Inner Strength Parting Gifts - Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu...Inner Strength & Parting Gifts Talks by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo (Phra Suddhidhammaraṅsī Gambhīramedhācariya) Translated from

InnerStrength

&

PartingGifts

Talks by

AjaanLeeDhammadharo

(PhraSuddhidhammaraṅsī Gambhīramedhācariya)

Translated fromtheThaibyṬhānissaroBhikkhu(GeoffreyDeGraff)

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c o p y r i g h tCopyright©1998ThanissaroBhikkhu(Revisededition,2011)

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InnerStrength

4

Introduction

ThesixteentalkstranslatedhereareactuallyreconstructionsofAjaanLee’stalksmadebyoneofhisfollowers—anun,ArunAbhivaṇṇā—basedonnotesshemadewhilelisteningtohimteach.Withafewexceptions—thetalksdated1958and1959,whichwereprintedafterAjaanLee’sdeath—allwerecheckedandapprovedbyAjaanLeeandprintedinavolumeentitled,TheWaytoPracticeInsightMeditation,CollectedfromFourYears’Sermons,orFourYears’Sermonsforshort.Theentirevolumerunstomorethan600pagesintheThaioriginal,thefirsthalfconsistingofaphorismsandshortpassages,thesecondhalfofreconstructions,somefairlyfragmentary,othersmorecomplete.TheselectionhereconsistsofallthereconstructionsinFourYears’Sermonsthatdealdirectlywiththetechniquesofbreathmeditation,plusanumberofpassagesdealingwiththevaluesunderlyingitspractice.

Toreadthesetalksis,ineffect,toeavesdroponAjaanLeewhileheisteachingotherpeople.Thispointisworthbearinginmind.AjaanLee’sremarksaredirectedatpeoplewhosebackground,preconceptions,andexperiencesinthepracticemayormaynotcoincidewithourown.Forthisreason,hiscommentsshouldbereadselectively.

Inparticular,hisdescriptionsofthebreathsensationsinthebodyandhowtodealwiththemtouchonamatterverysubjectiveandsubjecttochange.Thewaythesesensationsareexperiencedvarieswidelyfrompersontoperson,andevenwiththesamepersoncanchangeradicallywithtime.ForsomeonewithaWesternbackground,AjaanLee’sexplanationsofthesesensationswillsoundstrange.TheyarebasedpartlyonThaiphysiology,whichunlikeWesternphysiologydescribesphysicalprocessesastheyfeelfromtheinside,intermsoftheirfourbasicproperties(seedhātuintheGlossary),ratherthanastheycanbemeasuredfromtheoutside.Sinceinmeditationweareexploringthebodyandmindfromtheinside,wewoulddowelltofamiliarizeourselveswiththisapproachandnotdismissitforitsstrangeness.

Inanyevent,AjaanLee’scommentsarebestreadasfoodforthought—pointingoutanareatobeexplored,suggestingvariouswaystounderstandanddealwithit—

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andnotashardandfastrules.Meditationisanartandaskill,tobemasteredbyusingone’sownpowersofdiscernment,sensitivity,andobservationwhilepracticingit,andnotbyadheringblindlytoanysetsystemofinstructions.

AnotheraspectofthesetalksthatdeservescommentisthefrequentuseofPāliwordsandphrases.Formanyreaders,theywillbeunfamiliar;forAjaanLee’slisteners,though,theywerenot.TheycomemostlyfromchantsthatmanyThaiBuddhists—layandordained—repeatdaily,orthatmonkschantatceremoniesinmonasteriesandhomes.FormanyThaiBuddhists,thechantsandthetermsareBuddhism,andsoAjaanLeemakesreferencetothemtoshowthattheyrevealtheirtruemeaningsonlywhenrelatedtotheexperienceofthepractice.Forthereaderunfamiliarwiththeseterms,Ihaveprovidedaglossaryexplainingthemoreimportantonesattheendofthecollection.Theremainingtermscanbeadequatelyunderstoodfromtheircontextor,ifnot,passedoverasstylisticdevices—ofinteresttopeoplealreadyacquaintedwiththem,butbynomeansnecessaryforunderstandingthemeaningofwhatisbeingsaid.

IhopethattheseobstaclestoeavesdroppingonAjaanLeewillnotbedeterrent,forthetalksincludedhereareamongthosethatIpersonallyhavefoundmostusefulandinspiringmyownpractice,andmyhopeisthatotherswillfindthemusefulintheirs.

ṬhānissaroBhikkhu(GeoffreyDeGraff)

MettaForestMonasteryValleyCenter,CA92082-1409USA

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I . Inner Wealth

TheLast Sermon

“OnFebruary19,1956,KhunNaiThawngmuanSiasakuninvitedPhraAjaanLeeDhammadharotodeliverasermonforKhunThaoSatyanurakinNekkhammaHouse,WatBoromnivas.Thissermon—whichKhunThaoSatyalistenedtoquietly,withherhandsfoldedinrespectasshelayonhersickbed—wasthelastsermonsheeverheard.Whenitwasover,Iapproachedherandsaid,‘Ifyoudie,I’dliketojotdownthissermonandhaveitprintedtodistributeatyourfuneral.’Shesmiledwithhereyes,noddedslightlytoshowherapproval,andasked,‘Canyourememberitall?’‘Notallofit,‘Ianswered,‘butatleastsomeofit.’Soshereviewedafewofthepointsforme.SheseemeddelightedandmovedbythetasteoftheDhammaallthewhileshespoke.ThusIhavewrittenoutthissummaryofwhatIcanrememberofthesermon.”

namotassabhagavatoarahatosammā-sambuddhassa.āyudobaladodhīro’ti.

NowIwilldiscussapointfromtheBuddha’steachingsforyoutolistentobrieflyasameansoffosteringstrengthofbodyandstrengthofmind.Allofusliveindependenceonstrengthofbodyandstrengthofmind.Withoutthesetwothings,lifecouldn’tlast.

Strengthofbody,nomatterhowmuchwemayfosteritwiththefournecessitiesandwithworldlywealth,can’thelpbutwasteawayandvanishbyitsverynature.Itcan’tescapefromaging,illness,anddeath.Andforstrengthofbodytoexist,itneedshelpfromstrengthofmind.Butstrengthofminddoesn’tneedtodependonthefournecessitiesorworldlywealth;anditdoesn’tneedtodependonstrengthofbodyatall.Itcangetalongsolelyon‘noblewealth.’Sostrengthofmindismoreimportantthanstrengthofbody.

Peoplewhodon’thaveenoughstrengthoftheirownhavetostartoutbyhopingtodependonothersuntiltheyreachthepointwheretheycanstandontheirown.Independingonothers,wehavetobecarefulinchoosingagoodmainstay,inlinewith

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thePāliphrase,asevanācabālānaṁ,paṇḍitānañcasevanā:Wehavetochoosegoodpeopletoassociatewith.Ifweassociatewithwisepeopleandsages,they’llteachustobegood.Ifweassociatewithfools,we’llsufferforit.

Sosearchingforamainstayofthissortdoesn’trankasbeingreallygood,becauseit’slikeshootingabird:Wemighthititonthewingoronthetail.Ifwereallywanttoberightontarget,wehavetodependonanothersortofmainstay:attāhiattanonātho,wehavetodependonourselves.ThissortofmainstaytheLordBuddhapraisedasbeingthehighestbecauseitwillteachustohaveasenseofourowngoodandbadactions—‘kammassako’mhi’—andwewon’tneedtogopinningourhopesonotherpeopleanymore.

Tocreatethissortofmainstay,wehavetodevelopfivequalities—conviction,persistence,mindfulness,concentration,anddiscernment—whicharecalledbala,orstrengths,thatwillhelpgiveusthestrengthofmindtostridetowardthegood.Allfiveofthesequalitiescanbegatheredundertheheadingsofvirtue,concentration,anddiscernment.Convictioncomesundervirtue;persistence,mindfulness,andconcentrationcomeunderconcentration;anddiscernmentisdiscernment.

Tohaveconvictionistantamounttohavingwealth.Virtueislikeawhitecloththatenwrapsthebodyandmakesitbeautiful,justasthepetalsofalotusenwrapthescentofitspollen.Virtueistheactofabandoningthatcutsawayevilandcorruptionfromourdeedssothatourdeedswillbehonestandupright.Thisisvirtue,butit’snottheultimategood.Whenourbodyhasvirtue,ourmindneedsrectitudetogowithit.

Persistencemeansdiligence,determination,perseverance,beingaudaciousandunrelentinginwhatwedo,soastobestronginprogressingtowardwhatisgood.

Mindfulnessmeanscareandrestrainttomakesurethatourthoughts,words,anddeedsdon’tgooffthemark;beingconsciousofgoodandevilsothatourbehaviordoesn’tfallintowaysthatarebadandunwise.

Concentrationmeanskeepingthemindfirmlycenteredinasingleobject—thedirectpath(ekāyana-magga)—notlettingittip,lean,orwaverundertheinfluenceofitspreoccupations,whethergoodorbad,pastorfuture;keepingthemindhonestandupright.

Allthreeofthesequalitiesformtherectitudeofthemindthatabstainsfromthoughtsofsensuality,ill-will,andharm.Thisistermedtheresolveofrenunciation(nekkhamma-saṅkappo):Themindisn’tpleasedordispleasedwithsensualmoodsorsensualobjects,whethergoodorbad.Thisisamindgoneforthfromthehomelife.Whetherornotweordain,whetherweliveathomeorinamonastery,we’reclassedashavinggoneforth.

Thenextquality,whichtheBuddhaclassedasthehighestgood,isdiscernment.

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Oncewehavevirtueandconcentration,discernmentwillarisefromthemindinthefirst,second,third,andfourthlevelsofjhāna.ThisisthelightofdiscernmentthatenablesustoseetheDhammabothwithinusandwithout.Wecanseeourselffrombothsides.Wecanseethattheaspectthattakesbirth,takesbirth;andthatthereisalsoanaspectthatdoesn’ttakebirth.Theaspectthatages,ages;andthereisalsoanaspectthatdoesn’tage.Theaspectthat’sill,isill;andthereisalsoanaspectthatisn’till.Theaspectthatdies,dies;andtheaspectthatdoesn’tdie,doesn’tdie.Thisischange-of-lineageknowledge(gotarabhū-ñāṇa),whichseesbothsides,likehavingtwoeyes.Whicheversidewelookat,wecansee,butwearen’tstuckoneitherside.Wesimplyknowthingsinlinewiththeirnatureasfabrications,thattheyhavetotakebirth,age,growill,anddie.Thesefourfactshavemadearahantsofthemanypeoplewhohavecontemplatedthemandseentheirtruenatureclearlytothepointofworkingfreefromunawareness.

Thenatureofthebodyisthatitflowsinonedirection—towarddecay—butthemindwon’tflowalongwithit.Themindissuretoprogressinlinewithitsstrength.Whoeverhasalotofstrengthwillgofar.Whoevergetsstuckonbirthwillhavetotakebirth.Whoevergetsstuckonagingwillhavetoage.Whoevergetsstuckonillnesswillhavetobeill.Whoevergetsstuckondyingwillhavetodie.Butwhoeverisn’tstuckonbirth,aging,illness,anddeathisboundforastatethatdoesn’ttakebirth,doesn’tage,doesn’tgrowill,anddoesn’tdie.

Whenwecandothis,we’resaidtohavefoundahunkofnoblewealthinbirth,aging,illness,anddeath.Weneedn’tfearpoverty.Eventhoughthebodymayage,ourminddoesn’tage.Ifthebodyisgoingtogrowillanddie,letitgrowillanddie,butourminddoesn’tgrowill,ourminddoesn’tdie.Themindofanarahantissuchthat,evenifsomeoneweretobreakhisheadopen,hismindwouldn’tbepained.

***

Whenthemindisinvolvedwiththeworld,it’sboundtomeetwithcollisions;andonceitcollides,itwillbeshakenandrollbackandforth,justasroundstonesinalargepilerollbackandforth.Sonomatterhowgoodorbadotherpeoplemaybe,wedon’tstoreitupinourmindtogiverisetofeelingsoflikeordislike.Dismissitcompletelyasbeingtheirbusinessandnoneofours.

***

Thefivehindrancesarefivediseasesthatfastenonandeatintothemind,leavingitthinandfamished.Whoeverhasconcentrationreachingdeepintotheheartwillbeabletokilloffallfiveofthesediseases.Suchapersonissuretobefullinbodyandmind—freefromhunger,povertyandwant—andwon’thavetogoaskingforgoodnessfromanyone.

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Theresultswe’llreceiveare:(1)We’llmakeourselvesrichinnoblewealth.(2)IftheBuddhawerestillalive,he’dbesuretobepleased,justasaparentwhosechildiswealthyandself-sufficientcanstopbeinganxiousandthussleepinpeace.

Tosummarize:Worldlywealthiswhatfostersstrengthofbody;noblewealthiswhatfostersstrengthofmind.SoIaskthatweallputthisteachingintopractice,trainingourselvesandpolishingourthoughts,wordsanddeedssothatthey’reworthyandpure,reachingthestageofnoblewealth,whichisthepathtothehighesthappiness:nibbāna.

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AMindof PureGold

July,1958

Themind,theBuddhasaid,islikegold.Animpuremindislikegoldadulteratedwithvariousmineralsthatwillmakeithardandunmalleable.Beforeitcanbeputtouseinanyway,itfirsthastobemelteddownanditsimpurities—thevariousadulterations—removedcompletely.Onlythenwillitbegenuinegold,softandmalleable.Ourmind,whichisadulteratedwithvariouspreoccupations,firsthastobeputintoshape,anditsimpurities—itsvariousdefilements—completelyremoved.Onlythenwillitbeapuremind,becomingathingofsupremepowerandusefulness,likegenuinegoldmalleableenoughtobemeltedandpouredintoanythingatall.Apuremindcanpouraroundtheworldwithoutgettingsnaggedandcanrollallarounditself,likeabeadofwateronalotusleaf,whichwillrollaroundwithoutseepingintotheleaf.ThisiswhatismeantbyamindthatisDhamma.

Oryoumightcompareapuremindtogenuinebeeswax,whichdoesn’tneedfireinordertomelt.Nomatterhowlargeorsmallalumpitmaybe,allitneedsisalittlesunlightorjustthewarmthofyourhand,anditwillbesoftandmalleableenoughforyoutoformitintoanyshapeatall.Apuremindcanbeputtoeverysortofuseinlinewithyouraspirationsinjustthesameway.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtthateverysortofachievementdependscompletelyonthepowerofthemind.

Thingsthataregenuineorpure,eventhoughtheymaybesmall,cangiverisetoenormousresults,justasapieceofgenuinepapermoney—atinylittleslipofpaperwiththestateseal—canbeputtouseinallsortsofways.Butifit’snewsprint,evenabushelofitwouldn’tbeabletobuyathing.Inthesameway,apuremind—evenifwecanmakeitpureforonlyalittlewhile—cangiveresultswayinexcessofitssize.Peoplewhoarereallyintentonpurifyingthemindmayevenliftthemselvesoverandbeyondtheworld.

Sowe’retaughtthatpeoplewhosemindsaren’tpure—regardlessofwhetherthey’vegivendonationsorobservedpreceptsbythetensorhundredsofthousands—maynotescapegoingtohell.Atbest,theymaymakeitbackonlyashumanbeings.Amindadulteratedwithbadpreoccupationswillhavetogotoabadbourn.Amindadulteratedwithgoodpreoccupationsisboundforagoodbourn,asaheavenlybeing.Apuremind,though,willgoaboveandbeyondallthis.

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Forthisreason,youshouldfocusonwatchingonlyyourmind.Don’tletyourattentiongoleakingoutyourears,eyes,nose,tongue,orbody.Ifthemindismurky,makeitclear.Keeptryingtochaseawayitsvariouspreoccupationsuntilthey’recompletelygone,leavingonlythegenuinegold:apuremind.Setyourheartondoingitrightnow.

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Justaswehavetogiverisetogoodnessinouractions,wehavetogiverisetogoodnessinourmindsbylettinggoofphysicalandmentalphenomena,whichareaheavyload.ThisiswhytheBuddhataught,bhārāhavepañcakkhandhā:‘Thefivekhandhasaretrulyaburden.’Thebodyisheavierthanrock.Howisitheavy?It’sbig.Weighty.Enormous.Itsmouthcaneatcattlebytheherd,ricebytheton,andyetneverbefullforasecond.Youhavetokeepfindingthingstostuffinitallthetime,whichisaburdentotheheart.We’vebeenshoringupthisbodyeversincewewerelittleandredsothatitwillstaywithus,andyetitwon’tstay.Whatdoesstayisnothingmorethanscraps.What’sgoodleavesuscompletely.Don’tgothinkingthatit’llstay.Thepartthat’sleftloadsusdown,creatingstressandpain.Sowe’retaughttoletgo.Cāga:Relinquishwhat’soutside,i.e.,thebody;andletgoofwhat’sinthemind,i.e.,itsvariouspreoccupationsthatfollowalongwiththeworld.Ifwecanletgoofthesethings,we’llbelightinbodyandmind.Andwhenwe’relightinthisway,wecanbeatourease.

Thenwecanconsiderfurtherthatallthesethingsfallunderthetruthsoftheworld.Thatis,they’reinconstant,stressful,andnot-self.Theymakeusmisconstrueeverything,justaswhenweletourselvesgetdupedintospendingourmoney.Therearepeople,forinstance,whomakesugarwaterwithvariouscolorsforustodrinkat10,20,or30centsaglass.Actually,it’snodifferentfromtheordinarywaterwedrink,butwehaveitallmisconstruedandthinkthatit’ssomethingspecial—sowe’llcomebacktospendmoremoneytodrinkitagain.Thisisinconstancy.It’slikewavesthatkeeprisingandfalling,causingustowaver,keepingusfrombeingstillandatpeace.Whenweseethis,weshouldinclineourheartstowardbeingtrainedintheDhamma.

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Apersonwholetsthemindbedefiledislikesomeonewholetshischildrenplayinthemud:They’reboundtocausehardshipsfortheirparents,andnotonlythat,they’reboundtocausehardshipsforthemselves,becausetheyhavenolivelihood,nobasisforsettingthemselvesupinlife.Soweshouldtrainourheartstobeadultsinordertooutgrowourdefilementsandcorruptions.

Weshouldn’tletourselvesgettiedupinworldlyaffairs,becausethey’regood

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onlyfromage20to40.Fromthatpointon,ourmouthgetssmallerandsmaller,oureyesgetsosmallwecanscarcelyopenthem.Whateverwesaydoesn’tgetpastourlips.Ourhandsgetsosmallthatwehavetogivethemaone-meterextensioncalleda‘cane.’Ourbackgetscrooked—andwiththebodysuretorundownlikethis,whatarewegoingtowantoutofit?It’senoughtomakeyouheartsick.Soweshoulddevelopwhat’sgoodandbecomingwithinourselves.Developgoodnessintonoblewealth.Inotherwords,relinquishment(cāga)andvirtue(sīla)aretwothingsweshouldfosterinourheartssothatwecanbegintogrowup,unfold,andgobeyondbeingchildren….

Oncewe’vereachedthemiddleoflife,thingsstartgettingshorterandshorter,sowe’retaughtnottobecomplacent.Whateverwillgiverisetoknowledge,weshouldstirourselvestopursue,likeachildwhostudiesmathwithoutplayingtruantorthinkingonlyoffunandgames.Suchachildissuretohaveahighlevelofknowledgeinthefuture.

Peopleinthisworld—eventhoughtheymaybe80yearsold—iftheystaysunkinworldlymatters,arestillchildren.Relinquishmentandvirtue:Oncewegiverisetothesethings,we’reheadedforadulthood.Otherwise,we’restillchildren.Soweshouldn’tlettheheartsettleonthingsthataren’tgoodforit.Sometimestherearebothgoodandbadthings.Thegoodthingsarehardtolatchonto;thebadareeasy.Ifwegiveourchildrenfreereintogoplaying,they’llforthemostpartbringusnothingbuttrouble.Sometimestheyhangarounddoingnothingatallandyetcomebackwithotherpeople’sbelongingsintheirpockets.Inotherwords,sometimesotherpeopledosomething,andyetweletitgetstuckinourhearts.Thisisbeinginfantile.Ourmindsareamessofdefilements,whichiswhywe’resaidtobechildren.

Soweshouldconsiderthingscarefully.Whateverwillbenefitus,weshouldtakeaninterestin.Ifapoorpersonwandersshiftlesslyabout,nobodypaysanymind;butifarichpersonbehavesthatway,peoplereallydespiseit.Inotherwords,weshouldn’tletourheartsgolurkingaboutinshoddyorunwisepreoccupations.Wehavetopracticetranquillitymeditationtomakethemindstill.That’swhenwe’llbegintoenteradulthood.

Whenthemindisstill,itgraduallygivesrisetodiscernment,justasakerosenelanternwekeeplookingafter—addingkerosene,makingsurethatnothingdisturbstheflame—isboundtogrowbright.Thewickisthebreath,thethemeofourmeditation.Theeffortwemakeislikethekerosene.Wekeeplookingafterthemind,makingsurethatthevariouspreoccupationscominginbywayoftheeyes,ears,nose,andsoforth,don’tcollidewiththeheart.Themindwillbecomebrightanddazzling,likethewickofakerosenelanternthatwekeepfedwithfuelandwhoseburntpartswekeepscrapingaway.

Ifliberatinginsightarises,we’llseetheabsolutetruth—thatallour

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preoccupationsareinconstant,stressful,andnot-self—appearinginourheart.Whenwecanseethingsclearlyinthisway,we’llbeabletoletgoofourvariouspreoccupations.Themindwillgiverisetoabrilliantradiance—termeddhammopajjoto,thelightoftheDhamma—andwe’llattaintothetranscendencyofthemind.Whenwereachthispoint,that’swhenwe’resaidtohavegrownup.Wecangowhereverwelike,fornoonewillbeabletopullthewooloveroureyes.

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Fabrications

February6,1956

(DeliveredatafuneralserviceforSomdetPhraMahāvīravaṁsa(TissaUan),WatBoromnivas.)

aniccāvatasaṅkhārāuppāda-vaya-dhamminouppajjitvānirujjhanti….

TheDhamma,inonesense,isameansofnourishingthehearttomakeitpure.Inanothersense,theDhammaisourself.Everypartofourbodyisapieceoftheworld,andtheworldisanaffairoftheDhamma.Butit’snottheessenceoftheDhamma.TheessenceoftheDhammalieswiththeheart.

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Thedevelopmentofallthatisgoodandskillfulcomesfromourownthoughts,words,anddeeds.Thegoodthatcomesfromourwordsanddeeds,suchasthedevelopmentofgenerosityandvirtue,isgoodnessonthecrudeandintermediatelevels.Therefinedlevel,goodnessdevelopedbymeansoftheheart,ismeditation.Forthisreason,theissuesoftheheartarethemostimportantthingswemustlearntounderstand.

Therearetwoissuestotheheart:theaspectoftheheartthattakesbirthanddies,andtheaspectoftheheartthatdoesn’ttakebirthanddoesn’tdie.Iftheheartfallsforfabrications(saṅkhāra),it‘sboundtotakebirthanddierepeatedly.Buttheheartthattrulyseesandclearlyknowsallfabricationscanthenletgoofthem,andsowon’ttakebirthandwon’tdie.Ifwewanttogobeyondsufferingandstress—nottotakebirthandnottodie—wefirsthavetolearnthetruenatureoffabricationssothatwecanunderstandthem.

Fabrications,astheyappearinactuality,areoftwosorts:fabricationsontheleveloftheworldandfabricationsontheleveloftheDhamma.Bothsortshavetheirreality,butthey’rethingsthatariseandthendecay.ThisiswhytheBuddhasaid,‘aniccāvatasaṅkhārā…’—whichmeans,‘Fabricationsareinconstant…’—becausebothsortsofthesefabricationsbeginbyarising,thenchange,andfinallydisband.Whoevercanfocusintoknowclearlyandtrulyseethiscondition,curbthemind,

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andbecomewisetoallfabrications,issuretogainreleasefromallsufferingandstress.

Fabricationsontheleveloftheworldarethingsthatpeoplecreateandconjureintobeing,suchaswealth,status,pleasure,andpraise.AsforfabricationsontheleveloftheDhamma,whetherornotwedressthemup,weallhavetheminequalmeasure—inotherwords,properties(dhātu),aggregates(khandha),andsensemedia(āyatana).

FabricationsontheleveloftheworldandoftheDhammaarelikethechangingcolorsonamoviescreen.Theyflickerandflash:Green.Red.Yellow.White.Changingbackandforth.Whenwewatch,oureyeshavetochangealongwiththemtofollowthem—andthisiswhatgivesrisetomisunderstandings.Whenthemindfastensontighttothesefabrications,itgivesrisetofeelingsofsatisfactionanddissatisfaction.Whentheychangeforgoodorbad,ourmindchangesalongwiththem—andsoitfallsintothecharacteristicsofinconstancy,stress,andnot-self.

Fromanotherpointofview,fabricationscanbedividedintotwosorts:thosewithamindinpossession,suchaspeopleoranimals;andthosewithoutamindinpossession,suchastrees.Butalthoughthismaybethestandardinterpretationoffabricationswithoutamindinpossession,Idon’tagreewithit.Takethestairwaytothishall:Ifyousaythatitdoesn’thaveamindinpossessionofit,trysmashingitandseewhetherornotthere’llbeanuproar.Thesameholdstruewithfields—tryplantingriceinsomeoneelse’sfield—orwithbananaandotherfruittreesplantedinanorchard:Tryhackingthemwithaknifetoseewhetherornottheirownerwillhaveyouthrowninjail.Everythingintheworldtowhichattachmentextendshastohaveamindinpossession.OnlytheplanetMars,towhichthesphereofattachmentdoesn’tyetextend,doesn’thaveamindinpossession.Everysortoffabricationhasamindinpossession—exceptforarahants,whodon’thaveamindinpossessionbecausetheyaren’tattachedtoanyfabricationsatall.

Attachmenttofabricationsisthesourceofstress,becausefabricationsareinconstant,aswe’vealreadyexplained.Soonlyifwecanletgoandnotbeattachedtofabricationswillwemeetwithhappinessandease—easeinthesenseoftheDhamma,easethatiscool,quiet,solid,andunchanging.Easeintheworldlysenseisn’tanydifferentfromsittinginachair:Onlyifthechairdoesn’twobblewillwehaveanyease.Thewobblingofthemindisoftwosorts:wobblingnaturallyandwobblingundertheinfluenceofintentionanditsfruit.Howmanytimesdoesthemindwobbleinaday?Sometimesitwobblesfromintentionsinthepresent,sometimesfromintentionsinthepast,buthowit’swobbling,wedon’tknow.Thisisavijjā,theunawarenessthatcausesfabrications—thoughts—toarise.

Theothersidetoallthisisnon-fabrication(visaṅkhāra).Whatisnon-fabrication?Nowobbling,nochanging,nodisbanding:That’snon-fabrication.

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Fabricationschange,butourminddoesn’tchange.Fabricationsarestress,butourmindisn’tstressed.Fabricationsarenot-self,butourmindisn’tnot-self.Fabricationswithoutamindinpossession:That’snon-fabrication.

Mostofus,byandlarge,areawareonlyoftheknowledgeofferedbytheSixTeachers—thesensesofsight,hearing,smell,taste,feeling,andideation—whicharesourcesofchange,uncertainty,stress,unawareness,andfabrications.Soweshouldcloseoffthesesenses,becausefabricationscan’tseeotherfabrications.Onlyifwegetontheothersidewillwebeabletosee.

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TheTree is in its Seed

August27,1956

Thepurposeofsittingandmeditatingistocutawaythevariousthoughtsthatpreoccupyourminds.Themorepreoccupationswecancutaway,thelighterwe’llfeel.Allofthevariousburdensthatweighdownourhearts—allthestressesandstrainswefeel—willlessenanddisappear.

Goodnessdoesn’tcomefromconcepts.Conceptsofpastandfuturearewhatobstructanddestroyourgoodness.

TheBuddhasaid,

atītaṁnānvāgameyyanappaṭikaṅkheanāgataṁ…paccuppannañcayodhammaṁtathatathavipassati:

Ifwedon’tgoconceivingthepastorthefuture,leavingonlythepresent,we’llcometoseethetruthoftheDhamma.

Concepts,eveniftheydealwiththeDhamma,arefabricationsbecausetheyfallintheareaofmentalconcoction.Therearethreetypesofmentalfabrications:(1)Ifwethinkinwaysthataregood,they’recalledmeritoriousconcoctions(puññābhisaṅkhāra).(2)Ifwethinkinwaysthatareevil,they’recalleddemeritoriousconcoctions(apuññābhisaṅkhāra).(3)Ifwethinkinwaysthatareneithergoodnorevil,they’recalledimpassiveconcoctions(aneñjābhisaṅkhāra)oravyākata—neutralandindeterminate.Actually,aneñjābhisaṅkhārahasahighermeaning,becauseitreferstothefourlevelsofabsorptioninformlessness(arūpajhāna).Avyākatareferstosuchthingsasthinkingabouteatingamealortakingabath,thingsthatarecompletelyunrelatedtogoodandevil.Allofthesefabricationscomefromunawarenessandignorance.Ifwe’rereallyintelligentandaware,weshouldn’tgoconceivingthem.

Tocutoffconceptsmeanstoletourmentalfabricationsdisband,toletourtrainsofthoughtdisband.Wesitinmeditation,makingthebodyandmindquiet.Whenthebodyisstill,themindstayswiththestillness.Whentheheartisatpeace,themindstayswiththepeace.Concentrationdevelops.Themindcomesuptotheforefront.Mentalfabricationsdisappear,butthemindisstillthere.Goodnessisstillthere.Innibbāna,nothingdisappearsanywhereorgetsannihilated,exceptfor

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unawareness.Whenmentalfabricationsandunawarenessdisband,awarenessarises.For

example,knowledgeofpastlives:Weseethemind’sancestry—itspastlifetimes.Knowledgeofdeathandrebirth:Weknowthegoodandbadactionsofourfellowbeings,howtheydieandarereborn.Amindtrainedtomaturityinconcentrationdevelopsquality,likeamaturemangoseedthat’scapableofcontainingallitsancestry,itsparentsandchildren,initself.Ifanyoneplantsit,it’llbreakoutintoroots,stems,branches,leaves,flowers,andmorefruitsjustlikebefore.Amindnotyettrainedtomaturityisliketheseedofanunripemangothat’sfallenfromthetree.Ifyouplantit,itwon’tgrow.It’lljustrotthereinthedirt.Sinceit’snotyetripe,itisn’tcapableofcontainingitsancestryanddescendants.

Peopleawareoftheirownbirthanddeathinthiswayaresaidnottobelacking.Notlackinginwhat?Notlackinginbirth.They’reacquaintedwiththebirthsthey’veexperiencedthroughmanylivesandstatesofbeinginthepast—somanythatthey’rewearyofitall,tothepointwheretheydon’twanttotakebirthagain.Asforpeoplewhodon’tknow,whodon’thavethisawareness,theyfeelthatthey’relacking.Theywanttotakebirthagainandsotheykeeponcreatingbirthoverandoveragain.Asforthosewhodohaveawareness,they’vehadenough.They’resmartenough.Theywon’tgiverisetoanymorebirthsorstatesofbeing.Whateverisgood,theykeepwithinthemselves,likeputtingaripemangoseedinashowcasetolookat,orpeelingoffitshardoutershellandthenputtingitinastoreroom.Noonewillbeabletoplantitagain,andwecantakeitoutforalookwheneverwewant.

Totrainthemindtoahigherlevelistheapexofallthatisgoodandworthwhile.Toraisethelevelofourheartislikecomingupandsittinghereinthemeditationhall.Oncewe’vegottenupofftheleveloftheground,we’veescapedfromtherain,theheatofthesun,andfromallsortsofdangers.Dogs,forinstance,can’tjumpuptoclawusorbiteus.

Orwecancomparethistoatallmountaintop.Nothingfilthyordirtycanstayonamountaintop.Whetherit’srain,dew,orfog,whenitcomesintocontactwiththesummititallhastoflowdowntothelowlandsandintothesea.Itcan’tstayandformpuddlesonthesummit.Atthesametime,freshbreezescomeblowingfromallfourdirections,keepingthemountaintopdryandfreefromdampness.

Orwecancomparethistoatalltreetop.Ordinarily,nobody—humanoranimal—canurinateordefecateorsplashanythingdirtyonatalltreetop.Andbecausethetreetopistall,itsflowersandfruitsareborntall.Anyonewhowantstopickthetopmostleavesordestroythefruitsandflowerswillhaveahardtimeofitbecausetheheightofthetreemakesithardtoclimb.

Inthesameway,oncewe’vefedourheartfullwithwhat’sgoodandworthwhile,thennomatterifpeoplepraiseorcondemnus,wewon’twantanything

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ofwhattheyhavetosay.Iftheysaywe’renotgood,itflowsrightbacktothem.Asforwhat’sreallygoodwithinus,itstaysasitalwayswas.Apersonwhoseheartisfedfullwithwhat’sgoodandworthwhileislikeapersonwhosestomachisfulloffoodandsoisboundtobesatisfiedandnotwanttoeatanythingmore:freefromhungerandcraving.Nomatterwhatfantasticfoodotherpeoplemayofferhim,hewon’twantanyofit.Orifanyoneoffershimpoison,hewon’ttakeit.Inotherwords,wearen’tinterestedinthegoodnessorevilthatcomesfromotherpeople.Wewantonlythegoodnessthatwebuildupwithinourselves.

Ignorantpeoplethinkthatgoodandevilarethingswehavetogetfromotherpeople,andnotthattheycomefromwithinus—andsotheyclosetheireyesandkeepongroping.Theyhavenosenseofthegoodthatlieswithinthem,likethepersonwhogoesgropingforamangotreewithoutrealizingthatthemangotreeliesinitsseed.Oncewerealizethis,though,allwehavetodoistaketheseedandplantit,andsoonit’llsproutrootsandbecomeatree,withleavesandbranches,flowersandfruitsthatwillkeeponmultiplyingintohundredsoftrees.Innotimeatallwe’llbemillionaires,becausemangoes,evenwhenthey’vegrownonlytothesizeofathumb,alreadybegintofetchaprice.Peoplebuyandsellmangoesfromthetimethey’restillunripe,untilthey’rehalf-ripe,fullyripe,andevenover-ripe.Sometimesmangoesthatarehalf-rottencanstillgetaprice,althoughnotasmuchasmangoesthatarestillgood.

Peoplewhosemindshaven’tyetreallyreachedahighlevel,whentheymeetwithcriticism,willusuallykeepitandbroodoverit.Byandlarge,weliketothinkthatwe’reintelligentandyetweletourmindsfeedonbadmoodsandpreoccupations.Badmoodsarelikescrapsandbonesthatotherpeoplehavespitout.Ifwe’rereallypoorandstarving,tothepointwherewehavetobegothersforfood,weshouldfeedonthegoodmoodstheyhavetoofferus,whicharelikefoodthathasn’tbeenspitoutbyanyone.Buteventhenwe’restillcountedaspoor,asstupidandignorant,becauseeventhoughwehavegenuinegoodnesswithinus,westillgorunningofftogathergoodandevilfromotherpeople.Thishastobewrong.

Therightwayisthatnomatterwhatanyoneelsemaysay,weletitpass.Weshouldviewwhattheysayastheirpropertyandnoneofours.Asforthegoodnesswe’redeveloping,it’sboundtostaywithus.Likeeatingawormymango:Anintelligentpersonwilleatonlythegoodfleshandleavethespoiledparttotheworms.Inotherwords,don’tgomovinginwiththeworms.Tobeintelligentinthiswayistoqualifyasahumanbeing—whichmeansahigh-mindedbeing—justaswhenwecomeupthestairstothemeditationhallweescapethecatsanddogsthatwouldotherwisebotherus.Here,theycan’tjumpupandpounceonus.Butifwesitontheground,we’reexposedtothesunandrainandallsortsofdisturbances.We’remixedupwithsagesandfools.

WhenwisepeoplepracticetheDhamma,theyhavetobeselectiveandchoose

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onlywhat’sgood.Theywon’tlettheirmindsfeedonanythingspoiled,becausespoiledthings,whenwefeedonthem,canbetoxicandharmful.Asforgoodthings,whenweeatthem,theydon’tcauseanyharm.Theycanonlybenefitus.

