Una sera nel nord-est della Thailandia

La notte sta scendendo rapidamente. La foresta risuona dell’ondoso brusio di innumerevoli grilli e dell’inquietante e crescente gemito delle cicale tropicali. Poche stelle si intrufolano fiocamente tra le cime degli alberi. Nella crescente oscurità, un paio di lanterne a cherosene producono una pozza di caldo chiarore, illuminando l’area all’aperto sottostante una capanna issata su pali di legno. Sotto il bagliore, due dozzine di persone sono raccolte attorno ad un piccolo monaco ma di solida costituzione, che siede a gambe incrociate su una grande sedia di vimini. Una pace vibrante è nell’aria. Il venerabile Ajahn Chah sta insegnando.

The title of this book refers to the image of the Buddha’s teaching, the Wheel of Truth (or Dhamma). It is a wheel that he set rolling in his first discourse by proclaiming the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path of practice. This teaching remains as the axis of Ajahn Sumedho’s teaching and personal contemplative work. This particular collection of his Dhamma talks and dialogues is composed of material that has appeared in various newsletters and magazines before; it derives from different periods in Ajahn Sumedho’s teaching career, but it has been gathered into three parts to address overarching themes.

Secondo l’accezione più vasta del termine, “meditare” significa dirigere ripetutamente l’attenzione su un’immagine, una parola o un tema allo scopo di calmare la mente e riflettere sul significato dell’oggetto prescelto. Nella pratica buddhista nota come “meditazione di consapevolezza” l’attenzione focalizzata ha anche un altro scopo: approfondire la comprensione della natura della mente. A tal fine la funzione dell’oggetto di meditazione è fornire un punto di riferimento stabile che faciliti l’emersione di tendenze altrimenti celate dall’attività superficiale della mente.

Il Buddha esortava i suoi discepoli a prendere come oggetto di meditazione il proprio corpo e la propria mente. Un oggetto frequentemente utilizzato, ad esempio, è la sensazione associata all’inspirazione e all’espirazione nel corso del naturale processo respiratorio.

Sedersi in silenzio prestando attenzione al respiro conduce, col tempo, allo sviluppo di chiarezza e calma. In questo stato mentale è possibile discernere più chiaramente tensioni, aspettative e umori abituali, e scioglierli con l’esercizio di un’investigazione delicata e al tempo stesso penetrante.

The following pages offer some means to find clarity and calm within a few minutes. They can be put into practice in a range of non-specialized situations – in the time it would take you to drink a cup of tea. If you live a busy life, this guide may help you come out of the momentum of the day and give you more time. These suggestions may also offer you a way to meditate – but that’s up to you and another guide.

The chapters in this wonderful book are edited transcriptions of talks given by Ajahn Sundara between 2003 and 2011. Many of these talks and teachings were given at Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula in Redwood California. Some were from public talks and retreats held at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the United Kingdom. It Can Be Very Simple is taken from an interview given to The Insight Journal of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Our Nature is from a talk given at Seattle Insight Meditation Society.

Do you ever find yourself dominated by a chain of thought that tells you that you’re not good enough, that you don’t deserve much, and that other people look down on you or tolerate you out of politeness? Do you find yourself snagging on memories of things you did wrong, or relationships that you didn’t get right? Do you feel that you have to be a success in life like you think someone else is – and are consequently critical of yourself? This piece of psychology is called ‘the Inner Tyrant’. The good news is that it’s not just you who has this, and that you can get free of its grip. And the key to this is through establishing, and continually re-establishing, right intent.

Let’s look at the idea of concentration, or samādhi. When you hear those four little syllables, con-cen-tra-tion, what do they imply to you? It may take a few moments to articulate it, but you might immediately feel a particular set of energies starting to take over. You probably get a sense of doing something, working hard at it to get it right. That’s the normal take. We clench up, get tight, and go for it. It’s intensive practice, a ‘concentration’ camp. No slacking! With this kind of thinking, we rev up the controlling systems, the duty systems, the work systems, and the ‘get-it-right’ systems. Right there is stress. A line of tension starts to form across your brow.