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The Mind And The Way: Buddhist Reflections on Life
The advice of the author in THE MIND AND THE WAY is to live simply, contemplate the way things are, and let go of suffering - all attractively clear concepts in these confused and anxious times. With warmth, compassion, and a sense of humour Ajahn Sumedho draws upon his own experience alongside centuries-old Theravadan Buddhist tradition to reveal how we can all free the mind and open the heart to discover peace in our everyday lives. For both the beginner seeking an introduction and the experienced practitioner seeking inspiration, THE MIND AND THE WAY is an invaluable resource.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 1994
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255 people want to read
About the author
Ajahn Sumedho
34 books81 followersAjahn Sumedho was born Robert Jackamn in Seattle, Washington in 1934. He was raised as Anglican and from 1951 to 1953 studied Chinese and history at the University of Washington. He served as a medic for the US Navy until returning to the University to ccomplete a BA in Far Eastern Studies in 1959. In 1966 he went to Thailand and was ordained as a novice Buddhist; in 1967 he received a full ordination.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 22, 2012
This is THE book that turned me to Buddhism, that led me to leave home to spend six months with Theravada monks, learning Pali, meditation, and everything else about Buddhism and the monastic way of life lived by those in the Thai Theravada forest tradition.
November 8, 2010
This book is a collection of Ajahn Sumedho’s dharma talks. It captures both Sumedho’s profound wisdom of insight and his modest, simple approach to mindfulness practice. He covers topics ranging from the Four Noble Truths and the Three Refuges to karma. This book is a remarkable resource for living the dharma in daily life.
November 8, 2022
A broad-ranging guide to Theravadan/Vipassana meditation; discursive style that some might find long-winded.
The Mind and the Way (1995) is an edited collection of talks given by Sumedho. These are grouped in three sections:
-- "Approaching the Way", constituting a primer on the Buddha's teachings and the tenets of Buddhism;
-- "Awakening the Mind", tips on developing a personal meditative practice; and
-- "Living the Dhamma", insights on the illumination that Buddhist practice can bring to life's inherent difficulties.
For a newcomer to Buddhism, the first section provides a good overview, as does the second section for those interested in Vipassana meditation. Even though the talks have been edited, one finds a degree of repetition across the breadth of the book. Moreover, the talks are discursive in style and some might prefer a more focused presentation of Sumedho's views. In this regard, I much preferred "The Sound of Silence", published in 2007.
Quotes
"Wisdom develops in our ability to take into account the way things actually are for ourselves in our own lives; it doesn't come from beliefs about ideals. Rather, it comes from working with those things that we have to bear, as well as our opportunities, or lack of them" (p.133)
"The important thing is to reflect. Reflect on yourself, in your life. How are you living your life now? Is it terribly complicated? How could you simplify it? Are you always prone to looking for more, or to creating problems about the way you happen to be living? Really be honest and look, and ask yourself these questions. Try to use the practice of meditation to help you with your reflection." (p. 134)
"In meditation, the aim of contemplating the body is not to take a position for or against the body, but to understand it. It is like this; bodies are like this. We are not thinking of it in a personal way. Whether it is attractive or unattractive, we simply see the body as the body. ... When we accept it for what it is, the body does not create many problems." (p.152)
"The human body isn't an end in itself. No matter how beautiful or healthy it might be, it's not what we are, so we can never be contented simply with the functions of the body. It is not what we are, so we can't ever really feel at home, or truly at ease with the body--or with the planet. There is the aspiration, the rising up toward something higher, finer, or more subtle." (p. 152)
"I see our life in this human form as a kind of transition. We don't really belong here. This is not our real home. We're never going to be content with our state as human beings. It's not worth lingering or hanging around in the human realm, but it's not to be despised or rejected either. Our human life is to be awakened to and understood. You can say you've not wasted your life if you awaken to it. If you live a long life--say one hundred years--following foolish ideas and selfishness, then one hundred years have been wasted. But if you've awakened to life--even if your life is very short--then at least you've not wasted it." (concluding para, p.220)
My Zen reviews, ranked
Ajahn Sumedho biographical details
Ajahn Sumedho is the dharma name of Robert Karr Jackman (born in Seattle, Washington in 1934). He became one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. (The Thai-language term "Ajahn" is used as honorific by forest-tradition monks and translates as "teacher".) Jackman served with the Peace Corps in Borneo from 1964 to 1966 as an English teacher. During a visit to Singapore he observed a Buddhist monk walk by and thought to himself, "That looks interesting." In 1966, he enrolled as novice in a northeast Thai monastery and was ordained as a bhikkhu (monk) the following year.
