Introduction

Many people have asked for Luang Pu’s Dhamma talks, out of a desire to read them or listen to them, and I have to confess frankly that Luang Pu’s Dhamma talks are extremely rare. This is because he never gave any formal sermons or discoursed at any great length. He simply taught meditation, admonished his students, answered questions, or discussed the Dhamma with other elder monks. He would speak in a way that was brief, careful, and to the point. In addition, he never gave sermons at formal ceremonies.

So in response to the desire and interest that many people have shown in Luang Pu’s Dhamma, I have compiled this book of his short teachings—pure truths at the highest level, lessons and admonishments he gave his students, answers to questions, and passages from the Buddha’s words in the Canon that he always liked to quote. Because I lived for a long time with him, to the end of his days, I have gathered these passages from memory or from notes in my journal. I have also included the events, locations, and people who were involved, to help make the passages easier to understand and more inviting to read.

It was noteworthy—and amazing—that even though Luang Pu normally wouldn’t speak, or would speak as little as possible, he was still very quick and astute in his expression, never missing his mark. His words were brief but full of meaning, every sentence containing a message complete in itself. It was as if he would hypnotize his listeners, forcing them to ponder his words for a long time with their deepest discernment.

The reader—noticing that some of the passages here contain teachings that are ordinary, some that are amusing, and some that are pure truth on the ultimate level—may wonder why they weren’t placed in ascending order, from easy to difficult, or from low to high. The reason I didn’t place them in order like that is because each passage is complete on one page, and I wanted to vary the atmosphere. If this is inappropriate, unseemly, or faulty in any way, I ask that all those who are learned will be kind enough to forgive me, an author of very little intelligence.