The ordinstion of Phra Kamthoun Thutangkiko and his apprenticeship under
Phra Ajarn Somchai Thidhawiriyo had provide an auspicious occasion for the new monk's relatives and friends to deliberate
a meritorious venture together with Phra Ajarn, who has been acclaimed as a most rigorous observer of Buddhist canons and
a monk with exceptional high level of purity, in publishing Phra Ajarn's bookler on Meditation and Its Benefits digested
from his various sermons base on his own actual experience and practices.
Phra Kamthorn and his relatives and friends believe that the subject matter contained in this booklet should be studied
and closely practiced, as it will directly result in peace of the mind. The group who jointly published the booklet hopes that it
would produce what has been expected of it.
Buddha preached four position of meditation induction : walk around, stand, sit and recline.
If you are not at ease with khatsmati(cross-leg) position (many women have been obliged to adopt the phabphiab,
or placing the two bending legs along the sameline, right over left orotherwise, and have no chance to try other position). You might as well use the
phabphiab position.
Still others might not be able to adopt the two popular positions for leg injury reason. In this special case, they are free
to sit on the chair dropping down the legs. After all the objective of meditation isto ultimately raise the power of sati which
keeps behavior away from evil track.
If the tip of the nose does not seem to be appropriate, we may choose the other part of the body, for example the throat, the chest, or down to the
navel. These many alternatives help to give up the most comfortable mean to attain concentration withinn a range of body parts offering the best
choice from day to day. We may find, for example, that our chosen spot is too low as it causes us to droop. Yet on the next day we might find that
it is too high as we tend to slide back. A readily available range of body parts for use as focal point in our concentration exercise is thus an advantage.
Another advantage of having many alternative focal points is appreciated when the need for a new focal point suddenly arises due to
temporary disordered condition of the one being used. The nose tip, for example, may be numb as a result of our own medation power forced upon it.
To avoid the discomfort we may switch the focal point to the larynx, which might late cause us to have breathing difficulty. Still we could move
down to the navel, and if discomfort develops again, we have to search further on until we could find some comfortable develops again, we have to
search further on until we could find some comfortable spots. If we could not find any proper spot at all, we might as well give up the focal point idea
andmerely settle down to the alertness on the fact that we are breathing and associate the activity with the word "Bud....dho".
The group hereby dedicates the merit arising out of the publication of this booklet to Phra Ajarn Somchai Thidhawiriyo.
Father Nguan Sae Kang, Mother Siewluang Sae Lo, benefactors, land spirits, and fellow animals and human beings who are still.
and Its Requitals
In sitting position, the meditatonplaces his right hand over his lap in the manner shown in Buddha's status in smati(meditaation)
position. The meditator then sits erectly and gathers his sati(consciousness). He should try to be at ease, and begin to pray.
We shall proceed with the sitting method. Suppose we are already at ease with the cross - leg position, we may concentrate
on tracing our breathing activities, i.e, we should realize that we are inhaling, and then exhaling. After being at ease with breathing,
Try to associate inhaling with the word "Bud" and exhaling with "Dho", but do nor say it aloud. We need merely to drag silently "Bud"
while inhaling and change to "Dho" while exhaling. Wherever we wander away from associating breathing with the respective words, we should put
more concentration on the exercise. It msy help if we imagine that "Bud...dho" is around the tip of our nose.
When we feel not well at ease with a focal point and still keep on with exercise, that might lead to nerve-racking or even insanity on account of self hypnotism. This is "examplified in the field of operation conducted on hypnotized patient.
Mental power is quite powerful-one person can set the other to sleep and undergo surgical operation. One can even regulate the blood stream of the other!
It is conceivable, then, that while concentrationg on the nose tip we might unintentionally force the blood to flow out of the brain down to the nose resulting in stunning indicative of lack of blood in the brain.
Another incident that we should be on guard against is the convergence of the blood flow to or away from our focal point which leads to the stunning condition just mentioned.
It is important, therefore, that in case any irregularity arises we should stop and try a new exercise until we obtain an appropriate way to concentrate and keep on chanting "Bud...dho".
When we enter the realm of concentration, we have yet to be selective and aim at achieving our primary objective of highest attainment. We must build up our power through fixation so thst our sence is localized at our nose tip (or any other selected body part) with the aid of incantation (of Buddho, Thammo, or SangKhao). When these two (the fixation power-the focal point; and the leading power-in-cantation) can control the mind, the mind cannot wander away. Our concentration exercise is now fruitful.
If we are tired of the sitting method, we may change to the walking method, which is commonly called 'chong-krom' walk, the distance for each round of which varies depending on space availability but usually does not exceed 25 steps. Some people do not like a short 'chong-krom' walk as it often causes dizziness.
After choosing an appropriate 'chong-krom' area, we start to walking looking forward but fixing our eyesihht on the group about 2 meters ahead, chanting "Bud...dho" all the way, and keep the eyes open. We should regulate our chanting in such a way that "Bud" covers one step and "dho" covers thesucceeding step. At the end of the stratch we pause, make a right turn anf walk on while continuing the incantation all along. We walk and chant at moderate speed, exercising meditation power in such a manner that our mind does not wander away acknowledging only the incantation and steps. The situation now in dicate that our meditation power thus created (Tapa Dhamma) is stronger than the mind.
If we want to change to the standing method, we adopt the posture similar to that of the walking method-cover the belly with the left palm and put the right palm over it. We now stand still, take deep breaths, set the focal point at the nose tip, and chant "Bud...Dho".
We may now move pver to getting up, sitting down and other postures appropriate to our sex, age and status, or more specifically male, female, monk, novice, nun, child, adult, middle-aged, aged father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, etc. we should look at ourselves, as father or mother and as teacher or pupil, and ask: "Is the way I carry on my activities appropriate my sex, age and status?" We should always predicrt the effect of the way we act or say. If it is prone to be harmful, we should immediately stop it. On the other hand, if it tends to be beneficial, we should try to keep it going even through our mind may want to stop it. We may next move to what happens to us. Somebody, for example, may scold us, praise us, and we may see things which appear to be ugly, dreadful, or beautiful. No matter how our mind may prompt us to do anying in reponse to the sight or the experience, we should use ou meditating power to suppress the tendency to act drastically and keep our reaction with in reason. With continued practice, it will take us less and less time to use our meditating power to advantage in kepping th emind on its trackand, additionally, in serving as a frist-aid to send the mind back to its course when it starts to wander away. We may move even further to what happened to Buddha and his top disciples (Phra Ariya Chao Buddhist saints) and try to take advantage og their experience in using meditating power to suppress harmful activities and promote beneficial activities. Going back to Chong-krom walking and sitting methods of meditating exercise, after continued practice as mentioned we my meet with miraculous events including external returns and genuine internal returns. The genuine internal returns are exemplified by decrease or eradication of rage and anger. This is not surprising, for properly controlled behavior under meditating power would certainly not lead to anything that offends us and causes us to be angry. The external returns are exemplified by bliss or supreme happiness and the realization of enlightenment, which enables us to miraculously know and understand things and events. So far I have related to you a brief account of "lokuttara" or worldly aspect of smathi requitals. As mentioned earlier, there is still the internal and genuine aspect where most practitioners get caught. This is "bhavanga", or the inner state of mind. As smathi often strongly captivates the mind. (with blissful feeling), once we get caught here it is quite difficult to get out of the spell. I think we should better spend a little more time on this point.
As soon as we have built up our meditating power to the level that it can control our mind, in other word our mind is completely under the command of our "sati" (consciousness), our mind can on longer wander freely but tends to go deep into meditation state and to experience the ultimate peace of mind. This peace of mind comprises satisfaction, saturation, gentleness, lighteartedness, sweetness, lusciousness, blissfulness, clearness, radiance, etc. it is founded on 3 base is further divided into two periods, the primary period and the secondary period. The first base of peace of mind, "khanika", starts with a feeling of having enough, of being satiated and satisfied so much so that we really don't want anything any more. We don't even want to sleep or talk with anybody. We are happy to be alone. Actually, we don't know which stage of the first base we are in, but it is really the primary period. In the secondary stage a little lightness creeps in. As we move into the second base, upachara, lightness increases and we feel in the primary period like floating on ambrosial substance. It's so divine to move about in this exquisite manner. In the secondary period, refreshing cool but cosy air creeps in and we feel heavenly bliss. The third appana base starts with increasing light of bliss and divinity which glows brighter and becomes blissfully clear in the secondary period.
We now feel exquisitely cool all over the body like being daubed with ambrosial substance, and are really in deep heavenly bliss. Our mind is clear, and remain clear even after we have taken ourselvves out of
meditating state. The blurred spots in our mind seem to be all disappear, and what is left is total clarity. It's a miracle, especially when we realize that all these are our achievements from
passing through the three base of meditation with sati (consciousness) alone (we have not yet sought the aid of ariyamakkhuttesna, or supreme wisdom guide). I am sure most of us will like the
experience. It is really very comfortable, and is much beyond imagination. Yet it is still with inthe worldly realm of smathi, which may be considered as a distraction to be checked if
one aspires to attain ultimate wisdom. This distrsction is called vipassanupakilesa, or kilesa in smathi. For those who understand and can cope with the wandering mind,
this becomes vipassana. But for many others this blissful smathi requital, or bhavanga, is commonly understood to approximate sleep. The misunderstanding is understandable,
for the mind is seen to take a reat in bhavanga when it gets tired after having been working very hard. Still, it is incorrect. that is, the requital of the 3 levels of smathi exercise,
which is so blissful that many practitioners want to stay on with it. I would like to reiterate, then, that bhavanga is a phase of existence. Although it is an inner state, it is still not a path
to suffering eradication. The reason is that the mind has not been enlightened. It has merely been set deep in the seat of meditation, but has not been purified. Nevertheless, those who have
been maintaining this level of the mind could rightly go the sixth heaven of sensual pleasure.
Most practitioners, however, tend to talk about requitals accrued to the 3 levels of meditating power and neglect to discuss the part of kilesa (defilement), its nature and origin. As a result, meditators are still loaded with kilesa and quarrels among themselves are not uncommon. What they need is to remove kilesa by wisdom which is attainable through following the supreme wisdom guide (ariyamaddhuttesna) which is still wanting.
Those of you who want to absolutely free from suffering should stuudy until you throughly understand details of the direct and indirect aspects of meditation, and then follow the the direct path which will lead you to your ultimate goal.
Lastly, I hummbly beg the greatest of overall power-that of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangkha-to bless you, to keep away from any danger, and to lead you to happiness, comfort and ultimate success.
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Developer by Mr. Taweesak Rattanakom Science Computer, Rajabhat Institute Rambhaibarni |