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Joe Smith

The University of Queensland, Australia, History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, Graduate Student +2Independent Researcher, Secular Buddhism, Graduate StudentThe University of Queensland, Australia, History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, Graduate StudentMahaChulalongkornRajavidyalaya University, International Master of Arts Program (IMAP), Graduate Student

Linguistics +63

I've held the role of (celibate) Buddhist monk for 16 years, comprised of: 6 years (1986-1993) and 10 years (2008-2018). I ordained in the Theravāda tradition, but I don't identify with any tradition due to focusing on the early texts of Buddhism.

My first ordination was probably the first Bhikkhu ordination in Australia.

My lay name is Norman Joseph Smith and am tending to introduce myself as Brother Joe in an effort to culturalise.

Support me?: https://www.patreon.com/Brother_Joe
Supervisors: Ven. Dr Suthithammanuwat, Ven. Dr Piyaratana, and Dr Dion Oliver Peoples
Phone: 0450665315
Address: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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1,160 Followers 15 FollowingTotal Views1 Public Mention

General Buddhist Studies

The Buddha's Three Trainings, for this very life

Here I explain my understanding of the Three Trainings, having applied the instructions from the ... more Here I explain my understanding of the Three Trainings, having applied the instructions from the Buddha on how to study his teaching to keep it pure, which can be found in the common Early Buddhist texts, shared by major schools of Buddhism. By that method one can come to see/understand the three sequential trainings, or all the practices he taught, as the method enables the Buddha to explain his teaching using his own words.

4th of Oct 21: I added some info about the four formless states and alternatives to identification statements and other minor edits.

6/10/21: I added important comments references and formatted the Pali words.

11/10/21: I added a few more comments and references.

29/10/21: I added more detail about the three (super) knowledges.

The Four States of Awareness (Jhāna) and The Four Formless States of Deep Meditation

Here I try to explain how I understand the Four Jhaana and the Four Formless Attainments (Aruupas... more Here I try to explain how I understand the Four Jhaana and the Four Formless Attainments (Aruupas), which I developed after applying the instructions for studying his teaching, that the Buddha is recorded to have given in the Pali texts, to my experience of intensive meditation for three years and general practice for 30 years.

27/1/21 updated with some new comments and full references
8/2/21 updated with some new comments and references

Eradicating the Hindrances by Comparative Study of the Gradual Path

In this paper I let the Buddha speak for himself by applying the study method he gave for his tea... more In this paper I let the Buddha speak for himself by applying the study method he gave for his teaching in DN29, basically comparing different gradual path teachings. It revealed these propositions about the Traditional Five Hindrances: all items were probably originally single words, so that there were 7 hindrances. I suppose they were reduced to 5 to match the later teaching of only 5 Jhana Factors. The other items of traditional 3 and 5, the two double worded hindrances, originally came earlier in the list.

Please see the link at the bottom of the pdf to the most up to date version of the table.

The Five Hindrances

Here I try to show, following the Buddha's instructions for study, how the 5 Hindrances match wit... more Here I try to show, following the Buddha's instructions for study, how the 5 Hindrances match with the 10 Fetters, the 3 Trainings, the 4 Jhāna (which, the Buddha has said in the EBTs IS the Way/Path) and so the Four Stages of Progress on the Path, SE - Stream Enterer, OR - Once Returner, NR - Non-Returner and AO - Accomplished One.

