Knowing and Seeing with Pa Auk Sayadaw

Pa Auk Sayadaw, AbeBooks; Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Knowing and Seeing (4th edition) presents a series of talks and question and answer sessions on a  Buddhist meditation retreat held by Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, abbot of Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Burma.

These sessions present the Buddha's teachings or Dhamma on the traditional Theravadan calm meditation practice known as absorption or jhana.

Based on the original sutras of the Pali canon, the Path of Purification (Visuddhi Magga), and later commentaries, the Sayadaw teaches yogis step by step procedures to attain these subtle stages of mental purification and insight (vipassana) knowledge.

The book is freely available on the Web as a PDF. Students of Pa Auk are making it available on at AbeBooks (9781456599645) for those who wish to have a paper copy.

All royalties paid by Amazon (which is a small amount per book beyond what is charged for printing and distributing) are donated to not-for-profit charitable work in Burma and around the world.

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery is a Buddhist meditation center in the Theravada tradition, with emphasis on the teaching and actual practice of both samatha (tranquility) and vipassana (insight) meditation. Knowing and Seeing (4th edition, 9781456599645) AbeBooks

Details (5th revised edition)

Knowing and Seeing is a collection of teachings given by the Burmese meditation master Pa-Auk Sayadaw (Ven. Acinna) at a two-month retreat for monastics (monks and nuns) in Taiwan.

In strict accordance with the standard Pali canon texts, Pa Auk Sayadaw gives a practical overview of how to develop absorption (jhana) by

• mindfulness-of-breathing,
• Four Elements meditation,
• the 32 parts of the body (one's own and others near and far),
• the intrinsic repulsiveness of the body, 
• and the ten kasinas.

Four Elements Meditation

This includes the four immaterial absorptions. There are eight (four form and four formless) or nine absorptions (depending on the method of counting, by way of the sutras or the Abhidhamma). In either case, they are all counted and included in the Sayadaw's instructions.

He then explains how to use these powerful mental absorptions to perfect loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity (also called the Four Divine Abidings or Brahma-viharas), recollection-of-the-Buddha, foulness, and the very helpful recollection-of-death.

Next, he explains how, with the light produced by the absorptions, one penetrates the delusion of compactness to see whagt is true -- the compounded nature of "things."

In the material sense one perceives not objects but sub-atomic particles of materiality (kalapas) to discern "ultimate materiality" of this body, other bodies, and material objects throughout the universe (whether in our Sensual Sphere or in the higher Fine Material Sphere, the kama loka or rupa loka).

In the immaterial sense one perceives not consciousness but cognitive processes of the mind, the minds of others, and the Immaterial Sphere (the arupa loka or "formless sphere") to discern "ultimate mentality."

Likewise, one examines the ultimate materiality and mentality of countless past lives, this present life, and future lives (on this and other planes of existence, of which there are at least 31).

Likewise, one develops the remaining knowledges until this mind knows-and-sees nirvana directly (which means stream entry or the first stage of enlightenment/awakening): The mind is fully aware of the (unformed) nirvana as object.

The Sayadaw also answers questions from meditators present at the retreat. They ask for details regarding meditation and related matters, and the path of the Bodhisatta and the path of disciples.

Finally, there is a stirring talk that exhorts us to "breathe according to the Buddha's instructions," followed by a talk on the most superior type of offering (dana).

This 5th edition has new charts, an index, additional information, a new layout, and so on. It has been made clearer (by a committee of writers that may have inadvertently made it more clumsy, dense, and redundant in their overarching efforts towards perfectionism).

Pa Auk Center, Georgia, USA

Pa Auk Sayadaw is abbot and formerly the head teacher at Pa-Auk Forest (Tawya) Monastery, a meditation center near Mawlamyine, Mon State, Burma (called Myanmar by the military dictatorship).

The Sayadaw also has other centers in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States (Georgia).

The Sayadaw, who because of his attainments and ability to teach others to reach the same exalted attainments is referred to in the book as "The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw" has given Dhamma talks and conducted retreats in the

Who will practice Dhamma?

• United States of America (USA),
• Germany,
• Hong Kong,
• Japan,
• Korea,
• Malaysia,
• People's Republic of China,
• Republic of Singapore,
• Sri Lanka, and the
• United Kingdom.

Printed paper copies of this book are made available for the cost of printing and shipping at zero profit, a gift of the priceless Buddha-Dharma. Knowing and Seeing (5th revised edition, 9781688820111) AbeBooks