Bodhi Leaves
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Buddhist Therapy
by Ruth Walshe
read by Judy Swift
Part 18 of the Bodhi Leaves series
An audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 18"Is Buddhism closely related to psychology? To some extent, yes - but with one tremendous difference: While psychology helps you to understand yourself intellectually and, at best emotionally, Buddhism helps you to get beyond the intellect to the actual experience of life itself. That's why applied Buddhism goes so much deeper than any school of psychology can ever claim to do..."
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The Buddha's Practical Teaching
by John D. Ireland
read by Jim Swift
Part 25 of the Bodhi Leaves series
"To summarise what has been indicated above, our aim should be complete deliverance from suffering, or stated positively, the unconditioned and perfect happiness of Nibbāna; to be differentiated from other forms of happiness which are imperfect because 'conditioned' by impermanence, and thus liable to revert to suffering when circumstances or 'the conditions' change. By an understanding of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism we are set in the right direction to achieve this aim. But to reach this understanding the mind must be carefully prepared by moral discipline and other virtues, released from the grip of worldly pleasures and emotions and reach a state of clarity and purity through meditation and wise discrimination. Then by reflection on the three characteristics of existence, the impermanence, suffering and absence of an underlying entity, this understanding will arise giving assurance and confidence. The practical nature of the Buddha's teaching is that it leads one gradually step by step, like a building raised brick by brick upon secure foundations." -John D. Ireland
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Three Buddhist Tales
by H. Hecker
read by H. Nelson
Part 56 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 56, "Three Buddhist Tales" found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. II as well as at BPS. "Three Buddhist Tales" consists of The Old Weaver by Dr. H. Hecker, Of Dogs and Men by James Allen, and The Mother and His Son by Kosho Yamamoto.
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The Law of Karma and Mindfulness
by Karel Werner
read by Judy Swift
Part 61 of the Bodhi Leaves series
By performing an act of body, speech or mind as the outcome of one's volition, one also creates a possibility to act in a similar way in future. One, so to speak, lays foundations for creating a way of behaving, a habit or a tendency. In other words, one adds some new or strengthens some old feature of one's personality, perpetuating thereby one's state of conditioned existence and determining the quality of one's future character.
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The Buddha: A Unique Teacher
by Francis Story
read by Sanjeev Kumar
Part 63 of the Bodhi Leaves series
History has produced many great figures, but none in this present cycle or time as impressive and memorable as that of Siddhattha Gotama, the Sakyan prince who became the world's greatest spiritual guide. He was unique as a personality, and unique as a teacher. There have been countless Enlightened Ones before him and there will be more, as long as samsara endures, but he is the only one of whom we have actual historical knowledge, and his life has been a source of wonder and inspiration for more than twenty centuries. It continues to be so today.
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The Elimination of Anger
With Two Stories Retold From the Buddhist Texts
by Ven. K. Piyatissa Thera
read by Sophia Ojha
Part 68 of the Bodhi Leaves series
The Elimination of Anger, by Ven. K. Piyatissa Thera is a helpful manual highlighting methods that the Buddha taught to help understand and deal with anger. It also contains two stories retold from Buddhist texts, The Reviler and The Anger-eating Demon.
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The Taste of Freedom
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
read by Kalvin Kochhar
Part 71 of the Bodhi Leaves series
If one practises the Dhamma to a limited extent, leading a house-hold life in accordance with righteous principles, then one experiences in return a limited measure of freedom; if one practises the Dhamma to a fuller extent, going forth into the homeless state of monkhood, dwelling in seclusion adorned with the virtues of a recluse, contemplating the rise and fall of all conditioned things, then one experiences a fuller measure of freedom; and if one practises the Dhamma to its consummation, realising in this present life the goal of final deliverance, then one experiences a freedom that is measureless.
At every level the flavour of the Teaching is of a single nature, the flavour of freedom. It is only the degree to which this flavour is enjoyed that differs, and the difference in degree is precisely proportional to the extent of one's practice. Practise a little Dhamma and one reaps a little freedom, practise abundant Dhamma and one reaps abundant freedom. The Dhamma brings its own reward of freedom, always with the exactness of a scientific law.
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The Development of the Will and Perfection of Energy
by Wladyslaw Misiewicz
read by Wladyslaw Swift
Part 72 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 72, 'The Development of the Will' and 'Perfection of Energy' found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. III as well as at Buddhist Publication Society. Excerpt from The Development of Will by Wladyslaw Misiewicz No force in the human system can be properly used unless it is rightly directed. As the will is the only factor in man that has the power to direct or control, a thorough development of the will becomes absolutely necessary in order to have a clear understanding of its application under every circumstance. From Perfection of Energy by Shantideva Having become patient through practising the Perfection of Forbearance, one should cultivate energetic effort, for it is by effort that Enlightenment is gained. Just as there is no movement without wind, there is no performance of merit without energy.
