A philosophical critique of the Abhidhamma doctrine of momentariness. This paper proposes "Conditional Duration" as a more practical framework for understanding impermanence and continuity in meditation and daily life.
Introducing a practical companion to Paramattha, which explores the Abhidhamma through the Four Paramatthas and the twenty-four Paṭṭhāna conditions as principles shaping lived experience.
In this Dhamma talk, I explore the Buddha's most fundamental teaching: The Four Noble Truths. Using the classic simile of the elephant's footprint—into which all other footprints fit—the talk explains…
Join me for a practical Dhamma talk exploring meditation on the four elements. This talk offers step‑by‑step guidance, body‑scanning techniques, and reflections on how awareness of and work with the elements can reveal inner vision and strength.
A short Talk on Ānāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing) and five factors of Jhāna. This time with my face. Whether you are a beginner or have been practicing meditation for some…
When people ask about free will and destiny, they often want a simple answer: Do we really have free will, or is everything already determined? In Buddhism, the answer is…
Impermanence is everywhere—in the things we own, in the people we love, in our thoughts and memories, and even in our very character. In this brief talk, I explore Vigata-paccaya,…
The practice of relating spiritual teachings to the body — of locating spiritual ideas within the body — is exceedingly old. It has been practiced in mystical traditions throughout the…
✨ New Video on the Paṭṭhāna ✨ The Paṭṭhāna is the great book of conditional relations in the Abhidhamma—sometimes called the “crown jewel” of Buddhist philosophy. It explains in detail how everything in existence is connected and conditioned.
In this brief Dhamma talk, I explore the idea of “duration”—and why, in many cases, it might be more helpful to reflect on endurance and continuity rather than simply contemplating that all things are momentary phenomena which continuously…
In spirituality as well as in Buddhism in general, we often find a strong emphasis on the present moment. Statements such as “The present moment is the only thing real” or “The past…
Buddhist Abhidhamma Philosophy divides all of reality into four ultimate constituents—known as the Four Paramatthas: Matter (Rūpa), Mind (Cetasika), Consciousness (Citta), and Nibbāna. In this short video, I offer a…
I’m excited to share some important updates about my book Paramattha and my ongoing efforts to make the Dhamma more accessible and engaging for all. Paramattha Now Available in Paperback Paramattha is now…
In this Dhamma talk, I explore the foundations of the world—how everything arises based on a foundation of something else. As part of my Paṭṭhāna series, I translate the Pāli word nissaya as “foundation.”…
In this Dhamma talk, I discuss correspondences in nature and how thinking in analogies can be a valuable aid on the path to enlightenment. This talk is part of my…
In this Dhamma Talk, I explore the ‘Universality of Sequences,’ showing how sequences are a phenomenon that exists throughout existence (broken down into matter, mind, consciousness, and Nibbāna) and are…
A talk on Repetition as a universal fact of existence. Part of my Patthana series, in this talk I explore the Paṭṭhāna condition of Repetition, Āsevana Paccaya. As usual I…
These are two short talks on the basics of Abhidhamma. I hope you find them insightful and helpful in understanding these fundamental concepts. The first talk, “The Vocabulary of Insight,”…
The idea of having a system that can help to comprehend the entirety of existence has intrigued mankind for millennia. This very idea was, in fact, what in ancient times…
The wisdom of the elements And their almost sacred dance Their nature, danger, usefulness, The need for them for truthfulness This all here is seeked to get explored And to…
You move with your mind through your body. And as you do so, you gently squeeze a bit each organ you contact. Now, each organ contains a certain amount of…
From Greece, to Native America, from Egypt to India, the idea of four fundamental elements which form the foundation for understanding the natural world, is so universal, that a study of them might be an not unrewarding pursuit.
