Books

Through the Doors to the Deathless

(published October 8, 2026) Some of the more remarkable passages in the Canon are those in which a person gains a noble attainment while listening to a Dhamma talk. This anthology collects these passages and discusses them in light of the Canon’s descriptions of the noble attainments and the Buddha’s analyses of what qualities a listener has to bring to a talk in order to immediately gain a noble result.
The Power of Karma

(published May 24, 2026) A transcript from a retreat held in conjunction with the Sociedade Vipassana de Meditação and the Grupo Karuṇā, both of Brasília, to give a talk and lead a retreat on the topic of karma. This book contains edited English transcripts of both events, plus the readings that were sent to the retreatants beforehand.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Meditations 13

(published April 25, 2026) Transcribed Dhamma talks on breath meditation and various aspects of the Buddhist Path given by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu during the evening meditation sessions at Metta Forest Monastery mainly from 2024-2025.
Things as They Can Be

(published January 15, 2026) The tenth collection of essays: In the Context of the Deathless, The View from Outside the World, The Desire for Awakening, The Kamma of Goodwill, All about Acceptance, In the Same Way, To Feed Is to Suffer, The Desire to Make a Difference, Things as They Can Be, A Beam of Light that Doesn’t Land, and Deep like the Ocean.

So as not to get lost among the seven dozen plus books available on this page, this ‘Featured’ section highlights the introductory and essential books that are introduced in the ‘For Beginners’ section on the home page.

Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

A fundamental guidebook for breath meditation and practicing the jhānas.
Awareness Itself, by Ajaan Fuang Jotiko.

A collection of teachings spanning the whole range of practice by Ajaan Lee’s principal student and Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu’s teacher.
The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A short introduction to the basic concepts and values underlying Buddhist practice, with special attention to clearing up common misinterpretations about what the Buddha taught.
With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised June 3, 2021) A breath meditation manual by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu drawing on two sources: the Buddha’s own set of instructions on how to use the breath in training the mind, and Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo’s method of breath meditation — which builds on the Buddha’s instructions, explaining in detail many of the points that the Buddha left in condensed form.
Noble Strategy, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This first collection of essays is recommended for new practitioners.
The Karma of Questions, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) This is a revised edition to the second collection of essays. Significant changes were made to the essay ‘Perennial Issues,’ and Pāli diacritics were added throughout.
Karma Q & A, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 21, 2021) Kamma and rebirth are often understood to be teachings of fate and helplessness in the face of unknowable influences from the past. Instead of teaching fate, The Buddha’s teachings on kamma and rebirth are empowering, showing how people can develop skills in the present that will lead to the end of suffering. So, to help show how valuable these teachings are, here’s a set of answers, based on the Pāli Canon, to some questions frequently asked about these topics.

Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

A fundamental guidebook for breath meditation and practicing the jhānas.
Starting Out Small: A Collection of Talks for Beginning Meditators, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

In this collection of talks Ajaan Lee covers the sorts of questions that occur to people new to meditation.
Food for Thought: Eighteen Talks on the Training of the Heart, by Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

An introduction to the Buddhist practice of training the heart.
Inner Strength & Parting Gifts: Talks by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A collection of 20 Dhamma Talks by Ajaan Lee, from the basics of breath meditation to longer talks with extended metaphors on consciousnesses, knowledge and the defilements.
The Heightened Mind: Dhamma Talks of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

In previous collections of Ajaan Lee’s talks, the main focus has been on technique. Here the focus is more on attitudes to bring to the practice of concentration.
The Skill of Release: Teachings of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A selection of Ajaan Lee’s teachings, including a few full talks, some short passages, and sometimes even half-thoughts, if they seemed provocative enough. Although the passages presented here have been arranged so that the book will stand on its own, they are also meant to fill in some of the gaps left by Ajaan Lee’s other writings.
The Autobiography of Phra Ajaan Lee, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo was one of the foremost teachers in the Thai forest ascetic tradition of meditation founded at the turn of the twentieth century by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasilo and Phra Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto.
Craft of the Heart, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

Ajaan Lee’s first, this book is also his most comprehensive, covering all aspects of the path of practice, from taking the five precepts to the attainment of arahantship. Although his later books made further developments in the positions offered here — such as the treatment of breath meditation in Keeping the Breath in Mind — this book remains one of the best introductions to Ajaan Lee’s teachings as a whole.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Frames of Reference, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

A practical explanation for meditators of the four frames of reference from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Basic Themes: Four Treatises on Buddhist Practice, by Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

Uniquely among the ajaans in the Thai Wilderness tradition Ajaan Lee composed systematic treatises on the practice. These are valuable documents, giving a wilderness perspective on basic Dhamma topics.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
A Handbook for the Relief of Suffering : Three Essays by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo.

