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: TheravadaAndSex(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 having sex with one…
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…
Hawaii Update #3, June, 2018 It has now been almost 10 weeks on the island. My life is difficult, but it is very rewarding. I get a chance to teach all the people who donate rides and food to me. I teach very deep things like mind moments and kamma for each mind moment and they all seem to…
Is the light a Nimitta and when should one look at it? When one practices meditation based on the breath, it is possible for the light to come and when that happens and it is stable one can use that light to enter samadhi absorption concentration. However, one should know when to look at the light and when not to…
A’capella Inertia Audio Story (free MP3 download) I have decided to make an audio version of this story. I started off by having a computer read this for the purpose of proofreading. Then I started reading it out loud. As I read it out loud with my own natural expressions, I thought that it might be better if an audio…