“Dhammo have rakkhati dhammacarim”
Buddha said
” One who protects the Dhamma, is protected by the same principles”.
Sep
02
Dec
20
7 Wonders of India: Nalanda Buddhist University
by Root Admin
Nalanda was one of the first residential universities, i.e. it had dorms. During its days it was a flourishing residential university with over 10,000 students and 1500 teachers. The university was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. The library was located in a nine storied building. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning. The Tang Dynasty Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang left detailed accounts of the university in the 7th century.
A vast amount of what is considered to be Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) actually stems from the late (9th-12th century) Nalanda teachers and traditions. Other forms of Buddhism, like the Mahayana followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, found their genesis within the walls of the ancient university. Theravada, the other main school of Buddhism, followed in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and elsewhere, and later the mystic Theravada schools also developed here.
In 1193, the Nalanda University complex was sacked by Turkic Muslim invaders under Bakhtiyar Khalji; this event is seen as a milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India. It is said that Khalji asked if there was a copy of the Koran at Nalanda before he sacked it. When the Tibetan translator Chag Lotsawa visited them in 1235, he found them damaged and looted, but still functioning with a small number of monks.
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Aug
28
A Tribute to Ven Dr K Dhammananda Thero
by Root Admin
The documentary about the late Ven K Sri Dhammananda Thero, popularly known as “Chief”, who helped teach Theravada Buddhism in Malaysia for over half a century.
He is tall by Malaysian standard. He is fair as a Sri Lankan. He is always smiling yet dignified. He is surrounded by people everywhere he goes, asking for his advice on all things. He has brought the teaching of Buddha to numerous Malaysians who are English speaking. He is Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera, popularly and fondly known as the “Chief”.
Part – 01
Part – 02
Jun
13
Abhidharma Seminar : Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Speech
by Root Admin
Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi Thero
The seven books of the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the third division of the Tipitaka, offer an extraordinarily detailed analysis of the basic natural principles that govern mental and physical processes. Whereas the Sutta and Vinaya Pitakas lay out the practical aspects of the Buddhist path to Awakening, the Abhidhamma Pitaka provides a theoretical framework to explain the causal underpinnings of that very path. In Abhidhamma philosophy the familiar psycho-physical universe (our world of “trees” and “rocks,” “I” and “you”) is distilled to its essence: an intricate web of impersonal phenomena and processes unfolding at an inconceivably rapid pace from moment to moment, according to precisely defined natural laws.
Western interpreters of Buddhism are often prone to invent their own versions of the Buddha’s teachings, which they then hail as the sole valid interpretation of the Dhamma. Without a reliable guide it is easy to get lost in the jungles of speculation and opinion,
This example shows that Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi Thero is following his Teacher’s advices with giving western Ven Monks & Western Buddhist people to understand the value of Tipitaka.
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