The doctrine of anatta, or non-self, is unique to Buddhism. According to this teaching, there is no permanent, enduring self or soul, what exists is merely a flux of physical and mental phenomena that are continually arising and passing away. Mahāsi Sayadaw provides an in-depth analysis of how the five aggregates of materiality, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness are non-self, and how the characteristics of non-self (not being amenable to one’s will, tending to affliction, and being subject to change) can be directly experienced through penetrative insight developed through Vipassanā meditation.

Ariyāvāsa means the abode of the Noble Ones (enlightened beings). This abridged translation briefly summarizes the main points of Mahāsi Sayadaw’s original discourse on the ten ariyāvāsa dhammas: how to practice the Satipaṭṭhāna method, removing the five hindrances, observing the four primary elements, and developing the stages of insight knowledge.

In this discourse, Mahāsi Sayadaw points out how the five aggregates of attachment are a heavy burden. All living beings are the porters who willingly carry this burden, and craving is the reason beings pick this burden up. He also shows us how to throw this burden down by practicing meditation and developing insight knowledge to get rid of craving.

Brahmavihārā means “noble dwelling, abiding, or living.” It includes loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), sympathetic joy (muditā) and equanimity (upekkhā). This book presents comprehensive instructions on how to systematically develop these four sublime abidings. An exposition on kamma and its results is included at the end.

The Cūḷavellada Sutta is unusual—instead of a discourse given by the Buddha, the female arahant Dhammadina answers a series of highly philosophical and difficult questions posed by the layman Visakha, her former husband and a non-returner. Mahāsi Sayadaw’s step-by-step exposition of both the questions and answers regarding self-identification (or personality view) maps out the entirety of the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path. The discussion of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feelings and their interrelation is especially significant for practitioners of Vipassanā meditation.

The doctrine of Dependent Origination is central to Buddhism. Mahāsi Sayadaw clearly explains the twelve links of cause and effect that underlie existence: from ignorance, mental formations arise, which lead to consciousness, mind and matter, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, and finally aging and death. Most importantly, he points out the way to escape this cycle of suffering is by breaking a crucial link in the chain: namely, by noting and observing feelings during the practice of Vipassanā meditation in order to prevent craving from arising.

In the Dhammadāyāda Sutta, the Buddha urges his disciples, both monks and laypeople, to become the inheritors of the Dhamma, and not just the inheritors of material goods. This discourse explains how to become a true heir of the Dhamma by practicing the Middle Way, and how to overcome the eight pairs of defilements.

These are two exhortations given by Mahāsi Sayadaw to the assembly of his disciples. In the first exhortation, he urges monks to observe morality strictly, to revere and practice the correct method, in addition to giving guidelines for teaching the Dhamma. The second exhortation outlines the essential factors for harmony and the six virtues of a leader.

In this collection of discourses addressed to lay practitioners, Mahāsi Sayadaw answers the important questions of “What do we meditate on?” “How do we develop insight?” as well as “What do we meditate for? and “At what time do we meditate?”

On the full moon day in July, over 2500 years ago, the Buddha delivered his first discourse to the group of five ascetics and a host of celestial beings. That night was illuminated with the light of the full moon, and flowers were in bloom all over the world. Sātāgiri, a guardian spirit (yakkha), who had just listened to the first discourse, invites his own friend Hemavata to come pay respects to the Buddha, whereupon Hemavata asks Sātāgiri a series of questions about the Buddha’s qualities. This discourse about the Buddha’s matchless attributes inspires both faith and joy.

This concise guide covers all the basics of meditation (kammaṭṭhāna): why one should practice meditation, how to practice concentration (Samatha) meditation, the methods of practicing Vipassanā, and how the insight knowledges and path and fruition knowledges arise. 

These talks given by Mahāsi Sayadaw while traveling in Europe, America and Nepal focus on the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, and include complete instructions on how to practice Vipassanā meditation.

In this Sutta, Mālukyaputta, an old monk, asks the Buddha for a brief Dhamma teaching. In response, the Buddha asks him: “Can visible objects that you have never seen before, do not see now, nor hope to see in the future arouse desire and affection in you?” Similar questions are posed regarding sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects and thoughts. Mahāsi Sayadaw’s explanation of these questions and their answers reveal the crux of insight meditation: how to practice so as to prevent mental defilements from arising at the six sense doors, and why it is of utmost importance to do so. 

