Venerable Ajahn Chah

Once the mind is established with firm and unwavering mindfulness and peace, we can engage in sustained inquiry into the reality of the body, feeling, perception, thought, consciousness, sights, sounds, and so on.

We continue to investigate with a sincere determination not to lose our mindfulness.

Then we'll know what these things actually are.

They come into existence following their own natural truth.

As our understanding steadily grows, wisdom is born.

Once there's clear comprehension of the way things truly are, our old perceptions are uprooted and our conceptual knowledge transforms into wisdom.

That's how virtue, samadhi and wisdom merge and function as one.

The framework for Dharma practice is the Four Noble Truths.

Suffering, Dukkha.

The origin of suffering, Samudaya.

The cessation of suffering, Nirodha.

And the path leading to the cessation of suffering, Magga.

This path consists of virtue, samadhi and wisdom, the framework for training the heart.

Their true meaning is not to be found in these words, but dwells in the depth of our hearts.

That's what virtue, samadhi and wisdom are like.

They revolve continually.

The Noble Eightfold Path will envelop any sight, sound, smell, taste, bodily sensation or object of mind that arises.

However, if the factors of the Eightfold Path are weak and timid, the defilements will possess our minds.

If the noble path is strong and courageous, it will conquer and destroy the defilements.

If we focus our endeavor on developing the way of Dharma, defilements will be gradually and persistently eradicated.