Travels in the Middle Land

Theravada Buddhism is a way of following the teachings of the Buddha that seeks to leave the practice as originally laid down. As such, some call Theravada Buddhism 'the way of the elders.' Theravada monks of the forest tradition, such as those in the monasteries of Cittaviveka and Amaravati in the South East of England, (where the author has been based since 1979), remove themselves from all attachment: to place, to belongings, and, most importantly, to states of mind. Traditionally they spend much of their time isolated in forests, but they also wander from place to place to both support their own practice and let their example be known. In this book, the places the author travels through are both physical and spiritual; the poems present them as blending. In the author's view, living in the present moment means that where a body and mind meet this very earth there is a place of awakening, mystery and beauty. Ajahn Sucitto introduces his book: The Middle Land, other than being the area of the Ganges Valley that the Buddha frequented in the course of his forty years of wandering, is that present awareness that stands between impressions and their designation. But it's dynamic, it's not purely internal, and it keeps shifting. Travelling this fluid country is the theme of Dhamma practice. As meditators know, the nature of this Land depends as much on the mode of travelling as on any innate geography. Yet it's not that place and time are irrelevant - many times they are the essential catalyst for the arising of the causes and conditions of the Middle Land. It's also the case that we can't separate our eventful lives from our awareness of them and stay on workable ground. So partly these poems are a tribute to the potency of time and place - - What follows are some of the twisting tracks, dead-end trails and voices that have moved through me (in approximately chronological order) on their way to the silence. If they encourage some of yours to do the same, then my country is enriched. This book is offered free by the author, and the publishers warrant that they will make no profit from the sale of this work. Travels in the Middle Land has been placed here as a gift from Manhandle Press Limited and as such the contents are unabridged and unedited. Any cover charge is solely as a result of the printing and/or distribution companies' mode of operation, (where such apply). Other books and teachings by Ajahn Sucitto can be downloaded free of charge from: ww.cittaviveka.org www.forestsanghapublications.org www.ajahnsucitto.org www.dharmaseed.org Ajahn Sucitto also assists in the supervision of the Dhamma Moon poetry website at: www.dhammamoon.org and keeps a blog of ongoing reflections at: sucitto.blogspot.uk