Awareness has a mirror-like quality. We can tap into it right now, become aware of the mind and body as they are in this moment. Perhaps awareness is reflecting the feeling of sleepiness or of not knowing, the feeling of cold or heat, heaviness or lightness. Reflective consciousness can see things, even the things that are closest to us. It reflects feelings of aversion, anger, kindness, pleasant feelings, unpleasant feelings – all kinds of things. This quality of seeing, of knowing this reflective mind, is neutral. There is no sense of judging or criticising; awareness merely reflects the judging or the critical mind. That is what the Buddha is talking about when he says that the Dhamma is ‘apparent here and now’; not tomorrow or yesterday, but here and now in the present moment. And the Dhamma is timeless – it is not dependent on time.

This book is compiled from talks given mostly in 2001 by Ajahn Sumedho. The first edition was originally published in 2004, but has long since been out of print. This new edition has been reviewed for typographical errors and redesigned, and some re- editing has been done. However, the Dhamma content has not been changed. The talks were transcribed, edited and proofread by various members of the sangha as well as people from the broader community, and a variety of people helped with the creation of the front cover. The editors wish to express their deep gratitude for all of the generous and kind-hearted effort put into making these teachings available in book format.

This book is based upon the talks and meditation instructions offered during a thirteen-day retreat at Amaravati, in the summer of 2012. It is intended to be something of a follow up to Finding the Missing Peace, which was published in 2011 and presented as ‘a primer of Buddhist meditation’. The Breakthrough is intended to be a somewhat more specialized toolkit, describing the path of Buddhist meditation in an in-depth way, specifically highlighting the role of wisdom and reflective investigation in the development of insight and thereby psychological freedom. The title The Breakthrough comes from the Pali word ‘abhisamaya’. The word, as used by the Buddha, is synonymous with the first level of liberation, known as ‘stream-entry’ – the ‘stream’ in question being the Eightfold Path, which leads to full emancipation, enlightenment. As is described in these pages, this breakthrough is considered to be a spiritual turning point of great significance. It marks the point on the spiritual journey beyond which enlightenment is assured and freedom guaranteed.

THE BOOK YOU ARE VIEWING HERE is the eBook of the second print edition of The Pilgrim Kāmanīta – a Legendary Romance, published in 2017. The text of the story is largely unchanged from the 1999 and the 2008 editions, although – poetic licence of the author notwithstanding – a few more factual errors have been corrected. There have also been a few additions and amendations to the Notes and References since, over the years, more of the author’s sources have become apparent.

Another significant addition to the book has come through the editor having received a copy of the 1995 Boiselle-Löhmann Verlag edition of Der Pilger Kamanita – a photo-reproduction of the original work in German. This edition valuably contained the substantial Note on the text by the author, Karl Gjellerup, which the Thai edition we had been working from had omitted. This Note adds some fresh insight into the chemistry of the tale’s ripening in the commodious brew-pot of the author’s imagination, we are thus very glad to be able to include it here.