How do actions determine results? Skillful intentional acts—those that would lead to no harm for yourself or anyone else—tend toward pleasant results. Unskillful intentional acts—those that would lead to harm for yourself or others or both—tend toward painful results [§16] It’s important to emphasize the word tend here, as there’s no ironclad, tit-for-tat deterministic connection between an intent…

In our practice we need to learn what right effort is in contrast to just will power. In Thailand the attitude is always to sleep little, speak little, eat little. This has quite a strong influence on one’s mind. It sets in motion the idea of pushing and striving. But it also tends to create a kind of mental state that is very suppressive. One isn’t really aware of what one is doing. A lot of peop…

In one particular sutta - the Mangala Sutta - the Buddha explains the way to behave in order for us to be happy. Being respectful and showing humility, Knowing contentment in life. Paying back the debt of gratitude we have towards others, And frequently listening to the Buddha’s teachings. These are the highest blessings.’ So this verse from the Mangala Sutta is my particular teaching for today. A…

When you’re persistent in contemplating to see your inconstancy, stress and not- selfness, the mind feels ease because you’ve loosened your attachments. This is the marvel of the Dhamma: an ease of body and mind completely free from entanglement in the defilements. It’s truly special. Before, the ignorance obscuring the mind caused you wander about spellbound by sights, sounds, and so forth, so th…

It is the commemoration of Ajahn Chah’s birthday today. One of the constant refrains in his teaching and training is the recollection of the Thai phrase, mynair—unsure, uncertain, not a sure thing. We can develop the ability to hold experience in this space of not sure and uncertainty. Often the mind inclines to some sort of story. “It’s going to be just like this; this is going to be really wonde…

Another realization that has become clearer as I’ve been meeting people and teaching over the years is that those who’ve come from broken homes, or who have had very unstable family situations, assume that life is unsteady and unpredictable; they often have a deep sense of insecurity. I remember being struck during my first few years of meeting and living with such people, and there are a great ma…

We go through life propelled by our desires. Sometimes we get what we want and we’re satisfied for a while, and then we’re not so satisfied, so we generate more desires. We take it for granted that that’s simply the way things have to be. Some of us think that, well, maybe if we get a lot of things, they’ll make up for the lack of other things. So people amass things—amass power, amass wealth—thin…

When you look at the factors in the noble eightfold path, it’s interesting to note the order in which they come. The first two factors have to do with discernment, seeing that the big issue in life is suffering and stress, and particularly the kind of suffering that comes from our own thoughts. That right there tells you a lot: that this is a path where you have to look at your actions, look at yo…

What does our mind do when it stops grasping? It actually starts to feel, just by itself. You learn to feel by not grasping. What do you do when your mind feels dull, negative or bored? If you look at it, you can witness that there’s a grasping there, an attempt to clutch hold of something. Then there’s the attempt to get out of it, the attempt to find a positive or happy feeling, the attempt to f…

Chanting – what is this? Is this a valuable thing, or is it useless? If you ever doubt about it – to do it or not to do it - what goes on, do you know? Do you have to find reasons and justifications, do you have to be convinced? Or do you take some stand, saying ‘I am not going to do it’ or ‘I am going to do it’? Some people are always saying, ‘Oh, chanting reminds me of all those awful things Rom…