Old News Archive
July-September 2002

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  • [9 September 2002] "Freedom from Fear", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
    • Since the beginning of time human beings have lived in fear: fear of change, of loss, of death. Unfortunately, as we see played out on the world stage today, people have learned a host of unskillful ways to deal with fear. The author writes: "The most unskillful response to fear is when, perceiving dangers to our own life or property, we believe that we can gain strength and security by destroying the lives and property of others." In this essay the author describes the Buddha's prescription for overcoming fear once and for all, by uprooting its very cause.
  • [5 September 2002] About the five khandha:
    • Five Piles of Bricks: The Khandhas as Burden & Path, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2002; 17k/6pp.) When asked, "What am I?", Buddhist scholars and meditation teachers, alike, usually state that what we conventionally call a "person" is best understood in terms of the five khandha: form, feeling, perception, mental fabrications, and consciousness. This understanding of the khandhas, which first emerged several centuries after the Buddha's death in the commentarial literature, differs significantly from the role of the khandhas as presented in the Pali canon. In this essay the author shows that the Buddha used the teachings of the khandhas not to define what we are, but rather as a tool to help us put an end to our suffering.
    • The Five Aggregates: A Study Guide (Thanissaro Bhikkhu, ed.) This anthology of short readings from the suttas explains how the teachings on the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha) — form, feeling, perception, mental fabrications, and consciousness — function in the Buddhist path to liberation.
  • [2 September 2002] From the Anguttara Nikaya:
  • [14 August 2002] From the Udana:
  • [12 August 2002] From the Theragatha and the Therigatha:
  • [12 July 2002] From the Anguttara Nikaya:
  • [6 July 2002] Two suttas