To the Last Breath
Dhamma Talks on Living and Dying
 
by
Venerable Acharn Maha Boowa Ñanasampanno
 
Edited by
Bhikkhu Ariyesako
 

READ PART 2 - Directions for Insight
 
 
"... the Buddha said that it wasn't important which day we die.
Whenever the breath runs out, that is the day.
The only criterion is our last breath..."

Table of Contents
Editor's Preface
Introduction
Biographical Note
1. Ready to Go : Ready to Die
2. The Undying
3. The Highest Blessing
4. The Internal and the External — The True and the False
5. Letting Go
6. The Final Night — Fare Thee Well
7. The Middle Way
Epilogue
Glossary
Appendix: The Gradual Teaching
 
 
Editor's Preface
This book contains two sets of newly revised Dhamma talks. The 1980 edition of Amata Dhamma has been completely revised and has new additions, including its new title, To the Last Breath. Directions for Insight — the second part of this book — was only slightly revised, although it now has its proper title back, which somehow had become lost in the first printing. (It was then printed as Directing to Self Penetration.)

As Acharn Panyavaddho explained in the introduction he wrote for the 1980 Amata Dhamma: "(six) of these (seven) talks were given for the benefit of Mrs. Pow-panga Vathanakul, who had been staying in Wat Pa Bahn Tahd, Udorn-thani, Thailand, since the beginning of November 1975. The other talk, The Middle Way (of Practice), was actually given to the assembly of bhikkhus at the Wat in 1962, and was one which Mrs. Pow-panga found useful... She stayed at Wat Pa Bahn Tahd for almost four months and Ven. Acharn Maha Boowa gave about 130 talks during that period."1

The second part of this collection, Directions for Insight, seems to fit in well with the general approach of To the Last Breath. (In fact, both have the same flavor — the taste of freedom — which is the true liberation of heart, without regard to gender, race or age.) It is made up of six Dhamma Talks by Acharn Kor Khao-suan-luang. Khun Phoon Phongphanit, a lay disciple of Acharn Kor, suggested a joint translation (with the editor) of these six Dhamma talks,2 originally printed (in Thai) under the title Na Naew Mong Darn Ny. They form one booklet of a series printed over the years by Upasika Kee Nanayon, who used the pen name Kor Khao-suan-luang. Khun Phoon Phongphanit should receive special thanks for all his work in seeing that translation into print.

The first translation of To the Last Breath (or Amata Dhamma as it was then) was mainly the work of Ven. Bhikkhu A-j-. The present editor, who also assisted at that time, has now completely revised the whole translation and so must bear responsibility for the errors.

Any merit arising from my work on this book, may it be dedicated to my mother. May she find peace and happiness.

A. Bhikkhu

Notes

1. For more about this, see the new section: Epilogue. Other translations of similar Dhamma Talks by Ven. Acharn Maha Boowa are: Straight from the Heart; Things As They Are; Forest Dhamma; The Dhamma Teaching of Acariya Maha Boowa in London; Kammatthana.

2. Please note that this year (1995) a new translation of four of these Talks has appeared, which, to a certain extent, supersedes this pioneer translation. They are contained in a superb collection of Acharn Kor's Dhamma entitled An Unentangled Knowing, The Teachings of a Thai Buddhist Lay Woman, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Dhamma Dana Publications, c/o Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, 149 Lockwood Road, Barre, Massachusetts 01005, USA.) They can also be found in electronic format on many Buddhist BBSs.