to three personal stories that show how donations can miraculously come back to you. Some of the stories can be found at my website at this particular webpage below with pictures of the original items: https://americanmonk.org/miracle-on-3-or-4-streets/ The video is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_h71a17Qo Miracle On 3 or 4 Streets If you have ever wondered how monks survive on miracles when things go wrong, read on!

There are three stories of loving-kindness told in the video posted below. The first story is from Kaua’i, Hawai’i, when a person did not want me on “his” street. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. Another story was also from the island in 2015. There were children on bicycles who were yelling at us to go away on multiple days. Through the power of loving-kindness, things changed. The last story is from 2011 during a trip to India.

CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=190448 The most popular Buddhist book is the Dhammapada which contains 423 poetic verses in the Pāḷi language. What are the most popular verses? While there are some classic chants and everyone has favorites, nothing compares to what the monks chant and what is found in most chanting books. Here are the chants that are integrated into many different traditions and usually chanted after the pātimokkha.

Monk at The Bodhi Tree located at International Institute of Theravāda Theravada (Theravāda) is one of the major branches of Buddhism and is often referred to as the “School of the Elders.” It is the oldest surviving Buddhist school and it is the predominant religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Because of its age and orthodoxy, it can also be loosely translated as “Old School Buddhism” in some ways too.

https://unsplash.com/photos/j3R9C-Xqe1w Warning: This is a long but clear and interesting religious post on what happens after death according to Classical Theravāda Buddhism. Key Points: The Fully Enlightened do not take a rebirth after death. Immediate rebirth takes place after the death moment for all other beings. Kamma is what determines your next birth Lifetime and Momentary suffering Be careful what you wish for There is no such thing as a guaranteed intermediate stage (Bardo Plane).

Robin Hutton cc-nc-sa https://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/35838229270 What to do when someone “gives” anger? Today, December 26th is Boxing Day. It is on this day when people give gifts to the poor, perhaps the gifts you received on Christmas but did not want to keep. It is also a day to give money or boxes to employees. Happy Boxing Day! The Buddha has spoken about not accepting gifts in his famous sutta in regard to those who give “anger”.

I took a small poll among seasoned Buddhists to see who could list all eight factors of The Noble Eightfold Path in English from memory and not many did so well. How can one follow a Path that one does not know? These factors should be said to oneself daily if one truly wishes to walk on the Path. To help with Buddhist literacy, I made a basic video that helps people memorize The Noble Eightfold Path in English.

Irrawaddi River, Bagan, 2015 There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about what the Abhidhamma is all about. If I were to describe a river based on Suttanta values and then describe it again in terms of Abhidhamma and commentary values, Abhidhamma will be very clear in its validity and purpose. I don’t recall the Buddha explaining rivers in Suttas in the way I will explain them. However, I will try to explain them “as if” they were spoken in the Suttas and also “as if” they were mentioned in the Abhidhamma and Commentaries.

Artistic digital recreation of Migalaṇḍika (an ascetic who looked like a monk) The Monastery Murder Massacre that happened in Vesālī during the time of The Buddha is not well known among lay people. It was because of this massacre that The Buddha made a rule about killing humans. For the first 20 years, there were no rules and this was the third rule that was ever created. Before this, the monks intuitively knew what was proper and there was no need for rules.

Burmese Pāḷi I have made a list of the most basic Pāḷi terms which will help you in your Theravāda Buddhist Readings and listening to Dhamma Talks. I could have added more, but there are already 165+ terms. I have decided to sort the words in alphabetical order so I would not have to decide which were the most important. Grouping the words would have also given me the same dilemma.

Only In The West, Only In Asia Different Cultures, Different Views Many Westerners don’t understand or appreciate the old Buddhist texts or teachings. They are very different from Asian culture and history. They find it hard to relate to them. Let me give you an example. This is a picture and story of a bidet (a device that sprays water to clean your private parts after using the toilet).

Einstein formula on blackboard see this [link for attributio](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_formula_on_blackboard_20190401.webp" >}}n The Mass–energy equivalence is one of the most famous physics equations known to the general population. Did the Buddha know this beforehand? We all know this formula as the explanation for how nuclear energy works, but we really don’ t know much more than that. For my one of my birthdays, I asked a monk who was once a nuclear engineer from Chernobyl to explain to me how it works.

If you go to a Theravada Buddhist forest monastery in Asia, you are likely to find a full skeleton or parts of a skeleton somewhere where it can be viewed easily. Some monasteries also have cemeteries inside the boundary like Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Some other monasteries have a place were dead bodies are burned (with open wood fires), right on the premises, like Pa-Auk Mawlamyine and also Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand.

India 2011 Can Buddhist Monks Pray For The Old And Sick? Recently, a life long friend of the family has been diagnosed with lung cancer, a tough break because she is not a smoker. My mother asked me if I could say a prayer for her. I can, and have, but there was more to say about what I could do for her. When I chant the Loving-kindness sutta for someone in person as a “blessing”, I usually explain what it means beforehand and then I chant it for them.

What qualities make up the real Buddha Statues? There are certain qualities of a Buddha that makes one instantly recognizable from afar. There are many features that make the Buddha a Buddha besides the iconic drooping earlobes. From time to time, I see statues of the Buddha that are just not right. When you know the correct signs of The Buddha, you immediately know that something is wrong. While you cannot fool a Sri Lankan, you can fool others from all parts of the world.

Today, as I was washing my bowl, I saw a local Myanmar monk with a swastika tattoo on his arm. As an American and someone with Jewish bloodlines, I am still not used to this no matter how much I know. However, it is important topic for all of you who are new to Buddhism or even for some seasoned Buddhists. Was the monk a racist? No. It is an ancient symbol which often means conducive to well being.

There are many people who are inside their homes, so I thought it would be good to make a small 10 minute video on how to do basic walking meditation inside the home. Here it is. https://youtu.be/e1MCuTxcf7A

Free Book: Abhidhamma Lessons PDF Abhidhamma Lessons Here is a book I wrote long ago that relates the Abhidhamma to Computer Science. As a programmer from the nineties, I “clicked” with the abhidhamma after reading just a small amount. When I learned that the mind does only one thing at a time, it instantly clicked with a graduate class I had taken on digital circuits. It gave me the faith in the Abhidhamma early on which is very rare among Western Monks and Western Theravada Buddhist lay people.

Here is a dhamma talk with a very brief instruction for Four Elements. It is not complete, but gives a small taste of four elements. Loving-kindness is also included as usual. The recording is cleaner using some post processing with the same recorder. [archiveorg id=BhanteSubhuti2018Sept9 width=520 height=140]

This Dhamma talk discusses the key elements of the Kāladāna Sutta in addition to three personal stories that show how donations can miraculously come back to you. Some of the stories can be found at my website at this particular webpage below with pictures of the original items: https://americanmonk.org/miracle-on-3-or-4-streets/ The video is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_h71a17Qo Miracle On 3 or 4 Streets If you have ever wondered how monks survive on miracles when things go wrong, read on!

Here are a five remarkable stories of miracles to tell, but not all of them. There have been many miracles that have come my way when I needed them the most. For the Christians out there, they might say, “Doesn’t that make you believe in God?” My answer is, “It makes me believe there are heavenly beings (Devas & Devis)) who are looking out for me.”. There are other stories not included such as “My Watch Story”

Why are most monasteries not allowable for vinaya monks? Today, I was Skyping my parents which is something we do once or twice a month now. I feel it is good for them to “see” me as a monk, rather than having them talk to me and visualizing their son from 1999. That was when I left home and things changed for me. We had a nice discussion. We spoke about possibilities for a visit, but I told them that finding a place was difficult, because the monks all use money and whatever they buy with that money becomes unallowable.

