The Teachings of Luang Por Dattajeevo : หน้า 11/164

Suzanne Jeffrey Life, of course, is not as neat as these teachings are laid out for you, and we do not always meet life’s stresses, or sufferings, head-on with a Dhamma teaching. When I become frustrated with someone, I have not always thought, “Hm… Life really is suffering, huh, Suzanne, and am I using Right Speech when I deal with this person?” But the more I read and understand, and the more I listen to Luang Por, the more mindful I become, and the more I try to analyze situations and relate them to what I am learning. Luang Por really is the consummate teacher. My hope is that your ears, eyes and mind are open, and that I will write these teachings in such a way that you listen and understand their significance so that you can use them in your own life. I think these teachings are a gift he gave to me and I would like to give them as a gift to you. Some of the lectures that are included here seem to be repetitious, but I have learned that each time I hear one of his lectures on The Nature of the Mind, for example, I learn something new. All of his lectures are, of course, based on traditional Dhamma teachings coupled with medita- tion experience, but I have tried to write them all in my own “Western” way because, although Luang Por speaks English, many of these lectures were given in Thai, and I was working through my limited understanding of the language and through translators. When I did not understand a particular phrase or meaning, I asked for a more complete translation. Besides Luang Por himself, three people in particular helped me with these: Luang Pi Anurak, Luang Por’s personal assistant; Luang Pi Pasura, translator for Luang Por Dhammajayo and friend to Joshua; and Joshua, my son, who was an ordained monk at Wat Phra Dhammakaya from 2007-2010. Josh also helped me translate other documents and acted as my editor when I needed him the most. Without these three wonderful people, I would not have been able to complete this book. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge my meditation workshop students from Mystic, Con- necticut who have been absolutely brilliant, and have helped me further my understanding of these teachings, and have patiently listened to me, even though my communication skills have, on occasion, lacked their own brilliance. Also, my loving thanks to Sarah, who helped me with the final edit, and Jon, who supported me throughout my adventures in Bangkok. Anumotanaboon Ka4, to them all. And so, I will begin at the beginning and tell you as completely as I can, in the best way that I can, what Luang Por Dattajeevo has told me. Suzanne Jeffrey 4 Literally, Rejoice in your boon. Boon is a pure energy which automatically and naturally is created when a person does good things in body, speech, or mind. 2