Learning the Dhamma

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

The Dhamma is straightforward. The problem is that our minds are crooked. The Dhamma tells us to see hair as hair, nails as nails, teeth as teeth and skin as skin. What could be simpler? And yet, what could be more difficult?

We plaster so much onto the basic realities of life with our desires, fears, aversions, expectations, distorted views and conceit. To learn the Dhamma we have to unlearn so many bad mental habits that we have accumulated over many lifetimes. We need to return to the basic realities of our life with interest and enthusiasm over and over and over again. As we straighten out the kinks in our minds, the Dhamma is revealed. It appears both marvellous and absolutely normal at the same time. ‘Oh!’, we say ‘hair is just hair, nails are just nails, teeth are just teeth and skin is just skin. The body is just the body; the mind is just the mind.’

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"Food for the Heart", a series of Dhamma teachings handwritten weekly is posted on the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives page with Ajahn's kind permission.

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For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.