Freedom Within: Liberation Teachings on the Satipatthana Meditation Practice

The teachings contained in this publication are a selection of transcribed talks given by Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita at the Tathagatha Meditation center, in San Jose, California over a number of years. To be in the midst of noble warriors steeped in the satipatthana meditation practice is a blessing, to learn from them, a rare occurrence, and to realize their wisdom, an aspiration.Freedom Within was completed in the wake of Most Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita’s passing away on 16 April 2016. It is hoped that the insightful and practical teachings contained in this publication are a helpful guide to those dedicated to the Buddha’s way, the direction of travel where all things uncreated and unbound are free of cessation."Developing a state of mind that is beautiful:In an uncultivated plot of land, weeds will sprout and take over. It won’t be a pleasant sight. If we make the effort to landscape this, it might be attractive and we may benefit from the plants, we may even build a house on the land and make use of it. Our plot of land becomes useless if we fail to cultivate it. To the extent we cultivate the land, it is valuable. Our lives are the same; to the extent that we cultivate and nourish our minds, our lives become very valuable.Failing in mindfulness, to note and to know, we leave room for defilements (kilesa) to creep in. We can fall victim to sense experience if the observing power of satipatthana is absent, not knowing the processes of seeing, hearing, smelling and so forth. As a result, we will be left in ignorance (moha) of the way things are."