Kalyana - Well Informed Buddhist

Tathagata Meditation Center

Well-informed Buddhist (kalyāṇa puthujjana) The Pali word ‘Puthujjana’ literally means many people or the majority of people or common people. Technically it refers to people who are not enlightened. So, unenlightened individuals are called ‘puthujjana’. The great Buddhist commentator, Venerable Buddhaghosa, said that there were two kinds of puthujjana: good individual (kalyāṇa puthujjana) and blind individual (andha puthujjana). ‘A good individual’ really means a person who is well-informed of the Buddha’s teachings. Twelve Topics for a Buddhist to be well-informed of: The standard of a well-informed Buddhist described by the great commentator (Venerable Buddhaghosa) is someone who is familiar with the teachings such as: 1. Five Aggregates 2. Twelve Sense Bases 3. Eighteen Elements 4. Four Noble Truths 5. Dependent Origination 6. Four Foundations of Mindfulness 7. Four Supreme Efforts 8. Four Means of Accomplishment 9. Five Faculties 10. Five Powers 11. Seven Factors of Enlightenment 12. Eight Factors of Path. These topics will be given in this series of talks by the Venerable U Silananda.

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