Tag: health

  • Gotama Buddha was not vegetarian

    Many people believe that Buddhists are vegetarian by default. This belief may stem from the notion that Buddhists do not support killing living beings including humans, animals, fish, birds or insects. While the five precepts for lay Buddhists encourage lay followers to refrain from taking life, there is no prohibition for eating flesh or fish. The…

  • Advantages of hearing the Dharma or thinking on the Dharma even when suffering great pain

    A6.56 Phagguna Sutta [Piya Tan’s translation as a PDF] paraphrased by MK from The Book of the Gradual Sayings (Anguttara Nikaaya) vol. 4, translated by F.L. Woodward [translation by Sister Upalavanna] [ผัคคุณสูตร] Ven. Phagguna is very sick and is visited by the Blessed One and Ven. Aananda. The sutta says that Ven. Phagguna was already…

  • Still in Colombo…

    I stayed longer in Colombo because things take longer than planned to complete. Most places are closed on Sundays and today, Monday, happens to be a Poya Day. Poya Day is the Sri Lankan celebration of Buddhist Uposatha Day and the full-moon Poya Day occurs once a month. The actual date for Poya Day follows…