knowing the world - teachings on the nature of mind and the world - luang por liem

7/28/2019 Knowing the World - Teachings on the Nature of Mind and the World - Luang Por Liem

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Knowing the World

Teachings on the Nature of Mindand the World

byLuang Por Liem Thitadhammo

For free distribution only

1st Edition 2013 Copyright by Wat Pah Nanachat, Bung Wai,

Warin Chamrab, Ubon Rachathani 34310, Thailand


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Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinatiThe Gift of Dhamma Excels All Gifts

Anumodana to All the Sponsors

Cover Design and Typesetting by Nalin

Photo Credits to Sai, Lasantha & Dilup

Information about the

Ajahn Chah Tradition

for more teachings of the Ajahn Chah Tradition

in English (and other languages) please see:

www.forestsanghapublications.org, www.ajahn-chah.org,

www.watpahnanachat.org, www.watnongpahpong.org.


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Contents

Foreword

Knowing the World page 1

About Luang Por Liem page 25


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Foreword

Within this little booklet are teachings on the nature of the mindand the world given by Luang Por Liem Thitadhammo. During avisit to Sri Lanka in March, 2013, Luang Por had this Dhamma

discussion with the resident monastic community at Na UyanaForest Monastery. The sincere interest in practising Dhamma anddeveloping meditation led to practical and profound teachings ontraining the mind and understanding the world:

....The guests that come to the monastery are onlyvisitors, just like these visiting mental states that arise inour minds. Some make us laugh, some we delight in, while

others bring up aversion and disappointment. When wesee them from non-delusion, then we see it all as maya as illusion and trickery, a system of deceiving....Knowhow to abandon the world. Know how to put it down.

Luang Por explains that what we understand as the world is amisunderstanding. As a consequence of delusion we are overwhelmed

with craving and attachment. Attaching to mental states and mindobjects as me and mine makes us a victim of delight and aversion.This illusion of self and belonging to self arises from feeling andcraving:

....what we call the Eight Wordly Dhammas arise fromour sense of self-importance. Delight is a lokadhamma

this is sukha, or what we call happiness. Aversion is alokadhamma, its dukkha we dont like it and wereunhappy. See these lokadhammas as simply nature things come, things go. The guests come and they go


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its not their residence. For what do we go delighting andgetting angry about?....Rupa, vedana, saa, sankhara

and viana having arisen they cease. Seen in thisway, everything is empty.

Luang Por is urging us to investigate just what is the nature of thesevisiting mental states? What is the nature of thesefive khandas?Coming and going and arising and ceasing is the nature of this

world Who has control and over what? Through understanding

the nature of the mind and the nature of the world one arrives at:

....knowing and seeing the mind as it really is. Thatsthe so-called mind-moment of insight seeing that thecitta is just the citta, or the mind is simply the mind....Ifwe set the mind free from delighting abandon cravingand attachment then theres nothing there. As I see it,

this is the normal state of the mind....Neither happy norsad. Just nature pure and simple. This is the normal stateof the mind which gives rise to peace.

The mind and the world belong to nature empty of self and whatbelongs to self. This natural approach to understanding Dhammathrough training the heart and mind is an essential feature of theLuang Pu Chah way of practice. Through diligence and sincerelypractising Dhamma-Vinaya one gets the taste of path and fruitfor oneself the vimuttirasa, the taste of freedom. Luang PorLiem, as a close disciple of Luang Pu Chah, has faithfully followedin his footsteps this direct path to living realization. Now as aninspiring example of Dhamma-Vinaya himself Luang Por Liemoffers his teachings and service to the Sangha and the Sasana. May

all who aspire to know and see the nature of the heart and mind to know and see the nature of the world, diligently apply thesepractical and profound teachings. We have Luang Pors assurancethat:


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...Those who do so will come to see the value and benefitfor themselves through their own practice.

With Prosperity in the Dhamma,

The Translators

Wat Pah Nanachat, May 2013


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Knowing the World

Teachings on the Nature of Mind and the World

A Dhamma Talk and discussion with the monastic community of monks,novices, nuns and lay-meditators at Na Uyana Forest Monastery, Sri

Lanka, on the evening of March 16th, 2013.

