Dhamma to Be Free from Suffering
It’s almost the end of the year. This is a time for wishing others well. Last year we did the same thing, just like the year before that. Wishing people well is encouragement. It’s nothing more. If you want a Vara (blessing), you have to do it yourself. Vara means an excellent thing. Vara is …
The year is about to end, just one more week only. The year passes by so fast. The average lifespan of people nowadays is around 75 years. Just a slight oversight, and it’s all over. Most people are caught up in routines, never thinking that we might die at any moment. We may die right …
Merely listening is not enough; you must truly practice. Doing and stopping intermittently won’t suffice; it must be consistent. Like rowing a boat against the current, if you stop rowing, the boat will drift backward. Those who attend a meditation retreat consistently for a certain period are not like the general populace. Minds of general …
There is an online dhamma course for Chinese practitioners during this time. There are quite a few hundreds people participating, around 300-400 practitioners. I sympathize with those Chinese practitioners as they cannot speak Thai. Hence, they cannot learn directly from the master like you guys. Therefore, always realizing that if you do not maintain and …
Dhamma is not a trivial matter. Listen attentively and wholeheartedly, as it is beneficial to your lives. We do not have much time. We were born, then we got old, got sick, and died. No matter how much wealth and possessions we accumulate, we cannot rely on them. Unlike those things, with dhamma, it is …
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 …