A Practical View of The Four Noble Truths

Here I try to explain how I see the Hinduised Four Noble Truths are different from what I think a... more

The Fourth Noble Truth - The Fourfold Path to the Ending of Stress Compared with the Traditional Noble Eightfold Path and Hardly Known Tenfold Path

This is my version of the Path, from my application of the advice the Buddha seems to have given ... more This is my version of the Path, from my application of the advice the Buddha seems to have given and himself applied regarding studying his teaching. The right hand column seems to match the 'Four Dhamma Khandha' in the Pali texts. This version of the Path addresses the problem of how Right View/Understanding, is said to be a *Fruit* of Stream Entry, but it is the first item in the Noble Eightfold Path, ie. what is the Path of Stream Entry, which leads to the Fruit? This also shows how the Four Jhana could be understood as another presentation of the whole path, in line with the Buddha's declaration in the pali Texts that Jhāna is the Way. So, it would not only be Sammā Samādhi, the 8th step of the Noble Eightfold Path (Aṭṭh-aṅgika Ariya Magga) and the Aṣhṭ-aṅga Yoga Path.

The 16 Steps of Remembrance of Breathing (Ānāpānāsati

Here I compare or link the 16 Steps of Remembrance of Breathing, the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness... more

20200623 MEDITATION - TO THINK OR NOT TO THINK

Here I try to show that meditation as the Buddha taught it, is not trying to stop thought, or eve... more Here I try to show that meditation as the Buddha taught it, is not trying to stop thought, or even eradicate ideas of self and other. Added: the fact the Buddha promoted development of the formless states and how they would be developed. Added: some clarifiation in the last paragraph regarding I/other and the ''I am conceit''. 30/6 added more detail to the conclusion and some references.

20206020 A Theory on the Development of Buddhism

This table presents a theory on the development of Buddhism in four areas: organisation, texts (i... more

Aṅgulimāla and Kamma-Vipāka

Here I try to present what I think is the Right View of Kamma-Vipāka (Action and Consquences) in ... more

20200528 Zen According to the Early Buddhist Texts (and practical testing)

Here I try to show how the Buddha identified Zen (jhana) as the Path to Enlightenment, one of mor... more

This is a short document to help Thai people avoid getting trapped in an exploitative job in Aust... more

The Foundation of Remembrance from Chinese i

This is my translation of the ''Four Foundations of Mindfulness'' (Satipatthana Sutta) from the C... more

When Letting Go is Not Enough

Here I try to explain the missing social dimension of 'letting go' as it is usually taught.

Transcendent Dependent Origination compared with the Gradual Training and the Three Trainings

This spreadsheet compares the three teachings, in the way I believe the Buddha instructed monks t... more

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu - Practice Method

Here I compare Buddhadasa Bhikkhu's way of teaching Mindfulness with Breathing, to the records in... more

What is 'the mind'

Here I try to bring clarity to the use of the word 'mind', as it seems even various branches Psyc... more Here I try to bring clarity to the use of the word 'mind', as it seems even various branches Psychology do not agree on it. Then I try to give some practical applications of this clearer definition.

Updated 15th of August 2019 with the conclusion, modification regarding sense awareness in meditation and discussions of brain study and eating.

Updated 3rd of June 2019, with the simile about wandering thought.

20190113 an9.36 review.pdf

Here I give my brief analysis of AN9.36 for later doctrines, or Adhamma.

20190128 present or future focus.pdf

I counter the suggestion by Kim and Parikh that the Buddha taught 'presentism' - a sole focus on ... more

The Bāhiya Instruction and the Theory of Bare Awareness

I suggest 'bare attention' is interpreted in such a way, that it is not consistent with Dhamma/Dh... more

The Buddha's Three Trainings, for this very life

Here I explain my understanding of the Three Trainings, having applied the instructions from the ... more Here I explain my understanding of the Three Trainings, having applied the instructions from the Buddha on how to study his teaching to keep it pure, which can be found in the common Early Buddhist texts, shared by major schools of Buddhism. By that method one can come to see/understand the three sequential trainings, or all the practices he taught, as the method enables the Buddha to explain his teaching using his own words.

4th of Oct 21: I added some info about the four formless states and alternatives to identification statements and other minor edits.

6/10/21: I added important comments references and formatted the Pali words.

11/10/21: I added a few more comments and references.

29/10/21: I added more detail about the three (super) knowledges.

