In the late 1980s and early 90s, until his health deteriorated too much, Ven. Ajahn Buddhadāsa gave regular lectures during the international retreats held at Suan Mokkh and then Suan Mokkh International. As these were given at the end of his life, they often focus on core concerns of Buddha-Dhamma. Tan Ajahn spoke in Thai and Santikaro Bhikkhu interpreted into English live.
Click here to download a 15 page PDF of day one of Atammayatā by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.
The Dhamma lectures in this article were given in February 1989.
With many thanks to Suan Mokkh. Copyright © Suan Mokkh
Day one: Atammayatā
Day one: Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu introduces the Pāli word ‘atammayatā’ as something that might seem a little bit strange, but we’ve been traveling all over looking for it without even knowing it. Maybe there’s something not quite satisfying about life, there’s something missing in life, and so we’re in search for it although we don’t really know what it is or where we might find it. He points out that if one meditates to the fullest, if vipassanā progresses completely, then it will come to just this thing, atammayatā. Although the word atammayatā is difficult to translate, he feels that the most correct English translation is ‘unconcoctability,’ and explains what this is and how we can free our minds from the concocting of ideas, moods, and emotions. This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 5th February 1989. Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 70 minutes
Day two: Understanding Atammayatā though Metaphors.
Day two: Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu speaks further about atammayatā so that we can understand it more clearly, more fully. He begins with a metaphor of oxygen, something we know well, and explains how atammayatā is the same as oxygen – we can’t live without it. We gain knowledge of atammayatā through practice of ānāpānasati, and will see that everything is just māyā (illusion). He explains the three fundamental functions of atammayatā: it will protect us against the arising of positive and negative, and if positive and negative should arise, there can be immunity against them so they don’t have any power over the mind, and then third, it can destroy the meaning and value of that positive and negative. In conclusion he encourages us to be successful in atammayatā and fulfill the potential and meaning of being a human being.
This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 6th February 1989.
Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 72 minutes
Day three: New Life. Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu states that the ‘new life’ is in fact very ancient, and the life of dukkha, of stress and suffering, is much newer. In this talk he provides an outline of the new way of life and the pitfalls to avoid. He explains that the problems – dukkha – are like waves of the ocean that arise and pass away, but the ocean is always there. When the waves have passed away there is peace and coolness. If we can remove feelings of ego and self, and positive and negative, from our lives, then there won’t be any more of these waves, there won’t be any more dukkha. He then goes into detail on how concepts and feelings and beliefs in ‘ego’ and ‘self’ are just illusions.
This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 7th February 1989.
Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 79 minutes
Day four: The Path for Realising New Life.
Day four: In a continuation of the previous talk “New Life,” Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu reminds us that once we have really seen the old life clearly for what it is, then we are able to deduce that there must be something else, and then we begin to look for that which is the opposite of old life. And this is where we begin to find the way of new life. He emphasizes the importance of Nibbāna as a sense of the goal of the new way of life, so that we can move more steadily and more directly in that direction. He explains how the new life that has atammayatā must use three fundamental tools which work to prevent the arising of dukkha: sati (mindfulness), paññā (intuitive wisdom), and samādhi (collectedness of mind). Lastly he also describes in detail the nine insights that we call paññā.
This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 8th February 1989.
Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 74 minutes
Day five: The Path that Leads to Atammayatā.
Day five: Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu reminds us that ānāpānasati is the complete system of practice and the most efficient way of realizing atammayatā. In this talk he explains how ānāpānasati leads to the realization of the knowledge that is called ‘atammayatā.’ He tells us that ānāpānasati has four areas of study – four groups of lessons – for us to investigate. He also emphasizes the understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path with its eight factors that cannot be separated. When one lives according to this Noble Eightfold Path, then there will be atammayatā all the time. He introduces the Ten Sammatta, which are atammayatā and the fruits of atammayatā. In conclusion, he states that the most worthy and best and highest thing for human life is atammayatā – the thing that one is searching for if one is really looking for what is best and highest.
This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 9th February 1989.
Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 74 minutes
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Categories: Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, Buddhism, Buddhist Insights, Buddhist meditation, Theravada
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