To Understand Defilement

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

Meditation allows us to understand the meaning of the word ‘defilement’, and to experience the wonder of its absence. It reveals how pervasive defilement is and how deep-rooted. It shows us – irrefutably – that only by abandoning defilements altogether can we hope to realize true inner freedom.

In meditation, we learn how defilements arise and pass away, what triggers them, what feeds them, what weakens them, what removes them. We cannot just bypass defilements or blast them out of our minds. We have to understand our enemies and outwit them.

Liberation is only possible when meditation is grounded in the Four Noble Truths. Lacking that framework we end up merely trading in our coarser defilements for more subtle ones.

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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.