Goodness,evil,purity—allcomefromwithinus.TheBuddhathustaughtthateachofushashisorherownkamma.Whathesaidonthispointisabsolutelytrue.There’snowayyoucanarguewithit.‘Kamma’meansthegoodandbadactionsthatcomefromintentions.Intentionsarethoughtsthatcomefromthemind,sothemindliesattheessenceofintentionandkamma,becausethemindiswhatthinksandgivestheorders.Whenanintentionisshoddyordishonest,theresultingactionisbadkammaandwillresultinsuffering.Whenanintentionisgood,proper,andhonest,theactionwillbegoodkammaandwillresultinpleasure.Sowhetherwe’retosufferortoexperiencepleasure,tobegoodorshoddy,pureorimpure,dependsonourownactionsandintentions,notonanythinganyoneelsemaydoforus.Oncewerealizethis,there’snomoreconfusion.

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TheLessonsof Unawareness

August21,1956

‘‘Thesermonthisafternoonwasonthetheme,‘vijjā-caraṇa-sampannosugatolokavidū.’Ididn’tlistentothebeginning.AllIcanrememberisthis:’’

…TherealnatureoftheDhammaisn’tallthatdifficultforpeoplewhohaveawareness;butit’shardforpeoplewhodon’t.It’shardbecauseitgoesagainstourwishes.Ifitfollowedourwishes,it’dbeeasy.ThegenuineDhammaissomethingthatgoesagainstourwishesbecausegoodthingsordinarilyareboundtobethatway.It’sthenatureofthingsthatarebeneficialandusefultousthatthey’rehardandrequireeffort.Evenworldlythingsarethisway.Thingsactuallybeneficialareusuallyhardtoobtain.Butasforthingsofnorealusetous,there’snoneedtogotoanygreattroubletosearchforthem.Thereareheapsofthemrightinourownbackyard.

I’mreferringheretounawareness—ignoranceofwhat’sreal.Butthisignoranceofwhat’srealisthewellspringthatcangiverisetoawareness,orknowledgeofwhat’sreal.Thisknowledgeofwhat’srealexistseverywhere,likewatervaporthatrisesintotheatmosphere.Whoeverhastheingenuitytofinditandbringitinwardswillfeelcool,contentandrefreshed.Thisiscalledvijjā-caraṇa-sampanno,whichistheoppositeofunawareness.SoI’dliketoexplainonemorepointinthetheme,vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno,whichmeans,‘ThosewhoreallysearchfortheDhammaaresuretobealwaysgivingrisetoknowledgewithinthemselves.’

Herewefirsthavetoexplaintheword‘dhamma.’Dhammaissomethingthatexistsineachandeveryoneofus.Itcanbedividedintothreesorts:skillful,unskillful,andneutral.

1.Skillfulness(kusala-dhamma)meansthegoodnessthatexistsnaturally,whetherornotthere’saBuddhatopointitout.Thisdhammaiswhatgivescomfortandbenefittolivingbeingsinproportiontohowmuchtheypracticeit.Don’tgothinkingthatgoodnesscomesfromhavingbeenformulatedbytheBuddha,orthatitcomesfromhisteachings.GoodnesshasbeenintheworldeversincelongbeforethetimeoftheBuddha,butnoonewasreallyacquaintedwithitbecausenosagehadbeenabletoidentifyit.ButwhentheBuddhacameandferretedoutawarenessitself,hewasabletoseethedhammathathasexistedintheworldfromtimeimmemorial.

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Thissortofdhammadidn’tarisefromanythinghesaidortaught.It’sthegoodnessthatexistsnaturallyintheworld.Ifthissortofgoodnessdidn’texistasanormalpartoftheworld,thehumanracewouldhavediedoutlongago.Thefactthatwehaveanypeaceandwellbeingatallcomesfromourhavingimbuedourheartswiththisgoodnessaswe’vebeenabletodiscoverit.Otherwisewewouldn’tbeabletowithstandallthefiresofworldliness.

2.Unskillfulness(akusala-dhamma):Thesameholdstruewithevil.Itdoesn’tcomefromanythingtheBuddhasaidortaught.Itexistsonitsownintheworld,byitsnature.Butpeoplewhohaven’tthoughtaboutitorobserveditmisunderstandthings.TheythinkthatevilcomesfromwhattheBuddhataughtandsotheydon’tpayitanyattentionbecausetheythinkgoodandevilweremadeupbytheBuddha.Inthisway,goodandevilgetallmixeduptogether,withoutanyoneknowingtheirtruth.

ButtheBuddhawasendowedwithsupremeintelligenceandsowasabletotellwhatwasunhuskedrice,whatwashuskedrice,whatwasbran,andwhatwaschaff.Hethensortedthemintoseparatelotssothatpeoplecouldchoosewhichevertheyprefer,withtherealizationthateachofusisresponsibleforhisorherownkamma:Whoeverdoesgoodwillhavetomeetwithgood;whoeverdoesevilwillhavetomeetwithevil.

Alldhammas—thegoodandevilthatexistnaturally—ultimatelycomedowntothemindrighthereinthisverybody.It’snotthecasethatwehavetogosearchingforthemanywhereoutside.Ifweweretoaskwhereitallcamefrom,theBuddhawouldprobablybeabletoanswerus,butit’dbelikehittingtheearthwithyourfist.Ifweweretoaskwherethemindcomesfrom,we’dhavetoanswerthatitcomesfromus.Andwheredowecomefrom?Fromourparents.That’sasfaraswe’dget.

Ifweweretoansweronadifferentlevel—onethat’smoredifficulttosee,andthatonlypeopleofawarenesscanmanage—we’dsaythatthemindcomesfromunawareness.Andwhatdoesunawarenesscomefrom?Fromfabrications.Andwhatdofabricationscomefrom?Fromunawareness.It’sliketheoldquestion,wheredoesthechickencomefrom?Theegg.Andtheegg?Fromthechicken.Ifwekeepaskingandanswering,wesimplygoaroundincircleswithoutevercomingtotheendofit.Thisishowthingsareontheleveloftheworld.

Theissuesofthemindallboildowntotwominds:onethatlikestodogood,andonethatlikestodoevil.Onemind,butthere’stwoofit.Sometimesaninclinationtodogoodtakesholdofus,andsowewanttodogood.Thisiscalledbeingpossessedbyskillfulness.Sometimesaninclinationtodoeviltakesholdofus,andsowewanttodoevil.Thisiscalledbeingpossessedbyunskillfulness.Inthisway,ourmindiskeptalwaysunsettledandunsure.

SotheBuddhataughtustodevelopourawarenessinordertoknowwhat’sgood

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andworthwhile,andwhat’sevilandworthless.Ifunawarenessobscuresourmind,wecan’tseeanythingclearly,justaswhenhazeobscuresoureyesight.Ifourknowledgegetsreallyfarupawayfromtheworld,we’llhaveevenlesschanceofseeinganything,justasapersonwhogoesuphighinanairplaneandthenlooksdownbelowwon’tbeabletoseehousesorotherobjectsasclearlyaswhenhe’sstandingontheground.Thehigherhegoes,themoreeverythingbecomesahaze.Hewon’tbeabletoseeanysignofhumanlifeatall.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtustofillourselveswithasmuchawarenessaspossible,sothatourearsandeyeswillbebrightandclear,unobscuredbyfogorhaze.

Awareness,ofthesorttaughtbytheBuddha,canariseinthreeways:

1.Sutamaya-paññā:Thisistheawarenessinwhichwestudyandlistentowhatotherpeoplesaysothatwecanunderstandwhatevilthingswillleadusinthedirectionofsufferingandstress,andwhatgoodthingswillleadusinthedirectionofwellbeingandease.Onceweknow,wecanthenaskourselves,‘Dowewanttogointhedirectionofsuffering?’Ifweanswer,‘No,wedon’t,becauseit’sahardship.We’drathergointhedirectionofwellbeing,’wehavetosetourheartsongivingrisetogoodness.Thatgoodnessisthensuretoleadusinthedirectionofwellbeing.Forexample,somepeoplearebornwayoutinthesticksandyettheytrainandeducatethemselvestothepointwheretheyendupimportantandinfluential.Thesameholdstruewithus.Ifwetrainandeducateourselves,we’reallboundtoendupasgoodpeople.Thisiseducationontheelementarylevel—ourABC’s—calledsutamaya-paññā.

2.Cintāmaya-paññā:Oncewe’velearnedthatcertainthingsaregood,weshouldtryeachofthemuntilweseegoodresultsarisingwithinus.Don’tgojumpingtoanyfixedconclusionsthatthisorthathastobegoodorright.Forexample,somethingsmaybecorrectintermsoftheDhammayou’velearned,butwhenyoutrythemout,theymaybewrongintermsofotherpeople’sfeelings.Sowhenwe’retaughtsomethingthatseemsright,weshouldrememberit.Whenwe’retaughtsomethingthatseemswrong,weshouldrememberit.Wethentakethesethingsandevaluatethemonourownuntilwegiverisetoanunderstanding.Onlythencanwebecalledintelligent.

Inotherwords,wedon’tsimplybelievewhat’sinbooks,whatotherpeoplesay,orwhatourteacherstellus.Beforewedoanything,weshouldconsideritcarefullyuntilit’scertainandcleartous.Onlythenshouldwegoaheadanddoit.Thisiscalledbelievinginourownsenseofreason.Thisisthesecondlevelofawareness,butit’snotthehighest.Itcaneliminateonlysomeoftheunawarenessthatexistswithinus.Bothofthelevelsmentionedsofarareawarenessonthelowlevel.

3.Thetrulyhighlevelofawarenessiscalledbhāvanāmaya-paññā.Thislevelofawarenessarisesinatrainedmind.Thisiswhatismeantbyvijjā-caraṇa-sampanno

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sugatolokavidū.Theawarenesshereincludesknowledgeofone’spastlives;knowledgeofdeathandrebirth—knowingthementalstreamofotherpeople,whatsortofgoodandevilthey’vedone,andwheretheywillgoafterdeath;andknowledgeoftheendofmentalfermentation:Whoeverdevelopsthemindtothepointofrightconcentration,givingrisetointuitiveinsight,willbeabletoletgoof:

(i)Self-identification(sakkāya-diṭṭhi).They’llseethatthebodyisn’treallytheirs.

(ii)Uncertainty(vicikicchā).TheirdoubtsaboutthevirtuesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅghawillbegoneforgood.They’llhavenomoredoubtsaboutthepathsandtheirfruitions(magga,phala).Thepaths,theirfruitions,andnibbānawillhavetoexistforwhoeveristrueinpracticingtheDhamma,nomatterwhatthetimeorseason.Thisistermedakāliko:TheDhammagivesresultsnomatterwhatthetimeorseason.Opanayiko:Peoplewhogiverisetovirtue,concentration,anddiscernmentwithinthemselvesaresuretoseethatthequalitiesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅghacanactuallywardoffinsecurityanddread.Suchpeoplewillalsoletgoof:

(iii)Graspingathabitsandpractices(sīlabbata-parāmāsa).Thevirtuesofthefivepreceptswillbefirmlyestablishedintheirhearts.

Toletgointhiswayiscalledknowledgeoftheendofmentalfermentation(āsavakkhaya-ñāṇa),orvijjā-caraṇa-sampanno—beingconsummateinknowledgeandconduct.Inadditiontothesethreeprimaryformsofawareness,wemayalsodevelopclairvoyance,clairaudience,andpsychicpowers.Butunlesswecanstillourmindinconcentration,wewon’tbeabletogainanyoftheseformsofawareness,evenifwestudyall84,000divisionsoftheCanon,becausealloftheseformsofawarenessdependonthestillnessofconcentration.Theabilitytoputawayallformsofevildependsonthestillnessofconcentration.Whenawarenessariseswithinus,we’resuretoseethetruthofwhat’sgoodandwhat’sevil.Aslongasthisawarenessdoesn’tarise,we’restilldeludedandgroping.

Forexample,wemaylatchontothebodyasbeingourown,ortothefivekhandhas—form,feelings,perceptions,mentalfabrications,andconsciousness—asbeingourown.Somepeopleidentifythemselveswithgreed,anger,ordelusion.Forexample,whengreedarisestheyidentifywiththegreed.Whenangerarisestheyidentifywiththeanger.Whendelusionarisestheyidentifywiththedelusion.Butthesethingsariseonlyatcertaintimes.Sometimeswhenlackofangerarises,thesepeopleidentifythemselveswiththelackofanger.Andwhenlackofgreedordelusionarises,theyidentifywiththelackofgreedordelusion—andsothesethingsgetallmixedupbecauseofunawareness,orignoranceofthetruth.

Butoncewe’vedevelopedawareness,thenwhengreedariseswewon’tidentifywithit.Thesameholdstruewithangeranddelusion.Thisisastepwehavetomaster

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sothatwecancatchsightofhowthesethreedefilementsactuallycomeandgo.Inotherwords,whengreedcomeswesitandkeepwatchonthegreeduntilit

diesofitsownaccord.We’llthenbeabletoknowexactlywhatuglyfeaturesithaswhenitcomesandexactlyhowgooditiswhenitgoes.Wejustsitthereandwatchituntilitdisbandsandwe’llfeelanimmediatesenseofrelief.Whenangerordelusioncomes,wesitandkeepwatchontheangerordelusion—don’tgorunningoffanywhereelse—andwe’llbeabletoseeexactlyhowbadangeriswhenitcomes,andhowgooditiswhenitgoes.Whatdelusionislikewhenitcomes—nomatterwhichsideit’sgoingtobedeludedabout—wemakeapointofkeepingourgazefixedonit.Whenwecanholdourselvesincheckthisway,that’sawareness.

Butif,whengreedcomes,wegetcarriedalongwiththegreed,orwhenangerordelusioncomes,wegetcarriedalongwiththeangerordelusion,that’sunawareness.Ifwe’reconstantlyonthelook-outforthesethreedefilements,thedayissuretocomewhentheygrowashamedofthemselves.We’llknowhowtheyarise,we’llseehowtheytakeastance,we’llperceivehowtheydisband.Thisistheawarenessthatcomesfromunawareness.

Whenwecancontemplatethingsinthisway,we’llbeabletogainalleightformsofcognitiveskill.Ifwecanholdourselvesincheckinthemidstofourdefilements,withoutfeelingobligedtoletthemcomeoutinouractions,we’llgiverisetoawarenesswithin.Thisiswhatismeantbyvijjā-caraṇa-sampanno.Ourheartswillbepure,freefromgreed,anger,anddelusion.Sugatolokavidū:We’llfarewellwhetherwecomeorgo,andwhereverwestay.Thissortofawarenessistherealthing.It’stheawarenessthatwillbringussuccessinthesphereoftheDhamma.

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II . Inner Skill

TheABC ’s of theBreath

September27,1957

Therearethreeimportantpartstomeditating:thinking,awareness,andthebreath.Allthreeofthesepartshavetobekeptrighttogetheratalltimes.Don’tletanyoneofthemcomeloosefromtheothers.‘Thinking’referstothinking‘buddho’togetherwiththebreath.‘Awareness’meansknowingthebreathasitgoesinandout.Onlywhenthinkingandawarenessarekeptfastenedconstantlywiththebreathcanyousaythatyou’remeditating.

Thein-and-outbreathisthemostimportantpartofthebody.Inotherwords,(1)it’sliketheearth,whichactsasthesupportforallthevariousthingsintheworld.(2)It’slikethejoistsorgirdersthatholdupafloorandkeepitsturdy.(3)It’slikeaboardorasheetofpaper:Whenwethink‘bud-’withanin-breath,it’sasifwerubbedourhandonceacrossaboard;andwhenwethink‘dho’withanout-breath,it’sasifwerubbedtheboardonceagain.Eachtimewerubtheboard,someofthedustisboundtosticktoourhand,soifwekeeprubbingitbackandforth,theboardisgoingtobecomeglossy.Whenit’sveryglossy,it’llbesoclearthatwecanseeourreflectioninit.Thesearetheresultsthatcomefromourthinking.Butifwegorubbinghit-or-miss,wewon’tbeabletoseeourreflectioneveninamirror,muchlessinaboard.

Inanothersense,thebreathislikeapieceofpaper.Whenwethink‘bud-’inwiththebreath,it’sasifwetookapencilandwrotealetterofthealphabetonapieceofpaper.Ifwekeepdoingthis,eventuallywe’llbeabletoreadwhatwe’vewritten.Butifourminddoesn’tstayconstantlywiththebreath,it’sasifwewrotesometimesrightandsometimeswrong.Theletterswe’dwritewouldbeamessandwouldn’tevenbeletters.Nomatterhowlargeourpieceofpapermightbe,thewholethingwouldbeamess.Wewouldn’tbeabletoreadwhatletterswehadwrittenorwhattheyweresupposedtosay.

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Ifwe’reintent,though,andthinkofthebreathasapieceofpaper,we’llwritedownwhatevermessagewewantonthepaperandknowforourselveswhatwe’vewritten.Forexample,thinking‘bud-’isliketakingapentoourpaper.It’llgiveusknowledge.Evenafterwe’vestoppedwriting,we’llstillbenefit.Butifwe’renotreallyintentonourwriting,ourletterswon’tbeletters.Ifwedrawapictureofaperson,itwon’tbeaperson.Ifwedrawananimal,itwon’tbeananimal.

***

Whenwestartlearningtowrite,wehavetousechalkbecauseit’sbig,easytowritewithandeasytoerase.Thisislikethinking‘buddho.’Onceweadvanceinourstudies,westartusingapencilbecauseitsmarkisclearandlonger-lasting.Forexample,thesentence,‘Where’sDad?’isapieceofknowledge.Ifwecanonlyreadtheseparateletters,‘W’or‘D’,itdoesn’treallycountasknowledge.Sowethenthrowawayourchalk.Inotherwords,wedon’thavetorepeat‘buddho.’Weuseourpowersofevaluation(vicāra)tosee,aswe’rebreathing:Isthein-breathgood?Istheout-breathgood?Whatkindofbreathingiscomfortable?Whatkindofbreathingisn’t?

Thenwecorrectandadjustthebreath.Pickoutwhicheverwayofbreathingseemsgoodandthenobserveittoseeifitgivescomforttothebody.Ifitdoes,keepthatsenseofcomfortsteadyandputittouse.Whenit’sreallygood,benefitswillarise,perfectingourknowledge.Oncewe’veobtainedknowledge,wecanerasethepencilmarksinournotebooksbecausewe’veseenthebenefitsthatcomefromwhatwe’vedone.Whenwegobackhome,wecantakeourknowledgewithusandmakeitourhomework.Wecandoitonourownathome;andwhenwestayatthemonastery,wecankeepatitconstantly.

Sothebreathislikeapieceofpaper,themindislikeaperson,knowledgeislikeanote:Evenjustthismuchcanserveasourstandard.Ifwe’reintentonjustthesethreethings—thinking,awareness,andthebreath—we’llgiverisetoknowledgewithinourselvesthathasnofixedlimitsandcan’tpossiblybetoldtoanyoneelse.

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As theMindTurns

August9,1958

Everypersonhasbothawarenessandunawareness,likeadoctorwhohasstudiedvariousdiseases:He’sknowledgeableaboutthediseaseshe’sstudied,butnotabouttheoneshehasn’t.Wehumanbeingshavebothdarknessandbrightness.Thedarknessisunawareness;thebrightness,awareness.

***

Theaffairsoftheworldkeepspinningaroundlikeawheel.Wewholiveintheworldthushavebothpleasureandpaininlinewithworldlyconditions—thewheelofrebirth.Wheneverwespinaroundandrunintothecycleofpain,wefeelthattheworldisreallynarrowandconfining.Wheneverwespinaroundandrunintothecycleofpleasure,wefeelthattheworldiswideandrefreshing,aninvitingplacetolive.Thishappensbecausewespinalongwiththeworldandsodon’treallyknowtheworldasitactuallyis.Oncewestopspinning,though,we’llcometoknowthewaysoftheworldandthetruenatureoftheDhamma.

Wheneverwerunalongaftertheworld,wecan’tseetheworldeasily.Forthisreason,wefirsthavetostoprunning.Thenwe’llseeitclearly.Iftheworldisspinningandwe’respinningtoo,howcanweexpecttoseeit?It’sliketwopersonsrunning:They’llhaveahardtimeseeingeachother’sfaces.Ifonestopsbuttheotherisrunning,theycanseeeachothersomewhat,butnotclearly.Ifthey’rebothrunning,they’llseeeachotherevenlessclearly.Forexample,ifwe’resittingorstandingstillandsomeonesneaksup,hitsusoverthehead,andthenrunsoff,we’llhaveahardtimecatchinghim.Inthesameway,ifwespinaroundorgetinvolvedinthespinningoftheworld,we’llhaveevenlesschanceofknowingorseeinganything.TheDhammathusteachesustostopspinningthewheelofrebirthsothatwecanknowtheworldclearly.

Whenanairplanepropelleroranybladedwheelisspinning,wecan’tseehowmanybladesithas,whatshapetheyare,orhowfinetheyare.Thefasteritspins,thelesswecanseeitsshape.Onlywhenitslowsdownorstopsspinningcanweseeclearlywhatshapeithas.Thisisananalogyforthespinningofthecurrentsoftheworld—theouterworld—andforourownspinning,wewholiveintheworld.

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Theouterworldmeanstheearthinwhichwelive.Theworldoffabricationsmeansourself:ourbodyandmind,whichareseparatethingsbuthavetodependoneachother,justastheworldandpeople,whichareseparatethings,havetodependoneachother.Ifwehadabodybutnotamind,wewouldn’tbeabletoaccomplishanything.Thesamewouldbetrueifwehadamindwithoutabody.Sothemindislikeapersondwellingintheworld.Themindisthecraftsman;thebody,itsworkofart.Themindiswhatcreatesthebody.It’swhatcreatestheworld.

Theworldissomethingbroadandalwaysspinning,somethinghardtoseeclearly.ThisiswhytheBuddhateachesustostopspinningaftertheworldandtolookonlyatourself.That’swhenwe’llbeabletoseetheworld.Weourselfaresomethingsmall—afathomlong,aspanthick,acubitwide—exceptthatourbellyisbig.Nomatterhowmuchweeat,we’reneverfull.Weneverhaveenough.Thisstandsforthegreedofthemind,whichcausesustosufferfromourlackofenough,ourdesires,ourhunger.

Toseeourselfortoseetheworld,theBuddhateachesustosurveyourselffromtheheadtothefeet,fromthefeettothehead,justasifwe’regoingtoplantatree:Wehavetosurveythingsfromthegroundonuptothetipsofthebranches.Thegroundstandsforthepurityofourlivelihood.Wehavetoexaminethegroundtoseeifithasanytermitesorotherpeststhatwilldestroytherootsofourtree.Thenwehavetoaddtherightamountoffertilizer—nottoolittle,nottoomuch.Wehavetocareforitcorrectlyinlinewithitssize.Forexample,howdoweobservethefivepreceptssothatthey’repure?Howdoweobservetheeight,theten,andthe227preceptssothatthey’repure?Whatthingsshouldweabstainfromdoing?Whatthingsshouldwedo?Thisiscalledrightlivelihood.

Ifweattendtoomuchtoourphysicalpleasure,wetendnottogiverisetovirtue,likecertainkindsoftreesthatareveryhealthy,withlargebranchesandlushfoliage,buttendnottobearfruit.Ifapersoneatsalotandsleepsalot,ifhe’sconcernedonlywithmattersofeatingandsleeping,hisbodywillbelargeandhefty,likeatreewithalargetrunk,largebranches,largeleaves,buthardlyanyfruit.Wehumanbeings—onceourbodiesarewell-nourishedwithfood—ifwethenlistentoasermonorsitinmeditation,tendtogetdrowsybecausewe’retoowellnourished.Ifwesitforalongtime,wefeeluncomfortable.Ifwelistentoasermon,wedon’tknowwhat’sbeingsaid,becausewe’resleepy.Thisruinsourchancetodogood.Peoplewhoaretoowellnourishedtendtogetlazy,sloppy,andaddictedtopleasure.Iftheysitinmeditation,theytendtogetnumb,tired,anddrowsy.

Thisiswhywe’retaughttoobservetheeightuposathapreceptsasamiddlepath.Weeatonlyduringhalfoftheday,onlyhalffull.That’senough.Thisiscalledhavingasenseofmoderationwithregardtofood.Wedon’thavetoloaduporcompensateformissingtheeveningmeal.Weeatjustenough.‘Iabstainfromeatingatthewrongtime’:Afternoonwedon’thavetoturntoanothermeal,sothattheheart

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won’tturnaftertheworld.Thisislikegivingjustenoughfertilizertoourtree.‘Iabstainfromdancing,singingandornamentingthebody’:TheBuddha

doesn’thaveusbeautifythebodywithcosmeticsandperfumes,orornamentitwithjewelry.Thisislikegivingourtreejusttherightamountofwater.Don’tletthesoilgetwater-logged.Otherwisetherootswillrot.Inotherwords,ifwegetattachedtoscentsandtobeautyofthissort,it’llmakeussoinfatuatedthatourvirtuewillsuffer.Thisisliketakingscrapsoffoodandpouringthemaroundthefootofourtree.Dogswillcometotrampleoverthetree,chickenswillpeckattheleavesandflowers,andfireantswilleatintotheroots,causingourtreetowitherordie.Allsortsofcomplicationswillcometohassleus.

‘Iabstainfromhighandlargebeds’:Whenweliedowntosleep,theBuddhadoesn’thaveususesoftmattressesorcushionsthataretoocomfortable,becauseifwehavealotofcomfortwe’llsleepalotandnotwanttogetuptodogood.Theresultsofourconcentrationpracticewillbemeager,andourlazinesswillgrowrampant.Thisislikecaterpillarsandwormsthatburrowthroughoutthesoil:They’llkeepwhisperingtous,teachingusallsortsofthingsuntilultimatelytheytellustostopdoinggood—andsowestop.Thisislikeinsectscrawlingupfromthegroundandeatingintoourtree,climbinghigherandhigherupuntiltheyreachthetiptopbranches:themind.Ultimately,whentheyeatthetipsofthebranches,thetreewon’tbearflowers.Whenithasnoflowers,itwon’tbearfruit.Inthesameway,ifwelackasenseofmoderationincaringforourself,wewon’tbepracticingrightlivelihood.Ifwedon’thaveapropersenseofhowtonourishandcareforthebody,ourconductwillhavetodegenerate.Butifwehaveapropersenseofhowtonourishandcareforthebody,ourconductwillhavetodevelopinthedirectionofpurity,andthemindwillhavetodevelopalongwithit,stepbystep.

***

Theworldhasitshighsandlows,itsgoodandevil,andwe’rejustliketheworld.Ourbody—nomatterhowmuchwecareforittomakeitstrongandhealthy,beautifulandcomfortable—willhavetobegoodinsomewaysandtomalfunctioninothers.What’simportantisthatwedon’tletthemindmalfunction.Don’tletitgobranchingoutafteritsvariouspreoccupations.Ifweletthemindgoaroundthinkinggoodandevilinlinewithitspreoccupations,itwon’tbeabletoadvancetoahigherlevel.Sowehavetomakeourtreehaveasingletip:Wehavetocenterthemindfirmlyinasinglepreoccupation.Don’tletyourmoodsholdswayoverthemind.Wehavetocutoffthemindfromitspreoccupationswithsights,sounds,smells,tastes,andtactilesensations,leavingonlyasinglementalpreoccupation.Letapreoccupationwithwhat’sgoodandworthwhileariseinthemind.Don’tletanyoftheformsofmentalcorruptionarise.

Mentalcorruptionmeans(1)greedforsights,sounds,smells,tastes,etc.;(2)ill

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will—focusingonthismatterorthatpersonasbad,andgoingfromtheretoadesireforretribution,leadingtoaconfrontationortoviolence;(3)wrongviews—seeingthatdoinggooddoesn’tleadtogoodresults;forexample,seeingthatbeinggenerous,observingtheprecepts,orpracticingmeditationdoesn’tmakeapersonrichorhappy,sothatwestopdoinggood.Wehavetoridtheheartofthesethreeformsofmentalcorruption.Whentheheartisfreedfromcorruption,itwillhavetoentermentalrectitude,becomingaworthwhilemind,pursuingrightaction:inotherwords,meditation.

Inpracticingmeditation,wereallyhavetobetrueinourworkifwewantresults.Wehavetobetrueinourbody,trueinourspeech,trueinourheart.Ourbodyhastositstraightandunmovinginahalf-lotusposition.Ourspeechhastobesilent,notsayingathing.Ourhearthastobesetstraightandstill,notflittingoutafterallusionstopastorfuture.Ifwecanbetrueinourworkinthisway,we’llhavetosucceedandseeresults.Ifwe’reslipshodanddesultory,ourworkwon’tsucceed.Thisiswhywe’retaught,

anākulācakammantāetam-maṅgalam-uttamaṁ:‘Activitiesnotleftunfinishedareasupremegoodomen.’

Inpracticingmeditation,themindiswhatgivestheorders.Inotherwords,weshouldhaveabaseoraframeofreference,contemplatingthebreathsothatitbecomesrefined—becausethemorerefinedsomethingis,thehigheritsvalue.Ourbreathsensationsareoffivesorts:

(1)Thefirstarethebreathsensationsthatflowfromtheheaddowntothetipsofourfeet.(2)Thesecondarethosethatflowfromthetipsofthefeettothehead.Thesetwosortstaketurnsrunningbackandforthlikearopeoverapulleythatwepullupanddown.

(3)Thethirdsortarethebreathsensationsthatflowthroughoutthebody.Thesearethesensationsthathelpventilatethebody,receivingourguests—thebreathpermeatinginthroughtheskin—andexpellingtheinnerbreath,keepingthepure,beneficialbreathinthebodyandexpellingtheharmfulbreathoutthroughthepores.

(4)Thefourthsortisthebreathintheupperabdomen,guardingbetweentheheart,lungs,andliverontheonehand,andthestomachandintestinesontheother.Itsupportstheupperorganssothattheydon’tpressdownontheloweronesandkeepsthelowerorgansdownsothattheydon’tpushupandcrowdtheupperones.Thissortofbreathwehavetoobserveinordertoseeinwhatwayit’sheavyontheleftorrightside.

(5)Thefifthsortarethebreathsensationsflowingintheintestines,helpingtowarmthefiresofdigestion,justasifweweresteamingfishorotherfoodstokeepthemfromspoiling.Whenourfoodiscooked,itcanbeofuse—likethesteam

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condensingonthelidofapot—toenrichthebloodthatnourishesthevariouspartsofthebody.Whicheverkindofnourishmentshouldbecomehair,nails,teeth,skin,etc.,thebloodsendstothoseparts.

Thesebreathsensationsarealwaysflowinginwavesthroughtheintestinestodispersetheheatofdigestion.Whenweeat,it’slikeputtingfoodinapotonthestoveandthenclosingthelid.Ifthere’snoventilationinthepotatall,andwesimplyaddfire,itwon’tbelongbeforeourstomachiswreckedandourintestinesruined,becausewe’veclosedthelidsotightlythatnoaircanpassinorout,untiltheheatbecomestoostrongandburnsourfoodtoacrisp.Ourbodywon’tgetanybenefitfromit.Ontheotherhand,iftheheatistoolow,ourfoodwon’tcookthrough.It’llspoil,we’llgetanupsetstomach,andagainourbodywon’tgetanybenefit.Thesesortsofbreathsensationshelpkeepourdigestivefiresjustrightforthebody.

Ifwelookatthesefivesortsofbreathsensationsinthecorrectway,we’resuretoreaptwosortsofresults:(1)Intermsofthebody,thoseofuswithmanydiseaseswillhavefewerdiseases;thoseofuswithfewdiseasesmayrecovercompletely.Diseasesthathaven’tyetarisenwillhaveahardtimearising.(2)Intermsofthemind,we’llbecomecontented,happy,andrefreshed.Atthesametime,meditationcanhelpfreeusfrombadkammabecauseunskillfulmentalstateswon’thaveachancetoinfiltratethemind.Ourlifewillbelong,ourbodyhealthy.Ifwekeepdevelopingourmeditationtohigherandhigherlevels,thefourproperties(dhātu)ofthebodywillbecomeclearandpure.

***

Ifwepracticemeditationbykeepingthebreathinminduntilthebreathisrefinedandthemindisrefined,thebreathsettlesdowntoastopandthemindsettlesdowntobestill,thenwe’llbeabletoseeourbodyandmindclearly.Thebodyandmindwillseparatefromeachother,eachexistingindependently—justaswhenoutsidersdon’tcomeenteringinandinsidersdon’tgoout.Awarenesswillarisewithinusastohowthebodyisfunctioning,howthemindisfunctioning.Howhasourbodycomeintobeing?We’llknow.Andwherewillitgofromhere?We’llknowwhereitcamefrom,whereit’sgoing—we’llknowitcompletely.Whatactionswedidinourpastlivesthatcausedustobeborninthisstate,we’llknow.Thisiscalledknowledgeofpastlives.

2.Thepeopleandotherlivingbeingswho’vebeenourparents,brothers,sisters,relatives,andfriends:Wherehavetheycomefrom?Whentheydie,whatsortsofpleasuresandpainswilltheymeetwith?Andwhere?Wemightbeabletomakecontactwiththemandsendstreamsofmentalenergytohelpthem.Thisiscalledknowledgeofdeathandrebirth.

3.We’llseethatthebodyandmindareinconstant,stressful,andnot-self,tothe

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pointwherewebecomedisenchantedwiththem.Thiswillcauseustoletgoofthebodyandwillfreeusfromthefettersofattachment.Thesefettersincludesuchthingsasattachmenttoworldlyphenomena(loka-dhamma):Whenweletourselvesgetpleasedwithgain,status,pleasure,andpraise,it’snodifferentfromtheKingofDeathtyingourhandsuptight.Thenwhenhegivesasinglelashwithhiswhip—i.e.,wesufferloss,disgrace,pain,andcensure—wecometumblingrightdown.

Anotherkindoffetterisself-identification—attachmenttothebody,seeingitas‘us’orasanentity,whichgivesrisetomisconceptions.Anotherfetterisuncertainty—doubtsandhesitation,runningbackandforth,notknowingwhichwaytogoandendingupspinningaroundalongwiththeworld.

Onceweknowthewaysofthebodyandmind,we’llbereleasedfromthesefetters.Themindwillgainreleasefromthebodyandshedthefermentationsofdefilement.Thisiscalledknowledgeoftheendofmentalfermentation.ThemindwillgainliberatinginsightandflowintothecurrentofDhammaleadingultimatelytonibbāna.

Whenwestopspinningalongwiththeworld,we’llbeabletoseetheworld—ourbody—clearly.Oncethemindstops,wecanthenseethebody.Forthisreason,weshouldslowdownthespinningofthebodybydistillingandfilteringitsproperties,makingthemmoreandmorerefined;slowdownthespinningofourwordsbykeepingsilent;andslowdownthespinningofthemind,makingitfirmandstillbycenteringitinconcentration,thinkingaboutandevaluatingthebreath.Whenthemindstopsspinningafteritsvariousconceptsandpreoccupations,ourwordsandbodywillstopalongwithit.Wheneachonehasstopped,wecanseethemallclearly.Themindwillknowtheaffairsofthebodythroughandthrough,givingrisetoliberatinginsightthatwillslowdownthespinningofthewheelofrebirth.Ourbirthswillbecomelessandlessuntilultimatelywewon’thavetocomebacktoliveinaworldeveragain.

***

Topracticemeditationisonesortoffoodfortheheart.Foodforthebodyisn’tanythinglasting.Weeatinthemorningandarehungrybynoon.Weeatatnoonandarehungryagainintheevening.Ifwe’refulltoday,tomorrowmorningwe’llbehungryagain.Wekeepeatinganddefecatinglikethis,andthedaywillnevercomewhenwe’vehadenough.We’llhavetokeeplookingformoreandmorethingstoeat.Asforfoodfortheheart,ifweprepareitreallywell,evenforalittlespaceoftime,we’llbefullfortherestofourlife.

