Dear kalyāṇa-mittatā,
We’re happy to share that a new book has been published — How to See the Buddha — The Buddhist Handbook by Venerable Gnanaseeha Rakwane Thero, abbot of the Cittaviveka forest monastery in Sri Lanka (Theravada tradition, ordained in 2003).
This is the third book by Bhante Gnanaseeha, intended for a wide audience. This book consists of a single discourse — on the qualities of the Buddha. However, the greater part of this book comprises passages from the suttas of the Pāli Canon, which we have added alongside Bhante Gnanaseeha’s commentary.
The choice of subject was not made without reason. Without knowing the Buddha — without holding right view with regard to him — one cannot fully walk the Noble Eightfold Path. This is a matter of principle. The Buddha is the source of all our knowledge of the Dhamma. The figure of Buddha Sākyamuni Gotama unites all traditions of Buddhism; everything began with the Buddha. And in order to understand who the Buddha is, one must come to know his qualities.
One who sees the Dhamma sees me; one who sees me sees the Dhamma. For in seeing the Dhamma, Vakkali, one sees me; and in seeing me, one sees the Dhamma.
The recollection of the Buddha is not merely a support or a “preliminary tuning” for further practice — it is the foundation of our right view, right attitude, and right intention.
The Tathāgata (the Buddha) recommended the practice of recollecting the qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha to both monastics and lay followers alike. It can serve as an inexhaustible source of wholesome qualities, a protection from fear, and a refuge in the ocean of saṃsāra. It is not without reason that the ritual of becoming a Buddhist is called the Taking of Refuge — we take Refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. And for this, we must understand what these truly are.
While rooted in the Theravada tradition — the earliest and most conservative school of Buddhism to have survived to the present day — this book may serve as an essential reference for a Buddhist of any school and a support on the path to liberation from suffering.
This is a gift of Dhamma, free to download in PDF and EPUB (Russian and English): Bhāvanā — искусство ума, книги Ракване Ньянасихи (Нянасихи)
May it be of benefit to you and to all living beings.