You were a fountain of cool stream water in the square of a dusty town, and you were the source of that stream, on a high, unseen peak. You were, Luang Por, that mountain itself, unmoved, but variously seen. Luang Por, you were never one person, you were always the same. You were the child laughing at the Emperor’s new clothes, and ours. You were a demand to be awake, the mirror of our faults, rut…

“They are the Blessed One’s disciples who have practised well. Who have practised directly. Who have practised insightfully. Those who practice with integrity.” These four attributes, or ways of referring to the Sangha, are like the ‘footsteps of the Enlightened Ones’. We show our reverence and respect for these virtuous qualities of Sangha which follow on from the Noble Triple Gem. Within these q…

A sense that somebody wants to help us out, somebody wants to do something that’s of benefit to others; that’s something to be grateful for. When people want to do that, we should pay attention to those things and recognize them. That’s when a lot of gratitude comes, when we pay attention to others and to the efforts that they make. Also, when we put ourselves into a frame of mind that is willing…

The Lord Buddha’s Dhamma teaches us to be aware of and appreciate the kindness that is bestowed on us by people we are indebted to such as our parents or teachers, by those who took care of us or who taught and trained us. We should respect and honor them and help them when necessary. We shouldn’t be stubborn or cocky, boasting that we are highly educated and have high status. We should always rem…

An important part of my own inner life involves continually bringing attention to the heart chakra. When I’m conversing with people, I’ll very often let my attention rest at the heart. This allows me to listen with empathy and be more in touch with the tone of the conversation, rather than just the specific details of what’s being said. For me, this kind of empathic listening is more about underst…

“It has been about ten years since the time I last lived at Abhayagiri, but I always think about the Krooba Ajahn [Luang Por Pasanno], the monks and laypeople. Everyone is probably doing well, though the monastery has likely changed a lot. Thinking about the time I spent at Abhayagiri, practicing with Luang Por Pasanno and the other monks, as well as the laypeople, I feel gratefully indebted to ev…

One night during the retreat, there occurred an incident that Luang Por found so inspiring that, years later, he would often relate it to his disciples. Ajahn Khe had kindly offered to help Luang Por with his study of the Vinaya. Following a long and fruitful session one late afternoon, Luang Por, having taken his daily bath at the well, climbed up the hill to practise meditation on its cool, bree…

The terms “nimitta” or “sign” and patibhaga-nimitta or “counter-part sign” are frequently referred to in this essay, and it is best to clarify their meaning at the outset. The “sign” means a characteristic mark or phenomenon which accompanies and helps identify an experience. For example, the flu is often accompanied by weakness and nausea; here nausea would be a sign of the flu. Extreme joy may b…

…So one way of training ourselves and being a student of dukkha is to become very sensitive to that dissonance that arises in the heart, that sense that feels somehow incomplete or problematic. Do the counterintuitive thing and stop. Create some clarity so that you can feel that in a way that’s appropriate. Ask yourself, “Why? What’s wrong? What do I really want here? What do I expect here?” When…

Many of you might try to think, “What’s he going to talk about?” Don’t think about that; just listen. When we practice Dhamma, most of the time and for many people including me, I set up the goal. I set up what I’m going to get before I really practice it. I just plan and I see by my understanding, trying to figure out what it should be before I really practice it. I set up the image of the result…