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Mental Power, StepbyStep

July26,1956

Trytobemindfulasyoukeeptrackofthebreathgoinginandout.Don’tletyourselfforgetorbedistracted.Trytoletgoofallconceptsofpastorfuture.Silentlyrepeat‘buddho’inyourmind—‘bud-’inwitheveryin-breath,and‘dho’outwitheveryout—untilthemindsettlesdownandisstill.Thenyoucanstopyourmentalrepetitionandbeginobservingthein-and-outbreathtoseehowfastorslow,longorshort,heavyorlight,broadornarrow,crudeorsubtleitis.Stickwithwhicheverwayofbreathingiscomfortable.Adjustwhicheverwayofbreathingisn’tcomfortableoreasyuntilit’sjustright,usingyourowndiscrimination—dhamma-vicaya-sambojjhaṅga—asyourstandardofjudgment.(Whenyou’remakingadjustmentsinthisway,youdon’thavetodoanymentalrepetition.Youcanlet‘buddho’go.)

Youhavetokeepaneyeonyourmindtomakesurethatitdoesn’twander,waver,orflyoutafteranyexternalconcepts.Keepthemindstill,equanimousandunconcerned,asiftherewereonlyyousittingaloneintheworld.Letthebreathspreadthroughouteverypartofthebody,fromtheheadtothetipsofthefingersandtoes,infront,inback,inthemiddleofthestomach,allthewaythroughtheintestines,alongthebloodvessels,andoutthrougheverypore.Breathelonganddeepuntilthebodyfeelsfull.Thebodywillfeellight,openandspacious,justlikeaspongefullofwater:Whenwesqueezethewaterout,itallcomesouteasilywithoutanyinterference.

Atthispoint,thebodywillfeellightandatease.Themindwillfeelascoolasthewaterthatpermeatesthesoil,seepingintotherootsoftrees,keepingthemnourishedandfresh.Themindwillbesetstraightandupright,notleaningtotheleftorright,forwardorback.Inotherwords,itdoesn’tstretchouttoanyconceptsoroutsidepreoccupationsatall.

Conceptslieattheessenceofmentalfabrication.Themindthinksofmatterseitherpastorfuture,andthenstartselaboratingonthemasgoodorbad,likingordislikingthem.Ifweseethemasgood,wegetpleasedandtakenwiththem:Thisisdelusion.Ifweseethemasbad,wegetdispleased,whichcloudsanddefilesthemind,makingitirritated,restlessandannoyed:Thisisillwill.Thethingsthatgiverisetounrestanddisturbanceinthemindareallclassedashindrances(nīvaraṇa)

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—fabricationsthatfashionthemind,destroyingwhateverisgoodinourpracticeofconcentration.Sowehavetodoawaywiththemall.

Mentalfabrications,ifwethinkintermsoftheworld,areworld-fabrications.Ifwethinkintermsofdhamma,they’redhamma-fabrications.Bothsortscomefromavijjā,unawareness.Ifthisunawarenessdisbands,awarenesswillariseinitsstead.Sowehavetotrytoincreasethestrengthofourconcentrationtothepointwherefabricationsdisband—andatthatpoint,unawarenesswilldisbandaswell,leavingonlyawareness.

Thisawarenessisidenticalwithdiscernment,butit’sadiscernmentthatarisesfromwithin.Itdoesn’tcomefromanythingourteachershavetaughtus.Itcomesfromthestillnessofmindfocusedoneventsinthepresent.It’sanawarenessthat’sveryprofound,butit’sstillmundane—nottranscendent—discernment,becauseitcomesfromlabelsandconcepts.It’sstilltiedupwithaffairsofbeingandbirth.

Perhapswemaybecomeawareofmattersofthepast,knowingandseeingthestatesofbeingandbirthwe’vebeenthrough.Thisiscalledknowledgeofpastlives.Perhapswemaybecomeawareofthefuture,knowingtheaffairsofotherpeople,howtheydieandarereborn.Thisiscalledknowledgeofdeathandrebirth.Boththeseformsofknowledgestillhaveattachmentinfiltratingthem,causingthemindtowaverinlinewithitslikesanddislikes.Thisiswhatcorruptsourinsight.

Somepeople,whentheylearnofthegoodstatesofbeingandbirthintheirpast,getengrossed,pleased,andelatedwiththevariousthingstheysee.Iftheymeetupwiththingsthataren’tsogood,theyfeeldisgruntledorupset.Thisissimplybecausethemindstillhasattachmenttoitsstatesofbeingandbirth.Tolikethethingsthatstrikeusasgoodorsatisfyingisindulgenceinpleasure.Todislikethethingsthatstrikeusasbadordissatisfyingisself-affliction.Bothoftheseattitudesareclassedaswrongpathsthatdeviatefromtherightpath,orrightview.

Mattersofthepastorfuture,eveniftheydealwiththeDhamma,arestillfabrications,andsoarewideofthemark.Thusthenextstepistousethepowerofourconcentrationtomakethemindevenstronger,tothepointwhereitcansnuffoutthesemundaneformsofdiscernment.Themindwillthenprogresstotranscendentdiscernment—ahigherformofdiscernment,anawarenessthatcanbeusedtofreethemindfromattachment—rightmindfulness,therightpath.Eventhoughwemaylearngoodorbadthingsaboutourselforothers,wedon’tbecomepleasedorupset.Wefeelnothingbutdisenchantment,disinclination,anddismayoverthewaylivingbeingsintheworldarebornanddie.Weseeitassomethingmeaningless,withoutanysubstance.We’rethroughwithfeelingsoflikinganddisliking.We’verunoutofattachmentforourselfandeverythingelse.Themindhasmoderation.It’sneutral.Even.Thisiscalledsix-factoredequanimity(chalaṅg’ūpekkhā).Weletgoofthethingsthathappen,thatweknoworsee,lettingthemfollowtheirownregularcourse

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withoutourfeelingcaughtupinthem.Themindwillthenmoveuptoliberatinginsight.

Atthispoint,makeyourstrengthofmindevenmorepowerful,tothepointwhereitisfreedfromattachmenteventotherealizationsithascometo.Knowingissimplyknowing;seeingissimplyseeing.Keepthemindassomethingseparate.Don’tletitflowoutafteritsknowing.Weknow,andthenleaveitatthat.Wesee,andthenleaveitatthat.Wedon’tlatchontothesethingsasbeingours.Themindwillthengainfullpowerandgrowstillofitsownaccord—notinvolved,notdependentonanythingatall.

Fabricationsdisappearcompletely,leavingjustapureconditionofdhamma:emptiness.Thisisthephenomenonofnon-fabrication.Release.Themindisfreefromtheworld—exclusivelywithinthecurrentoftheDhamma,withoutgoingupordown,forwardorback,progressingorregressing.Themindisastakedrivenfirmlyinplace.Justaswhenatreeisattachedtoastakebyarope:Whenthetreeiscutdown,theropesnapsintwo,butthestakestaysput.Themindstaysput,unaffectedbyanyobjectsorpreoccupations.Thisisthemindofanobledisciple,apersonfreefromthefermentationsofdefilement.

Whoevertrainshisorherheartinlinewithwhathasbeenmentionedherewillmeetwithsecurity,contentment,andpeace,freefromeverysortoftroubleorstress.Whatwehavediscussedbrieflyhereisenoughtobeusedasaguideinthepracticeoftrainingthemindtogainreleasefromsufferingandstressinthislifetime.Totakeaninterestinthesethingswillbetoouradvantageinthetimestocome.

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Observe&Evaluate

July24,1956

Infixingourattentiononthebreath,theimportantpointistouseourpowersofobservationandevaluationandtogainasenseofhowtoalterandadjustthebreathsothatwecankeepitgoingjustright.Onlythenwillwegetresultsthatareagreeabletobodyandmind.Observehowthebreathrunsalongitsentirelength,fromthetipofthenoseondown,pasttheAdam’sapple,windpipe,heart,lungs,downtothestomachandintestines.Observeitasitgoesfromthehead,downpastyourshoulders,ribs,spine,andtailbone.Observethebreathgoingouttheendsofyourfingersandtoes,andouttheentirebodythrougheverypore.ImaginethatyourbodyislikeacandleoraColemanlantern.Thebreathisthemantleofthelantern;mindfulness,thefuelthatgivesofflight.Yourbody,fromtheskeletonouttotheskin,islikethewaxofthecandlesurroundingthewick.Wehavetotrymakethemindbrightandradiantlikeacandleifwewanttogetgoodresults.

***

Everythingintheworldhasitspair:There’sdarkandsotherehastobebright.There’sthesunandthere’sthemoon.There’sappearingandthere’sdisappearing.Therearecausesandthereareresults.Thus,indealingwiththebreath,themindisthecause,andmindfulnesstheresult.Inotherwords,themindiswhatacts,mindfulnessiswhatknows,somindfulnessistheresultofthemind.Asforthepropertiesofthebody—earth,water,fire,andwind—thebreathisthecause.Whenthemindmakesthecausegood,thephysicalresultisthatallthepropertiesbecomeradiant.Thebodyiscomfortable.Strong.Freefromdisease.Theresultsthatarisebywayofthebodyandmindarecausedbytheactofadjusting.Theresultisthatwenoticeandobserve.

Whenwesitandmeditate,wehavetoobservethebreathasitgoesinandouttoseewhatitfeelslikeasitcomesin,howitmovesorexertspressureonthedifferentpartsofthebody,andinwhatwaysitgivesrisetoasenseofcomfort.Isbreathinginlongandoutlongeasyandcomfortable,orisbreathinginshortandoutlongeasyandcomfortable?Isbreathinginfastandoutfastcomfortable,orisbreathinginslowandoutslow?Isheavybreathingcomfortable,orislightbreathingcomfortable?Wehavetouseourownpowersofobservationandevaluation,andgainasenseofhow

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tocorrect,adjust,andeasethebreathsothatit’sstable,balanced,andjustright.If,forexample,slowbreathingisuncomfortable,adjustitsothatit’sfaster.Iflongbreathingisuncomfortable,changetoshortbreathing.Ifthebreathistoogentleorweak—makingyoudrowsyoryourminddrift—breathemoreheavilyandstrongly.

ThisislikeadjustingtheairpressureonaColemanlantern.Assoonastheairandthekerosenearemixedintherightproportions,thelanternwillgiveofflightatfullstrength—whiteanddazzling—abletospreaditsradiancefar.Inthesameway,aslongasmindfulnessisfirmlyweddedtothebreath,andwehaveasenseofhowtocareforthebreathsothatit’sjustrightforthevariouspartsofthebody,themindwillbestableandone,notflyingoutafteranythoughtsorconcepts.Itwilldevelopapower,aradiancecalleddiscernment—or,tocallitbyitsresult,knowledge.

Thisknowledgeisaspecialformofawarenessthatdoesn’tcomefromanythingourteachershavetaughtusoranyonehastoldus.Instead,it’saspecialformofunderstandingpraisedbytheBuddhaasrightview.Thisformofunderstandingiscoupledwithmindfulnessandalertness.Itranksasrightmindfulnessandrightconcentrationaswell.Whenamindrightlyconcentratedgainsincreasedstrength,theresultscanleadtointuitiveinsight,directrealization,purityofknowledge,andultimatelytorelease,freefromanysortofdoubt.

Themindwillbeindependent,quiet,light,andatease—self-containedlikeaflameinaglasslantern.Eventhoughinsectsmaycomeandswarmaroundthelantern,theycan’tputouttheflame;andatthesametime,theflamecan’tlickouttoburnthehandofthepersoncarryingit.Amindthathasmindfulnessconstantlywatchingoveritisboundtobeincapableofstretchingorreachingouttotakeupwithanypreoccupationsatall.Itwon’tlickoutinfrontorflickerbackbehind,andexternalpreoccupationswon’tbeabletocomebargingintotheheart.Oureyes—theeyesofourdiscernment—willbeclearandfar-seeing,justasifweweresittingintheintersticesofanet,abletoseeclearlyinwhicheverdirectionwelooked.

***

Whatdoesdiscernmentcomefrom?Youmightcompareitwithlearningtobecomeapotter,atailor,orabasketweaver.Theteacherwillstartoutbytellingyouhowtomakeapot,sewashirtorapairofpants,orweavedifferentpatterns,buttheproportionsandbeautyoftheobjectyoumakewillhavetodependonyourownpowersofobservation.Supposeyouweaveabasketandthentakeagoodlookatitsproportions,toseeifit’stooshortortootall.Ifit’stooshort,weaveanotherone,alittletaller,andthentakeagoodlookatittoseeifthere’sanythingthatstillneedsimproving,toseeifit’stoothinortoofat.Thenweaveanotherone,better-lookingthanthelast.Keepthisupuntilyouhaveonethat’sasbeautifulandwell-proportionedaspossible,onewithnothingtocriticizefromanyangle.Thislastbasketyoucantakeasyourstandard.Youcannowsetyourselfupinbusiness.

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Whatyou’vedoneistolearnfromyourownactions.Asforyourpreviousefforts,youneedn’tconcernyourselfwiththemanylonger.Throwthemout.Thisisasenseofdiscernmentthatarisesofitsownaccord,aningenuityandsenseofjudgmentthatcomenotfromanythingyourteachershavetaughtyou,butfromobservingandevaluatingonyourowntheobjectthatyouyourselfhavemade.

Thesameholdstrueinpracticingmeditation.Fordiscernmenttoarise,youhavetobeobservantasyoukeeptrackofthebreathandtogainasenseofhowtoadjustandimproveitsothatit’swell-proportionedthroughoutthebody—tothepointwhereitflowsevenlywithoutfaltering,sothatit’scomfortableinslowandoutslow,infastandoutfast,long,short,heavy,orrefined.Getsothatboththein-breathandtheout-breatharecomfortablenomatterwhatwayyoubreathe,sothat—nomatterwhen—youimmediatelyfeelasenseofeasethemomentyoufocusonthebreath.Whenyoucandothis,physicalresultswillappear:asenseofeaseandlightness,openandspacious.Thebodywillbestrong,thebreathandbloodwillflowunobstructedandwon’tformanopeningfordiseasetostepin.Thebodywillbehealthyandawake.

Asforthemind,whenmindfulnessandalertnessarethecauses,astillmindistheresult.Whennegligenceisthecause,aminddistractedandrestlessistheresult.Sowemusttrytomakethecausesgood,inordertogiverisetothegoodresultswe’vereferredto.Ifweuseourpowersofobservationandevaluationincaringforthebreath,andareconstantlycorrectingandimprovingit,we’lldevelopawarenessonourown,thefruitofhavingdevelopedourconcentrationhigherstepbystep.

***

Whenthemindisfocusedwithfullcircumspection,itcanletgoofconceptsofthepast.Itseesthetruenatureofitsoldpreoccupations,thatthere’snothinglastingorcertainaboutthem.Asforthefuturelyingaheadofus,it’slikehavingtosailasmallboatacrossthegreatwidesea:Thereareboundtobedangersonallsides.Sothemindletsgoofconceptsofthefutureandcomesintothepresent,seeingandknowingthepresent.

Themindstandsfirmanddoesn’tsway.Unawarenessfallsaway.

Knowledgearisesforaninstantandthendisappears,sothatyoucanknowthatthereinthepresentisavoid.

Avoid.

Youdon’tlatchontoworld-fabricationsofthepast,world-fabricationsofthefuture,ordhamma-fabricationsofthepresent.Fabricationsdisappear.Avijjā—

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counterfeit,untrueawareness—disappears.‘True’disappears.Allthatremainsisawareness:‘buddha…buddha…’

Bodilyfabrication,i.e.,thebreath;verbalfabrication,i.e.,thoughtsthatformulatewords;andmentalfabrication,i.e.,thinking,alldisappear.Butawarenessdoesn’tdisappear.Whenbodilyfabricationmoves,you’reawareofit.Whenverbalfabricationmoves,you’reawareofit.Whenmentalfabricationmoves,you’reawareofit,butawarenessisn’tattachedtoanythingitknows.Inotherwords,nofabricationscanaffectit.There’ssimplyawareness.Atathought,themindappears,fabricationsappear.Ifyouwanttousethem,theretheyare.Ifnot,theydisappearontheirown,bytheirverynature.Awarenessisaboveeverythingelse.Thisisrelease.

Meditatorshavetoreachthissortofawarenessifthey’retogetgoodresults.Intrainingthemind,thisisallthereis.Complicationsarealotoffussandbother,andtendtobogdownwithoutevergettingtotherealpoint.

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TheRef inements of theBreath

August3,1956

Whenwesitinmeditation,theimportantpointistobeobservantofthelevelsofthebreath.Thebreathinthebodyhasthreelevels:common,refined,andprofound.

1.Thecommonbreathisthebreathwebreatheintothebody.Itcomesintwosorts.(a)Thatwhichismixedwithimpureorpollutedair:Whenitgoesintothelungs,itdoesn’tallcomeout.Thedregshangoninthebody.Andwhenthesedregsmixwiththebloodintheheart,theycancausethebloodtobeharmfultothebody,givingrisetodiseases.Butthesediseasesdon’tneedtobetreatedwithmedicine.Ifwetreatthemusingthebreath,they’llgoaway.(b)Theothersortofcommonbreathisthatwhichisbeneficial—thebreathmixedwithpureair.Whenitmixeswiththebloodintheheart,it’sbeneficialtothebody.

2.Therefinedbreathisgentleandsoft.It’sthedelicatebreathsensationsderivedfromthein-and-outbreaththatpermeatebetweenthebloodvesselsandnerves.Thisbreathiswhatgivesrisetooursenseoffeelingthroughoutthebody.

3.Theprofoundbreathliesdeeperthantherefinedbreath.It’scool,spacious,empty,andwhite.

Therefinedbreaththatspreadstonourishthebodyistheimportantlevelofbreathtouseasabasisforobservingallthreelevelsofthebreath.Whenthisrefinedbreathisspreadfullythroughouteverypartofthebody,thebodywillfeellight,empty,andquiet—butwe’restillmindfulandalert.Themindisstableandsoisthesenseofthebody.Whenthisisthecase,we’reconstantlymindfulandalert.Atthispoint,abrightlightwillappearinoursensationofthebreath.Eventhoughoureyesareclosed,it’sasiftheywereopen.We’llfeelasifthebreathinourbodyhadawhiteglow,likethemantleofaColemanlanternbathedwithlight.Thisistheprofoundbreath.Themindbecomessereneandstill;thebodybecomessereneandstill.

Themindatthispointissaidtobeinrightconcentration,whichcanleadtoliberatinginsight.Liberatinginsightcancutawayallconceptsdealingwithpastandfuture.Inotherwords,themindiscontenttostaywiththeprofoundbreath,thespaciousandemptybreath.Aslongasthemindhasn’tpenetratedtothislevelofthebreath,itisn’tfreefromhindrances.Itdoesn’tgiverisetodiscernment;ithasnotrue

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awareness.Butwhentheawarenessthatcomesfromstillnessgainspower,itgivesrisetostrengthandlight.Themindandbreatharebothbright.Wheneveryaspectofthebreathisequallystrong,theprofoundbreathbecomesapparent:quietandsmooth,freefromwaves,motionlessandresilient.Thebreathatthispointisn’taffectedbythein-and-outbreath.Thebodyisquiet,withnofeelingsofpain.Itfeelsbuoyant,saturated,andfull,likethemantleofaColemanlantern:There’snoneedtopump,there’snosound,theairinsideseemsstill,andyetthelightisdazzling.Allthat’sneededisthevaporofthekerosene,andthelanternwillgiveofflight.

Thebodyisquiet,withnoupsordowns,highsorlows.Whenthebreathissmoothandlevelinthisway,itmakesthebodyfeellight,empty,andquiet.Thisiscalledkāya-passaddhi:physicalserenity.Themind,whichstayswiththequietbody,istermedcitta-passaddhi:aserenemind.Whenthemindstayswiththisstillness,itbecomesbright.Thisbrightnesscomesfromthemind’sbeingfirmlycentered.Whenthemindisfirmlycentered,itleadstoinsight.

Wheninsightarises,wecanbeawareonthelevelofphysicalsensations(rūpa)andmentalacts(nāma)thatarisefromthein-and-outbreath.We’reawareofthecommonbreath,therefinedbreath,andtheprofoundbreath.Wecankeeptabsonallthreelevelsofthebreath.Whenourawarenessreachesthispoint,wecanbesaidtoknowthebreath,ortoknowsensation.Thenweobservehowthesethingsaffectthemind.Thisiscalledknowingmentalacts.Oncewecanknowbothsensationandmentalacts,we’llknow:‘Thisistrueawareness.Thisishowtrueawarenessgoesaboutknowing.’Aslongaswecan’tmakethemindbehaveinthisway,wecan’tknow.Andwhenwecan’tknow,that’savijjā,unawareness.

Unawarenessisdarkness.Thecommonbreathisdark,therefinedbreathisdark,theprofoundbreathisdark.Howharmfulthisdarknessisforthebodyandmind,wedon’tknow:moredarkness.Unawareness.UnawarenessislikeputtingtaroilinaColemanlantern.Avijjāhasallthebadfeaturesoftaroil.Itgivesrisetonothingbuttrouble—darkness—forotherpeople,atthesametimebeingdestructivetoourownheartandmind,justasafirefedwithtaroilwillgiveoffnothingbutblacksmoke.Themoretaroilwefeedit,theblackerthesmoke—andthenwegoaroundthinkingthatourblacksmokeissomethingspecial,butactuallyit’sunawareness,i.e.,unawareofthefactthatit’sunawareness.Sowegetmoreandmorewrappedupinourunawarenessuntilwe’recoveredthickwithsoot.

Sootisaformoffilththatgivesrisetoharm.Whenafiregivesoffblacksmoke,itslightisbad,thefireisbad,thesmokeisbad.Badsmokeisthenatureofunawareness;andbecauseit’sbad,theknowledgeitgivesrisetoisbad,theresultsitgivesrisetoarebad.Theseareallthingsthatgiverisetosufferingandstress.Thisisthesortofharmthatcomesfromunawareness.

Theharmcausedbyunawarenessislikeawood-fire.Awood-firemakesus

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sweatand—asifthatweren’tenough—itslightisredandfiercelikethelightofthesun.Whateverit’sfocusedonwillgoupinflames.Anyplaceawood-fireburnsforalongtimewillbecomeblackwithsoot,inthesamewaythatapersonwhobuildsawood-firegetshimselfalldirty.Hisfaceandarmsgetblack,hisclothesgetblack,butbecauseheseesthisblacknessashisown,hedoesn’ttakeoffenceatit.Justlikeaninfectedsoreonhisbody:Nomatterhowdirtyorsmellyitmaybe,hecanstilltouchitwithoutfeelinganyrevulsion.Butifhesawthesamesoreonsomeoneelse,he’dbesorepulsedthathecouldn’tstandtolookatitandwouldn’tevenwanttogoanywherenear.

Anyonewhosemindiswrappedupinunawarenessislikeapersoncoveredwithopensoreswhofeelsnoembarrassmentordisgustathimself.Orlikesootonourownkitchenwalls:Eventhoughweseeit,wesimplyseeit,withoutanysensethatit’sugly,disgusting,orembarrassing.Butifwesawitinsomeoneelse’skitchen,we’dwanttorunaway.

Unawarenessiswhatkillspeople.Unawarenessisatrap.Butordinarilyatrapcancatchonlydull-wittedanimals.Sharp-wittedanimalsusuallydon’tletthemselvesgetcaught.Ifwe’restupid,unawarenesswillcatchusandeatusallup.Ifweliveundertheswayofignorance—ifwearen’tacquaintedwiththethreelevelsofbreathinthebody—we’llhavetoreapharm.Toknowthem,though,istohaverightmindfulness.We’llknowthecausesofouractionsandtheirresults.Toknowthisistobemindfulandalert.Ourbodyandactionswillbecleartous,likeafirethat’sbrightinandofitself.Wheredoesitsbrightnesscomefrom?Fromtheenergyinthekerosene.Soitiswiththeprofoundbreath.It’squietinthebody,likeaColemanlanternglowingdazzlinglybright:It’squiet,asifnoairhadbeenpumpedintoitatall.

Thisiskāya-passaddhi,physicalserenity.Asforthemind,it’scrystalclearallaround.Andliketheglowcomingoffthemantleofthelantern,it’sofusetopeopleandotherlivingbeings.Thisiswhat’smeantby‘pabhassaramidaṁcittaṁ’—themindisradiant.Whenwecankeepthemindpureinthisway,itgainsthepowertoseewhatliesdeeperstill—butasofyetwecan’tknowclearly.We’llhavetomakeourstrengthofmindevenmorepowerfulthanthis:That’svipassanā,clear-seeinginsight.

Whenvipassanāarises,it’sasifweputkerosenedirectlyonthemantleofalantern:Thefirewillflameupinstantly;thelightwilldazzleinasingleflash.Theconceptsthatlabelsensationswilldisappear;theconceptsthatlabelmentalactswilldisappear.Alllabelingandnamingofthingswilldisappearinasinglementalinstant.Sensationsarestillthere,asalways;mentalactsarestillthere,asalways,butthelabelsthattakeholdofthemarecut,justlikeatelegraphline:Thetransmitteristhere,thereceiveristhere,thelineisthere,butthere’snoconnection—thecurrent

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isn’trunning.Whoeverwantstosendamessagecangoaheadandtry,buteverythingisquiet.Soitiswiththeheart:Whenwecutthroughlabelsandconcepts,thennomatterwhatanyonemaysaytous,theheartisquiet.

Thisisvipassanā,anawarenessbeyondtheswayofunawareness,freefromclingingandattachment.Themindrisestothetranscendent,releasedfromthisworld.Itdwellsina‘world’higherthantheordinaryworlds,higherthanthehumanworld,theheavenlyandtheBrahmaworlds.Thisiswhy,whentheBuddhagainedtheknowledgeofunsurpassedrightself-awakening,atremorwentthroughtheentirecosmos,fromthelowestreachesofhellupthroughthehumanworldtotheworldsoftheBrahmas.Why?BecausehismindhadgainedfullpowersothatitcouldpartitswayupabovetheBrahmaworlds.

Forthisreason,weshouldreflectonthecommonbreathwe’rebreathingrightnow.Itgivesrisetobenefitsmixedwithharm.Therefinedbreathnourishesthebloodvesselsandnerves.Theprofoundbreathadjuststhebreathsensationsthroughoutthebodysothatthebreathisself-sufficientinitsownaffairs.Theearthproperty,thefireproperty,andthewaterpropertyallbecomeself-sufficientintheirownaffairs.Andwhenallfourpropertiesareself-sufficient,theybecomeequalandbalanced,sothere’snoturmoilinthebody.Themindisself-sufficient,thebodyisself-sufficient,andwecanstopworryingaboutthem,justlikeachildwe’veraisedtomaturity.Thebodyandmindeachbecomematureandindependentintheirownaffairs.

Thisistermedpaccattaṁ:Weseeonourownandbecomeresponsibleforourselves.Sandiṭṭhiko:Wecanseeclearlyforourselves.Akāliko:Nomatterwhen,assoonaswereflectonthethreelevelsofthebreathweimmediatelygaincomfortandease.Tospeakinlegalterms,we’vecomeofage.We’renolongerminorsandhavefullrightstoourparents’legacyinaccordancewiththelaw.Tospeakintermsofthemonasticdiscipline,wenolongerhavetostayunderourteachersbecausewe’refullyabletolookafterourselves.AndtospeakintermsoftheDhamma,wenolongerhavetodependonteachersortexts.

WhatI’vebeensayinghereisaimedatgivingusasenseofhowtoapplyourpowersofobservationtothethreelevelsofthebreath.Weshouldattendtothemuntilwegainunderstanding.Ifwe’reobservantinkeepingtabsonthethreelevelsofthebreathatalltimes,we’llreapresults—easeofbodyandmind—likeanemployerwhoconstantlykeepstabsontheworkersinhisfactory.Theworkerswon’thaveachancetoshirktheirdutiesandwillhavetosettheirmindsondoingtheirworkasthey’resupposedto.Theresultisthatourworkissuretobefinishedquickly,ortomakesteadyprogress.

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TheDirect Path

September14,1956

Whenyoufixyourattentiononthebreath,youmusttrytocutawayalloutsidepreoccupations.Otherwise,ifyouletyourselfbedistracted,youwon’tbeabletoobservethesubtletiesofthebreathandmind.

Thebreathenergyinthebodycanbedividedintothreeparts:oneintheheartandlungs,anotherinthestomachandintestines,andathirdinthebloodvesselsthroughoutthebody.Allthreearebreathsthatarealwaysmoving;butthere’sanotherbreath—astillbreath,lightandempty—centeredinthediaphragm,betweentheheartandlungsontheonehandandthestomachandintestinesontheother.Thisbreathismotionless,unlikethebreathdistilledintheheartandlungs.Itexertsnopressureonanypartofthebodyatall.

Asforthemovingbreath,whenitstrikesthebloodvesselsitfeelswarmorhot,andsometimescausesexcretionsinyournose.Ifthebreathispredominantoverthefireproperty,itcausesthebloodtobecool.Ifthefirepropertyispredominantoverthebreathproperty,itcausesthebloodtobehot.Ifthesepropertiesarecombinedintherightproportions,theygiverisetoafeelingofcomfortandease—relaxed,spacious,andstill—likehavinganunobstructedviewoftheopensky.Sometimesthere’safeelingofease—relaxed,spacious,butmoving:Thisiscalledpīti,orrapture.

Thebestbreathtofocusonistheempty,spaciousbreath.Tomakeuseofthebreathmeanstousewhicheverfeelingismostpredominant,aswhenyoufeelveryrelaxed,veryempty,orverycomfortable.Ifthere’safeelingofmotion,don’tuseit.Usejustthefeelingsofemptiness,relaxation,orlightness.Tousethemmeanstoexpandtheirrangesothatyoufeelemptyineverypartofthebody.Thisiscalledhavingasenseofhowtomakeuseofthefeelingsyoualreadyhave.Butinusingthesefeelings,youhavetobecompletelymindfulandalert.Otherwise,whenyoustartfeelingemptyorlight,youmightgothinkingthatyourbodyhasdisappeared.

Inlettingthesesensationsexpand,youcanletthemspreadeitheroneatatimeoralltogetheratonce.Theimportantpointisthatyoukeepthembalancedandthatyoufocusonthewholebodyallatonceasthesingleobjectofyourawareness.Thisiscalledekāyana-magga,thedirectpath.Ifyoucanmasterthis,it’slikehavinga

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whitecloththatyoucaneitherkeephiddeninyourfistorspreadoutfortwometers.Yourbody,althoughitmayweigh50kilograms,mayfeelaslightasasinglekilogram.Thisiscalledmahā-satipaṭṭhāna—thegreatframeofreference.

WhenmindfulnesssaturatesthebodythewayflamesaturateseverythreadinthemantleofaColemanlantern,theelementsthroughoutthebodyworktogetherlikeagroupofpeopleworkingtogetheronajob:Eachpersonhelpsalittlehereandthere,andinnotimeatall,almosteffortlessly,thejobisdone.JustasthemantleofaColemanlanternwhoseeverythreadissoakedinflamebecomeslight,brilliant,andwhite,inthesamewayifyousoakyourmindinmindfulnessandalertnesssothatit’sconsciousoftheentirebody,bothbodyandmindwillbecomebuoyant.Whenyouthinkusingthepowerofmindfulness,yoursenseofthebodywillimmediatelybecomethoroughlybright,helpingtodevelopbothbodyandmind.You’llbeabletositorstandforlongperiodsoftimewithoutfeelingtired,towalkforgreatdistanceswithoutgettingfatigued,togoforunusuallylongperiodsoftimeonjustalittlefoodwithoutgettinghungry,ortogowithoutfoodandsleepaltogetherforseveraldaysrunningwithoutlosingenergy.

Asfortheheart,itwillbecomepure,open,andfreefromblemish.Themindwillbecomebright,fearless,andstrong.Saddhā-balaṁ:Yoursenseofconvictionwillrunlikeacarrunningwithoutstopalongtheroad.Viriya-balaṁ:Yourpersistencewillaccelerateandadvance.Sati-balaṁ:Yourmindfulnessandalertnesswillberobust,capableofknowingbothpastandfuture.Forinstance,knowledgeofpastlivesandknowledgeofotherbeings’deathandrebirth:Thesetwokindsofintuitionareessentiallyformsofmindfulness.Onceyourmindfulnessisfullydeveloped,itcangiveyouknowledgeofpeople’spastactionsandlives.Samādhi-balaṁ:Yourconcentrationwillbecomeunwaveringandstrong.Noactivitywillbeabletokillit.Inotherwords,nomatterwhatyou’redoing—sitting,standing,talking,walking,whatever—assoonasyouthinkofpracticingconcentration,yourmindwillimmediatelybecentered.Wheneveryouwantit,justthinkofitandyou’vegotit.Whenyourconcentrationisthisstrong,insightmeditationisnoproblem.Paññā-balaṁ:Yourinsightwillbelikeadouble-edgedsword.Yourinsightintowhat’soutsidewillbesharp;yourinsightintowhat’sinsidewillbesharp.

Whenthesefivestrengthsappearintheheart,theheartwillbefullymature.‘Saddh’indrīyaṁviriy’indrīyaṁsat’indrīyaṁsamādh’indrīyaṁpaññ’indrīyaṁ’:Yourconviction,persistence,mindfulness,concentration,anddiscernmentwillbematureandpre-eminentintheirownspheres.It’sthenatureofmatureadultsthattheycooperate.Whentheyworktogetheronajob,theyfinishit.Soitiswhenyouhavethesefiveadultsworkingtogetherforyou:You’llbeabletocompleteanytask.Yourmindwillhavethepowertodemolisheverydefilementintheheart,justasanuclearbombcandemolishanythinganywhereintheworld.

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Whenyourmindhasthissortofpower,liberatinginsightwillariselikealancewithsharpedgesonallfoursidesorapowersawwhosebladehasteethallthewayaround.Thebodyislikethestandonwhichthesawrests;themindisthecircularblade:Whereveritspins,itcancutthroughwhateverisfedintoit.Thisisthenatureofliberatinginsight.

Thesearesomeoftheresultsthatcomefromknowinghowtorefinethebreathandhowtoexpandthestillbreathsothatitbenefitsbothbodyandmind.Weshouldtakethesematterstoheartandputthemintopracticeasweareable,soastoshareinthesebenefits.

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Knowledge&Vision

July,1958

Thepartsofthebodythatache,thataretense,painful,orsore—thinkofthemashoodlumsorfools.Asforthepartsthatarerelaxedandcomfortable,thinkofthemassages.Askyourself:Doyouwanttolivewithsagesorfools?

It’snotthecasethatthebodywillbepainfulineverypartallatthesametime.Sometimesourhandhurts,butourarmdoesn’thurt;ourstomachaches,butourbackdoesn’tache;ourlegshurt,butourfeetarefine;oroureyeshurt,butourheaddoesn’thurt.Whenthisisthecase,weshouldchoosetostaywiththegoodparts.Ifwetakeupcompanywithmoreandmoregoodpeople,they’llreachthepointwheretheycandriveoutallthehoodlums.Inthesameway,whenthemindisverystill,thesenseofcomfortwillbecomesogreatthatwe’llforgetaboutachesandpains.

Thebreathenergyinthebodyislikeamessenger.Whenweexpandthebreath—thisiswhat’smeantbyvicāra,orevaluation—mindfulnesswillspreadthroughoutthebody,asifitweregoingalonganelectricwire.Beingmindfulislikesendingelectricityalongawire;alertnessisliketheheatoftheelectricitythatenergizesusandwakesusup.Whenthebodyisenergized,nopainswillovercomeit.Inotherwords,wewakeupthepropertiesofearth,water,wind,andfiresothattheygettowork.Thepropertiesofthebodywillbecomestrongandhealthy,makingthebodyfeelcomfortableandwell.Thisistermedmahābhūta-rūpa.Whenthissenseofmahābhūta-rūpaisnourishedwithbreathandmindfulnessinthisway,itwillgrowandmature.Thepropertieswillgrowquietandmature,andbecomemahā-satipaṭṭhāna,thegreatframeofreference.

Thisisthresholdconcentration,orvicāra—spreadingthebreath.Incenteringthemind,wehavetoputitonthemiddlepath,cuttingawayall

thoughtsofpastandfuture.Asforworldlyphenomena—gainandloss,statusanddisgrace,praiseandcensure,pleasureandpain—nomatterhowbadtheymaybeorhowfantasticallygood,wearen’tinterested—becauseevenwhentheyreallyhavebeengood,they’veleftuslongago;andasforthegoodlyingahead,ithasn’treachedusyet.

