Audiobooks narrated by Jinananda Jinananda

Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya: Volume 1

The Khuddaka Nikaya is different in character from the other four Nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka in the Theravada Pali Canon in that rather than being a single work it is, as its customary translation ‘Minor Anthologies' suggests, a collection of independent works. A true anthology! It contains some of the most important and well-known works in the Pali Canon, including the Dhammapada, the Udana, the Sutta Nipata and the Jataka Tales; and, in some recensions, Milinda's Questions. There are also other works less-known to many Buddhists and students of Buddhism, such as the Vimanavatthu, the Therigatha and the Theragatha. These offer a wider perspective on the Dhamma as it has been lived through the centuries. Yet, perhaps because of its ‘anthology' character and wide range, the Khuddaka Nikaya is less familiar in its entirety than the Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, the Sa?yutta Nikaya, and the A?guttara Nikaya which are more self-contained. Now, for the first time on audio, Dharma Audiobooks has brought together a compilation of the Principal Texts, spread over three volumes. Listening to all three will, it is hoped, give the interested listener a clear and satisfying overview of the Anthology. Volume 1 contains the Khuddaka Patha, Dhammapada, Udana, Itivuttaka, Sutta Nipata, Vimanavatthu and Petavatthu. Each one has its own introduction, some short, some comprehensive. To many with some familiarity of the Pali Canon, it will offer an opportunity to revisit some of the central Buddhist texts, including the Dhammapada and the Udana – Inspired Utterances of the Buddha. But even for the ‘many' an encounter with the Vimanavatthu – Stories of the Mansions and Petavatthu – Stories of the Departed will come as a surprise, for here we venture into the more mythical area of the Dhamma. In the Vimanavatthu we find ourselves visiting the ‘Mansions' inhabited by the devas, a pleasant and enjoyable environment won through the karmic result of good deeds. We meet the devas who explain how, though often people living ordinary and unprivileged lives, find themselves unexpectedly transported to ethereal regions. The Petavatthu, by contrast, display the darker side of karma, and features a succession of ghost stories. These important works are presented by readers who know their subjects from personal practice and study.

Anonymous (Author), Elizabeth English, Jinananda Jinananda, Ratnadhya, Taradasa (Narrator)

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Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya: Volume 2

This is Volume 2 of Dharma Audiobooks' ground-breaking overview of Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the fifth section of the Sutta Pitaka in the Theravada Pali Canon. Far less known than the first four (Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Sa?yutta Nikaya, A?guttara Nikaya) perhaps because of its character as an anthology rather than a self-contained work, it nevertheless contains gems which are only too easily overlooked or even underappreciated! As with Volume 1, Volume 2 follows the traditional ordering of the individual works in the Khuddaka Nikaya, which makes for a curious, but invigorating collection. The first two texts, Therigatha and Theragatha, present the traditional histories of the bhikkhunis (nuns) and bhikkhus (monks) of the Buddha's time. In each case, their biographies (written centuries later by Dharmapala who had access to sources now lost) lead to verses ascribed to the real individuals on gaining nibbana. Here are fascinating glimpses of life at the time of the Buddha. The third work in Volume 2 can hardly be more different. The Jatakas (birth stories) is a delightful and absorbing collection of legendary stories of the previous life of the Buddha, how his actions in the past—as animal or human—led progressively along the path towards Buddhahood. In its entirety, the Jatakas is huge—157 tales extending to nearly one million words. Here, Dharma Audiobooks presents a selection of 40 tales, including 'The Story of the Baby Quail', 'The Story of the Hare', 'The Miserly Treasurer', 'The Queen's Necklace', leading to 'Jataka 157', the famous—and long—'Vessantara-Jataka', 'The Paramita of Perfect Generosity'. With the Western cultural tradition of Aesop's Stories in our minds, it is easy to smile benignly as these tales unfold...but to generations of Buddhist followers down the ages, they had a deeper function than merely to entertain or point to a simple moral. Altogether, Volume 2 of Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya offers a rather special Dhammic experience.

