The Art of Disappearing - Dhamma Talks PDF
Preview The Art of Disappearing - Dhamma Talks
The Art of Disappearing mech_Layout 1 8/23/11 12:18 PM Page 1 We all want life to go smoothly A J A but things rarely go as expected. H N B Whether mere bumps in the road or genuine crises, we live in a world of R A unwanted events that no willpower can prevent. In The Art of Disappearing H M Ajahn Brahm helps us learn to abandon the headwind of false expecta- tions and follow instead the Buddha’s path of understanding. Releasing our attachment to past and future, to self and other, we can directly T experience the natural state of serenity underlying all our thoughts and H discover the bliss of the present moment. In that space, we learn what it E is to disappear. Ajahn Brahm, an unparalleled guide to the bliss of medita- tion, makes the journey as fun as it is rewarding. A R “With his characteristic simplicity, clarity, and humor, Ajahn Brahm offers T a prescription for treating dissatisfaction. His instructions on meditation practice are clear enough for new practitioners while at the same time o offering profound insights for those with years of experience. These talks f teach us the ‘art of disappearing’ into stillness, which gives rise to The Buddha’s Path to Lasting Joy contentment within life as it is at this very moment. What a gift!” D I —TONI BERNHARD, AUTHOR OF HOW TO BE SICK S A P P AJAHN BRAHM was born in London in 1951 and earned a E degree in theoretical physics from Cambridge University. He A became a monk in 1974 in the jungles of Thailand under the R highly esteemed Buddhist master Ajahn Chah. Brahm is today a I N revered spiritual guide and abbot of one of the largest monaster- G ies in the southern hemisphere, regularly attracting thousands to his inventive and insightful talks. He is also the author of Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung?and Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond. BUDDHISM Wisdom Publications • Boston Author of Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung? ISBN: 978-0-86171-668-5 us$15.95 wisdompubs.org Produced with Environmental Mindfulness Wisdom Praise for Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung? “OneoftheBestSpiritualBooksof2005.Entertainingandspiritually edifying.Brimmingwithhumor,humanity,andgoodwill.”—Spirituality andHealth “Morethanstatisticsandtheories,wereallytrustanecdotesandnarra- tives.Ourbrainsandbeingsarewiredtolearndeeplyandeasilyviasto- ries,andthissplendidcollectionof108Buddhist-basedtalesprovesthe point.Brahmweavesarichtapestryofunderstandingusingshortthreads ofstoriesonlyacoupleofpageslong.”—PublishersWeekly “Abookdestinedtobecomedog-earedandcherishedandreadaloudto friendsandfamily.Itwillfallapartfromyourattention,Ipromiseyou!It’s crammedwithpithy,modern‘BuddhistTalesofHappiness,’whichclev- erlyrelatethewisdomofBuddha’steachingsinapoignant,funny,and profoundway.”—MandalaMagazine Praise for Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond “Mindfulness,Bliss,andBeyonddemonstratesthatAjahnBrahmisthat raremeditatorwhohasactuallyhad—andcandescribe—theprofound meditation experiences outlined in the earlyBuddhistteachings.The goodhumorisstillpresent,butthisoutingismoreserious,takingussys- tematically through the classic stages of meditation training from the mostmundane(meditationforhappiness)tothemostexalted(medita- tionforenlightenment).Alongtheway,hegivesathoroughdescription ofthejhanastates,aplacethatmanyWesternBuddhistteachershave fearedtotread.AjahnBrahmthenbringsthewholethingbacktothe kitchen-sink level with some practical suggestions for everyday life.” —ShambhalaSun “Buddhistwritersarenotoftenlightheartedorzesty,buttheBritish-born AjahnBrahmisadelightfulexception…Meditationisdifficulttoteach onthepage,butBrahmprojectsbothenergeticconvictionandcalmequa- nimity.Thepromiseofblisshedescribesinthisexcellentmanualiselu- sivebutremainsacompellinggoal.”—PublishersWeekly “Riveting,rollicking,anduncompromisinglyreal.”—GlennWallis,trans- latorofTheDhammapada:VersesontheWay (cid:2) THE ART of D I S A P P E A R I N G The Buddha’s Path to Lasting Joy Ajahn Brahm WisdomPublications • Boston WisdomPublications,Inc. 199ElmStreet SomervilleMA02144 USA www.wisdompubs.org ©2011AjahnBrahm Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageand retrievalsystemortechnologiesnowknownorlaterdeveloped,withoutpermissionin writingfromthepublisher. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData AjahnBrahm,1951– Theartofdisappearing:theBuddha’spathtolastingjoy/AjahnBrahm. p.cm. ISBN0-86171-668-X(pbk.:alk.paper) 1. Religiouslife—Buddhism. I.Title. BQ5405.A5252011 294.3’444—dc23 2011022678 ISBN:9780861716685 eBookISBN:9780861718610 1514131211 5 4 3 2 1 CoverdesignbyPhilPascuzzo.InteriordesignbyLC.SetinDiacriticalGaramond Pro11.25/15.Back-coverauthorphotocourtesyofPagodaPhatHue,www.phathue.de. WisdomPublications’booksareprintedonacid-freepaperandmeettheguidelinesfor permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeforProductionGuidelinesforBook LongevityoftheCouncilonLibraryResources. Thisbookwasproducedwithenvironmentalmindfulness.Wehaveelected toprintthistitleon30%PCWrecycledpaper.Asaresult,wehavesavedthe followingresources:14trees,7millionBTUsofenergy,1,424lbs.ofgreenhousegases,6,370gallons of water, and 404 lbs. of solid waste. For more information, please visit our website, www.wisdompubs.org. This paper is also FSC certified. For more information, please visit www.fscus.org.EnvironmentalimpactestimatesweremadeusingtheEnvironmentalPaperNetwork PaperCalculator.Formoreinformationvisitwww.papercalculator.org. Contents (cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2) Preface vii .............................................................................................................................. 