(published January 13, 2023) A Handbook for the Relief of Suffering consists of three short essays that were meant to be given to hospital patients as food for thought for them to ponder while undergoing treatment.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))

Noble Strategy, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This first collection of essays is recommended for new practitioners. Includes: Affirming the Truths of the Heart, Karma, The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions, The Healing Power of the Precepts, Right Speech, Trading Candy for Gold, A Guided Meditation, The Path of Concentration & Mindfulness, One Tool Among Many, What Is Emptiness?, No-self or Not-self?, and The Image of Nirvana.
The Karma of Questions, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) This is a revised edition to the second collection of essays. Significant changes were made to the essay ‘Perennial Issues,’ and Pāli diacritics were added throughout. The essays included are: Life Isn"t Just Suffering, Opening the Door to the Dhamma, Questions of Skill, Freedom from Fear, Samsara, Samsara Divided by Zero, The Agendas of Mindfulness, De-perception, The Weight of Mountains, Five Piles of Bricks, Perennial Issues, and When You Know for Yourselves.
Purity of Heart, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

The third collection of essays by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. Includes: Purity of Heart, Faith in Awakening, Untangling the Present, Pushing the Limits, All About Change, The Roots of Buddhist Romanticism, Right & Wrong Reconciliation, Getting the Message, Educating Compassion, Jhana Not by the Numbers, The Integrity of Emptiness, A Verb for Nirvana, The Practice in a Word.
Head & Heart Together, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This is a revised edition to the fourth collection of essays. Significant changes were made to the essay ‘Mindfulness Defined,’ and Pāli diacritics were added throughout. The essays included are: The Lessons of Gratitude, No Strings Attached, The Power of Judgment, Think like a Thief, Strength Training for the Mind, Mindfulness Defined, The Joy of Effort, Head & Heart Together, The Wisdom of the Ego, Ignorance, Food for Awakening, The Buddha via the Bible, and Freedom from Buddha Nature.
Beyond All Directions, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This fifth collection of essays includes: Beyond All Directions, Lost in Quotation, An All-around Eye, Metta Means Goodwill, On Denying Defilement, Virtue Without Attachment, The Limits of the Unlimited Attitudes, The Essence of the Dhamma, The Middles of the Middle Way, and The Arrows of Thinking.
Noble & True, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) This sixth collection of essays includes: Danger Is Normal, What’s Noble about the Noble Truths?, Truths with Consequences, We Are Not One, Under Your Skin, Silence Isn’t Mandatory, The Not-self Strategy, and The Buddha’s Last Word.
First Things First, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) The seventh collection of essays. The essays included are: Honest to Goodness, Did the Buddha Teach Free Will?, In the Eyes of the Wise, First Things First, The Karma of Now, The Streams of Emotions, Worlds & Their Cessation, Wisdom over Justice, All Winners, No Losers, How Pointy is One-pointedness?, The Limits of Description, and The Names for Nirvana.
The Mirror of Insight : The Buddha as Strategist, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A short explanation of the Buddha’s teachings on the topic of insight and how those teachings should be strategically applied in practice.
Along the Way, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(published Jan. 21, 2022) The eighth collection of essays: Safety in a Duality, Dhamma Is What Dhamma Does, Becoming a True Person, Happiness as a Skill, Wise Enough to Care, An Arrow in the Heart, Meditators at Work, Unhindered at Death, Clinging & the End of Clinging, The Buddha’s Rx, The Logic of Not-self, and The Dhamma Eye.
The Heart a Flowing Stream

(published April 1, 2024) The ninth collection of essays: The Heart a Flowing Stream, Everywhere & Always, At War with the Dhamma, Free the Dhamma, Mindfulness to the Fore, Thinking about Jhāna, Fun & Games, Perception, Just Right as It Is, and Neither Here nor There.
Things as They Can Be

(published January 15, 2026) The tenth collection of essays: In the Context of the Deathless, The View from Outside the World, The Desire for Awakening, The Kamma of Goodwill, All about Acceptance, In the Same Way, To Feed Is to Suffer, The Desire to Make a Difference, Things as They Can Be, A Beam of Light that Doesn’t Land, and Deep like the Ocean.
Other Essays

Essays by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu that have appeared in various Buddhist publications, but which have not yet been included in a collection.

Not-self Q & A

(published July 26, 2025) Answers to sixteen basic questions on the topic of not-self, plus readings from the Pali Canon on which the answers are based.

