The Sutta Nipāta is probably one of the most diverse collections of discourses to be found in the Pali Tipitaka, and the chapter from which this sutta is taken, the Atthaka-vagga, may well be the oldest portion of the entire canon. It is composed mostly in verse, and includes some lovely poetry. There is something particularly moving for me about this poem, perhaps because it is composed in the first person and appears to reveal the process through which the Buddha himself came to … [Read more...]
Like Moths to the Flame (Udāna 6.9)
Andrew Olendzki
One time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī, in Jeta's grove, at the garden of Anathapindika. At that time he was seated under the open sky, on a night of blinding darkness, while oil lamps were burning. And also at that time a great number of winged insects were flying around and falling into those oil lamps, thus meeting with misfortune, meeting with ruin, meeting with both misfortune and ruin. The Buddha saw those great number of winged insects flying around and falling into those … [Read more...]
The Context of Impermanence
Andrew Olendzki
Some of the best dharma talks I have ever heard are the ones given by the Buddha. Fortunately, much of what he said was recorded and transcribed, and though there are numerous historical questions we are unable to fully answer about their transmission, I have found that, by and large, what is published in the Pali Canon is an immeasurably valuable source for trying to understand—in some detail—what the Buddha taught regarding the nature of my own experience. I like to look very closely at … [Read more...]
Anatta: A Practical Approach
Tom Pedulla
Like many practitioners, I have always found the teachings about anattā—or selflessness—hard to fathom. And the experience of anattā has always seemed elusive to me. (If there's no self, then who's writing this sentence?) So last fall, when I saw that Narayan Liebenson Grady's "old yogis" practice group at CIMC was about to take on the subject, I was intrigued. The group, which has been meeting since 1994, is for people who have been practicing for three years or more, and who have some … [Read more...]
Do We Really Believe in Impermanence?
Carol Wilson
Two questions come into my mind when thinking about the teaching of impermanence in relation to my life. Do we really believe that things are impermanent, that all experience is impermanent, that all arising phenomena will pass? Do we really believe that? The other question that arises from the first reflection is: What is the effect, in our life day to day, of living from that truth? Reflecting upon these questions involves looking through the more refined and subtle levels of … [Read more...]
Seeing the Truth of Freedom
Sharda Rogell
Sharda Rogell has been teaching retreats at IMS for more than ten years. After living in England for the last three years, she will soon be moving back to the US. People have come to the practice by many different paths. What brought you to meditation, Sharda? When I was about 27 I was going through a very difficult time in my life and was experiencing an extreme amount of dukkha [suffering]. I was living in North Carolina at the time and was at a point where I really didn't have any … [Read more...]