Inner Strength - Access to Insight

57available.I have been told that Ajaan Lee had strong premonitions of his impendingdeath, and in listening to the tapes of these talks it’s easy to sense that he wasgiving them not only as instructions for the people present, but also as gifts forposterity. Hence the title of the collection.The first talk was a farewell—the closing talk at the dedication of the newordination hall at Ajaan Lee’s monastery, Wat Asokaram. As events would haveit, this was the last talk he gave to a large-scale gathering of his students,supporters, and friends. The second talk takes up the concept of practice as abattle with internal enemies, and shows how the wisest strategy is to win one’senemies over to one’s side. The third covers the eight classical forms ofknowledge and skill (vijj›) that come from the practice of concentration,discussing how they relate to the methods of science and other forms of worldlyknowledge. Three of the knowledges toward the end of the list are barelytouched on, and the end of the talk is fairly abrupt. This may have been due tothe tape’s running out, for Ajaan Lee had quite a lot to say on these knowledgesin his other talks and writings. Still, the heart of the talk—the role of thinking andnot-thinking in developing concentration and liberating insight—is discussed inconsiderable detail, making this a helpful guide to the “how” of meditationpractice. The fourth talk closes the collection with a lively discussion of the waysin which the concepts of “self” and “not-self” relate to the phenomena ofconsciousness—one of Ajaan Lee’s most remarkable teachings.All four talks contain extended metaphors, and a large measure of theirappeal lies in the wit and imagination with which Ajaan Lee explores his imagery.The wit here is not simply a stylistic device. Instead, it’s a form of intelligenceessential to the path: the ability to perceive unexpected parallels and to use themas tools in the practice. Ajaan Lee’s example in this regard is not the least of hismany gifts to those who pursue the path to liberation in his wake.≥h›nissaro BhikkhuCrossing the Ocean of LifeMay 19, 1960I’d now like to explain the Dhamma as a gift for those of us who havegathered here. All of us, both lay and ordained, have come here with skillfulintentions from many different provinces. Our coming here is of two sorts. Thefirst sort is connected with our having received an invitation or notice of thisgathering, so that we’ve come to join in with the merit-making for the pasteleven days. The second sort didn’t receive any notice or invitation, but as soon