Viktor Frankl wrote, “What is to give light must endure burning.” We want to give light but we’re afraid to suffer, not realising that our very freedom lies in penetrating to the middle of that suffering – and knowing its nature. But the poison arrow doesn’t simply vanish, nor does the wound heal by marvelling at it, “O what a grievous injury, what a spectacular wound!” We can’t light the candle o…

To reach a deeper understanding of anattā we simplify our perspective on life’s events by observing our experiences as bodily sensations, feelings, perceptions, mental constructs, sensory phenomena. In other words we observe the changing nature of the khandhas. If this objective perspective is missing we easily get caught up with the narrative or story line that each life situation generates. For…

We have all the different sense organs: the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, body, and mind. If you review those, you’ll see that there’s a particular logic in that sequence. The phenomena that arise in the eye are distant. There’s space. They’re out there. You can see things that don’t see you. You’re removed from them. The eye is very good for the hunter because it’s good at sharply defining…

It’s helpful to reflect on the reality of illness or discomfort that is natural and happens all the time. What comes to mind is the Buddha’s discourse on the two arrows. Being struck by one arrow is painful, and being struck by a second one is painful as well. In terms of feeling, because each of us has a body, it is quite natural that we experience unpleasant sensations. And due to having a mind,…

If you were to ask people familiar with Buddhism to identify its two most important wisdom teachings, they’d probably say emptiness and the four noble truths. If you were to ask them further which of the two teachings was more fundamental, they might hesitate, but most of them would probably put emptiness first, on the grounds that the four noble truths deal with a mental problem, while emptiness…

Within oneself is peace to be found, not from another will a bhikkhu find peace. For one who is inwardly calmed, nothing is accumulated, how then rejected? Just as in the centre of the ocean no waves arise, but all is still; so, steadfast and free of lust, on what is there for a bhikkhu to build arrogance? (Sutta Nipāta 919-920) Spiritual peace is a subjective experience rather than an external r…

Come back, just come back. Be present while drinking that ‘cuppa’ and begin a new moment. Observe the mind’s restless thrashing – forever toppling us into the past and spilling us into the future. By stopping and returning to this moment, we create the right conditions to examine and feel our distress or rage with honest openness and understanding. That’s the balm we need for our festering wound.…

“What if I get it wrong? What if it doesn’t work? What if I’m left here alone?” Just look over the edge of that “what if.” Let your mind open up and realize that you’ve been running away from phantoms. Examine the attitudes you might have like, “What if I get it wrong?” We’ve been getting it wrong all our life—it’s no big deal! Everybody’s making mistakes and losing it. We’ve all been blundering,…

At that time, I’d heard teachers giving Dhamma talks about letting go, letting go, and I still couldn’t make much of it. Luang Pu Kinaree asked me to sew a set of robes. I went at it flat out. I wanted to get it over and done with quickly. I thought once the task was done, I’d be free of business and be able to get down to some meditation. One day, Luang Pu walked over. I was sewing out in the sun…

Throughout the course of any day, there are thousands of different situations either on the grand scale, like someone’s life ending, or on the minuscule level—“Where have I left that hammer? What am I going to make to go with the broccoli? Who is driving the truck up the mountain?” We don’t know. Instead of feeling frustrated because we’re anxious and without a plan, we simply can recognize, “I do…