Anālayo - A meditators life of the Buddha: based on the early discourses

Praise for A Meditators Life of the Buddha

In this work, Bhikkhu Anlayo applies his consummate knowledge of the textual collections of Early Buddhism to the task of constructing a biography of the Buddha that focuses on his life as a meditator. The book not only paints a very human picture of the Buddhas life, but through the exercises attached to each chapter it enables the reader to join the Buddha on his quest for enlightenment and beyond, into his mission as a teacher and through to his parinirva or passing away. While offering a scholarly portrait of the Buddha, this book is also a testament to the overarching unity of the various early Buddhist schools in their conception of the Buddhas life, a unity that coexists along with a rich diversity in their detailed narrations about particular events in that life.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, scholar and translator

A Meditators Life of the Buddha explores the remarkable inner journey that transformed Siddhartha Gotama into a fully awakened Buddha. It traces the unfolding of the Buddhas path from his going forth and discovery of the path, to the triumphant night of his full awakening, four and a half decades of compassionate teaching, and concludes with his final meditation.

This book is simultaneously a biography of a great man, an insightful study of Early Buddhism, and a practical guidebook for serious meditators. Each chapter offers readers a rare, and often surprisingly intimate, account of how the Buddha met real-life situations. We learn how he faced difficulties and overcame fears, struggled to abandon defilements, prioritized his commitments, mastered concentration states, recognized the significance of insights, and experienced the great peace that finally characterized his life as an awakened one. It is an inspiring guide that will accelerate the readers own journey of awakening. Highly recommended, and sure to inspire dedicated meditators!

Shaila Catherine, author of Focused and Fearless: A Meditators Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity

The Buddhas life story provides an implicit support for one of the most important of early Buddhist meditation practices, the contemplation of the Buddha. Anlayos highly original approach to the familiar story is to present his material in the form of an explicit guide to this practice, laid out in 24 stages, which follow what we know of the Buddhas own meditation practice. Anlayo brings his formidable scholarship to elucidating what this consisted in, drawing on discourses preserved in Pli and Chinese that have a reliably early provenance. The extremely useful exercises with which each chapter concludes ground the scholarship in a fervent awareness of the goal, represented by the Buddha, which we should always have in mind in our own practice.

Jinananda, author of Warrior of Peace: The Life of the Buddha

Anlayo is both an outstanding scholar and a devoted practitioner, and this account of the Buddhas life through his engagement with meditation may be his ideal subject. We need more accounts of the Buddhas life that draw out what the early texts say, distinguishing that from the legends that came later. Anlayos mastery of both the Pli and the Chinese sources, as well as the scholarship that surrounds them, makes him an unrivalled authority in this, and an attentive guide to the Buddhas explorations of the mind and meditative states. In another persons hands all this knowledge could have made A Meditators Life of the Buddha an exercise in scholarship, but Anlayos heartfelt engagement with the material and his dedication to meditation practice is evident on every page.

Vishvapani, author of Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One

A MEDITATORS
LIFE OF THE
BUDDHA

Also by Anlayo

Satipahna: The Direct Path to Realization

The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal

A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikya

Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pli Discourses

Madhyama-gama Studies

Perspectives on Satipahna

The Dawn of Abhidharma

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation

Sayukta-gama Studies

Ekottarika-gama Studies

The Foundation History of the Nuns Order

Mindfully Facing Disease and Death: Compassionate Advice from

Early Buddhist Texts

Buddhapada and the Bodhisattva Path

Early Buddhist Meditation Studies

Drgha-gama Studies

Vinaya Studies

A MEDITATORS
LIFE OF THE
BUDDHA

Based on the Early Discourses

Anlayo

Windhorse Publications

169 Mill Road

Cambridge

CB1 3AN

UK

windhorsepublications.com

Anlayo, 2017

Electronic edition 2017

The right of Anlayo to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

As an act of Dhammadna, Anlayo has
waived royalty payments for this book.

The index was not compiled by the author.

Cover design by Dhammarati

Cover image: Sandstone figure of the Buddha, Sarnath, fifth century AD;

The Trustees of the British Museum.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-909314-99-3

ebook ISBN: 978-1-911407-00-3

Limit of Liability: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book so as to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered, the advice and practices contained in it may not be suitable for your situation.

You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any damage.

Windhorse Publications would be pleased to hear about your reading experiences with this eBook at:

References to Internet web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Windhorse Publications is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in 1962 in Germany, Bhikkhu Anlayo was ordained in 1995 in Sri Lanka, and completed a PhD on the Satipahna-sutta at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2000 published in 2003 by Windhorse Publications under the title Satipahna: The Direct Path to Realization.

Anlayo is a professor of Buddhist Studies; his main research area is early Buddhism and in particular the topics of the Chinese gamas, meditation, and women in Buddhism. Besides his academic pursuits, he spends most of his time in meditation under retreat conditions and regularly teaches meditation. He presently resides at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am indebted to Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhun Dhammadinn, Ann Dillon, Linda Grace, Michael Running, Syinchen Shi, and Matt Weingast for commenting on a draft version of this book.

PUBLISHERS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS