Old News Archive
September 1998

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  • [28 September 1998] Access to Insight's collection of Wheel books is now readable online.
  • [13 September 1998] A short essay on the relationship between calm and insight...
    • One Tool Among Many: The Place of Vipassana in Buddhist Practice, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1998) What is the relationship between calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana) in Buddhist meditation? A careful reading of the suttas in the Pali canon suggests that the two are not separate meditation methods (as many commentators — classical and contemporary — suggest), but two aspects of a single, unified practice. According to the suttas, correct meditation practice thus calls for us to develop both aspects and to bring them into balance.
  • [6 September 1998] Ajaan Chah's books are now readable online
  • [6 September 1998] A Sketch of the Buddha's Life
    • I've put together a modest anthology of passages from the suttas that sketches out some of the key events in the life of the Buddha. I hope you find it helpful.
  • [5 September 1998] Maha-parinibbana Sutta
    • An English translation of the complete text of the Maha-parinibbana Sutta (DN 16) is now available online, courtesy of the Buddhist Publication Society. This wide-ranging sutta, the longest one in the Pali canon, describes the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the death and final release (parinibbana) of the Buddha. This colorful narrative contains a wealth of Dhamma teachings, including the final instructions from the Buddha that serve to define how Buddhism would be lived and practiced long after the Buddha's death — even to this day. But this sutta also depicts, in simple language, the poignant human drama that unfolds among the Buddha's many devoted followers around the time of the death of their beloved teacher.