THANISSARO BHIKKHU

Turn Off the Automatic Pilot December 5, 2011 The part of the mind that keeps shaping experience is something that

Choiceful Awareness July 21, 2012 Sometimes our problem as meditators is that we’ve read too much and listened to too

Artillery All Around August 16, 2011 The mind is such an old hand at fabrication that it doesn’t really notice

Views, Virtue, & Mindfulness December 6, 2011 The Buddha compared mindfulness to a gatekeeper in a fortress at the edge

Ekaggata April 22, 2005 Alertness—the Pali word is sampajañña—has a special meaning when you’re meditating. It means, specifically, being alert to

Training Your Minds April 10, 2011 Close your eyes and focus on the breath. Take a few deep, long in-and-out

Equanimity September 27, 2011 When the Buddha lists the factors for awakening, equanimity comes at the end of the list,

A Mirror for the Mind January 21, 2012 There’s a passage in one of Ajaan Lee’s talks where he says

Centered in the Body May 8, 2007 In one of the suttas on mindfulness of the body, the Buddha gives

Mindful Judgment March 28, 2010 We meditate because the mind needs to be developed, or the good qualities in the

Part II : Common Problems Pain Is Not the Enemy May 23, 2012 Ajaan Suwat frequently made the point that

Pleasure & Pain July 31, 2012 We’re practicing the middle way—between indulgence in sensuality on one side and self-torture on

Insight into Pain June 5, 2010 Pain is a fact of consciousness. It’s probably what distinguishes us from robots. They

Take the One Seat November 22, 2012 I was reading a guide to breath meditation tonight. The author’s recommendations were

Strengthening Conviction January 1, 2012 Meditating, strengthening the mind, is very similar to strengthening the body. You have some strength

Perceptions of the Breath March 23, 2010 To bring the mind to the breath, you need to have a perception—a

The Power of Perception November 9, 2009 There is a Pali word, nimitta, which is often translated as “sign,” meaning a visual