Tofeedonmoodsthatarepastislikeeatingthingsthatotherpeoplehavespitout.Thingsthatotherpeoplehavespitout,weshouldn’tgatherupandeat.Whoever

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doesso,theBuddhasaid,islikeahungryghost.Inotherwords,themindisaslavetocraving,whichislikesaliva.Wedon’tgettoeatanyfoodandsowesitswallowingnothingbutsaliva.Themindisn’tinthemiddleway.Tothinkofthefutureislikelickingtherimoftomorrow’ssouppot,whichdoesn’tyethaveevenadropofsoup.Tothinkaboutthepastislikelickingthebottomofyesterday’ssouppotwhenthereisn’tanyleft.

ThisiswhytheBuddhabecamedisenchantedwithpastandfuture,becausethey’resoundependable.Sometimestheyputusinagoodmood,whichisindulgenceinpleasure.Sometimestheygetusinabadmood,whichisindulgenceinself-affliction.Whenyouknowthatthissortofthingisn’tthepathofthepractice,don’tgonearit.TheBuddhathustaughtustoshieldthemindsothatit’squietandstillbydevelopingconcentration.

Whenapersonlikestolickhisorherpreoccupations,ifthey’rebad,it’sreallyheavy.Ifthey’regoodpreoccupations,it’snotsobad,butit’sstillonthemundanelevel.Forthisreason,we’retaughttotakeourstanceinthepresent.Whenthemindisn’tinvolvedinthepastorthefuture,itentersthenoblepath—andthenwerealizehowmeaninglessthethingsofthepastare:Thisistheessenceoftheknowledgeofpastlives.Oldthingscomebackandturnintonew;newthingscomebackandturnintoold.Oraspeoplesay,thefuturebecomesthepastandthepastbecomesthefuture.Whenyoucandisposewithpastandfuture,themindbecomesevenmoresteadfast.

Thisiscalledrightmindfulness.Theminddevelopsstrengthofconviction(saddhā-balaṁ),i.e.,yourconvictionsbecomemoresettledinthetruthofthepresent.Viriya-balaṁ:Yourpersistencebecomesfearless.Sati-balaṁ:Mindfulnessdevelopsintogreatmindfulness.Samādhi-balaṁ:Themindbecomesfirmandunshaking.Paññā-balaṁ:Discernmentbecomesacutetothepointwhereitcanseethetruenatureofthekhandhas,becomingdispassionateandlettinggoofthebodyandselfsothatthemindisreleasedfromthepowerofattachment.This,accordingtothewise,isknowledgeoftheendofmentalfermentation.

Toknowwherebeingsgoandtakebirthistermedknowledgeofdeathandrebirth.Webecomedisenchantedwithstatesofbeing.Onceweknowenoughtofeeldisenchantment,ourstatesofbeingandbirthlessen.Ourburdensandconcernslighten.Themind’scyclingthroughstatesofbeingslowsdown.Justlikeawheelwhenweputthornsinthetireandplacelogsintheway:Itslowsdown.Whenthemindturnsmoreslowly,youcancountthestagesinitscycle.Thisiscalledknowingthemomentsofthemind.Toknowinthiswayisliberatinginsight.It’sawareness.Toknowpast,future,andpresentisawareness.

***

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Thenobleonesaren’tattachedtoactivities—toacting,speaking,orthinking—inanyway.Whentheprocessesofactionfallsilent,theirmindsareemptyandclearlikespace.Butweordinarypeopleholdontospeaking,standing,walking,sitting,lyingdown,everything—andhowcanithelpbutbeheavy?Thenobleonesletgoofitallandsoareatease.Iftheywalkalongtime,theydon’tgetweary.Iftheysitalongtime,theydon’tache.Theycandoanythingwithoutbeingweigheddown.Thepeoplewhoareweigheddownarethosewhoholdon.

***

Stressforordinarypeopleispainandsuffering.Thestressofsagesisthewaveringofpleasure.

***

Thebreathofbirthoroflifeisthein-breath.Theout-breath,whenthere’snoin-breath,isthebreathofdeath.Whetherapersonistohavethepotentialforashortoralonglifedependsonthein-and-outbreath.Thusthebreathistermedkāya-saṅkhāra,bodilyfabrication.It’sthecrucialfactorinlife.Whenyoucancatchholdofthebreath,youcankeeptabsonyourownbirthanddying.Thisisbirthanddyingontheobscuredlevel.Asforbirthanddyingontheopenlevel,evenfoolsandchildrencanknowit:‘Birth’meansbreathing,sitting,lyingdown,standing,walking,andsoon.‘Death’meanstostopbreathingandtogethauledoffandcremated.Butbirthanddyingontheobscuredlevelcanbeknownonlywithin.Andnoteveryonecanknowthem.Onlythosewhostilltheirmindscan.

Tofocusonthebreaththiswayis,atthesametime,mindfulnessofdeath,mindfulnessofbreathing,andmindfulnessimmersedinthebody.Oryoucancallitekāyana-magga—unifyingthesenseofthebodyintoasingle,directpath.Vitakkaistobringthetopicofmeditationtothemind,tobringthemindtothetopicofmeditation.Vicārameanstospread,adjust,andimprovethebreathcarefully.Thelongeryoukeepatthis,themorecomfortableyourgoingwillbe,justaswhenweworkatclearingaroad.Thesenseofthebodywillbenefitinthreeways,feelinglight,cool,andcomfortable.Atthispoint,ourmeditationthemebecomesevenstronger,andthemindfeelsevengreatereaseanddetachment,termedcitta-viveka,ormentalsolitude.Thesenseofthebodybecomesmorequietanddetached,termedkāya-viveka,orphysicalsolitude.

***

Thebreathenergyinthebodyfallsintotwoclasses.Oneclassiscalledthe‘femininebreath,’thegentleflowofenergyfrombelowthenaveluptotheheadandoutthenose.Theotherclassiscalledthe‘masculinebreath,’thesolidflowofenergy

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fromtheendsofthefeetupthroughthespine.Onceyoucanfocusonthesebreaths,don’tgoagainsttheirbasicnature.Beconsciousofthemwhenyougointocoordinateandconnectthem,andobservetheresultsthatcomefromspreadingandadjustingthebreath.Assoonasthingsfeelsmoothandeasy,focusinonthebreathinthestomachandintestines,andthebreathenergythatactsasasentinelbetweenthem,keepingthemfromrubbingagainsteachother,likethecottonwoolusedtopackastackofglasswaretokeeptheglassesfromstrikingagainstoneanother.

***

Whenthebreathisquietandthemindatease,thisisgoodnessinitsgreaterform.Whenthemindisateasebutthebodyinturmoil,thisisgoodnessinalesserform.Letthemindsettlewhereverthere’sasenseofcomfortinthebody,inthesamewaythatwegotolookforfoodinplaceswhereinthepastwe’vefoundenoughtoeatourfill.Oncethemindisfull,rapture(pīti)arises.Pleasure(sukha)saturatestheheart,justassaltsaturatespickledfish.Themindwilltakeonvalue.Thesenseofthebodywillbecomebright,clear,andcool.Knowledgewillbegintoseebitbybit,sothatwecancometoseethenatureofourownbodyandmind.Whenthisstateofmindbecomesstronger,itturnsintoñāṇa-dassana—knowledgeandvision.

Knowledgeonthislevelcomesfrommindfulness,andvisionfromalertness.Whenthewaveringofthemindstops,thencravingforsensuality,forbecoming,andfornobecomingallstop.Painandpleasure,letgoofthem.Don’tgivethemasecondthought.Thinkofthemaswordsthatpeoplespeakonlyinjest.Asforthetruth,it’sthereintheheart.Ifthemindstillwaversandstrays,therewillhavetobemorestatesofbeingandbirth.Ifsensualcravingmoves,itleadstoagrossstateofbeing.Ifcravingforbecomingmoves,itleadstoanintermediatestateofbeing.Ifcravingfornobecomingmoves,themindwilllatchontoasubtlestateofbeing.Onlywhenweseethishappeningcanwebesaidtoknowpast,future,andpresent.

Whenthisawarenessisclearandfull,themindbecomesdispassionateandloosensitsattachments,comingtoafullstop:thestoppingofunawareness,thestoppingofbirth.ThisiswhytheBuddhafeltnoattachmentforhomeorfamily,forwealth,servants,ormaterialpleasuresofanykind.

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ComingHome

September22,1956

Whenyoucloseyoureyeswhilesittinginmeditation,simplycloseyoureyelids.Don’ttrytocloseoffyoureyeslikeapersonsleeping.Youhavetokeepyouropticnervesawakeandworking.Otherwiseyou’llputyourselftosleep.

Thinkofyourinternalmeditationobject—thein-and-outbreath—andthenthinkofbringingyourexternalmeditationobject—’buddho,’awake,whichisoneofthevirtuesoftheLordBuddha—inwiththebreath.

Onceyoucanfocuscomfortablyonthebreath,letthebreathspreadthroughoutthebodyuntilyoufeellight,supple,andatease.Thisiscalledmaintainingtheproperqualityinpracticingconcentration.Tokeepthemindfixedsothatitdoesn’tslipawayfromthebreathiscalledmaintainingtheproperobject.Beingfirmlymindfulofyourmeditationword,withoutanylapses,iscalledmaintainingtheproperintention.Whenyoucankeepyourmindfixedinthesethreecomponentfactors,youcansaythatyou’repracticingmeditation.

Oncewesetourmindondoinggoodinthisway,thingsthataren’tgood—nīvaraṇa,orhindrances—areboundtocomestealingintothemind.Ifwecallthehindrancesbyname,therearefiveofthem.Butherewearen’tgoingtotalkabouttheirnames;we’lljusttalkaboutwhattheyare:(1)Hindrancesarethingsthatdefileandadulteratethemind.(2)Theymaketheminddarkandmurky.(3)They’reobstaclesthatpreventthemindfromstayingfirmlywiththecomponentfactorsofitsmeditation.

Hindrancescomefromexternalpreoccupations,andexternalpre-occupationsarisebecauseourinternalpreoccupationisweak.Tosaythatourinternalpreoccupationisweakmeansthatourminddoesn’tstayfirmlywithitsobject.Likefloatingadipperinabarrelofwater:Ifitdoesn’thaveanythingtoweighitdown,it’sboundtowobbleandtip.Thewobblingofthemindiswhatcreatesanopeningforthevarioushindrancestocomepouringinandmakethemindloseitsbalance.

Weshouldmakeourselfawarethatwhenthemindstartstipping,itcantipineitheroftwodirections:(1)Itmaygotowardthoughtsofthepast,mattersthathappenedtwohoursagoorallthewaybacktoourveryfirstbreath.Distractionsofthissortcancarrytwokindsofmeaningforus:Eithertheydealintermsofworldly

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matters—ourownaffairsorthoseofotherpeople,goodorbad—orelsetheydealintermsoftheDhamma,thingsgoodorbadthathavehappenedandthatwe’vetakennoteof.(2)Orelseourmindmaytiptowardthoughtsofthefuture,whicharethesamesortofthing—ourownaffairsorthoseofothers,dealingintermsoftheworldortheDhamma,goodorbad.

Whenourmindstartsdriftinginthisway,we’reboundtoreceiveoneoftwosortsofresults:contentmentordiscontentment,moodsthatindulgeeitherinsensualpleasureorinselfaffliction.Forthisreason,wehavetocatchholdofthemindconstantlyandbringitintothepresentsothatthesehindrancescan’tcomeseepingin.Buteventhenthemindisn’treallyatequilibrium.It’sstillapttowavertosomeextent.Butthiswaveringisn’treallywrong(ifweknowhowtouseit,itisn’twrong;ifwedon’t,itis)becausethemind,whenitwavers,islookingforaplacetostay.InPāli,thisiscalledsambhavesin.Sowe’retaughttofindameditationthemetoactasafocalpointforthemind,inthesamewaythatamoviescreenactsasareflectorforimagessothattheyappearsharpandclear.Thisistokeepexternalpreoccupationsfrombargingin.

Inotherwords,we’retaughttomeditatebyfocusingthemindinoneplace,onthebreath.Whenwethinkofthebreath,that’scalledvitakka—aswhenwethink‘bud-’inand‘dho’out,likewe’redoingrightnow.Asforthewaveringofthemind,that’scalledvicāra,orevaluation.Whenwebringvicāraintothepicture,wecanletgoofpartofvitakka.Inotherwords,stoprepeating‘buddho’andthenstartobservinghowmuchthebodyisaffectedbyeachin-and-outbreath.Whenthebreathgoesout,doesitfeeleasyandnatural?Whenitcomesin,doesitfeelcomfortable?Ifnot,improveit.

Whenwedirectthemindinthisway,wedon’thavetouse‘buddho.’Thein-breathwillpermeateandspreadthroughoutthebody,alongwithoursenseofmindfulnessandalertness.Whenweletgoofpartofvitakka—aswhenwestoprepeating‘buddho,’sothatthere’sonlytheactofkeepingtrackofthebreath—theactofevaluatingincreases.Thewaveringofthemindbecomespartofourconcentration.Outsidepre-occupationsfallstill.‘Fallingstill’doesn’tmeanthatourearsgodeaf.Fallingstillmeansthatwedon’tstirthemindtogooutafterexternalobjects,eitherpastorfuture.Weletitstaysolelyinthepresent.

Whenthemindiscenteredinthisway,itdevelopssensitivityandknowledge.Thisknowledgeisn’tthesortthatcomesfromstudyingorfrombooks.Itcomesfromdoing—aswhenwemakeclaytiles.Whenwefirststartoutweknowonlyhowtomixtheclaywithsandandhowtomakeplainflattiles.Butaswekeepdoingitwe’llstartknowingmore:howtomakethemattractive,howtomakethemstrong,durable,andnotbrittle.Andthenwe’llthinkofmakingthemdifferentcolorsanddifferentshapes.Aswekeepmakingthembetterandmoreattractive,theobjectswemake

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willinturnbecomeourteachers.Soitiswhenwefocusonthebreath.Aswekeepobservinghowthebreath

flows,we’llcometoknowwhatthein-breathislike;whetherornotit’scomfortable;howtobreatheinsothatwefeelcomfortable;howtobreatheoutsothatwefeelcomfortable;whatwayofbreathingmakesusfeeltenseandconstricted;whatwaymakesusfeeltired—becausethebreathhasuptofourvarieties.Sometimesitcomesinlongandoutlong,sometimesinlongandoutshort,sometimesinshortandoutlong,sometimesinshortandoutshort.Soweshouldobserveeachofthesefourtypesofbreathastheyflowinthebodytoseehowmuchtheybenefittheheart,lungs,andotherpartsofthebody.

Whenwekeepsurveyingandevaluatinginthisway,mindfulnessandalertnesswilltakechargewithinus.Concentrationwillarise,discernmentwillarise,awarenesswillarisewithinus.Apersonwhodevelopsthissortofskillmayevenbecomeabletobreathewithoutusingthenose,bybreathingthroughtheeyesortheearsinstead.Butwhenwe’restartingout,wehavetomakeuseofthebreaththroughthenosebecauseit’stheobviousbreath.Wefirsthavetolearnhowtoobservetheobviousbreathbeforewecanbecomeawareofthemorerefinedbreathsensationsinthebody.

Thebreathenergyinthebody,takenasawhole,isoffivesorts:(1)The‘sojourningbreath’(āgantuka-vāyas)continuallyflowinginandout.(2)Thebreathenergythatstayswithinthebodybutcanpermeatethroughthevariousparts.(3)Thebreathenergythatspinsaroundinplace.(4)Thebreathenergythatmovesandcanflowbackandforth.(5)Thebreathenergythatnourishesthenervesandbloodvesselsthroughoutthebody.

Onceweknowthevariouskindsofbreathenergy,howtomakeuseofthem,andhowtoimprovethemsothattheyfeelagreeabletothebody,we’lldevelopexpertise.We’llbecomemoreadeptwithoursenseofthebody.Resultswillarise:afeelingoffullnessandsatisfactionpervadingtheentirebody,justaskerosenepervadeseverythreadinthemantleofaColemanlantern,causingittogiveoffabrightwhiteglow.

Vitakkaislikeputtingsandintoasifter.Vicāraislikesiftingthesand.Whenwefirstputsandintoasifter,it’sstillcoarseandlumpy.Butaswekeepsifting,thesandwillbecomemoreandmorerefineduntilwehavenothingbutfineparticles.Soitiswhenwefixthemindonthebreath.Inthefirststages,thebreathisstillcoarse,butaswekeepusingmoreandmorevitakkaandvicāra,thebreathbecomesmoreandmorerefineduntilitpermeatestoeverypore.Oḷārika-rūpa:Allsortsofcomfortablesensationswillappear—asenseoflightness,spaciousness,respite,freedomfromachesandpains,etc.—andwe’llfeelnothingbutrefreshmentandpleasureinthesenseoftheDhamma,constantlycoolandrelaxed.Sukhumāla-rūpa:Thissenseof

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pleasurewillappeartobeliketinyparticles,likethemistofatomsthatformstheairbutcan’tbeseenwiththenakedeye.Buteventhoughwefeelcomfortableandrelaxedatthispoint,thismistofpleasurepervadingthebodycanformabirthplaceforthemind,sowecan’tsaythatwe’vegonebeyondstressandpain.

Thisisoneoftheformsofawarenesswecandevelopinconcentration.Whoeverdevelopsitwillgiverisetoasenseofinnerrefreshment:afeelingoflightness,likecottonwool.Thislightnessispowerfulinallsortsofways.Hīnaṁvā:Theblatantsenseofthebodywilldisappear—paṇītaṁvā—andwillturnintoamorerefinedsenseofthebody,subtleandbeautiful.

Thebeautyhereisn’tthesortthatcomesfromartordecoration.Instead,it’sbeautyinthesenseofbeingbright,clear,andfresh.Refreshing.Soothing.Peaceful.Thesequalitieswillgiverisetoasenseofsplendorwithinthebody,termedsobhaṇa,asenseofraptureandexhilarationthatfillseverypartofthebody.Thepropertiesofearth,water,fire,andwindinthebodyareallbalancedandfull.Thebodyseemsbeautiful,butagainthisisn’tbeautyinthesenseofart.Allofthisistermedpaṇīta-rūpa.

Whenthebodygrowsfullandcompletetothisextent,allfouroftheelementarypropertiesbecomematureandresponsibleintheirownspheres,andcanbetermedmahābhūta-rūpa.Earthisresponsibleinitsownearthaffairs,waterinitsownwateraffairs,windinitsownwindaffairs,andfireinitsownfireaffairs.Whenallfourpropertiesbecomemoreresponsibleandmatureintheirownaffairs,thisistermedoḷārika-rūpa.Thepropertiesofspaceandconsciousnessalsobecomemature.It’sasiftheyallbecomematureadults.Thenatureofmatureadults,whentheylivetogether,isthattheyhardlyeverquarrelordispute.Children,whentheylivewithchildren,tendtobesquabblingallthetime.Sowhenallsixpropertiesaremature,earthwon’tconflictwithwater,waterwon’tconflictwithwind,windwon’tconflictwithfire,firewon’tconflictwithspace,spacewon’tconflictwithconsciousness.Allwillliveinharmonyandunity.

Thisiswhatismeantbyekāyanoayaṁmaggosattānaṁvisuddhiyā:Thisistheunifiedpathforthepurificationofbeings.Allfourphysicalpropertiesbecomematureintheunifiedsenseofthebody,four-in-one.Whenthemindentersintothisunifiedpath,it’sabletobecomewell-acquaintedwiththeaffairsofthebody.Itcomestofeelthatthisbodyislikeitschild;themindislikeaparent.Whenparentsseethattheirchildhasgrownandmatured,they’reboundtofeelproud.Andwhentheyseethattheirchildcancareforitself,theycanputdowntheburdenofhavingtocareforit.(Atthispointthere’snoneedtospeakofthehindrancesanylonger,becausethemindatthispointisfirmlycentered.Thehindrancesdon’thaveachancetoslipin.)

Whenthemindcanletgoofthebodyinthisway,we’llfeelaninnerglowin

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bothbodyandmind,aglowinthesenseofacalmpleasureunlikethepleasuresoftheworld—forinstance,thebodyfeelsrelaxedandatease,withnoachesorfatigue—andaglowinthesenseofradiance.Asforthemind,itfeelstheglowofarestfulsenseofcalmandtheglowofaninnerradiance.Thiscalmglowistheessenceofinnerworth(puñña).It’slikethewatervaporrisingfromice-coldobjectsandgatheringtoformcloudsthatfallasrainorridehighandfree.Inthesameway,thiscoolsenseofcalmexplodesintoamistofradiance.Thepropertiesofearth,water,wind,fire,space,andconsciousnessallbecomeamist.Thisiswherethe‘six-foldradiance’(chabbaṇṇa-raṅsī)arises.

Thesenseofthebodywillseemradiantandglowinglikearipepeach.ThepowerofthisglowiscalledthelightoftheDhamma(dhammopadīpo).Whenwe’vedevelopedthisquality,thebodyissecureandthemindwideawake.Amistofradiance—apower—appearswithinus.Thisradiance,asitbecomesmoreandmorepowerful,iswhereintuitiveliberatinginsightwillappear:themeansforknowingthefournobletruths.Asthissenseofintuitionbecomesstronger,itwillturnintoknowledgeandawareness:aknowledgewehaven’tlearnedfromanywhereelse,buthavegainedfromthepractice.

WhoevercandothiswillfindthatthemindattainsthevirtuesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,whichwillentertobathetheheart.SuchapersoncanbesaidtohavetrulyreachedtherefugeoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.WhoevercandoevenjustthismuchiscapableofreachingAwakeningwithouthavingtogoanddomuchofanythingelse.Ifwe’recareful,circumspect,persistent,mindful,anddiscerning,we’llbeabletoopenoureyesandearssothatwecanknowallkindsofthings—andwemaynotevenhavetobereborntocomebackandpracticeconcentrationeveragain.Butifwe’recomplacent—careless,inattentive,andlazy—we’llhavetocomebackandgothroughthepracticealloveragain.

***

Thereasonwepracticeconcentrationistodisbandthehindrancesfromtheheart.Whenthehindrancesareabsolutelyquiet,themindcanreachvihāra-dhamma—theinnerqualitythatcanformitshome.We’llthenbeabletogaincompletefreedomfromthehindrances.Ourfuturestatesofrebirthwillbenolowerthanthehumanlevel.Wewon’tbeforcedtogainrebirthinthefourrealmsofdeprivation(apāya).Oncethemindreachesitsinnerhome,it’scapableofraisingitselftothetranscendentlevel,tothestreamflowingtonibbāna.Ifwe’renotlazyorcomplacent,ifwekeepperseveringwithourmeditation,we’llbeabletogainreleasefromthemundanelevel.Ifourmindgainsthequalityofstream-entry,wewillneveragainhavetobebornintherealmsofdeprivation.

Stream-winners,ifweweretoexplaintheminreallysimpleterms,arepeople

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whosemindsarecertainandsure,butwhostillhavesomeformsofshoddythoughts—althoughtheywouldneverdareletthatshoddinessshowintheiractions.Asforordinaryrun-of-the-millpeople,oncetheyhaveashoddythought,it’sboundtoappearintheirwordsanddeeds—killing,stealing,etc.Althoughstream-winnersmaystillhavesomeformsofshoddinesstothem,theydon’tactshoddyatall,likeapersonwhohasaknifeinhishandwhenhe’sangry,butwhodoesn’tuseittocutoffanyone’shead.

Ordinarypeopleusuallycan’tsayNototheirdefilements.Theyusuallyhavetoactinlinewiththeirdefilementsastheyarise.Forexample,whentheyfeelstrongangertheycan’tbearit.Theyhavetoletitshow,tothepointwheretheycangetreallyuglyanddothingsthatflyrightinthefaceofmorality.Stream-winners,althoughtheydohavedefilements,cansayNotothem.Why?Becausetheyhavethedisciplineofmindfulnessembeddedwithinthem,enablingthemtotellrightfromwrong.

Whenthemindwaversinagooddirection,they’reawareofit.Whenitwaversinabaddirection,they’reawareofit.Theysee,hear,smellaromas,tasteflavors,feeltactilesensationsjustlikeordinarypeople,buttheydon’tletthesethingsmakeinroadsontheheart.Theyhavetheself-controlthatenablesthemtowithstandtheirdefilements,likeapersonwhoisabletocarryabowlfulofwaterwhilerunning,withoutspillingasingledrop.Eventhoughstream-winnersmaybe‘ridingabicycle’—i.e.,sitting,standing,walking,lyingdown,speaking,thinking,eating,openingorclosingtheireyes—thepermanentqualityoftheirheartsnevergetsoverturned.Thisisaqualitythatneverdisappears,althoughitmaywaversometimes.Thatwaveringiswhatcancausethemtobereborn.Buteventhoughtheymaybereborn,they’rereborningoodstatesofbeing,ashumanorheavenlybeings.

Asforordinarypeople,theytakebirthwithoutanyrealrhymeorreason,andtheykeepdoingitoverandoveragain.Stream-winners,however,understandbirth.Althoughtheyexperiencebirth,theyletitdisband.Inotherwords,theyhavenouseforshoddyimpulses.Theyrespondweaklytoshoddyimpulsesandstronglytogoodones.Ordinarypeoplerespondstronglytobadimpulsesandweaklytogoodones.Forexample,apersonwhodecidestogodogoodatamonastery—ifsomeonethenmakesfunofhim,sayingthatpeoplewhogotothemonasteryareold-fashionedorhavehitrock-bottom—willhardlyfeellikegoingatall.Butnomatterhowotherpeoplemaytrytotalkhimintodoinggood,hehardlyresponds.Thisisbecausethelevelofthemindhasfallenverylow.

Asforstream-winners,nomatterhowmanytimesshoddyimpulsesmayoccurtothem,thegoodnessofnibbānaactsasamagnetontheirhearts.Thisiswhatdrawsthemtokeeponpracticinguntiltheyreachtheendpoint.Whentheyreachtheendpoint,therecanbenomorebirth,nomoreaging,nomoreillness,nomoredeath.Sensationsstop,feelingsstop,conceptsstop,fabricationsstop,consciousnessstops.

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Asforthesixproperties,theyalsostop.Earthstops,waterstops,windstops,firestops,spacestops,consciousnessstops.Theproperties,khandhas,andsensemediaallstop.There’snoconceptlabelinganyofthekhandhas.Mentallabelsarethemediathatletthekhandhascomerunningin.Whenmentallabelsstop,there’snobodyrunning.Andwheneveryonehasstoppedrunning,there’snopushingandshoving,nocolliding,noconversing.Theheartlooksafteritselfinlinewithitsduties.

Asfortheproperties,khandhas,andsensemedia,eachisindependentinitsownarea,eachisinchargeofitsownaffairs.There’snotrespassingonanyoneelse’sproperty.Andoncethere’snotrespassing,whattroubleswilltherebe?Likeamatchleftlyingaloneinamatchbox:Whatfirescanitcause?Aslongasitsheadisn’tstruckonanythingabrasive,firewon’thaveachancetoarise.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatthere’snofireinthematch.It’sthereasitalwayswas,butaslongasitdoesn’tlatchontoanythingcombustibleitwon’tflareup.

Thesameistrueofamindthatnolongerlatchesontothedefilements.Thisiswhatismeantbynibbāna.It’stheultimategood,theultimatepointofthereligion,andourownultimatepointaswell.Ifwedon’tprogressinthethreefoldtraining—virtue,concentration,anddiscernment—wewon’thaveanychancetoreachtheultimate.Butifwegatherthesepracticeswithinourselvesandadvanceinthem,ourmindswilldeveloptheknowledgeandawarenesscapableofpushingusontoanadvancedpoint,tonibbāna.

***

Nobledisciplesarelikepeoplewhorealizethatrainwateristhevaporthatheatsucksupfromthesaltwateroftheoceanandthenfallsdownasrain—andsothatrainwaterisoceanwater,andoceanwaterisrainwater.Ordinaryrun-of-the-millpeoplearelikepeoplewhodon’tknowwhatrainwatercomesfrom.Theyassumethatrainwaterisupthereintheskyandsotheydeludedlywaittodrinknothingbutrainwater.Ifnoraincomes,they’resuretodie.Thereasonfortheirignoranceistheirownstupidity.Theydon’tknowenoughtosearchfornewresources—thequalitiesofthenobleones—andsowillhavetokeepgatheringupthesameoldthingstoeatoverandoveragain.Theykeepspinningaroundinthecycleofrebirthinthisway,withnothoughtofsearchingforawayoutofthismassofsufferingandstress.They’relikearedantthatkeepsprobingitswayaroundandaroundtherimofabushelbasket—whosecircumferenceisn’teventwometers—allbecauseitdoesn’trealizethattherimofthebasketisround.Thisiswhywekeepexperiencingbirth,aging,illness,anddeathwithoutend.

Asforthenobleones,theyseethateverythingintheworldisthesameoldstuffcomingoverandoveragain.Wealthandpoverty,goodandbad,pleasureandpain,praiseandcensure,etc.,keeptradingplacesaroundandaroundincircles.Thisisthe

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cycleofdefilement,whichcausesignorantpeopletomisunderstand.Theworlditselfspins—Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday,andthenbacktothesameoldSundayalloveragain.January,February,March,April,May,etc.,uptoNovemberandDecember,andthenbacktoJanuary.Theyearoftherat,theox,thetiger,allthewayuptotheyearofthepig,andthenbacktothesameoldyearoftheratalloveragain.Everythingislikethis,nightfollowingday,dayfollowingnight.Nighttimeisn’tforsure:Ourdaytimeisotherpeople’snighttime,theirdaytimeisournighttime.Thingskeepchanginglikethis.Thisiscalledthewheeloftheworld,whichcausespeoplewithonlypartialknowledgetomisunderstandandtoquarrel.

Whennobleonesseeinthisway,theydevelopasenseofdispassionanddon’teverwanttobeborninaworldagain—forthereareallsortsofworlds.Someworldshavenothingbutcold,othersnothingbutheat—nolivingbeingscanbebornthere.Somehaveonlysunlight;othersonlymoonlight;stillothers,neithersunlightnormoonlight.Thisiswhatismeantbylokavidū.

Forthisreason,oncewe’velearnedthis,weshouldtakeittothinkovercarefully.Whateverweseeasworthyofcredence,weshouldthenusetotrainourheartssothatthepathsandtheirfruitionswillarisewithinus.Don’tbeheedlessorcomplacentinanythingyoudo,forlifeislikedewonthegrass.Assoonasit’stouchedbythelightofthesun,itvanishesinnotimewithoutleavingatrace.

Wediewitheveryin-and-outbreath.Ifwe’retheleastbitcareless,wearesuretodie,fordeathissomethingthathappensveryeasily.It’slyinginwaitforusateverymoment.Somepeoplediefromsleepingtoomuch,oreatingtoomuch,oreatingtoolittle;ofbeingtoocold,toohot,toohappy,toosad.Somepeoplediefrompain,othersdiewithoutanypain.Sometimesevenwhenwe’resittingaroundperfectlynormalwecanstilldie.Seethatdeathhasyousurroundedonallsides—andsobeearnestindevelopingasmuchgoodnessasyoucan,bothintheareaoftheworldandintheDhamma.

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III . Inner Release

TheTruth&its Shadows

Undated,1959

TheDhammaofattainmentissomethingcool,clean,andclear.Itdoesn’ttakebirth,age,growill,ordie.WhoeverworksearnestlyattheDhammaofstudyandpracticewillgiverisetotheDhammaofattainmentwithoutadoubt.TheDhammaofattainmentispaccattaṁ:Youhavetoknowitforyourself.

***

Weshouldmakeapointofsearchingforwhateverwillgiverisetodiscernment.Sutamaya-paññā:Listentothingsthatareworthlisteningto.Cintāmaya-paññā:Onceyou’velistened,evaluatewhatyou’velearned.Don’tacceptitorrejectitrightoffhand.Bhāvanāmaya-paññā:Onceyou’veputwhatyou’velearnedtothetest,practiceinlinewithit.Thisisthehighestperfectionofdiscernment—liberatinginsight.Youknowwhatkindsofstressandpainshouldberemediedandsoyouremedythem.Youknowwhatkindsshouldn’tberemediedandsoyoudon’t.

Forthemostpartwe’rereallyignorant.Wetrytoremedythethingsthatshouldn’tberemedied,anditjustdoesn’twork—becausethere’sonekindofstressthatshouldsimplybeobservedandshouldn’tbefiddledwithatall.Likearustywatch:Don’tpolishawayanymorerustthanyoushould.Ifyougotakingitapart,thewholethingwillstoprunningforgood.Whatthismeansisthatonceyou’veseennaturalconditionsforwhattheytrulyare,youhavetoletthembe.Ifyouseesomethingthatshouldbefixed,youfixit.Whatevershouldn’tbefixed,youdon’t.Thistakesaloadofftheheart.

Ignorantpeopleareliketheoldwomanwholitafiretocookherriceand,whenherricewascooked,hadhermeal.Whenshehadfinishedhermeal,shesatbackandhadacigar.Itsohappenedthatwhenshelithercigarwithoneoftheembersofthefire,itburnedhermouth.‘Damnedfire,’shethought,‘burnedmymouth.’Sosheput

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allhermatchesinapileandpouredwateralloverthemsothattherewouldn’tbeanymorefireinthehouse—justlikeafoolwithnosenseatall.Thenextday,whenshewantedfiretocookhermeal,therewasn’tanyleft.Atnight,whenshewantedlight,shehadtogopesteringherneighbors,askingthispersonandthat,andyetstillshehatedfire.Wehavetolearnhowtomakeuseofthingsandtohaveasenseofhowmuchisenough.Ifyoulightonlyalittlefire,it’llbethreehoursbeforeyourriceiscooked.Thefireisn’tenoughforyourfood.Soitiswithus:Weseestressassomethingbadandsotrytoremedyit—keepingatitwithoureyesclosed,asifwewereblind.Nomatterhowmuchwetreatit,wenevergetanywhereatall.

Peoplewithdiscernmentwillseethatstressisoftwokinds:(1)physicalstress,ortheinherentstressofnaturalconditions;and(2)mentalstress,orthestressofdefilement.Oncethere’sbirth,therehastobeaging,illness,anddeath.Whoevertriestoremedyagingcankeepatittillthey’rewitheredandgrey.Whenwetrytoremedyillness,we’reusuallyliketheoldwomanpouringwateralloverhermatches.Sometimeswetreatthingsjustright,sometimeswedon’t—aswhenthefrontstepgetscracked,andwedismantlethehouserightuptotheroof.

Illnessissomethingthateveryonehas—inotherwords,thediseasesthatappearinthevariouspartsofthebody.Oncewe’vetreatedthediseaseinoureyes,it’llgoappearinourears,nose,infront,inback,inourarm,ourhand,ourfoot,etc.,andthenit’llsneakinside.Likeapersontryingtocatchholdofaneel:Themoreyoutrytocatchit,themoreitslipsoffeverywhichway.Andsowekeepontreatingourdiseasestillwedie.Somekindsofdiseasewillgoawaywhetherwetreatthemornot.Ifit’sadiseasethatgoesawaywithtreatment,thentakemedicine.Ifit’sonethatgoesawaywhetherwetreatitornot,whybother?Thisiswhatitmeanstohavediscernment.

Ignorantpeopledon’tknowwhichkindsofstressshouldbetreatedandwhichkindsshouldn’t,andsotheyputtheirtimeandmoneytowaste.Asforintelligentpeople,theyseewhatshouldbetreatedandtheytreatitusingtheirowndiscernment.Alldiseasesariseeitherfromanimbalanceinthephysicalpropertiesorfromkamma.Ifit’sadiseasethatarisesfromthephysicalproperties,weshouldtreatitwithfood,medicine,etc.Ifitarisesfromkamma,wehavetotreatitwiththeBuddha’smedicine.Inotherwords,stressandpainthatarisefromtheheart,ifwetreatthemwithfoodandmedicine,won’trespond.WehavetotreatthemwiththeDhamma.Whoeverknowshowtomanagethisissaidtohaveasenseofhowtoobserveanddiagnosestress.

