“In other words, the dhamma, or the doctrine, and the vinaya, or the discipline, make the whole of Buddhist ethics. The dhamma deals with ideals and principles, whereas the vinaya deals with rul…

Tradition and Change in Thai Buddhism In the Kālāma-Sutta, one of the Buddha’s discourses best known to Western scholars, the Buddha says, among other things, “Do not go merely by tradition.” This say…

Vinaya: The Buddhist Monk’s Discipline I. The code of fundamental rules for the Buddhist orders of monks and nuns is called Pātimokkha. There are two Pātimokkha, viz., Bhikkhu-pātimokkha containing 22…

Notes on Stupas and Other Sites of Pilgrimage I. In Pali, there are three terms that are often used in reference to holy places, namely, cetiya (Sanskrit: caitya; Thai: chedi), a shrine, which has the…

Thai Rituals and Festivals Connected with Buddhism I. Thai Buddhist Ceremonial Calendar April 13: Songkran (Water-throwing festival, traditional Thai New Year) Early May: Phuet Mongkhon (Blessing for …

Applications and Meanings of the Term Dhamma 1. Literal Meaning by Term Analysis Attano sabhāvaṁ dhārentīti vā Paccayehi dhārayantīti vā Attano phalaṁ dhārentīti vā Attano paripūraṇaṁ apāyesu apatamān…

The Conditioned Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda): A Simplified Version The Momentary Twelve-Conditioned Vicious-Cycle Process   Meaning Illustration 1. Ignorance (avijjā): Lack of knowledge or under…

Samatha and Vipassanā (Tranquility and Insight Meditations): Points of Distinction Point of distinction Samatha Vipassanā 1. Nature Dependent on concentration Dependent on wisdom or insight 2. Charact…

Buddhist Motivations for Doing Good I. Merit-making or merit-accumulation: The concept of merit based on the law of karma, connected with better rebirth and worldly enjoyment hereafter as consequences…

Thailand Slide Lecture Set #1 [Based on the content of my slide lecture, the accompanying notes were prepared by an officer of the University Museum and handed out together with the set of the slides …