What is a sutta practice?
Broadly speaking, a sutta practice is a regular habit of interacting directly with the suttas in a way that lifts the heart and brings us to faith in the Blessed One, his Dhamma, and his Sangha of enlightened disciples.
In practical terms, this may be done by reading daily from a text, be it a traditional collection, or an anthology of suttas around a particular theme. The emphasis is placed on what is understood and taking that to heart. We approach the text as a sick person would seeking medicine, with the Blessed One as our doctor.
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Reflections for Sutta Reading Practice
As we develop a daily habit of reading the suttas it is important that we always remember the reason we are reading the suttas: To develop our faith in the enlightenment of the Supreme Buddha and to put an end … Continue reading
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Troubleshooting Your Personal Anthology
Creating a Personal Anthology is extremely simple, but there are still some places we can go wrong. If this happens our Anthology may be less effective. Below are some common problems and suggestions for solving them. As a reminder, this … Continue reading
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Tagged Daily Practice, How To, Persistant, Personal Anthology, Pragmatic
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Anguttara Nikaya Publication Announcement
Update: The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha is now available at wisdompubs.org and amazon.com. Wisdom Publications has just announced pre-ordering for the new translation of the Anguttara Nikaya by Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi under the title of Numerical Discourses of the … Continue reading
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Benefits of Having a Backup Text
The core of a daily sutta practice is working methodically through a single book of suttas from beginning to end. Sometimes, though, obstacles may arise that can be overcome by having a backup or alternate text. A backup text is … Continue reading
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Simple Chart of the Sutta Pitaka
Below are some resources for helping you become familiar and more comfortable with the books of the Pali Sutta Pitaka. Simple Chart Download the PDF, Simple Chart of the Sutta Pitaka This chart (as shown in the image above) lists … Continue reading
Using an E-book Reader for Sutta practice: Kindle, Nook, etc.
Although it is recommended that you do your sutta reading practice from a book and not from the computer, using an e-book reader in some circumstances might work as well as a paper book. For the purpose of these recommendations, … Continue reading
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Tagged Daily Practice, Daily Reading, Dhammapada, e-book, Kindle, Nook, Sutta Practice
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Dhammapada As a Daily Practice
The Dhammapada is an excellent text for a daily sutta practice. The verses are packed with material for contemplation as well as implementation. The reading can usually be done in as little as five minutes a day plus as much … Continue reading
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Tagged Canonical Collection, Daily Practice, Daily Reading, Dhammapada, Sutta Practice, Sutta Reading
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The Five P’s of Sutta Practice
Pragmatic Practice Possible Practice Patient Practice Persistent Practice Perpetual Practice 1. Pragmatic Practice First and foremost, we must establish a practice with the suttas that is pragmatic, applying the teachings to our own lives. It is not enough to merely … Continue reading
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Tagged Core Concepts, Daily Practice, Sutta Practice, Sutta Reading
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Making a sutta practice life list
For most people, a practice with the suttas is going to be primarily self directed. This gives us a great freedom in moving around the canon in the order and frequency we choose. But because there is little external direction … Continue reading
Efortless start of a Personal Anthology
One of the easiest ways to engage deeply with the teachings of the Blessed One is to create a Personal Anthology of suttas that speak to you directly and then go to those teachings in times of difficulty. Part of … Continue reading
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