The Four States of Awareness (Jhāna) and The Four Formless States of Deep Meditation

Here I try to explain how I understand the Four Jhaana and the Four Formless Attainments (Aruupas... more Here I try to explain how I understand the Four Jhaana and the Four Formless Attainments (Aruupas), which I developed after applying the instructions for studying his teaching, that the Buddha is recorded to have given in the Pali texts, to my experience of intensive meditation for three years and general practice for 30 years.

27/1/21 updated with some new comments and full references
8/2/21 updated with some new comments and references

Eradicating the Hindrances by Comparative Study of the Gradual Path

In this paper I let the Buddha speak for himself by applying the study method he gave for his tea... more In this paper I let the Buddha speak for himself by applying the study method he gave for his teaching in DN29, basically comparing different gradual path teachings. It revealed these propositions about the Traditional Five Hindrances: all items were probably originally single words, so that there were 7 hindrances. I suppose they were reduced to 5 to match the later teaching of only 5 Jhana Factors. The other items of traditional 3 and 5, the two double worded hindrances, originally came earlier in the list.

Please see the link at the bottom of the pdf to the most up to date version of the table.

The Five Hindrances

Here I try to show, following the Buddha's instructions for study, how the 5 Hindrances match wit... more Here I try to show, following the Buddha's instructions for study, how the 5 Hindrances match with the 10 Fetters, the 3 Trainings, the 4 Jhāna (which, the Buddha has said in the EBTs IS the Way/Path) and so the Four Stages of Progress on the Path, SE - Stream Enterer, OR - Once Returner, NR - Non-Returner and AO - Accomplished One.

A Practical View of The Four Noble Truths

Here I try to explain how I see the Hinduised Four Noble Truths are different from what I think a... more

The Fourth Noble Truth - The Fourfold Path to the Ending of Stress Compared with the Traditional Noble Eightfold Path and Hardly Known Tenfold Path

This is my version of the Path, from my application of the advice the Buddha seems to have given ... more This is my version of the Path, from my application of the advice the Buddha seems to have given and himself applied regarding studying his teaching. The right hand column seems to match the 'Four Dhamma Khandha' in the Pali texts. This version of the Path addresses the problem of how Right View/Understanding, is said to be a *Fruit* of Stream Entry, but it is the first item in the Noble Eightfold Path, ie. what is the Path of Stream Entry, which leads to the Fruit? This also shows how the Four Jhana could be understood as another presentation of the whole path, in line with the Buddha's declaration in the pali Texts that Jhāna is the Way. So, it would not only be Sammā Samādhi, the 8th step of the Noble Eightfold Path (Aṭṭh-aṅgika Ariya Magga) and the Aṣhṭ-aṅga Yoga Path.

The 16 Steps of Remembrance of Breathing (Ānāpānāsati

Here I compare or link the 16 Steps of Remembrance of Breathing, the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness... more

20200623 MEDITATION - TO THINK OR NOT TO THINK

Here I try to show that meditation as the Buddha taught it, is not trying to stop thought, or eve... more Here I try to show that meditation as the Buddha taught it, is not trying to stop thought, or even eradicate ideas of self and other. Added: the fact the Buddha promoted development of the formless states and how they would be developed. Added: some clarifiation in the last paragraph regarding I/other and the ''I am conceit''. 30/6 added more detail to the conclusion and some references.

20206020 A Theory on the Development of Buddhism

This table presents a theory on the development of Buddhism in four areas: organisation, texts (i... more

Aṅgulimāla and Kamma-Vipāka

Here I try to present what I think is the Right View of Kamma-Vipāka (Action and Consquences) in ... more

20200528 Zen According to the Early Buddhist Texts (and practical testing)

Here I try to show how the Buddha identified Zen (jhana) as the Path to Enlightenment, one of mor... more

This is a short document to help Thai people avoid getting trapped in an exploitative job in Aust... more

The Foundation of Remembrance from Chinese i

This is my translation of the ''Four Foundations of Mindfulness'' (Satipatthana Sutta) from the C... more

When Letting Go is Not Enough

Here I try to explain the missing social dimension of 'letting go' as it is usually taught.

