The Five Aggregates

The Five Aggregates PDF Author: Mathieu Boisvert
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN: 0889208786
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
If Buddhism denies a permanent self, how does it perceive identity? According to Buddhist texts, the entire universe, including the individual, is made up of different phenomena, which Buddhism classifies into different categories: what we conventionally call a “person” can be understood in terms of five aggregates, the sum of which must not be taken for a permanent entity, since beings are nothing but an amalgam of ever-changing phenomena. Although the aggregates are only a “convenient fiction,” the Buddha nevertheless made frequent use of the aggregate scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual. In this study Mathieu Boisvert presents a detailed analysis of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) and establishes how the Theravda tradition views their interaction. He clarifies the fundamentals of Buddhist psychology by providing a rigorous examination of the nature and interrelation of each of the aggregates and by establishing, for the first time, how the function of each of these aggregates chains beings to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth — the theory of dependent origination (paticcasamuppāda). Boisvert contends that without a thorough understanding of the five aggregates, we cannot grasp the liberation process at work within the individual, who is, after all, simply an amalgam of the five aggregates. The Five Aggregates represents an important and original contribution to Buddhist studies and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of Buddhism.

The Five Aggregates

The Five Aggregates PDF Author: Mathieu Boisvert
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN: 0889208786
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Get Book Here

Book Description
If Buddhism denies a permanent self, how does it perceive identity? According to Buddhist texts, the entire universe, including the individual, is made up of different phenomena, which Buddhism classifies into different categories: what we conventionally call a “person” can be understood in terms of five aggregates, the sum of which must not be taken for a permanent entity, since beings are nothing but an amalgam of ever-changing phenomena. Although the aggregates are only a “convenient fiction,” the Buddha nevertheless made frequent use of the aggregate scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual. In this study Mathieu Boisvert presents a detailed analysis of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) and establishes how the Theravda tradition views their interaction. He clarifies the fundamentals of Buddhist psychology by providing a rigorous examination of the nature and interrelation of each of the aggregates and by establishing, for the first time, how the function of each of these aggregates chains beings to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth — the theory of dependent origination (paticcasamuppāda). Boisvert contends that without a thorough understanding of the five aggregates, we cannot grasp the liberation process at work within the individual, who is, after all, simply an amalgam of the five aggregates. The Five Aggregates represents an important and original contribution to Buddhist studies and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of Buddhism.

Uncontrived Mindfulness

Uncontrived Mindfulness PDF Author: Vajradevi
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
ISBN: 1911407627
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
A comprehensive guide to ending suffering through the practice of mindfulness In Uncontrived Mindfulness Vajradevi guides us in the practice of exploring our experience as it happens. The emphasis is on cultivating wisdom, using the tools of attention and curiosity to see through the delusion that is causing our suffering.

Silent Illumination

Silent Illumination PDF Author: Guo Gu
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611808723
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Our natural awakening—or buddha-nature—is inherent within all of us and waiting to be realized. Buddha-nature has the qualities of both silence and illumination, and by working with silent illumination meditation you can find your own awakening. Distinguished Chan Buddhist teacher Guo Gu introduces you to the significance and methods of this practice through in-depth explanations and guided instructions. To help establish a foundation for realizing silent illumination, he has translated twenty-five teachings from the influential master Hongzhi Zhengjue into English, accompanied by his personal commentary. This book will be an indispensable resource for meditators interested in beginning or deepening their silent illumination practice.

Linked Discourses

Linked Discourses PDF Author: Bhikkhu Sujato
Publisher: SuttaCentral
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 2401

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Book Description
SuttaCentral has published an entirely new translation of the four Pali nikāyas by Bhikkhu Sujato, which is the first complete and consistent English translation of these core texts. This is an ebook version of Bhikkhu Sujato's translation of the Saṁyutta Nikāya, which can also be read at SuttaCentral website. The “Linked” or “Connected” Discourses (Saṁyutta Nikāya, abbreviated SN) is a collection of over a thousand short discourses in the Pali canon. The word “linked” refers to the fact that the texts are collected and organized by topic. In most cases the organizing principle is a particular theme of Dhamma, for example, the five aggregates, dependent origination, the noble eightfold path, mindfulness meditation, or the four noble truths. This collection contains the most extensive range of texts on these core themes. In other cases chapters are organized according to the person or kind of person who speaks. This collection has a full parallel in the Saṁyuktāgama (SA) of the Sarvāstivāda school in Chinese translation. In addition, there are two partial collections in Chinese (SA-2 and SA-3) as well as a number of miscellaneous or fragmentary texts in Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan. Much of the organizational structure of SN is shared with SA, suggesting that this structure preceded the split between these two collections. This translation of Saṁyutta Nikāya was updated on March 8th, 2023.

