A guide to mindfulness and Vipassana meditation as taught by Luangpu Pramote
Good. Sit and be aware. If one is not aware, one would get lost into the world of fabrication. When the mind gets lost in fabrication, suffering will arise. Try to simply be aware of the body and mind with no stress. If there is stress, then it is not really awareness. Yesterday I went …
To understand Dhamma, you must practice. The first step is to learn how to practice, but just learning how won’t lead to understanding. It’s just knowing how. To go for a treasure hunt, first you must have a map, a compass, and means to travel. If you have all the tools and take no action, …
Dhamma is important and invaluable. Dhamma teaches us how to live a life that is free from suffering. Many other disciplines also attempt to answer this question of eliminating suffering. Doctors learn how to treat diseases. Governments learn how to govern people to be happy through political science. Economics teaches how to have a good …
This morning, a layperson who comes to help around at the temple asked me a question. It’s a good and beneficial question for almost all of us. He asked, ‘Unlike when I was a monk, being a layperson, why is it so hard to achieve the mind firmly established in awareness?’ In reality, ordination is …
Be aware of yourself. Keep being aware of yourself comfortably. Do not fabricate your mind. Most of the time, a practitioner thinks that he or she needs to do something when practicing. When practicing dhamma, there are 2 parts, one that has to do something and one that does not. The part that has to …
Today is Mother’s Day. I have to ask Phra Ajarn Ar again whether today is Mother’s Day. I couldn’t remember the date. For this occasion, the Clergy has assigned all temples to provide Buddha’s mantra after Evening Chanting. But you guys won’t be here until then as you will be here until 4 pm, the …
Today there are many attendants from Canada. To study Buddhism, one must first understand the concept. Buddhism answers only one question: how to be free from suffering. That’s the only thing Buddhism has an answer to. Buddhism is not just about sitting meditation to calm the mind, not to learn about the past, not to …
As we gather here to perform a light waving rite, we have to be aware that this is not just an aimless tradition. It actually is a practice to worship Lord Buddha. Worship by practicing has nothing to do with the behavior. The essence of this tradition is to express our sincere admiration to Lord …
Dhamma is something you learn and have to practice. What our masters taught us or what we learn from the scriptures are not meant to be just for the exams. It is meant for us to practice. There are two parts, the morality, and the procedure to practice. We practice with the purpose to be …
Keep practicing throughout your lives. Never surrender. Sometimes you might feel bored, just being aware that you are bored. Then continue to practice. Sometimes you may feel lazy, just being aware that you are lazy. Then continue to practice. The mind may become bored or lazy; you cannot forbid it. Boredom and laziness are parts of hindrances. Therefore, don’t overlook them. We do not progress due to these hindrances. In the worldly sense, there are many distractions that obstruct worldly progress. In the spiritual sense, those hindrances obstruct the path, hindering spiritual progress. So, observe your own mind. Don’t let hindrances dominate your mind.