Basic Themes

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　　Teachings of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

　　by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

　　(Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacariya)

　　Translated from the Thai by

　　Thanissaro Bhikkhu

　　For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

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　　Prologue

　　There are two things beginning meditators should search for as external aids to their practice:

　　1. Suitable companions (puggala-sappaya): Be judicious in choosing people to associate with. Search only for companions who have peace of mind. This can be any group at all, as long as the group as a whole is aiming for mental peace.

　　2. A suitable location (senasana-sappaya): Choose a quiet place with an agreeable atmosphere, far from human society. Places of this sort, providing physical seclusion, are conducive to the practice of meditation. Examples listed in the Canon include caverns and caves, the shade of an over-hanging cliff-face, the forest wilderness, and empty houses or buildings where not too many people will come passing by. Places like this are an excellent aid and support for a beginning meditator.

　　When you go to stay in such a place, don”t let your thoughts dwell on topics that will act as enemies to your peace of mind. For example, don”t preoccupy yourself with magic spells or the black arts. Instead, call to mind and put into practice those principles and qualities that will be to your benefit. For example:

　　Appicchata: Be a person of few wants with regard to the necessities of life.

　　Santutthi: Be content with the possessions you already have.

　　Viveka: Aim solely for peace, quiet and seclusion.

　　Asansagga: Don”t entangle yourself with human companionship.

　　Viriyarambha: Be single minded and persistent at making the mind still and at peace.

　　Silanussati: Reflect on your own conduct to see if you”ve overstepped any of your precepts, and — if you have — immediately purify your behavior through your own intention.

　　Samadhi-katha: Focus on calling to mind the meditation theme on which your mind can become firmly established.

　　Pañña-katha: Focus exclusively on those topics that will give rise to discernment and clear insight.

　　Vimutti: Make the mind well-disposed toward the search for release from all defilements.

　　Vimutti-ñana-dassana: Focus on contemplating how to come to the realizations that will enable you to gain release from the fermentation of all defilements.

　　These principles are guidelines for meditators of every sort and will direct the mind solely to the path leading beyond all suffering and stress.

　　What follows is a short-hand list of essential principles, selected to help prevent meditators from getting tied up in the course of their practice. These principles, though, should be viewed merely as incidental to the Dhamma. The reality of the Dhamma has to be brought into being within ourselves through our own energies: This is called practicing the Dhamma. If we go no further than the lists, we”ll end up with only concepts of the Dhamma. Our ultimate aim should be to make the mind still until we reach the natural reality that exists on its own within us, that knows on its own and lets go on its own. This is the practice of the Dhamma that will lead us to the realization of the Dhamma — the true taste and nourishment of the Dhamma — so that we will no longer be caught up on the ropes.

　　In other words, conceptualized Dhamma is like a rope bridge for crossing over a river. If we take the bridge down and then carry it with us, it will serve no purpose other than to weigh us down and get us all tied up. So no matter how much conceptualized Dhamma you may have memorized, when you come to the point whe…

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