Transcendent Dependent Origination compared with the Gradual Training and the Three Trainings

This spreadsheet compares the three teachings, in the way I believe the Buddha instructed monks t... more

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu - Practice Method

Here I compare Buddhadasa Bhikkhu's way of teaching Mindfulness with Breathing, to the records in... more

What is 'the mind'

Here I try to bring clarity to the use of the word 'mind', as it seems even various branches Psyc... more Here I try to bring clarity to the use of the word 'mind', as it seems even various branches Psychology do not agree on it. Then I try to give some practical applications of this clearer definition.

Updated 15th of August 2019 with the conclusion, modification regarding sense awareness in meditation and discussions of brain study and eating.

Updated 3rd of June 2019, with the simile about wandering thought.

20190113 an9.36 review.pdf

Here I give my brief analysis of AN9.36 for later doctrines, or Adhamma.

20190128 present or future focus.pdf

I counter the suggestion by Kim and Parikh that the Buddha taught 'presentism' - a sole focus on ... more

The Bāhiya Instruction and the Theory of Bare Awareness

I suggest 'bare attention' is interpreted in such a way, that it is not consistent with Dhamma/Dh... more

Libro el Dhamma Roto

This is the Spanish translation of my first book, ''the Broken Dhamma'', which had a foreword fro... more

20190329 Jesus vs 'Christianity'

Here I attempt to show how Jesus' message in the Gospels does not match well with what 'Christian... more

20090407 Buddha vs Buddhism - The Broken Dhamma, or, the Karma that Kills the Dogma of Buddhism

The Buddhist traditions want us to believe they have maintained all the Buddha's Teaching as the ... more The Buddhist traditions want us to believe they have maintained all the Buddha's Teaching as the Three Baskets (Tipiṭaka) accurately over 2,500 years, even though the Buddha supposedly said 'all conditioned things are impermanent'. Here I present teachings that go against the words of the Buddha as presented in the early Pāli texts. There he is recorded to have said to reject teachings that do not match his words.

An interesting observation I made is, to those holding as authentic the ideas here that I suggest are not and are dogma, this book would be heresy. If the ideas I suggest to be inauthentic, truly are, if most of them cannot be found in the first four collections of suttas (the first Four Pāli Nikāya or the Four Chinese Āgama) as specific clear teachings, like ‘I teach the Four Noble Truths’, then this research seems to suggest that the Buddhist tradition has maintained the first four collections of suttas quite well.

20050201 The Gift of the Buddha - A Happy Life

20181209 The 16 Steps of "Mindfulness of Breathing" compared with other teachings

This table compares the 16 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing, with the Five Aggregates, the Four ... more This table compares the 16 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing, with the Five Aggregates, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Three Origins of Action, the 13 Jhāna Factors, the Four Divine Attitudes and Calm and Insight. This shows that each of these teachings are different presentations of the Path, most present the whole step by step path.

4, 6 and 7 disciple types and the gradual path

Here I present my summary comparison of three well known Early Buddhist teachings on types of Dis... more

7 Disciple Types, Gradual Path, Transcendent Dependent Origination...

This table compares information from MN70 and SN12.23 to try to clarify the Gradual Path to Enlig... more This table compares information from MN70 and SN12.23 to try to clarify the Gradual Path to Enlightenment, the Fourth Noble Truth. I've also added suttas with information on the Path of Stream Entry, the Six Realms and the 16 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing, the Three Trainings and the 13 Jhāna Factors. (Now the comparative table is A3 page size.)

