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.. Dhammayut Wat Pah Pong Wat Khao Sanamachai (Hua Hin) Pa-Auk Cigarettes Allowed No Smoking No Smoking No Smoking Betel Nut Allowed No Betel Chewing allowed No Betel Chewing allowed No Betel Chewing…
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”…
Free Book: Abhidhamma Lessons PDF Download Abhidhamma Lessons PDF 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…
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…
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…
NOTE: This is a very brief version of the 25 page PDF on the subject found here. Theravada Buddhism and Sex (extended) The Third precept, Sexual Misconduct is often misrepresented in Buddhist circles. Normally you will hear “sexual misconduct” refers only to rape, adultery, incest, blackmail or extortion for sex. This also includes underage sex and any type of non-consensual or…
Bhikkhu Subhuti’s Blog has moved! 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…
Robe Information Few people realize that the Theravāda monk’s robes are actually a piece of rectangular cloth with no sleeves. 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.” In general, the robe should…
If there was a book that had all of the Secret Teachings of Theravāda, The Path of Purification (The Visuddhimagga) would be that book. It explains all the good stuff, like how to attain samādhi concentration; how to attain psychic powers including knowing and seeing the past lives. Lastly, it includes the stages of insight and wisdom that one needs to…
September 11th and Jeremy Glick I have a personal story I want to tell you about Jeremy Glick and September 11, 2001. About seven months after I ordained in 2001, the famous 9/11 or September 11th event happened. During that time, I was living in Myanmar which was one of the 6 countries that were embargoed. Myanmar was specifically embargoed…