The Dhamma talks (desana) which have been printed in this volume are all translations from one or two books in which many of the talks of Acariya Maha Boowa have been printed. With the exception of the first work – "Wisdom Develops Samadhi" – which was written by the author, all of them were impromptu talks which were tape recorded and transcribed into the
Thai language.
Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno is the abbot of Wat Pa Baan Taad, a
forest monastery situated close to the village where he was born and brought up. When he was old enough he went to Wat Bodhisompon in Udon Thani where he was ordained as a bhikkhu under Ven. Chao Khun Dhammachedi in 1934. Some while later he went away to find a meditation teacher. He was directed towards Ven. Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera. He has said that as soon as he met Acariya Mun, he knew that this was his teacher. He studied and practised for nine years under the guidance of Ven. Acariya Mun, who died in 1949 at the age of eighty years. After that, Acariya Maha Boowa practised the way on his own in the mountains and forests of Thailand. He then wandered throughout the country, going to nearly every province. Eventually, he was offered land to build a monastery by supporters near his home village. Since then he has lived at Wat Pa Baan Taad.
It is only since Acariya Maha Boowa settled in Wat Pa Baan Taad that his writings have been published and his talks have been tape recorded, although it is said that he gave many talks while he was wandering around Thailand.
With regard to the talks printed herein, the first one – "Wisdom Develops Samadhi" – was written by Ven. Ãcariya Maha Boowa in the early 1960's; it gives most of the fundamentals of his teaching on meditation. All the remainder were spoken as talks, the second and third having been given at Wat Bodhisompon in Udon Thani on the occasion of the funeral of Ven. Chao Khun Dhammachedi. The fourth and fifth talks were given at Maha Makuta Buddhist University in Bangkok, while the remainder were given to bhikkhus at Wat Pa Baan Taad. It is
instructive to examine the difference in style of those given to lay people and those given to the bhikkhus.
Many words in the talks have been left in Pali because there is often no adequate translation in English; it is hoped the reader will forgive any difficulties that this may make, but it is felt better that the reader should not-understand rather than mis-understand. However, a fairly comprehensive glossary has been included at the back, which should cover all the Pali words that are not actually explained in the text.
It is hoped that this book will bring the Dhamma to many people and that it will help many people to realise that the living Dhamma is still extant and is not just a thing of the distant past or of the distant future when the next Buddha comes.
May all who read this book gain from it that which will aid them towards the supreme happiness of Nibbana.

Bhikkhu Pannavaddho
Wat Pa Baan Taad 2004

Introduction ... i
Wisdom Develops Samadhi ... 1
Sila ... 4
Samadhi 1 ... 8
Samadhi 2 ... 10
Samadhi 3 ... 14
Wisdom ... 20
The Funeral Desana ... 20
A Talk on Dhamma ... 33
Dhamma Desana on the Development of Meditation
--Part 1 ... 41
--Part 2 ... 52
The Need for Mindfulness and Wisdom ... 63
The Way of the Great Teacher – The Buddha ... 75
Glossary ... 89