Simple|Suttas Podcast

Have you ever taken a vacation and gone to a cabin in the woods? Maybe rented a little place on the north shore? And when the sun is starting to set you come back from a long walk, start a little fire in the stove, and sit in an easy chair. You don’t read. There’s … Continue reading Cabin in the Woods

In one of my favorite little suttas, the Buddha shows how leading a good life is the key to deep states of meditation and finally to liberation, not the other way around. As with the Eightfold Path, each step can be strengthened by strengthening the … Continue reading One Things Leads to Another

Long ago there was a spiritual teacher named Araka. He was wise and free of lust. He had many students. He taught: “The life of a person is short, miserable, and filled with problems. So a wise person will follow the holy life. After all, … Continue reading Life is Short and Fleeting

This tiny little excerpt from a sutta might make a wonderful teaching to memorize and say before you meditate, go to sleep, or get on an airplane. A wise person who is truly free Will always sleep well. They are not corrupted by lust. Their … Continue reading The Heart is Free

There are many wonderful translations of the metta sutta. I’m not saying this is better than any of the others, but I wanted to try my hand at it, and give it the simple|suttas treatment. To train in goodness, to find peace This is what … Continue reading Metta Sutta Translation

This sutta lays out the main points of Buddhist philosophy in a few simply lines. The beginning of all things cannot be found. You will never find the first cause of beings wandering on snagged by ignorance and imprisoned by desire. Someday the ocean will … Continue reading Dog on a Leash

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is said to be the first teaching given by the Buddha to the 5 ascetics. It lays out the whole of the teaching in the clearest possible way. This is the Truth of Suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, sickness … Continue reading Set Rolling the Wheel of Truth

The Anattalakkhana Sutta was the second teaching the Buddha gave to the 5 ascetics. It is all about the true nature of self. Your body is not your true self. If your body was your true self, it wouldn’t lead to pain and suffering. If … Continue reading Without Essence

Podcast: Is Kamma Fair?

Yet another poem from the Theragatha. This is certainly one of the most dramatic stories in all of the canon. Subha was the beautiful daughter of a powerful brahmin. She studied with Ven. Pajāpatī, and reached the attainment of once-returner. In this poem she tells … Continue reading The Most Dramatic Story in the Canon?

Filed under: Audio, Buddhism, Podcast

This poem from the Theragatha, a collection of poems by the first couple of generations of Buddhist nuns. This poem paints quite a story. Vasitthi had a happy marriage, and a young son. But when he was still a small boy, he suddenly died. Vasitthi … Continue reading Vasitthi The Mad Woman

Another poem from the Theragatha. Ambapali was found as a baby by a gardener at foot of a mango tree in the king’s gardens. She was beautiful, but had not family, so she became a courtesan. She grew rich, and later in life converted to … Continue reading Ambapali The Former Courtesan

Filed under: Audio, Buddhism, Podcast

This sweet teaching was given to the young monk Rahula: the Buddha’s son. [The Buddha] Do you honor the wise one, the renunciate, the torch bearer who shows the way? [Rahula] I do honor the wise one, the renunciate, the torch bearer who shows the … Continue reading Advice to Rahula