“Most of us, when we hear the words, “awakening to the Dhamma,” understand that it’s something so high and far away that we probably won’t awaken in this lifetime. That’s how we understand things. Actually, if something is evil and…
“It’s like a dog. If you feed it plain rice every day, it’ll get fat like a pig. But if one day you start mixing some curry in with the rice, just one or two meals, then after that if…
“Training the mind is something we have to do. As you train the mind over time, it’s like making a road into the wilderness. At first, you’re walking in the wilderness, but if you keep walking along the same path…
“Our different postures hide pain. When you’ve been sitting a long time and then switch positions because of the pain, the pain disappears. That’s why we don’t see the pain. It’s like youth hiding old age inside. The mind is…
“Use the mind to contemplate the body so that you’re familiar with it. When you’re familiar with it, you’ll see that it’s not for sure—every part of it is inconstant. When you see in this way, your mind will give…
“Why do desires arise in the mind? On account of Ananda-Abhava (absence of Ananda or spiritual bliss). The cause for desire is the existence of objects outside. Curiosity becomes a desire in the mind. Interest and feeling precede a desire.…
“Food is only a mass of energy. Water supplies energy to the body. Air also furnishes energy. You can live without food for very many days, but you cannot live without air even for some minutes. Oxygen is even more…
“You dream that you are a king. You enjoy various kinds of royal pleasures. As soon as you wake up, everything vanishes. But, you do not feel for the loss because you know that the dream-creatures are all false. Similarly,…
“Vasana (desire in subtle form) is a wave in the mind-lake. Its seat is the Karana Sarira. It exists there in the form of a seed and manifests in the mind-lake. Just as flowers are latent in seeds, Vasanas are…
“Desire in the mind is the real impurity. Sexual desire, vulgar attraction for the opposite sex, is the greatest impurity. This causes the real bondage. You can even give up wife, children and wealth. But, it is extremely difficult to…