U

sually, when we gather together like thisor meet for devotionalpujawe begin withsome chanting. In our chanting we praise

and show our reverence for the tiratana the TripleGem. This revering the virtues and qualities, thegunadhammaof the Buddha, Dhamma and Sanghainspires our going for refuge. The Triple Gem isthe real treasure, or the real inheritance for those ofus who are determined to follow in the footstepsof the Enlightened Ones. We do the chanting and

devotional pujafor reflecting on this. One of ourreflections specifically refers to the noble qualitiesof the Sangha:

Supatipanno bhagavato savaka sangho.Ujupatipanno bhagavato savaka sangho.ayapatipanno bhagavato savaka sangho.

Samicipatipanno bhagavato savaka sangho.[They are the Blessed Ones disciples who have practised

well. Who have practised directly. Who have practisedinsightfully. Those who practice with integrity.]


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2 Knowing the World

These four attributes, or ways of referring to theSangha, are like the footsteps of the Enlightened Ones.We show our reverence and respect for these virtuousqualities of Sangha which follow on from the NobleTriple Gem.

Within these qualities are the virtues we aspireto develop in ourselves through good conduct and

practising Dhamma. This is a kind of developing whichproceeds to lift us up and lead us onwards to the stateof completeness and perfection. However, the extent towhich it is thus fulfilling depends on our commitment tothe practice. We can say that all these virtues we aspire todevelop converge in the quality of sallekha, or effacement.Sallekhais the wearing away of kilesas the abandoning

of defilements leading to freedom from dukkha. The heartfree from kilesas experiencesa peaceful sense of seclusion,a calm and cool mind. It thusmakes us a true field of meritfor anyone who encounters us.Samananan ca dassanam the

sight of a samana, a peaceful oneis indeed a blessing, somethingwhich is good.

Now this good opportunity we all have to furtherdevelop ourselves should really be taken up in awholehearted way. We who have genuine respect fornoble virtues will naturally apply ourselves to sincerelypractising Dhamma-Vinaya. Those who do so will cometo see the value and benefit for themselves throughtheir own practice. For all of us Dhamma friends here


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Knowing the World 3

tonight we might say we live in the cool shade of theyellow robes. We have a most suitable situation for doingwhatever needs doing to diligently bring our Dhammapractice to fruition.

So this evening I respectfully extend my greetingsto all of you Venerable Ones here. You who are firmlydetermined in heart and mind to practising Dhamma

in this sincere way. On account of this I anumodanaI express my joy and appreciation. Now I open up theopportunity to all of you, if you have any questionsregarding what might be beneficial for your practice, orif you have anything in general you would like to ask.

***

Question: Luang Por, please allow us to respectfully aska question. Some of the meditators practise very hardtrying to remove defilements and improve mindfulness,but its very difficult for them. Developing the mind

through meditation is very difficult for them. CouldLuang Por, our Venerable Teacher, please explain whythis is difficult for them?


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4 Knowing the World

Answer: Regarding the developing of our Dhammapractice, its important not to have craving or desire as partof that process. We must avoid having craving or desirein the mind when we take up the practice. Our primarytask is to become established as one who is free fromheedlessness one who is appamado. You can compare itto planting a fruit tree. We begin with a fruit tree saplingand a well-chosen place for planting. Then we dig a hole,

provide the right mix of soil and fertilizer and plant thesapling tree. Next we give the right amount of water andsunlight, taking care to optimise growing conditions. Inaddition we need to protect the sapling from harmfulinsects and other dangers. Now, after having provided theoptimum causes and conditions, the growth and maturityof the fruit tree is something we cannot determine for

ourselves. We cant force it to grow in any way. As longas we have done our duty well by optimising growingconditions, then the fruit tree will grow in balance withnature and mature accordingly. In the meanwhile, wecontinue to protect it from insects and other dangers orobstacles to growth. It will grow in accordance with andto whatever extent there is this balance of nature in the

causes and conditions. Eventually our mature fruit treewill flower and bear fruit. So regarding our developmentin Dhamma practice, we have to consider it in this way.

Venerable Ananda, who was himself the Buddhasyounger relative, also served as the Buddhas upatthanamonk, his faithful attendant. After the Buddhas finalpassing away atparinibbana, he was still not yet perfectedregarding his attainment as a fully enlightened arahant.But Venerable Ananda was encouraged by the Buddhasprediction that after hisparinibbanaAnanda would in this


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Knowing the World 5

very life indeed realize thatattainment. However, as theFirst Sangha Council to codifythe Dhamma-Vinaya was ap-proaching he still had not re-alized arahant. So in order toenter that First Sangha Coun-cil assembly as a Fully Enlight-

ened One, Venerable Ananda put forth great effort inhis practice to realise that goal. But even as he put forthgreat effort, the very obstacle to realisation was his desirefor the goal. It was only when he had finally given up andabandoned that desire that his mind experienced a kindof emptiness that opened the doorway for the real cool-ness to enter his heart. So regarding this craving and de-

sire, we have to know it as an obstacle for our Dhammapractice which makes it develop slowly. We have to do thepractice without being driven by craving and desire.