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Non-violence: A Study Guide Based on Early Buddhist Teachings, translated and with an introduction by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Passages from the Pāli Canon on the topic of putting an end to the causes of conflict and violence.
Beyond Coping: A Study Guide on Aging, Illness, Death, & Separation, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 21, 2021) A study guide with readings from the Pali Canon addressing aging, illness, death and separation.
The Buddha Smiles: Humor in the Pāli Canon, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

An analysis of the style and function of humor in the Pāli Canon along with translated passages from the Canon.
A Burden off the Mind, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A study guide on the five khandhas (aggregates) emphasizing the importance of bringing the right questions to the teachings on the khandhas.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Desires : A Study Guide, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised May 13, 2023) The path of practice that takes you to nibbāna is rooted in skillful desires.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Discernment: The Buddha’s Strategies for Happiness II, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This study guide is an introduction to the Buddha’s teachings on how to use discernment to find an unending happiness.
Into the Stream: A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

For your practice to lead to Awakening, you must develop reliable standards for judging — which practices lead to stream entry, what indicates a true experience of it, and what its necessary results are.
A Meditator’s Tools, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

This is a study guide on the ten recollections, a set of meditation themes that highlight the positive role that memory and thought play in training the mind.
Merit: The Buddha’s Strategies for Happiness I, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) The practice of merit (puñña) is often discounted by western Buddhists, yet the Buddha warns that higher levels cannot be practiced safely without merit as the foundation.
Mindful of the Body: A Study Guide, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Early Buddhism teaches that the body can be used to develop mindfulness and concentration, which in turn can be used to free the mind of its attachments to the body. Then the mind and body can live in peace.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Noble Conversation : A Study Guide, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(published May 4, 2023) A study guide on the ten ideal topics of conversation among meditators listed in the Pali Canon.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Recognizing the Dhamma: A Study Guide, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

The Buddha taught eight principles for recognizing what qualifies as Dhamma and Vinaya, and what does not.
The Sublime Attitudes: A Study Guide on the Brahmaviharas, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

The sublime attitudes (brahmaviharas) are the Buddha’s primary heart teachings—the ones that connect most directly with our desire for true happiness. They’re the qualities of heart that motivated the Buddha to find awakening and then to teach the path of awakening to others. At the same time, they function as part of the path itself.
Ten Perfections: A Study Guide, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

For people in the modern world facing the issue of how to practice the Dhamma in daily life, the ten perfections provide a useful framework for how to do it.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))

Beyond Desire & Passion : The Buddha’s Training for Freedom

(published January 19, 2025) Ven. Sāriputta once proposed introducing the Buddha’s teachings to intelligent foreigners by saying, “Our teacher teaches the subduing of desire and passion.” This book explores the implications of taking this sentence as a starting point for understanding the Dhamma.
The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A short introduction to the basic concepts and values underlying Buddhist practice, with special attention to clearing up common misinterpretations about what the Buddha taught.
Buddhist Romanticism, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

An in-depth study of the pervasive influence of early Romantic thought in shaping the way Buddhism is taught in the West, and of the practical consequences of following the Romantics rather than the Buddha in approaching the problem of suffering and stress.
Four Noble Truths.

(revised May 20, 2023) An introduction to the Buddha’s central teaching, the four noble truths, explaining them in the context of the Buddha’s statements about truth in general, and as the context for all his other teachings.
Karma Q & A, compiled by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 21, 2021) Kamma and rebirth are often understood to be teachings of fate and helplessness in the face of unknowable influences from the past. Instead of teaching fate, The Buddha’s teachings on kamma and rebirth are empowering, showing how people can develop skills in the present that will lead to the end of suffering. So, to help show how valuable these teachings are, here’s a set of answers, based on the Pāli Canon, to some questions frequently asked about these topics.
The Mind like Fire Unbound: An Image in the Early Buddhist Discourses, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Western Buddhists have usually understood the Buddha’s metaphor of nibbana (Sanskrit, nirvana) as “extinguishing” or “extinction”. This book, which includes an essay and readings from the Pāli Canon, examines ancient Indian theories on the mechanics of fire in order to understand the Buddha’s metaphor in its original context.
Noble Warrior : A Life of the Buddha Compiled from the Pāli Canon, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu & Khematto Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) A biography of the Buddha using passages collected exclusively from the Pāli Canon. The translated passages are interspersed with a minimum of explanation, allowing the compilers of the Canon to speak for themselves.
On the Path: An Anthology on the Noble Eightfold Path drawn from the Pāli Canon, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) A well-rounded picture of the noble eightfold path for people who are interested in taking guidance from the earliest extant records of the Buddha’s teachings on how to reach the end of suffering and stress.
The Paradox of Becoming, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Although “becoming” is one of the most important concepts in the Buddha’s teachings, there is no full-scale treatment of it in English. This book attempts to fill that lack.
Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised cover art Jan. 12, 2023) A short introduction to the basic principles of Buddhism. Included are readings drawn from the earliest Buddhist texts and essays explaining aspects of the Triple Refuge that often provoke questions in those who are new to the Buddha’s teachings.