This discourse clarifies the meaning and nature of Nibbāna, the cessation of all suffering caused by mental defilements. The Buddha stated in the Nibbānapaṭisaṃyutta udāna: “There is that sphere, monks, where there is no earth, no water, no fire, no air, no sphere of infinite space, no sphere of infinite consciousness, no sphere of nothingness, no sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, no this world, no world beyond, neither Moon nor Sun. There, monks, I say there is surely no coming, no going, no persisting, no passing away, no rebirth. It is quite without support, unmoving, without an object. This, just this, is the end of suffering.”

The Subhadda Sutta was a discourse given to the wandering ascetic Subhadda by the Buddha on eve of his Mahaparinibbāna. In this discourse, Mahāsi Sayadaw emphasizes that the Noble Eightfold Path must be developed constantly through the practice of insight meditation, since it leads directly to liberation from the bondage of mental defilements.

Purābheda means “before destruction,” or “prior to death.” This discourse on the Purābheda Sutta addresses the important things that one should accomplish before death or destruction of one’s life. Mahāsi Sayadaw answers the question: What kind of moral conduct and what kind of insight should a person possess to be regarded as a distinctive individual endowed with serenity?

In this short article, Mahāsi Sayadaw answers questions about the process of rebirth, why modern diseases arise, and whether euthanasia and vivisection violate Buddhist moral precepts.

Sakka, the king of devas, distressed by seeing the signs of his imminent death, decides to visit the Buddha and listen to the Dhamma. He asks the Buddha why all living beings who wish to be happy and peaceful are not free from danger and suffering. The Buddha replies that this is due to the mental fetters of envy (issa) and stinginess (macchariya). This abridged translation of Mahāsi Sayadaw’s original discourse explains the cause of envy and stinginess, how to overcome them, and how to practice so as to be free from all suffering.

According to Mahāsi Sayadaw, the most important task for a person who has encountered the Buddha’s teachings is to fully develop the three trainings of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).  These are his complete instructions on how to practice meditation and fulfill these trainings. 

Sallekha means self-effacement, or the decreasing of mental defilements. Sallekha practices are the practices that must be done so that mental defilements can lessen and be cleared away. In this discourse, Mahāsi Sayadaw discusses how to avoid and eradicate the forty-four unwholesome physical, verbal and mental conducts (which include cruelty, killing, stealing, lying, envy, stinginess, conceit, heedlessness, lack of moral shame and fear, etc.) and develop their wholesome counterparts instead.

The Sīlāvanta Sutta is a discussion between two of the Buddha’s foremost disciples. The Venerable Mahākoṭṭhika asks the Venerable Sāriputta, “What are the things that a virtuous bhikkhu should carefully attend to?” Sāriputta replies that one should regard the five aggregates of clinging as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as gloom, as an affliction, as alien, as breaking apart, as empty and as non-self. This discourse unpacks Sariputta’s reply in the context of Vipassanā meditation practice.

The Tuvataka Sutta was one of the six discourses given by the Buddha to celestial beings in order to attain enlightenment, and was specifically directed towards those who were inclined towards faith and confidence. This discourse instructs us how to be free from the impediments (papañca) that prolong the cycle of existence.

During the time of the Buddha, a brahma appeared to the Venerable Kumāra Kassapa at night and posed fifteen riddles, summarized as follows: “Seeing a big ant-hill, smoking by night, and ejecting flames by day, the noble teacher instructed his intelligent pupil to investigate. On digging it with a hoe, he discovered a bolt, a toad, a junction, a water-strainer, a tortoise, a cleaver, a chopping board, a piece of flesh, and a dragon.” Read this book to find out how Mahāsi Sayadaw unravels these fascinating riddles.

Eight worldly vicissitudes always follow beings, and beings are always pursuing worldly vicissitudes. These eight are gain and loss, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, happiness and suffering. Even the Buddha and arahants experienced these vicissitudes. Mahāsi Sayadaw teaches us how to be neither elated nor depressed when faced with the unavoidable ups and downs of life, and develop equanimity and practice meditation to be free from all anxiety and stress.

The Great Discourse on the Wheel of the Dhamma (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) is the first discourse given by the Buddha after his enlightenment, and highly venerated among Buddhists. Although there are many expositions of this Sutta, Mahāsi Sayadaw’s discourse emphasizes its practical application to meditation: What are the methods of practice that can be obtained from this Sutta, and how can they be utilized by ardent, sincere meditators who aspire to attain the path and fruition knowledges?

This dhamma talk, based on the Satti Sutta, was given by Mahāsi Sayadaw at Rangoon University. Just like a person whose chest has been pierced by a spear would hurry to pull it out, and a person whose head is on fire would immediately extinguish it, one who sees the danger in the rounds of rebirth should quickly make effort to eradicate the wrong view of self. This discourse explains exactly how.