He trained under Ajahn Chah from 1967 to 1977 and has come to be regarded as the latter's most influential Western disciple. In 1975, Sumedho helped to establish and became the first abbot of the International Forest Monastery, Wat Pa Nanachat in northeast Thailand founded by Ajahn Chah for training his non-Thai students. In 1977, Sumedho accompanied Chah on a visit to England where they found a keen interest in Buddhism among Westerners. Chah encouraged Sumedho to remain in England for the purpose of establishing a branch monastery in the UK. This became Cittaviveka Forest Monastery in West Sussex, established in 1979. (Source: wikipedia)
The Mind and the Way (1995) is an edited collection of talks given by Sumedho. These are grouped in three sections:
-- "Approaching the Way", constituting a primer on the Buddha's teachings and the tenets of Buddhism;
-- "Awakening the Mind", tips on developing a personal meditative practice; and
-- "Living the Dhamma", insights on the illumination that Buddhist practice can bring to life's inherent difficulties.
For a newcomer to Buddhism, the first section provides a good overview, as does the second section for those interested in Vipassana meditation. Even though the talks have been edited, one finds a degree of repetition across the breadth of the book. Moreover, the talks are discursive in style and some might prefer a more focused presentation of Sumedho's views. In this regard, I much preferred "The Sound of Silence", published in 2007.
Quotes
"Wisdom develops in our ability to take into account the way things actually are for ourselves in our own lives; it doesn't come from beliefs about ideals. Rather, it comes from working with those things that we have to bear, as well as our opportunities, or lack of them" (p.133)
"The important thing is to reflect. Reflect on yourself, in your life. How are you living your life now? Is it terribly complicated? How could you simplify it? Are you always prone to looking for more, or to creating problems about the way you happen to be living? Really be honest and look, and ask yourself these questions. Try to use the practice of meditation to help you with your reflection." (p. 134)
"In meditation, the aim of contemplating the body is not to take a position for or against the body, but to understand it. It is like this; bodies are like this. We are not thinking of it in a personal way. Whether it is attractive or unattractive, we simply see the body as the body. ... When we accept it for what it is, the body does not create many problems." (p.152)
"The human body isn't an end in itself. No matter how beautiful or healthy it might be, it's not what we are, so we can never be contented simply with the functions of the body. It is not what we are, so we can't ever really feel at home, or truly at ease with the body--or with the planet. There is the aspiration, the rising up toward something higher, finer, or more subtle." (p. 152)
"I see our life in this human form as a kind of transition. We don't really belong here. This is not our real home. We're never going to be content with our state as human beings. It's not worth lingering or hanging around in the human realm, but it's not to be despised or rejected either. Our human life is to be awakened to and understood. You can say you've not wasted your life if you awaken to it. If you live a long life--say one hundred years--following foolish ideas and selfishness, then one hundred years have been wasted. But if you've awakened to life--even if your life is very short--then at least you've not wasted it." (concluding para, p.220)
My Zen reviews, ranked
Ajahn Sumedho biographical details
Ajahn Sumedho is the dharma name of Robert Karr Jackman (born in Seattle, Washington in 1934). He became one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. (The Thai-language term "Ajahn" is used as honorific by forest-tradition monks and translates as "teacher".) Jackman served with the Peace Corps in Borneo from 1964 to 1966 as an English teacher. During a visit to Singapore he observed a Buddhist monk walk by and thought to himself, "That looks interesting." In 1966, he enrolled as novice in a northeast Thai monastery and was ordained as a bhikkhu (monk) the following year.
He trained under Ajahn Chah from 1967 to 1977 and has come to be regarded as the latter's most influential Western disciple. In 1975, Sumedho helped to establish and became the first abbot of the International Forest Monastery, Wat Pa Nanachat in northeast Thailand founded by Ajahn Chah for training his non-Thai students. In 1977, Sumedho accompanied Chah on a visit to England where they found a keen interest in Buddhism among Westerners. Chah encouraged Sumedho to remain in England for the purpose of establishing a branch monastery in the UK. This became Cittaviveka Forest Monastery in West Sussex, established in 1979. (Source: wikipedia)
February 26, 2012
A very comprehensible discussion and sharing of Buddhist philosophy. Helped me understand the hows and whys to end mental suffering - live a virtuous life.
September 12, 2016
Mindfulness and the perspective of metta!
December 18, 2021
This book helped me with a serious problem for which I could not find a workable solution anywhere else. The problem isn't completely gone yet, but at least I have a strategy now and it is helping. With that in mind, this is a very good book. This is the only Buddhist book I have read (out of many) that does not go too far into the "weeds" of Buddhist scholarly philosophy or matters such as the history of the spread of Buddhism across Asia. Sumedho gives a lot of good information and sound advice as he reflects on life. Once he is finished reflecting on the main tenents of Theraveda Buddhism, there is a small section near the end where Sumedho gives his personal opinions as he reflects on more general matters such as family, morals, raising children, etc. In that small section he does get a bit "preachy" with what are now outdated views favoring strict binary paradigms. However, the book was published in 1995 so this is not totally suprising. Don't stop reading the book there though, lest you risk missing the very helpful section at the very end on how to handle death. Throughout the book and especially at the end Sumedho gives the most beneficial advice I have ever read/heard regarding dealing with mortality and handling issues surrounding your own death and the death of others.