Anonymous (Author), Elizabeth English, Jinananda Jinananda, Ratnadhya, Taradasa, Tejasvini, Vishvantara (Narrator)

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The Life of the Buddha

This unique biography, told in a lively manner through six 'voices', presents the Buddha's revolutionary solution for humanity that lends to the end of ill will, craving and delusion. It goes back to the earliest sources of the Buddha's life and teachings, drawing as it does from the Pali Canon which was said to record the words that the Buddha spoke, the events that happened, and his specific teachings on which the world-wide religion was based. It is an absorbing, edifying and even entertaining collection of reportage, myths, wisdom, kindness, human insight - and decisiveness. For 45 years after his enlightenment he walked around North-Eastern India, encountering and teaching kings, courtesans, matted-hair ascetics, murderers, men and women on spiritual quests - and many ordinary people living ordinary lives in 5th century BCE, but who were grateful for his compassion and advice. Sometimes he teaches through rich metaphors. Sometimes he teaches through scientific analyses of mental states. In one tender moment, he helps his own son, Rahula, to gain enlightenment. The Buddha was not only clear about life, and how, and why, it should be lived, but endeavoured to create a practical framework that monks, nuns and laymen and laywomen could follow to 'disentangle the tangle' and reach enlightenment. Not a god or a divine, but a truly remarkable and fulfilled human being. Bhikkhu Ñanamoli's remarkable work - an innovative biography that has become a classic treasured by Buddhists of all traditions - speaks directly, giving us a flavour of what it was like to be around Siddhattha Gotama, the Buddha. Bhikkhu Ñanamoli (Osbert Moore) was born in England in 1905 and graduated from Exeter College, Oxford. In 1948 he came to Sri Lanka to be ordained as a monk. During his 11 years as a monk, he translated some of the most difficult texts of Theravada Buddhism. In The Life of the Buddha, however, he made the teachings accessible to all.

Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Bhikkhu ñanamoli (Author), Hayward B. Morse, Jinananda Jinananda, John Foliy, Leighton Pughl, Nicolette Mckenzie (Narrator)

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A Concise History of Buddhism: From 500 BCE-1900 CE

An ideal introduction to the history of Buddhism. Andrew Skilton - Senior Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies, Kings College, London - explains the development of the basic concepts of Buddhism and its spread across the continents during its 2,500 years of history. He begins with a close look at Buddhism in India, where it flourished until the 12th/13th century CE, charting the growth of different schools and practices. By the time it disappeared from its homeland midway through the millennium, it had become established in Central Asia and the Far East in a variety of forms. Skilton looks at Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia and in countries where there are now only archeological remains, such as Iran. This is a fascinating and useful insight into the historical progress of one of the world's great religions.

Andrew Skilton (Author), Jinananda Jinananda (Narrator)

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Sutta Nipata: The Group of Discourses

It is widely accepted that the Sutta Nipata contains the earliest recorded version of the Buddha's teaching. It is an anthology of poetry and prose - 70 titled suttas of varied instruction and temperament arranged in five chapters. At the start are two of its most famous suttas: The Snake, in which the actions of the practising bhikkhu approaching liberation is likened to a snake that 'leaves its old, worn-out skin'; and The Rhinoceros Horn, which expounds the virtue of solitude for those with serious spiritual intent. But this anthology is full of character and characters: the Buddha condemns caste (which still blights Indian society); he engages with a varied host of questioners, from householders and brahmins to spiritual seekers, clarifying their confusions and exhorting them to pursue a path of wisdom and compassion. Uncompromising and ancient in tone, it offers a flavour of the very early days of the Buddha's teaching and the India of his time. K. R. Norman's authoritative translation ensures clarity and immediacy of comprehension.

K.R. Norman (Author), Jinananda Jinananda (Narrator)

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Who Is the Buddha?

