Feature – BMV Digest

I Teach Only Suffering and the End of Suffering

“I Teach Only Suffering and the End of Suffering”

One statement popularly ascribed to the Buddha is quoted so often that it has become virtually an axiom of modern Buddhism. The statement appears in several formulations, the broadest of which runs: “I teach only suffering and the cessation of suffering.” A variant reads: “I teach only two things: suffering and the end of suffering.” And another variant makes the point even more sharply: “I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering.”

Surprise, surprise! Nowhere in the Pali canon does the Buddha himself actually say this.

The statement ascribed to him is not altogether without a basis in the canon, but the way the original is commonly expressed represents a translation error rooted in a grammatical misunderstanding. The sentence we do find reads in Pali: pubbe c’aham bhikkhave etarahi ca dukkhan c’eva pannapemi, dukkhassa ca nirodham.

How to Know a True Friend and a Fake Friend

The advice of Lord Gautama Buddha By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara The basket of the discourses (sutta pitaka) contains nearly 18,000 Discourses delivered by the Buddha to various audiences during the ministry of forty-five years. In the majority of the Discourses, the Buddha has dealt mainly with the spiritual matters that are helpful to the listenersContinue reading “How to Know a True Friend and a Fake Friend “

The Story of Bodh Gaya’s Famous Statue

When Buddhist devotees go to Bodh Gaya in India, the site of the Buddha’s awakening, and they enter the great Mahabodhi Temple, they will see before them, on the main altar, a large and impressive Buddha statue.

Many will make offerings of flowers before it, some will have their photograph taken in front of it, others will sit in silent awe reflecting on the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Although this fine statue seems to be an organic and integral part of the Temple it was not originally made for it and is actually many centuries younger than it. So what is the story behind this iconic statue and how did it get to where it is today?