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Being Dharma

The Essence of the Buddha's Teachings

By Ajahn Chah
Translated by Paul Breiter
Foreword by Jack Kornfield

$27.95
SKU
9781570628085
- Paperback
Available
Shambhala Publications
10/09/2001
Pages: 256
Size: 6 x 9
ISBN: 9781570628085
Details

Chah offers a thorough exploration of Theravadan Buddhism in a gentle, sometimes humorous, style that makes the reader feel as though he or she is being entertained by a story. He emphasizes the path to freedom from emotional and psychological suffering and provides insight into the fact that taking ourselves seriously causes unnecessary hardship.

Ajahn Chah influenced a generation of Western teachers: Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Joseph Goldstein, and many other Western Buddhist teachers were at one time his students. Anyone who has attended a retreat led by one of these teachers, or read one of their books, will be familiar with this master's name and reputation as one of the great Buddhist teachers of this century.

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Look insideLook Inside
Bestsellers Theravada
Buddhist Biography/Memoir
Insight Meditation
Southeast Asian Buddhism
Thai Forest Tradition
Biography
Author Bio
Ajahn Chah
Ajahn Chah (1919–1992) was a beloved Thai Buddhist master whose teachings were refreshingly uncompromising in their clarity and certainty—the certainty of a meditator who has achieved deep understanding of the Buddha's teachings. He was an important influence and spiritual mentor for a generation of American Buddhist teachers.
Paul Breiter

Paul Breiter took robes and studied with Ajahn Chah in northeastern Thailand in the 1970s. Since disrobing he has practiced in the Soto Zen and Tibetan Nyingmapa traditions. He has produced several translations of Ajahn Chah’s teachings. He lives in Florida.

Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield is one of the key teachers to have brought Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He is the cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. His books include After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; Meditation for Beginners; and The Wise Heart.
Praise

"Employing simple, precise language, his words convey his belief that liberation is possible for each of us through diligent effort and sincere intention." —Tricycle

"Chah's style of teaching Buddhism was informal and non-systematic; he was renowned for giving instructions in a way that an 'uneducated rice farmer' could understand. The talks in Being Dharma reflect Ajahn Chah's fundamental orientation toward Buddhism as a way of life, rather than a set of rules or rituals." —Shambhala Sun

Selected Reader Reviews