“Singing With My Bowl” Today, after I Skyped my parents to say hello, I was doing my usual weekend schedule after: Go walking for alms, and then meditate at Swedo Paya (Tooth Relic Pagoda down the street from me). It is my favorite part of the week. It is where I can stop being a college student and be more like the monk I prefer to be. Near the end of my meditation in the Pagoda, a large Vietnam group came and did a chanting procession circumnavigating the inside of the pagoda.

Alms Inspiration is like a bright star that shines among the dim. In Monastic life, there are few monasteries or monks that really inspire people. Following the vinaya (or rules) inspires people. It is tried and tested. This was an old picture when I was in a vinaya monastery that follows all of the rules including the “basic ten rules” that a 7 year old beginner monk is supposed to follow.

Calculation of odds. Do you believe in devas? Devas are the Buddhist equivalent to angels. Ok .. Here is the story. I was on alms round two weeks ago and a regular supporter invited us to ask for anything for our studies at school. I needed some pens, so I asked for some pens. He told me to wait and showed up with a huge pen gift-box. He opened it up for me and there was a fat and expensive Cross pen inside.

A 2 part Powerpoint presentation about what two monks did in Kauai, Hawaii during June to December 2015. The theme was propagation, but the propagation was done just from being monks who do not touch money, and collect their food the traditional Buddhist monk way. The vision, how it got started, stories and experiences were shared. About 50 people were in the audience. Running time is about 1 hour total for both.

[![pexels-photo-13918](/images/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}} [![hatredlove](/images/hatredlove.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/hatredlove.webp" >}} This video clip below came my way and I would hate to say that not only is this guy is correct right near the end of his talk, but he is expressing the same thoughts as the Buddha and myself…well, at least the last part. This link will skip over to 3 minutes 38 seconds. Remainder running time is about 2 minutes. NOTE: There is more I say below after this video: https://www.

Here is a sample video and written instructions for making a self-contained incense holder made from a plastic bottle. It is the coolest incense holder I have ever used. The idea is not mine. An American lay person had one at his dorm room and I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. I made mine in minutes. The Problem: No matter how you slice it, incense holders often let the ashes fall outside of the “catching-base.

[![IMG_20160703_121038](/images/IMG_20160703_121038.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/IMG_20160703_121038.webp" >}} I had a really good day going for alms today. When it “rains it pours.” Although it rained today, I am talking about alms donations. I told myself, that if this village does not give (like usual), then I will skip it and find another one or stay with the shack village alone. After 3 weeks of only one donor in that village, I finally got some edible food….

[![Mala in Hand](/images/malahand.resized.webp" >}}](/images/2016/06/malahand.resized.webp" >}} The benefits of “Faith piṇḍapata”. This is a term that I learned either in Abhayagiri, Ca, or Wat Pah Nanachat or both. Probably brought to the West from Ajahn Pasanno who is/was the abbot of both. This means that when you go on alms, you make a determination to only eat the alms food you collect. When you do something like this (and I am not sooo perfect when I follow these things), you can learn a lot about yourself and the real Buddhist teachings.

This Dhamma talk discusses the key elements of the Kāladāna Sutta in addition to three personal stories that show how donations can miraculously come back to you. Some of the stories can be found at my website at this particular webpage below with pictures of the original items: https://americanmonk.org/miracle-on-3-or-4-streets/ The video is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_h71a17Qo Miracle On 3 or 4 Streets If you have ever wondered how monks survive on miracles when things go wrong, read on!

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. I have a Christmas story for you. I have tried to keep it short but it didn’t work out. When I was in Kaua’i on from 2017-2019, an 18 month run, I made it a point to go for alms by the house to house loving-kindness method on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as a way to get food. Early on, I was invited to Waiapua Road while standing in front of Hanalei Big Save which was my Monday stop.

I remember when I was living in Kaua’i in a tent propped up in the corner of my friend Uncle Gene Taylor’s property. I had just come home from my daily alms round and I popped into his room to say hello. He is old and has difficulty walking, yet he is usually quite cheerful. As part of the visit routine, he asked me how my day was and I smiled and happily said, “Today was a great day.

All-focus As the rest of the song goes.. “And I don’t know when I’ll be back again.” It has been almost 1.5 years living on Kaua’i. I have had an incredible experience here by doing an experiment to see if a monk can establish a monastery any place he travels to through the lost art of wandering for alms. A practice done in the name of the Buddha but rarely practised anymore.

This past July, I had an old friend named Ian Sloan (previously Venerable Visarada ) visit me in Kauai. He disrobed after being a monk for 25 years. He disrobed because of a conflict of philosophy about what happens at death. It was a combination of accounts from past life regressions in hypnotherapy, what he has read by Edgar Cayce, and the event of his father’s death. He seems to appreciate the Near Death Experiences which can still be explained partially with Buddhism, but he felt it was time to disrobe.

Recently, I ran into a very angry man who came out of his house yelling at me and coming closer and closer. Eventually, I won the fight with my two big weapons, loving-kindness and my commitment of being free from money for all these years. I have been going for alms in this neighborhood for a little over a year now, and while I did have two girls yell at me, they did not leave their property boundary.

Koral’s Family Just about every Wednesday, I still find the time to continue with my Kilauea alms round[mfn]map is here[/mfn] (which used to include Tuesdays too). I take a one hour bus ride from Lihue, and then set out on my alms round, wishing loving-kindness to the houses one by one as I walk along the road. In the beginning people thought I was some weird homeless person who might be crazy, but after some time, some fearless people spoke to me and then word started spreading.

All-focus Things have recently changed Things have recently changed in my life. I have now moved to Lihue. Things were going well at the place where I was at before in Kilauea. The owner was happy with what I was doing for the community and I was happy and fulfilled with what I was doing for the community as well. Unfortunately, the owner’s son came for a visit. In short, he said, “I want to visit a monk.

I recently changed my name officially to Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time but, unfortunately, I was unable to do it because the name change process has to be done in the probate court where one has residency. Since I had spent most of my time in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, it was just not possible, until recently. After being in Hawaii for a while, I committed to staying for at least three months longer to complete the name change process.

This is where I live Wow! Today is February 7th and another year has passed. I have now completed 18 years total as a monk and I am working on my 19th year. Of course, my monk age is 12 rainy seasons because I changed Nikayas after my 6th year. I have been living my monk life in Kauai, Hawaii for about 10 months now and things have been moving along.

On a warm Hawaiian Christmas day in 2018, I was off to collect my alms in the village. I was in a rush and worried that I would not be able to find a ride to the village where I go for alms because so few cars would be on the roads. Luckily, I got a ride and as I stepped out of the the car, I did my usual baggage check.

![Radio Tower ](/images/Telecommunication-Tower-Wave-Radio-Broadcast–273x300.webp" >}} Here is the link to the 2015 KKCR radio show. We were interviewed on Kauai Community Radio for about one hour instead of the scheduled 20 minutes. We all had fun doing it. It will give you a good taste of what we did on the island in 2015 and what I am doing now. I often enjoy revisiting this recording, and I hope you do too.

Here are a five remarkable stories of miracles to tell, but not all of them. There have been many miracles that have come my way when I needed them the most. For the Christians out there, they might say, “Doesn’t that make you believe in God?” My answer is, “It makes me believe there are heavenly beings (Devas & Devis)) who are looking out for me.”. There are other stories not included such as “My Watch Story”

Kauai Update #3 I have moved from the Botanical Gardens recently. I was able to stay there for 5 months and the majority of the time there was wonderful. However things were changing and it was time for me to look for another place and now I am staying in a new long term location in Kilauea. It all happened after a wonderful person picked me up on the side of the road holding my signs the day my parents, brother and in-law dropped me off (I’ll get back to that family-visit part later).