***

Question: Luang Por, in your biography (No Worries,2012) it says that when youfirst arrived at Ajahn Chahsmonastery he taught you the brahma-viharas. I waswondering what Ajahn Chahs instructions were? Howdid he teach you the brahma-vihara meditation?

Answer: The brahma-viharas are the four DivineAbidings of loving-kindness, compassion, sympatheticjoy and equanimity. They are one attribute or one way ofdescribing the virtues and qualities of the Noble Ones. But


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6 Knowing the World

in the way Luang Pu Chah first taught me this, he actuallycalled them the appamaa-dhammas the BoundlessQualities. For example, one way of understanding themetta appamaa-dhamma is this state of having loving-kindness without attachment to any particular individualor any particular place. If it is just ordinarybrahma-viharamettaregarding particular individuals, then its more likeaffectionate love with attachment. The Lord Buddha,

while still living the lay-life as a prince, upon hearingthat his royal wife had given birth to a son exclaimed: Afetter has been born to me! So you see, this is the kindof love with attachment. Is it different from the kind ofmettawithout attachment? When understood in this way,the brahma-viharasare virtues of the Noble Ones and wecall them the appamaa-dhammas.

Actually, Luang Pu Chah spoke in a waywhich was leading away from worldliness andthe unenlightened state. He didnt speak usingthe language ofputhujjanas, the unenlightenedones. He simply spoke in a way that led themind to true peace and seclusion. Consequently,

Luang Pu Chahs teaching encouraged in usa sense of responsibility to do the practiceproperly. This is how I saw it. What he saidwould elevate the level of our sati. He kindof cautioned us or reminded us how to havemindfulness regarding the practice. So itssimilar to what the Buddha said: The Buddhaonly points the way (MN 107). But the taskfor the one actually doing the practice thatsanother story.


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Knowing the World 7

***

Question: I ask permission from Venerable Bhante, ourVenerable Teacher, and from all the Venerable Ones hereto ask my question. My question is: Can our VenerableTeacher please explain how you understand what ispath-consciousness, or magga-citta, and what is fruit-consciousness, or phala-citta? And the second question

is: What is total-nibbana, or parinibbana? Thank youvery much.

Answer:Nibbananibbanais the ending of kilesas. Theending of greed, aversion and delusion. We can say thatthis is one attribute or one quality of Dhamma.Nibbana

is the ending of craving and desire because all cravingand desire has been abandoned. Delight comes fromdesire. Satisfaction comes from desire. Aversion anddissatisfaction come from desire. This craving and desireis essentially bound up with feeling sampayutta andis a consequence of ignorance or faulty understanding.The Noble Arahants encourage us with this reflection:

rupa, vedana, saa, sankharaand viana having arisenthey cease. These five aggregates of form, feeling,perception, formations and consciousness are simply ofa nature to arise and pass away just that much. Seen inthis way, everything is empty.

As for magga-cittaand phala-citta: Through watchingand carefully guarding our mind we come to a state wecall puu ruu. This Thai word puu ruu means knowingand seeing the mind as it really is. But can you actuallysee yourself in this way if there are still obstacles in your


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8 Knowing the World

mind or defilements blockingyour seeing? Because usually asputhujjanaswe still have obstaclesand blindness the greed,aversion and delusion whichare clouding and polluting ourminds. Its like water. If waterhas green substance mixed in

with it, we dont say, Whats this green substance in thewater? Rather we just call it: green water. Or if it hasred substance in it we say: Thats red water. Actually,what we are seeing and referring to is the substance in thewater. So regarding these kinds of cittaor states of mind,they are actually different levels of someone seeing theirown purity. When there are obstacles, you wont see it.

When the obstacles are gone you see it clearly. Thats theso-called mind-moment of insight seeing that the cittais just the citta, or the mind is simply the mind.

***

Question: Venerable Ajahn, as the abbot of a monasterya monk has to deal with a lot of people, both monks andlay-people. Some of them are greedy, others are angryand some of them are deluded or even crazy. How todeal with these people? And how, as an abbot or a seniormonk in a monastery, to let ones mind remain calm and

cool? So that is my question.

