Week 189 - Saṁkhitta Sutta: “Briefly Stated” (AN 8.63).

Week 189 - Saṁkhitta Sutta: “Briefly Stated” (AN 8.63). (Recorded on June 20th, 2026). PDF link to a free digital copy of the Sutta can be obtained from the website: https://www.mindreleased.com/pali-suttas Today's sutta exploration session was devoted to the Saṁkhitta Sutta ("Briefly Stated"), where Lord Buddha gives a powerful teaching on the Brahmaviharas (or Divine Abidings, which are mettā, karuna, mudita, and upekkha), showing us their proper application and how intertwined they are with the jhana practice. Here, Bhante Candana emphasized the fact that the brahmaviharas were taught even before The Buddha, yet the way they were taught got the practitioner only to a rebirth into a heavenly realm, which means still being stuck in the cycle of Sangsara. But the way Lord Buddha taught the brahmaviharas (which include loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) was one drenched in wisdom, in the understanding of the conditionality of all things, intertwined with the Satipatthana, and thereby taking the practitioner all the way to complete freedom from suffering, meaning, Arahanthood, that is the end of birth. In the Q&A section, Bhante answered a question on the subtle difference between mettā and karuna; as well as the relationship between the practice of the brahmaviharas and the Satipatthana (or the Four Foundations of Mindfulness). Please NOTE: Bhikkhu Candana survives through the generosity of individuals and the occasional donations he receives to obtain his food, shelter, transportation, and medicine from supporters across the globe, as he continues his relentless work of preserving the Dispensation (Sāsana), by translating the Suttas and sharing The Dhamma, as taught by The Buddha. If you wish to support Bhante in obtaining his daily food and other requisites, you may consider donating via: https://gofund.me/9d161e0e