What are the five aggregates? In Buddhism, they are the building blocks that we typically use to construct our sense of self. The Buddha classified the constituents of body and mind into five categories known as “the five aggregates of clinging”: form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. In his book Satipatthana: The Direct Path … Read more
What are the twelve links of dependent origination in Buddhism? A better question to ask, in my opinion, would be, “Why do we suffer?” In Buddhism, the main source of our suffering is traced to our boundless cravings, contained in the Second Noble Truth. We crave many things but the most powerful among them … Read more
“Your life is now,” Eckhart Tolle wrote while contemplating the art of living in the present moment. When you live in the moment, you’re free of psychological time – past and future. You no longer regret what happened in the past and not afraid of what might happen in the future. All your attention is … Read more
Ancient scriptures of Theravada Buddhism are one of the best ways to learn more about the Buddha’s teachings. And the most prolific writer in this field is Bhikkhu Bodhi. A kindly man has observed that Buddhist monk Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi presents to the Western world the intellectual equivalent of the Hubble Space Telescope: Peering … Read more
Although initially my daily meditation was secular, it eventually lead me to Buddhism and evolved into a spiritual practice. If I had to name its most challenging part, it would be following the five precepts. For example, a non-monastic life inadvertently leads to occasional alcohol use, white lies, and other morally questionable choices (no … Read more