Answer: This is something that actually everyone has todeal with. The Thai word for abbot is jao-awat. What it


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Knowing the World 9

literally means is: jao is the lord or the owner, and awatcomes from the Pali word avasawhich means a residenceor dwelling place. So we could say thatjao-awatmeans thelord of the residence or the owner of the dwelling place.Now whoever is to be the lord of the residence has toknow that dwelling place well. But just what is this dwellingplace we must know well? Rupa, vedana, saa, sankharaandviana this is our real residence. The more we abandon

our delusion regarding our real residence, the more wedevelop upekkhaand abide in equanimity.

The guests that come toour monastery are agantukas only visitors, just like thesevisiting mental states that arise

in our minds. Some make uslaugh, some we delight in, whileothers bring up aversion anddisappointment. When we seethem from non-delusion, then we see it all as maya asillusion and trickery, a system of deceiving. The delusionand illusory nature of the world are like a theatre which

tricks us into getting happy, excited and carried away. Aswe read in the Buddhas teachings, once he said:

Etha passathimam lokam, cittam rajarathu pamam;yattha bala visidanti, natthi sangho vijanatam.

[Come look at this glittering world, like unto a royal

chariot; the foolish are immersed in it, but the wise do nottouch it. (Dhp. 13, 171)]


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10 Knowing the World

The Buddha urged us all to see the world in this way.If we see it with delusion, then well see the world asdelightful, sparkling and desirable. But for those who knowthe world in line with Dhamma, will they go searching foranything substantial in it? Know how to abandon the world.Know how to put it down. There is an old Northeast Thaiexpression which says: The one who is the loser, or theone who knows how to surrender, that one is a monk or

a Venerable One. And the one who wins the winner ismara, because a winner has enemies.

The lokadhammas, or what we call the Eight WordlyDhammas, arise from our sense of self-importance.Delight is a lokadhamma this is sukha, or what we callhappiness. Aversion is a lokadhamma, its dukkha we

dont like it and were unhappy. See these lokadhammasas simply nature things come, things go. The guestscome and they go its not their residence. For what dowe go delighting and getting angry about? All we reallyneed is whats sufficient for us to do our samanadutieswell thats enough.

The lokadhammas are the dhammas which bind upand shackle the world. The Lord Buddha sat above them.We read this story when we study the scriptures. Before

his attainment ofanuttara-samma-sammbodhiana, on the day of hisSupreme Enlightenment, theBuddha received eight bunchesof Kusa grass from the BrahmanSotthiya (SnA.II,391). Takingthe grass he proceeded to makea seat to sit on. Our traditional


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Knowing the World 11

interpretation of this story is that these eight bunchesof Kusa grass represent the eight worldly dhammas thatthe Buddha rose up above. What are these eight worldlydhammas? They are the four pairs of: gain and loss, fameand obscurity, praise and blame and more generally wehave sukhaand dukkha, or happiness and suffering. If wecan really see these eight worldly dhammas for what theyare, then just this is enough for understanding what keeps

us shackled in the world. These are the worldly dhammaswhich bind up and shackle the world.

The kicca-vatta, or the Fourteen Monastic Duties,form one chapter of the Vinaya discipline which we areresponsible for training in as monastics. One of thesekicca-vattais called the avasika-vatta, or the duties of the

resident monastics regarding their residence. But actuallyit doesnt refer to any one monastic in particular. It justrefers to anyone who is residing there and knows theplace well. Such a person we could call the abbot or thejao-avasa, the lord of the residence. Even if its a dog wholives there and knows the place well, we could call it thelord of the residence.

There is a story about a wise old monk. He had away of teaching people who were lost in their own self-importance. This old monk had a dog in his monasteryand he called his dog Sompan. Sompan is yet anotherThai word for abbot we should understand that allthese names are just conventions. If a guest who had self-importance came to the monastery and said: Wheressompan, wheres the abbot? This monk would point overthere and say: Theres sompan, theres the abbot. Andthat person would go and see that its just a dog and get


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offended, thinking that the old monk was teasing him. Soit was a skilful means for reducingditthi-mana the senseof self-importance and conceit and also for teachingthe nature of conventions. It is important for us too notto get lost in these conventions.

