Author: Dhamma Nanda

The Two Rings    A rich old man died leaving two sons. For some time the two continued living together

Questions and Answers QUESTION: Why must we move our attention through the body in a certain order? N. GOENKA: Because

Chapter 7. THE TRAINING OF WISDOM   Neither sīla nor samādhi is unique to the teaching of the Buddha. Both were

The Crooked Milk Pudding   Two young boys, who were very poor, lived by begging for their food from house

Questions and Answers   QUESTION: Why do you teach students to practise ānāpāna concentrating on the nostrils rather than on

Chapter 6. THE TRAINING OF CONCENTRATION   By practising sīla we attempt to control our speech and physical actions. However, the

The Doctor’s Prescription    A man becomes sick and goes to the doctor for help. The doctor examines him and

Questions and Answers   QUESTION: Isn’t performing right action a kind of attachment?  N. GOENKA: No. It is simply doing

Chapter 5. THE TRAINING OF MORAL CONDUCT   Our task is to eradicate suffering by eradicating its causes: ignorance, craving, and

The Pebbles and the Ghee   One day a young man came to the Buddha crying and crying; he could

Questions and Answers   QUESTION: Can’t there be wholesome cravings and aversions—for example, hating injustice, desiring freedom, fearing physical harm? 

Chapter 4. THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM   “The truth of suffering,” the Buddha said, “must be explored to its end.”1

Seed and Fruit   As the cause is, so the effect will be. As the seed is, so the fruit

Questions and Answers   QUESTION: Isn’t suffering a natural part of life? Why should we try to escape from it?

Chapter 3. THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE   The real world bears no resemblance to the world of fairytales in which everyone lives

The Buddha and the Scientist   The physical reality is changing constantly every moment. This is what the Buddha realized

Questions and Answers   QUESTION: When you say “mind,” I’m not sure what you mean. I can’t find the mind.

Chapter 2. THE STARTING POINT   The source of suffering lies within each of us. When we understand our own reality,

To Walk on the Path   In the city of Sāvatthī in northern India, the Buddha had a large centre