Entries for November 2006

By Jeff Glenn
President of the Pariyatti Board

This is an exciting time for Pariyatti, its supporters and its staff, as interest in the teachings of the Buddha continues to grow and technology makes available new venues for the dissemination of these teachings. I would like to briefly address the Pariyatti mission and what lies on the horizon for Pariyatti. The current mission statement is:

Pariyatti enriches the world by
Disseminating the words of the Buddha,
Providing sustenance for the seeker's journey, and
Illuminating the meditator's path.

These three components of the mission address three subtly different but complimentary initiatives.

Disseminating the Words of the Buddha

Many readers will know that the word 'pariyatti' is a Pali word which translates as the theoretical teaching of the Buddha. The core of the Pali Canon consists of the Tipitika, the words uttered directly by the Buddha, believed by most scholars to have been committed to writing in 29 B.C. at the Fourth Council in Sri Lanka. In the subsequent centuries, commentaries and sub-commentaries arose to elaborate and expound on the teachings of the Buddha. A significant flowering of post commentarial writings arose beginning in the late 1800's with the founding of the Pali Text Society and the translations of many works by Maha-theras (Sr. Bhikkhu elders) from Burma and Sri Lanka. The Sixth Council, held in the 1950's, lead to an additional flurry of wonderfully inspirational writings celebrating the 2,500th anniversary of the teachings of the Buddha. In the more recent decades, publishers such as the Buddhist Publication Society, the Vipassana Research Institute, and Pariyatti have continued to add valuable literary classics to this body of writings.

In accordance with our mission to disseminate the Words of the Buddha, Pariyatti makes available the entire cumulative corpus of these works. Increasingly, with the advent of modern technology, many of these teachings are taking alternate forms such as audio-books, e-books, CD's, CD-ROM's, DVD's, and downloadable media. The catalog of products continues to grow with the addition of newly written works as well as the re-publication of timeless classics.

Providing Sustenance for the Seeker's Journey

The second component of the Pariyatti mission statement is a bit broader in scope. By providing sustenance for the seeker's path, the organization seeks to expand the awareness of the teachings of the Buddha. By making the teaching of the Buddha available in a simple and easy to understand format to any and all who would seek an inner calm, Pariyatti is providing sustenance along the path of meditation and peace to those that might not otherwise have access to these teachings.

Current programs to fulfill this aspect of the mission include the donation of books and other inspirational materials to prisons, universities, monasteries, and temples. Daily e-mails of the Words of the Buddha are currently delivered to thousands of seekers. Additionally, in 2005, Pariyatti began offering Podcasts via the internet on a monthly basis. The program for these podcasts continues to expand and positive feedback has come in from throughout the world.

Illuminate the Meditator's path

The Buddha differentiated between 'pariyatti', meaning theoretical knowledge, and 'patipatti', the experiential application of the Buddha's teachings. For those who are actively seeking patipatti (and ultimately, 'pativeda', the realization of ultimate reality through meditation), Pariyatti offers tools for inspiration and elucidation.

This is perhaps the aspect of the Pariyatti mission with the most potential for growth in the coming years. The recent publication of the Gem Set in Gold was the culmination of over a decade of work and will be an invaluable resource to any serious student of the Dhamma. Students of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka will find many resources to assist them, and will illuminate the path as they develop their meditation practice. Additionally, Pariyatti is investigating the feasibility of offering Pali language instruction -- either in a residential setting or via remote interactive instruction. The Treasures of Pariyatti project has recently been announced; this is a project to preserve classic, out-of-print works of literature related to the teaching of the Buddha through electronic re-publication.

Each of these three components of the Pariyatti mission unify a community of individuals that share an interest in the teaching of the Buddha. You are all invited to join in at whatever level of community you wish. If you would like to get more involved with the fulfillment of the mission of Pariyatti, please contact us and join in as a volunteer. If you are supportive of the mission, but have limited availability, please consider becoming a Pariyatti Supporter. This is an exciting time in the Buddha Sasana, and we are confident that all participants will find inspiration from their involvement with Pariyatti.

Review by Rick Crutcher, Publisher

When the first ten-day Vipassana course came to a close at Donaldson Prison in Alabama, in January 2002, twenty men were faced with the opportunities and challenges of a whole new phase of their lives. Many were sentenced to life imprisonment; most had been deeply acculturated during their years of incarceration to the life of violence and abuse that was common for inmates of this maximum security prison in the deep South. Now a new opportunity lay before them: they had the practice of Vipassana. How would they apply it in these unlikely surroundings and how would it affect them and others around them?

Letters from the Dhamma Brothers, a book forthcoming in early 2007 from Pariyatti Press, gives us direct access to their thoughts, struggles, dreams, and triumphs, in their own words, through letters they sent to those who introduced the Vipassana course into the prison. With the second course in May, 2002, seventeen more inmates joined the voluntary and intentional fraternity of Dhamma brotherhood. This course was documented on video and will be the subject of a film to be released in 2007, called The Dhamma Brothers.

Each man has his own story of finding the courage to keep sitting, of resisting the lure of falling in with the old habits and ways of prison life, of reconciling his past actions with the effects on himself, his family, friends and the victims of his crimes. And all together experience a bond that extends beyond the intensity of the ten-day course. The Dhamma brotherhood survives even when the Vipassana program itself is cancelled and some of the men find it too difficult to keep the practice going.

When the prison once again invites the Vipassana Prison Trust to conduct a three-day course for the old-student Dhamma brothers, in January, 2006, there is a joyful homecoming and a revival of Dhamma practice and enthusiasm.

The big question for all corrections officers, wardens, judges and other officials who have observed these Vipassana courses in prisons and jails is: Is it real? Will the changes seen in the beginning last? Can a meditation program like Vipassana really reform these hardened inmates? Scientific studies so far have shown promising results in the short run but how deep are the changes really?

Four years and counting, these letters and the experiences of these inmates will give you the chance to decide for yourself whether it is real.

If you are interested in helping to underwrite the publishing costs of "Letters from the Dhamma Brothers" please contact Julie Schaeffer: julie@pariyatti.org or 360-978-5195