Enhancing communal harmony at the end of the annual rains retreat

The Buddha is renowned as an accomplished teacher, and his sole purpose was to propagate the truth of life as he understood it. The Ariyapariyesana Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya (Collection of middle-l

  The saffron robe of a Theravada Buddhist monastic is instantly recognizable to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. But what is the origin, function and meaning of the design? In ancie

The practice of rains-retreat

Part two of a series about the ancient rains-retreat

Editor's note: This article was first published in the now-retired Bodhi Journal, Issue 10, December 2008.   Email:bdsaddhananda@yahoo.com ‘The earliest doctrinal elemen

Editor's note: This article was first published in the now-retired Bodhi Journal, Issue 8, June 2008.  When examining the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in Sri Lanka it would be appropriate to approac

We can see from the study of the Buddha’s earliest teachings in the vinaya-piṭaka, that he originally taught only dhamma necessary for the attainment of nibbāna. The dhammas such as the Four Nob

Kaṭhina and Kaṭhina kusala   What is meant by Kaṭhina? The Pali term ‘Kaṭhina’ means: strong, strength, hard, solid, rigid, powerful, firm, inflexible, and stiff. Therefore, Kaṭhina kusala means: ‘v