..續本文上一頁ards, turn it back unto yourself. You will see that it”s all the same. When the mind has seen Anicca-Dukkha Anatta, it lets go and releases itself. It no longer attaches to suffering or to happiness. This is the nourishment for the mind of one who practices and really trains himself. That”s all, it”s that simple! You don”t have to go searching anywhere! So no matter what you are doing, you are there, no need for a lot of fuss and bother. In this way the momentum and energy of your practice will continuously grow and mature.

　　Escape

　　This momentum of practice leads us towards freedom from the cycle of birth and death. We haven”t escaped from that cycle because we still insist on craving and desiring. We don”t commit unwholesome or immoral acts, but doing this only means that we are living in accordance with the Dhamma of morality: for instance, the chanting when people ask that all beings not be separated from the things that they love and are fond of. If you think about it, this is very childish. It”s the way of people who still can”t let go.

　　This is the nature of human desire -- desire for things to be other than the way that they are; wishing for longevity, hoping that there is no death or sickness. This is how people hope and desire, then when you tell them that whatever desires they have which are not fulfilled cause suffering, it clobbers them right over the head. What can they say

　　 Nothing, because it”s the Truth! You”re pointing right at their desires.

　　When we talk about desires we know that everyone has them and wants them fulfilled, but nobody is willing to stop, nobody really wants to escape. Therefore our practice must be patiently refined down. Those who practice steadfastly, without deviation or slackness, and have a gentle and restrained manner, always persevering with constancy, those are the ones who will know. No matter what arises, they will remain firm and unshakable.

　　The Training of the Heart

　　(A talk given to a group of Western Monks from Wat Bovornives, Bangkok, March 1977)[9]

　　In the time of Ajahn Mun[10] and Ajahn Sao[11] life was a lot simpler, a lot less complicated than it is today. In those days monks had few duties and ceremonies to perform. They lived in the forests without permanent resting places. There they could devote themselves entirely to the practice of meditation.

　　In those times one rarely encountered the luxuries that are so commonplace today, there simply weren”t any. One had to make drinking cups and spittoons out of bamboo and laypeople seldom came to visit. One didn”t want or expect much and was content with what one had. One could live and breathe meditation!

　　The monks suffered many privations living like this. If someone caught malaria and went to ask for medicine, the Teacher would say, "You don”t need medicine! Keep practicing." Besides, there simply weren”t all the drugs that are available now. All one had were the herbs and roots that grew in the forest. The environment was such that monks had to have a great deal of patience and endurance; they didn”t bother over minor ailments. Nowadays you get a bit of an ache and you”re off to the hospital!

　　Sometimes one had to walk ten to twelve kilometers on almsround (pindapad). You would leave as soon as it was light and maybe return around ten or eleven o”clock. One didn”t get very much either, perhaps some glutinous rice, salt or a few chilis. Whether you got anything to eat with the rice or not didn”t matter. That”s the way it was. No one dared complain of hunger or fatigue; they were just not inclined to complain but learned to take care of themselves. They practiced in the forest with patience and endurance alongside the many dangers that lurked in the surroundings. There were many wild and fierce animals living in th…

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