Voices of Siam: Illuminating the Buddhist Path to Natural Reality [Paperback]

A rich compilation of teachings from revered Buddhist masters in Thailand’s deep Theravada tradition.

Accessible, inspiring, and readily applicable to contemporary life and meditation practice, this collection reveals Thai Buddhism to be a no-nonsense, practical spiritual path with an emphasis on personal experience, mindfulness, ethical conduct, and confronting the roots of one’s suffering head-on. Translator Bruce Evans presents timeless Dhamma teachings from six of modern Thailand’s great masters, skillfully conveying the unique voices of Chao Khun Upālī, Ajahn Buddhadāsa, Bhikkhu P. A. Payutto, Upāsikā Kee Nanayon, Ajahn Pramote, and Ajahn Paisal.

Evans includes recollections of his monastic training as a young man with Ajahn Chah—one of modern Thailand’s most renowned Buddhist teachers—and an alternative version of a canonical Buddhist text, the Girimānanda Sutta, that was first circulated in Thailand via palm-leaf manuscript. Spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Voices of Siam takes readers directly into the heart of the Thai Buddhist thought and practice.“In Voices of Siam, Bruce Evans presents fresh and appealing translations of the thoughts and ideas of six Thai masters, bringing them to life as engaging individuals. This shows us the humanism, diversity, dynamism, and even the lighter side of Siamese Buddhism. . . . Evans translates from the inside, from the heart, to open new insights into the practice of the Buddha’s Dhamma. Voices of Siam is a welcome step towards understanding the rich living heritage of the great world religion founded by Gotama Buddha.”
—Peter Skilling, author of Buddha’s Words for Tough Times