This Thai word for abbot, sompan, comes from thePali word sambhara. It literally means the one who carries

the burden. Actually all of us here are abbots and wereall carrying around this burden of rupa, vedana, saa,sankharaand viana. When we start to feel how heavy itis we want to put it down. This sambhara we have toput it down. Just put down the burden. I live over therein Thailand. Im not really the lord of the residence. Thisbody, this rupa-khandadoesnt belong to me. And whatever

place we call our country actually belongs to nature. If weset the mind free from delighting abandon cravingand attachment then theres nothing there. As I see

it, this is the normal stateof the mind. Neither goodnor bad. Neither heavy norlight. Neither black nor

white. Neither happy norsad. Just nature pure andsimple. This is the normalstate of the mind whichgives rise to peace.

[Luang Por Liem invites Tan Ajahn Jundee to say a few words. He is

a senior disciple of Venerable Ajahn Chah with 39 vassa as a monk.He has been the abbot of Wat Pah Ampawan, Mango-grove Forest

Monastery, in Thailand for more than 25 years now.]


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Luang Por, I respectfully requestpermission to speak. Respectfulgreetings to the Sangha here.As for myself and my statushere today, Im whats called apaccha-samana, or an attendantmonk following behind LuangPor Liem. Now Luang Por has

invited me to say a few words. Bygiving me this opportunity to speak, maybe I can adda little something to our understanding. These are justsome thoughts of mine and perhaps its not all correct.Nevertheless, I can say something for you to consider.

Especially regarding this question of being an abbot

as Luang Por was explainingsompanliterally means theone who carries the burden. If we dont understand thissituation, then we do end up carrying everything aroundand it does indeed become a heavy burden. The monasteryis heavy, the lay-people are heavy, the material things areheavy everything becomes really heavy. Luang PuChah used to warn us about this. When he would send

his monks away to other branch monasteries for the vassaRains Retreat he would say to them: Be careful you dontturn into the abbot the sompan because thats thegateway to hell. One way of understanding this is thatwhen our mind-state degenerates into a state of sufferingand negativity then it comes closer to the hell realms. Forthe one who takes everything up as a burden, its easyto as if fall into hell. If we dont yet have some firmfoundation in our Dhamma practice which we can relyon in difficult situations, then anything can turn intoa hell realm. The lay-people, the monks, the material


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things in the monastery anything. And this shows thatattachment and sense of self are becoming involved andtaking over.

I live over there in Thailand and Ivebeen an abbot for over 25 years now.Ive been through just about everything.Ive been accused, Ive been criticized

all kinds of things. If were not solidin our practice and able to patientlyendure difficulties, then theres no waywell survive. Just as Luang Por was nowexplaining, its essential to understandthese eight worldly dhammas. As long aswe know them for what they are, then we

wont go picking things up whereby theyturn into burdens.

Mettais another essential dhamma we must rely uponfor wellbeing. Just now the questioner mentioned howsome people who come to the monastery have greed,some have anger and some are deluded or even crazy.

This is just the nature of people. If we understand thisthen theres no real problem, theres nothing really there.If we dont understand this, then everything can become aburden. But its especially important with difficult peoplethat we are established with metta-dhamma, this quality ofloving-kindness which works wonders.

Id like to refer again to that old Northeast Thaiexpression about surrendering that Luang Por hadmentioned: The monk or the Venerable One in you willarise when you surrender. Ill give you an example from


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my own life. It was my second year at Wat Pah Ampawan,the monastery where I live in Thailand. At that time Iwas still a new abbot and didnt yet know much aboutanything. A problem arose and I had no idea what wasbehind it. One day a group of lay-people from the villagecame to the monastery. They were very angry and accusedme of misbehaving. Although the accusations were falseand aggressive, I kept up the mettawith them. They were

using very harsh language and words that I wouldnt evenwant to repeat here. But Ill give you one example. Theywere using a Thai expression like: Youre such a greedypig of an abbot! And I really didnt understand why theywere saying it because I hadnt been greedy like that.