July 5, 2018
Really nice book of transcribed talks by a famous and extremely influential western monk. The advice and wisdom inside is very approachable for any audience, introducing all concepts gently and coming back constantly to “everyday situations” that Europeans and North Americans will find familiar.
Not a very deep book in terms of Dhamma analysis or exposition, which I guess is what I was hoping for on some level, but no one told me it would be 🤷🏻♀️
Recommended for those new to Buddhism or experts that want a nice light reading experience. I read it alongside Bikkhu Bodhi’s “in the words of the Buddha” which is sort of the opposite in terms of difficulty level and density, so I was able to pick the book to match my level of intensity for each moment.
Not a very deep book in terms of Dhamma analysis or exposition, which I guess is what I was hoping for on some level, but no one told me it would be 🤷🏻♀️
Recommended for those new to Buddhism or experts that want a nice light reading experience. I read it alongside Bikkhu Bodhi’s “in the words of the Buddha” which is sort of the opposite in terms of difficulty level and density, so I was able to pick the book to match my level of intensity for each moment.
December 4, 2018
One of my many problems with this book is that I read it right after reading Mindfulness in Plain English, one of the best books on the subject I have ever encountered. Another issue was the introduction to Mind and the Way, that had an extensive section on the privations the author, and others, underwent while living in the forest. The thought occurred to me that the author was PROUD of his suffering. Yes, yes, I know. Pride is a form of suffering, and I am certainly misconstruing his words. But I could not escape the impression.
In the body of the book, Sumedho fails the first test of language, at least for me. He fails to communicate. He comes across as a professor who has been ordered to teach a subject, e.g., bonehead English, and is just going through the motions---mailing it in. His writing is nothing but a list of declarative sentences. Why is this a problem? It's a problem because it isn't leavened by stories, examples, commentary, or anything else other than sentences that are bullet points. He comes across as bored with the subject. I didn't think that was possible---no joy, no delight, no fascination with the subject, no encouraging words to readers interested in improving their lives, nothing. Just nothing. It's just a drag. Don't waste your time on Sumedho, who has some other agenda other than explaining Buddhism.
In the body of the book, Sumedho fails the first test of language, at least for me. He fails to communicate. He comes across as a professor who has been ordered to teach a subject, e.g., bonehead English, and is just going through the motions---mailing it in. His writing is nothing but a list of declarative sentences. Why is this a problem? It's a problem because it isn't leavened by stories, examples, commentary, or anything else other than sentences that are bullet points. He comes across as bored with the subject. I didn't think that was possible---no joy, no delight, no fascination with the subject, no encouraging words to readers interested in improving their lives, nothing. Just nothing. It's just a drag. Don't waste your time on Sumedho, who has some other agenda other than explaining Buddhism.
March 16, 2021
You'll look at life differently after reading this. This books is written without jargon and from twenty-five years of experiencing what it is to live the Buddha's teaching. The author, a Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition writes with deep humanity, humour and wisdom. Ajahn Sumedho writes on the subjects of The Four Noble Truths, Meditation, Freedom of Heart and Living the Dhamma amongst many others. Short Q&A sections at the end of each themed chapter also give a lot of useful advice and help clear misunderstandings.
September 24, 2024
Reading with commentary by Ajahn Amaro
dnf
December 7, 2025Just not my vibe. DNF, page 40.
July 20, 2019
Ajan Sumedho has the singular ability of profoundly distilling the Buddha's teachings into everyday language. In these talks, Sumedho covers a wide range of teachings and practices with the kind of insight that comes only with years of experience. This book is a treasure not to be missed by anyone interested in Buddhism.
August 13, 2015
An outstanding collection of dharma talks by one of the foremost western practitioners of the Buddhist way. It has to be in my top 5. The one proviso I have is that an understanding of the basics of Buddhist practice is probably necessary to get the most out of it, that and some personal experience with practice make it a real gem. There is much in Buddhist writing that while understandable intellectually just doesn't seem to fit quite comfortably at a gut level, well Sumedho's development of some of the central themes of Buddhist thought just makes the fit perfectly. All of his work is lively and illuminating, and also very helpful, but this collection tops the lot.
April 11, 2009
A clear and accessible description of what Buddhism is and isn't by a very warm and wonderful teacher.
April 5, 2016
This is worth multiple reads to internalize the layers of wisdom.
It has given me a clearer insight on Buddhist thought, and offers perspectives I have not considered before.
It has given me a clearer insight on Buddhist thought, and offers perspectives I have not considered before.
May 18, 2012
This is one of my all time favorite books and I've read it a billion times!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews