Introduction

These talks — except for the first — were originally given extemporaneously to the monks at Venerable Acariya Maha Boowas monastery, Wat Pa Baan Taad, in Udorn Thani Province, Thailand. As might be expected, they deal in part with issues particular to the life of Buddist monks, but they also contain much that is of more general interest. Since the monks who had assembled to listen to these talks were at different stages in their practice, each talk deals with a number of issues on a wide variety of levels. Thus there should be something of use in these pages for every reader interested in the training of the mind.

The title of this collection is taken from a Pali term that, directly or indirectly, forms the theme of a number of the talks: yatha bhuta nana dassana — knowledge and vision of things as they are. My hope is that these talks will aid and encourage the reader in his or her own efforts to taste the liberation that comes with the reality to which this term refers.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Rayong
January, 1988