“In short, the Dhamma teaches that whatever suffering arises will pass away. There’s nothing more than this. There’s just suffering arising and suffering passing away. That’s all there is, which is why we suffer, why we’re in a turmoil in…
“When cooked rice is just sitting in the pot, what purpose does it serve? If we don’t practice with it—if we don’t spoon it onto a plate, add a little curry and pepper sauce, and then eat it—what purpose will…
“A person with conviction is like a cow eating grass. If we let it loose in a field of grass, it eats grass. If it won’t eat grass, it’s a pig. The same with people of conviction: You don’t have…
“It’s like having a compass that points north and south. You go into the forest carrying the compass with you, and it will still point north and south. But suppose that the day after you go into the forest you…
“It’s like having a chicken and putting it into a cage. Let it stay in just one cage. When the chicken’s in the cage, it won’t get out of the cage, but it will walk back and forth inside the…
“Venerable father, what is white like? It’s like white lime. What is white lime like? It’s like a pale sky. What’s a pale sky like? This never comes to an end because you don’t know the truth. Fish live in…
“It’s as if your child gets a balloon. Whatever else it’s been playing with, it puts aside. Its interest in other preoccupations grows quiet. It plays as it likes with the balloon. It’s right there. Its mind is quiet. This…
“It’s like a child or an adult playing with a balloon. You see the balloon floating and you ask, “What’s eventually going to happen to the balloon?” “Oh. It’s not for sure. It’s inconstant, stressful, and not-self. There’s nothing dependable…
“The way we teach when we follow the Buddha’s teachings is that virtue comes first, concentration comes in the middle, and discernment comes at the end. That’s how we memorize these things. But with some people, you don’t teach virtue…
“This issue of nibbana: The Buddha describes it in a way that’s unclear because there’s no way you can describe it clearly. It’s like talking to a person who’s totally blind. Try describing a color in a way that’s clear.…