20111110 sutta_test.pdf

This is a table to show how easily one can test the general authenticity of a supposed discourse ... more

20091228 Whoever sees Dependent Arising, sees Dhamma - Comparative Chart 2

This paper compares what I think is the original Dependent Arising with other teachings of the Bu... more This paper compares what I think is the original Dependent Arising with other teachings of the Buddha and shows how they fit together. A note to those unfamiliar with Dependent Arising or Dependent Origination: it exemplifies cause/action and effect/ consequence (kamma-karma and vipāka, hetu and phala) in the Buddha's teaching. It shows how one effect becomes a cause and is the springboard for another effect.

The Qualities of the Community of Disciples -Sāvaka-Saṅgha

In this powerpoint I discuss the questions: • What is the path to Stream-Winning? • What is the d... more In this powerpoint I discuss the questions:
• What is the path to Stream-Winning?
• What is the difference between the
Community of Disciples - Sāvaka-Saṅgha and
Noble-Community - Ariya-Saṅgha?
• Are the first three of the Ten Fetters
destroyed together?
• If a Noble Person (ariya puggala) has
Unbroken Morality, what about a Common
Person (puthujjana)?

Calm and Insight in Mindfulness of Breathing from Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

Comparative Analysis of the Qualities of the Sāvaka-saṅgha/Ariya-sāvaka in the Suttas - excerpt from thesis

"This paper is a reduced version of some research I am doing for my MA thesis. It is an appllicat... more "This paper is a reduced version of some research I am doing for my MA thesis. It is an appllication of the study method it would seem the Buddha gave to be used in Buddhist Councils for the long life of his teaching, but which is not even known about, much less applied. In applying the method some interesting discoveries are made: the First Three Fetters would be eradicated gradually by different types of Disciples (Sāvaka), there seem to be two grades of Disciples that are Sāvaka, but not Ariya.

There are a few small mistakes, which need to be corrected, e.g. in the second table of the Ten Fetters, numbers 8 and 9 have not been transposed; in one place I have "univversity"."

Summary Table of Buddhist Council-like Events

In 1956 ended what was called the 6th Buddhist Council in Myanmar (then Burma). The numbering of ... more In 1956 ended what was called the 6th Buddhist Council in Myanmar (then Burma). The numbering of this council does not recognise efforts in other South and SE Asian countries. This table tries to bring details of other efforts together with the hope that all efforts will be graciously recognised and that the next council will be international and renumbered (16?).

"Saṅgha" in the early texts - excerpt from thesis

The term Ariya-saṅgha appears in the First Four Nikāyas only once and is probably a later confusi... more

Joy in the Buddha's Teaching (Dhamma) From Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

The Method of Studying Buddha-Dhamma

Understanding Wisdom From Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

Concentration - Jhāna, Samādhi From Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

Bucknell's 1984 Study of Five Presentations of the Path

In his article of 1984, Dr Rod Bucknell compares 5 discourses to reveal they all teach the same P... more In his article of 1984, Dr Rod Bucknell compares 5 discourses to reveal they all teach the same Path, in sprit. That spirit is the Threefold Training: ethics, meditation and wisdom. The various presentations of the Path are differnt in letter. The compasison seems to show how the Buddha taught differently according to the development of individuals, that is which training they needed to develop. The traditions say the Buddha taught differently, but still just parrot just one Path, e.g. The Noble Eightfold Path. Original article is at: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/ojs/index.php/jiabs/article/view/8631/2538/

Morality - Sīla and Sikkhāpada From Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

Morality - Right View and Right Aspiration From Comparative Studies of Pali Texts

Accurate translations of Catu-(rūpa)-jhāna and Te-vijjā passages

The Four Jhāna are claimed to be the eighth step in the Noble Eightfold Path and they ALL have ek... more The Four Jhāna are claimed to be the eighth step in the Noble Eightfold Path and they ALL have ekaggatā, but another quote denies the first claim and close inspection of the common description from the Buddha contradicts the second.

