The Sound of Silence: The Selected Teachings of Ajahn Sumedho, by Ajahn Sumedho

(350 pp., Wisdom Publications, 2007)

For those who are unfamiliar with Ajahn Sumedho’s teachings, this book is a clear and inviting introduction; for those who know and love them, these reflections are like water smoothing over stones. A Theravada monk for over forty years and a pioneering Western practitioner of the Buddhadharma, Ajahn Sumedho brings a vast, intensive and insightful investigation to the teachings. He deftly encapsulates direct observations of suffering—the irritation, frustration, confusion and outrageousness of living within a human mind and body. He highlights, with humor and wisdom, the peculiar obsessions and compulsions of the Western mind, especially his own. “Whatever way it is for you is the way it is, and that’s what you learn from, that’s where enlightenment is—right there—when you’re an emotional wreck.” He reassures us, “It’s simple, very simple. It’s very natural. . . . The body is like this. The breath is like this. Awareness here and now.” The only missing element from this collection is Ajahn Sumedho’s measured voice, accompanied by his inimitable laugh; for that, ehipassiko, come and see, for yourself.

∞

From the Spring 2008 issue of Inquiring Mind (Vol. 24, No. 2)

© 2008 Brenda Walsh

Brenda Walsh is a Theravadan Buddhist practitioner whose current law practice is entirely pro bono. She has spent a three-month winter retreat at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery with Ajahn Sumedho in residence.