Ifwelookatitinanotherway,we’llseethataging,illness,anddeatharesimplytheshadowsofstressandnotitstruesubstance.Peoplelackingdiscernmentwilltrytodoawaywiththeshadows,whichleadsonlytomoresufferingandstress.Thisisbecausetheyaren’tacquaintedwithwhattheshadowsandsubstanceofstresscomefrom.Theessenceofstresslieswiththemind.Aging,illness,anddeathareits

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shadowsoreffectsthatshowbywayofthebody.Whenwewanttokillourenemyandsotakeaknifetostabhisshadow,howishegoingtodie?Inthesameway,ignorantpeopletrytodestroytheshadowsofstressanddon’tgetanywhere.Asfortheessenceofstressintheheart,theydon’tthinkofremedyingitatall.Thisignoranceoftheirsisoneformofavijjā,orunawareness.

Tolookatitinstillanotherway,boththeshadowsandtherealthingcomefromtaṇhā,craving.We’relikeapersonwhohasamassedahugefortuneandthen,whenthievescometobreakin,goeskillingthethieves.Hedoesn’tseehisownwrongdoingandseesonlythewrongdoingofothers.Actually,oncehe’spiledhishousefullinthisway,thievescan’thelpbutbreakin.Inthesameway,peoplesufferfromstressandsotheyhateit,andyettheydon’tmaketheefforttostraightenthemselvesout.

Stresscomesfromthethreeformsofcraving,soweshouldkilloffcravingforsensuality,cravingforbecoming,andcravingfornobecoming.Thesethingsarefabricatedinourownheart,andwehavetoknowthemwithourownmindfulnessanddiscernment.Oncewe’vecontemplatedthemuntilwesee,we’llknow:‘Thissortofmentalstateiscravingforsensuality;thissortiscravingforbecoming;andthissort,cravingfornobecoming.’

Peoplewithdiscernmentwillseethatthesethingsexistintheheartinsubtle,intermediate,andblatantstages,justasapersonhasthreestagesinalifetime:youth,middleage,andoldage.‘Youth’iscravingforsensuality.Oncethisthirstarisesintheheart,itwaversandmoves—thisiscravingforbecoming—andthentakesshapeascravingfornofurtherbecoming—asambhavesinwithitsneckstretchedoutlookingforitsobject,causingitselfstressandpain.Inotherwords,wetakealikingtovarioussights,sounds,smells,flavors,etc.,andsofixonthem,whichbringsusstress.Soweshouldn’tpreoccupyourselveswithsights,sounds,etc.,thatprovokegreed,anger,ordelusion(cravingforsensuality),causingthemindtowaverandwhiskoutwithconcepts(thisiscravingforbecoming;whenthemindstickswithitswavering,won’tstoprepeatingitsmotions,that’scravingfornofurtherbecoming).

Whenwegaindiscernment,weshoulddestroytheseformsofcravingwithanulomika-ñāṇa,knowledgeinaccordancewiththefournobletruths,knowingexactlyhowmucheaseandpleasurethemindhaswhencravingsforsensuality,becoming,andnobecomingalldisappear.Thisiscalledknowingtherealityofdisbanding.Asforthecauseofstressandthepathtothedisbandingofstress,we’llknowthemaswell.

Ignorantpeoplewillgorideintheshadowofacar—andthey’llendupwiththeirheadsbashedin.Peoplewhodon’trealizewhattheshadowsofvirtueare,willendupridingonlytheshadows.Wordsanddeedsaretheshadowsofvirtue.Actualvirtueisintheheart.Theheartatnormalcyisthesubstanceofvirtue.Thesubstance

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ofconcentrationisthemindfirmlycenteredinasinglepreoccupationwithoutanyinterferencefromconceptsormentallabels.Thebodilysidetoconcentration—whenourmouth,eyes,ears,nose,andtonguearequiet—isjusttheshadow,aswhenthebodysitsstill,itsmouthclosedandnotspeakingwithanyone,itsnosenotinterestedinanysmells,itseyesclosedandnotinterestedinanyobjects,etc.Ifthemindisfirmlycenteredtotheleveloffixedpenetration,thenwhetherwesit,stand,walk,orliedown,theminddoesn’twaver.

Oncethemindistrainedtotheleveloffixedpenetration,discernmentwillarisewithoutourhavingtosearchforit,justlikeanimperialsword:Whenit’sdrawnforuse,it’ssharpandflashing.Whenit’snolongerneeded,itgoesbackinthescabbard.Thisiswhywearetaught,

mano-pubbaṅgamādhammāmano-seṭṭhāmano-mayā:Themindisthemostextraordinarythingthereis.

ThemindisthesourceoftheDhamma.

Thisiswhatitmeanstoknowstress,itscause,itsdisbanding,andthepathtoitsdisbanding.Thisisthesubstanceofvirtue,concentration,anddiscernment.Whoevercandothiswillreachrelease:nibbāna.WhoevercangiverisetotheDhammaofstudyandpracticewithinthemselveswillmeetwiththeDhammaofattainmentwithoutadoubt.Thisiswhyit’ssaidtobesandiṭṭhiko,visibleinthepresent;akāliko,bearingfruitnomatterwhatthetimeorseason.Keepworkingatitalways.

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BeyondRight &Wrong

January17,1959

Forthehearttogoanddoharmtootherpeople,wefirsthavetoopenthewayforit.Inotherwords,westartoutbydoingharmtoourselves,andthisclearsthewayfrominsidethehouseforustogooutanddoharmtopeopleoutside.

Theresolvetodoharmisaheavyformofself-harm.Attheveryleast,itusesupourtimeanddestroysouropportunitytodogood.Wehavetowipeitoutwiththeresolvenottodoharm—orinotherwords,withconcentration.Thisislikeseeingthatthere’splentyofunusedspaceinourpropertyandthatwearen’tmakingenoughforourliving.We’llhavetoleapoutintotheopenfieldsoastogiveourselfthemomentumfordoingourfullmeasureofgoodnessastheopportunityarises.

***

Nekkhamma-saṅkappo(theresolveforrenunciation),i.e.,beingateaseinquiet,solitaryplaces.Abyāpāda-saṅkappo(theresolvefornon-ill-will):Wedon’thavetothinkaboutourownbadpointsorthebadpointsofothers.Avihiṅsā-saṅkappo(theresolveforharmlessness),notcreatingtroubleordoingharmtoourselves,i.e.,(1)notthinkingaboutourownshortcomings,whichwoulddepressus;(2)ifwethinkaboutourownshortcomings,it’llspreadlikewildfiretotheshortcomingsofothers.Forthisreason,wisepeoplelifttheirthoughtstothelevelofgoodnesssothattheycanfeelloveandgoodwillforthemselves,andsothattheycanthenfeelloveandgoodwillforothersaswell.

Whenourmindhasthesethreeformsofenergy,it’slikeatablewiththreelegsthatcanspininalldirections.Toputitanotherway,onceourmindhasspunuptothishighalevel,wecantakepicturesofeverythingaboveandbelowus.We’lldevelopdiscernmentlikeabrightlightorlikebinocularsthatcanmagnifyeverydetail.Thisiscalledñāṇa—intuitiveawarenessthatcanknoweverythingintheworld:Lokavidū.

Thediscernmenthereisn’tordinaryknowledgeorinsight.It’saspecialcognitiveskill,theskillofthenoblepath.We’llgiverisetothreeeyesintheheart,soastoseetheredsandgreens,thehighsandlowsofthemundaneworld:asportforthosewithwisdom.OurinternaleyeswilllookattheDhammainfrontandbehind,

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aboveandbelowandallaroundus,soastoknowalltheinsandoutsofgoodnessandevil.Thisisdiscernment.We’llbeatourease,feelingpleasurewithnopaininterferingatall.Thisiscalledvijjā-caraṅa-sampanno—beingconsummateincognitiveskill.

Apersonwhosehearthasdiscernmentiscapableofhelpingthenationandthereligion,justasafarmerwhogrowsricethatcanbesoldbothinsideandoutsidethecountrystrengthensthenation’seconomy.Apersonwithoutdiscernmentwillmakethereligiondegenerate.Whenhebringsdisasteronhimself,thedisasterwillhavetospreadtoothersaswell.Inotherwords,asingle,solitarypersonwithnogoodnesstohim—nothingbutdefilementsandcraving—candoeviltothepointwherehewipeshimselfout,anditwillspreadtowipeoutpeoplealloverthecountry.Butwhenapersonhasthethreeabovevirtuesinhisorherheart,theywillturnintothestrengthofconcentration.Theheartwillbeasclearascrystaloradiamond.Thewholeworldwillbecometransparent.Discernmentwillarise,theskillofliberatinginsight,andintuitiveunderstanding,allatonce.

Whoeverseestheworldashavinghighsandlowsdoesn’tyethavetrueintuitivediscernment.Whoeverhastheeyeofintuitionwillseethattherearenohighs,nolows,norich,nopoor.Everythingisequalintermsofthethreecommoncharacteristics:inconstant,stressful,andnot-self.It’sliketheequalityofdemocracy.Theirhomeisthesameasourhome,withnodifferencesatall.Peoplecommitburglariesandrobberiesthesedaysbecausetheydon’tseeequality.Theythinkthatthispersonisgood,thatpersonisn’t;thishouseisagoodplacetoeat,thathouseisn’t;thishouseisagoodplacetosleep,thathouseisn’t,etc.It’sbecausetheydon’thaveinsight,theeyeofdiscernment,thatthere’sallthisconfusionandturmoil.

***

Keepyourattentionfocusedexclusivelyonthebody—acubitwide,afathomlong,aspanthick.Thisisthemiddlepath.Ifyoumakeyourawarenessofthebreathtoonarrow,you’llendupsittingstockstiff,withnoalertnessatall.Ifyoumakeyourawarenesstoobroad—allthewaytoheavenandhell—youcanendupfallingforaberrantperceptions.Soneitherextremeisgood.Youhavetokeepthingsmoderateandjustrightifyouwanttobeontherighttrack.Ifyoudon’thaveasenseofhowtopracticecorrectly,thenevenifyouordainuntilyoudieburiedinheapsofyellowrobes,youwon’tsucceedinthepractice.Youlaypeoplecansitinconcentrationtillyourhairturnswhite,yourteethfallout,andyourbacksgetallcrookedandbent,butyou’llnevergettoseenibbāna.

Ifwecangetourpracticeonthenoblepath,though,we’llenternibbāna.Virtuewilldisband,concentrationwilldisband,discernmentwilldisband.Inotherwords,wewon’tdwellonourknowledgeordiscernment.Ifwe’reintelligentenoughto

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know,wesimplyknow,withouttakingintelligenceasbeinganessentialpartofourselves.Onthelowerlevel,we’renotstuckonvirtue,concentration,ordiscernment.Onahigherlevel,we’renotstuckonthestagesofstream-entry,once-returning,ornon-returning.Nibbānaisn’tstuckontheworld,theworldisn’tstuckonnibbāna.Onlyatthispointcanweusetheterm‘arahant.’

Thisiswherewecanrelax.Theycansay‘inconstant,’butit’sjustwhattheysay.Theycansay‘stress,’butit’sjustwhattheysay.Theycansay‘not-self,’butit’sjustwhattheysay.Whatevertheysay,that’sthewayitis.It’strueforthem,andthey’recompletelyright—butcompletelywrong.Asforus,onlyifwecangetourselvesbeyondrightandwrongwillwebedoingfine.Roadsarebuiltforpeopletowalkon,butdogsandcatscanwalkonthemaswell.Sanepeopleandcrazypeoplewillusetheroads.Theydidn’tbuildtheroadsforcrazypeople,butcrazypeoplehaveeveryrighttousethem.Asfortheprecepts,evenfoolsandidiotscanobservethem.Thesamewithconcentration:Crazyorsane,theycancomeandsit.Anddiscernment:Weallhavetherighttocomeandtalkourheadsoff,butit’ssimplyaquestionofbeingrightorwrong.

Noneofthevaluablesofthemundaneworldgiveanyrealpleasure.They’renothingbutstress.They’regoodasfarastheworldisconcerned,butnibbānadoesn’thaveanyneedforthem.Rightviewsandwrongviewsareanaffairoftheworld.Nibbānadoesn’thaveanyrightviewsorwrongviews.Forthisreason,whateverisawrongview,weshouldabandon.Whateverisarightview,weshoulddevelop—untilthedayitcanfallfromourgrasp.That’swhenwecanbeatourease.

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Point Zero

April22,1957

‘‘Asokaram,thenightofApril22,1957:Afterwehadgatheredatthemeditationhallandsaidourchants,AjaanLeedeliveredasermon.Atfirst,allIheardwastheopeningphrase,‘namotassa,etc.,’withouthearingwhatPālistanzahewasgoingtotakeashistheme,ashisvoicewasveryweakandthewindoutsidesostrongthatmyearswereringing.SoItriedtostillmymindandkeeplistening,eventhoughIcouldn’tmakeoutawordhesaiduntilthesermonwasalmostover,whenIwasabletocatchthefollowing:”

Topurifytheheart,wehavetodisentangleourattachmentstoself,tothebody,tomentalphenomena,andtoalltheobjectsthatcomepassinginthroughthesenses.Keepthemindintentonconcentration.Keepitoneatalltimes.Don’tletitbecometwo,three,four,five,etc.,becauseonceyou’vemadethemindone,it’seasytomakeitzero.Simplycutoffthelittle‘head’andpullthetwoendstogether.Butifyouletthemindbecomemany,it’salong,difficultjobtomakeitzero.

Andanotherthing:Ifyouputthezeroafterothernumbers,theybecometen,twenty,thirty,forty,fifty,hundreds,thousands,ontoinfinity.Butifyouputthezero’sfirst,evenifyouhavetenthousandofthem,theydon’tcount.Soitiswiththeheart:Oncewe’veturneditfromonetozeroandputthezerofirst,thenotherpeoplecanpraiseorcriticizeusastheylikebutitwon’tcount.Gooddoesn’tcount,baddoesn’tcount.Thisissomethingthatcan’tbewritten,can’tberead,thatwecanunderstandonlyforourselves.

Whenthere’snomorecountinglikethis,theheartattainspurityandthehighesthappiness,asinthePālistanza,

nibbānaṁparamaṁsuññaṁnibbānaṁparamaṁsukhaṁ,

whichmeans,‘Nibbānaistheultimateemptiness,void,zero.Nibbānaistheultimateease.’

Thisiswhywe’retaughttomakethemindoneatalltimes—sothatwecaneasilyeraseitintozero.Oncewecanmakeitzero,we’reboundtoloosenourattachmentstoallthings.Ourheartwillreachpurity—

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whichisnibbāna.

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PartingGifts

70

Introduction

OnlyinthelastyearofhislifedidAjaanLee’sstudentsmakerecordingsofhistalks.Wehavetranscriptsofninerecordingsaltogether.Thefourtranslatedinthiscollectionaretheonlyonesforwhichcopiesoftheoriginaltapesarestillavailable.

IhavebeentoldthatAjaanLeehadstrongpremonitionsofhisimpendingdeath,andinlisteningtothetapesofthesetalksit’seasytosensethathewasgivingthemnotonlyasinstructionsforthepeoplepresent,butalsoasgiftsforposterity.Hencethetitleofthecollection.

Thefirsttalkwasafarewell—theclosingtalkatthededicationofthenewordinationhallatAjaanLee’smonastery,WatAsokaram.Aseventswouldhaveit,thiswasthelasttalkhegavetoalarge-scalegatheringofhisstudents,supporters,andfriends.Thesecondtalktakesuptheconceptofpracticeasabattlewithinternalenemies,andshowshowthewiseststrategyistowinone’senemiesovertoone’sside.Thethirdcoverstheeightclassicalformsofknowledgeandskill(vijjā)thatcomefromthepracticeofconcentration,discussinghowtheyrelatetothemethodsofscienceandotherformsofworldlyknowledge.Threeoftheknowledgestowardtheendofthelistarebarelytouchedon,andtheendofthetalkisfairlyabrupt.Thismayhavebeenduetothetape’srunningout,forAjaanLeehadquitealottosayontheseknowledgesinhisothertalksandwritings.Still,theheartofthetalk—theroleofthinkingandnot-thinkingindevelopingconcentrationandliberatinginsight—isdiscussedinconsiderabledetail,makingthisahelpfulguidetothe“how”ofmeditationpractice.Thefourthtalkclosesthecollectionwithalivelydiscussionofthewaysinwhichtheconceptsof“self”and“not-self”relatetothephenomenaofconsciousness—oneofAjaanLee’smostremarkableteachings.

Allfourtalkscontainextendedmetaphors,andalargemeasureoftheirappealliesinthewitandimaginationwithwhichAjaanLeeexploreshisimagery.Thewithereisnotsimplyastylisticdevice.Instead,it’saformofintelligenceessentialtothepath:theabilitytoperceiveunexpectedparallelsandtousethemastoolsinthepractice.AjaanLee’sexampleinthisregardisnottheleastofhismanygiftstothosewhopursuethepathtoliberationinhiswake.

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ṬhānissaroBhikkhu

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Crossing theOceanof Life

May19,1960

I’dnowliketoexplaintheDhammaasagiftforthoseofuswhohavegatheredhere.Allofus,bothlayandordained,havecomeherewithskillfulintentionsfrommanydifferentprovinces.Ourcominghereisoftwosorts.Thefirstsortisconnectedwithourhavingreceivedaninvitationornoticeofthisgathering,sothatwe’vecometojoininwiththemerit-makingforthepastelevendays.Thesecondsortdidn’treceiveanynoticeorinvitation,butassoonaswordofthisgatheringpassedbyourears,wegaverisetoagoodintention—goodinoneoftwoways.Thefirstisthatweseethepeopleherearedoingsomethinggoodandsoweshouldjoinin.That’swhysomeofyouarehere.Thisincludesmanyofthemonksandnoviceswhocame:Yousimplyheardthenewsofthisgatheringandsoyoucametojoinyourheartswithours.Thisiscalledaskillfulintentionthathasbornefruitintheheartsofallofus.

Andthentherearethosewhoconsideredthatthisisagatheringofourfriends,ofourteacher:Eventhoughwehaven’tbeencalledtojoin,weshouldgo.Someofyouhavethoughtinthiswayandsohavejoinedinourgathering,participatinginthevariousactivitiesuptotoday.Forallofthesethings,I’dliketoexpressmythanksandappreciationtoeachandeveryoneofyou—becausethiscelebrationhasinvolvedmanyduties,manyactivitiesofmanysorts.IfIweretotrytodoitallbymyself,I’msureIwouldn’tsucceed.Thefactthatwehavemanagedtosucceedsowellisduetothegoodnessofallofyoutogether.

Now,thefactthatyou’vesucceededincompletingtheseactivitieswillgiveyouresultsintwoways:Thefirstisthroughmerit—there’snoneedtodoubtthat.Thesecondisthroughbenefaction.

Resultsthroughmeritmeansthatwe’veneverbeenherebefore,we’renotintimatewiththepeoplehere,butwe’velearnedthatwhatthey’redoinghereismeritorious,andsowe’vecomeinhopesofmerit.

Theotherwayis,asI’vesaidearlier:We’vecomeonthebasisofbeingstudentsorfriends,orofbeingstudentsofthesameteacher.Whenwewillinglycometohelpintheseactivities,thistooismeritorious.Theresultswe’llreceivewillcomeintwo

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ways:throughmeritandthroughbenefaction.Meritisanindividualaffair,somethingforwhicheachpersonhastobe

responsibleintermsofhimorherownself.Asforbenefaction,thepersonwhohasbenefitedfromyourhelpandsupportwon’tforgetyourkindness.Thememorywillstayburiedthereintheheart,thatwhenweheldthecelebrationinthatyearorthattime,ourfriendscametohelpus.Iftheyhaveanyneedforourhelp,then—totheextentthatwe’reable—weshouldtaketheopportunitytoreturntheirkindnessinlinewithourability.Whethertheycallforourhelpornot,andwhetherornotwecanactuallygotohelp,wecan’tescapehavingtheintentiontobenefittheminonewayoranother.Eventhoughmybodymaynotbeabletogo,ormywordscan’treachyou,stillmymind—whenIhearthenewsonewayoranotherofanymeritoriousactivities,andthere’ssomewayIcanhelp—willrememberyourkindnessandthemeritI’veaccumulatedmyself,andsoI’llspreadthoughtsofgoodwill,dedicatingthefruitsofthatmerittopourdownonyouall.

It’sasifallofyouwerefarminginacertainplace,plantingriceorvegetables,orstartinganorchard,andthenranintodifficulties,suchasadrought.Whenthishappens,therearethingsthathavetobedone:findingwater,forinstance,orrepairingthedikesinthericefield.Whenapersonwhohasreceivedyourhelpinthepastlearnsofyourdifficulties,butcan’tcarrythewatertoyouorhelpwiththerepairwork,he’llspreadthoughtsofgoodwill.

Spreadingthoughtsofgoodwillissomethingsubtleandhardtoperceive,liketheenergythatflowsoutofoureyes.Theeyesofeverypersonshootbeamsofenergyoutintotheair,thesamewaythatthebeamsofcarheadlightslightuparoad.Theenergyfromoureyes,though,isrefined.Nomatterwherewelook,wedon’tseetheenergyflowingpastbecausethecurrentissubtle.It’sbecausethecurrentissubtle,though,thatitcanflowfar.Ifthecurrentwereblatant,itwouldgoonlyashortdistance.Thisiswhy,whenpeopledevelopsolidconcentration,they’reabletoseemanysubtleworlds.Inotherwords,thenatureofeye-energyhasnolimit,butwesimplygetnouseoutofit.Why?Becauseourmindsaren’tstill.Ifourmindsaren’tstill,we’relikeapersonpreoccupied,allwrappedupinhiswork.Whenthemindiswrappedupinconfusionthisway,theneventhoughtheeyeshavepotentialenergy,wecan’tgetanyuseoutofitbecauseit’sverysubtle.Theenergycangoveryfar,buttheproblemisthatthemindisn’tquiet.Ifthemindwerereallyquiet,wecouldimmediatelyseeveryfar.That’sclairvoyance.

Thisissomethingordinaryandnaturalthatexistsineveryhumanbeing.Ifthemindisweak,thenoutsidecurrentscutofftheenergycomingfromoureyes.Ifthemindisstrongandresilient,thecurrentsoftheworldcan’tcutthatenergyoff.Suchpeoplecanseefarregardlessofwhethertheireyesareopenorclosed.Thisisaqualitythatexistsinthehumanbody—somethingofveryhighqualitybyitsnature,butwecan’tgetanyuseoutofitbecauseourmindsaredistractedandrestless.

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Whenourmindsaredistractedandrestless,we’relikepeoplewhoaredeaddrunk:Eventhoughdrunkpeoplemayhavetoolsintheirpossession,theycan’tputthemtoanyuseotherthanasweaponstokilloneanother.Onlyifthey’regoodandsoberwilltheybeabletousethosetoolstoamasswealthandprovidefortheirphysicalwellbeing.Butifthey’rementallyunbalanced,yougivethemaknifeandthey’lluseittoslicesomebody’sheadopen.Asaresult,theyendupinprison.Eveniftheydon’tendupinprison,they’llhavetogetcagedorlockedupathome.

Thesameistruewiththehumanbeingsborninthisworld:Eventhoughthey’reendowedwithgoodthingsbynature,theirmindsaren’tatnormalcy.Andsothegoodthingswithinthemendupcausingvariouskindsofharm.

Herewe’vebeentalkingaboutphysicalnature.Whenwetalkaboutsubtlematters,likemeritorthemind,they’remuchmorerefinedthanthebody.Forthisreason,helpingpeoplebywayofthemindissomethingmuchmoreprofound.Whenapersontrainshisownmind,andtrainsitwell,tothepointwhereheexperienceshappinessandpeace,andthenhearsthatotherpeoplearesufferingandthatthere’sawayhecanbeofhelp,heusesthestrengthofthemind.Hecultivatestheminduntilit’sfirmlyestablishedandthencansendthatcleancurrenttobeofimmediatehelp.

Theheartsofordinarypeople,though,arelikesaltwaterintheocean.Ifyouuseittobathe,you’renotreallycomfortable—althoughitcanhelpyougetbyinapinch.Ifyoutrytodrinkit,itdoesn’tnourishthebody.Youuseitonlyifyoureallydon’thaveanythingelseatall.

Inthesameway,theheartsofhumanbeingsinthisworldareadriftintheocean:thefloodofsensuality,thefloodofbecoming,thefloodofviews,thefloodofignorance.Thesefouroceansaredeep:deeperthanthewaterinthesea.Wedependonourmindsthatareswimmingintheseoceans,sinkinginsaltwater.That’swhy,whensomepeopleareinreallysaltywater,thewavesarestrong.Iftheyliedowntosleep,theytossandturnjustlikewavesinthesea.Theyliedownontheirleftsideandcan’tsleep.Theyturnoverandlieontheirrightsideandstillcan’tsleep.Itcomesfromthewaves.

Andwheredothesewavescomefrom?Theocean.Inotherwords,theycomefromthefloodofsensuality:sensualdesires,attachmenttosensualobjects;thefloodofbecoming:wantingtobethis,wantingtobethat,strugglingtoescapefromthestatewe’rein;thefloodofviews:holdingfasttoourownviewstothepointofgettingintoarguments—asignthatwe’readriftinsaltwater;andthefloodofignorance:darknessbehindus—notknowingthepast;darknessinfrontofus—notknowingthefuture;darknessinthepresent—notknowingwhat’sgoodandevilwithinourselves,lettingthemindfallforthewaysoftheworldofrebirth.That’swhat’smeantbyignorance.

Thenormalnatureofthehumanmindistobefloatingadriftinthisway,which

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iswhytheBuddhahadthegreatkindnesstowantustodevelopourmeritandskillfulness.That’swhyheadvisedustobuildaboatforourselves:Theboat,here,istheactivityofourphysicalbody.Asfortheprovisionsthatwe’llneedforcrossingtheocean,thosearetherequisitesthatweasBuddhistssacrificeinordertobenefitmonasticsinourdevelopmentofgenerosity.Ifyoucangivealot,itmeansthatyou’llhaveenoughtohelpyoucrossovertheocean,foryou’llhaveenoughtoeat.Ifyougiveonlyalittle,youmightrunoutofprovisionsandstartdriftingaimlesslywiththecurrentsandwavesinthemiddleoftheocean.Ifyou’relucky,thewavesmaywashyouashore,sothatyoumanagetosurvive.Butifthewavesarelarge,andyourboatsmall,youwon’tbeabletoreachland.You’llendupsinkinginthemiddleofthesea.

TheBuddhacontemplatedthisfact,whichiswhyheadvisedustodevelopourgoodness.Ononelevel,developinggoodnessisinvolvedwiththewayweuseourmaterialpossessions.Onanother,it’sinvolvedwiththewaywelookafterouractions,improvingthewayweuseourphysicalbodysothatitbecomesfullytrained.Theresultswe’llreceiveareoftwosorts.Thefirstisthatourboatwon’tsink.Thesecondisthatwe’llhaveplentyofprovisionsforcrossingoverthevastexpanseofthesea.

Butevenwhenpeoplehaveaseaworthyboatandplentyofprovisions,theycanstillrunoutofwatertodrink.Whenthathappens,thenalthoughtheyhaveplentyofprovisions,they’reputtodifficulties.Topreventthis,theBuddhataughtusanotherskill:howtodistillsaltwatersothatwecandrinkit.Ifwe’reintelligent,wecandistillsaltwatersothatwecandrinkit.We’llbeabletoreachAmericawithouthavingtostopoffanywherealongtheway.Ifwehavediscernment,we’llbeabletodrinksaltwater.Inwhatway?Saltwatercomesfromfreshwater,sowhereverthere’ssaltwater,therehastobefreshwater.Theycan’tescapefromeachother.Onceyourealizethis,youcantravelaroundtheworld.Ifyou’reskilledatdistilling,yoursaltwatercanturnintofreshwater.Oncewecanturnsaltwaterintofreshwaterinthisway,wecanbeatourease.Eventhoughwe’reinthemiddleoftheocean,we’llhavefreshwatertodrinkandtobatheourbodies.Thatwaywe’llbeatourease.

Inthesameway,thoseofuswhoareadriftintheoceanoflifehaveto:

1)caulkourboatsothatit’sniceandtight,2)stockourboatwithenoughprovisions,and3)learnhowtodistillfreshwaterfromsaltwater.

The“boat”herestandsforourbody.It’snotabigboat.Ifitwerelargerthanthis,wehumanbeingswouldhavelotsofhardships.Thebodyisafathomlong,acubitwide,andaspanthick.Thisisaboatthatwehavetocaulksothatit’sniceandtight.Caulkingtheboatherestandsforrestraintofthesenses:restrainingtheeye—beingcarefulnottogiverisetobadkammabecauseoftheeye,notlettingbarnaclesbuilduponit;restrainingtheear—don’tletanythingevilcomeinbywayoftheear,

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foranythingevilislikeabarnacle.Thesameholdstruewithournose,tongue,body,andmind:Weshouldn’ttakeaninterestinanythingevilorbad,forthingsofthatsortarelikebarnaclesorinsectsthatwillboreintothewoodofourboatanddestroyit.

Thisiswhywe’retaughttopracticerestraintoveroureyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,andmind.Weabstainfromdoingwhatevershouldn’tbedone.Wehavetoprotectourselvesandpracticerestraint,consideringthingsthoroughlybeforeweact.Ifweletbarnaclesdevelopalloverourbody,thisboatofours—thisBodyShip—willwearoutandsinkintotheocean.

Asforthemind,wehavetobecarefulthatdefilementsdon’tariseintheheart.Wehavetoexerciserestraintlikethisatalltimes,continuallycaulkingoursixsensemedia,caulkingoureyeswiththerightsights,ourearswiththerightsounds,ournosewiththerightsmells,ourtonguewiththerightflavors,ourbodywiththerighttactilesensations,andourmindwiththeDhamma.

Caulkingtheeyemeansthatifweseealackanywherethatwillgiveusachancetodevelopmeritandskillfulness—whetherit’sinsidethemonasteryorout—weshouldn’tbeindifferenttoit.Weshouldfillupthelackaswecan,stepbystep.Thisiscalledcaulkingtheeye.

Caulkingtheearmeansthatwhenwehearpeoplesayanything—regardlessofwhethertheyhavetheintentionoftellingorteachingus—whentheirvoicescomescrapingintoourears,weshouldtellourselvesthatthesoundisachanceforustodevelopourgoodness.Inthatwaythesoundwillbeusefultous.Nomatterwhatkindofpersonisspeaking—childoradult;monk,novice,ornun;tall,short,black,white,whatever:Weshouldchoosetopayattentiononlytothethingsthatwillbeofusetous.Thisiscalledusingsoundsaspitchforcaulkingfortheears.

Whenweencountersmellspassingbyournose,weshouldsearchonlyforsmellsthatwillmakeuscheerful,thatwillgiverisetoskillfulmentalstatesasawayofcaulkingournose.Thisiswhatwillbringhappinessandpeacetothemind.

CaulkingthebodystandsforthewaywesitherequietlylisteningtotheDhammawithoutmovingaroundormakinganydisturbance.Italsostandsforsittinginmeditation,sittingandchanting,performingacandlecircumambulationceremony,usingthebodytobowdowntotheBuddha.Allofthesethingscountascaulkingforthebody.

Asforcaulkingthemind,thatstandsfordhamma-osatha:themedicineoftheDhamma.Wecaulkthemindbythewaywethink.If,whenwethinkofsomething,themindsours,weshouldn’tthinkaboutthatthing.Whetherit’samatteroftheworldoroftheDhamma,ifthinkingaboutitgivesrisetoangerordelusioninthemind,weshouldn’tpayitanyattention.Weshouldthinkinsteadofthegoodwe’vedoneinthepast.Forinstance,wecanthinkofthegoodthingswedidtogetherinthecelebrationoftheyear2500B.E.Eventhoughwe’vepartedwayssincethen,we’ve

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comebacktogethertodoskillfulandmeritoriousthingsoncemore.Thisisacaulkingforthemind.Inadditiontothat,wefosteranotherformofgoodness,calleddevelopingconcentration.Developingconcentrationisawayofcaulkingthemindsothatitdoesn’tdevelopanygaps,leaks,orholes.

Allofthisiscalledcaulkingourboat—theboatofthebody.InPāli,thisiscalledindrīya-saṁvara-sīla,theprinciplesofrestraintoverthesensefaculties.Weexerciserestraintoveroureyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,andmind,sothatourboatwillfloatontheoceanwithoutsinking.Thisiscalledcaulkingourboat.

Whatdowedonext?Wehavetostockourboatwithprovisions.Oncewe’rebornintheworld,ourwellbeingdependsontherequisitesoflife.We’veeatenfood,wornclothing,livedinshelter,andusedmedicinetotreatthebody.That’swhywe’vebeenabletofindasmuchcomfortaswehave.Whenweconsiderthisfact,wehavetoturnandconsiderhowothersaregettingalong.Whenweseethatweneedthesethingstogetalong,westartstockingourboatbygivinggiftsofalmsfoodandmakingotherdonationstoprovideallfourrequisites.Thisiscalledstockingourboatwithprovisions.Thenweputupamastandunfurlasail.Inotherwords,weinviteamonktogetuponthesermonseatandteachtheDhammaasawayofincliningthemindintherightdirection.ThemindwillthenziprightalonginlinewiththebreezeoftheDhamma.Andthebodywillgorightalongwithit.

Forexample,oncewe’veheardtheDhammawegainafeelingofcontentmentsothatwewanttohearitagain.Thisisasignthatourboathascaughtwind,andthewindisstrong,sowesailrightalong.Thiswillhelpourboatreachtheothershoreeasily.Ifthere’snosailtohelpitalong,andwestocktheboatwithtoomanythings,itmaysink.That’swhythere’sthecustom,whenanyonemakesadonation,tohaveasermonatthesametimeasawayofincliningthemindinthedirectionoftheDhamma.Forourboattogetanywhere,itneedsasail.Thennomatterhowmanyorfewprovisionswehaulonboard,theboatwillheadinthedirectionwewantitto.Thisisthesecondthingweneedtoknow.

Thethirdthingisthemethodfordistillingsaltwatersothatitcanbecomefresh.Thisstandsforpracticingtranquilitymeditationandinsightmeditation.Wegiverisetodirectedthoughtandevaluationwithinthemind.Andwhatissaltwater?Saltwaterstandsfordefilement.Thedefilementsofthemindaresaltierthansalt.Whenwetrytoeatsalt—evenjustalittle—wecan’tswallowitbecausewefinditsosalty,butthedefilementsareevensaltierthanthat.Theycancrustusoversothatwespoilandrotinallsortsofways.Whenthisisthecase,whatcanwedo?Wehavetofilterordistillthem.Filteringreferstoyonisomanasikāra,appropriateattention.Whateverwedo,wehavetoreflect,tobeobservant,toconsiderthingscarefullybeforeweact.Thisisthefirstvatinourdistillery.

Oursecondvatismeditation,contemplatingourfabricationsbyusingskillful

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strategies,givingrisetothefactorsofjhāna.Thefirstfactorisdirectedthought:keepinginmindthepreoccupationthatcanactasafoundationforthemind—itsgocara-dhamma,orproperrange—asawayofaimingitintherightdirectionbydevelopingthefourframesofreference(satipaṭṭhāna).Thisishowwedistillsaltwater.

Thefourframesofreferenceare:focusingonthebodyinandofitself,focusingonfeelingsinandofthemselves,focusingonthemindinandofitself,andfocusingonmentalqualitiesinandofthemselves.Allfourofthesearegatheredinthebodyandmind.Thisisonewayoflookingatthem,calledanuloma,orinlinewiththestandardway.Theotherwayiscalledpaṭiloma,inreverseofthestandardway,inwhichwetakeallfourandturnthemintoone.Thestandardwayiswhenwepracticedirectedthoughtandevaluation.Butwhenwetakeallfourandturnthemintoone,wetakeonlyonepartofthebody,astheysayintheGreatFramesofReferenceDiscourse:Wefocusonthebodyinandofitselfasanobjectoftranquilitymeditation.Inotherwords,wetakeallfourpartsandgatherthemintothebody:thepropertiesofearth,water,fire,andwind.That’sthebody.Whenweseethatithasmanypartsandmanyaspects,preventingthemindfromgrowingstill,makingitdistracted,wechooseonlyoneoftheparts.Forexample,weputasidethepropertiesofearth,water,andfire,andstaystillonlywiththepropertyofwind.Wefocusdownonthewindpropertyastheobjectwekeepinmind:Thisiscalledthebodyinandofitself.

