Bhante,

> Unfortunately, due to my own laziness i never make study notes. It
> would be good, especially if one is going into more depth, but
> usually i find that it's best to keep the spoken word stuff less
> technical, and focus on the Dhamma. Technical details, for me, go
> into the writing.

One of the things we miss in Singapore is a forest monastery where there is regular
public Dharma talk where Suttas are discussed as those published in the Dharma
Journal. Understandably, like other forest monks, you are keeping the oral tradition
alive.

It can be more challenging to study the Buddha Word in a scribal tradition, as almost
anyone can say anything they want reflecting more of personal view rather than an
understanding of the Suttas. This is where the personal experiential wisdom of the
forest practitioner is always valuable.

Short of the natural insight of the practitioner, the technical propriety of
scholarly study can help if one is willing to go beyond mere scholarship. Frankly,
without chance of regularly attending talks at a forest monastery or such centre, I
find studying and working with the Suttas simply exhilarating, and there is a great
desire to tell others about these wonderful teachings.

I am very grateful to the BF for giving me this space to work on the Suttas and the
growing number of Sanghins who are showing their interest in the Sutta Discovery
project.

> �
> I used to play music, and played both classical, where every last
> note is rehearsed in advance, and jazz, where you just go '1, 2, 3,
> 4 ...' and then you're off! Needless to say, jazz is much more fun.
> But of course, you can only do it if you've done the preparation
> earlier, sometimes it's much more difficult to learn jazz than
> classical, for that very reason.

I love music, too, mainly baroque and classical, although have very little time to
listen to them since I moved to Singapore. I remember one of my ex-students who
enjoyed meditation retreats we used to have in the Malaysian forests, she wrote many
inspiring Buddhist "hymns" and songs as a result of her meditation.

The greatest music is of course the silence of the mind at peace. In face, I think it
was Mozart who said, it is the silence amongst the musical notes that make music
possible.

> Incidentally i'll offer something else on the very interesting
> sunnata notes soon, but now i've got a Chinese lesson!

Finally I have finished the annotated translations for the Brahma Nimantanika Sutta
and the related Brahma Baka Sutta. I will be reading your translation of the SA 1
before turning in: it looks very interesting.

Looking forward to precious gems from the forest.

Namakkara,

Piya


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