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I started this book in May of
2004, as a six-page letter to my mother, who currently
lives in Armidale, Australia. Earlier that same month,
she had received a copy of Knowing and Seeing from our
abbot, and I was concerned that, without a background
in Theravada Buddhism, she would have difficulty understanding
the Sayadaw's book.
As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. My mother read
the book twice and loved it. On the other hand, I was
not totally satisfied with my letter. In retrospect, I
felt it glossed over too many important topics; in addition,
it did not address the very real need for clear and practical
introductory information for foreigners. As a Westerner,
I had become aware of this need during my first visit
to Pa-Auk Forest Monastery some five years ago.
Despite its defects, what I had written was at least a
start in the right direction. Encouraged by my recent
efforts, I began to make the countless revisions that
ultimately transformed my letter into a book and brought
my project to completion. During this period, I supplemented
the text with more than a hundred footnotes, included
several appendices dealing specifically with conditions
at this monastery and finally added a sixteen-page index.
Hopefully, these additions will help to make Teaching
& Training a more useful book, both for new arrivals
and for those planning to come here.
At this point, I would like to acknowledge my debt of
gratitude to the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw and other
senior bhikkhus at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, for their
guidance and instruction in the preparation of this book.
The teachings presented here are based primarily on material
contained in Knowing and Seeing, with numerous references
to the Pali Texts and their commentaries. For any possible
inaccuracy or misrepresentation of this source material,
I beg the reader's forgiveness.
May all who read this book make swift progress on the
path to liberation, and may they and my mother experience
the peace and bliss of Nibbana in this lifetime.
Compiled by Bhikkhu Moneyya
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