xiiiThe noble aim of spiritual liberation must be accomplished by
the appropriate means: the Middle Way as taught by the Lord Buddha.
Although the Buddha forbade the use of self-mortification as a means
to gain enlightenment, he nevertheless authorized and encouraged
those specialized ascetic practices, known as dhutangas, that harmo-
nize effectively with this noble effort. The true Middle Way is not the
smooth path of least resistance negotiated with easy compromises
and happy mediums; but rather, it is that path of practice which most
effectively counters the mental defilements that impede progress by
resisting the aspirant every step of the way. The spiritual path is often
arduous, being full of hardship and discomfort, while the inner forces
opposed to success are formidable, and even intimidating. Thus the
work of the spiritual warrior requires potent counter measures to sub-
vert the inertial powers of laziness, craving, pride, and self-importance.
So the Buddha encouraged monks, who were truly keen on extricat-
ing their hearts from the subtlest manifestations of these insidious
defilements, to practice the dhutangas. Such ascetic observances are
specifically designed to promote simplicity, humility, self-restraint, vig-
ilance, and introspection in a monk’s everyday life, and the Buddha
was known to praise those monks who undertook their practice.
For this reason, the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk is founded on
the ideal of life as a homeless wanderer who, having renounced the
world and gone forth from the household, dresses in robes made from
discarded cloth, depends on alms for a living, and takes the forest as
his dwelling place. This ideal of the wandering forest monk intent on
the Buddha’s traditional spiritual quest is epitomized by the dhutanga
kammaååhãna way of life.
Like dhutanga, kammaååhãna is a term designating a specific
orientation shared by Buddhist monks who are dedicated to main-
taining an austere meditative lifestyle. Kammaååhãna (lit. “basis of
work”) denotes an approach to meditation practice that is directed
toward uprooting every aspect of greed, hatred, and delusion from