During the Buddha’s lifetime he was given numerous epithets to highlight or praise his outstanding qualities. Some of these include the Happy One, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Lord of Creatures, Teacher, etc. One of the most interesting of these … Read the rest
The Kacchapa Jataka is one of several rude stories in the Jataka and has, I think, never been translated into English before. Like several other risqué stories in the collection, Professor E. B. Cowell who edited the first complete English … Read the rest
The 21st of March is the International Day of Forests. On this and similar “international days” the organising committees try to get as many elements of society involved as possible, with varying degrees of success, and with fluctuating levels of … Read the rest
Like other ancient Indian thinkers, the Buddha saw that existence could be related in one way or another to food. He underlined food’s fundamental importance when he said: “All that lives subsists on food” The quest for food is the … Read the rest
The other day someone passed me a book called ‘Einstein and the Buddha: Parallel Sayings’ by Thomas J. Farlane. “Now that might be an interesting read” I thought to myself. If ever you need to be reminded of the truth … Read the rest
The Buddha was long-lived by the standards of the time which is remarkable given that after he became a monk his life was a hard one – eating scraps, often sleeping in the open and spending much of the year … Read the rest
So extraordinary was the Buddha, so unerringly kind and wise, and so positive was an encounter with him, that is would change people’s lives. Even while he was alive legends were told about him. In the centuries after his final … Read the rest
What is often referred to as “the silence of the Buddha” has become almost proverbial and has been widely commented on by both academic and popular writers. Some have claimed that the Buddha remained silent when asked questions about ultimate … Read the rest
A great deal of discussion has been given to the last meal the Buddha ate before he passed into final Nirvana. The Mahaparinibbana Sutta specifically records that the blacksmith Cunda offered the Buddha a dish called sukaramaddava and that this … Read the rest
What is often referred to as “the silence of the Buddha” has become almost proverbial and has been widely commented on by both academic and popular writers. Some have claimed that the Buddha remained silent when asked questions about ultimate … Read the rest
