One of the reasons why the Theravāda tradition has been sustained pretty much in its original form ever since then is because of the Emperor Asoka. He was a warrior-noble king about whom it was said, in typical mythical fashion, that he killed 99 of his brothers in order take over the throne. He then proceeded to work on the rest of India, conquering the vast majority of the Indian subcontinent. A…

You need to train to bring forth an attitude of gentleness and humbleness. The words “gentle” and “humble” are about our good conduct as Sangha members – something that we need to practise by ourselves and develop in ourselves. With these qualities, the Sangha is well accepted by society. Anyone who behaves gently and humbly will always be well respected, even by the devas. The devas praise gentle…

What is head hair anyway? Regardless of whether it is long or short, it is just the earth element; but we consider it to be our own, ourselves, and so we keep it clean and give it lots of attention and care. You have probably combed your hair and noticed that two or three hairs have fallen out. When you next see this, try reflecting on them by asking yourself: ‘Are these hairs really who I am, my…

The importance of becoming is evident from the role it plays in the four noble truths, particularly in the second: Suffering and stress are caused by any form of craving that leads to becoming. Thus the end of suffering must involve the end of becoming. The central paradox of becoming is also evident in the second noble truth, where one of the three forms of craving leading to becoming is craving…

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There he addressed the monks: “Monks!” “Yes, lord,” the monks responded to him. The Blessed One said: “Even if a monk is not skilled in the ways of the minds of others [not skilled in reading the minds of others], he should train himself: ‘I will be skilled in reading my own mind…

After asking a few questions, he [Ajahn Tate] spoke to us for some time, during which he said something that has stayed with me; something that still seems as significant as it did then. Through the translator, he said, “Your task in practice is to realise the difference between the heart and the activity of the heart. It’s that simple.” As I recall this now, I can almost hear him saying it; his v…

To see something clearly depends on certain conditions. We learn to appreciate what it means to be still. What does that mean? It simply means that you stop moving with the movements of your mind. You stop agitating yourself with that which is agitated in yourself, being confused with that which is confused within you, being unhappy with that which is unhappy inside you. When we reach the place of…

Sit watching your in-and-out breath. Stay relaxed and comfortable, but don’t let yourself get distracted. If you’re distracted, stop. Look to see where the mind went and why it isn’t following the breath. Go looking for it and bring it back. Get it to keep running along with the breath, and one of these days you’ll come across something good. But keep on doing what you’re doing. Do it as if you’re…

(From a talk recorded in July 2013) Recently I’ve made visits to a physical therapist because I have some ongoing muscle issues that have plagued me for the last twenty years. Often this type of situation originates with a small abnormality that causes pain, and many people will subconsciously allow the body to adjust to it or slump in a certain way to relieve that pain. Although this gives tempor…

In our monastic training, we try to create a very low standard of what we need in life. I took care of my elderly mother for about nine years until she died. During that time, I lived with her in her condo apartment in Ottawa. When an extremely old person died, it was sometimes mentioned on TV or in the newspaper. Once, there was a British airman who died at 113 years of age; my mum was ninety-thr…