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Readings On More Advanced Topics relating to Buddhism/Meditation The following readings are recommended for practitioners interested in exploring the deeper meanings of the practice of the Lord Buddha's Path to Freedom from Dukkha. They are meant to address some knotty issues which people may be confused about or may have heard some Buddhist terms being used and are interested to find out what they really mean. Should you have specific points of interest please feel free to post your queries to us and we will try our best to help you get some clarifications. Some of the titles may be available in hard copy form from Palelai. - Karma, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1996; 8k/2pp.)
- Emptiness, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997; 7k/3pp.)
- The Meaning of the Buddha's Awakening, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997; 9k/3pp.)
- We've often come across a simile describing the attainment of Nibbana as that of a fire being blown out. Here is Ajaan Thanissaro's explaination of the simile which gives the reader a good understanding of what Nibbana is all about: The Mind Like Fire Unbound: An Image in the Early Buddhist Discourses, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Barre, MA: Dhamma Dana Publications, 1993
- Nibbana, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1996; 5k/2pp.)
- The Buddha's tachings on 'No-self, not self and selfless' are very well explained by Ajaan Thanissaro in this essay: No-self or Not-self?, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1996; 7k/2pp.)
- You'll find after reading this essay that there is more to Anatta than meets the eye : The Not-self Strategy, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1993; 24k/8pp.)
- Here is Phra Ajaan Thate's explanation of Not Self - The Meaning of Anattaa
- For those who hold the view that Buddhist meditators should only be 'doing' Vipassana and not anything else, think again! One Tool Among Many: The Place of Vipassana in Buddhist Practice, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1998; 21k/7pp.)
- Some may be of the view that the practice of samadhi or concentration meditation is not important or un-Buddhistic even. Here is something to show you what you've been missing: The Path of Concentration & Mindfulness, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997; 21k/7pp.)
- Before the Buddha passed away, he empasized to his disciples that the sasana will live long so long as they remembered and put into practice The "Wings to Awakening" (bodhipakkhiya-dhamma). It includes the most important teachings of the Buddha - the Four Frames of Reference, the Four Right Exertions, the Four Bases of Power, the Five Faculties, the Five Strengths, the Seven Factors of Awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha himself described the Wings to Awakening as being what was most worth mastering and passing along to others. This monumental work of Ajaan Thanissaro defines what they are and how they are to be put into practice: The Wings to Awakening: an Anthology from the Pali Canon, translated and explained by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Barre, Mass.: Dhamma Dana Publications, 1996; multi-part HTML book; 350k/180pp.)
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