The Te-vijjā, first two of the Three Knowledges, are claimed to be about "past lives", "other beings", but a close inspection of the common description shows these two claims to be only half truths. Also "RE-birth" - punna-jāti, is nowhere found in these passages or the whole Tipiṭaka with commentaries.

Comparative Study of the "First" Discourse of the Buddha

Mindfulness of Breathing

The 16 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing according to the early Indian text along with the form a... more

Easy way to make a new garden bed from a weeded bed

showing an easy way to change a weed bed into a garden bed

IBC Biogas Digester for Methane for Cooking

This document shows how I built a home biogas (methane) plant for cooking. This setup could produ... more This document shows how I built a home biogas (methane) plant for cooking. This setup could produce three hours, or more, of cooking per week, depending a lot of conditions, such as the quality of fuel and the temperature. Permaculture is a polyculture generally, so this would be a summer cooking method and maybe wood for winter.

U3a ssc Organic Hobby Beekeeping

This is a lecture I gave to members of U3A Sunshine Coast in June 2021, covering the basics of or... more

Banana and Pawpaw Circle

My installation of a banana circle for the pipes from the laundry and kitchen taking the grey wat... more

Australian Native Bees

This is the material prepared for a two hour talk for a hobby organic beekeeping course. I briefl... more

The Oz Beekeeping Manual

Just a request from the author to include pics and info about my Flow Hive convert from vertical ... more

My Electric Vehicle (EV) Story

This gives basic details about my exciting venture into owning an EV. The original purpose was to... more This gives basic details about my exciting venture into owning an EV. The original purpose was to find a way to work with Australian Law, take care of the environment and still be able to wander: 1. as a homeless monk to spread, what I believe is the liberating message of the Buddha (not Buddhism of any kind) and 2. as a WWOOFer (Willing Worker On Organic Farms) to learn more about living sustainably and maybe help others to do so.

This is a possible discovery on how to catch a native bee attacking swarm and prevent the loss of... more

20180903 bee hive maintenance.pdf

Here I summarise the weekly, monthly and seasonal maintenance of a bee hive.

20190123 types of culture.pdf

A brief summary of communication in direct (many Western) and indirect (many Eastern) cultures.

2018108 Jun.pdf

Similarities and differences between the probiotic drinks: Jun, Kombucha and Water Kefir and how ... more Similarities and differences between the probiotic drinks: Jun, Kombucha and Water Kefir and how to make Jun. Probiotic drinks are fermented drinks that provide good bacteria for our digestive tracts. They usually have a SCOBY (Symbiotic Community of Bacteria and Yeast) also called the 'mother', which is the living thing that causes the fermentation.

Sustainable Relationships – Healthy Dealing with Criticism

Here I try to show egotistic ways of reacting to criticism and the noble or wise way.

Prevention and Propagation Hi all

How I use debris from melted wax as a preventative for rot in trees. How I grow Bunya nuts.

20180401 Flow Hive Convert.pdf

How I converted my Flow Hive from vertical configuration to horizontal configuration (one box on ... more How I converted my Flow Hive from vertical configuration to horizontal configuration (one box on top of another to two boxes side by side) to avoid having to lift off the honey super in order to do the monthly maintenance of the brood box. This is now updated with notes from my second convert in September 2018.

Groundswell, 2018

This is a short list of and introduction to the carbohydrate crops I grow for summer, here in the... more

SUSTAINABLE FEATURE: AN ABOVE GROUND CELLAR

This unit is low technology: solar and geothermally run, no motors or electricity are used. The o... more This unit is low technology: solar and geothermally run, no motors or electricity are used. The only moving part is the door. With the AGC I downsized my fridge-freezer from 240lt to a 120lt bar fridge, then to a 50lt bench-top fridge, which is mainly for meat and dairy.

3rd Jan 2018 I added more pictures, mainly trench construction.

Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries

Manual updated 26th of September 2018. This is the process I learnt to recycle laptop Lithium-Ion... more Manual updated 26th of September 2018.
This is the process I learnt to recycle laptop Lithium-Ion batteries from Substation33 in Brisbane. They recycle e-waste. My planned project is to put together a small portable residence, with possibly 7 solar panels and batteries and tour the east coast in winter, meditating, working on organic farms (WWOOFing) and teaching the Buddha's teaching. Substation33 has made a trailer to take the place of a diesel generator, with 13 solar panels. They also do aid work overseas.

SUTAINABLE FEATURE: MY WICKING BEDS

The main purpose is to grow food with less water, as we don't have town water, only rain (and dam... more The main purpose is to grow food with less water, as we don't have town water, only rain (and dam) water and wicking beds achieve that. We are in a drought area.

The basic idea of a wicking bed is: there is a water reservoir at the base of the container and a soil column from the planting area above. This allows dirt to sit in the water reservoir, to wick the water up, using capillary action.

Groundswell, 2017

I gave a 5 minute talk at the April 2017 meeting of Tamborine Sustainable Gardeners' Society and... more

A Love Letter to Today's Youth

Here I discuss the different meanings of the English word 'love' and encourage more clarity.

Using Numbers in Thai

Here I show how numbers are used in Thai, cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, telling the time and... more

Using numbers in Chinese

Chinese uses numbers in many logical and simple ways. Just add di4 before the number 1 gives ''fi... more

Summary of Thai Tone Rules by Tone

Thai Language has features of Chinese and features of Indian languages, like other aspects of Tha... more Thai Language has features of Chinese and features of Indian languages, like other aspects of Thai culture. It is a tonal language like Chinese and the grammar is basically the same as Chinese, but it has a writing system/alphabet that was developed from the influence of Indian culture. This table summarises the tone rules focussing on the tone.

Thai Consonant Chart by Consonant Class

Thai Language has features of Chinese and features of Indian languages, like other aspects of Tha... more Thai Language has features of Chinese and features of Indian languages, like other aspects of Thai culture. It is a tonal language like Chinese and the grammar is basically the same as Chinese, but it has a writing system/alphabet that was developed from the influence of Indian culture. This table organises the consonants in the normal order reading across the rows, but in the letter class reading down the colums. It is good for non-native speakers to use to help remember the consonants along with their class, which is important for learning and applying the tone rules.

Speaking about Time in Chinese

Pāli Grammar Study Cards

These summarise grammar points from the New Pāli Course {NPC}. I studied this in Introduction to ... more These summarise grammar points from the New Pāli Course {NPC}. I studied this in Introduction to Pāli, a compulsory subject in first semester for my MA in Buddhist Studies at MCU.

The files print out in A4 size landscape orientation. I have designed them so that, if you fold them on the line and paste the two back sides together, you can then cut each page into four cards to easily place in your pocket. This is different from current summary tables available, that I know of.

People can take the cards with them to memorise in any spare time on the bus, or train etc. That is, if they don’t already practise meditation in that time, or if their practice is well established, AS they practice meditation.

I use the Gentium Basic font, which shows the long “i" with diacritic more clearly than the original font I used: Paligaramond.

resources for studying Buddhist texts in Pāli, Chinese, Tibetan and Sanskrit

Buddhist Chinese Vocabulary for DA/T1 based on John Kieschnick's (of Stanford University) draft text book

Fasting for the mosque

Having been invited to speak on fasting at a mosque, along with speakers from other religions, du... more Having been invited to speak on fasting at a mosque, along with speakers from other religions, due to the final 10 days of Ramadan, I tried to present my understanding: ethics is the universal essential training and the extra practices of the mendicants and those taking the Eight Precepts are secondary. One should not form ideas of superior practice based on the secondary practices. They are only lifestyle choices, for a specific purpose, partly to take more care of the environment and indirectly others.

Faith without Works

Here I try to share how I see true works and sanctification are the same and the process of sanct... more