Paṭisota

Four Ways the Speech Turns Polluted ( Vācāya Asoceyya ) 1. Musāvāda : Lying/ False Speech Definition: Especially in relation to knowledge, perception, or testimony, deliberately speak falsehoods. Contextual Examples: Happens in public gatherings, among relatives, guilds, or royal courts when one is called upon as a witness. Several forms of falsehood: Says one knows what one does not know. Denies understanding of what one does know. States one has seen what one has not seen. Denies having seen something one has seen. Driving forces: Atta-hetu: for personal gain. Para-hetu: to help someone else. Āmisa-kiñcikkha-hetu : for minor advantage or material gain. Repercussions: Reality distorted. Underfits ethical communication, justice, and trust. Thought of as a deliberate, knowing transgression. Every lie alters reality —not only for the listener but also for the speaker's own sense of self, regardless of their minor nature.  Lying is the theft of trust; it not only distorts fa...

  🧠 1. “To know you are unwise is the beginning of wisdom.” The verse overturns common notions of intelligence by suggesting that self-awareness of one’s ignorance is wiser than being proudly unaware. In a world addicted to appearances, humility becomes the highest form of clarity. 💭 It is not ignorance that marks the unwise, but the refusal to recognize it. 🪤 2. The mind that doesn’t know it is trapped—is the most trapped of all. The thieving pickpocket mocks his virtuous friend, oblivious to the fact that his real prison is not poverty, but delusion ( moha ) and spiritual blindness. He is rich in denial and poor in insight. 💭 The most dangerous ignorance is the one that feels like confidence. 🌫️ 3. Avijjā is not just “not knowing”—it is not knowing that you don’t know . This makes avijjā uniquely insidious. It is a meta-ignorance —a blindness to the fact that one is blind. It causes us to mistake suffering for happiness, impermanence for permanence, and selflessness for s...

                           Dhammapda 63 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 63. Yo bālo maññati bālyaṃ, He/she who knows himself/herself to be unwise, is wise. Paṇḍito vā pi tena so; That very self-awareness makes him/her a wise person. Bālo ca paṇḍitamānī, But the unwise who thinks himself/herself wise, Sa ve “bālo”ti vuccati. Truly, he/she is called an unwise person. Story: Gaṇṭhi Bhedaka Cora Vatthu

                                The Path to Uninfluence Pāli (excerpt): “ Idha pana, māṇava, ekacco itthī vā puriso vā issāmanako hoti, paralābha sakkāra garukāra mānana vandana pūjanāsu issati, upadussati, issaṃ bandhati. So tena kammena evaṃ samattena evaṃ samādinnena kāyassa bhedā parammaraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati. No ce kāyassa bhedā parammaraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati, sace manussattaṃ āgacchati yattha yattha paccājāyati appesakkho hoti. Appesakkha saṃvattanikā esā, māṇava, paṭipadā yadidaṃ—issāmanako hoti; paralābha sakkāra garukāra mānana vandana pūjanāsu issati, upadussati, issaṃ bandhati. ” Here, student, some man or woman is envious; they envy, begrudge, and harbor envy about the gains, recognition,  honour , esteem, salutations, and offerings received by others. Because of performing and completing such kamma, on the dissolution of the body, after d...

🔪 1. Pāṇātipāta (Killing Living Beings) Definition: Intentionally killing or causing the death of a living being. Characteristics: Luddo (Cruel): The person has a hardened and ruthless nature. Lohita-pāṇi (Bloody-handed): Engaged in acts of killing with direct involvement, metaphorically stained with blood. Hata-pahate niviṭṭho (Devoted to Killing and Violence): Deeply habituated and committed to acts of slaughter and destruction. A-dayāpanno (Without Compassion): Lacks empathy or care for the suffering of any living being. Sabba-pāṇa-bhūtesu (Towards All Living Creatures): The lack of compassion extends universally to all forms of life. 🪙 2. Adinnādāna (Taking What is Not Given) Definition: Stealing or taking something that does not belong to oneself without the owner’s consent. Characteristics: Gāma-gataṃ vā : Occurs in the village—social settings, homes, public areas. Arañña-gataṃ vā : Occurs in the forest—hidden, secretive, or uninhabited places. Nature of the Act: Para-v...

  🔍 1. “Unwise Ownership is an illusion”—how can you own what is not even yours? Ānanda’s desperate attachment to his gold and family reflects the tragic irony of clinging to what one ultimately cannot keep. When even the “self” (attā) is not truly one’s own—subject as it is to impermanence and death—how can one truly claim ownership over sons or wealth? 💭 If you do not own your breath, how can you own your bank account? 💸 2. Hoarded wealth becomes a curse, not a legacy. Ānanda’s hidden gold, which he refused to share, ends up benefitting no one—not even his own descendants. Instead of becoming a source of merit, it becomes a buried symbol of greed and spiritual blindness. 💭 Wealth not shared becomes dead weight—both literally and karmically. 🌀 3. Karma twists the Samsaric life into a grotesque form. Reborn in a disfigured body, Ānanda's external appearance mirrors his internal defilements: avarice, fear, and delusion. His karmic rebirth dramatizes how unethical m...