((There is no printed version of this ebook.))
Right Mindfulness: Memory & Ardency on the Buddhist Path, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) For the past several decades, a growing flood of books, articles, and teachings has advanced theories about the practice of mindfulness which are highly questionable and—for anyone hoping to realize the end of suffering—seriously misleading. The main aim of this book is to show that the practice of mindfulness is most fruitful when informed by the Buddha’s own definition of right mindfulness and his explanations of its role on the path.
The Shape of Suffering: A Study of Dependent Co-arising, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

An explanation of dependent co-arising through the analogy of feeding and pulling from the vocabulary of complex, non-linear systems.
Skill in Questions: How the Buddha Taught, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) This is a treatise about discernment in action, centered on the Buddha’s strategic use of discernment in framing and responding to questions.
The Truth of Rebirth: And Why It Matters for Buddhist Practice, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A short treatise explaining that the Buddha did not teach the doctrine of rebirth because he was blindly following the cultural norms of his time. Instead, our resistance to this teaching is pointing to cultural biases of our own that impede progress on the Path.
Undaunted : the Buddha’s Teachings on Aging, Illness, Death, & the Deathless.

(published August 26, 2022) How lessons drawn from the Buddha’s awakening can give guidance in how best to deal with the big problems of life: aging, illness, death, grief, and giving care to those who are sick or dying.
The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pāli Canon, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 13, 2021) The 37 Wings to Awakening were the Buddha’s own summary of his teachings. This book contains sutta translations organized by topic with relevant discussion by the author.
With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised June 3, 2021) A breath meditation manual by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu drawing on two sources: the Buddha’s own set of instructions on how to use the breath in training the mind, and Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo’s method of breath meditation — which builds on the Buddha’s instructions, explaining in detail many of the points that the Buddha left in condensed form.

Desires for the End of Desire : Skillful Determination on the Buddhist Path

(published November 13, 2025) A transcript of a ten-day retreat in Provence held in April, 2025 on the topic of the skillful use of desire on the path of Buddhist practice.
Facing Aging, Illness, & Death : The Central Teaching of the Buddha

(published July 7, 2024) A transcript of a retreat sponsored by Le Refuge in April, 2023.
Sublime Determinations: a Retreat on the Brahmavihāras.

(published July 13, 2022) A transcript from a retreat held in conjunction with the Sociedade Vipassana de Meditação of Brasília on the topic of the four sublime attitudes (brahmavihāras): unlimited goodwill, unlimited compassion, unlimited empathetic joy, and unlimited equanimity.

((There is no printed version of this ebook yet.))
Good Heart, Good Mind : The Practice of the Ten Perfections, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Sept. 2, 2020) A series of talks given at two retreats—one in France, the other in Brazil—on the topic of the ten perfections (pāramī): giving, virtue, renunciation, discernment, persistence, endurance, truth, determination, goodwill, and equanimity. These perfections provide an excellent framework for understanding how to give meaningful and satisfying purpose to everyday lay life in a way that’s conducive both to genuine goodness and to genuine happiness. As they develop, they foster qualities both of a good mind—wise in understanding cause and effect—and a good heart: purposeful, well-intentioned, and strong.
The Five Faculties: Putting Wisdom in Charge of the Mind, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

A series of talks on the topic of the five faculties (indrīya): conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, and discernment. The talks were given at a nine-day retreat at Le Refuge in May of 2017.
The Karma of Mindfulness: The Buddha’s Teachings on Sati and Kamma, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 21, 2021) A series of talks on the relationship between the two central Buddhist concepts of karma (kamma) and mindfulness (sati). The talks show how the Buddha’s teachings on kamma—far from being irrelevant to the practice of mindfulness—actually provide the essential ground for understanding how mindfulness best functions in developing the mind for the purpose of putting an end to suffering and stress. The series of talks was given on an eight-day retreat at Le Refuge, a Buddhist group located in Auriol, near Marseille, France.
Selves & Not-self: The Buddhist Teaching on Anatta, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

(revised Feb. 21, 2021) A series of eight talks on anatta, or not-self, given at a ten-day retreat in Provence, France. Also there are relevant selections from the Pāli Canon at end of the book.