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• [19 April 1999]: Two suttas and two essays:
  • Lokayatika Sutta (SN 12.48) — The Cosmologist. The Oneness of all being is sometimes taught as a basic Buddhist principle, but this discourse shows that the Buddha himself rejected the idea. It is simply one of the extremes that he avoided by teaching dependent co-arising.
  • Bhumija Sutta (SN 12.25) — To Bhumija. What is the origin of pleasure and pain? Ven. Sariputta clears up some misconceptions.
  • The Road to Nirvana is Paved with Skillful Intentions, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1999; 14k/5pp.) According to the basic principle of karma, our underlying intentions play a crucial role in determining the ultimate fruits of our actions. As the author explains in this essay, if we're genuinely interested in pursuing the goal of the Buddha's teachings, it's not enough that we act merely with good intentions; rather, we must learn, through honest self-reflection and association with virtuous and wise friends, to cultivate skillfulness in our intentions.
  • Right Speech, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1999; 4k/2pp.) For many of us, right speech is the most difficult of the precepts to honor. Yet practicing right speech is fundamental both to helping us become trustworthy individuals and to helping us gain mastery over the mind. So choose your words — and your motives for speaking — with care.
• [12 April 1999]:
  • A Chanting Guide: Pali Passages with English Translations, by The Dhammayut Order in the United States of America (1998; multi-part HTML book; 350k/180pp.) The complete text, in both Pali and English, of the chants used by laypeople and monastics alike at Buddhist monasteries of the Thai forest tradition (Dhammayut sect). This extensive collection includes: a guide to pronunciation; the daily (morning and evening) devotional chants; reflections; blessings; verses and discourses from the Pali canon (usually chanted on special occasions); the standard Pali formulas for requesting precepts, blessings, and forgiveness from the Sangha, and those that accompany the offering of gifts to the Sangha; and much more.
• [6 April 1999] From the Samyutta Nikaya:
  • Sankha Sutta (SN 42.8) — The Conch Trumpet. The Buddha clarifies a crucial point about kamma: although you can never undo a past misdeed, there are ways you can mitigate its inevitable harmful results.
  • Gandhabhaka Sutta (SN 42.11) — To Gandhabhaka. Why do we experience suffering and stress? Using simple analogies, the Buddha offers a clear and penetrating answer.
• [5 April 1999] From the Samyutta Nikaya:
  • Satta Sutta (SN 23.2) — A Being. The Buddha invokes a dramatic simile to explain how to dismantle one's attachment to the five aggregates.
  • Bharadvaja Sutta (SN 35.127) — About Bharadvaja. Ven. Pindola Bharadvaja explains to a king the various tools one can use to help maintain one's resolve towards celibacy.
  • Dukkha Sutta (SN 38.14) — Stress. Ven. Sariputta describes three kinds of stress (dukkha) and how they are to be fully comprehended.
  • Paccha-bhumika Sutta (SN 42.6) — [Brahmans] of the Western Land. The Buddha explains how the principles of kamma and rebirth are as inviolable as the law of gravity. Choose your actions with care, lest you sink like a stone!
• [3 April 1999] From the Samyutta Nikaya:
  • Phena Sutta (SN 22.95) — Foam. The Buddha gives some vivid similes to describe the voidness of the five aggregates.
• [1 April 1999] A Handful of Leaves update 1.03 is now available The March 1999 update to the Handful of Leaves CD-ROM is now available for you to download. For details, see "Updating your copy of A Handful of Leaves" .