Technical Note

The Pāli terms in this text are meant to introduce a precision of meaning that is not possible in English. It is hoped that readers will pause and reflect in a way they might not, had the terms simply been translated.

Pāli is used this way in Burma and in most of the communities in countries where Vipassanā meditation is practiced. As Pāli words are incorporated into living languages, they inevitably lose ending or suffer other minor changes. The Pāli in this text will differ slightly from academic usage. This reflect the use in Sayādaw U Pandita’s native Burma, and more importantly, the refined application of these terms specifically to meditation practice and understanding. For ease of readability, we have used English forms for pluralization or adjectival case.

The first use of a term in the text is italicized and subsequent uses are generally unemphasized. Definitions will be found in the Glossary, pages 280-292.