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Two Buddhist Essays
The Buddha's Two Voices and A Buddhist Sermonette
by J. F. McKechnie
read by Karen Blochlinger
Part 80 of the Bodhi Leaves series
As a profound thinker, as the most profound thinker the world has ever known, the Buddha had two ways of speaking to people. At one time he would address them in words that expressed the utmost depth of his knowledge. At other times he would tell them simple things within the compass of their ready understanding, in words that were taken from the ordinary speech used among themselves. In both modes of speech, he spoke what was true. But in the former mode he spoke what was final, ultimate truth and fact; in the latter mode, what was true for the people and the time to and in which he spoke.
We use these words "universe" and "things" because they are terms of current speech, and there are no others available to express more nearly what we mean; but in the Buddhist way of envisaging life there is no "universe" and no "things" in the sense in which these words are ordinarily used. For the Buddhist way of envisaging what is here is one that is not satisfied to skim surfaces, but goes into things, penetrates them, and seeks to find out what they are at the bottom.
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Meditating on No-Self
A Dhamma Talk
by Ayya Khema
read by Sophia Odja
Part 95 of the Bodhi Leaves series
Clinging is the greatest possessiveness and attachment we have. As long as we cling we cannot see reality. We cannot see reality because clinging is in the way. Clinging colours whatever we believe to be true. Now it is not possible to say "all right, I'll stop clinging." We can't do that. The process of taking the "me" apart, of not believing any more that this is one whole, is a gradual one. But if meditation has any benefit and success, it must show that first of all there is mind and there is body.
If we really want to get rid of suffering, completely and totally, then clinging has to go. The spiritual path is never one of achievement; it is always one of letting go. The more we let go, the more there is empty and open space for us to see reality. Because what we let go of is no longer there, there is the possibility of just moving without clinging to the results of the movement. As long as we cling to the results of what we do, as long as we cling to the results of what we think, we are bound, we are hemmed in.
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An Exhortation and Self-image or Self-knowledge?
Two Dhamma Talks
by Ayya Khema
read by Kalvin Kochhar
Part 105 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaf No. 105 by Ayya Khema, An Exhortation and Self-Image or Self-Knowledge.
Excerpt from An Exhortation:
Self-identification with one's state of being is the great trap. So, we must first become aware of the props we use to maintain who we think we are. It begins with: "I'm a woman" or "I'm a man." There's strong identification. There's strong support for the ego, for that "I am" is the ego itself talking. Next, we identify with our abilities and our knowledge. "This is what I can do!" and "This is what I know." Two further strong supports for the ego.
Excerpt from Self-Image or Self-Knowledge:
Let go of all self-images, of all ideations, of all hopes and plans. Then, you can dwell in this particular moment - and no one can take that away from you. It can't disappear, or be broken, or get lost. It just is. Security lies in the simple fact that in essence one has nothing, and one is nothing.
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The Training of the Heart
A Talk Given to a Group of Western Monks From Watbovornives Bangkok
by Ajahn Chah
read by Karen Blochlinger
Part 107 of the Bodhi Leaves series
The nature of our heart is such that whenever it clings and grasps there is agitation and confusion. First it might wander over there, then it might wander over here. When we come to observe this agitation, we might think that it's impossible to train the heart and so we suffer accordingly. We don't understand that this is the way the heart is. There will be thoughts and feelings moving about like this even though we are practicing, trying to attain peace. That's the way it is.
When we have contemplated many times the nature of the heart, then we will come to understand that this heart is just as it is and can't be otherwise. We will know that the heart's ways are just as they are. That's its nature. If we see this clearly, then we can detach from thoughts and feelings. And we don't have to add on anything more by constantly having to tell ourselves that "that's just the way it is". When the heart truly understands, it lets go of everything. Thinking and feeling will still be there, but that very thinking and feeling will be deprived of power.
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Why the Buddha Did Not Preach to a Hungry Man
Buddhist Reflections on Affluence and Poverty
by Louis van Loon
read by Judy Swift
Part 121 of the Bodhi Leaves series
Excerpt from Why the Buddha Did Not Preach to a Hungry Man by Louis van Loon
... what makes one man poor and another rich is not only a question of material possessions, how much they consume or the extent to which they are able to satisfy their cravings. This is determined largely by the manner in which they subjectively experience and psychologically evaluate a feeling of well-being in the context of the environment in which they happen to be situated. Indeed, poverty" and affluence" are largely relative terms: quantitatively, a well-to-do member of a primitive Bushman society is still desperately poor compared with an urbanised African who may well own a radio, a guitar, a good suit and some cattle at his homeland kraal. He, however, is appallingly destitute when his lifestyle is contrasted with that of a white artisan who, in turn, envies the earning capacity, and everything that goes with it, of a Johannesburg business executive who, however, may well earn, and be able to afford only as much as a New York dockworker.