Here is a dhamma talk with a very brief instruction for Four Elements. It is not complete, but gives a small taste of four elements. Loving-kindness is also included as usual. The recording is cleaner using some post processing with the same recorder. [archiveorg id=BhanteSubhuti2018Sept9 width=520 height=140]

As a Buddhist Monk collecting alms in Kauai, USA for the past 4 months, the results are in. On Tuesday and Wednesdays as shown on the map above, I collect my food, wishing loving-kindness to one side of the street at a time. So how many houses have given food at least once? About 18 people from different houses have given me food at least once. About 4 or 5 cars have given to me, but they are not included in the 18 number.

mp3 Dhamma Talk September 2, 2018 Another mp3 recording of a happy Guided meditation and discussion at Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. Expect about 35 minutes discussion, 40 minutes of guided meditation. Topics included discussion on samadhi, chanting of the loving-kindness sutta, anapana guided meditation, loving-kindness guided meditation. For those who missed it and want to hear, here it is. It is best to use head/ear-phones to improve clarity. 128 kb/s

Image not found. With only 5 minutes left before we were supposed to start, the security guard told us that someone else had the room booked and we would need to move to a smaller amd inferior room. It was a mistake on their part, and while I did ask to see the schedule book, I opted out because we were running out of time and needed to setup the room again.

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. Collecting alms, also known as piṇḍapāta by Theravāda Buddhists, is a legal activity in the USA. There are some restrictions though. I spoke with a lawyer who seemed to know civil liberties quite well, but there are no guarantees with what I say. However, this information should make sense and seem legal to you. It is legal to ring the doorbell of any house and preach to them or talk to them about politics under the freedom of speech rights.

Aloha! It has been a little over a month since I have been on the island of Kauai. Things have been going well although my situation is still the same. I am still in a tent at Anini, but I have a new tent in Anini with a better view of the pristine Kauai shore! Things are dryer than the record rains we had last month.. and I guess if it were wetter than before a new record would be set.

Kauai Update April 22 Aloha! I have been in Kauai since April 9th. It has been a rough start but things are getting better everyday. If you have paid attention to the news, you may have noticed an unheard of 30" of rain in 24 hours. Actually, there were several days of incredible amounts of rain, but only the third day broke the records. See https:www.washingtonpost.com I was in a tent in Anini Park during that time and I am still in Anini Park.

It seems like that time has come up again. Time surely does happen and so does my anniversary. Now it is 17 years! As usual, for the disclaimer, I am only 11 Vassa in official years. But Wow! Now it is finally starting to seem like a long time! I have been blessed with a wonderful adult life. I worked as a professional for only about six years, got paid like a doctor, and felt relaxed and at ease the majority of the time that I worked.

When Ven. Devananda and I traveled to Kauai in 2015, we did not have a Kappiya (helper) to buy us food or even pay for our luggage. One can live without helpers, but it does take some pre-planning. We had a ticket from Yangon to Honolulu that was dirt cheap at only $854 for a round trip fare. However, it came with 12 hour and 6 hour layovers in China.

A 2 part Powerpoint presentation about what two monks did in Kauai, Hawaii during June to December 2015. The theme was propagation, but the propagation was done just from being monks who do not touch money, and collect their food the traditional Buddhist monk way. The vision, how it got started, stories and experiences were shared. About 50 people were in the audience. Running time is about 1 hour total for both.

[![pexels-photo-13918](/images/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/pexels-photo-13918.webp" >}} [![hatredlove](/images/hatredlove.webp" >}}](/images/2016/07/hatredlove.webp" >}} This video clip below came my way and I would hate to say that not only is this guy is correct right near the end of his talk, but he is expressing the same thoughts as the Buddha and myself…well, at least the last part. This link will skip over to 3 minutes 38 seconds. Remainder running time is about 2 minutes. NOTE: There is more I say below after this video: https://www.

[![cooler](/images/cooler.webp" >}}](/images/2016/05/cooler.webp" >}} I remember when I went to America in 2008 with one of my monastic friends named Ven. Visarada. He was an experienced monk and had good ascetic practices. When we went to America, he did not have any luggage and brought everything he owned with him. Instead of using luggage, he used a simple cardboard box. It is simple, easy to get, easy to dispose of and also more suitable for a monk than fancy luggage.

I recently made a Hawaii video slideshow. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DjEHWNTHQ0

From the pamc lookout. I am back in Myanmar from Kauai, Hawaii. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning. What a long transit back that was. Here is a picture taken from Pa-Auk Lookout point that friends and I had fun taking a while back. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning.

[![blueroomtwo](/images/blueroomtwo.webp" >}}](/images/2015/12/blueroomtwo.webp" >}} I went to the sacred Blue Room cave today with a friend named Narayandass. Its waters are known for their healing powers. I made a recording of some chanting before we meditated there. It was a special time and extremely high on my “Before I Go” list. A recording can be found at https://archive.org/details/Blueroomkauai. The raw recording has nothing added but was trimmed at the beginning and end of the file.

[![Mangala3 audio](/images/Screenshot_2015-11-29-14-04-15.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-29-14-04-15.webp" >}} Here is a link for the Dhamma Talk on November 28, 2015. The talk was the third on the Mangala Sutta. This time, there was a high quality recorder. Talks are not edited. There are three parts. Lovingkindess and chanting. Part 1 Mangala sutta -who are the wise and review. Part 2 Meditation. Part 3

[![race_aircraft_sky](/images/race_aircraft_sky.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/race_aircraft_sky.webp" >}} Loving Kindness Wins The Race (Adventures in Going for Alms in Hawaii) Last week we encountered a disturbing event while we were going for Alms in village in Kauai. There was a lady on a bicycle who approached us and asked us what we were doing. Her tone of voice was not so happy, but we enjoy telling people what we are doing because it does not happen so often and that is one of our goals when we stand in front of each house.

[![oasis radio](/images/oasis-radio.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/oasis-radio.webp" >}} Easy but Low quality download and playback here (interview only, no music) Please try https://archive.org/details/oasis111518-2 http://americanmonk.org http://withmetta.net

Yesterday, I had spoken about how someone took our pictures and who said something like, “I just wanted to tell you (her hand was now over her heart) how much …what you do means to me. I really want to thank you for what you are doing!” She drove off in her electric car that sounded like a vacuum cleaner. A few moments later, the same vacuum cleaner showed up again, and then she asked if she could take our picture.

Dear Friends, Here is the link to the kkcr radio show where we were interviewed on Kauai Community Radio for about one hour. It gives a good taste of what we did on the island: [archiveorg id=oasis111518-2] We will be on the radio on Sunday at 11:00 am Hawaii time. The radio station is kkcr and can be streamed at the main page below. http://www.kkcr.org Program 10am -12pm http://www.kkcr.org/djs/kamran.htm We will come on at 11am island time.

This might be the last Dhamma Talk for Kauai.???? [![Dhamma-Poster](/images/Dhamma-Poster.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/Dhamma-Poster.webp" >}}

HERE IS AN UNEDITED version of the Dhammatalk on the Mahamangala Sutta #2. There is quite a bit of silence in the beginning, so please be patient. Download here [![mangala2](/images/mangala2.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/mangala2.webp" >}}

[![IMG_20151028_112524](/images/IMG_20151028_112524.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/IMG_20151028_112524.webp" >}} Yesterday, we got some pre-Halloween candy during our alms round at one of the houses. I thought that was very “sweet” of our donor. Halloween is a holiday on October 31, in America where kids dress up as, well, anything they want. They go around the neighborhood at night and ring the doorbells and say “Trick or treat!”. Then the person at the house would place some candy inside the ambitiously sized candy collection bags.

