Thanissaro Bhikkhu on the Ultimate Goal

"It’s this sense of not having had enough, not having enough: That’s what drives us. So the Buddha’s solution is not simply to say, “Well, just be content where you are.” It’s to say that there’s something in the mind you can attain that will have a sense of enough. It truly will be enough, more than enough. And there’s a path that leads there — but it’ll require that you tame your cravings. So look at that teaching as good news, a gift, because there are so many people in the world who don’t listen to it, and they suffer because of that. Right here’s the gift. Make the most of it. ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "A Slave to Craving"

"We have that chant, “May I be happy, may I be free from stress and pain.” We chant that every night before the meditation to remind ourselves of why we’re here: for true happiness. And it reminds us to look at all the things we do throughout the day that get in the way of that wish. It’s one our most sincere wishes, and yet we’re always doing things to block it, to get in its way. So try to keep this in mind. Keep checking, “What are you doing that’s getting in the way of true happiness? What are the unnecessary things you feel you just can’t do without, that are a built-in part of your personality?” They don’t have to be. They may have deep roots, but they can be uprooted, these habits we have. We’re working on the skills right now that can uproot them until we reach the point where we’re not causing ourselves or the people around us any unnecessary stress or pain. It may sound simple. It may even sound small-minded and small-hearted for a spiritual goal, but if you actually f...

"Again, think about the Buddha and his quest for awakening. His teachers taught him the dimension of nothingness and the dimension of neither perception or non-perception — very refined attainments. But he had a clear idea of where he wanted to go. He wanted the deathless, and he could see that neither of these were deathless. When he saw that these weren’t what he wanted, he moved on. If he hadn’t been clear about his goal, he might have been waylaid. After all, they offered him the position of teacher, but he didn’t want to teach unless he had something that was really of value to teach, something outside of the ordinary. So he was clear about his intention, and as a result he was able to succeed in the path. That’s how he got to the point where he didn’t have to be anybody and didn’t have to go anywhere. But you get to that point by being somebody and going someplace. So as long as you’re on the path, remember that this is a path, it’s not a place to lie down. If you lie down o...

"This is what the Buddha’s awakening knowledge is. It’s a solvent, a universal solvent that can dissolve all the worlds, all the universes, all the stories we’ve been involved in. When you get down to the four noble truths — and that’s the third knowledge of the Buddha’s awakening — “beings” and “worlds” disappear. These truths are expressed just in terms of suffering and the acts of the mind that lead to suffering — in other words, the things that you experience directly inside that nobody else can experience. Each of us has to experience these things on our own: the suffering, the actions inside that lead to suffering, and also the qualities we can develop that can take us beyond suffering. There are no stories there. When you’re really with the breath, there’s no story there. You might make a little story about how, “Last night, I meditated really well. I stayed with the breath.” But if you were to give a really detailed story of your meditation, well, the breath came in. Then...

"One of the forest ajaans who’s reputed to be an arahant said that when he was able to get past his attraction to the human body, he could see the auras of people. So when you think thoughts of the unattractiveness of the body, don’t think that you’re cutting off an avenue to pleasure. You’re opening up the mind to possibilities that you may not have thought of. So even though it’s listed as a painful practice, contemplation of the body can be gladdening because it’s liberating. The gladness of liberation is the best form of gladness there is." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Ugly Body, Happy Mind" (Meditations12)

"Some people think that the idea of a totally independent source of happiness is selfish, or a way of running away from the real world, but it’s not. How can it be selfish when you’re in a position that allows everything you do to be an act of giving? What exactly is it running away from? It’s running away from your old feeding habits, your old dependencies, which are not only unstable for you but can also be oppressive for others in ways that you might not think, but they’re there. Just the fact that we have this body depends on food, clothing, shelter, and medicine — and where do those things come from? How many people are happily involved in the process that brings us food, happily involved in the process that brings us clothing, shelter, and medicine? There may be some people who are happy to do it, but a lot of people are doing it through pain and suffering. That’s why we chant that reflection every evening, to remind us of this fact. So that’s what you’re running away from. ...

"We have the example of the Buddha. That’s made a huge impact on the world, showing people that it is possible to get out. And we are getting out . We’re not just deciding that we’re going to stay here and be in the present moment and accept that as our goal. The goal is to get out. This is a place where we can’t live. One of the Buddha’s common images is of a house on fire. Everything in the present is on fire, being destroyed. All these fabrications that we’re creating can’t be a place to stay. Because as soon as we do them — and they are things that we do — as soon as we do them, they’re not going to just stay there. They ignite and disappear. You have to keep doing them again and again and again. You did it yesterday and today you have to do it again and tomorrow you have to do it again. One moment to moment to moment, you have to keep at it. Even with the concentration you have to keep doing it. You can’t just settle in and say, “Okay, I’ll relax.” It’s relatively restful c...