1. TheBigPicture 1 .................................................................................. 2. BringingtheMindintothePresent 15 ................................................ 3. DevelopingMindfulness 25 ............................................................................ 4. MedicinesfortheMind 37 .............................................................................. 5. WisdomPower 51 ................................................................................................ 6. PacificationandtheInsightsthatFollow 65 .................................... 7. AppreciatingtheBliss 77 ................................................................................ 8. RecognizingTrueWisdom 87 ...................................................................... 9. HappinessComesfromDisappearing 97 ............................................ 10.MakeThistheLastTime 111 ...................................................................... - 11.ClimbingthePyramidofSamadhi 123 ................................................ Abbreviations 133 .............................................................................................................. Glossary 135 ........................................................................................................................ Index 141 ................................................................................................................................ AbouttheAuthor 149 ...................................................................................................... Preface (cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2) D O NOT READthisbookifyouwanttobeasomebody.Itwill makeyouanobody,ano-self. Ididnotwritethisbook.Theyaretranscribedtalks,editedwithallthe badjokesremoved.Ididnotsaymybadjokesanyway.Thefivekhan- dhas,whichpresumptuouslyclaimtobeme,saidthem.Ihavetheperfect alibi—myselfwasabsentfromthesceneofthecrime! Thisbookdoesnottellyouwhatyoumustdotogetenlightened.Itisnot aninstructionmanuallikeMindfulness,Bliss,andBeyond,whichwasalso writtenbythosepeskyfivekhandhaspretendingtobeAjahnBrahm.Doing thingslikefollowinginstructionsjustmakesyoumoreofaperson.Instead, thisbookdescribeshowdisappearinghappensinspiteofyou.Moreover,it isnotjustthe“outside”thatvanishes.Theentire“inside,”allthatyoutake tobeyou,thatalsodisappears.Andthatissomuchfunitissheerbliss. ThetruepurposeofpracticingBuddhismistoletgoofeverything, nottogetmorethingslikeattainmentstoshowofftoyourfriends.When weletgoofsomething,reallyletgo,thenitdisappears.Weloseit.All successfulmeditatorsarelosers.Theylosetheirattachments.Enlightened onesloseeverything.TheytrulyaretheBiggestLoser.Attheveryleast,if youreadthisbookandunderstandsomeofit,youmaydiscoverthemean- ingoffreedomand,asaconsequence,loseallofthehaironyourhead! Iacknowledgethekindassistanceofothernobodies,inparticularRon Storeyfortranscribingthetalks,AjahnBrahmaliforeditingthework, andalltheemptybeingsatWisdomPublicationsforpublishingthebook. MayyouallGetLost, NotreallyAjahnBrahm,Perth,July2011 1 The Big Picture (cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2) W HEREvER yOU LIvE—in a monastery, in a city, or on a quiettree-linedstreet—youwillalwaysexperienceprob- lemsanddifficultiesfromtimetotime.Thisisjustthenatureoflife.So whenyouhaveproblemswithyourhealthyoushouldn’tsay,“Doctor, there is something wrong with me—I’m sick”; rather you should say, “Thereissomethingrightwithme—I’msicktoday.”It’sthenatureofthe humanbodytobesicknowandagain.It’salsothenatureofthesepticsys- temtoneedpumpingoutwhenyoudon’texpectit,andit’sthenatureof thewaterheatertosometimesbreakdown.It’sthenatureoflifetobethis way. Even though we struggle as human beings to try to make life go smoothlyforourselvesandothers,neverthelessit’simpossibletoensure thathappens. Wheneveryouexperienceanypainordifficulty,alwaysrememberone ofthedeepmeaningsofthewordsuffering:askingtheworldforsome- thingitcannevergiveyou.Weexpectandaskimpossiblethingsfromthe world.Weaskfortheperfecthomeandjobandthatallthethingswe workhardtobuildandarrangerunperfectlyattherighttimeandplace. Ofcourse,thatisaskingforsomethingthatcanneverbegiven.Weaskfor profoundmeditationandenlightenment,righthereandnow.Butthat’s notthewaythisuniverseworks.Ifyouaskforsomethingthattheworld can’tsupply,youshouldunderstandthatyou’reaskingforsuffering. So whether you work or meditate,please acceptthat things will go wrongfromtimetotime.yourjobisnottoaskforthingstheworldcan’t giveyou.yourjobistoobserve.yourjobisnottotrytoprodandpush thisworldtomakeitjustthewayyouwouldlikeittobe.yourjobisto
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