Throughout the ages, periodically wise men arose in the world with the mission to enlighten unenlightened man. These were the great initiators who brought the light whenever the world was…
If you but seek'st enlightenment;first it's opposite must comprehend.But what is the opposite of spirit?Tis matter whose coarseness is most vivid. But what is matter?, we might ask.Everything, that you…
Matter Since time immemorial, or at least since the arising of the first traces of mind, what the mind pays attention to, is what we now call matter. Thus, since…
The Four Elements as Sense-objects Usually, these four elements first will have to be apprehended through any one of the 5 senses. And through each sense, they are apprehended somewhat…
In modern times Buddhism we commonly find the statement that Buddhists do not believe in god. Therefore choosing Buddhism as your religion means choosing not to believe in god. However,…
The topic of non-self is a problematic topic in Buddhism. Often even Buddhist monks will feel a little bit embarrassed when being asked about it. Many a somewhat thinking person…
A collection of Dhamma poems, for upliftment of spirit. For what went deep into the heart, when it surfaces should bring with it some of its depth.
'The Paṭṭhāna', traditionally regarded as the quintessence of the Buddha's wisdom and as the surest proof of his omniscience; is a system which, in mathematical order, seeks to expand the comprehension of matter, mind and consciousness to cover the entirety of existence.
Oh Death Oh death please be my guiding light through lives bewildering maze. And show me where it ends at last, that I shall'nt be surprised. Please warn me at…
The condition wherein things, material or immaterial, exist rather as a potential, without actually being manifest, is what is called a condition of latency. It is the condition of mental…
Five laws that move the way of thingsFive laws from which all wisdom springsFive laws, the quintessence of allFive laws to Cosmic view us callThe law of matter is the…
If we learn to understand our meditation in a grander context, and ideally in relation to the whole cosmos, the task of changing ourselves becomes a matter of universal importance.
This blog is an outline of the Buddhist Abhidhamma. Its aim is to show a method of contemplation, giving those who are inclined to meditate on the Abhidhamma, subjects or headings for meditation, all of which point in a definite direction, one subject providing a basis for the next.
Most people never have enough time, rarely have a good time and in general time seems be something that works usually against them. A person working on a spiritual path can not get around the problem of time. Because acquiring more control over ones life means also acquiring more control over time...
In the ancient world, the wise man was often called the knower of the gods. The gods signifying hidden entities which were believed to be the controlling agents of the…
Matter If you but seek’st enlightenment; first it's opposite must comprehend. But what is the opposite of spirit? Tis matter whose coarseness is most vivid. But what is matter?, we…
A condition of meditation, is a condition wherein the mind seeks an escape from matter. Meditation is about finding the middle path. And this applies also to our familiar consideration…
Many a one would like to increase his own power of attraction, that is, his own capacity to attract whatever he may happen to like. Yet, he does not know…
Nature is cyclical and moody. Sometimes she gives, sometimes she takes…Man’s inner nature too is cyclical and moody. Yet, to some degree man has proven a capacity to move beyond certain cycles, into a direction not indicated by nature
Now let’s talk about practical matters. The Abhidhamma system may indeed be used for an almost infinite amount of things. Principally should the study of this system give a person…
In Buddhism there is a bit of a quarrel amongst different schools in regards to the question of rebirth. The question being as to whether there is a gap between…
Here an example of the relevance of understanding the proper foundations upon which the mind may function. Besides, this example also illustrates the meaning of the Jhāna factors in actual…
This is just a small overview, to give some basic understanding about consciousness for the purpose of easier study of the mind. For the broader picture in which the information…
Paticca Samuppāda, often translated as the Law of Dependent Origination1, is perhaps the most famous of Buddhist Laws. Discovered by the Buddha and prescribed by him as one of the…
For a Buddhist practitioner, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the law of kamma, is one of the essential things to aim at. So, here a small elucidation of this very…
Wherever two (or more) phenomena possess similar characteristics, a correspondence between these two phenomena can be seen. And whatever is known about one of them may also hold true for…
Summary The quality of our life is determined not merely by the environment we inhabit, but by the "jurisdictional laws" of the mind-state we currently occupy. Just as physical gravity…
Sometimes people studying Buddhism, especially in relation to the vipassanā schools, end up with some conclusion that there is no continuity in mental and material phenomena…So here we want to…
One essential thing for a meditator who starts out on the meditators path, is to keep (or create) a meditation diary. This website, but more so my book (can be…