Thewindpropertyheremeansthein-and-outbreath.Whenwekeepthebreathinmindandwatchconstantlyoverit,that’scalleddevelopingthebodyinandofitself.Whenthebreathcomesin,wewatchit.Whenitgoesout,wewatchit.Wekeepsurveyingitconstantly.Sometimesit’scoarse,sometimesit’srefined,sometimesit’scool,sometimesit’swarm.Nomatterwhatit’slike,wekeepwatchingit.Sometimes,justaswe’reabouttoreachsomethinggoodinthemeditation,wegetdiscouraged.It’slikeboilingwaterinourdistillery.Normally,twosortsofthingscanhappen.Ifthefireistoostrong,thewaterstartsboilingsofastthatitallturnsintosteam,overflowsthevat,andputsoutthefire.Ifthefireistooweak,thewaterdoesn’tboilandsoitproducesnosteamatall.Sometimesthefireisjustright—nottoostrong,nottooweak—justrightinbetween.Themiddleway.Thefireisjustenoughtogiverisetosteam—notsomuchthatitoverflowsthevat,butenoughforsteamtocomeoutofthevat,enoughforthesteamtobecomedropsoffreshwater.

Thisiswhywe’retaughttobeobservant.Whenthedesiretosucceedinthemeditationisreallystrong,itcanpreventthemindfromgrowingstill.Thebreathgetsstirredupandcan’tgrowsubtle.Thisiscalleddesiregettingintheway.Othertimesthedesireistooweak.Yousitthere,themindstill,thebreathrefined,light—andyoudriftrighttosleep.Thewaternevercomestoaboil.Youhavetoputthings

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togetherintherightproportions,justright,withmindfulnessandalertnessmonitoringthingsatalltimes.Whenthemindisstayingwithcoarsebreathing,youknow.Whenit’sstayingwithrefinedbreathing,youknow.Whenyourmindfulnessandalertnessareconstantinthisway,theresultisrapture:Thebodyislight,cool,comfortable,andatease.Themindhasasenseoffullness,bloomingandbrightinitsconcentration.

Thisiswherefreshwaterisbeginningtogatherinyourdistillery.Thesaltwaterbeginstodisappear.Inotherwords,thesaltwaterofsensualdesire,illwill,sloth&drowsiness,restlessness&anxiety,anduncertainty—lettingthemindruntothepast,runtothefuture,notclearlyseeingthepresent—beginstodisappear.Whenthemindisreallystillandrefined,itgivesrisetoconcentration,withasenseofeaseandfullness,sothatyoucansitformanyhours.

Thisisthesameastakingasinglejaroffreshwaterwithusinourboat.Ifwehavetheintelligencetodistillfreshwateroutofsaltwater,ouronejarofwaterwillbecomeamagicjar,providinguswithenoughwatertodrinkallthewayaroundtheworld.Inthesameway,whenwedevelopconcentrationbyusingdirectedthoughttoliftthemindtoitsobjectasthefirststepinthefirstjhāna,andevaluationtokeepcontemplatingtheobjectofourmeditationtomakeitsubtleandrefined—whenthepropertiesofthebodyhavebeenthoroughlyevaluated,themindwillbeabletocontemplatethedrawbacksofthefivehindrances.Thebodywillgrowquiet—thisiscalledkāya-passaddhi,physicalserenity;andthemindwillgrowstill—citta-passaddhi,mentalserenity.Thebodywillbeatease,withnopainsorheaviness:Thisiskāya-lahutā,physicallightness.Thisiswhererapturearises.Themindwillfeelfullandsatisfied,withnorestlessnessordistraction,likeapersonwhohaseatenhisfill,orachildwhohaseatenitsfillsothatitnolongerdisturbsitsmotherorfather.

Whenthehearthasraptureasitscompanion,itwillbefreefromunrest.Itwillbecool.Itwillbeabletousethefreshwaterithasdistilledfromsaltwaterasameansofwashingitsclothing,asameansofbathingitsbody.Thenitwillbeabletowashtheearthproperty—whichislikearag—thewaterproperty,thewindproperty,andthefireproperty,allofwhicharelikerags.They’realwaysrippingandtearing,alwaysgettingdirty.Thisiswhywehavetocareforthematalltimes.Whenthemindhasgivenrisetothefactorsofconcentration,thepowerofrapturewillcometowashourpropertiesofearth,water,wind,andfire.Then,ifwewanttobewarm,wewon’thavetositinthesunlight;ifwewanttobecool,wewon’thavetositinthebreeze.If,whenwe’restuckinthesunlight,wewanttobecool,we’llbecool.If,whenwe’restuckinwater,wewanttobewarm,we’llbewarm.Thatwaywecanbeatourease,likeapersonwhohasclothingtocoverhisbodyandsohasnoneedtofeelbashfulwhenenteringhumansociety.

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Thisiswhymeditatorshavenofearofdifficultconditions.Whyisthat?Becausetheyhavetheirownsourceoffreshwater:watertobathein,watertodrink.They’vegotallthewatertheyneedtouseforbathingtheirbody;forbathingtheireyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,andmind;forbathingthepropertiesofearth,water,wind,andfire.That’swaterforusing.Asforwaterfordrinking,theycandevelopconcentrationtoanevenhigherlevel,togiverisetoasenseofinnerpleasure:pleasurethatarisesfromwithintheminditself.Whenthemindfeelspleasure,boththebodyandmindwillbeattheirease.Themindwillimbibenothingbutpleasure—andthere’snopleasurehigherthanthatofthemindatpeace.Thusraptureiswaterforusing,forbathingthebodyandmind;whereaspleasureisdrinkingwaterspecificallyforthemind.

Sowhoeverhasthediscernmenttodistillfreshwaterfromsaltwaterwillexperienceeaseandwellbeing.Thisisourfirstdistillery.Theseconddistilleryiswherewetakethewaterfromthefirstanddistillittoevengreaterpurity.Thisisthesameaswhentheyrefinesugar:Afterthefirststageitstillcontainssomealcohol,sotheyhavetorefineitasecondtime.Thisstandsfordevelopinginsightmeditation,somethingveryrefined—sorefinedthatnobodyelsecanseeit.Youcanstandandpracticeinsightmeditation,sitandpracticeinsightmeditation,youcanliedown,youcanevenbegivingaDhammatalkandpracticeinsightmeditation:Themouthspeaks,themindthinksofitstopic—whenyouthinkofsomethingtosay,orthoughtssimplyarisewithinthemind,there’snoattachmenttobodilyfabrication,i.e.,theprocessesofthebody;noattachmenttoverbalfabrication,i.e.,thethoughtsthatfabricatewordsforotherpeopletohear.There’snoattachmenttoyourwords,andyourminddoesn’trunoutafterthem.Asforthoughtsthatarisefromignoranceandcraving,youknowthemimmediatelyforwhattheyare.Themindinthatstateisn’tinvolvedinbodilyfabrication,verbalfabrication,ormentalfabrication.Themindisthenreleasedfromallfabrications.

Allfabricationsthatarisesimplychangeandthendisband.Thisistrueofbodilyfabrications,verbalfabrications,andmentalfabrications.Whenyouseethesethingsintermsoftheircommoncharacteristics,whenyouseethemasinconstant,constantlyspinningaround;stressful,hardtobear;andnot-self,beyondyourcontrol,thenwhetheryou’restanding,sitting,lyingdown,performingphysicalwork,orspeaking—evenwhenyou’rejustsittingandthinkingalonebyyourself—you’llfindallthingsgoodandnobleflowingtoyouatalltimes.Thisiscalledpracticinginsightmeditation.

Apersonlikethiscanthensetupanenormousdistillery,turningthewateroftheseaintoclouds.Whenthewateroftheseahasbeenturnedintoclouds,they’llfloatthroughthesky.Whereverpeoplearesufferingfromhardships,thewaterinthecloudswillcomerainingdown,wateringthelandwherepeoplelivesothattheycangrowfoodconveniently.Inthesameway,whenpeoplehavereleasedtheirhearts

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fromthepowerofworldliness,theirgoodnessislikeclouds.Whenthecloudsturnintorain,therainwaterwillhelpgoodpeopleliveinhappinessandwellbeing.Thisisoneofthebenefitsthatcomesfromthosewhohavedevelopeddiscernment.

SoIaskthatallofyoumakeamentalnoteofthesethreemaxims:

1)Caulkyourboat.2)Setupamast,unfurlyoursailssothattheycatchthewind,andthenstockyourboatwithprovisionsbypracticinggenerosity.3)Learnhowtotakesaltwateranddistillitintofresh.

Whoevercangiverisetotheseskillswithinthemselveswill,attheveryleast,becomegoodpeople.Ifthey’renotheedless,andmakeacontinualeffort,theywillbeabletotakethemindbeyondallbecoming.

So,allofyouwhohavegatheredtogethertomakemeritonthisoccasion:IaskthatyouacceptasagifttheDhammadescribedhere,takeitwithyou,andputitintopractice.Youwillexperiencehappiness,flourish,andthriveintheBuddha’steachings.

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TheDemonsof Defilement

It’sthenatureoftheworldthatnothingistotallybad.Everythinghastohaveatleastsomegoodtoit.ThesameholdstruewiththevariousformsofMāra,orthedemonsoftemptation,thatgetinthewayofourpractice.It’snotthecasethattheyalwaysobstructus.Sometimestheyturnintoourfriendsandcompanions;sometimesintoourworkersandsupporters;sometimesintoourslaves,helpingusandcaringforus.Thisiswhy,ifyou’rediscerning,youhavetowalkamiddlecourse.Ononehand,youhavetofocusontheirbadside.Ontheother,youhavetofocusontheirgood.Theirgoodandbadsidesarerealitiesthathavetoexisttogether.Asforus,wehavetotakeastanceinthemiddle,examiningthingssothatwedon’tactoutofsuspicionorprejudice.Onceweseethegoodsideofthesethings,wecangetmorefamiliarwiththem.Wecangetintimate.Whenwegetfamiliarandintimate,wedevelopasenseofkinshipwiththem.AstheBuddhasaid,vissāsāparamāñātī:Familiarityisthehighestformofkinship.

Evenourenemies,whenwebecomefamiliarwiththem,canbecomeourfriends.Ourcompanions.Ourservants.Ourslaves.Whenwecanlookatthingsinthisway,bothsidesbenefit.WebenefitandourMārasbenefitaswell.InthetimeoftheBuddha,forinstance,theBuddhagotsofamiliarwithMārathateventuallyMāragotconvertedandfeltfavorablyinclinedtothemeritandskillfulnesstheBuddhahaddeveloped.OnceMārahadnomorepowerovertheBuddha,hepaidhomagetotheBuddhaandfoundhimselftransportedtoheaven.Andthat’snotall.Hebecameabodhisattva.Inthefuturehe’llgainAwakeningasafullyself-awakenedBuddha.SohebenefitedandtheBuddhabenefited.Thisisthenatureofpeoplewithdiscernment:Theycantakebadthingsandturnthemintogood.

Asforus,westilllieundertheswayofMārasofvariouskinds.TheseintimidatingMārasarecalledKilesa-Māras,thedemonsofdefilement.Thebigones,thereallyinfamousones,aregreed,aversion,anddelusion.Thesearethefamousones.Asfortheonesthatstaymoreinthebackground,behindthescenes,thosearekāma-taṇhā,cravingforsensuality,strugglingtogetthingsinwaysthatareoffensivetotheDhamma;bhava-taṇhā,cravingforthingstobethiswayorthat;andvibhava-taṇhā,cravingthatthingsnothappen.Forinstance,oncewe’vegainedwealth,we

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don’twanttoloseit;oncewe’vegainedstatus,wedon’twantanyonetowipeouttheedgewehaveoverothers.Thisisvibhava-taṇhā.Thesethreeformsofcravingarealsodemonsofdefilement,butthey’renotverywellknown.Onlyonceinalong,longwhiledoyouhearanyonementiontheirnames.

Asforgreed,aversion,anddelusion,they’reverybig,verypowerful,verywellknown.ThemotherofalltheseMārasisignorance(avijjā).Everythingcomesoutofignorance.Goodnesscomesfromignorance.Evilcomesfromignorance.Tocallthingsbytheirpropernames,ignoranceistherequisiteconditionforfabrications(saṅkhāra),andfabrications,whentheyarise,comeinthreesorts:

meritoriousfabrications:intentionsandconsiderationsthatheadinthedirectionofgivingrisetogoodness;

demeritoriousfabrications:thoughtsthatheadinthedirectionofwhat’sevil,corrupt,andimproper,defilingthemindandmakingitloseitsluster;and

neutralfabrications:thoughtsthatareneithermeritoriousnorevil.Forinstance,whenwethinkaboutgoingtothemarkettomorrow,oraboutgoingtoworkinourfield,orabouttakingabathoreatingameal.Whenthoughtslikethisariseinthemind,they’recalledneutralfabrications:thinkingthatisn’tyeteithergoodorbad.

Theseformsoffabricationarealsodemonsofdefilement.They’rethechildrenofMāra,buttheyrarelyshowtheirfacesinpublic.They’relikethechildrenofnobility,childrenintheroyalpalace.Theyhardlyevershowtheirfacesoutside,soveryfewpeopleknowtheirnames,veryfewpeoplehaveseentheirfaces.Unlessyoudevelopthemindinconcentrationyouwon’tgettoseethesebeauties.Ifyoudevelopconcentration,youcanpeerinside,usingyourdiscernmenttopartthecurtains,andthenyou’llgettoseethesechildrenofMāra.

ThemotherofMāra,ignorance,liesevendeeperinside.Ignorancemeansnotbeingacquaintedwithyourownmind—mistakingyourthinkingforyourmind;mistakingyourknowledgeforthemind;thinkingthatyourthoughtsofthepastorfuturearethemind;thinkingthatthebodyisthemindorthemindisthebody;thatfeelingisthemindorthemindisfeeling;thatmentalqualitiesarethemind,orthatthemindismentalqualities;thatthemindistheselfortheselfisthemind;notbeingabletoseparatethesethingsfromyourself,gettingyourselfallentangled:That’scalledignorance.Inshort,ignorancemeansgettingcaughtupinthepresent.

AllofthethingsI’vementionedsofararecalledthedemonsofdefilement.Theybotherusallthetime,getinourwayallthetime,whichiswhythey’recalledthedemonsofdefilement.Howaretheydemons?Whenyougetreallygreedy,forinstance,itgetsinthewayofyourbeinggenerousandgivingdonations.Yousimplywanttogetanddon’twanttogive.That’showgreedisademon.Whenwegetpossessiveofthings,holdingontight,andsomeonedestroyswhatwe’reholdingonto,wegetupsetandfeelmistreated.Thisputsourmindintoaturmoilandgetsit

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allstirredup.Thisishowgreedisademon.Thesameholdstrueforanger.Onceitarises,youdon’tgiveadamnabout

anything.Youseeotherpeopleasnothingmorethanredorblackants:Allyouhavetodoissteponthemandthey’refinished.Theexplosivepowerofangerismoreviolentthananythingelse.Whetherornotyou’llactuallybeabletogetyourway,youdon’tcare.You’rebrazenandfoolhardy.Butifanyonecomesalongatthattimeandtriestopersuadeyoutoactinaskillfulway,youdon’twantanythingofwhattheyhavetosay.Theangerhastogoitscourseuntilitrunsoutonitsown.Thisiswhyit’scalledademon,becauseyoucan’tdoanythinggoodwhileyou’reunderitspower.

Delusionisevenworse.Delusionseepsintoyou,thewaybloodseepsthroughouteverypartofyourbody.Whenwedoevil,we’redeluded.Whenwedogood,we’restilldeluded.Eventhoughwe’rewell-educatedintheDhamma,wecan’tyetescapefromthepowerofdelusion.Nomatterwhoweare,itstaysrightonourheels.Wemaywanttomakemerit,butwhenwe’redeludedwedon’tknowwhat’srightandwhat’swrong.Wesimplywantthemerit.Weobservethepreceptsbecausewewanttobegood,butwedon’tknowwhatrealvirtueis.It’sthesamewhenwepracticeconcentration.Wewanttogetresults,butwecan’ttellrightconcentrationfromwrong.Wesimplykeeponwanting.

Thisiscalleddelusion,inthatourknowledgeisn’tinlinewiththetruth.It’snotthatwedon’tknowanything.Weknow,butwhatweknowgoesstrayingawayfromthetruth.We’relikeapersonwhohaslosthisway:Hecanstillkeepgoing;it’sjustthathe’snotontherightpath.Suppose,forinstance,thatwewanttogotoBangkokbutwegetconfusedaboutthewayandstartheadingtoBangPuu.We’reoffthepathasfarasBangkokisconcerned,butwe’reontherightpathforBangPuu—andwecankeepongoing.It’snotthecasethatwhenyou’reonthewrongpathyoucan’tgo.Youcan,butit’sthewrongpathasfarasthedestinationyouwant.You’resimplygoingtoendupdisappointed.Thisiswhydelusioniscalledademon.

Thesecondlevelofdemonsaretheformsofcraving.Therearethreeformsofcraving,buttheyboildowntotwosorts.Wetranslatecravingas“desire,”anddesirehastwotypes.Oneisdesiremixedwithlust,intheordinarywayoftheworld.Thesecondhasnolust.It’ssimplyasenseofinclination,affection,alikingforobjects.Forexample,wefeelalikingforcertainsights.Weseecertainmaterialobjectsandwelikethewaytheylook,sowesearchforthem—inotherwords,wewanttogetthem.This,too,isatypeofcraving.Thesameholdstrueforthevarioussoundswelike.Westruggletogetholdofthem.Ourdesirepullsus,yanksus,dragsusalong—whetherornotwe’llgetwhatwewant,wehavetokeeprunning.Ifwegetwhatwewant,wehaveatleastsomethingtoshowforourefforts.Ifwedon’t,it’sawasteoftimeandenergy,andwesuffer.Thiskindofdesireisalsocalledcraving:cravingforobjects,forsights,sounds,smells,tastes,tactilesensations:thingswelike.Thisis

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desirecombined,notwithlust,butwithgreed.

Socravinghasthesetwoflavors,distilledoutofkāma-taṇhā,bhava-taṇhā,andvibhava-taṇhā:desirecombinedwithlust,anddesirefreeoflust.These,too,aredemonsofdefilement.Eachofthempreventsthemindfromincliningtowardrightconcentration.Thisiswhydesire—chanda—isclassedasahindrance.Desireonthelevelofahindrancecoversinclination,asenseofliking,withoutanylustmixedin.Butthere’sanothertypeofchanda—calledchanda-rāga,ordesire-and-passion—whichisheavierthanchandaasahindrance.Chandaasahindranceislight.Chanda-rāgaisanenemyoftheprecepts.Chandaasahindranceisanenemyofconcentration.Thisiswhydesireineithersenseofthewordisclassedasademon,ademonofdefilement.Thisisthesecondlevel.

Thenextlevelofdemonsaretheformsofmentalfabrication.Forexample,meritoriousfabrications:themind’sthoughtsofconcoctingorgivingrisetomerit.Nowsupposethatthosethoughtsdon’tsucceed.Themindsours.LikeKingAsoka,whoruledovertheIndiansubcontinent,governingintwoways.Onewasthroughhisgoodnessasaperson.Hissubjectsrespectedhim,honoredhim,andsotheyobeyedhim.Theotherwaywasthroughhismilitarypowerandmight.Thiswaswhytherewaslawandorderamonghispeople.Intheareaofthereligion,hegavetremendoussupportandencouragement,buildingagreatdealofgoodness—somuchsothatitbackfiredonhim.HegavecontinualdonationstotheBhikkhuSaṅghauntiloneday,towardtheendofhislife,hedecidedthathewantedtousesomemoneytobuydonationsasaformofhomagetotheBuddha,homagetotheDhamma,andhomagetotheSaṅgha.Afterhehadformulatedthisintention,butbeforehehadhadtheopportunitytospendasmuchashewanted,hefellill.Sohewantedtohurryupandfinishmakingmeritinlinewithhisplans.Hesentoneofhisofficialstowithdrawmoremoneyfromthetreasury,whichheldbothgovernmentfundsandtheking’sprivatefunds.Whentheofficialgottothetreasury,thetreasurerwouldn’thandoverthemoney,becausehefeltthatitshouldgoonlytothegovernment.

SotheofficialreturnedtoinformKingAsoka,whogotupset.“Thesearemyfunds,”hethought.HewantedtousethefundsasaformofhomagetotheBuddha,homagetotheDhamma,andhomagetotheSaṅgha,butwhenhecouldn’tdoit,hismindturnedsour.Anditsohappenedthatwhilehismindwassoured,hedied.Now,becausehediedwhilehewasangryathistreasurerfornotlettinghimmakemerit,theresultwasthathewasbornasagiganticsnake,anenormouspython,slitheringbackandfortharoundtheroyaltreasury.Andtherehehadtostay,fixatedonhispossessions,formanydays,whichpreventedhimfromenjoyingtheresultsofthegoodhehaddone.Whenhewasalive,hehaddonegoodinlotsofways:buildingtemples,buildingchedis,plantinghugenumbersofBodhitrees,givinghugedonationstotheSaṅgha,observingtheprecepts,listeningtotheDhamma.Whenhe

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died,heshouldhavebeenrebornasamaleorfemaledeva,butinsteadhewentandtookbirthasasnake.Thisisaninstanceofhowgoodintentions,meritoriousintentions,whentheyaren’tfulfilled,canleadtodefilementandrebirthasacommonanimal.Thisiswhythoughtsofmakingmerit,eventhoughthey’remeritorious,canturnintodemons.

Thesameisevenmoretruewithdemeritoriousfabrications,thoughtsofdoingevil.Simplythinkingevilisenoughtogetinthewayofourgoodness.Whenthoughtsofthiskindariseinthemind—eventhoughwehaven’tyetactedonthem,eventhoughwehaven’tyetspokenundertheirinfluence—themerefactofhavingabadintentioninthemindisenoughtopreventusfromreachingthenoblepathsandfruitions.Anexampleofthisisthestoryoftwovillagers,twofriends,ontheBuddhistsabbath.Earlyinthemorning,thepeopleinthevillageheardthesoundofthebellandgonginthelocaltemple,sotheygotupbeforedaylightandgotreadytogogivefoodandlistentoasermonatthetemple.Oneofthefriendsthoughttohimself,“IfIgomakemeritatthetemple,thenwhenIgetbackhomeIwon’thaveanythingtoeat.I’dbettergofishinginstead.”Sohecookedsomericeandpreparedthefoodfortheotherfriendtotaketothetemple.

Asforthefriendwhowenttothetemple:Whilehewasplacingfoodinthemonks’bowls,takingtheprecepts,andlisteningtothesermon,allhecouldthinkwasevilthoughts:“Willmyfriendcatchanyfishforustoeatthisevening,Iwonder.”Ashethoughtaboutthis,hedevelopedastrongdesiretoeatfishcurry,madefromthefishhisfriendwasoutkillinginthestream.That’sallhecouldthinkaboutashewasputtingfoodinthemonks’bowlsandlisteningtothesermon.Hewasn’tthinkingaboutthekilling.Hesimplythought,“Ifmyfriendcatchessomefish,I’llgettoeat.”Asforthefriendwhowasoutcatchingfish,allhecouldthinkaboutwas,“Iwonderifmyfriendhasputfoodinthemonks’bowlsyet….Bynow,he’sprobablytakentheprecepts….Bynowhe’sprobablylisteningtothesermonandgettinglotsandlotsofmerit.”That’sallhecouldthinkabout.Now,throughthestrongmeritoriouspowerofhisthinking,notasinglefishgotcaughtinhisnet.Everytimeheheardthegongbeingstruckatthetemple,he’dputdownhisnet,raisehishands,andsay,“Sādhu!”—alldayuntildarknessfell.Becausehisthoughtsweresolostindoinggood,hiseffortstodoevildidn’tsucceed.

Asforthefriendwhowenttomakemeritinthetemple,histhoughtswerelostineatingfishwithhisfriend,soheendedupgettinghardlyanymeritatall.Thereturnsonhismeritweren’tworthallthetimeandeffortthathadgoneintofixingfoodforthemonks,takingtheprecepts,andlisteningtothesermonwithhishandsfoldedinrespect.Inotherwords,hisstateofmindcanceledouthisgoodness,soheendedupnomatchforhisfriendwhowasoutdoingevilwithoutreallywantingto.Thushisstateofmindturnedintoademonandharmedhimintwoways:Thefirstwasthathewantedtoeatfishbutdidn’tgetasinglebite.Thesecondwasthateven

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thoughhedidgainsomemeritfromthedonationshehadmadetothemonks,itwasonlyalittlebit.Hesimplywentthroughthemotionsofputtingfoodinthemonks’bowls,takingtheprecepts,listeningtothesermon,buthismindwasfocusedoneatingmurrel-fishcurrywithhisfriend.Sohedidn’tgetanyofthegoodresultsthatheshouldhavefromhisactions.

Thisiswhyit’ssaidthatevilthoughtscanceloutourgoodness.Evenifwe’redoinggood,thoughtsofthissortcutoffourgoodness,likeapalmtreeoracoconuttreewithitscrowncutoff.Orabananatreethathasbornefruit:itwon’tbeabletogrowanyfurther,tobearflowersorproduceanymorefruit.Peoplewhothinkinwaysthatareevil,eveniftheydogood,don’tmeetwithanyprogressinlife.Theymeetwithnothingbutfailure.Thisiscalleddemeritoriousfabrication,anotherkindofdemonthatpreventsusfromsucceedingatgivingrisetogoodness.

Thethirdkindofmentalfabricationisthinkingthat’sneutral,thatisn’tyetgoodorevil.Thiskindofthinkingcanalsobeademonofdefilement.Say,forinstance,thatweplantoworkonourfarm.“Wedon’thavetimetogotothemonastery,”wetellourselves.“Wedon’tyethaveenoughtoeat.”Orifweplantogosellingthings.“Ifwegotothemonastery,wewon’thavetimetogetagoodreturn.”Orwespendourtimethinkingaboutsomeimportantbusinesswehavetodo,thatwe’llhavetodothisandsaythat.Orwethinkaboutgoingouttocruisearoundandrelaxabit.Whenwethinkinthisway,ittakesupthetimewecanusetodevelopgoodnesswithinourselves.Wekeepputtingitoff.

Inwhatway?Whenwe’rechildren,wetellourselvesthatwecanwaituntilwe’reolder.We’renotgoingtodieanytimesoon,soweshouldtakethetimetostudyinstead.Whenwebecomeyoungadults,wetellourselvesthatwecanwaituntilwegetmarried.Oncewegetmarriedandgetourselvesestablishedinourcareer,wetellourselvestowaituntilourchildrenaregrownandtheygetmarried.Goingtothemonasterycanwaituntilwe’veagedabit.WekeeponputtingitoffandturnourselvesintonicesweetpigsforMāratoswallowdowneasilywithoutourevenrealizingit.

Finally,ifwereallydosurviveuntiloldage,ourchildrengetworriedandtrytodissuadeusfromgoing.“Mom,don’tgotothemonastery.You’reold.You’llsufferallsortsofhardships.”Andwebelievethem.“Ifyoufeelfaintorgetsick,it’sgoingtobehardforyou.”Youreyesgetsothatyoucan’tsee,yourearsgetsothatyoucan’thear.Youcan’thearthesermons,can’thearwhenthey’regivingtheprecepts.Youreyes,yourears,everypathfordoinggoodgetsclosedoffandsealeduptight.

Thisiswhathappenstopeoplewhogetallwrappedupintheirwork—worriedabouthowthey’regoingtoeat,sleep,andlive;worriedaboutwealthandpovertytothepointwheretheycan’tdevelopanyskillfulnessandseeitthrough.Thesewaysofthinkingareatypeofmentalfabricationthatfoolsus,tripsusup,pullsusback,ties

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usdown.That’swhytheycountasatypeofMāra,asdemonsofdefilement.Thedemonofdefilementonthefourthlevelisignorance,notbeingacquainted

withthings.Wearen’tacquaintedwithsufferingandstress;aren’tacquaintedwiththecauseofstress;aren’tacquaintedwiththecessationofstressorwiththepathofpracticeleadingtothecessationofstress.Ournotbeingacquaintedwiththesefournobletruthsisoneaspectofignorance.Anotheraspectisnotknowingwhichaffairsarepast,whichonesarefuture,andwhichonesarepresent.Thesethree,plusthefournobletruths,adduptoseven.Andthenthere’snotknowingignoranceitself,whichmakeseight.Theseformsofunawarenessarecalledavijjā,orignorance.

Whatthisallboilsdowntoisnotknowingthepath.Forinstance,whenwepracticethefourframesofreference:kāyānupassanā—wefocusonthebodyinandofitself,butwedon’tunderstandthebody.Wethinkthatthebodyisthemindorthemindisthebody.Thisisignorance.It’sdark.Itclosesoffthebodyandclosesoffthemind,sothatwethinkthatthey’reoneandthesamething.Wecan’tseparatethebodyfromthemindorthemindfromthebody.Thisiscallednotknowingourpath.

Vedanānupassanā:Wefocusonfeelingsinandofthemselves,butwearen’treallyacquaintedwithfeelings.“Feelings”heremeanstheactofsavoringsensations,whichsometimesarepleasant,sometimespainful,sometimesneitherpleasantnorpainful.Wethinkthatthepleasureisthesamethingasourownmind,orthatourselfiswhathaspleasure.Orwethinkthatthepainisthesamethingasourself,orthatourselfiswhathaspain.Wecan’tseparatethepleasureandpainfromthemind,sotheygettightlytangleduptogether.Wecan’tseparatethem,can’ttellwhat’swhat.Thisiscalledignorance,notbeingacquaintedwiththepath.

Cittānupassanā:Wefocusonthemindinandofitself,butwearen’treallyacquaintedwiththemind.Whatisthemind?Actually,therearetwoaspectstothemind.There’smentalconsciousness,andthenthere’stheminditself.Wethinkthatconsciousnessisthemind,thatthemindisconsciousness.Actually,consciousnessiswhatgoes.SaythatweseeasightinBangkok:Cakkhu-viññāṇa—eye-consciousness—iswhatgoestothesight,buttheminddoesn’tgo.Theactofgoingiswhat’scalledconsciousness,butthere’snosubstancetoit.

Sota-viññāṇa:Sometimesweremembersoundsfromthepast.Thoughtsofsoundsappearinthemindandwefocusonthem,sothatwecanrememberwhatthisorthatpersonsaid,howbeautifulitwas.Whatwe’verememberedissota-viññāṇa,consciousnessattheear.Thenthere’sconsciousnessatthenose.Wecanrecognizewhatsmellsaremakingcontact.Wecanrememberwhatsmellstherewereandwhatthingswesmelledinthepast.Thementalcurrentthatgoesouttoknowthesethingsiscalledghāna-viññāṇa.Thenthere’skāya-viññāṇa,consciousnessatthebody.Wecanrecognizehotair,coldair.Wecanrecognizethat“Thiskindofcoolnessisthecoolnessofwater;thatkindofcoolnessisthecoolnessofwind;thiskindofheatis

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theheatoffire;thiskindofheatistheheatofhotair;thatkindofheatistheheatofthesun.”Wecanrecognizethesethingsclearly.Wecouldevenwriteatextbookaboutthem.Knowingthesethingsiscalledkāya-viññāṇa.

Mano-viññāṇa,consciousnessattheintellect.Ourthinkinggoesout:toBangkok,totheforest,tothewilderness,allaroundtheworld.Ourknowledgeofthesethoughtsismano-viññāṇa,whilethemindiswhatstaysrighthereinthepresent.Itcan’tgoanywhere.Thepartofthemindthat’sawarenessitselfcan’tgoanywhereatall.Itstaysrighthere.Itgoesoutonlyasfarastheskin.There’sawarenessofthingsbeyondtheskin,butthatawarenessisn’tthemind.It’sconsciousness.There’snosubstancetoconsciousness,nosubstanceatall,justliketheair.Sowedon’thavetogetentangledwithit.Wecanseparateconsciousnessoutofthemind,separatethemindoutofconsciousness.Themindislikeafire;consciousness,thelightofthefire.Thelightandthefirearetwodifferentthings,eventhoughthelightcomesoutofthefire.Whenwedon’tunderstandthis,that’scalledignorance.Weconceiveconsciousnesstobethemind,andthemindtobeconsciousness.Whenwehavethingsallmixeduplikethis,that’scalledignorance.

Dhammānupassanā.Wefocusondhammasinandofthemselves,i.e.,thementalqualitiesthatariseinthemind.Whenunskillfulqualitiesariseinthemind,wedon’tknowhowmuchharmtheycause.That’signorance.Asforskillfulqualities:Whichonesgiveonlysmallbenefits,whichonesgivemediumbenefits,andwhichonesgiveoverwhelmingbenefits,wedon’tknow.Thismeansthatwearen’tacquaintedwiththequalitiesofthemind.Whenwedon’tknowthequalitiesofthemind,wecan’tseparategoodfromevilorevilfromgood,wecan’tseparatethemindfromitsqualitiesorthequalitiesfromthemind.Everythingisfirmlyglommedtogetherinabig,thickmasssothatwecan’tprythemapart.Thisiscalledignorance.IgnoranceisaMāra,ademon,ademonthatstandsintheway,preventingusfromattainingthehighestgood,i.e.,nibbāna.

AllfourofthesetypesofdefilementarecalledtheMārasordemonsofdefilement.ThemotherofMāraisignorance.ThechildrenofMāraarementalfabrications;thegrandchildrenofMāraarethethreeformsofcraving;andthegreat-grandchildrenofMāraaregreed,aversion,anddelusion.SometimesthesemembersoftheMārafamilyhelpusdevelopmeritandskill.Sometimestheygetupandsitonourheads,lordingitoverus,orderingusaround.Say,forinstance,thatgreedgetsreallystrong.Wegrabholdofwhateverwecangetourhandson,withnothoughtforwhoitbelongsto,orwhethertakingitisrightorwrong.Whengreedgetsreallystrong,itcanpressureusintodoingevil.Whenangergetsreallystrong,itputspressureonournervestothepointwherewecanhanddownadeathsentenceandcommitmurder.Thesameistruewithdelusion.

Eachofthesethingsisanenemy,blockingoffourgoodness,buteachcanalso

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benefitusaswell.Ifwehaveanydiscernment,greedcanhelpus.Angercanhelpus.Delusioncanhelpus.Ifwehaveanydiscernment,cravingcanhelpmotivateustodevelopgoodness.Don’tlookdownonit.We’vecomeheretolistentoasermon.Whotalkedusintocoming?Craving,that’swho.Whenpeopleordainasmonksandnovices,whatforcesthemtodoit?Craving,that’swhat.Weshouldn’tfocusonlyonitsbadside.Asformeritoriousfabrications,ifwedidn’thaveanyofthematall,wewouldn’tbeabletodevelopanygoodness.Everyonewhodevelopsgoodnessinanywayhastostartoutwiththeintentiontodoit.Ignoranceisalsogood.Whenweknowthatwehaveignorance,wehurryupandfindsomewaytoovercomeit.Ignoranceiswhatleadsusastray,butultimatelyignoranceiswhatwillhavetoleadusback.Knowledgeneverledanyonetostudy.Ignoranceiswhatmakespeoplewanttolearn.Whenpeoplealreadyknow,whywouldtheywanttolookfurther?Delusioniswhatmakesuslookforknowledge—byjoiningsociety,byassociatingwithpeople.Ourknowledgegrowsbroaderandbroaderfromthefirstimpulseborninignorance.

Sowhendealingwiththedemonsofdefilement,youhavetolookforboththeirgoodandtheirbadpoints.Onlywhenyouseebothsidescanyoubesaidtobediscerningandwise.Whenyoucantakebadthingsandmakethemgood,that’swhenyou’rereallyoutstanding.Ifyoutakegoodthingsandmakethembad,that’snogoodatall.Evenwhenyoutakegoodthingsandmakeothergoodthingsoutofthem,that’snotreallyspecial.Therearethreelevelsofgoodness:good,excellent,andoutstanding.Agoodpersondoesgood.Anexcellentpersontakessomethinggoodandmakesitbetter.That’sexcellent,butnotoutstanding.Anoutstandingpersontakesbadthingsandmakesthemgood,takesgoodthingsandmakesthemexcellent.Sothesearethethreelevelsofgoodness:good,excellent,andoutstanding.

