Reading Archives (Author)

The Committee of the Mind

Thanissaro Bhikku

There are many different ideas of “you” in your mind, each with its own agenda. Each of these “you's” is a member of the committee of the mind. This is why the mind is less...

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106K reads, 10 comments

Stop Shooting Arrows

Thanissaro Bhikku

The Buddha compares pain with being shot by arrows. Physical pain is like being shot with one arrow, but then on top of that you shoot yourself with another arrow, the anguish you build up around the ...

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15K reads, 22 comments

Being Judicious, not Judgmental

Thanissaro Bhikku

One of the most difficult but necessary skills we need to develop as meditators is learning how to be judicious without being judgmental. An as a preliminary step to developing that skill, it's good t...

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41K reads, 5 comments

A Meditator's Bag of Tricks

Thanissaro Bhikku

Meditation is not just a question of technique. In training the mind, you have to remember there's a whole committee in there. In the past the committee has had its balance of power, its likes and dis...

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13K reads, 3 comments

The Grain of the Wood

Thanissaro Bhikku

There are two sides to the path of practice: the side of developing and the side of letting go. And it's important that you see the practice in both perspectives, that your practice contains both side...

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9K reads, 3 comments