Bhikkhu Anālayo

The idea of rebirth has ancient roots in the West. The introduction of its Buddhist formulation to the West originated from contact between Christian missionaries and Asian Buddhists. Misunderstandings resulting from these encounters appear to have had a lasting impact on Western Buddhist ideas about rebirth. Although belief in rebirth need not be considered a precondition for embarking on the path to liberation, in the way this emerges in early Buddhist thought, an understanding of this core … [Read more...]

In what follows I examine an aspect of the standard exposi­tion of dependent arising, paṭicca samuppāda, namely the relationship between craving and dukkha. After an initial assessment of the significance of dukkha in the light of its standard translation as “suffering,” I turn to the relation­ship between craving and dukkha from the viewpoint of dependent arising and set against the background of the medical scheme of diagnosis underlying the four noble truths. In the final part of this … [Read more...]

In this article, I study selected Buddhist perspectives on time. After surveying discourse references to specific times, kāla or samaya, as a way of introducing my topic, I turn to the idea of a moment, khaṇa, and the doctrine of momentariness. Then I study the three time periods in relation to vedanā, feeling tone, and proceed to the two occurrences of vedanā in the standard exposition of dependent arising, paṭicca samuppāda. Besides serving as the condition for the possible arising of craving, … [Read more...]

In this article, I continue to explore the topic of mindful eating, broached in the previous issue of this journal, from the viewpoint of its potential to arouse insight. I begin by contrasting King Pasenadi’s tendency to overeat with the exemplary way the Buddha took his meals. Then I explore the distinction between worldly and unworldly feeling tones and survey passages relevant to the topic of fasting. In the final part of the article I turn to the insight potential of mindful eating. Eating … [Read more...]

In this article, I study one of the methods for countering the influxes in relation to mindful eating. Instructions on proper partaking of food lead me to argue that the employment of mindfulness in contemporary healthcare settings to improve physical and mental health has an antecedent in early Buddhism. The Influxes In previous articles in this journal, I studied the three types of feeling (vedanā) and their relation to the under­lying tendencies (anusaya). In what follows, I take up the … [Read more...]

In this article, I study the concept of the underlying tendencies and their relation to the three types of feeling in particular. Based on this I explore how meditation practice can help to counter the influence of the three underlying tendencies that trigger unwholesome reactions to the three type of feelings. The Underlying Tendencies In three previous articles in this journal, I referred to the relationship drawn in the Shorter Discourse with Questions and Answers, … [Read more...]

This is the last of three articles following up topics discussed in the course of the Vedanā Symposium convened by Martine Batchelor and held at BCBS from 13 to 16 July 2017. In two previous issues of the Insight Journal I studied aspects of neutral and pleasant feelings; in what follows I turn to painful feelings. Wishing for Liberation For an appreciation of the challenge posed by painful feelings, the Shorter Discourse with Questions and Answers, the Cūḷavedalla-sutta (MN 44), offers … [Read more...]

At the Vedana Symposium organized by Martine Batchelor and held at BCBS from 13 to 16 July 2017, the nature of neutral feeling was one of several topics discussed. See Mu Soeng's overview of all the presentations here. In this article, I follow up the discussion, in particular the question of whether the early discourses recognize neutral feelings as a distinct category on their own. “Feeling” has become the standard rendering of the Pali term vedana. In spite of what the English term … [Read more...]