[![freespirit~01](/images/freespirit01.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/freespirit01.webp" >}} We spend almost an hour at the library on Tuesdays when we wait for the Thai Restaurant to open. Ven. Dewananda signed this book out of the library called, “Free Spirit.” I was curious since “Free Spirit” was the name of my family’s sailboat when I was a kid. While I was flicking through the book, which by the way was well written, I came across this quote that struck me.

The website Http://TimeAndDate.com is a “must-know” and “must-have” for Buddhist monks, especially when they travel abroad. It calculates the Moon Phases and Solar Noon for a specific area. One thing that was very enlightening was how the Western calendars were off from the Buddhist calendars for the new and full moons. Why? Well… pick a place in the East, like Yangon and see when the full moon is. Then pick a place in the far West like Honolulu and see when the full moon is.

My friend Nikita (x ven Kippabinnya) made this flyer for our new location. There was a request to move to Kapaa which is more central. Golden Lotus seems like a nice place and they have cushions and chairs available. [![Old School Buddhism Dhamma Series](/images/Old-School-Buddhism-Dhamma-Series.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/Old-School-Buddhism-Dhamma-Series.webp" >}}

[![kilaueafarmsSubhuti](/images/kilaueafarmsSubhuti.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/kilaueafarmsSubhuti.webp" >}} [![kilaueafarmsdeva](/images/kilaueafarmsdeva.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/kilaueafarmsdeva.webp" >}}I had to ask Bhante Devananda several times in order to go to the end of the road to see the ocean today. We have been at this location for six weeks now without ever going to the ocean at the end of our own road. However, after we got there, Bhante Devananda did not want to leave. Being the nice monk I am, I let us stay and we meditated on the mountain until it got dark.

Here are links to the two parts of a Dhamma Talk on the Mahamangala Sutta givin at Princeville Community Center in Kauai. September 27th. The first part has Loving kindness The second part starts the main subject. (First 3 minutes were not recorded) The talk will be a series on the Sutta. This talk covered the introductory verses. The files are unedited and the breaks are recorded. Feel free to edit and resend them to me.

Here is an unedited file from the dhamma talk I gave. The first section on Loving kindness is missing. Soon I will add the first talk which has a similar first section. The two hours consists of: Chanting and loving kindness meditation 5 minute break An introduction and general overview of the Sabbasava Sutta. 5 minute break A brief meditation session, followed by Q/A and sharing of merit. The talk can be downloaded Here.

This video is probably the most beautiful and entertaining environmental message on Kauai, GMO and agriculture you will ever see. A “Wow!” for all 22:55 minutes! Subscribe to this blog to receive updates via email. https://vimeo.com/130279788

I am still happy to report that things are continuing to go well. However, we did have a small hiccup, OK, a big one. We moved. Yes, I know it was beautiful place we had, and maybe the most beautiful place in Kauai too. But something was just not right and so we decided to move out and we are in a new place on a three acre tropical fruit orchard.

There is a Bodhi Tree on our property and we sometimes do a vandana (chanting) in front of this tree rather than at the gazebo. We did one tonight until a passing rain cloud sprinkled on us. From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from Sinhalese: Bo) and “peepal tree” in Nepal and Bhutan, was a large and very old sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa[1])[2] located in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment, or Bodhi.

Report on Kauai I am pleased to write you with a very happy report on our trip to Kauai. We have been doing really good work and things have been working out well. My concepts and ideas about Kauai as a special place for monks to live and practice has met and and exceeded my expectations. I feel it is very good for my overall monk life and development. Instead of relying on a big monastery structure for my needs, I need to keep on my toes in order to survive.

This is a picture of the Waimea Canyon Trail. I recommend going on the Canyon Trail Hike and going further beyond the small waterfall and then to the edge of the cliff where the top of another huge waterfall is. The view is so spectacular.

My view this morning after chanting and meditation. [![20150807_064958](/images/20150807_064958.webp" >}}](/images/2015/08/20150807_064958.webp" >}}

[![kauai-bus-information](/images/kauai-bus-information.webp" >}}](/images/2015/07/kauai-bus-information.webp" >}} Our bus passes start on July 1. However, Kauai is easy to hitchhike on. To make things difficult, I do not want to use my thumb and just let people guess. The result? It is really easy and I regret having passes, although it is easy that way. Today we got a ride from someone who went to Kula High School where I used to teach in 2000.

[![IMG_20150627_132010](/images/IMG_20150627_132010.webp" >}}](/images/2015/08/IMG_20150627_132010.webp" >}} [![IMG_20150627_131127~2](/images/IMG_20150627_13112721.webp" >}}](/images/2015/08/IMG_20150627_13112721.webp" >}} Where we chant and where I often meditate at “The Sanctuary” grounds where we live in Kauai.

Ven. Nepal Nāthaputta and I have been going for alms together for some time now. He usually comes with me the whole way on Saturdays and on Sundays, he forks right after the 2nd or 3rd house. However, recently, a new monk decided to join our route. Last week, Ven. Nepal Nāthaputta went off on his own on Saturday while the two of us went on my usual route (good for two monks).

During the Buddhist Rainy season, I was invited to go to Cambodia as part of a group to deliver some relics and see Angkor Wat. While most people don’t know much about Cambodia as a Theravāda Buddhist Country, it is actually 97% Buddhist, which ranks them as the most Theravāda Buddhist Country in the world. The trip ended up being more than 1000 times more powerful than we ever expected and it will be a memory for a long time to come.

Ven Ananda with the two donors Recently, we received six new tables arranged by a monk’s two donors. The tables were nice but I didn’t think we needed them, so I asked the monk why. He said there was not enough room on the tables for his donors’ donations, so they decided to donate more tables so they can donate more. When his donors make donations, they are not small.

Introduction Foreigner monk gets a COVID vaccine jab during the times of the new Myanmar government In this article, I want to share with you some of my experiences of living as a monk in Myanmar during the covid pandemic and the government change that happened recently. I also want to explain why I left Myanmar at the end of 2022 and what I am doing now. I am an American Buddhist monk who has been living in Myanmar for many years.

Recently, the doctor ordered some lemon juice for me to take as medicine, so I asked the office helper for some lemons. She went into the kitchen and then to the “walk-in refrigerator.” I just had to laugh and then snapped a picture. What does a walk-in refrigerator look like? How doe they make walk-in refrigerators in Myanmar Monasteries? Instructions: Take an eight by eight room, Lay the walls with tiles Insulation (optional) Put one or two air conditioners inside Pa-Auk Maymyo: Only 1 air conditioner.

6 Color Buddhist Flag Yesterday, on Vesak, I was invited to go with Sayadaw Kumarabhivamsa, the Tipitaka Sayadaw and one more monk to visit the three very large Buddhas in our monastery and then finally to give water to the Bodhi Tree. When we give water to the Bodhi Tree, it is not uncommon to give pure bottled drinking water to it. Yes, you read that correctly. Bottled drinking water is used to water a tree.

Now the world is getting used to COVID-19 and many countries are announcing a new policy called “Living with COVID”. Now we are too. I will explain…. On March 17, 2022, Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin literally started to live with COVID. On that day, there were 5 monks that were sick and tested positive. When lunch came, we were on high alert. Massive testing happened within the next few days and we went from 12 positive cases to 25 and then to 35 and now we are at 50 cases for the male size and 15 for the female side only one week later.

From Knowing and Seeing Pa-Auk Forest Monastery video In 2005 I made a video called, “Knowing and Seeing Pa-Auk Forest Monastery.” This is about the Pa-Auk Main Branch in Mawlamyine. Sayadawgyi was young back then and used to climb the stairs to his mountain kuti twice per day. I will miss that. The title was meant to play with the name of Sayadawgyi’s famous book called, “Knowing and Seeing.” The book is referring to knowing and seeing the detailed Dhammas which were once thought impossible to know and literally “see”.