Kamma as a Paṭṭhāna condition, refers to the condition wherein actions, but more specifically mental acts of will or intention are acting as a cause to produce some particular result…
Whenever we give something, whenever we sacrifice something from whatever material goods we possess, or from our time, …we are going against the stream of the world. We are going…
How to know the Truth? If your only sphere of knowledge is the sensory world,...It does not make much sense to concern yourself with as to whether something is ultimately…
Here an example of how some understanding of the physiological processes and mental sequences described throughout this website, may be used to describe a meditative process of overcoming some personal…
"When I the starry courses know, And Nature's wise instruction seek, With light of power my soul shall glow, As when with spirits spirits speak." Since ancient times, there have…
The Buddha time and again urged his followers to try to attain the Jhānas (Stages of Meditation), but nowadays few people know how to attain them. This animation describes step…
Every person who through proficiency in some skill rises himself up above his fellow human beings, does so through having found some way of cultivating a dynamic interaction of these…
Anger Anger is life resisting life. It is when life is identified with what it is not, that it resists its own flow. But as lives vision of life becomes…
A sequence is a chain of things or events, following one after another. Thus, the crux of this condition is to describe, that there is a certain progression as to…
All the major religions of the world possess a certain creation myth...an explanation of how the world came about...as well as what its ending will be....Buddhism too has an conception…
The Mental Body is one key concept of some of the esoteric tradition brought to the west*, which will prove very valuable an idea for anyone who wants to study…
Concepts and Ultimate truth Phenomena are ever only phenomena, words and concepts are ever only words and concepts. But if we possess a word or concept, which has for us…
Bhavanga (that wherein one's existence is rooted), includes, so we believe, also blind (unconscious) emotions...wandering thoughts and dreams. All those we take to be the vibrating bhavanga ...which have to…
An image sometimes says more than a thousand words. These few images are just meant to show how meditation and the workings of the mind may be visualised, and hence…
The Vithi model shows the mind as a sequence and depicts the order by which mental phenomena occur. Apart from that, it indicates, that certain aspects of cognition/ of processing…
A human being is a social being,…that is why one of the major sources of human suffering arises through the interaction with other human beings. So, especially people seeking to…
Bīja Niyama is the law of organic life. Bīja literally means 'seed', in the sense of 'germ of life'. Thus, Bīja Niyama, is essentially the law that governs the growth…
Very often people find it difficult to find a point of contact in their own experience with certain ideas that they yet consider to be somewhat important to know about.…
The practice of meditation is very central to Buddhism. However without an understanding of the mind, there are many pitfalls. The idea of Bhavanga, an idea central to the Abhidhamma,…
Seeing the frightening nature of a condition where he can hold onto nothing and rely on nothing, man builds up concepts of the world he finds himself in. Then in…
Using your mind Just repeating something that was said before,... are you using your mind?...If you make a calculator that only shows the input as output..who would buy it? ...Yet,…
Intention is the minds direction. As the mind has learned to give meanings to the objects surrounding it, and based on that made evaluations along the line of 'good' and…
Based on knowledge, there may arise a certain faculty, that can perceive a myriad things at one singular glance. This faculty may be termed intuition. It is, when a mind…
As a person grows in purity, slowly an understanding of the difference between body and mind begins to develop. Hence, the mind becoming purified, perceives itself as an entity apart…
The 4 Elements The four elements were known to most cultures of the past (although in some cultures there were 5). To get any handle on matter, making it an…
Good begets good, bad begets bad. Most people, at the very least have heard such saying. Yet, although there may be situations in life where it is quite obvious what…
These are the mental activities of Life left to itself They constitute the first stirrings of a latent mind seeking manifestation. Their essential characteristic is that mental activity and thought…
Once a person has acquired an understanding of the Niyāma, he may order each item of importance under the functionings of those natural laws. That is, how anything that he…
For gaining a clearer understanding about the mental process, we might consider about it in the light of human development and its relation to the higher faculties. Example: A person…
If we want to learn how to transcend unwholesome states of mind, we need to make a start in understanding those little understood inner forces that we experience as undesirable emotions.
It is only through true understanding, that we may transcend the ignorance which is at the root of all unwholesome emotions.
Here only two examples of some unwholesome emotion and how the understanding of it can help to overcome (/transcend) it.
