Our apologies that Pali
terms cannot be spelled
with proper diacritical
marks.
Sauce 1. Although the so-called Cold War ended a
couple years after this message was dictated, nuclear proliferation
is in many ways more grave a danger than it was then. The reader may
also apply the Dhamma perspectives that follow to the other hot
issues of today, such as global warming. (The editor has added a few
parenthetical updates for this purpose.) back
Sauce 2. Kilesa are the defilements of mind
(or "afflictive emotions"), such as greed, hatred, fear, and
delusion, which darken, pollute, and torment the mind. back
Sauce 3. In discussing current affairs, Ajarn
Buddhadasa’s comments apply most directly to Thailand and its
limited experience with democracy based on the British model.
Nevertheless, he felt they also applied pretty well to the world at
large. Despite his criticisms of the way democracy has played out
here and aboard, he favored an unselfish, decentralized democracy as
the ideal system, although he doubted our ability to actually put it
into practice. back
Sauce 4. A selfish democracy seduces everyone into
its corrupt value system; a selfish dictatorship cannot do so using
its clumsy means of coercion. With Dhamma, he felt, an authoritarian
system could encourage its people in unselfishness. (The translator,
humbly, does not fully share this last view.) back
Sauce 5. This Thai idiom means to try in vain to
keep the member countries in line. The dilemma is amply illustrated
by the consistently selfish behavior of the permanent members of the
Security Council, especially its dominant member. back
Sauce 6. Ajarn Buddhadasa frequently spoke of the
instincts and considered the instinctive sense of self to be the
most basic of all. Because there is an instinctual feeling of
"somebody" being or possessing or controlling this mind and body,
all the other instincts have a field in which to operate. back
Sauce 7. One can only wonder what he would say to
the modern temples to consumerism found in the rich countries of the
world today! back
Sauce 8. Based on the more squat stupas of India
and similar to the pagodas of Burma, cetiyas are the tall, round,
and graceful representations of Buddhist cosmology, with Nibbana at
the peak, that Thais use as memorials. back
Sauce 9. Both terms refer to things that are
obviously incomplete when missing an important part of their make
up, so incomplete that they can’t perform their proper functions. back
Sauce 10. The custom of young men ordaining in
order to receive a basic education and religious training has
deteriorated into a ritual in most cases, and a money-spinner in
some. back
Sauce 11. This should not be taken to mean that
men should always be the front legs (leader), for wives made the key
decisions in many families and were often stronger than their men.
back
Sauce 12. This passage has struck some Western
readers as sexist and offensive, and they encouraged me to cut it
out. Ajarn Buddhadasa wouldn't object if the father stayed home and
the mother took on the burden of earning the family's bread. His
point is that somebody must stay home and raise the kids properly,
and he is honest enough to admit that women are usually the ones who
do it. back
Sauce 13. The next Buddha, Sri Ariya Metteya,
will usher in a world of universal loving kindness, peace, and well
being. Traditionally, she is believed to be due 5000 years after the
passing of the Gotama Buddha . Ajarn Buddhadasa taught that her
coming depends more on humanity creating the right conditions than
on a predetermined period of time. back

Kalama 1. Up until the mid 1990s, this issue was a
dangerous point of contention between democracy activists on one
hand and the military and conservatives on the other. back
Kalama 2. Different editions of the
Tipitaka name this Sutta differently. back
Kalama 3. By the Venerable Phra Mahasamanachao
Kromphraya Vachiraya Nyanarorot, the Supreme Patriarch at the time
who modernized Buddhist texts and education in Thailand. back

Kamma in Buddhism
No footnotes.

Nibbana 1. "Dyeing cats for sale" is a Thai
expression similar to "window dressing," to dress up something
shabby and inferior in order to trick the customer into buying it.
back
Nibbana 2. Arahant, "Worthy Ones," have seen
through ignorance, transcended self-centeredness, and are released
from all suffering. "Nirvana" is the Sanskrit equivalent of Nibbana.
back
Nibbana 3. Mahaparinibbana Sutta, D.ii.106. back
Nibbana 4. The Solasapanha make up the final
chapter, Parayana-vagga, of the Sutta-nipata, Khuddaka-nikaya. In
many of the verses, the Buddha emphasizes conquering and going
beyond death. He never speaks of seeking death as some kind of
salvation or end of suffering. back
Nibbana 5. Digha-nikaya (Long Discourses), Sutta
#1. back
Nibbana 6. Here,
Ajarn Buddhadasa does not imply that these refined meditative states
are necessary attainments. Rather, he is using the traditional
terminology to illustrate how the flavor of coolness pervades all
the Dhamma teachings and is therefore immediately available to us
all. back
