Simple Suttas
a podcast on original Buddhism
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 8 minutes
- Episodes
- 81
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2020
Rain
Another collection of short poems from the Theragatha. Each of these little poems is in a series and all are connected to rain. As spring approaches, it seemed like the right image to have in mind. M…
00:02:08 |
Thu 09 Apr 2015
Suicide
The Buddha looked on suicide as he looked on as doing harm to any living being. The living being just happens to be yourself! But the Buddha had great compassion for people who were in such suffering…
00:01:56 |
Tue 24 Mar 2015
Confession Is Good for the Not-Soul
There is a near universal human urge to confess to someone when we have done something wrong. And confession rarely fails to provide some solace. It is an altogether laudably feature of human nature.…
00:07:42 |
Sat 31 Jan 2015
Meghiya Sutta
The Meghiya Sutta is one of my favorite little teachings. For one thing, it is an excellent introduction to Buddhist meditation straight from the lips of the Buddha himself. But it is also a very hum…
00:05:02 |
Sun 25 Jan 2015
Boring Dhamma Talks
Have you ever sat through a dhamma talk that just felt like it would not end. I remember for me many years ago I went to see a dhamma talk at a Sri Lankan monastery for a dhamma talk from a visiting …
00:03:40 |
Mon 19 Jan 2015
Vinyl Buddha
When I started seriously reading the suttas, it was immediately clear that while individual suttas are perfect little pristine gems, the collections as a whole were a disorganized mess. After all, th…
00:05:37 |
Wed 07 Jan 2015
Beliefs
Belief in Buddhism is a confusing thing. On the one hand, there are dozens of suttas saying that having fixed beliefs is a huge problem that the sage avoids by having no fixed views. Here is a quote …
00:03:57 |
Tue 16 Dec 2014
The Buddha’s Last Words
Do you know the Buddha’s last words? Seems like something important for a Buddhist to know. The Buddha’s last words as recorded in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16) go like this: “Anda dāni, bhikkhav…
00:03:24 |
Fri 12 Dec 2014
Cabin in the Woods
Have you ever taken a vacation and gone to a cabin in the woods? Maybe rented a little place on the north shore? And when the sun is starting to set you come back from a long walk, start a little fir…
00:03:14 |
Tue 02 Dec 2014
One Things Leads to Another
In one of my favorite little suttas, the Buddha shows how leading a good life is the key to deep states of meditation and finally to liberation, not the other way around. As with the Eightfold Path, …
00:02:43 |
Wed 26 Nov 2014
Life is Short and Fleeting
Long ago there was a spiritual teacher named Araka. He was wise and free of lust. He had many students. He taught: “The life of a person is short, miserable, and filled with problems. So a wise perso…
00:01:56 |
Fri 14 Nov 2014
The Heart is Free
This tiny little excerpt from a sutta might make a wonderful teaching to memorize and say before you meditate, go to sleep, or get on an airplane. A wise person who is truly free Will always sleep we…
00:01:14 |
Sun 02 Nov 2014
Metta Sutta Translation
There are many wonderful translations of the metta sutta. I’m not saying this is better than any of the others, but I wanted to try my hand at it, and give it the simple|suttas treatment. To train in…
00:02:33 |
Mon 20 Oct 2014
Dog on a Leash
This sutta lays out the main points of Buddhist philosophy in a few simply lines. The beginning of all things cannot be found. You will never find the first cause of beings wandering on snagged by ig…
00:02:40 |
Tue 14 Oct 2014
Set Rolling the Wheel of Truth
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is said to be the first teaching given by the Buddha to the 5 ascetics. It lays out the whole of the teaching in the clearest possible way. This is the Truth of Suffer…
00:03:35 |
Wed 08 Oct 2014
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