SotodayI’vetalkedaboutthedemonsofdefilement,afterthetalktheotherdayonthedemonsoftheaggregates(khandha-māra).Weshouldalllearntothink,toconsiderthings,toponderthingsover,sothatwecanfindgoodnessoneveryside,ineverycornerwelook.Thisway,ifwelookbeneathuswe’llfindtreasures.Ifwelookaboveuswe’llfindtreasures.Lookingbeneathusmeanslookingatthethingsthatareourenemies.We’llbeabletogaintreasuresfromthem:goodnessontheoutstandinglevel.Whenwelookatthethingsthatareourfriends,wecangainexcellencefromthem.Weshouldtrytodevelopallthreelevelsofgoodness.Ifwehavediscernment,wecangainallthreelevelsofgoodnessfromthedemonsofdefilementandthedemonsoftheaggregates,andwe’llgainallthreeofthebenefitsI’vementioned.

Forthisreasonweshoulddevelopourmentalfaculties(indrīya)untilthey’restrong,capable,andmature,sothattheydon’tfearMārasofanysort.Apersonwhohasstudiedsnakescanpickthemupwithnofearoftheirvenom.Apersonwhohasstudiedtigerscancatchthemandtheywon’tbite.Inthesameway,ifwehaveany

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discernment,wecancaptureandtamethedemonsofdefilementsothattheysupportusinbeingoutstanding,allthewaytothepaths(magga)andfruitions(phala)leadingtonibbāna.Whoeverdoesn’thavetheabilityordiscernmentwillgetcarriedoffbythedemonsofdefilementtogettorturedandkilled.Soweshoulduseoursharpestdiscernmenttoconsiderthesethings.That’swhatwillleadustothenoblepathsandtheirfruitions.

Sowhenwe’veheardthisweshouldconsiderwhatwe’veheardandtakeittoheart,bringingitinsidetoseethewaysthingsactuallyareinsideusandthenpracticingaccordingly,inlinewiththewayofrightpractice.That’swhenwecanbeatourease.Evilpeoplewillhelpus.Goodpeoplewillhelpus.We’llbefreeofdanger.Thieveswillbeourservants,helpingusinourvarioustasks.Wisepeoplewillhelpusinourwork—sohowcanwefail?Ifwelooktobadpeople,theycomeandhelpus.Ifwelooktogoodpeople,theycomeandhelpus.IfwefocusontheMāraswhoareourenemies,theyturnintoourfriendsandcompanions.Whenwereachthispoint,wewon’tknowwhat’saMāra—becausenothing’saMārainanywayatall.Everything’sneutral,thecommonpropertyoftheworld.Whoevercanseethingsinthiswayhasnomoresuffering,nomoreobstacles.Everythingisbright,beaming,andeasy.Ifyougoforward,youdon’tgetstuck.Ifyougobackyoudon’tgetentangled.Youcangoassmoothlyasaboatoverwater.That’swhythissortofpersonissaidtobesugato:someonewhogoeswell,who’swell-gone.

Soallofuswhoaredevelopingourperfectionsshouldpracticeinthisway.AndnowthatI’veexplainedthedemonsofdefilement,I’llendrighthere.

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Knowledge

October4,1960

Vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno:Consummateinknowledge&conduct.

I’mgoingtotalkaboutknowledge—thehighestlevelofknowledge,notordinaryknowledge.Ordinaryknowledgeisadulteratedwithalotofdefilementsandmentalfermentations,andsoit’scalledheṭṭhima-vijjā,lowerknowledge.Lowerknowledgeissomethingeveryonehas,Buddhistandnon-Buddhistalike:thevariousbranchesofworldlyknowledgethatpeoplestudyfromtextbookssoastoruntheirsocietiesandadministertheirnations.Andthentherearethespecialbranchesofknowledge,thescientificwaysofthinkingthatpeopleusetoinventallsortsofamazingcontraptionsforthehumanrace—thingslikeclairvoyance(television),clairaudience(telephones),andpowersoflevitation(airplanes).They’vegottentothepointwherethesecontraptionscanworkinplaceofpeople.Duringthelastwar,forinstance,Iheardthattheywereabletodropbombsonothercountrieswithoutsendingpeoplealongwiththem.Withapushofabuttontheycouldtellthemissilewheretogo,whattodo,andwhenithadfinishedthejobtotheirsatisfaction,haveitcomebackhome.

Thisiswhat’scalledprogressinworldlyknowledge—orlokiya-vijjā.ThiskindofknowledgeiscommonallovertheworldandfallsintothetwosortsthatI’vementioned:thesortthatcomesfromstudyingbooks(sutamaya-paññā),andthesortthatcomesfromthinkingthingsthrough,orcintāmaya-paññā.

Thissecondkindofknowledgeariseswithintheminditself.Peoplewithalotofeducationinthetheoreticalsciencesworkwiththeirthinking.Theythinktothepointwhereanideaappearsasapictureinthemind,likeanuggaha-nimitta(spontaneousimage).Whenthepictureappearsinthemind,theymaysketchitdownonpaper,andthenexperimentwithphysicalobjectstoseeifitworks.Ifitdoesn’twork,theymakeadjustments,creatinganewideafromtheiroldidea—adjustingitabithere,expandingitabitthere—keepingatituntiltheyfindwhatworksinlinewiththeiraims.

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Ifwethinkaboutthisonashallowlevel,it’sreallyamazing.Butifwethinkalittlebitdeeper,it’snotsoamazingatall.Theytaketheirstartingpointwithsomethingreallysimple:forexample,howtomakeasmallpersonlarge,oralargepersonsmall—somethingreally,reallysimple.Thentheytakeamirrorandbenditin,sothatatallpersonwillturnintoasmallperson.Theybenditout,sothatasmallpersonwillbecometall.That’salltobeginwith.Thentheykeepthinkingalongtheselinesuntiltheycantakeafarawayobjectandmakeitappearupclose.Thepeoplewhogetthesethingsstartedtendtobemilitarystrategists.They’retheoneswhousuallygettheseideasfirst.Anotherimportantbranchofscienceismedicine.Peopleinboththesebrancheshavetothinkdeeperthanpeopleingeneral.

Forexample,peopleinshipsoutatseagotitintotheirheadsthatthey’dliketoseetheshipsapproachingthemfromadistance.“Howcanweseethem?Howcanwegettheirimagetoappearinourship?”Theyworkedonthisideauntiltheysucceeded.Firsttheystartedoutreallysimple-minded,justlikeus.Simple-mindedinwhatway?Theythoughtlikeamirror,that’sall,nothingspecial.Theyputamirroruphighonamastandthenhadaseriesofmirrorspickuptheimageinthefirstmirrorandsenditondownintotheship.Theydidn’thavetolookinthefirstmirror.Theycouldlookatalittletinymirrordownintheshipandseeshipsapproachingfromfaraway.That’salltheyusedinthebeginning.Afterawhiletheymadeasinglemirrorinwaves.Whenanimagehitthetopwave,thenextwavepickeditupandsentitondownthewavesofthemirrorintotheship.Theykeptthinkingaboutthisuntilnow,nomore:Theyhaveradar,atinylittleboxthatdoesn’tuseaseriesofmirrors,anddoesn’tuseamirrorinwaves,butcanstillpulltheimageofafarawayshipandmakeitappearinyourship.Thisishowknowledgedevelopstoahighlevelinthesciences.

Asformedicine,doctorsthesedaysareresearchingintohowtheycankeeppeoplefromdying.Lotsofpeoplearedoingtheresearch,butnoonehasfoundthesolution.Nomatterhowmuchresearchtheydo,peoplearestilldying.Theyhaven’tsucceededinmakingpeoplelivelongerthantheirordinaryspan.Thisisanotherbranchofknowledgethatcomesfromthinkingandnotfromtextbooks.

Andthere’sstillanotherbranchthat’smovingevenfurtherout,buthowfarthey’llgetishardtosay.ThesearethepeoplewhowanttogoandliveonMars.Itmustbereallyniceupthere.Butthechancesoftheirsucceedingaresmall.Whysmall?Becausethepeoplearen’treallysincere.Andwhyaren’ttheysincere?Becausethey’restillunsureanduncertain.Theideaisn’treallyclearintheirheads.Thisuncertaintyiswhatgetsinthewayofsuccess.

Sothisisthesecondlevelofworldlyknowledge,thelevelthatcomesfromthinkingandideas,orcintāmaya-paññā.

Butinthefinalanalysis,neitherofthesetwolevelsofknowledgecantakeus

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beyondsufferingandstress.They’rethetypeofknowledgethatcreatesbadkammaabout70percentofthetime.Only30percentofthetimedotheyactuallybenefitthehumanrace.Whyonly30percent?Ifanotherwargetsstarted:totaldisaster.Thekindsofknowledgethatarereallyuseful,thatgiveconveniencetohumantransportationandcommunication,arefewandfarbetween.Forthemostpart,worldlyknowledgeisaimedatmassivekilling,atamassingpowerandinfluence.That’swhyitdoesn’tleadbeyondsufferingandstress,doesn’tleadbeyondbirth,aging,illness,anddeath.

Take,forinstance,thecountriesatpresentthatarecleverinbuildingallkindsofweapons.Theyselltheirweaponstoothercountries,andsometimesthoseothercountriesusetheweaponstokillpeopleinthecountriesthatbuiltthem.Therearecountriesthatcan’tbuildtheirownweapons,yettheydeclarewaronthecountrieswhogavethemmilitaryaid.That’saboutasfarastheresultsofworldlyknowledgecantakeyou.

ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtusahigherlevelofknowledge:Dhammaknowledge.Dhammaknowledgearisesintwoways,throughthinkingandthroughnotthinking.Thefirstlevelofthinkingiscalledappropriateattention(yonisomanasikāra).WhenweheartheDhamma,wehavetouseappropriateattentiontoconsiderthingsbeforewe’reaskedtobelievethem.Forinstance,supposewewanttomakemerit.Wesimplyheartheword“merit”andwewantsome,butusuallywithoutstoppingtothinkaboutwhatsortsofthingsareappropriatetogiveasdonations,andwhatsortsofpeopleareappropriatetoreceiveourmeritoriousofferings.Youhavetoconsiderthingscarefully:Consideryourself,thenconsidertheobjectyouwanttogive,andthenconsidertherecipientoftheobject,toseeifallthesethingsgotogether.Eveniftheydon’t,youcanstillgoaheadandgivetheobject,ofcourse,butit’sbestthatyouknowwhatyou’redoing,thatyou’renotactingoutofdelusion,notsimplyactingoutofdesire.Ifyouwantmeritandsimplyactwithoutgivingappropriateattentiontothings,you’relackingthekindofdiscernmentthatcomesfromthinking,cintāmaya-paññā.Youhavetoreflectonthingsonmanylevelsifyouwantyouractofmerit-makingtoleadtopurity.Thisiscalleddoinggoodbasedondiscernment.

Thisiswhat’smeantbykusaladhamma,thequalityofskillfulness.Kusaladhammaisanamefordiscernment,butusuallywedon’ttranslatethatwayinThai.Wethinkofkusalaasjustanotherwordformerit.Actually,kusalacanbeanoun,anditcanalsobeanadjective.Asanoun,itmeansthedemeanorbywhichapersonactsingoodways,inbody,speech,andmind.Asanadjective,itreferstothisandthatkindofactleadingtothisandthatkindofpurity.Whenweapplyittodiscernment,itmeanskusalopāya,askillfulstrategy.Whenwedoanythingatall,wehavetouseourdiscernmenttoconsiderthingsfromeveryanglebeforeweact,so

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thatouractionswillgivecompleteresults.Thisiscalledhavingaskillfulstrategyforgivingrisetogoodnesswithinourselvesinfullpurity.

ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtustostartoutbyusingappropriateattentioninconsideringthingsoverandover,aroundandaroundmanytimes.Onlythen—whenthingsarereallyclearinthemind—shouldweact.It’sthenatureofthingsthatthemoreyouwalkbackandforthonapath,themoresmoothitgetsworn.Whenthepathgetswornreallysmooth,youcanseethedooratthefarend.Ifyouwalkbackandforthmanytimes,thegrassandweedsonthepathalldie.Andknowledgearises:Youlearnwhichplantsgrowingonthesideofthepathcanbeeatenandwhichonescan’t.

Asthepathgetswornmoreandmoresmooth,yougainallsortsofbenefits.One,itdoesn’thurtyourfeettowalkonit.Two,youlearnwhat’sgrowingalongthesideofthepath,whichplantscanbeeaten,andwhatusestherearefortheplantsthatcan’t.Youmightbeabletomakethemintocompost.Asfortheplantsthatcanbeeaten,ifthere’smorethanenoughforyoutoeat,youcantakewhat’sleftandsellitonthemarket.Thesearecalledsidebenefits.Inaddition,whenyou’reinahurry,youcanruneasilyalongthepath.Ifyouneedtorest,itdoesn’thurttositonit.Ifyou’resleepy,andthepathisreallysmooth,youcanlierightdownonit.Ifasnakeoranenemycrossesyourpath,youcanrunquicklyintheotherdirection.Sothereareallsortsofgoodbenefits.Inthesameway,whenweplantomakemeritordoanythingskillfully,weshouldthinkthingsover,backandforth,many,manytimesbeforeacting,andwe’llgetgoodresults.Thisisthefirstlevelofthinking,calledcintāmaya-paññā.

Thenextlevelgoesdeeper.It’scalleddirectedthought(vitakka)andevaluation(vicāra).Thislevelisn’tsaidtobeapartofcintāmaya-paññā,butit’sasimilarsortofthing,onlywithadifference.That’swhyithastobegivenanothername:bhāvanā-maya-paññā,thediscernmentthatcomeswithmeditation.Whenyoumeditate,youhavetothink.Ifyoudon’tthink,youcan’tmeditate,becausethinkingformsanecessarypartofmeditation.

Takejhāna,forinstance.Useyourpowersofdirectedthoughttobringthemindtotheobject,andyourpowersofevaluationtobediscriminatinginyourchoiceofanobject.Examinetheobjectofyourmeditationuntilyouseethatit’sjustrightforyou.Youcanchooseslowbreathing,fastbreathing,shortbreathing,longbreathing,narrowbreathing,broadbreathing,hot,coolorwarmbreathing;abreaththatgoesonlyasfarasthenose,abreaththatgoesonlyasfarasthebaseofthethroat,abreaththatgoesallthewaydowntotheheart.Whenyou’vefoundanobjectthatsuitsyourtaste,catchholdofitandmakethemindone,focusedonasingleobject.Onceyou’vedonethis,evaluateyourobject.Directyourthoughtstomakingitstandout.Don’tletthemindleavetheobject.Don’tlettheobjectleavethemind.Tell

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yourselfthatit’slikeeating:Putthefoodinlinewithyourmouth,putyourmouthinlinewiththefood.Don’tmiss.Ifyoumiss,andgostickingthefoodinyourear,underyourchin,inyoureye,oronyourforehead,you’llnevergetanywhereinyoureating.

Soitiswithyourmeditation.Sometimesthe‘one’objectofyourmindtakesasuddensharpturnintothepast,backhundredsofyears.Sometimesittakesoffintothefuture,andcomesbackwithallsortsofthingstoclutteryourmind.Thisisliketakingyourfood,stickingitupoveryourhead,andlettingitfalldownbehindyou—thedogsaresuretogetit;orlikebringingthefoodtoyourmouthandthentossingitoutinfrontofyou.Whenyoufindthishappening,it’sasignthatyourmindhasn’tbeenmadesnugwithitsobject.Yourpowersofdirectedthoughtaren’tfirmenough.Youhavetobringthemindtotheobjectandthenkeepafterittomakesureitstaysput.Likeeating:Makesurethefoodisinlinewiththemouthandstickitrightin.Thisisdirectedthought:Thefoodisinlinewiththemouth,themouthisinlinewiththefood.You’resureit’sfood,andyouknowwhatkinditis—maincourseordessert,coarseorrefined.

Onceyouknowwhat’swhat,andit’sinyourmouth,chewitrightup.Thisisevaluation:examining,reviewingyourmeditation.Sometimesthiscomesunderthresholdconcentration:examiningacoarseobjecttomakeitmoreandmorerefined.Ifyoufindthatthebreathislong,examinelongbreathing.Ifit’sshort,examineshortbreathing.Ifit’sslow,examineslowbreathing—toseeifthemindwillstaywiththatkindofbreathing,toseeifthatkindofbreathingwillstaywiththemind,toseewhetherornotthebreathissmoothandunhindered.Thisisevaluation.

Whenthemindgivesrisetodirectedthoughtandevaluation,youhavebothconcentrationanddiscernment.Directedthoughtandsinglenessofpreoccupation(ekaggatārammaṇa)fallundertheheadingofconcentration;evaluation,undertheheadingofdiscernment.Whenyouhavebothconcentrationanddiscernment,themindisstillandknowledgecanarise.Ifthere’stoomuchevaluation,though,itcandestroyyourstillnessofmind.Ifthere’stoomuchstillness,itcansnuffoutthought.Youhavetowatchoverthestillnessofyourmindtomakesureyouhavethingsintherightproportions.Ifyoudon’thaveasenseof‘justright,’you’reinfortrouble.Ifthemindistoostill,yourprogresswillbeslow.Ifyouthinktoomuch,it’llrunawaywithyourconcentration.

Soobservethingscarefully.Again,it’slikeeating.Ifyougoshovelingfoodintoyourmouth,youmightendupchokingtodeath.Youhavetoaskyourself:Isitgoodforme?CanIhandleit?Aremyteethstrongenough?Somepeoplehavenothingbutemptygumsandyettheywanttoeatsugarcane:It’snotnormal.Somepeople,eventhoughtheirteethareachingandfallingout,stillwanttoeatcrunchyfoods.Soitiswiththemind:Assoonasit’sjustalittlebitstill,wewanttoseethis,knowthat—wewanttotakeonmorethanwecanhandle.Youfirsthavetomakesurethatyour

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concentrationissolidlybased,thatyourdiscernmentandconcentrationareproperlybalanced.Thispointisveryimportant.Yourpowersofevaluationhavetoberipe,yourdirectedthoughtfirm.

Sayyouhaveawaterbuffalo,tieittoastake,andpoundthestakedeepintotheground.Ifyourbuffaloisstrong,itjustmightwalkorrunawaywiththestake,andthenit’sallovertheplace.Youhavetoknowyourbuffalo’sstrength.Ifit’sreallystrong,poundthestakesothatit’sfirmlyinthegroundandkeepwatchoverit.Inotherwords,ifyoufindthattheobsessivenessofyourthinkingisgettingoutofhand,goingbeyondtheboundsofmentalstillness,fixthemindinplaceandmakeitextrastill—butnotsostillthatyoulosetrackofthings.Ifthemindistooquiet,it’slikebeinginadaze.Youdon’tknowwhat’sgoingonatall.Everythingisdark,blottedout.Orelseyouhavegoodandbadspells,sinkingoutofsightandthenpoppingupagain.Thisisconcentrationwithoutdirectedthoughtorevaluation,withnosenseofjudgment:wrongconcentration.

Soyouhavetobeobservant.Useyourjudgment—butdon’tletthemindgetcarriedawaybyitsthoughts.Yourthinkingissomethingseparate.Themindstayswiththemeditationobject.Whereveryourthoughtsmaygospinning,yourmindisstillfirmlybased—likeholdingontoapostandspinningaroundandaround.Youcankeeponspinning,andyetitdoesn’twearyouout.Butifyouletgoofthepostandspinaroundthreetimes,yougetdizzyand—Bang!—fallflatonyourface.Soitiswiththemind:Ifitstayswiththesinglenessofitspreoccupation,itcankeepthinkingandnotgettired,notgetharmed.Yourthinkingiscintāmaya-paññā;yourstillness,bhāvanā-maya-paññā:They’rerighttheretogether.

Thisisthestrategyofskillfulness,discernmentonthelevelofconcentrationpractice.Thinkingandstillnesskeepstayingtogetherlikethis.Whenwepracticegenerosity,itcomesunderthelevelofappropriateattention;whenwepracticevirtue,itcomesunderthelevelofappropriateattention;andwhenwepracticeconcentration,wedon’tloseabeat—itcomesunderthesamesortofprinciple,onlymoreadvanced:directedthoughtandevaluation.Whenyouhavedirectedthoughtandevaluationinchargeofthemind,thenthemoreyouthink,themoresolidandsurethemindgets.Themoreyousitandmeditate,themoreyouthink.Themindbecomesmoreandmorefirmuntilallthehindrances(nīvaraṇa)fallaway.Themindnolongergoeslookingforconcepts.Nowitcangiverisetoknowledge.

Theknowledgehereisn’tordinaryknowledge.Itwashesawayyouroldknowledge.Youdon’twanttheknowledgethatcomesfromordinarythinkingandreasoning:Letgoofit.Youdon’twanttheknowledgethatcomesfromdirectedthoughtandevaluation:Stop.Makethemindquiet.Still.Whenthemindisstillandunhindered,thisistheessenceofallthat’smeritoriousandskillful.Whenyourmindisonthislevel,itisn’tattachedtoanyconceptsatall.Alltheconceptsyou’veknown

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—dealingwiththeworldortheDhamma,howevermanyorfew—arewashedaway.Onlywhenthey’rewashedawaycannewknowledgearise.

Thisiswhywe’retaughtnottoholdontoconcepts—allthelabelsandnameswehaveforthings.Youhavetoletyourselfbepoor.It’swhenpeoplearepoorthattheybecomeingeniousandresourceful.Ifyoudon’tletyourselfbepoor,you’llnevergaindiscernment.Inotherwords,youdon’thavetobeafraidofbeingstupidorofmissingoutonthings.Youdon’thavetobeafraidthatyou’vehitadeadend.Youdon’twantanyoftheinsightsyou’vegainedfromlisteningtoothersorfromreadingbooks,becausethey’reconceptsandthereforeinconstant.Youdon’twantanyoftheinsightsyou’vegainedbyreasoningandthinking,becausethey’reconceptsandthereforenot-self.Letalltheseinsightsdisappear,leavingjustthemind,firmlyintent,leaningneithertotheleft,towardself-afflictionorbeingdispleased;nortotheright,towardsensualindulgenceorbeingpleased.Keepthemindstill,quiet,neutral,impassive—settall.Andthereyouare:rightconcentration.

Whenrightconcentrationarisesinthemind,ithasashadow.Whenyoucancatchsightoftheshadowappearing,that’svipassanā:insightmeditation.Vipassanā-ñāṇaisthefirstbranchofknowledgeandskillintheBuddha’steaching.Thesecondbranchisiddhividhī,thepowerofmindovermatter.Thethirdismanomayiddhi,thepowerofmind-madeimages.Thefourthisdibba-cakkhu,clairvoyance.Thefifthisdibba-sota,clairaudience.Thesixthiscetopariya-ñāṇa,theabilitytoreadminds.Theseventhispubbenivāsānussati-ñāṇa,knowledgeofpreviouslifetimes.Andtheeighth:āsavakkhaya-ñāṇa,knowledgeoftheendingofmentalfermentations.Alleightofthesebranchesareformsofknowledgeandskillthatarisefromconcentration.Peoplewithoutconcentrationcan’tgainthem:That’sanabsoluteguarantee.Nomatterhowsmartorclevertheymaybe,theycan’tgaintheseformsofknowledge.Theyhavetofallunderthepowerofignorance.

Theseeightbranchesofknowledgecomefromrightconcentration.Whentheyarisethey’renotcalledthoughtsorideas.They’recalledrightviews.Whatlookswrongtoyouisreallywrong.Whatlooksrightisreallyright.Ifwhatlooksrightisreallywrong,that’swrongview.Ifwhatlookswrongisreallyright,again—wrongview.Withrightview,though,rightlooksrightandwronglookswrong.

Toputitintermsofcauseandeffect,youseethefournobletruths.Youseestress,anditreallyisstressful.Youseethecauseofstressarising,andthatit’sreallycausingstress.Thesearenobletruths:absolutely,undeniably,indisputablytrue.Youseethatstresshasacause.Oncethecausearises,therehastobestress.Asforthewaytothedisbandingofstress,youseethatthepathyou’refollowingwill,withoutadoubt,leadtonibbāna.Whetherornotyougoalltheway,whatyouseeiscorrect.Thisisrightview.Andasforthedisbandingofstress,youseethattherereallyissuchathing.Youseethataslongasyou’reonthepath,stressdoesinfactfallaway.

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Whenyoucometorealizethetruthofthesethingsinyourheart,that’svipassanā-ñāṇa.

Toputitevenmoresimply:Youseethatallthings,insideaswellasout,areundependable.Thebodyisundependable,agingisundependable,deathisundependable.They’reslipperycharacters,constantlychangingonyou.Toseethisistoseeinconstancy.Don’tletyourselfbepleasedbyinconstancy.Don’tletyourselfbeupset.Keepthemindneutral,onanevenkeel.That’swhat’smeantbyvipassanā.

Sometimesinconstancymakesushappy,sometimesitmakesussad.Saywehearthatapersonwedon’tlikeisgoingtobedemoted,orissickordying.Itmakesusgleeful,andwecan’twaitforhimorhertodie.Hisbodyisimpermanent,hislifeisuncertain—itcanchange—butwe’reglad.That’sadefilement.Saywehearthatasonordaughterhasbecomewealthy,influential,andfamous,andwebecomehappy.Again,ourmindhasstrayedfromthenoblepath.It’snotfirmlyinrightconcentration.Wehavetomakethemindneutral:notthrilledoverthings,notupsetoverthings,notthrilledwhenourplanssucceed,notupsetwhentheydon’t.Whenwecanmakethemindneutrallikethis,that’stheneutralityofrightview.Weseewhat’swrong,what’sright,andtrytosteerthemindawayfromthewrongandtowardtheright.Thisiscalledrightresolve,partofvipassanā-ñāṇa.

Thesameholdstruewithstress,whetherit’sourstressandpain,orsomebodyelse’s.Saywehearthatanenemyissuffering.‘Gladtohearit,’wethink.‘Hopetheyhurryupanddie.’Thehearthastilted.Saywehearthatafriendhasbecomewealthy,andwebecomehappy;orasonordaughterisill,andwebecomesad.Ourmindhasfalleninwithsufferingandstress.Why?Becausewedon’thaveanyknowledge.We’reunskilled.Themindisn’tcentered.Inotherwords,it’snotinrightconcentration.Wehavetolookafterthemind.Don’tletitfallinwithstress.Whateversuffers,letitsuffer,butdon’tletthemindsufferwithit.Thepeopleintheworldmaybepained,butthemindisn’tpainedalongwiththem.Painmayariseinthebody,butthemindisn’tpainedalongwithit.Letthebodygoaheadandsuffer,buttheminddoesn’tsuffer.Keepthemindneutral.Don’tbepleasedbypleasure,either—pleasureisaformofstress,youknow.Howso?Itcanchange.Itcanriseandfall.Itcanbehighandlow.Itcan’tlast.That’sstress.Painisalsostress:doublestress.Whenyougainthissortofinsightintostress—whenyoureallyseestress—vipassanāhasariseninthemind.

Asforanattā,not-self:Oncewe’veexaminedthingsandseenthemforwhattheyreallyare,wedon’tmakeclaims,wedon’tdisplayinfluence,wedon’ttrytoshowthatwehavetherightorthepowertobringthingsthatarenot-selfunderourcontrol.Nomatterhowhardwetry,wecan’tpreventbirth,aging,illness,anddeath.Ifthebodyisgoingtobeold,letitbeold.Ifit’sgoingtohurt,letithurt.Ifithastodie,letitdie.Don’tbepleasedbydeath,eitheryourownorthatofothers.Don’tbe

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upsetbydeath,yourownorthatofothers.Keepthemindneutral.Unruffled.Unfazed.Thisissaṅkhārūpekkhā-ñāṇa:lettingsaṅkhāras—allfabrications—followtheirowninherentnature.Themindlikethisisinvipassanā.

Thisisthefirstbranchofknowledge—vipassanā—inbrief:Youseethatallthingsfashionedareinconstant,stressful,andnot-self.Youcandisentanglethemfromyourgrasp.Youcanletgo.Thisiswhereitgetsgood.Howso?Youdon’thavetowearyourselfout,luggingsaṅkhārasaround.

Tobeattachedmeanstocarryaload,andtherearefiveheaps(khandhas)wecarry:

rūpūpādānakkhandho:physicalphenomenaarethefirstload;

vedanūpādānakkhandho:feelingsthatwe’reattachedtoareanother;saññūpādānakkhandho:theconceptsandlabelsthatweclaimareoursarea

poleforcarryingaloadonourshoulder;

saṅkhārūpādānakkhandho:thementalfabricationsthatwehangontoandthinkareours;

viññāṇūpādānakkhandho:ourattachmenttosensoryconsciousness.Goahead:Carrythemaround.Hangoneloadfromyourleftlegandonefrom

yourright.Putoneonyourleftshoulderandoneonyourright.Putthelastloadonyourhead.Andnow:Carrythemwhereveryougo—clumsy,encumbered,andcomical.

bhārāhavepañcakkhandhāGoaheadandcarrythem.Thefivekhandhasareaheavyload,

bhārahārocapuggaloandasindividualsweburdenourselveswiththem.

bhārādānaṁdukkhaṁlokeCarrythemeverywhereyougo,

andyouwasteyourtimesufferingintheworld.

TheBuddhataughtthatwhoeverlacksdiscernment,whoeverisunskilled,whoeverdoesn’tpracticeconcentrationleadingtovipassanā-ñāṇa,willhavetobeburdenedwithstress,willalwaysbeloadeddown.It’spathetic.It’sashame.They’llnevergetaway.Whenthey’reloadeddownlikethis,it’sreallypathetic.Theirlegsareburdened,theirshouldersburdened—andwherearetheygoing?Threestepsforwardandtwostepsback.Soonthey’llgetdiscouraged,andthenafterawhilethey’llpickthemselvesupandgetgoingagain.

Now,whenweseeinconstancy—thatallfabrications,whetherwithinusor

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without,areundependable;whenweseethatthey’restressful;whenweseethatthey’renotourself,thattheysimplywhirlaroundinandofthemselves:Whenwegaintheseinsights,wecanputdownourburdens,i.e.,letgoofourattachments.Wecanputdownthepast—i.e.,stopdwellinginit.Wecanletgoofthefuture—i.e.,stopyearningforit.Wecanletgoofthepresent—i.e.,stopclaimingitastheself.Oncethesethreebigbasketshavefallenfromourshoulders,wecanwalkwithalightstep.Wecanevendance.We’rebeautiful.Whereverwego,peoplewillbegladtoknowus.Why?Becausewe’renotencumbered.Whateverwedo,wecandowithease.Wecanwalk,run,danceandsing—allwithalightheart.We’reBuddhism’sbeauty,asightforsoreeyes,gracefulwhereverwego.Nolongerburdened,nolongerencumbered,wecanbeatourease.Thisisvipassanā-ñāṇa:thefirstbranchofknowledge.

So.Nowthatwe’veclearedawaythesesplintersandthornssothateverythingislevelandsmooth,wecanrelax.Andnowwe’rereadyfortheknowledgewecanuseasaweapon.What’stheknowledgeweuseasaweapon?Iddhividhī.Wecandisplaypowersinonewayoranother,andgiverisetomiraculousthingsbywayofthebody,bywayofspeech,orbywayofthemind.Wehavepowerswecanuseindoingtheworkofthereligion.That’scallediddhividhī.ButintheCanontheydescribeitasdifferentkindsofwalking:walkingthroughthewaterwithoutgettingwet,walkingthroughfirewithoutgettinghot,stayingoutintherainwithoutgettingchilled,stayingoutinthewindwithoutgettingcold,resilientenoughtowithstandwind,rain,andsun.Ifyou’reyoung,youcanmakeyourselfold;ifold,youcanmakeyourselfyoung.Ifyou’retall,youcanmakeyourselfshort;ifshort,youcanmakeyourselftall.Youcanchangeyourbodyinallkindsofways.

ThisiswhytheBuddhawasabletoteachallkindsofpeople.Ifhewasteachingoldpeople,he’dmakehisbodylookold.Oldpeopletalkingwitholdpeoplecanhaveagoodtimebecausethere’snodistrustorsuspicion.Ifhemetupwithprettyyoungwomen,hecouldmakehimselflookyoung.He’denjoytalkingwiththem;they’denjoytalkingwithhimandnotgetbored.ThisiswhytheDhammahetaughtappealedtoallclassesofpeople.Hecouldadapthisbodytofitwithwhatevertypeofsocietyhefoundhimselfin.Forinstance,ifhemetupwithchildren,he’dtalkabouttheaffairsofchildren,actinachildlikeway.Ifhemetupwitholdpeople,he’dtalkabouttheaffairsofoldpeople.Ifhemetupwithyoungmenandwomen,he’dtalkabouttheaffairsofyoungmenandwomen.They’dallenjoylisteningtowhathehadtosay,developasenseoffaith,becomeBuddhists,andevenordain.Thisiscallediddhividhī.

Nextismanomayiddhi,powerintheareaofthemind.Themindacquirespower.Whatkindofpower?Youcangowhereveryouwant.Ifyouwanttogosightseeinginhell,youcan.Ifyouwanttogetawayfromhumanbeings,youcango

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sightseeinginhell.It’sniceandrelaxing.Youcanplaywiththedenizensofhell,foolaroundwiththedenizensofhell.Anyofthemwhohaveonlyalittlebadkammacancomeupandchatwithyou,tosendwordbacktotheirrelatives.Onceyougetbackfromtouringaroundhellyoucantelltherelativestomakemeritinthedeadperson’sname.

Or,ifyouwant,youcantravelintheworldofcommonanimalsandchatwithmynahbirds,owls—anykindofbird—orwithfour-footedanimals,two-footedanimals.Youcangointotheforests,intothewilds,andconversewiththeanimalsthere.It’salotoffun,notliketalkingwithpeople.Talkingwithpeopleishard;talkingwithanimalsiseasy.Youdon’thavetosayalot,simplythinkinthemind:Tellthemstories,askthemquestions,like,“Nowthatyou’reananimal,whatdoyoueat?Doyougetenoughtostayfullandcontent?”Youfindthatyouhavealotofcompanionsthere,peoplewhousedtobeyourfriendsandrelatives.

Or,ifyouwant,youcantravelintheworldofthehungryghosts.Theworldofthehungryghostsisevenmorefun.Hungryghostscomeinalldifferentshapesandsizes—reallyentertaining,thehungryghosts.Someofthemhaveheadsasbigaslargewaterjars,buttheirmouthsarejustliketheeyeofaneedle:That’sall,nobiggerthantheeyeofaneedle!Someofthemhavelegssixyardslong,buthandsonlyhalfafoot.They’reamazingtowatch,justlikeacartoon.Someofthemhavelowerlipswithnoupperlips,someofthemaremissingtheirlipsaltogether,withtheirteethexposedallthetime.Thereareallkindsofhungryghosts.Someofthemhavebig,bulgingeyes,thesizeofcoconuts;othershavefingernailsaslongaspalmleaves.Youreallyoughttoseethem.Someofthemaresofattheycan’tmove;otherssothinthatthey’renothingbutbones.Andsometimesthedifferentgroupsgetintobattles,bitingeachother,hittingeachother.That’sthehungryghostsforyou.Reallyentertaining.

Thisiscalledmanomayiddhi.Whenthemindisfirmlyestablished,youcangoseethesethings.Oryoucangotothelandofthenāgas,thedifferentlandsonthehumanlevel—sometimes,whenyougettiredofhumanbeings,youcangovisittheheavens:theheavenoftheFourGreatKings,theheavenoftheGuardiansoftheHours,theThirty-threegods,allthewayuptheretotheBrahmāworlds.Themindcangowithoutanyproblem.Thisiscalledmanomayiddhi.It’salotoffun.Yourdefilementsaregone,yourworkisdone,you’vegotenoughfoodtoeatandmoneytospend,soyoucangotravelingtoseethesightsandsoakupthebreezes.That’smanomayiddhi.