This is not an ordinary biography of the Buddha. In his characteristically individual manner, Urgyen Sangharakshita - the leading English-born Buddhist teacher and founder of the Triratana Buddhist Community - recounts the known details of the Buddha's life but enriches the story with contemporary relevance. Unpicking the threads of historical and mythical information, he considers the underlying meaning in terms of 21st-century life - and its effect on personal practice today. The Buddha lived 2,500 years ago in Northeastern India, grew up in a comfortable aristocratic environment, but spent 50 years after his Enlightenment on the road, teaching, inspiring and discoursing - barefoot and with just a robe and a bowl. But, Sangharakshita argues, we can only really find out 'who is the Buddha' by putting that life in the context of his teachings - suffering, impermanence and insubstantiality; 'actions have consequences'; and a vigorous practice of ethics. Though his cultural background was so different, Siddhartha Gautama remains an iconic figure in our contemporary world, and increasingly in the West, because even now his life and work have a profound affect on our lives. This is a highly vivid and personal account of the life of the Buddha - 'one who knows, who is awake'.

Urgyen Sangharakshita (Author), Jinananda Jinananda (Narrator)

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What is the Dharma?: The essential teachings of the Buddha

What is the Dharma? To walk in the footsteps of the Buddha, we need a clear and thorough guide to the essential principles of Buddhism. Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions. Constantly returning to the question 'how can this help me?', Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles, including karma and rebirth, nirvana and shunyata, conditioned coproduction, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, insubstantiality, ethics, meditation and wisdom. The result is an informative, refreshing and inspiring book that lays before us the essential Dharma, timeless and universal, in a clear and practical manner. Urgyen Sangharakshita, the English-born Buddhist teacher, is one of the most influential and respected figures in Western Buddhism. Ordained initially into the Theravadin tradition, he broadened his scope to involve all the Buddhist traditions. After 20 years in India, he returned to the West and founded the Western Buddhist Order, later renamed the Triratna Buddhist Order. With centres all over the world, it has played a major role in adapting the Buddhist traditions to the contemporary world, making Dharma practice its central pillar.

Urgyen Sangharakshita (Author), Jinananda Jinananda (Narrator)

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The Dhammapada, The Udana, The Itivuttaka: Key Texts from the Khuddaka Nikaya

The Dhammapada, a collection of 423 verses in 26 chapters, is perhaps the most famous of all Buddhist texts. It presents the Buddha's teachings in a clear and highly accessible form and has been used for personal instruction and teaching for centuries throughout the Buddhist world. It comes from the Khuddaka Nikaya section of the Pali Canon and is here collected with two other key texts from the same source. The Udana (‘inspired utterance') contains stories from the Buddha's life, each of which conclude with a verse. Among these are Bahiya of the bark-cloth and Meghiya, who wanted to meditate but had, perhaps, chosen an inappropriate time. The Itivuttaka (‘it was said') was reputedly recited to a queen at court by a lay female disciple of the Buddha who had listened to him teach. It is a collection of 112 short discourses and is, again, very clear in form.

Buddharakshita, John D. Ireland (Author), Jinananda Jinananda, Patience Tomlinson, Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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Therigatha: Poems of Early Buddhist Nuns

This remarkable collection of 73 verses contained in the 'Khuddaka Nikaya' section of the Pali Canon dates from the BC 6th century. It is said to be the earliest voices of women in recorded history. The verses, some brief, some more extended, are the utterances of the bhikkhunis, the nuns at the time of the Buddha, concerning their life and their ‘awakening'. Often they give a penetrating insight to the life of women in ancient India: high-ranking members of courts, courtesans, wives of merchants and farmers - women from all social levels who left their homes to follow the spiritual life as forest renunciants. This recording also includes the personal histories of many of the individuals written by the 6th century CE monk Dharmapala who had access to sources which are now lost. Among these individuals are some famous bhikkhunis whose stories are more widely known, including Kisagotami (and the mustard seed), Mahapajapati Gotami (the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha), and Dhammadinna (once praised by the Buddha for her Dhamma talk).

K.R. Norman (Author), Jinananda Jinananda, Visvantara (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Jinananda Jinananda