Eating Hall Feb 7 2022 Today is my 21rst anniversary for when I first got ordained as a monk on February 7th, 2001. As you know there was a hiccup and I ordained twice (back to back) leaving me with an official age of 15 years. However, the total years is 21 and this is my blackjack year when I first got my name. There were many reasons why I wanted to ordain as a Buddhist Monk.

Monks walking up the monastery road near the library 2014. (Double umbrella) Excerpt from Going For Broke: Monasterynote5: Walkman Karaoke, 2004 Rainy Season is luckily my favorite and I love all five months of it. It is the perfect temperature also, not too hot, not too cold. It’s quiet and the noises around me get white washed out from the rain striking the metal corrugated roofing. We had over 350 Bhikkhus and a total of more than 600 residents this past Rainy Season (2004).

Injection on Western resident monk Pa-Auk finally vaccinated 2000 of its residents across its branch monasteries with a privately sponsored SinoPharm vaccine. Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin branch had its vaccines delivered on September 18th, 2021 with about half of the total population signed up. Vaccination was voluntary and provided by donors. While it did take a long time for us to get the vaccine, the government did invite us for the vaccine back in April or May 2021.

Recently, I got a nice message from a monk friend telling me he was taking vassa (3 month Rainy Season Retreat) on July 23rd (the Full Moon Day) and wishing me a happy vassa before he goes offline for three months. However, we at Pa-Auk are taking the vassa today on July 24 (the day after the Full Moon Day). The calendars often say it starts on the Full Moon Day, but we don’t do that at Pa-Auk.

Recently, I had a serious medical problem that had the potential to be extremely serious. Please don’t ask. In any case, I arranged permission to go outside and then arranged for someone to help me get to a clinic in Mandalay which had the proper technology to properly assess my problem. This article is not about going out. Instead this article is about coming back and staying in quarantine. Because we do not have monastery-wide vaccines yet, Pa-Auk is quite strict about letting people go outside because when you come back, you will need to be on a 3 week quarantine before testing for your release.

If you go to a Theravada Buddhist forest monastery in Asia, you are likely to find a full skeleton or parts of a skeleton somewhere where it can be viewed easily. Some monasteries also have cemeteries inside the boundary like Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Some other monasteries have a place were dead bodies are burned (with open wood fires), right on the premises, like Pa-Auk Mawlamyine and also Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand.

I’ve been looking forward to the Myanmar Internet being cut off, but it does not seem to be happening. I guess that is good for the people here. I will be taking a SIM break for about 5 days… Tuesdays are usually when I post things from the meditation hall because it is the day I have to manage the Tuesday cleaning crew. My job is to clean the Big Buddha (that is me below).

Pa-Auk Main Gate (cc-by-sa) Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Pa-Auk Sayadaw share the same names. Why is that? Some people might question why Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw have the same names. Did the Pa-Auk Sayadaw name his monastery after himself to immortalize his name? Is this an ego trip? What is the who, what, were, when, why, and how of this story? Who? Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadawgyi (cc-by-sa)

In 2014, I came in contact with yogi Brahm at the Mawlamyine Branch of The Pa-Auk Forest Monastery during a 10-day fast with Venerable Mokkhita. He is a great photographer and I thought it would be cool to show him the Pa-Auk kitchen and let him capture how the meals are made for 1200 yogis each day. Take notice of the large quantities of food that are cooked on wood fired stoves.

Of course I’m happy! On November 24, I helped make a nice breakfast and lunch for Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin. I organized 28 monks including myself to be the donors for the whole day meals + fresh squeezed apple juice, for a full value of 1,250,000 Myanmar Kyat. It fed approximately 530 yogis across four sections in Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. But how is that possible for monks to donate money?

Chinese congee Photo By Daiju Azuma - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=567814 Rice soup is most popularly known as Congee (Kahn-Jee). However in the Buddhist world, it is referred to as yāgu in the Pāḷi Language. It occurs many many times in the tipiṭaka (more than 500 times) and it is still eaten today in Asia and Southeast Asia. To make it, you simply boil and then simmer one part rice with eight parts water for one or two hours.

While I have said quite a lot to inspire people about life as a monk around the world. I should give you both sides of the story to be fair. When you think about living in Asia full-time or just for a visit, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Will I get sick?”. It can happen, and when you rely on volunteers and health standards that work “most of the time” but not all of the time, then problems can arise.

A kuṭi is a small hut or lodging that a monk lives in and it is one of the basic four requisites: Robes, Food, Lodging, & Medicine. They come in various sizes and qualities and I have prepared a small showcase of pictures which can show more than just the words. We are supposed to reflect on the utilitarian purpose of the lodging, also called senāsana. Before we begin, here is a small sample of the morning chanting monks must chant everyday.

Going for Alms at Pa-Auk The world has has begun to know about Covid-19 and unfortunately, some countries know it better than others. As a monk, I try to stay away from basic web internet except one day per week, but I still hear what goes on and as of today, April 6th, 2020, Myanmar has 21 cases and one death. The number grows slowly in the beginning as you all might know and it is uncertain what will become of the virus in weeks to come.

(Republished from June, 2015) Having Fun At The Pa-Auk Dentist Clinic (Repost/refurbish from June, 2015*) Because dentists are very expensive in America and the Pa-Auk dental clinic has pretty good sanitary conditions (for Myanmar), I went for a checkup before my trip to Hawai’i. Usually in Asia, you only go to a dentist when there is pain but I had some sensitivity I wanted to get checked and I waited for the Saturday dentist who is known on the street as “the old retired dentist who takes his time and does a good job.

At Theravada monasteries there is no eating allowed after Noontime. Some monasteries only give one meal per day, while other monasteries give 2 meals per day. Both meal plans are allowed by the Buddha. However, some monasteries have no meals brought to the monks and they need to go out in the village and collect it. This last case is very rare and usually done by the forest monks living in secluded places or ehem.

The standing marble Buddha at Pyin Oo Lwin Pa-Auk On Feb 7th, 2001 I took my original ordination with The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Saydawgyi. It was the happiest days of my life and the most important one besides successfully being born as a human and surviving any serious death or injuries. Although there was a small hiccup, it has been 19 years total. I had just finished arranging my residential visa that was said could not be changed from a tourist visa without leaving the country.

I recently turned 49 and I found some old pictures of myself that I thought I would share. It is very difficult to get older pictures of myself because it was before the digital picture revolution. In those days, we used to hire (through a helper) the man known as “photoman” who had a camera and would take one single picture and then sell the prints for about $1 each. It was very expensive for locals to develop a whole role of film and this was how it was done.

Downloaded from https://www.needpix.com Interview 1 of 2 Note: Some edits have been made afterwards to make things clear or to protect the anonymity of people. I am sitting here now with one anonymous monk. He has sat for more than 24 hours in 4th jhāna and I wanted to interview him anonymously to inspire others. So we are here with Bhante (Note: All monks can be called “Bhante”). I want to ask a few questions.

New Update and Summary: Myanmar Visas in the USA now only take 4 business days (It used to be of 3 Months). See Religious Visa application for USA Embassy: http://www.mewashingtondc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/visa/Religious-Visa-Forms.pdf Visa cost is $50 valid for 3 months (arrive before 3 months) and stay permit of 70 days Sponsor letter, Payment, application form, work history, and passport are needed. Verify all of this at the Myanmar Embassy in DC at +1 202-238-9332 http://www.

I recently found this video in my Google Drive. I had a layperson (probably UKZ) follow me around in the line to show what it was like for a monk to go through the alms food line at Pa-Auk Main Center, Mawlamyine, Myanmar. It is not easy to manage so many donors with big hearts to give. Most of the time, I am giving hand signals to get less food. You might want to play this at double speed.

