In ancient days, according to the records of history, the welfare of the nation and the welfare of the religion were regarded as synonymous terms by the laity as well as by the Sangha. The divorce of religion from the nation was an idea introduced into the minds of the Sinhalese by invaders from the West, who belonged to an alien faith. It was a convenient instrument of astute policy to enable them to keep the people in subjugation in order to rule the country as they pleased.
Category: Buddhism
Exploring the philosophy (and practice) of Early and Later Buddhism.
Nama-Rupa: The Mind-Body Essence of Buddhism
The Buddha explained that physical existence is ‘nama-rupa’, or ‘mind-body’. This analysis is found in the received Chain of Dependent Origination (specifically in the 4th link which is conditioned by consciousness [mind], and which in turn conditions the sixfold sense-base [body]).
How ‘Ch’an and Zen Teachings’ Came About
Down with bourgeois racism and the misrepresentation of Chinese Ch’an Buddhist culture!
Canonical Chinese Ch’an
Immoral behaviour is a physical manifestation of immoral psychological patterns operating in the mind, and its presence serves as a permanent ‘block’ to any advancement toward enlightenment.
George Blake: First Black Buddhist Monk
As far as I am aware, Mr George Blake is still alive and 94 years old. He fought in the Royal Air Force during WWII, and was probably the first ever ‘Black’ Buddhist monk.
Nyanatiloka: Playing with Emptiness
The Venerable Nyanatiloka Maha-Thera (1878-1957) was an eminent German-born Theravada Buddhist monk who entered the Sangha in Sri Lanka, and became renowned for exact and precise scholarly understanding of that school’s complex Dharma teaching. He possessed the ability to a) understand and contextualise often obscure Pali terms and concepts, and b) correctly transliterate and translate those terms into Western languages. His work regarding the Theravada School is reliable and insightful.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 