MEDITATIONS 1

• Copyright
• Introduction
• Generosity First
• The How & the Why
• Watch What You’re Doing
• The Interactive Present
• Imagine
• In the Mood
• The Story-telling Mind
• How to Fall
• Tuning-in to the Breath
• Bathed in the Breath
• The Steps of Breath Meditation
• The Observer
• Judicious vs. Judgmental
• Impossible Things
• Contentment in the Practice
• Patience
• Training the Whole Mind
• The Grain of the Wood
• A Good Dose of Medicine
• Life in the Buddha’s Hospital
• Vows
• The Dignity of Restraint
• Fears
• Skills to Take with You
• Maintenance Work
• Sensitivity All the Time
• The Path of Questions
• Admirable Friendship
• Heightening the Mind
• Respect for Concentration
• The Uses of Pleasure & Pain
• An Introduction to Pain
• A Dependable Mind
• The Components of Suffering
• Giving Rise to Discernment
• Producing Experience
• Mastering Causality
• The Six Properties
• Fabrication
• At the Door of the Cage
• Glossary

Introduction

The daily schedule at Metta Forest Monastery includes a group interview in the late afternoon, and a chanting session followed by a group meditation period later in the evening. The Dhamma talks included in this volume were given during the evening meditation sessions, and in many cases covered issues raised at the interviews — either in the questions asked or lurking behind the questions. Often these issues touched on a variety of topics on a variety of different levels in the practice. This explains the range of topics covered in individual talks.

I have edited the talks with an eye to making them readable while at the same time trying to preserve some of the flavor of the spoken word. In a few instances I have added passages or rearranged the material to make the treatment of specific topics more coherent and complete, but for the most part I have kept the editing to a minimum. Don’t expect polished essays.

The people listening to these talks were familiar with the meditation instructions included in “Method 2” in Keeping the Breath in Mind by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo; and my own essay, “A Guided Meditation,” in the collection Noble Strategy. If you are not familiar with these instructions, you might want to read through them before reading the talks in this book. Further Dhamma talks are available on the dhammatalks.org website.

I would like to thank Bok Lim Kim for making the recording of these talks possible. She, more than anyone else, is responsible for overcoming my initial reluctance to have the talks taped. I would also like to thank the following people for transcribing the tapes and/or helping to edit the transcriptions: Paul and Debra Breger, Richard Heiman, Jane Yudelman, Dhammattho Bhikkhu, Gunaddho Bhikkhu, Susuddho Bhikkhu, and Khematto Bhikkhu. May they all be happy.

Whatever merit there may be to these talks comes from the training I received from my teachers, Ajaan Fuang Jotiko and Ajaan Suwat Suvaco. This book is dedicated to their memory, with utmost gratitude.