Racism in Asia, Myanmar and Monasteries I remember when I came to Sri Lanka, in 2007 and I met a monk who said he was from Slovenia. “Slovenia? What kind of country is that?” I told him that I had memorized the world map in school, but I didn’t remember any “Slovenia.” There happened to be a large world map in the other room and he called me over to see it.

Drone View. A Brief Return to Pa-Auk Maymyo (pyin oo lwin). In 2012 I had left my home at Nauyana, Sri Lanka to reconnect with my teacher Pa-Auk Saydawgyi in his spank’in new meditation center. It was built by a Myanmar Billionaire, and was still being finished as we were coming to the grand opening retreat. The climate was nice and cool and the food was exceptional. However one of the faults was that it was really close to a major road, in a spot where the truck shift gears and accelerate.

Top: Ma Ba Tha conference Bottom: Reaching out to Muslims to show loving-kindness. Recently, I was convinced to go to a “seminar on peace” this past Saturday. Some of you may have seen my picture on Facebook in regards to a Ma Ba Tha conference I attended. I was told that I should not pay attention to the negative press and that they are a peaceful organization and the gathering was about peace.

I cannot believe that I am writing an article that explains how the monks are fighting over food. It is very awkward to hear isn’t it? On the other hand human nature is human nature. We have six monks who sit at each table and sometimes there is not enough of the special items to go around. And that is when the fighting begins… But it is not what you think.

In the eight plus years that I have lived in Myanmar, I have never seen the Thingyan Water Festival festivities happening in the street. I normally spend my time in the monastery and normally, if I went on alms, it would be early in the morning. However, our Kyownpine monastery goes out on alms round a little later so we can collect real food to actually eat a little bit easier (so the donors have time to cook).

Kyownpine Pa-Auk Branch Monastery in Mudon, Myanmar. I have moved to Yorgo Sayadaw ’s new monastery called Kyownpine. The Yorgo Sayadaw read my first ordination transaction 15 years ago and invited me to come. He speaks no English, but we have fun together. Such a lovely place, lots of Metta here. Good views, cool at night (75 degrees), nice kuti. [![2016032113164100](/images/2016032113164100.webp" >}}](/images/2016/03/2016032113164100.webp" >}} [![2016032113164000](/images/2016032113164000.webp" >}}](/images/2016/03/2016032113164000.webp" >}} This place is suitable for foreigners to live at complete with proper vinaya (monks’ rules).

From the pamc lookout. I am back in Myanmar from Kauai, Hawaii. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning. What a long transit back that was. Here is a picture taken from Pa-Auk Lookout point that friends and I had fun taking a while back. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning.

[![some-wish-for-peace](/images/some-wish-for-peace.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/some-wish-for-peace.webp" >}} Some wish for peace, I did something (story below) I thought I would repost this on my blog due to the recent events. We must strive for peace. Originally posted on WithMetta.net I just got back from inviting 2 Muslims to serve at the head of the meal line for Tomorrow’s lunch at Pa-Auk. Everyone thought I was crazy and that the Muslims would kill me or at least shout at me as soon as I entered the compound.

I made this video from 55 minutes of nearly silent footage. I cut it us and added a script to it. The titles in English are from the original and are misspelled in some areas. The monastery is more or less the same except a new health clinic which i had posted pictures of earlier. I finally got a higher resolution copy uploaded (in full) to YouTube, thanks to a wonderful Bhante who helped me upload it from the DVD Version.

The website Http://TimeAndDate.com is a “must-know” and “must-have” for Buddhist monks, especially when they travel abroad. It calculates the Moon Phases and Solar Noon for a specific area. One thing that was very enlightening was how the Western calendars were off from the Buddhist calendars for the new and full moons. Why? Well… pick a place in the East, like Yangon and see when the full moon is. Then pick a place in the far West like Honolulu and see when the full moon is.

From my oldest posts from GPlus in 2015, which are slowly being restored. A Counterfeit Mitsubishi Truck was found in Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. I had my doubts, so I asked the driver to open up the hood. It was in fact, a Toyota engine block. Consumers, please be careful! In the olden days there were very high taxes on cars. I think 200% tax which made used cars hold their value well.

My father asked me what the food was like. Here is a small video going through the alms-line at Pa-Auk I’m not sure what year this was. I think sometime around 2015

Autopsy Table found on Wikipedia. The table we saw did not have “containment walls” Is it true that forest monks actually attend autopsies? Yes it is actually quite common. After being a monk for perhaps more than 10 years, I remember a senior monk expressing surprise when he discovered I hadn’t seen one. He said, “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?” “You haven’t been to an autopsy yet?”

A lay person named Chathuranga came to the International Institute of Theravāda looking to ordain in November, 2022. He is now a sāmaṇera (novice monk) and not yet a fully ordained bhikkhu. I thought that it would be interesting to show his path to monkhood to you. Stage 1: Regular Person First he was a regular lay person working as a construction assistant engineer in the Maldives and then made the transition to a devoted layperson.

Ven Ananda with the two donors Recently, we received six new tables arranged by a monk’s two donors. The tables were nice but I didn’t think we needed them, so I asked the monk why. He said there was not enough room on the tables for his donors’ donations, so they decided to donate more tables so they can donate more. When his donors make donations, they are not small.

Introduction Foreigner monk gets a COVID vaccine jab during the times of the new Myanmar government In this article, I want to share with you some of my experiences of living as a monk in Myanmar during the covid pandemic and the government change that happened recently. I also want to explain why I left Myanmar at the end of 2022 and what I am doing now. I am an American Buddhist monk who has been living in Myanmar for many years.

Multi purpose hall at IIT After 3 years in Myanmar, I have moved to The International Institute of Theravāda. What is this place and why did I come here and what is mission? What is IIT? The International Institute of Theravāda (IIT) is a comprehensive training institute aimed at facilitating spiritual and academic development of Buddhist monks, based on Theravada teachings. It is inclusive and accommodative, irrespective of sects (Nikaya) and other differences within the Theravada Buddhist clergy.

A lay person named Chathuranga came to the International Institute of Theravāda looking to ordain in November, 2022. He is now a sāmaṇera (novice monk) and not yet a fully ordained bhikkhu. I thought that it would be interesting to show his path to monkhood to you. Stage 1: Regular Person First he was a regular lay person working as a construction assistant engineer in the Maldives and then made the transition to a devoted layperson.

Bowl with bowl stand (maybe Pa-Auk) There are certain characteristics of the Theravada Buddhist monk’s bowl that might be interesting to know, even though the information is quite dry. Enjoy! Material: The Buddha has allowed two different types of materials for bowls: iron and clay. When we say iron in Asia, we mean steel. Stainless steel is called steel. Is stainless steel allowed? This metal was not invented yet, but The Buddha left us with the great standards to judge if something should be allowable that was not mentioned during the time of the Buddha.

Sunrise behind clouds, free public domain CC0 image. Many people want to go to Heaven or at least be born in human worlds but most people do not know what is needed to go there, let alone how to achieve enlightenment. Previously, in a previous article, I explained what happens after death according to the Theravāda teachings. If you have not read it, you really should. It explains the five causes for the five effects to arise (rebirth).

Sattigumba and Pupphaka Asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca sevanā; Pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṃ etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ. Avoid the Fools and Associate with the wise. Give respect to the respectable. This is the highest blessing. Maṅgala Sutta This small quote is from the first verse spoken by the Buddha when he was asked, “What is the highest blessing?” There are thirty-eight blessings listed and you can find them here. However, the first verse is the most important and we will only discuss the fools and the wise.

Every so often on my alms rounds, or here and there, I encounter Christians who approach me. Usually within the first sentence, they announce themselves as Christians to me as if they were holding a cross near to my face. However, I listen to their questions and give them answers. Many times they are trying to convince me my path is wrong and since it is a predictable pattern for them, I can anticipate what they will say, and put logic into their own path.

