FIRST THINGS FIRST

First Things First Essays on the Buddhist Path Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) Copyright Copyright 2018 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu This work is

Honest to Goodness “Let an observant person come—one who is not fraudulent, not deceitful, one of an honest nature. I

In the Eyes of the Wise The Buddha’s Teachings on Honor & Shame Several years back, I led a retreat

Did the Buddha Teach Free Will? As with so many other issues, the Buddha took a middle path between the

First Things First If you were to ask people familiar with Buddhism to identify its two most important wisdom teachings,

The Karma of Now Why the Present Moment Isn’t the Goal Have you ever wondered why Buddhist meditation focuses so

The Streams of Emotion There’s a part of the mind that doesn’t like the emotions the Buddha labels as unskillful—things

Worlds & Their Cessation The Buddha’s Strategic View of the Cosmos Recently, while teaching a retreat sponsored by a vipassanā

Wisdom over Justice A few years ago, in one of its more inspired moments, The Onion reported a video released by a

All Winners, No Losers The Buddha’s Teachings on Animosity & Forgiveness When you forgive someone who’s wronged you, it doesn’t

How Pointy is One-pointedness? A Pāli sutta, MN 44, defines concentration as cittass’ek’aggatā, which is often translated as “one-pointedness of mind”: cittassa = “of the

The Limits of Description Not-self Revisited The Buddha once divided his teachings into two categories: those whose meaning has been

The Names for Nibbāna As a young man, the Buddha had a vision of the world: All beings were like

Glossary Ajaan (Thai): Teacher; mentor. Pāli form: Ācariya. Arahant: A “worthy one” or “pure one;” a person whose mind is free of defilement

Abbreviations AN Aṅguttara Nikāya Cv Cullavagga Dhp Dhammapada DN Dīgha Nikāya Iti Itivuttaka MN Majjhima Nikāya Mv Mahāvagga SN Saṁyutta