Actually it turned out that one group of monastery

supporters had put up markers to indicate the monasteryboundaries. There were basically two groups of lay-people: the group of local villagers who supported themonastery and wanted us to be there, and the other groupthat didnt want us to be there. And it was this group thatwas angry about monastery boundaries being put up. ButI hadnt been involved it was the group of

monastery supporters who had done it. So Ijust smiled and said: Look, dont worry. Saywhatever it is you have to say and Ill just listento everybody. As I was hearing everybody, theywere getting more and more angry and heated.And they actually had weapons, they had knivesand long swords. By now the one group of lay-people was ready to physically harm the otherfor this dispute over land. So when I saw that, Isimply said: Look, this has gone far enough. Ifyou act now following on this anger then youll


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regret it a lot later. But if you stop now, you still stand achance. Thats all I said. I just warned them like that andwalked away to go sit in the meditation sala. After sittingthere in the salafor a while, I saw them coming over to mewith their swords. I thought: Oh no, now theyre comingto kill me. But actually they came into the sala, put downtheir weapons and said: Ajahn, thank you for saying that.We could have killed somebody just now and we would

have regretted it.

So as it turned out, the situation wasnt such a bigordeal. But if I hadnt had some good foundation inpractice, then it could have turned into a bigger problem.As Luang Por was just explaining, this being an abbot ora sompan can mean the one who carries the burden. If

were not yet firmly established in our practice, then it willbe difficult. We really have to find ways to not grasp andcling to these things as me and mine. In other words, ifwe just dont pick it up and carry it around, then its notreally going to be a problem. If we know how to let goand abandon situations as soon as they arise, then we stay

normal. Its natural that mental states come and

go it works the same way in us as in others. Ifwe understand that its really a trick of the kilesas,then we need not take it on as a burden. As LuangPu Chah used to say: Whatever burden otherpeople are carrying around, dont go making ityour burden. I really like this saying. If they wantto carry around a burden then thats their business.But as for us just dont pick it up and remaincalm and cool. So these are just a few reflectionsthat I offer for your consideration.


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***

Question: Luang Por, please allow me to ask a question.Could you briefly explain how hard you put forth effortto develop your practice in the early years? This willbe very beneficial for our newly ordained venerablemonastics and new meditators to hear how you put fortheffort in the beginning of your practice.

Answer: The changes in our lives are just natural becausenature changes. We begin our arising in the world withthe little body of a baby. As time passes by and we growup, even that process of growing up is actually the bodydeclining, changing and becoming otherwise.

So at first, of course, I never thought that I wouldbecome a monk. But this was also to change. Initially,living in society we have to work hard to develop ourselvesand get it right. As time passed by I tried to do my dutywell, and learned more and more what my role in life was.On the one hand, from the point of view of the world, it

is normal and customary for young people to get marriedand raise a family, following on from theirhopes and wishes. But this was not to happento me. Now on the other hand, there is thepoint of view of those who want to followin the footsteps of the Lord Buddha. I couldsee that following the way of the world wasthe way leading to non-freedom. It was theway leading to bondage and confinement,like being in prison.


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Having had this initial insight, I decided I neededto grow further in knowledge and understanding. SoI renounced the world in order to train myself anddiscover the full meaning of it. I took up the way oftraining for one who sees the danger and disadvantagein samsara, this cycle of birth and death. We usually justcall it ordaining, or becoming a monk, or renouncing theworld. But it wasnt as if I was straight away able to give

up everything. My mind still had the usual obstacles init, so I determined to find out why. For the most partI didnt study externally. The place to study was righthere within myself, learning how to make my mind pure.Purifying all aspects of my conduct in order to become asamana, to become beautiful in the spiritual sense. I madeit an all-around training in Dhamma-Vinaya. If I was as

yet unable to accomplish some particular practical skill,then I would train further right there.

One way of training I used in learning how to purifymyself was the dhutanga-vattas. These are the austerities, orthe ascetic practices established by the Buddha for goingagainst the stream of craving. They are especially useful

for confronting and burning up feelings which arise onaccount of experiencing unfamiliar andchallenging situations. For example, theBuddha allowed us and advised us toeat just one meal a day. When I firsttook up this practice oh! it was sodifficult. I wasnt familiar with it at all.Before ordaining I had eaten at leastthree times a day. But the purpose ofthese dhutangatrainings is to go againstthe stream of our familiar comforts and


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conveniences. This tends to stir up feelings, which showup where the craving is hiding. If we dont go against thestream, then well never know.

So out of respect for this dhutangatraining I took up the practice of eatingone meal a day. At first I was very hungryand it was so unpleasant. Agitation,

concern and anxiety would arise and Iwould often lose heart and feel that Ijust couldnt do it. Actually, this is a bigdanger. As mentioned in the discoursewhere the Buddha teaches the dangersfor newly ordained monastics, it can bedisastrous (MN 67). Initially eating just

once a day brings up agitation, and ina few hours youre hungry again. Hunger is a kind ofdukkha. But when this kind of dukkha arises we mustavoid encouraging and developing it. Out of respect andlove for these rules and principles we have to contemplate:What is hunger? What is thirst? Over time as mybody adapted all these concerns and agitations faded and

the feelings of hunger reduced. As the Buddha teaches,one of the dangers for newly ordained monastics is thisinability to endure feelings of hunger. Initially, untilwe adapt, we may have to rely on patient endurance toovercome this danger.

