Therigatha: Reading the Poems of Early Buddhist Nuns
Meet early Buddhist nuns through three Therigatha poems, with guidance on translations, later life stories, and reading beyond a quotation.
Buddhist Scriptures
Explore Buddhist classics and wisdom, understand the truth of life
The Simile of the Saw: Reading a Difficult Buddhist Teaching
Read the saw simile through its Chinese parallel: a household story, five kinds of speech, and the demanding practice of goodwill under provocation.
The Blind Men and the Elephant: What Buddhist Texts Say
Read the elephant story in Buddhist scripture, including King Mirror-Face, the dispute it answers, and what changes when the familiar tale is retold.
Reading a Buddhist Translation: What the Credits Tell You
Who translated the text, from which language and edition? Read Buddhist translation credits, colophons, and revision notes with two concrete examples.
Reading the Ratana Sutta Through the Three Jewels
A guide to the Ratana Sutta's treasures, repeated truth blessing, and noble Sangha, with a practical way to read the chant alongside its translation.
What Is the Tannisho? Reading Shinran’s Recorded Words
Read the Tannisho through its two-part structure, disputes over disciples, and warnings against using Amida’s Vow to justify deliberate wrongdoing.
Eight Verses of Mind Training: Compassion Without Self-Erasure
Read Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses with attention to humility, difficult relationships, giving and taking, and the wisdom of the final verse.
Two Sorts of Thinking: MN 19 and Its Chinese Parallel
Read the Buddha's distinction between harmful and helpful thinking, the cowherd similes, and why even wholesome reflection eventually gives way to stillness.