Sewing pattern from BMC 1 (creative-commons, Thanissaro Bhikkhu) Robe Information Few people realize that the Theravāda monk’s robes are actually a piece of rectangular cloth with no sleeves.[mfn]While some monks use shirts with sleeves underneath their robes, it is not actually allowed [/mfn] If you see a Theravāda monk wearing his robes in different styles, then rest assured it is due to the art of “tying the robes” or “rolling the robes” or what I call “robe origami.

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. Collecting alms, also known as piṇḍapāta by Theravāda Buddhists, is a legal activity in the USA. There are some restrictions though. I spoke with a lawyer who seemed to know civil liberties quite well, but there are no guarantees with what I say. However, this information should make sense and seem legal to you. It is legal to ring the doorbell of any house and preach to them or talk to them about politics under the freedom of speech rights.

Why are most monasteries not allowable for vinaya monks? Today, I was Skyping my parents which is something we do once or twice a month now. I feel it is good for them to “see” me as a monk, rather than having them talk to me and visualizing their son from 1999. That was when I left home and things changed for me. We had a nice discussion. We spoke about possibilities for a visit, but I told them that finding a place was difficult, because the monks all use money and whatever they buy with that money becomes unallowable.

Alms Inspiration is like a bright star that shines among the dim. In Monastic life, there are few monasteries or monks that really inspire people. Following the vinaya (or rules) inspires people. It is tried and tested. This was an old picture when I was in a vinaya monastery that follows all of the rules including the “basic ten rules” that a 7 year old beginner monk is supposed to follow.

Here is a comparison of 5, 8 and 10 precepts. The Buddhist who follows five precepts is known as a regular lay Buddhist. The person who follows 8 precepts is known as a serious Buddhist yogi. The person who follows the 10 precepts is known as a novice monk. A bhikkhu follows 227 rules. It is important to know these classes to know which rules are more important to follow. It also can explain, what class of rules a monk is following.

[![fetus](/images/fetus.webp" >}}](/images/2016/12/fetus.webp" >}} What do Theravada Buddhists believe in terms of abortion? Much of what has been written are liberal beliefs and overturning what is written down in the texts. They claim “Modern Buddhism” as a section heading, but there is no such thing as “Modern Buddhism” since there is no such thing as “Modern Kamma.” The rules of kamma do not change over time, and abortion has been around since the time of the Buddha.

! Buddhist Compass - Apps on Google Play An App For locating the Buddhist Locations Why Another App? While traveling in Thailand, I had an idea where I would like to know and face the direction where Bodh Gaya is similar to Qibla, and how Muslims like to face Mecca wherever they are. I find it very wholesome to know where Bodh Gaya is in reference to my room and where I live and maybe you will too.

Tiptkata Pali Reader A new beautiful app written in Flutter for all Desktops and Mobile Devices. Download: (Windows Store) (Mac OS Store) (Flathub Store) TPR-AppImage sudo apt install libfuse2 libsqlite3-dev (Android Store) (iOS Store) What is new? Build 82+ Release November, 2024 for Win, Mac, Flathub, Appimage, Android (iOS package in App store review) This release is our most stable release yet. It also includes many of the dpd extra features.

Ven Ananda with the two donors Recently, we received six new tables arranged by a monk’s two donors. The tables were nice but I didn’t think we needed them, so I asked the monk why. He said there was not enough room on the tables for his donors’ donations, so they decided to donate more tables so they can donate more. When his donors make donations, they are not small.

Multi purpose hall at IIT After 3 years in Myanmar, I have moved to The International Institute of Theravāda. What is this place and why did I come here and what is mission? What is IIT? The International Institute of Theravāda (IIT) is a comprehensive training institute aimed at facilitating spiritual and academic development of Buddhist monks, based on Theravada teachings. It is inclusive and accommodative, irrespective of sects (Nikaya) and other differences within the Theravada Buddhist clergy.

Introduction Foreigner monk gets a COVID vaccine jab during the times of the new Myanmar government In this article, I want to share with you some of my experiences of living as a monk in Myanmar during the covid pandemic and the government change that happened recently. I also want to explain why I left Myanmar at the end of 2022 and what I am doing now. I am an American Buddhist monk who has been living in Myanmar for many years.

Now the world is getting used to COVID-19 and many countries are announcing a new policy called “Living with COVID”. Now we are too. I will explain…. On March 17, 2022, Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin literally started to live with COVID. On that day, there were 5 monks that were sick and tested positive. When lunch came, we were on high alert. Massive testing happened within the next few days and we went from 12 positive cases to 25 and then to 35 and now we are at 50 cases for the male size and 15 for the female side only one week later.

Pa-Auk Main Gate (cc-by-sa) Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Pa-Auk Sayadaw share the same names. Why is that? Some people might question why Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw have the same names. Did the Pa-Auk Sayadaw name his monastery after himself to immortalize his name? Is this an ego trip? What is the who, what, were, when, why, and how of this story? Who? Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadawgyi (cc-by-sa)

Does Ajahn Brahmavamso Jhāna Have a Nimitta? Ajahn Brahmavamso (“Ajahn Brahm”) teaches about a samādhi nimitta. However, during jhāna, he says that there is no perception of light. He says that “The nimitta is the gateway to jhāna, but not the object of jhāna itself. Pīti or sukha are the objects of jhāna”. If you follow Ajahn Brahm, this article will help you follow his teachings better. If you follow another method, this article will help you distinguish the difference.

This video is an instruction on how to practice loving-kindness meditation. The simplest way is to repeat the Loving-Kindness phrases (mantras). The discussion goes into the details. I hope you enjoy this. May you be happy! May you be happy! May you be happy! https://youtu.be/GLDYNRdDKCE Repeat “May I be happy” over and over again (in your mind) until the timer goes off. Repeat “May you be happy” over and over again (in your mind) until the timer goes off.

There are many people who are inside their homes, so I thought it would be good to make a small 10 minute video on how to do basic walking meditation inside the home. Here it is. https://youtu.be/e1MCuTxcf7A

Downloaded from https://www.needpix.com Interview 1 of 2 Note: Some edits have been made afterwards to make things clear or to protect the anonymity of people. I am sitting here now with one anonymous monk. He has sat for more than 24 hours in 4th jhāna and I wanted to interview him anonymously to inspire others. So we are here with Bhante (Note: All monks can be called “Bhante”). I want to ask a few questions.

New Update and Summary: Myanmar Visas in the USA now only take 4 business days (It used to be of 3 Months). See Religious Visa application for USA Embassy: http://www.mewashingtondc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/visa/Religious-Visa-Forms.pdf Visa cost is $50 valid for 3 months (arrive before 3 months) and stay permit of 70 days Sponsor letter, Payment, application form, work history, and passport are needed. Verify all of this at the Myanmar Embassy in DC at +1 202-238-9332 http://www.

![Thumbnail](/images/Thumbnail-finger.webp" >}} Last week I taught Fingernail Meditation. This is where one uses the fingernail(s) as a subject of meditation. Although this has probably never been taught before by anyone as a standalone meditation subject, it is a subsection of a meditation instruction that all monks are given on their ordination day. That is called, “The First Five Body Parts,” Yes, it is that well known, but rarely ever or even never taught.

I often recommend a free 10-day vipassana meditation course found at https://dhamma.org . Is it possible that there would be a 10-day meditation retreat that gives you food and lodging for free? Not only that, but would they refuse to accept money prior to taking such a 10-day meditation course? Is that possible? Of course it is possible! You see, they refuse to accept payments before you attend the course but allow you to donate for the next group after you finish.

mp3 Dhamma Talk September 2, 2018 Another mp3 recording of a happy Guided meditation and discussion at Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. Expect about 35 minutes discussion, 40 minutes of guided meditation. Topics included discussion on samadhi, chanting of the loving-kindness sutta, anapana guided meditation, loving-kindness guided meditation. For those who missed it and want to hear, here it is. It is best to use head/ear-phones to improve clarity. 128 kb/s

Image not found. With only 5 minutes left before we were supposed to start, the security guard told us that someone else had the room booked and we would need to move to a smaller amd inferior room. It was a mistake on their part, and while I did ask to see the schedule book, I opted out because we were running out of time and needed to setup the room again.

