Bøger af Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera

From this book you will learn about the gods that live in the highest heavens, the brahma realms. You will see how arrogant gods became disciples of the Buddha. These stories are a translation of the Brahma Samyutta found in the Samyutta Nikaya. (This book is a translation of Buddhist scriptures found in the Sutta Pitaka, preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.)

You all are very fortunate. You were able to be this fortunate because of our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha. A prince named Chatta Manavaka was going for his studies. On his way, he was fortunate enough to see the Supreme Buddha. As a result, he took refuge in the Noble Triple Gem. This is a very beautiful story. But it is also very sorrowful since the prince in this story dies. However, there's an element of happiness there too since upon his death he is reborn as a divine prince in heaven.

Dear Children, You are all very fortunate. You were able to be this fortunate because of our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha. Look how fortunate Novice Bhikkhu Sumana was to gain powerful psychic powers just in his childhood. But even with such powers, see how respectful he was towards elder monks. It is for those reasons that even deities from divine worlds worshiped him. This is a very interesting story. You will really like reading it because it is about a young monk who uses his powers to defeat a very powerful cobra our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha?

Meritorious Children, You all are very fortunate. You were able to be this fortunate because of our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha. A prince named Chatta Manavaka was going for his studies. On his way, he was fortunate enough to see the Supreme Buddha. As a result, he took refuge in the Noble Triple Gem. This is a very beautiful story. But it is also very sorrowful since the prince in this story dies. However, there's an element of happiness there too since upon his death he is reborn as a divine prince in heaven.

The Wise Shall Realize, the latest collection of English sutta desananas from Mahamegha, contains six discourses along with the story of Lokusvaminwahanse's journey seeking the Nobel Eightfold path. What is the best way we can help our friends? In the Mittamacca Sutta we learn that the Supreme Buddha wanted us to help our friends by establishing them in unshakable confidence in the Supreme Buddha, Supreme Dhamma, and Supreme Sangha as well as in unbreakable virtue. What should a lay disciple spend their time thinking about? In the Mahanama sutta the Supreme Buddha teaches the recollections we should practice all the time. If we saw the world in the same way the Supreme Buddha did, we would not experience suffering. In the Mahadukkhakkhanda Sutta we lean about our distorted perception of the world. Is it possible for a wise person to turn away from the lures of sensuality? In the Malunkyaputta sutta the Blessed One teaches his disciples a method for doing just that. The Gotama sutta explains the Supreme Buddha's discovery of dependent origination as the direct path for putting an end to this round of samsara. And in the Ananada Sutta, the Blessed One teaches the connection between anapanasati, the four foundations of mindfulness and the seven factors of enlightenment as a path to bring clear knowing and release to completion. Finally, you will get to read a brief account of Lokusvaminwahanse's life story and his efforts to realize the Dhamma.

For the most part, human beings cannot see all of the results of their good and bad actions. Because of this, people often doubt the benefit of doing good things and the danger of doing bad things. Fortunately, the Buddha taught all about the results of actions. In this book you will learn about gods and goddesses who did wholesome actions in their previous human lives. You will be able to understand how powerful the results of doing good things can be. (This book is a translation of Buddhist scriptures found in the Sutta Pitaka, preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.) Readers of this book will also enjoy Stories of Ghosts from the Pethavatthu.

Most of us are able to see beings who have been reborn in the human realm and many of the beings born in the animal realm. But it is very rare to have the opportunity to witness for ourselves the suffering experienced by those beings born in the ghost realm. Our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha, had an excellent knowledge and vision to be able to see these beings as well as the action that led to the suffering that they experience. In this book, Stories of Ghosts, we can learn about many kinds of ghosts and the bad actions they did to be reborn in the ghost world.Some ghosts had done bad actions with their body, such as the former deer hunter who, in the ghost world, was torn to shreds by dogs day after day. Other ghosts had done bad things with their speech, such as the ghost who had the mouth of a pig. Even our mental actions can lead to rebirth as a ghost. In this book you will learn about the ghost who held many wrong views and because of that was eventually going to be born in hell for many eons. Some ghosts experience suffering because of not doing things such as practicing generosity.Because it is not easy to see the results of our own actions immediately, the information in this book will help us to make wise choices about what we do and don't do. (This book is a translation of Buddhist scriptures found in the Sutta Pitaka, preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.)

In this book you will learn about the life of Sakka, the lord of the gods. You will hear many of his conversations with the Buddha as well as debates with other gods. Additionally, you will learn about Sakka's previous life as a human and the good actions he did that lead to his rebirth as a god. Stories of Sakka, Lord of Gods, is a translation of the Sakkasamyutta found in the Samyutta Nikaya. (This book is a translation of Buddhist scriptures found in the Sutta Pitaka, preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.)