As time passed by with the ayu-sankhara lifeprinciple gradually wearing away I gained more andmore experience. However, I could see that my mind wasstill corrupted with kilesas. I felt like a lotus still miredin the mud of raga, dosa and moha still stuck in the


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swamp of greed, aversion and delusion. But actually, ifI hadnt seen these kilesas there, then I wouldnt havekept practising. If I hadnt seen the impurities still in themind, then I wouldnt have known how it needed furtherpurifying. So I continued on diligently practicing thedhutanga-vattaswith a sense of urgency to purify the mindof defilements.

All of us here, out of respect for the Noble Dhamma the Noble Teachings of the Lord Buddha, shouldendeavour to diligently practice this Dhamma-Vinayawell in accordance with our ability. Having ordained as abhikkhuor a monastic into this well proclaimed Doctrineand Discipline, we can say we live in the cool shade ofthe yellow robes. We should frequently remind ourselves

that the world regards us pujaniya-puggalla those whoare worthy of great reverence and respect. But we should

beware not to see this as personalrespect. Rather these yellow robesare the Banners of the Arahants,and the faithful are bowing to theariyavamsa the great lineage

of Enlightened Ones. As for uspersonally, all we have is thispatikularupa-khanda, these dirty bodies ofours. If we can see it in this way, ithelps to humble the heart and free itfrom sensual desire and craving.

So these are some reflections on how I initially begandeveloping my practice of Dhamma-Vinaya. At the veryleast we are able to cultivate a certain wholesome prideand good feeling that were not living a disgraceful or


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worthless life. But actually, moreover than that, whenwe diligently practise like this we are following in thefootsteps of the Noble Ones.

The Venerable Ratthapala was one endowed withgreat faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha a realsaddha-carita. This quality of having great faith is indeeda spiritual virtue. But in addition to this, Venerable

Ratthapala had a special view on the world which helpedhim to abandon desire and eliminatecraving from his heart. Perhaps weveall studied the Ratthapala Sutta(MN 82).First he pointed to the world and said:Any world is unstable, it is swept away.Again he pointed and said: Any world has

no shelter and no protector. And againhe said: Any world has nothing of itsown one has to leave all and pass on.Finally he said: Any world is incomplete,insatiate, the slave of craving.

These reflections point us to abandoning craving for

the world and putting it down. If you can do this much,then the maccu-raja the Lord of Death cannot findyou. So I see the world in the same way as VenerableRatthapala did. All the wealth and treasure, material things,this body rupa-khanda, dhatu-khanda nothing lasts. Itsall simply an expression and manifestation of change anddecay. Keep abandoning delight and aversion from yourmind. See everything as not your self or belonging to you.We have no real power or control over our life or the world.This nature of things is an attribute of Dhamma. We mustbe diligent in withdrawing our infatuation and intoxication


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with the world. Keep letting go of defilements as soon asthey arise. This will keep the heart and mind calm and cool,leading it to peace. So this is just the way we have to do it.

***

[Concluding remarks by Venerable Ariyananda Mahathero, acting abbotof Na Uyana Forest Monastery, Sri Lanka.]

From Luang Por and all the Venerable Sangha here I requestpermission to speak. Today our time has passed already.For two hours now we have been discussing Dhamma. Wehave heard many valuable teachings. I feel our VenerableTeachers Dhamma will be very beneficial for all thevenerable monks, nuns and lay-devotees. Our Venerable

Teacher has been focusing on how we can develop ourpractice, such as through developing calmness, in order toreach real happiness. These teachings are very beneficialfor us. Especially when, for example, sometimes we aremeditating or practising and, for one reason or another,our confidence can decline. But when we see this kind ofVenerable Teacher, and we hear this kind of Dhamma,

again our confidence increases. Such valuable Dhammacan again give us energy to keep practising. So with muchappreciation, we are very grateful to our Luang Por fordelivering these Dhamma teachings.


