This VDO is from a Zoom recording with Santikaro speaking at the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies on March 29, 2022. He discussed his experience editing and co-translating the most recent publication from Ajahn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, Seeing with the Eye of the Dhamma. Although originally envisioned by Ajahn Buddhadasa as a “Little Book of Dhamma” (ธรรมะเล่มน้อย) because he wanted it to convey the essence of the entire Pali canon, it is a very detailed and not so “little” book. Santikaro discusses the highlights of this extensive guide to Buddhist contemplative practice. This recording introduces you to an indispensable resource for readers interested in a profoundly committed contemporary approach to the Buddhist path.

Credit: Referring to “Seeing with Eye of Dhamma” with Santikaro, this VDO was produced by Sati Center for Buddhist Studies.

Listen to Audio, please visit AudioDharma – Seeing with Eye of Dhamma

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Seeing with the Eye of Dhamma

“We can live a life full of happiness and enjoyment, a life without any dukkha, if we know how to work with mind. Buddha-Dhamma can make mind smart, bright, and clear, and thus able to know things as they truly are so that there’s none of the clinging that makes life burdensome and causes suffering.”

Seeing with the Eye of Dhamma (available now) is a comprehensive presentation of Dhamma from the influential Thai Buddhist Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu. Translated by Dhammavidu Bhikkhu and Santikaro Upasaka.

Learn more here: https://www.shambhala.com/seeing-with…

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Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (1906–1993) was the most innovative and influential Thai teacher of the twentieth century, throughout which he observed, critiqued, and responded to the changes of modernity. A devoted student of the Pali suttas, he was deeply interested in the science of awakening and dedicated his life to reacquainting humanity with the path that centers nibbana—the end of suffering—in each day of our lives. His practice center in Thailand, the Garden of the Power of Liberation, provides a natural setting for practice and is full of skillful means for introducing fellow travelers to the “Heart of Buddhism.”

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About the Speaker

Santikaro went to Thailand with the Peace Corps in 1980, was ordained as a Theravada monk in 1985, trained at Suan Mokkh under Ajahn Buddhadāsa, and became his primary English translator. Santikaro led meditation retreats at Suan Mokkh for many years, and was unofficial abbot of nearby Dawn Kiam. He is a founding member of Think Sangha, a community of socially engaged Buddhist thinker activists that has given special attention to the ethical and spiritual impact of consumerism and other modern developments.

Santikaro returned to the USA’s Midwest in 2001 and retired from formal monastic life in 2004. He continues to teach in the Buddhist tradition with an emphasis on the early Pāli sources and the insights of Ajahn Buddhadāsa. He and his wife Jo Marie are founders of Kevala Retreat (https://www.kevalaretreat.org/), a modern American expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility in rural Wisconsin. There he continues to study, practice, translate the work of his teacher, teach, and imagine the future of Buddha-Dhamma in the West.