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IDhamma in Cambodia.Dhamma Discussions under the leadership of Acharn Sujin BoriharnwanaketPrefaceThis book is the translation from Thai of the recorded Dhamma discussions held inCambodia December 2000, under the leadership of Acharn Sujin. I wish to express mygreat appreciation to Acharn Sujin who gave us Dhamma all day during our journey inCambodia. We were overwhelmed by the confidence in the Dhamma expressed by ourCambodian friends. They came to the temples in great numbers, welcoming Acharn andall of us, and before and after each session they lined up and said in a loud voice, againand again, “Anumodaniya”, which means appreciation.Our journey was organized in Thailand by Fongchan Nanta (Khun Ell) and in Cambodiaby But Sawong who was the interpretor during the sessions which took place almost twiceevery day in different temples. But Sawong is a great teacher and the driving force toreestablish Buddhism in Cambodia, after the Pol Pot regime. He had learnt Thai in order tofollow Acharn Sujin’s radio program on Buddhism and he comes regularly to Thailand inorder to listen to Acharn Sujin. He teaches the Cambodians the development ofsatipaììhåna in daily life and people have great confidence in him.During the sessions Acharn Sujin spoke about daily life, about dukkha, sorrow, and sukha,happiness, saying that nobody can control the amount of happiness or sorrow heexperiences, and that it all depends on conditions. At that moment we thought of the manytribulations our Cambodian friends had experienced during the Pol Pot regime. They hadlost husband, wife, family members and friends, they had suffered a great deal. But theyunderstood that it all happened because of conditions. They were keenly interested insatipaììhåna and asked many questions about this subject. We were impressed by theirgreat confidence and interest while they listened to Acharn Sujin’s explanations of theDhamma.The first session was held in the main temple, the Unaloam Temple, where the Patriarch,the head monk of Cambodia, was present. He showed his appreciation of Acharn Sujin’sexplanations of the Dhamma and he also asked questions on satipaììhåna.Apart from the sessions in the temples we also had Dhamma discussions in the hotels inPhnom Penh and Siem Reap. In Siem Reap we visited the famous temple complex ofAngkor Wat. On the “Terrace of the Elephants” we even had a Dhamma discussion in theopen air and, here again, a great crowd of Cambodians came to listen. Acharn said that weshould benefit from being in this life where we can hear the Dhamma. We should notneglect the study of the Dhamma because we cannot be sure whether we have in the nextlife an opportunity again to study it.At this moment everything is dhamma, reality. We hear about dhammas but we do notknow the characteristic of dhammas. Therefore, we should listen again so that there are

conditions for sati to be aware of realities, and in this way there will be moreunderstanding of the characteristics of dhammas. The characteristics of realities should beknown, and we do not have to name them. Acharn also stressed that the development ofpaññå leads to detachment, to the abandoning of ignorance and the wrong view of self. Ifwe have desire for the arising of sati there is lobha, no understanding of the Dhamma. Thiswas a perfect Dhamma lecture in a place where we were surrounded by trees and theremnants of the old monuments.Acharn Sujin explained to the Cambodians that everything that naturally appears can bethe object of satipaììhåna. The study of the scriptures is necessary as a foundation and itshould not be neglected, but the purpose of the study should not be forgotten: theunderstanding of the present moment. She stressed many points we had heard before, butwe can never hear enough that nåma and rúpa appear at this moment and thatunderstanding of them can be developed now, not at another time.I have added footnotes to the text to help the reader who may not be familiar with certainnotions and terms.I am extremely grateful to Acharn Sujin who gave Dhamma to all with great selflessnessand tirelessness. I also wish to express my appreciation to But Sawong and all ourCambodian friends whose confidence and interest were an inspiration to all of us.Nina van GorkomDhamma Conversations in Cambodia.Chapter IDiscussion in the Unaloam Temple, Phnom Penh.Sujin: I would like to invite you all to take part in the Dhamma discussion and if you havequestions, please ask them because we do not have much time. I know that people inCambodia take a great interest in satipaììhåna and therefore let us discuss this subject ofBuddhism because it is of the highest benefit. If one studies the teachings withoutdeveloping the understanding which realizes the dhammas one has studied, one merelydevelops theoretical understanding of realities.There are realities, dhammas, all the time, also at this moment. When people studydhammas, they usually study concepts denoting realities. Dhammas are reality. However,if the Exalted One, the Sammåsambuddha, had not attained enlightenment, nobody wouldknow that what we take for self, for the world, for different things, are only dhammas,each with their own characteristic.

I do appreciate the kusala all of you have accumulated, and this is the condition for you tocome together at this place. If you had not accumulated kusala in the past there would nocondition for you to listen to the Dhamma now.The Dhamma is the truth but it is difficult to comprehend. No matter whether one is bornas a human being or as another kind of living being, there are only dhammas, realities, thatare born. However, how many people who listen to the Dhamma can really understand thateverything is only dhamma, reality?It seems that the Dhamma which is real is very ordinary. However, it is difficult to reallyunderstand it, because it is the true Dhamma of the ariyans, the enlightened ones. Whenwe are sound asleep nothing appears to us, but why is it that as soon as we have openedour eyes there are objects appearing to us? This seems very ordinary to us, but we shouldreally understand the reason why, while we are asleep, nothing appears, and why, when wehave opened our eyes, different objects can appear.If there would not be nåma dhamma (mental reality), there would not be any reality thatcould appear. If there would not be seeing, different things could not appear at this verymoment. If we would not hear, smell, taste, experience things through the bodysense orthink, the world could not appear. At this moment we all are seeing and on account ofwhat we see happiness or sorrow arises. When we hear, happiness and sorrow arise onaccount of what we hear. It is the same in the case of the experiences through the othersenses.This is the ordinary daily life of everybody. Every day we see, we hear, we experiencehappiness and sorrow, time and again. Everybody is attached to what he sees. Can anyonedeny that he clings each time he sees? These are dhammas which arise and take theircourse, and nobody can prevent them from arising. When life arises it has to take itscourse each moment, and nobody can exert control over the amount of happiness orsorrow he experiences, this depends on conditions.Do you think about birth in the same way as the Bodhisatta? You may think that beingborn is just an ordinary event, common to everybody. Nobody can prevent this and nobodyparticularly wants to be born, but when there are the right conditions there has to be birth.However, the Bodhisatta reflected on birth as follows: dhammas which have arisen mustfall away. When will there be an end to what is susceptible to change, when will it fallaway and not arise again?People who have not realized the noble Truths

and do not take an interest in the Dhammawill have to continue to see, to hear, all the time, in each plane of existence, during eachlife. This will happen until they begin to see that it is of the greatest benefit to study theDhamma and to hear the Dhamma from the person who has attained enlightenment andwho could reach the end of the arising of dhammas.People who are not the Sammasambuddha nor a “Solitary Buddha” (Pacceka Buddha)

should be “listeners”, people who listen attentively and with great care to the Dhamma.We should remember that the Dhamma the Buddha realized through his enlightenment isof a profound nature and that nobody can understand it without study and investigation.

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