Natural Wakefulness

Natural Wakefulness PDF Author: Gaylon Ferguson
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834822652
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
There are two essential elements to the spiritual path says this popular teacher from the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa: (1) understanding that you’re already enlightened, already perfect in wisdom right here and now, and (2) accessing that natural wakefulness through spiritual practice. These two aspects depend upon each other and work together. Gaylon Ferguson’s teaching on the twin aspects of view and practice is a perfect introduction for the beginning meditator and it offers fresh perspectives for the non-beginner too.

Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research

Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research PDF Author: Bhikkhu Analayo
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1614294623
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
Join a rigorous scholar and Buddhist monk on a brisk tour of rebirth from ancient doctrine to contemporary debates. German Buddhist monk and university professor Bhikkhu Analayo had not given much attention to the topic of rebirth before some friends asked him to explore the treatment of the issue in early Buddhist texts. This succinct volume presents his findings, approaching the topic from four directions. The first chapter examines the doctrine of rebirth as it is presented in the earliest Buddhist sources and the way it relates to core doctrinal principles. The second chapter reviews debates about rebirth throughout Buddhist history and up to modern times, noting the role of confirmation bias in evaluation of evidence. Chapter 3 reviews the merits of current research on rebirth, including near-death experience, past-life regression, and children who recall previous lives. The chapter concludes with an examination of xenoglossy, the ability to speak languages one has not learned previously, and chapter 4 examines the particular case of Dhammaruwan, a Sri Lankan boy who chants Pali texts that he does not appear to have learned in his present life. Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research brings together the many strands of the debate on rebirth in one place, making it both comprehensive and compact. It is not a polemic but an interrogation of the evidence, and it leaves readers to come to their own conclusions.

Essential Buddhist Teachings

Essential Buddhist Teachings PDF Author: Inside Dharma
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781456403447
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
Although a great many books on Buddhism have been published in recent years, very few focus on the essential teachings and core beliefs of Western Buddhism today, even as it is taking shape in its new context before our eyes. This guidebook provides concise explanations of such basic concepts as the Five Precepts, the Four Noble Truths, the Five Aggregates, the Hindrances, and Dependent Origination along with notes and suggestions for their application. Buddhism is a vast and complex religious tradition that has evolved over the past 2500 years from a dozen or so core (radical) teachings of a man living in northern India called the Buddha. This book explores the common threads and contours that inform today's Buddhism; it is a guidebook for a better life and better world.

A History of Mindfulness

A History of Mindfulness PDF Author: Bhikkhu Sujato
Publisher: Bhikkhu Sujato
ISBN: 1921842091
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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Book Description
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the most influential scripture in Buddhist meditation. It is the foundation text for the modern schools of 'vipassanā' or 'insight' meditation. The well-known Pali discourse is, however, only one of many early Buddhist texts that deal with mindfulness. This is the first full-scale study to encompass all extant versions of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, taking into account the dynamic evolution of the Buddhist scriptures and the broader Indian meditative culture. A new vision emerges from this groundbreaking study: mindfulness is not a system of 'dry insight' but is the 'way to convergence' leading the mind to deep states of peace.

Satipaṭṭhāna

Satipaṭṭhāna PDF Author: Anālayo
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
ISBN: 9781899579549
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
"This book helps to fill what has long been a glaring gap in the scholarship of early Buddhism, offering us a detailed textual study of the Satipatthāna Sutta, the foundational Buddhist discourse on meditation practice."--Back cover.

Meditation on Perception

Meditation on Perception PDF Author: Henepola Gunaratana
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1614291055
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Use the unique Buddhist practice of meditation on perception, as taught by the best-selling author of Mindfulness in Plain English, to learn how shifting your perspective can transform mental and physical health. Perception—one of the basic constituents of the body and mind—can be both a source of suffering and pain, as well as a source of happiness and health. The Buddhist tradition teaches that perception can be trained and ultimately purified through the practice of meditation. When we understand how perception impacts our lives, we can use it, just as we do any other object of meditation, to overcome harmful ways of thinking and acting and to develop healthy states of mind instead. In Meditation on Perception Bhante G brings us, for the first time in English, an illuminating introduction to the unique Buddhist practice of meditation on perception as taught in the popular Girimananda Sutta. The ten healing practices that comprise meditation on perception make up a comprehensive system of meditation, combining aspects of both tranquility and insight meditation. Tranquility meditation is used to calm and center the mind, and insight meditation is used to understand more clearly how we ordinarily perceive ourselves and the world around us. Alternating between these two practices, meditators cultivate purified perception as explained by the Buddha. As a result of these efforts, we progress on the path that leads to freedom, once and for all, from illness, confusion, and other forms of physical and mental suffering. Meditation on Perception gives us the keys to move beyond ordinary, superficial perception into an enlightened perspective, freed from confusion and unhappiness.