Breaking News: after 17 years of work, ‘Buddhadhamma’ has finally been published (see blog).
This website sprung primarily from a wish to share the teachings and translations of Venerable Luang Por Payutto (Phra Payutto; Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya), one of Thailand’s most respected and revered monks. His monumental work titled Buddhadhamma is considered by many to be one of the most important compendiums of the Buddhist teachings of the modern era. An ambitious project has been underway to complete the translation of this text into English. It is my privilege to be at the forefront of this project, after having spent some time living with Ven. Payutto when I was a monk and now receiving his blessing to translate his books.
The Buddhadhamma Foundation in Bangkok, a non-profit publishing company, invited me to work for them for five years, with the aim of publishing this translation. Just this past week, the finished book has returned from the printers. I, as much as anyone, am delighted to finally hold the completed book in my hands. Up till now, four chapters of Buddhadhamma have been published as separate volumes. Excerpts from all of these books are available on this website. I am slowly adding excerpts from other chapters (the complete English translation has nineteen chapters).
In addition, I hope this website can be a resource for information on the Buddha’s teachings. It is my intention to use the blog to discuss such questions as:
- What is Buddhism? Is it a religion or a philosophy?
- What is the role of meditation in the Buddhist teachings? Is there a conflict between insight meditation (vipassanā) and tranquillity meditation (samatha)?
- What are some of the challenges of translating Buddhist texts? For example, is it more effective to use Pali terms (e.g., Dhamma, kamma, Nibbāna), or preferable to use the more commonly encountered Sanskrit versions (e.g., Dharma, karma, Nirvana)?
- What are the Buddhist teachings on enlightenment and awakened beings (the noble Sangha)?
- What are the challenges for contemporary Buddhists and what are the solutions?
- What are the unique attributes of traditional Thai Buddhism, and what are some of the challenges it faces today.
Robin