  Dhammapda 62 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 62.  Puttā matthi dhana ṃ  matthi “I have sons/daughters, I have wealth,” iti bālo vihaññati; Thus, the unwise worries (or is troubled). Attā hi attano natthi, But he/she does not even own himself/herself; kuto puttā kuto dhanaṃ. So, how can he/she claim sons/daughters or wealth? Story :  Ānanda Seṭṭhi  Vatthu  

The Path to Ugliness Pāli (excerpt): "Idha, māṇava, ekacco itthī vā puriso vā kodhano hoti upāyāsabahulo. Appampi vutto samāno abhisajjati kuppati byāpajjati patiṭṭhīyati kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātukaroti. So tena kammena evaṁ samattena evaṁ samādinnena kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. No ce kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati, sace manussattaṁ āgacchati yattha yattha paccājāyati dubbaṇṇo hoti. Dubbaṇṇasaṁvattanikā esā, māṇava, paṭipadā yadidaṁ—kodhano hoti upāyāsabahulo; appampi vutto samāno abhisajjati kuppati byāpajjati patiṭṭhīyati kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātukaroti." Here, student, some man or woman is of an angry and irritable character; even when criticised a little, he is offended, becomes angry, hostile, and resentful, and displays anger, hate, and bitterness. Because of performing and undertaking such action…he reappears in a state of deprivation…But if instead he comes back to th...

🧠💥 Purity in Early Buddhism: Not What You Think 1. Purity Is Not What the World Thinks It Is ➡️ Shock factor: Early Buddhism deconstructs external purity. Ritual baths, caste-based notions, and even extreme asceticism are useless if the mind is still defiled by greed, hatred, and delusion. 2. Purity is a Process, Not a Status ➡️ Purity isn’t something you are — it’s something you do. It’s not a condition imposed by birth or priesthood (monk/nun), but a psychological transformation through meditative development. 🌀 Your entire identity is a karmic compost pile — and through mindfulness, you compost that pile into a lotus. 3. Even the Concept of Purity Must Be Let Go ➡️ The truly awakened sees beyond dualities. The obsession with “purity” itself becomes a hindrance when clung to. 🧘 The purest being does not label anything “pure.” 4. No One Can Make You Pure — Not Even a Buddha “ Tumhehi kiccaṁ ātappaṁ, akkhātāro tathāgatā .” — Dhammapada 276 “You yourselves must strive. The Buddhas...

Dhammapda 61 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 61.  Cara ñ  ce nādhigaccheyya If, while walking (on the spiritual path or in life), one does not find Seyyaṃ sadisamattano; a companion who is better or equal to oneself; Ekacariyaṃ daḷhaṃ kayirā then let one firmly pursue a solitary path— Natthi Bāle Sahāyatā for there is no companionship with the foolish. Story :  Mahā Kassapa Saddhivihārika Vatthu  

📡 Join us on all Patisota social platforms 🗓️ May 8, Thursday | 6:00–7:30 PM (Singapore/Malaysia time) 📍 Live on the Patisota Facebook Page & YouTube Channel Witness the inspiring journey of our OPRC (Online Pali Reading Class) students, from their humble beginnings in 2023 to their transformation by 2025—across just 81 class sessions. Experience how they have steadily grown in their ability to read and reflect on Pali texts, step by step, with commitment, joy, and reverence. 🌟 This event will also mark the official launch of Patisota’s chanting and reflection group – “𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞”—a community where chanting meets inspiration, rooted in Dhamma practice. 🙏 May this celebration be a true offering to the Buddha’s wish— that the Dhamma be practiced, preserved, and passed on with wisdom. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘵ā, Patisota Team

                         The Cause of Sickness Pāli (excerpt): “ Idha māṇava, ekacco itthī vā puriso vā sattānaṃ viheṭhakajātiko hoti pāṇinā vā leḍḍunā vā daṇḍena vā satthena vā. So tena kammena evaṃ samattena evaṃ samādinnena kāyassa bhedā parammaraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati. No ce kāyassa bhedā parammaraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati, sace manussattaṃ āgacchati, yattha yattha paccājāyati, bavhābādho hoti. Bavhābādhasaṃvattanikā esā māṇava, paṭipadā yadidaṃ sattānaṃ viheṭhakajātiko hoti pāṇinā vā leḍḍunā vā daṇḍena vā satthena vā. ” “Here, student, some woman or man is one who harms beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife. Having done so and completed such action, on the dissolution of the body, after death, they are reborn in a state of deprivation, in a bad destination, in perdition, in hell. But if they come back to the human state, wherever they are reborn...

Dhammapda 60 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 60. Dīghā jāgarato ratti, Long is the night for one who stays awake Dīghaṃ santassa yojanaṃ; Long is a yojana (a measure of distance) for the weary Dīgho bālāna saṃsāro, Long is saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) for the unwise Saddhammaṃ avijānataṃ. [For those] who do not understand the true Dhamma Story : Kosala Rāja / Aññatara Purisa Vatthu

                            Why do some people die young, while others live to old age? The Buddha addresses this question in the Cūḷakammavibhaṅga Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya . He explains that beings experience differing lifespans primarily due to the kamma (actions) they have performed in the past and continue to perform. Long Life vs. Short Life Short life results from killing living beings ( pāṇātipāta ), being cruel ( adayāpanno ). Long life results from abstaining from killing ( pāṇātipātā paṭivirato ), living with compassion ( dayāpanno ). Key Teachings from the first set of  Cūḷakammavibhaṅga Sutta: A man or woman who kills living beings (pāṇātipātī), being cruel (luddo), bloody-handed (lohitapāṇi), immersed in killing and violence (hatapahate niviṭṭho), and without compassion (adayāpanno) towards all beings (sabbapāṇabhutesu), as a result of such actions (kamma), after death (kāyass...