The fool and the wise often are equally simple natured beings. The main difference therein is, that the fool unconsciously yields to laws which he neither perceives, nor understands. While…
It is usually the lack of capacity of an organism and the higher faculties to respond to higher ideas and positive (or attractive) sense-impressions, that will lead a person to…
Our Body transforms food into energy,... that energy travels through the body along certain channels (the bloodvessels for the most part). Apart from that, there are certain centres in the…
A concept is a synthesis of mind-objects (bits of information) arrived at through mental processing. Through processing the objects of the 5 senses, as well as through learning, the mind…
In life, all things build up on some foundation. Everything somewhat stands on something. And this is what defines this condition. In matters of the four elements, this condition is…
Ārammana, usually translated as objects, may more accurately be thought of as supports of the mind (and the senses). Thus, this condition is describing any relation between mind or matter…
Citta Niyāma is the law of mind. It is the law that governs the appearance and sequence in regard to mental phenomena. Even as the coarsest and deadest of matter,…
The Abhidhamma too may be useful when encountering physical problems. For example: Learning to recognise the four elements, may help a person to make a start in balancing out coarse…
All forces have their counterparts. The reverse of the previous condition, this condition describes how and why mental and material phenomena repel other mental and material phenomena. Antagonisms, conflicts, wars,…
Hetu Paccaya, often translated as root condition, is too describe the condition of an inner establishment of mental or material phenomena. There is a twofold classification of roots or inner…
Faculties refer to the various capacities and powers a person, or more accurate, mental or material phenomena, may possess. Through past intentions to do, to see, to hear, feel and…
Adhipati paccaya, reigning or governing condition, describes the condition of one thing, that is either an outer object or condition, or internal mental factors, such as desire, exertion, investigation or…
Wherever mental or material phenomena exist in a relation of synchronous alignment, they will share certain qualities with each other. All such phenomena are grouped under this relation. In ordinary…
With every mental impulse, your body throws off particles of energy. Strong mental impulses produce a larger quantity of these particles. And how far these spread is largely dependent on…
It is in the mind's thought Where earth’s fate is wroughtIn the war between light and darkThere seek to understand each sides mark Where gods and demons seek become the…
Kamma Niyāma - The Law of Kamma Kamma Niyāma is the law of will or intention. Whenever the mind based on previous investigation and classification (of some sense-sphere phenomena) is…
Should a person desire to practice Four Elements meditation as a subject for establishing mindfulness, he should frequently recite to himself the names of the primary elements and further on,…
An Example of developing the Spiritual Faculties Then, we of course also want to use the Abhidhamma system to develop our spiritual powers. There are countless ways to apply it…
A nimitta is a sign, that indicates, that the meditator has gained some amount of concentration. Principally is any sign of concentration a nimitta. Hence, there may be just a…
Nutriment or Fuel condition refers to the way in which a particular physical thing or mental state or process is supported in its further growth. Most people will have had…
All phenomena in manifest existence posses some amount of duration, long or short. The continuation of certain characteristics that occur in the course of that duration, is what is called…
Conceiving of a past and a future and a good and a bad, the mind seeks to make more often decisions that assure a greater 'good' in the vaster space…
All phenomena sooner or later come to a condition of fading, dying and disappearance. And becoming thus, they are instances of this condition. This condition may perhaps equally be translated…
No phenomenon is a single isolated unit. All things are interrelated. And being thus, the condition of one thing depends on the conditions of various other things. Using the consideration…
The term Āsevana means both repetition and practice. Repetition is what establishes, makes strong and develops, both in regards to mind and matter. And, in its own boundaries, whatever it…
Presence Condition (or condition of being) is referring to the existence of mental and material phenomena in the limited space of the "Now". While the condition of absence is referring…
Whenever one phenomenon, by virtue of its own qualities, pulls another phenomenon towards itself, it is called attraction. On all the conceivable scales of life, can there be found this…
When conscious processing is pointing in a certain direction, in that the mind's choices become more consistent, consciousness gets established on a certain path. Yet, this Path-condition refers not only…