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At one point it occurred to me that maybe we havebeen working our Luang Por too hard, because he hasbeen giving many Dhamma sermons. Now for today,this is the third Dhamma Talk and also there have beena few Dhamma discussions. That is a full schedule forthe whole day for Luang Por and all the Venerable Ones,and it may be tiring for them. The lastfew days have also been the same as

today. But through it all Luang Por didntshow any tiredness. For this we arevery happy. He feels that whatever theschedule is we should follow it. I recallone occasion when even I was very tired,but Luang Por continued on to completethe programme. In this way also Luang

Por can inspire in us this arousal ofenergy and endurance. These factors arevery important for us to develop in ourmeditation. Sometimes, for one reasonor another, some laziness arises and wefeel that we cannot continue practising.Maybe its due to painfulness in our body,

for example. But when we recollect thesekinds of teachers, then we again getenergy to continue practising.

So on behalf of Na Uyana Mahathera (VenerableAriyadhamma Mahathero), the Na Uyana VenerableSangha of monks and nuns, and also the lay-devoteesand faithful lay-supporters, we respectfully invited ourVenerable Luang Por and his attending Venerable Ajahnsto come visit us here in Sri Lanka and they kindly accepted.We are very thankful to Luang Por for coming and helping


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our Buddha Sasana (Buddhist Religion) and our Buddhisttradition. We offer our highest reverence and respect forthe saddhamma sermons he has delivered here. We wishour Luang Por to live more than 120 years to support theSasana. But please understand, with this kind of VenerableTeachers, if they live long or not, its not for their sake butfor the sake of the Sasana. The Sasana is shining whenthese Venerables are there. Also if there are any noble

wishes that the Luang Por has, may all those noble wishesbe fulfilled.

And from our Na Uyana Sangha and community,and all the lay-devotees and faithful lay-supporters, werespectfully wish Tan Ajahn Jundee, Tan Ajahn Satien,Venerable Ajahn Siripao and Venerable Ajahn Kevali

further good practice,good health and long lifeto support the Sasana.Also on behalf of theNa Uyana Sangha wewould like to ask forforgiveness if there

was any discomfort orinconvenience regardingour organization and

hospitality during the event of your visit. We please askfor forgiveness from Luang Por and the visiting Sangha.We again wish Luang Por and the Sangha to live long tosupport the Sasana.

***


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About Luang Por Liem

Luang Por Liem Thitadhammo is a Buddhist monkin the Thai Forest Tradition. He was born in Sri SaketProvince in the Northeast of Thailand on the 5th ofNovember 1941. After higher ordination at twenty yearsof age, Luang Por practiced in several village monasteriesthroughout the Northeast. With a growing interest inDhamma-Vinaya and practising meditation, he joined theForest Tradition in 1969.

He took up the training under Luang Pu Chah, whowas later to become one of the most famous monks ofthe Thai Forest Tradition. Living under Luang Pu Chahsguidance in Wat Nong Pah Pong, Ubon Province, Luang

Por Liem soon became one of his closest disciples. Duringthat time Luang Pu Chahs reputationand influence continued to grow andspread throughout the world. AfterLuang Pu Chah became severely ill in1982, he entrusted Luang Por Liem tolead the monastery. Shortly thereafter,

as Luang Pu Chahs illness preventedhim from speaking, the Sangha of WatNong Pah Pong appointed Luang PorLiem to take over the abbotship.

He fulfils this duty up to the presentday, keeping the heritage of Luang Pu

Chahs Dhamma and characteristicways of monastic training availablefor monks, nuns and lay disciples. Healso provides leadership and support


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for Wat Pah Nanachat, Luang Pu Chahs InternationalForest Monastery for training monks using the Englishlanguage. For the Sangha at Wat Pah Nanachat, LuangPor Liem is not only a dearly respected teacher and guidein the monastic life, but has for the last seventeen yearsalso conducted every monastic ordination ceremony asthe preceptor.

Luang Por Liem has twice been honored withhonorary monastic titles from His Majesty the King ofThailand. He is currently known as Tan Chao Khun PhraRachabhavanavikrom. In recent years, many invitationsfor teaching Dhamma from all around the world havebrought Luang Por Liem to visit the many internationalbranch monasteries of the Ajahn Chah tradition. This

recent visit to Sri Lanka signifies the growing relationshipbetween the Thai and Sri Lankan Forest Traditions. Inaddition it contributes to upholding and propagating agenuine path of practice for Awakening to the worldover.

***


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knowing the world - teachings on the nature of mind and the world - luang por liem

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