Revised August 12, 2019; August 16, 2020
Note: Now you can select the “dark mode” (good for nighttime reading) or the “regular mode” by clicking the “crescent Moon icon” at the bottom right.
Buddhism (Buddha Dhamma) describes the “laws of nature” as discovered by the Buddha 2500 years ago. This website presents those teaching per the Pāli Canon, Tipiṭaka. Even though I am a Buddhist by birth, I never bothered to look into the question of why I was a Buddhist. When I retired several years ago, I first started reading widely on many subjects, including science, philosophy, and religion.
- When I started to glean the profound message of the Buddha, I realized that I had not known much about my own “religion.” Furthermore, it had been “contaminated” over its long history. Since 2009, I have been trying to find the essence of the message of the Buddha. I wanted to share the results with the rest of the world; see, “About.”
There seem to be three types of people who become interested in “Buddhism”:
- Those who have gone through hardships see that there is suffering “in this world,” and seeking solutions.
- Those getting to old age are beginning to see that there are signs of possible problems looming in the future. That includes aging, various ailments, not been able to get satisfaction from those things that provided comfort before, etc.
- Those who are intellectually motivated, and exposed to Dhammapada verses or some other types of sayings by the Buddha, see a glimpse of a broader world view of the Buddha.
Some of those who have been to meditation retreats realize that there is indeed a second option compared to seeking material wealth and indulging in sense pleasures. Especially for those people in categories 1 and 2, it becomes clear that indulging in sense pleasures does not have staying power. On the other hand, the sense of well-being achieved via insight meditation (not breath meditation) has the staying power and does not go down as one gets old.
- I believe that for people in any category, it is a good idea first to understand what the Buddha’s message was. Those who are intellectually motivated will be able to get a complete picture, and thus a better intellectual satisfaction. For those in categories 1 and 2, a much better idea of how to focus their efforts will become apparent with an insight into why focusing efforts on purifying the mind will be beneficial.
- January 30, 2019: For those who are new to Buddha Dhamma (or want to look at the essential fundamentals, see, “Essential Buddhism.”
I believe that anyone could benefit in some way by first getting a complete overview of the Buddha Dhamma, which is about a “world” that is much more expansive and complex than the one we perceive with our senses. The mind is the precursor to everything in this world: “Manōpubbangamā Dhammā..“.
This website was launched in early January 2014. As of August 2020, it has around 600 posts. You may want to look at some new sections listed at the end of this post. Some early posts may need revisions.
- I discuss many “scientific aspects” to illustrate that Buddha Dhamma is a complete worldview that has withstood all scrutiny for 2500 years. However, my main goal is to convey the benefits of actual practice.
I have experienced much of what I discuss here. The reason that I started this website is to share that experience with anyone interested. The “practice” part will come out as I lay down the basic ideas. To practice something, one needs to know what to practice. (Note added May 29, 2014: I posted the first few essays on meditation under “Bhāvanā (Meditation).” November 6, 2014: The first 12 posts provide a meditation program that one could follow systematically; my own experience is in the 10th and 11th posts).
- Buddha Dhamma is NOT a religion to be followed by following rituals or blindly following a few precepts. It describes laws of nature that need to be “grasped” and “lived.” Dhamma means “to bear”; to bear something, it needs to be understood. Then it becomes clear WHY one must live life in a certain way.
- This website is not a blog but a Content Management System (CMS). The material does not belong to me, but to the Buddha. What I try to do is to keep the information accurate to the best of my ability. I will be making changes to the format and even the contents either to revise as needed or to present better. So, please make sure to go back and read “old topics” once in a while.
- Also, one needs to contemplate the ideas presented; just quickly going through may not yield many benefits.
Another aspect that I try to highlight is the CONSISTENCY of Buddha Dhamma. You will see links from any given area to other sections. The Buddha is called “Bhaghavath” because he analyzed the same thing in many different ways. They are all consistent internally, as well as with the primary axioms such as 31 realms of existence, the concept of kamma, and rebirth.
- As science has progressed mainly over the past hundred or so years, consistency with science is becoming apparent as well. But science has not grasped the importance of the mind (over matter) yet. In some of the posts, I am making predictions on what will be discovered by science in the future. To have a timestamp, I started putting the date of publication of new posts beginning in late October 2015.
- Please send your suggestions/comments/questions and also let me know of any technical issues with the site using the “Comments” tab. I do not plan to have a discussion forum, so your comments will not be published
- I usually write four to five essays a month, and they are in the “New/Revised Posts” in the menu on the bottom of each page. Engaging/relevant news articles are also in that menu.
- I started posting the date of publication in new posts starting on October 23, 2015. Thus, if a web post is not dated, it must have been published before October 23, 2015.
The Buddha said, “Sabba dānan Dhamma dānan jināti,” or “Gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts.” Please inform others about this site if you benefit from it.
- However, we should only inform others. Humanity has suffered enough from those who have tried to force their views on others. As the Buddha said, “Come and see for yourself!”.
The Buddha also said, “Sabba ratin Dhamma ratin jināti,” or “Taste of Dhamma excels all other tastes (pleasures).” I hope you will have the patience to look around the site to learn enough pure Dhamma to start enjoying its taste.
Note added/revised December 7, 2016: I have added a “Font Size Selector” on the top right so that any reader can control the font size.
- There are two other possible tools: 1. Each post can be printed using the PRINT button below that post. 2. All the posts at the site can be downloaded using three eBook formats. One can read them on electronic readers like Amazon Kindle: Pure Dhamma Essays in Book Format.
Note added June 8, 2017: As of today, there are over 450 posts on the website. Recently, I have been getting inquiries on “where to start?”. I just added the following post to summarize various sections and how to locate posts of interest: “User’s Guide to Pure Dhamma Website.”
April 14, 2018: Discussion forum initiated in December of 2017: “Forum.“ Updates and new posts at “New / Revised Posts“.
March 2018: New section on “Quantum Mechanics and Dhamma.”
November 20, 2018: I have disabled comments on individual posts. You can make comments at the “Forum“ or send me an email: [email protected]
July 10, 2019: New section on “Origin of Life“.
July 31, 2020: New section on “Buddha Dhamma – A Scientific Approach.”
February 19, 2021: New subsection on “Paṭicca Samuppāda – Essential Concepts.”
July 2, 2021: New subsection on “Basic Framework of Buddha Dhamma”
It is important to know that there is a special convention to write Pāli words: “Tipiṭaka English” Convention Adopted by Early European Scholars – Part 1.” There is also a “Pāli Glossary – (A-K).”
