PURITY OF HEART

Abbreviations AN Anguttara Nikaya Dhp Dhammapada DN Digha Nikaya MN Majjhima Nikaya SN Samyutta Nikaya References to DN and MN

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

The Practice in a Word The Buddha could have concluded his teaching career with some inspiring words on the bliss

A Verb for Nirvana Back in the days of the Buddha, nirvana (nibbana) had a verb of its own: nibbuti. It meant to “go

The Integrity of Emptiness For all the subtlety of his teachings, the Buddha had a simple test for measuring wisdom.

Jhana Not by the Numbers When I first went to study with my teacher, Ajaan Fuang, he handed me a

Educating Compassion If you have any friends or family members who are sick or dying, I know of no one

Getting the Message The Buddha is famous for having refused to take a position on many of the controversial issues

Reconciliation, Right & Wrong “These two are fools. Which two? The one who doesn’t see his/her transgression as a transgression,

The Roots of Buddhist Romanticism Many Westerners, when new to Buddhism, are struck by the uncanny familiarity of what seem

All About Change Change is the focal point for Buddhist insight—a fact so well known that it has spawned a

Pushing the Limits Desire & Imagination in the Buddhist Path All phenomena, the Buddha once said, are rooted in desire.

Untangling the Present The Role of Appropriate Attention If the ways of the mind were simple, its problems would be

Faith in Awakening The Buddha never placed unconditional demands on anyone’s faith. For people from a culture where the dominant

 Purity of Heart Essays on the Buddhist Path by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) Copyright copyright 2006 Thanissaro Bhikkhu This work