Book of Protection

[Amita]

In Southern Buddhism this collection of inspirational & protective passages is very popular:

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/piyadassi/protection.html

Preface  

The Book of Protection which is an anthology of selected discourses of the Buddha compiled by the teachers of old, was originally meant as a handbook for the newly ordained novice. The idea was that those novices who are not capable of studying large portions of the "Discourse Collection" (sutta pitaka) should at least be conversant with the Book of Protection. Even today it is so. The twenty four discourses are selected from the five Nikayas or the original Collections in Pali containing the Buddha's discourses. The fact that the book was meant for the novice is clear from the prefatory paragraphs that precede the discourses.

Edited June 6 by Amita

[Amita]

Foreword  

by V.F. Gunaratna

The world of English Buddhist literature has been enriched by the publication of this book entitled "The Book of Protection." This is a translation by the Ven. Piyadassi Maha Thera of what is well known to every Sinhala Buddhist home as the Pirit Potha which means the book of protection. It contains a collection of suttas or discourses taken from the teaching of the Buddha and are meant to be recited in temples and homes for the purpose of obtaining protection from all harm. This is achieved by recalling with saddha or confidence the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha referred to in these discourses. There are many who listen to the recitation of these discourses but who hardly understand the import of these discourses and therefore any benefit they may gain must be necessarily slight. This translation, therefore, supplies a long-felt need as it will help such persons to listen with understanding when pirith is being recited. The venerable translator is therefore to be congratulated as being the first to translate a book of this nature.

[SHaYap]

Brain diapers, and just about as equally as useful... 

~

[Alchopwn]

This book is how Theravada Clerics train to 1st Level.

[Piney]

12 hours ago, SHaYap said:

Brain diapers, and just about as equally as useful... 

~

I'm still trying to figure out what Theosophists mean when they say "Southern" and "Northern" Buddhism. 

 

3 hours ago, Alchopwn said:

This book is how Theravada Clerics train to 1st Level.

Do they practice gunkata? 

Don't hit me....

[SHaYap]

9 minutes ago, Piney said:

I'm still trying to figure out what Theosophists mean when they say "Southern" and "Northern" Buddhism.

Superficial difference, in practice it is nothing more than costumes and bling.

Northerners equates themselves with the aristocracy and the southerners with servitude. 

Of course the "South" here regards the northerners here in this context as "nuts"

That old tongue sucker is the poster boy for Northern Buddhism, reincarnated royalty as it is claimed, how one carries a throne back and forth between nirvana and Samsara isn't really explained, other than their Buddha is bigger than your average Buddha. 

Meh... 

~

[Piney]

2 hours ago, SHaYap said:

Superficial difference, in practice it is nothing more than costumes and bling.

Northerners equates themselves with the aristocracy and the southerners with servitude. 

Of course the "South" here regards the northerners here in this context as "nuts"

That old tongue sucker is the poster boy for Northern Buddhism, reincarnated royalty as it is claimed, how one carries a throne back and forth between nirvana and Samsara isn't really explained, other than their Buddha is bigger than your average Buddha. 

Meh... 

~

I am a servant to the helpless. Dummy Lama is a servant to the newage wealthy who feed and house him. And your not royalty when a warlord seats you. There's no heavenly mandate there. 

[Alchopwn]

16 hours ago, Piney said:

Do they practice gunkata? 

Don't hit me....

While firearms were re-designated Simple Weapon proficiencies, in the wake of the WW2 DLC, the monk class of the Theravada are still learning more Muay Thai than Gunkata as of 2023.  While the John Woo Patch came out in 1986 there was a slow adoption of Gunkata outside of the Hong Kong monk variants.