An important sutta in modern discourse about the four jhānas in Theravāda Buddhism is AN 5.28, which contains material that appears to have been subsumed into the larger Mindfulness of the Body Sutta (MN 119). To date, no parallel has been found in the four Chinese Āgama collections; however, a full quote of a parallel to this … Continue reading The Noble Fivefold Samadhi – A Parallel Sutra Quote to AN 5.28
February Update: Two More DĀ Sutras Added
Wow, it's been three months since my last update! Yes, it's true, I'm still working my way through the Dīrgha Āgama. It's been quite a couple of months, drafting the Mahâvadāna (DA 1 ~ DN 14) and Parinirvāṇa (DA 2 ~ DN 16) sutras, which that I've been dreaming of translating for nearly 20 years. … Continue reading February Update: Two More DĀ Sutras Added
Four Cultivations of Samādhi: A Parallel to AN 4.41 Quoted in the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha
In the process of researching parallels to the four similes found in MN 119/MĀ 81 (the Mindfulness of the Body Sutra), I happened upon a quotation in the Sarvâstivāda’s Abhidharma Dharmaskandha that’s a direct parallel to AN 4.41. Below is a translation and comparison of the two texts. To give some background on the source of this quotation, … Continue reading Four Cultivations of Samādhi: A Parallel to AN 4.41 Quoted in the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha
September-October 2021 Update
Hello, everyone! It’s been a couple months since my last update. It seems like longer time than that! I traveled in September and visit family I hadn’t seen in over a year, which included an adventurous roadtrip as well as a less enjoyable time flying. It feels more like four or six months after going … Continue reading September-October 2021 Update
August 2021 Update: Dīrgha and Madhyama Sutras Added
This month’s update includes two new Dīrgha Āgama sutras, bringing the total to 21. I also decided to begin editing and releasing Madhyama Āgama sutras that are sitting in draft form. In between these projects, I edited another story from the Chinese commentary on the Dharmapāda. DĀ 3 Govinda [DN 19] In this classic Jataka tale, a gandharva visits the Buddha … Continue reading August 2021 Update: Dīrgha and Madhyama Sutras Added
August Update: Four More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras released
It’s been a little more than a month since the last update, and I’ve released four more initial translations from the Dīrgha Āgama, which tally up to about 23,500 words in English. I recently decided to total up how many words in English that Dharma Pearls has published so far, and I was a bit … Continue reading August Update: Four More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras released
July 2021 Update: Five More DĀ Sutras Translated
Hi, everyone. I skipped a month for these updates, largely because the number of texts I’m releasing in a given month will be going down sharply as I focus on larger Dīrgha Āgama sutras. At this point, I’ve now released English translations of 15 DĀ sutras (out of 30), which brings the project to about 25% completed … Continue reading July 2021 Update: Five More DĀ Sutras Translated
April Update: Two More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras
Since my last update, I’ve added two Dīrgha Āgama and 16 Saṃyukta Āgama translations to Dharma Pearls. This brings the DĀ translation project up to 10 sutras complete and 13% of DĀ by length (~20 of 149 pages of Taisho). For the Saṃyukta Āgama, I’m continuing to edit drafted sutras, releasing them as I go. In addition to these new … Continue reading April Update: Two More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras
March Update
It’s time again for the monthly update. Since the beginning of March, I’ve added two new translations from the Dīrgha Āgama, one from the Madhyama Āgama, and 9 more sutras from the Saṃyukta Āgama. I’ve also re-edited MĀ 1-10 and all my current translations and drafts for SĀ 1 (41 sutras) for release on SuttaCentral. The plan for … Continue reading March Update
February Update (More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras)
Last month, I added three new Dīrgha Āgama translations, a couple sutras from the Saṃyukta Āgama, and I also began work on the Chinese Dharmapāda, posting a couple commentary stories found in T211 for the first chapter. A quick list of the additions can be found on the What’s New page at Dharma Pearls. DĀ 11 Increasing One … Continue reading February Update (More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras)