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Venerable Uda Eriyagama Dhammajiva has practised as a meditation master for over a decade and is meditation teacher and Deputy Abbot of Meetirigala, a monastery in the strict forest tradition in Sri Lanka. He trained under Ven. Matara Sri Gnanarama Mahathera (Sri Lanka) and Sayadaw U. Panditabhivamsa (Burma).

We are happy to be able to present the following meditation texts drawn from teachings Ven. Dhammajiva gave in Australia in 2006 and 2007.

Towards an Inner Peace

Practical and accessible discourses translated from Sinhala to English concerning the Anapanasati Sutta and the practice of mindfulness.

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"A yogi who is inclined towards concentration meditation will enter deep concentration during meditation and sit still for a long time without the slightest inclination to move the body. A samatha yogi can remain in the state of 'one-pointedness' and durable concentration. A vipassana yogi (who is inclined towards insight) will experience momentary concentration and observe the beginning, middle and end of the breath as well as the bodily pains that arise. A vipassana yogi is able to discern and note all phenomena as soon as they arise. With vipassana samadhi, each object is noted with momentary concentration."

In This Life Itself

Clear teachings on the practice of Satipatthana and Insight Meditation (vipassana).

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"Mindfulness is the process of bringing one's mind to the present moment. When we try to bring our mind to the present moment, we observe its true nature - how it habitually wanders around, day-dreams and fantasizes. We are always preoccupied with the past and the future. The mind is rarely in the present. It is like a mad monkey that jumps from one branch to another. It is swift and jumps around. It is always in a state of flux. It is impossible to observe the mind's true nature, unless we pause with mindfulness."

The following book is drawn from Ven. Dhammajiva's talks to the resident monks and yogis at his centre in Sri Lanka:

A Mind Revealed

Ven. Dhammajiva's exposition of the Dutiyadvayam Sutta; a practical analysis of sensory consciousness, its causality, operation and cessation.

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"You can draw an analogy between the operation of consciousness and the performance of a stage play. When you watch a stage play, with the light moving across the stage, you are taken to its different parts. When the light is projected on the separate roles in sequence, you know which part of the script is being performed. To know which part is being shown, however, you must pay attention and watch it continuously for a little while and follow the light. Then you recognise the actors and the sequence of actions that unfold. Similarly, when the light of mindfulness is projected on the performance of sensory consciousness, occurring in each of the six sense faculties, you can see which aspect of the performance (whether ear-consciousness or eye-consciousness (being the main actor)) is in operation. It may be the eye-consciousness seeing a visual object, or the ear listening to some music, or the nose experiencing a scent. When you mindfully become aware of sensory consciousness, you can note which part of the script is being performed and observe the theatre in the performance of your 'consciousness'!"