Ven. Analayo: The Thought-world of the Pali Discourses

Bhikkhu Analayo was born in 1962 in Germany, was ordained in 1995 in Sri Lanka, and completed his PhD on satipatthana at the University of Peradeniya in 2000. This was later published by Windhorse and the Buddhist Publication Society as 'Satipatthana - The Direct Path to Realization'. Besides his academic work, he regularly teaches meditation in Sri Lanka.

We are happy to be able to present the following texts for personal use, in Acrobat format, by permission of Ven. Analayo. He retains the copyright and permission should be sought from him in regard to wider distribution or publication. The original books are published by the Buddhist Association of the United States, Carmel, NY.

From Craving to Liberation (2009)

This first volume of 'Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pali Discourses' considers Craving, Passion, Ill-will, Sloth-and-torpor, Restlessness-and-worry, Doubt, Feeling, Contemplation of Feelings, Happiness, Equanimity, Knowledge and Vision according to Reality, and Liberation.

"The first part of the present book deals mainly with factors or states of mind that are detrimental and need to be overcome, the middle section turns to the development of insight, while the last part takes up themes related to the goal of such development."

From Grasping to Emptiness (2010)

The second volume of 'Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pali Discourses' considers Grasping, Personality View, Right View, Volitional Formations, Thought, Wise Attention, Insight, Tranquility & Insight, Concentration, Seclusion, Letting Go, and Emptiness.

"The selection of articles in the present book begins by examining central doctrinal terms such as grasping, personality view, and right view. Next I explore the significance of sankharas, followed by surveying thoughts and wise attention. Then I consider the theme of insight in detail, before turning to its complement in the development of concentration. Minor themes taken up in the wake of concentration are seclusion and letting go. The significance of emptiness forms the conclusion to my explorations."

Lectures at the University of Hamburg

'Readings in the Madhyama-agama' is on online course held every summer semester by Bhikkhu Analayo at the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hamburg. The main purpose of the course is to introduce central themes of Buddhist thought from an historical-critical perspective through the medium of a comparative study of the early discourses.The lectures held during 2011 covered the first twenty discourses of the Madhyama-agama. Audio files of the year's lectures (in English) have now been made available and can be freely downloaded as mp3 files, for personal use, together with the respective lectures notes.