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The Living Message of the Dhammapada
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
read by Jonathan Nelson
Part 129 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 129, ' The Living Message of the Dhammapada' found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. V
Excerpt from The Living Message of the Dhammapada by Bhikkhu Bodhi The Dhammapada is a work familiar to every devout Buddhist and to every serious student of Buddhism. This small collection of 423 verses on the Buddha's doctrine is so rich in insights that it might be considered the perfect compendium of the Dhamma in its practical dimensions. To draw out the living message of any great spiritual classic, it is not enough for us merely to investigate it in terms of questions that might be posed by scientific scholarship. We have to take a step beyond scholarly examination and seek to make an application of those teachings to ourselves in our present condition.
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Of Mindsets and Monkeypots
And Other Essays
by Petr Karel Ontl
read by Avia Rose Livni
Part 131 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 131, 'Of Mindsets and Monkeypots (And Other Essays)' as published by Buddhist Publication Society's
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The Healing of the Bull
A Story
by Suvimalee Karunaratna
read by Netika Raval
Part 140 of the Bodhi Leaves series
The Healing the Bull is part of the Bodhi Leaves series, published by the Buddhist Publication Society in Sri Lanka. These are very small booklets on a wide range of topics.
It is a short story of an abused bull, who tells his story to a wise elephant and gets advice on the nature of his problems, and the way out of them from a turtle. The story is about letting go of hatred and aversion and the clinging to security, which allows one to be peaceful.
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The Struggle of Letting Go
A Story
by Suvimalee Karunaratna
read by Sophia Ojha
Part 147 of the Bodhi Leaves series
Kapuri, the she-elephant, noticed that a new dog, or rather, a new dam, had come into the temple premises. There were, of course, two canines residing there already, Kalu and Sudu. When the new dam walked in, somewhat timidly at first, Kapuri noticed that Sudu became greatly agitated. She growled and snarled and barked to no end at the newcomer, despite the latter's gentle demeanour, and even tried to attack her. The newcomer, whose name was Sukhi, settled herself down with great composure and decorum under the Bo tree. "Please go away," she told Sudu when Sudu came up to her, barking all the while. "I have only come here to meditate." "So they all say at the start," Sudu said, snarling. "I know all those tricks and tactics. But once they have a toehold here, they begin to behave as if they own the place. Be off with you! There's no room for the likes of you here." "Who says so?" Kalu asked, coming up to them. "Who says there's no room?"
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In the Presence of Nibbana
Developing faith in the Buddhist path to enlightenment.
by Ajahn Brahmavamso
read by Neha Shroff
Part 149 of the Bodhi Leaves series
This Bodhi Leaf by Ajahn Brahmavamso (Ajahn Brahm) is an essay on the path, and the qualities, that lead to Nibbana. Ajahn Brahm is a senior Western monk of the Forest Tradition who lives and teaches in Australia.
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The Joy Hidden in Sorrow
Two Talks on Death and Dying
by Ayyā Medhānandī
read by Avia Rose Livni
Part 152 of the Bodhi Leaves series
In our relationships with each other, with our families, we can begin to use wisdom as our refuge. That doesn't mean that we don't love, or that we don't grieve for our loved ones. It means that we're not dependent on our perceptions of our mother and father, children, or close friends. We're not dependent on them being who we think they are; we no longer believe that our happiness depends on their love for us, or their not leaving, not dying. We're able to surrender to the rhythm of life and death, to the natural law, and to the Dhamma of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Learn more with the audiobook The Joy Hidden in Sorrow by Ayya Medhanandi.
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The Ending of Things
by Ajahn Brahmavaṃso
read by Sophia Odja
Part 153 of the Bodhi Leaves series
Once a person understands the rise and fall of all phenomena, then experiencing the worst that human life can give does not make one tremble. You know that it's something passing just as the wind passes your face. You don't know where that wind comes from, and you can't tell where that wind is going. All you know is that a wind is blowing. You don't know when that wind is going to end, nor if it will get stronger or weaker. Like the weather, the forecast for moods is "changeable."
All the feelings (vedan?) that arise in the mind, and all the feelings that impinge upon the body, arise and pass away. Even though you try as best as you can to control these feelings in your life, though you try to get only the pleasant feelings and to ward off the painful ones, you never know where they are coming from or when they will go.
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