Perhaps you might have heard from someone, that killing other living beings, is bad. Yet, your reason tells you, that if you catch yourself a chicken from the forest, chop…
Just a small pictorial analysis of the effect of Will on consciousness. Please read my blog “Consciousness and Conscious Experience” for explanation. Will is conditioned by introspection and knowledge of…
Now, our body needs nutriment. When we eat our food, that food gets digested in the stomach and then send further downward to the lower intestines. Along our spine, there…
This is just a brief sketch of how our mind and attitude is conditioning the reality that we are experiencing. Showing the connection between two very fundamental laws of existence,…
Here I want to show, higher meditation experiences usually will only occur, when at least part of some higher Dhamma knowledge has become intuitive. Below I give one example of…
Nowadays, what is now often termed ‘mindfulness meditation’ is becoming quite popular. Oftentimes people are advised to do things, like walking, very slowly, while paying attention to what they experience,…
Inter-human relationships, although we derive pleasure from them, are very often the greatest sources of suffering for human beings. Antagonism, animosities and conflict situations play a smaller or larger part…
Whenever you say something, and later, whenever you think something,...you have to feel into the body, as to whether it is true or not...the body is closely connected with the…
Some insight into the process and the terms If an disturbing object enters the domain of the 5 senses...the meditator might have to advert his mind towards it...investigating it, he…
A meditators consciousness draws around itself mental and material conditions of an appropriate type (secluded empty place... if people, perhaps only meditators and spiritual people...thoughts of renounciation, in peace with…
If while observing yourself and remembering your dhamma practice, you of and on formulate a desire, such as 'may I realize, what I have not yet realized', or more concretely…
I don't see what the future holdsThe past gives me no guidanceToday, tomorrow, any day, seem pointless, useless, anywaySo what then can I say...If the Reaper were to comeThe last…
In normal conditions regarding good ideas,... a good idea arises at your mind-door, and then the mind immediately lapses into the life-continuum, which afterwards vibrates, stirring you to action. Even…
All external events count as objects, first of the 5 sense‐bases, than of the mind, therefore without mastering the environment first (for a bhikkhu, the bhikkhus training and way of…
Concrete body....(42 body parts, 4 elements, etc.) ...things are seperated by space and time... ...things do not posses any meaning....just bare meaningless phenomena ...this is the sphere of the earth...it…
As choices become more consistent and as the mind becomes more capable of making intelligent kammical calculations that are in alignment with those choices, individuality reaches its peak. Ultimately the…
Bīja literally means ‘seed’, in the sense of ‘germ of life’. Thus this law of Bīja Niyāma, is essentially the law that governs the growth of organic life…from the smallest…
The Buddha declared, that an absolute beginning of things can not be found,…yet in regard to the phenomenal world, whether on a grand scale or in the very tiny things,…
The Paṭṭhāna, in traditional Buddhist countries often thought of as the quintessence of the Buddha’s wisdom, is on the other hand amongst Buddhists of the non-traditional type more often rather…
A combination is a coming together of various elements, material or immaterial, to form a new whole. In fact, the whole universe is but a combination of elements. But to…
Emotion Emotions are the first stirrings of a latent mind seeking manifestation For doing work with/ for collaborating with some of the good forces of this universe,…big or small…we’d better…
Nowadays it is perhaps more important than ever, that we learn to better look after ourselves and gain greater control over the workings of our body. Thus increasing our potential…
The word rūpa is the Buddhist word for anything material. But in Abhidhamma philosophy the material world is considered in a very specific manner, which is productive of liberating oneself…
Does it sometimes happen to you, that you have a great idea or a good thought in general, or perhaps even an answer to a question that was for long…
Very often we find different teachings on similar subjects or identical phenomena and we do not know, which one to believe. In the psychology of traditional Buddhism for example there…
By determining and classifying the objects received from the 5 senses...man makes first steps in delineating his environment...through thinking he is mastering it and through registration he is taking it…
Although systems like the Abhidhamma might have had infinitely more relevance...were infinitely more valuable and important before the advent of the commonality of books...still even today many people find them…
Beware that this is a rather old post, one of the first ones perhaps, so some of it might need to be revised. For a better understanding of what the…
