2008-05-18 — Two short suttas from the Samyutta Nikaya

• SN 35.93: Dvaya Sutta — A Pair {S iv 72; CDB ii 1175} [Thanissaro]. On the arising of sense-consciousness.
• SN 37.34: Vaddha Sutta — Growth {S iv 231; CDB ii 1280} [Thanissaro]. This brief sutta, which encourages education for women, may account for the fact that — in the pre-modern world — Theravada Buddhist countries had the highest rates of female literacy.

2008-04-24 — Two suttas from the Majjhima Nikaya

• MN 60: Apannaka Sutta — A Safe Bet {M i 400} [Thanissaro]. The Buddha explains to a group of householders how to navigate skillfully through the maze of wrong views.
• MN 97: Dhanañjani Sutta — To Dhanañjani {M ii 184} [Thanissaro]. A poignant story of a lay person whose welfare was of special concern to Ven. Sariputta, this discourse teaches two lessons in heedfulness. (1) If you're engaging in wrong livelihood, don't expect to escape the karmic consequences even if you're doing it to fulfil your duties to your family, parents, or friends. (2) Don't be satisfied with mundane levels of attainment in meditation when there is still more to be done.

2008-03-01 — Access to Insight CD-ROMs still available!

• I have about 500 copies of the Access to Insight CD-ROM on hand. To order one or two (or more!), just send me a postcard.