- All of us beset by Birth, Decay and Death
- Ayya Khema
Twelve Dhamma Talks on Practice given on
Parappaduwa Nuns Island, Sri Lanka, 1987
APPRECIATION [^]
My thanks go to all the nuns, anagarikas, laymen and women who have
listened time and again to my expositions of the Buddha's teachings.
Without them, these talks would not have happened and this little
booklet would not be possible.
A very special "thank you" to my friends, who have encouraged
and supported my work and the publication of this book by their continued understanding
and generosity.
Those who have typed the manuscript from tapes made during the talks,
have given freely of their time, energy and love to the propagation of the Dhamma.
May everyone connected with this joint undertaking reap the excellent
kamma caused by their gift.
- Sister Ayya Khema Parappuduwa
- Nuns Island Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka
- January 1, 1987
PREFACE
[^]
This little volume is offered to all people everywhere, who know
//dukkha// which is not only suffering, pain and grief, but all the unsatisfactoriness all
of us experience during our lifetime.
It is that unfulfilled striving in heart and mind which keeps pushing
us in so many directions to find the ultimate satisfaction.
When we have realised that all the avenues we have tried have brought
us to a dead end, then the time has come to turn to Lord Buddha's teachings and see for
ourselves whether his promise:
"There's only one thing I teach That's suffering And its end to
reach"
can be experienced within ourselves and whether fulfilment is possible.
As practice progresses, we will find that by letting go of our
preconceived ideas on how and where //dukkha// can be avoided, we come upon uncharted
landscapes within ourselves, which provide a totally new concept of life, its purpose, its
value and its ultimate reality.
May there be many "with little dust in their eyes" who can
turn the tide on //dukkha// and be liberated.
Sister Ayya Khema
- DharmaNet Edition 1994
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- Transcribed for DharmaNet by Maureen Riordan