The Concept in Breath Meditation The concept of the breath as it is used in meditation is not well understood. We will discuss this matter in this small article. There are many methods concerned with the breath, but The Ancient Theravāda Commentaries say that one should focus at one area above the upper lip and at the exit of the nostrils. However, if one just limited himself to that one single method, things can still get complicated.

A Tale of Love and Samādhi Explained: A’capella Inertia A little Valentines story for all of you. The topside title is just a description of what the story is generally about. However, the real title of the story is called, “A’capella Inertia.” This is not a short one, but I think you will like this one very much. It has received high marks and it will take about 30 minutes to read.

Drone View. A Brief Return to Pa-Auk Maymyo (pyin oo lwin). In 2012 I had left my home at Nauyana, Sri Lanka to reconnect with my teacher Pa-Auk Saydawgyi in his spank’in new meditation center. It was built by a Myanmar Billionaire, and was still being finished as we were coming to the grand opening retreat. The climate was nice and cool and the food was exceptional. However one of the faults was that it was really close to a major road, in a spot where the truck shift gears and accelerate.

Download Free A4 format PDF Download Free A5 format PDF Tutorial on How to Sit Many times I have given advice to yogis on how to sit properly and I have received raving success. In fact, I asked one fellow student to model for the pictures you will see in this article and he was absolutely amazed at how comfortable he was as soon as he sat down. He spoke loudly with joy and excitement as soon as he was seated in the Samādhi-Sausage, which prompted other people to peek inside the room to see what all of the commotion was about.

In the eight plus years that I have lived in Myanmar, I have never seen the Thingyan Water Festival festivities happening in the street. I normally spend my time in the monastery and normally, if I went on alms, it would be early in the morning. However, our Kyownpine monastery goes out on alms round a little later so we can collect real food to actually eat a little bit easier (so the donors have time to cook).

Here is a video slideshow of my Bagan trip. We had scheduled 8 full days to travel around, and mostly on foot. We had a limited budget and it was a real joy. Basically, the less transportation you have, the more you can take in. However, you need time to do that. Ven Pannyagavesaka went with me. He likes to take pictures and I like to wander around. It was a good match.

From the pamc lookout. I am back in Myanmar from Kauai, Hawaii. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning. What a long transit back that was. Here is a picture taken from Pa-Auk Lookout point that friends and I had fun taking a while back. I will begin the Bus trip to Pa-Auk Meditation Center this morning.

[![blueroomtwo](/images/blueroomtwo.webp" >}}](/images/2015/12/blueroomtwo.webp" >}} I went to the sacred Blue Room cave today with a friend named Narayandass. Its waters are known for their healing powers. I made a recording of some chanting before we meditated there. It was a special time and extremely high on my “Before I Go” list. A recording can be found at https://archive.org/details/Blueroomkauai. The raw recording has nothing added but was trimmed at the beginning and end of the file.

[![Mangala3 audio](/images/Screenshot_2015-11-29-14-04-15.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-29-14-04-15.webp" >}} Here is a link for the Dhamma Talk on November 28, 2015. The talk was the third on the Mangala Sutta. This time, there was a high quality recorder. Talks are not edited. There are three parts. Lovingkindess and chanting. Part 1 Mangala sutta -who are the wise and review. Part 2 Meditation. Part 3

[![race_aircraft_sky](/images/race_aircraft_sky.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/race_aircraft_sky.webp" >}} Loving Kindness Wins The Race (Adventures in Going for Alms in Hawaii) Last week we encountered a disturbing event while we were going for Alms in village in Kauai. There was a lady on a bicycle who approached us and asked us what we were doing. Her tone of voice was not so happy, but we enjoy telling people what we are doing because it does not happen so often and that is one of our goals when we stand in front of each house.

Yesterday, I had spoken about how someone took our pictures and who said something like, “I just wanted to tell you (her hand was now over her heart) how much …what you do means to me. I really want to thank you for what you are doing!” She drove off in her electric car that sounded like a vacuum cleaner. A few moments later, the same vacuum cleaner showed up again, and then she asked if she could take our picture.

This might be the last Dhamma Talk for Kauai.???? [![Dhamma-Poster](/images/Dhamma-Poster.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/Dhamma-Poster.webp" >}}

HERE IS AN UNEDITED version of the Dhammatalk on the Mahamangala Sutta #2. There is quite a bit of silence in the beginning, so please be patient. Download here [![mangala2](/images/mangala2.webp" >}}](/images/2015/11/mangala2.webp" >}}

I made this video from 55 minutes of nearly silent footage. I cut it us and added a script to it. The titles in English are from the original and are misspelled in some areas. The monastery is more or less the same except a new health clinic which i had posted pictures of earlier. I finally got a higher resolution copy uploaded (in full) to YouTube, thanks to a wonderful Bhante who helped me upload it from the DVD Version.

[![freespirit~01](/images/freespirit01.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/freespirit01.webp" >}} We spend almost an hour at the library on Tuesdays when we wait for the Thai Restaurant to open. Ven. Dewananda signed this book out of the library called, “Free Spirit.” I was curious since “Free Spirit” was the name of my family’s sailboat when I was a kid. While I was flicking through the book, which by the way was well written, I came across this quote that struck me.

My friend Nikita (x ven Kippabinnya) made this flyer for our new location. There was a request to move to Kapaa which is more central. Golden Lotus seems like a nice place and they have cushions and chairs available. [![Old School Buddhism Dhamma Series](/images/Old-School-Buddhism-Dhamma-Series.webp" >}}](/images/2015/10/Old-School-Buddhism-Dhamma-Series.webp" >}}

Here are links to the two parts of a Dhamma Talk on the Mahamangala Sutta givin at Princeville Community Center in Kauai. September 27th. The first part has Loving kindness The second part starts the main subject. (First 3 minutes were not recorded) The talk will be a series on the Sutta. This talk covered the introductory verses. The files are unedited and the breaks are recorded. Feel free to edit and resend them to me.

Here is an unedited file from the dhamma talk I gave. The first section on Loving kindness is missing. Soon I will add the first talk which has a similar first section. The two hours consists of: Chanting and loving kindness meditation 5 minute break An introduction and general overview of the Sabbasava Sutta. 5 minute break A brief meditation session, followed by Q/A and sharing of merit. The talk can be downloaded Here.

[![grassmeditation~01](/images/grassmeditation01.webp" >}}](/images/2015/08/grassmeditation01.webp" >}} These days, most meditators meditate inside buildings on flat and hard surfaces. One should try to meditate outside on a nice grassy area that has a 20 to 30° angle. It does not take much to find such a place and if you do, you might feel there is no need for pillows or other bulky equipment for your comfort. Go ahead and give it a *try!

reposted from https://withmetta.net (2016) . When a Buddhist monk says “sabbe satta,” that is a shorthand for metta practice. “Sabbe satta” means “all beings.” One of my friend’s collects the leftover food and cakes and says or acts on this everyday after each meal at the Mudon Pa-Auk monastery. But in reality, even though he says “sabbe satta,” he really just seems to feed the birds with the leftover food and cakes.

I cannot believe that I am writing an article that explains how the monks are fighting over food. It is very awkward to hear isn’t it? On the other hand human nature is human nature. We have six monks who sit at each table and sometimes there is not enough of the special items to go around. And that is when the fighting begins… But it is not what you think.