Dibba-cakkhu:clairvoyance.Yougaineyesontwolevels.Theouterleveliscalledthemaṅsa-cakkhu,theeyeoftheflesh,whichenablesyoutolookathumanbeingsintheworld,devasintheworld.Theeyeofdiscernmentallowsyoutoexaminethedefilementsofhumanbeings:thosewithcoarsedefilements,thosewith

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thickdefilements,thosewithfaithintheBuddha’steachings,thosewithnone,thosewhohavethepotentialtobetaught,thosewithnopotentialatall.Youcanconsiderthemwithyourinternaldiscernment.Thisiscalledpaññā-cakkhu,theeyeofdiscernment.Inthiswayyouhaveeyesontwolevels.

Mostofushaveeyesononlyonelevel,theeyeoftheflesh,whiletheinnereyedoesn’tarise.Andhowcoulditarise?Youdon’twashthesleepoutofyoureyes.Whatarethebitsofsleepinyoureyes?Sensualdesire,anenormoushunk.Illwill,anotherbighunk.Slothanddrowsiness,ahunkthesizeofahammerhead.Yourmindcalmsdownandbeginstogrowstill,butthishunkofsleepinyoureyesissoheavyitmakesyounod.Thisiscalledslothanddrowsiness.Allyoucanthinkaboutislyingdowntosleep.Thenthere’srestlessnessandanxiety,anotherhunkofsleep;anduncertainty,stillanother.Whenthesethingsgetstuckintheheart,howcanitpossiblybebright?It’sdarkonallsides.Now,whenyoudevelopyourmeditationandbringthemindtostillness,that’scalledgettingthesleepoutofyoureyes.Directedthoughtloosensitup,andevaluationrinsesitout.Onceyoureyesgetsrinsedandwashedcleanthisway,theycanseeclearly.Theeyeofyourmindbecomestheeyeofdiscernment.Thisiscalleddibba-cakkhu.

Dibba-sota:clairaudience.Therearetwolevelsofearsaswell.Theouterearsaretheonesmadeofskin.Theinnerearistheearoftheheart.Theearoftheheartdoesn’tappearforthesamesortofreason:It’sfullofearwax.Younevercleanitout.Youdon’tbuildupanygoodnessintheareaofthemind.Themindisn’tcenteredinconcentration.Whenit’snotinconcentration,andhearsanattractivesound,itcan’tstaystill.Yourearsarefullofwax.Youhearpeoplegossipingorcursingeachotherout,andyoulovetohearit.Thisisahumongoushunkofwaxstuckinyourear.AsfortheDhamma,you’renotreallyinterestedinlistening,whichiswhythere’snothingbutearwax:earwaxstuckinyourmind,earwaxallovereverythingoutside.Thisiswhyyourpowersofclairaudiencedon’tarise.

Clairaudienceisreallyrefreshing.Youdon’thavetowasteyourtimelistening.Ifyoufeellikelistening,youcanhearanything.Whatthehungryghostsaretalkingabout,whatcommonanimalsaretalkingabout,whatthedevasaretalkingabout—howfantasticitistobeinheaven—youcanhearitall,unlessyoudon’twanttolisten.Likearadio:Ifit’sturnedon,youcanhearitloudandclear.Ifitbecomesanuisance,youdon’thavetokeepiton.Ifyouhavethisskill,youcanturnitontolistenforthefunofit;ifyoudon’twanttolisten,youcanturnitoffinaninstant.Thisiscalledclairaudience,oneoftheskillsofconcentrationpractice.

Anotherskilliscetopariya-ñāṇa,theabilitytoreadminds,toseeifpeoplearethinkinggoodthoughtsorbad,high,low,crude,evil:Youcanusethisinsighttoknow.Thisiscalledcetopariya-ñāṇa,animportantskill.

Thenthere’spubbenivāsānussati-ñāṇa,theabilitytorememberpreviouslives,

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andāsavakkhaya-ñāṇa,theabilitytocleanoutthemind,washingawayalltheignorance,craving,andclinginginsideit.Youcankeepignorancefromarisingintheheart.Youcankeepcravingfromtakingchargeoftheheart.Youcanmakesurethatthere’snoclingingorattachment.Whenyoucanletgoofyourdefilements—kāma-jaho,whenyou’renotstuckonsensualobjectsorsensualdesires;diṭṭhi-jaho,whenyou’renotstuckonviewsandopinions;avijjā-jaho,whenyoudon’tmistakeignoranceforknowledgeandcanletitgowithoutanyattachment—whenyoudon’tlatchontoevil,whenyoudon’tlatchontoyourowngoodness,whenyoucanspitoutevilandgoodness,withoutholdingontothemasyourown,lettingthemgoinlinewiththeirnature:That’scalledāsavakkhaya-ñāṇa,theknowledgeoftheendingofthefermentationsinthemind.Thisisthethirdnobletruth:thetruthofcessation,achievedthroughthepracticesthatgiverisetoknowledgeandskill.

Thesearetheskillsthatarisefrommeditationpractice.They’reuparima-vijjā,higherlearningintheareaofthereligion.Whenyou’vegotthem,youcanbeatyourease—ateaseifyoudie,ateaseifyoudon’t.Youdon’thavetobuildarockettogotoMars.Youcanliverighthereintheworld,andnothingwillbeabletoharmyou.Inotherwords,youknowwhatthingsaredangerous,whatthingsareharmful,andsoyouleavethemaloneanddon’ttouchthem.Thiswayyoucanliveinsafetyandpeace.Theheartcanstaybloomingandbrightlikethisatalltimes.

Thisiswhyweshouldbeearnestandstrictwithourselvesinthepractice,sothatwecanachievetheaimsweallwant.HereI’veexplainedtheeightknowledgesinbrief.IfIweretogointodetail,therewouldbelotsmoretosay.Toboilitdown:Alltheseformsofknowledgecomefromstillness.Ifthemindisn’tstill,theydon’tarise.Atbest,ifthemindisn’tstill,youcangainknowledgeonlyfromlistening,reading,orthinkingthingsover.Butthepersonwhocanstopthinking,stoppondering,andyetstillbeintelligent:That’ssomethingreallyamazing,somethingthatgoesagainstthecurrentsoftheworld.Normally,peopleintheworldhavetostudyandread,thinkandponder,iftheywanttobeintelligent.ButwiththeDhamma,youhavetostopthinking,stopwriting,stopmemorizing,stopdoinginordertogainthehighestlevelofknowledge.Thisissomethingthatgoesagainstthecurrentsoftheworldandthathumanbeingsfindhardtodo.

Butwhenyoubecomeintentinthepracticethatgivesrisetoknowledge,you’llsucceedinlinewithyouraspirations.

Havingtalkedonthethemeofvijjā-caraṇa-sampanno,I’llendrighthere.

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Consciousnesses

Inallouractivities,persistenceandendurancearethingswehavetofosterwithinourselvesatalltimes.Therehavebeencases,bothinthepastandinthepresent,wherepeoplewithlittleeducation—whocouldn’tevenreadorwrite—havethrownthemselvesintotheeffortofthepracticeanddiscoverthattheycanreadandevenmemorizewholepassages.Someofthemhaveevenearnedtherighttositforthegovernmentexams—thissortofthinghashappened.Soweshouldkeepremindingourselvesthateverythingintheworldcomesfromeffortandpersistence.Nomatterwhatkindofpersonyouare—verysmartorverystupid,withapooreducationandpoorsocialskills—aslongasyouhavethesequalitiesofpersistenceandenduranceinyourheart,there’shopeforyou.Asforpeoplewhoareverysmart,sophisticated,andwell-educated:Iftheylackeffortandpersistence,theywon’tbeabletosucceedintheiraims,intermseitheroftheworldoroftheDhamma.Especiallyforthoseofuswhoaimatthehighesthappiness,ornibbāna:Effortandpersistencearethemagnetsthatwillpullustowardourgoal.

Now,wheneffortandpersistencearepresentwithinus,thenendurancewillhavetobepresentaswell.Why?Whenyouputeffortandpersistenceintosomething,thereareboundtobeobstaclesthatgetinyourway.Ifyou’rereallypersistent,thoseobstacleswillhavetodisappear,whichmeansthatyou’vebeenusingenduranceaswell.Ifyouhaveeffortbutnoendurance,youwon’tgetanywhere.Ifyouhavepersistence,thatmeansthatyourefforthasendurance,too.

Soweshouldregardeffortascomingfirst,andendurancesecond.Oncethesequalitiesareconstantlyworkingtogetherwithinyou,thennomatterhowdeeporfarawayyouraimsmaybe,theBuddhahasforecastthatyou’llattaintheminlinewithyourhopes.Thisiswhyhesaid,asawayofensuringthatwe’llmakethepropereffort,thatViriyenadukkhamacceti:It’sthrougheffortandpersistencethatpeoplegainreleasefromtheworldandreachnibbāna.Effortandpersistenceareourroots,orthemagnetsthatwillpullustonibbāna.

That’swhattheBuddhasaid.Butourownwrongviews,whichcomefromthepowerofdefilement,takeissuewithhisteaching.Inotherwords,theydon’tbelieveit.Theybelievethemselves,byandlarge,andaren’twillingtobelievetheteachings

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ofthewise.Thisiswhywehavetokeepstumblingandcrawlingalonginthisworld.Wesimplybelieveinourselves,inourownviews,but“ourself”ismadeupofdefilement.ThisdefilementistheobstaclethatkeepsusfrombelievingtheBuddhawhenhetellsusthatit’sthrougheffortandpersistencethatpeoplewillgainreleasefromsufferingandstress.Wesimplyhearthewordsbutdon’tunderstandthem.Whatweheargoesonlyasfarasourearsanddoesn’tenterintoourhearts.Andthismeansthatwe’reworkingatcrosspurposes.Evenwithinasingleyou,you’reworkingatcrosspurposes.Whatyouhearisonething,whatyouthinkissomethingelse,andtheydon’tgotogether.Whenthishappens,youstarthavingdoubts.Uncertainty.Thingsaren’tcleartotheheart.Yourpracticeturnsintonothingbutupsanddowns,rightthingsandwrong.

Thisisbecausetheheartofeveryperson…Ofcourse,there’sonlyoneheartineveryperson,buthowisitthatthehearthassomanyissues?Thisisareallycomplicatedquestion.Why?Becauseifwelookonlyonthesurface,we’llsaythateachpersonhasonlyonemind.That’sallweknow.Butifwelookinanotherway,thetextstellusthattherearesomanymentalconsciousnessesthattheycan’tbecounted.Thismakesuswonder:Howcanthatbe?Andwhenweturnfromthetextsandreallylookatourselves,we’llseethatthebodyofahumanbeingdoesn’thaveonlyoneconsciousness.Therearelotsofconsciousnessesinthere.Yourownrealconsciousness,youcanhardlyfindatall.

Youmayhaveuptothreekindsofconsciousnessinsideyourbody.Thefirstisyourownconsciousness,whichenteredyourmother’swombatthetimeofyourconception,withoutanyotherconsciousnessesmixinginwithit.Therewerelotsofotherconsciousnessesarounditatthetime,buttheyalldiedoutbeforetheycouldtakebirth.Youcan’tcounthowmanythereareatatimelikethat,butinthefighttotakebirth,onlyoneofthemhasthemerittomakeit,andtherestallfallawayinhugenumbersbythewayside.Sowhenwemakeitintoahumanwombatthetimeofconception,wecanchalkituptoourmeritthatwe’vebeenabletoestablishafootholdforourselvesinthehumanworld.

Onceourconsciousnessgetsestablishedlikethis,itbeginstodevelop.Thebodydevelops.Asitdevelops,otherconsciousnessesstartinfiltratingwithoutourrealizingit.Ifyouwanttoseeareallyclearexample,lookatthehumanbodyafterittakesbirth.Sometimesawormtwofeetlongcancomeoutofyourintestines.Whatdoesthatcomefrom,ifnotfromaconsciousness?Orhowaboutgerms?Somediseasesareactuallycausedbylittleanimalsinyourbodythatcauseswellingsandtumors.Astraditionaldoctorsusedtosay,thereareeightfamiliesandtwelveclansofdisease-causinganimalsinourbody.Whatdotheycomefrom?Fromconsciousness,that’swhat.Iftherewerenoconsciousness,howcouldtherebeanimals?Animalsarisefromconsciousness.Andsomeofthemyoucanclearlysee,astheycomecrawlinginhugenumbersoutofwounds,outyourearsandeyes,nose,

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teeth,anus,wholeswarmsofthem.Sowhatarethey?They’reaformofconsciousness.

Thiskindofconsciousnessyoucanseeclearly,butthere’sanothergroupofconsciousnessesthataremoreinsidious,thatdon’thaveabodyyoucansee.Onlyifyoumeditateandgainpsychicpowerscanyouseethem.That’sthethirdkindofconsciousnessinhabitingyourbody.

Soaltogethertherearethree:Yourownconsciousness,andthere’sonlyoneofthat.Andthenallthemanyconsciousnesseslurkinginyourbody,somanythatyoucan’tsayexactlyhowmanythereare.Theoneswithbodiesyoucanseearemorethanmany.Andasfortheoneswithnobodies,butarelivinginyourbody,there’snotellinghowmanythereare.

Now,it’sbecausetherearesomanyofthem,withsomanyagendas,thattheBuddhatellsusnottogojoininginwiththem.They’renotus,notours,noneofourbusiness.Sometimeswesitaround,withabsolutelynothingwrong,andallofasuddenonethingstartsleadingtoanotherinsidethemind.Wedon’twantittohappen,butthemindseemstotakeonamindofitsown.That’saclearcaseoftheseconsciousnesses,thesecrazyconsciousnesses,gettingintotheact,seepingintoourownconsciousnessandmakingusfallinlinewiththem.Theseconsciousnessesthatlurkinourbodieswithoutanybodiesoftheirown:Theycangetangry,too,youknow.Theycangetgreedyanddeluded,theycanfeelloveandhate,justlikeus.Oncetheystartfeelingthingslikethis,andthey’rerightnexttous,ourownconsciousnessfollowsalongwiththem,withoutourevenrealizingit.Thisiswhytherearesomanyissuesintheheart.

It’sentirelypossible,youknow.Suppose,forinstance,thattwoofyourchildrenarequarrelingrightinfrontofyou.That’senoughtoputyouinabadmoodyourself.Eventhoughyoudidn’tgetinvolvedinthequarrelalongwiththem,there’saconnection,andsoyouendupwithalotofhurtfeelings,too.Thisiswhywe’retaught,Yaṁvesevatitādiso:Youendupbeinglikethepeopleyouhangaroundwith.

Sowe’retaughttoanalyzethings.Therearelotsofmindsinyourmind.Someofthemareanimalminds.It’snotyourmindthatgetsworkedup;theirmindsaretheonesgettingworkedup,butthey’rerightnexttoyours,andasaresultyoustarttiltingintheirdirection.Thisiswhywe’retaughtthatthey’reanattā,not-self.Consciousnessisnot-self.Sodon’tgetinvolvedwithit.Wehavetouseeffort,persistence,endurance,tokeepthingsunderourthumb.

Assoonasthesethingsdisappear,that’swhentheheartcanbebrightandatease.Becauseactually,whenthingslikethisariseintheheart,it’snotourdoing.It’stheirdoing.Ifitwerereallyourowndoing,thenwhenthingslikethisappearintheheart,weshouldfeelhappyandcontent.Whentheydisappear,weshouldfeelhappy

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andcontent.Butactually,whenthingsariseintheheart,thereareonlysomecaseswherewe’redelightedaboutwhat’shappening.Thereareothercaseswhere,no,we’renothappyatall.There’saconflictinthemind.Sometimestherearehugenumbersoftheseotherconsciousnesses,andtheyhavelotsofagendasoftheirown.Wegetoutnumberedandstartfallinginlinewiththem.Whenthishappenswedothingswrongandsaythingswrongandendupsorryafterwards.Thisisbecauseweactinlinewiththem,andnotinlinewithourowntrueheart.

Soyouhavetokeepthispointinmindifyouwanttounderstandconsciousness.TheBuddhatellsusinreallysimpleterms,butwedon’tunderstandhim.Hesays,“Consciousnessisn’tourself.”Onlyfourwords,andyetwecan’tunderstandthem.Andhowcanweexpecttounderstandthem?Ourheartsaren’testablishedinconcentration,soeverythingweheargetsallconfused.Allwecanthinkisthatconsciousnessisourmind.That’sallwecanthink,sowestartaligningourselveswitheverything,takingsides:Thisisus.That’sus.Westartsidingwitheverything,whichiswhywedon’tunderstandconsciousness.

Nowwhenwestartconsideringthingscarefullytoseewhatourownrealconsciousnessislike,we’llchecktoseeifthere’sanythingintherethat’shonestandloyalandtruetous.Ifthere’ssomethingthatyouliketodo—yourealizeit’sproper,youknowit’sright—andyougoaheadanddoittocompletion,thenthat’ssomethingyoucantrust.Butthereareotherthingsthatyoudon’treallylike—partofyouwantstodothem,anotherpartdoesn’t—sowhenthere’sasplitlikethis,youshouldrealizethatyou’vebeenassociatingwithfools,withcertainkindsofconsciousnessesthathavecometodeceiveyou.That’swhenyouhavetoresist,topersist,topenthatthinkingin.Inotherwords,youhavetofocusoncontemplatingthatparticularconsciousnesstoseewhatkindofconsciousnessitis.Isityourownconsciousness?Orisitanotherconsciousnessthathassnuckintotripupyourconsciousnesssothatyoufallinlinewithit?Ifyoufallinlinewithitandendupdoingthingsthatyoulaterregret,that’scalledgettingfooledbyconsciousness.

WhentheBuddhatellsusthatconsciousnessisn’tourself,thatit’sanattā,wedon’tunderstandwhathesays.There’sonesortofconsciousnessthat’sreallyours.Theconsciousnessthat’sreallyoursisloyal,honest,andtruetous.Supposeyoumakeupyourmindthattomorrowyouwanttogotothemonasterytohearasermon.Now,goingtothemonasterytohearasermonissomethinggoodthatyouliketodo.Youreallybenefitfromit.You’rereallyclearonthispoint.Butbythetimetomorrowcomes,yourmindhaschangedbecause—it’ssimplychanged.Whenthishappens,youshouldrealizethatyourconsciousnesshasgottenmixedupwithsomeotherkindofconsciousness.That’showyouhavetolookatthings.Don’tthinkthatit’sreallyyourconsciousness.Thenewthoughtthatrepealsyouroldthoughtisn’treallyyou.It’scheatingyou.It’snotreallyyou.Normally,ifsomethingisreallyyou,it’snotgoingtocheatyou.Ithastobehonestandloyalanddevotedtoyou.Once

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youmakeupyourmindtodosomethinggood,youhavetostickwithituntilyousucceedandfeelhappyafterwards.Thatsortofthinkingisyourownrealconsciousness.It’shonest.Itdoesn’tdeceiveyou.

Mostpeople,though,deceivethemselves.Actually,theydon’tdeceivethemselves.They’reperfectlyallright,buttheseotherconsciousnessesseepintothem,sothattheyendupgettingdeceived.ThisiswhytheBuddhateachesus,Asevanācabālānaṁ:Don’tgoassociatingwithfools.Ifyouhangaroundwiththatkindofconsciousnessoften,you’llendupsuffering.So—paṇḍitānañca—associatewithwisepeople.Makeyourmindfirmlysettledandestablished.Ifyouthinkofdoingsomethinggood,makeitgoodallthewayuntilyousucceedinlinewithyouraims.That’syou.Don’tletanyotherconsciousnessesintomeddlewithyouraffairs.Ifyourunacrossanythoughtsthatwouldmakeyouabandonyourefforts,realizethatyou’vebeenassociatingwithfools,associatingwithconsciousnessesasidefromyourself.That’showyoushouldlookatthings.

Now,ifweweretogointodetailonalltheconsciousnesseslivinginourbodies,therewouldbelotstosay.Basically,therearetwokinds:thosewhosethoughtsareinlinewithours,andthosewhosethoughtsarenot.Forexample,whenwewanttodogood,therearehungryghostsandspiritsthatwouldliketodogood,too,buttheycan’t,becausetheydon’thaveabody.Sotheytakeupresidenceinourbodyinordertodogoodalongwithus.Butthereareotherspiritswhowanttodestroywhatevergoodwe’retryingtodo.Theywereprobablyourenemiesinpastlives.Weprobablyoppressedthem,imprisonedthem,orhadthemputtodeath.Wegotinthewayofthegoodtheyweretryingtodo,sothey’vegotsomeoldscorestosettle.Theywanttoblockthepathwe’retryingtopracticesothatwedon’tmakeanyprogress.Theycomewhisperingintoourears:“Stop.Stop.You’regoingtodie.You’regoingtostarve.It’sgoingtoraintoohard,thesun’stoohot,it’stooearly,toolate,”theygoonandon.Thesearetheconsciousnessesthatcomeasourenemies.Thereareothersthatusedtobeourrelativesandfriends.Theywanttodogoodbuttheycan’t,sotheytakeupresidenceinourbodysothattheycanbowdowntotheBuddhaandchantalongwithus.

Becauseofallthis,therearetimeswhenourheartsarelikemonstersandogres.Wecan’timaginewhyit’shappening,andyetit’shappening,eventhoughwedon’twantitto.Thenthereareothertimeswhenourheartsarelikedevas—sosweetandgood-temperedthatotherpeoplecancurseourmother’swholefamilyandwewon’tgetmad.Thenthereareothertimeswhenthere’snocallforangerandyetwemanagetogetangryinreallynasty,uglyways.That’sthewayitiswiththeseconsciousnesses:allveryconfusedandconfusing,andtheycomeseepingintoourbodies.That’showyoushouldlookatthings.

There’syetanothergroupofconsciousnesses:theoneswhohavecometo

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collectoldkammadebts.They’rethegermsthateatawayatourflesh—atournose,ourears—toruinourlooks.Theyeatawayatourlowerlip,exposingourteeth,makingusembarrassedandashamed.Sometimestheyeatawayatoneofourears,oreatawayatournoseallthewayuptotheforehead.Sometimestheyeatatoureyes,ourhands,ourfeet.Sometimestheyeatawayatourwholebody,makingourskindiseased.

Thesearekammadebtcollectors.Inthepastwemadelifemiserableforthem,sothistimearoundthey’reganginguptomakeussquirm.Theone’sthatarereallyeasytoseearethewormsthathelpeatthefoodinourintestines.Inthepastweprobablyatetheirfleshandskin,sothistimearoundthey’regoingtoeatours.Theyeat,eat,eat—eateverything.“Whateveryou’vegot,youbastard,I’mgoingtoeatitall.”That’swhattheysay.Howareweevergoingtogetridofthem?Theyeatouroutsideswherewecanseethem,sowechasethemawayandtheygorunninginside,toeatinourstomachandintestines.That’swhenitreallygetsbad:Wecan’tevenseethem,andthey’reevenhardertogetridof.

Sotheykeepmakingussquirmastheykeepeating,eatingaway:eatinginourintestines,eatinginourstomach,eatingourkidneys,ourliver,ourlungs,eatinginourbloodvessels,eatingourbodyhairs,eatingeverythingallovertheplace.Theyeatoutsideandturnintoskindiseases.Theyeatinsideaswormsandgerms.Andtheythemselvesgetintofights—afterall,therearelotsofdifferentgangsinthere.Evenjustthewormshave108clans.Sowhentherearesomanyofthem,they’reboundtoquarrel,creatingaruckusinourhome.Howcanweeverhopetowithstandthem?Sometimeswefallinwiththemwithoutrealizingit.Howcanthathappen?Becausetherearesomanyofthemthatwecan’tresist.

Theselivingbeingsinourbody:Sometimestheygetangryandgetintofights.Sometimestheyrunintooneanotheronthestreetandstartbitingandhittingeachother,sothatweitchinfrontanditchinback—scritchscritch,scratchscratch:Thewormshavegottenintoagangwar.Theycruisearoundinourbodythewaywedooutside.Thebloodvesselsarelikeroads,sotherearelittleanimalscruisingdownthebloodvessels.Thisonecomesthisway,thatonecomesthat,theymeeteachotherandstarttalking.Sometimestheyhaverealconversationsthatknownoend,sotheyspendthenightthere,eatingrightthereandexcretingrightthereuntilaswellingstarts:That’salittleshackforthebeings,theconsciousnessesinourbody.Thisishowthingskeephappening.

Ourbodyislikeaworld.Justastheworldhasoceans,mountains,trees,vines,land,soitiswiththebody.Eachbloodvesselisaroadforlivingbeings.Theytraveldownourbloodvessels,downourbreathchannels.Somevesselsgetclosedoff,likeadeadendroad.Othersstayopen.Whenthey’reopen,thebloodflows,thebreathflows,likethewaterinriversandstreams.Whentheyflow,boatscantravelalongthem.Whenthereareboats,therearebeingsintheboats.Sometimestheboatscrash

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intooneanother.That’swhywehaveachesandpainsinourlegsandarmsandalongourbreathchannels.

Sogoahead:keeprubbingthemandmassagingthem—it’sallanaffairoftheconsciousnessesinhabitingourbodies.Someofthemliveinoureyesockets,someliveinourearholes,someinournostrils,someinourmouth,ourthroat,ourgums.They’rejustlikepeople,onlywecan’tunderstandtheirlanguage.Theyhavejobsandcareers,familiesandhomes,andplacestovacationalloverourbody.

Theseconsciousnessesinourbodiessometimesgetintobattlesandwars,justlikeredantsandblackants.Sometimeslizardsandtoadsgetintobattles—I’veseenithappen.It’sthesameinourbody,sowherearewegoingtogotoescapefromitall?Thebeingsinoureyeslayclaimtooureyesastheirhome.Theonesinourearsclaimourearsastheirhome.Theonesinourbloodvesselsclaimthoseastheirhome.Sometimestheirclaimsoverlap,sotheygetintofeuds.Asthetextssay,therearefeelingsthatarisefromconsciousness.Thisiswhytherearesomanythingsthatcanhappentothebody.Somekindsofconsciousnessgiverisetodisease,somearejustwaitingtheirchance.Forinstance,somekindsofconsciousnesswithoutbodieshangaroundourbloodvesselswaitingforwoundsandboilstodevelop.That’stheirchancetotakeonbodiesaswormsandgerms.Asfortheoneswhodon’tyethavebodies,theytravelaroundaschillsandthrillsanditchesandachesalloverourbody.It’sallanaffairofconsciousnesses.

Inshort,therearethreeclassesinall—threeclans,andallofthemgreatbigones.Thefirstarethelivingbeingswithbodiesthatliveinourbody.Thentherearetheconsciousnessesthatdon’thavebodiesoftheirown,butinhabitourbody.Thenthere’sourownconsciousness.Soallinalltherearethree.Thesethreetypesofconsciousnessgetallmixeduptogether,sowedon’tknowwhichkindsofconsciousnessbelongtoanimalswithbodies,whichkindsbelongtobeingsthatdon’tyethavebodies,andwhichkindofconsciousnessisourown.Wedon’tknow.Whenwedon’tknowthis,howcanweknowthefiveaggregates?“Viññāṇakkhandho”thatwechanteverymorning—howcanweknowit?Allweknowis“consciousness,consciousness,”butourownconsciousnessissoslackandlimpthatit’slikearopedraggingontheground.It’sthesamewiththephrase,“Consciousnessisnot-self.”Allweknowisthewordstheysay.

Onlywhenwedevelopdiscernmentfromconcentratingthemindwillwebeabletounderstandconsciousness.That’swhenwe’llbeabletounderstandtheeighteenproperties,startingwith:“Cakkhu-dhātu,rūpa-dhātu,cakkhu-viññāṇa-dhātu”—eyeproperty,formproperty,eye-consciousnessproperty.Tounderstandthesethreethingsyouneedthekindofknowledgethatcomesfromconcentration.Forexample,howmanykindsofconsciousnessarethereinoureye?Whenaformappearstotheeyeandthere’sconsciousnessoftheform—isitreallyour

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consciousness,orisittheconsciousnessofsomeotherbeingwithoutabodythat’sgettingintotheact?Orisittheconsciousnessofabeingwithabodygettinginourway,makingusdoubtfulandunsure?Thethreekindsofconsciousnessthatariseattheeye,thatseeforms:howmanydifferentwaysdotheyreact?Andarethosereactionsreallyaresultofourownconsciousness,oroftheconsciousnessofbeingswithbodiesinhabitingourbody?Oraretheytheresultofconsciousnesseswithoutbodies.Wedon’tknow.Wehaven’ttheslightestidea.Whenwedon’tknoweventhismuch,howarewegoingtoknow,“Cakkhu-dhātu,rūpa-dhātu,cakkhu-viññāṇa-dhātu”?There’snoway.Wehavenoinsight,noknowledge,nodiscernmentatall.

“Sota-dhātu”:ourear,whichisthebasisforear-consciousnesstoarise.Whichkindofear-consciousnessarisesfirst?Doweknow?No,notatall.Isitourownconsciousnessthatgoesouttolistentosounds?Isittheconsciousnessofsomelittleanimallurkinginourears?Orisittheconsciousnessofsomebeingthatdoesn’tevenhaveabody?Orisitreallyourownconsciousness?Examinethingscarefullysothatyouknowthisbeforeanythingelse.Youcantellfromtheresults:Therearesomekindsofsoundsthatyouliketohear,butyouknowthatthey’renotright,andyetyoustillliketolistentothem.Youshouldrealizewhenthishappensthatit’snotyourconsciousnessthat’slistening,becauseit’snotloyaltoyou.Thereareotherkindsofsoundsthataregoodandright,butyoudon’tlikethem.That’sanothercasewhenit’snotyourconsciousness.Somethingelsehasprobablyinfiltratedandgottenintheway.

Youhavetowatchoutforthiscarefully,becausetherearealotofdifferentgroupsofconsciousnesswiththeirownagendas.Sometimesyoulistentootherpeoplespeaking.Whattheysayistrueandright,butyoudon’tlikeit.Soyougoassumingthatthisbusinessoflikinganddislikingisyours.Youneverstoptothinkthatconsciousnessisnot-self.Thefactthatyoudon’tstoptothinkiswhyyourearsaresodeaf.You’renotlistening.Somehungryghostislisteninginyourstead,withoutyourevenrealizingit.Sohowareyougoingtorememberanything?Yourmindisn’therewiththebodyinthepresent,soit’snotlistening.Hungryghostsarelistening,deadspiritsarelistening,angrydemonsareintheway,soasaresultyouyourselfdon’tknow,don’tunderstand,what’sbeingsaid.Ghostsanddemonsaredoingallthelisteningandthinking,butyouassumeit’sallyou.ThisiswhytheBuddhasaidthatignoranceblindsoureyesanddeafensourears.It’sallanaffairofconsciousnesses.

“Cakkhu-dhātu,rūpa-dhātu,cakkhu-viññāṇa-dhātu”:Therearethesethreethings.Theinstanttheeyeseesaform,whatconsciousnessgoesouttolook?Haveyoueverstoppedtotakenotice?No.Never.Soyoudon’tknowwhetherit’sreallyyourownconsciousnessortheconsciousnessofananimallurkinginyoureye,whetherit’sananimalwithabodyoronewithoutabody.Youdon’tevenknow

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whetherthesethingsreallyexist.Whenyoudon’tknowthis,whatcanyouhopetoknow?“Sota-dhātu,sadda-dhātu,sota-viññāṇa-dhātu”:Youdon’tknowthisoneeither.

Andsoondownthelist—“Ghāna-dhātu”:Thenoseiswheresmellsareknownandnose-consciousnessarises.Sometimesourconsciousnesslikescertainkindsofsmells,smellsthatareproperinlinewiththeDhamma.Sowesearchoutandfindthosesmellstomakemerit.Othertimeswegiveup.Welikethesmells,butwedon’tfollowthrough.Wedon’tcarrythroughwithourownthoughts.Thentherearecertainkindsofsmellsthatwedon’tlike,butwestillgoafterthem.Somekindswelike,butwedon’tfollowthrough.Thereareallkindsofissuessurroundingsmells.

Smellsappearinournose,andconsciousnessappearsinournoseaswell.Whoknowshowmanyhundredsofkindsofconsciousnessarelivinginthere?Sometimestheyknowthingsbeforewedo.Theysendusallkindsoffalsereportstodeceiveus.Theywhispertous,keepingusmisinformedsothatwebelievethem.Asaresult,wecloseoureyesandfollowalongwiththem,likeabeargettinghoneyfromabee’snest.Itjustclosesitseyesandkeepsslurpingaway,slurpingawayatthehoney.Itcan’topenitseyesbecausethebeesaregoingtostingoutitseyesockets.Thesamewithus:Whenconsciousnesscomeswhispering,“Go.Go,”wegoalongwithit,thinkingthatwe’retheoneswhofeeltheneedtogo.Actually,wedon’tknowwhatitisthatcomesslippingintopullusaround,likeamediumpossessedbyaspirit.

Jivhā-dhātu:thetongue.Thetongueiswheretastesarise.Tastescomeandmakecontactatthetongueandanawarenessarises,calledconsciousness.Buttheconsciousnessthatarises:Exactlywhichconsciousnessarisesfirst?Therearelivingbeingsthatresideinourtastebuds,andtheyhaveconsciousnesstoo,youknow.Theymayknowevenmorethanwedo.Forexample,saythatthere’sfoodthatweknowisbadforustoeat,butthere’sthedesiretoeatit.Whyistherethedesire?Sometimeswedon’twanttoeatit,buttheconsciousnessofsomelivingbeingwantstoeatit.Ifweeatit,weknowit’llmakeussick,butthere’sstillthedesiretoeatit.Thisiscalledgettingfooledbyflavors.Gettingfooledbyconsciousness.Therearethreesortsofconsciousness,aswe’vealreadymentioned,sowhichconsciousnessisgettingintheact?Isitourconsciousnessornot?We’veneverstoppedtocheck.Isitthekindofconsciousnessthatdoesn’tyethaveabody?Orisitthekindthatalreadyhasabodyappearinginourmouth?Wedon’tknow.

Whenwedon’tknow,that’swhyeverythingwesaycomesoutallscrewyandwrong.Thesespiritsaretheonesthatmakeusspeak,speakinginallkindsofwaysthatgetusintrouble.Actually,wedon’twanttosaythosethingsbutwegoaheadandsaythem.That’sasignthatwe’vebeenassociatingwithfools,withtheconsciousnessofangrydemons,withoutourevenrealizingit.It’sonlyafterwards,whenweendupsuffering,thatwerealizewhat’shappened.Thisiswhywekeep

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losingouttothem.Wedon’tknowconsciousnessinthefiveaggregates.Wekeepchanting,“Viññāṇaṁanattā,anattā,-tā,-tā,”everyday,butdon’tknowathing.ThisiswhattheBuddhacalledavijjā,orunawareness.

Kāya-dhātu:Thesameholdstruewiththebody.Thebodyiswheretactilesensationsarefelt.Tactilesensationsmakecontactandwecanknowthemall:cold,hot,soft,hard.Weknow.Thisknowledgeoftactilesensationsiscalledconsciousness.Butwhoseconsciousnessitis,we’venevermadeasurvey.Sowethinkthatwe’retheoneswhoarecold,we’retheoneswhoarehot,andyetit’snotusatall.Likeapersonpossessedbyaspirit.Whathappenswhenapersonispossessedbyaspirit?Supposethere’ssomeonewhohasneverdrunkliquor.Whenaspiritpossesseshim,hedrinkstwoorthreeglasses—reallyenjoyingit—butwhenthespiritleaves,thepersonwhohasneverdrunkliquorisdeaddrunk.Why?Becausetherewasaconsciousnessfromoutsidepossessinghim.He—therealhim—neverdrankliquor,buthedrankwhenanoutsidespiritpossessedhim.

Thesameholdstruewithourmind.Whentheseconsciousnessesstartgettingobstreperous,westartdoingthingseventhoughwedon’twanttodothem.Someformsofconsciousnesslikethecold,somelikeheat.Justliketheanimalsintheworld:Somelikehotweather,somelikecoldweather,someliketoeathardthings,someliketoeatsoftthings.Wormsandcaterpillars,forinstance,liketoeathardthings.It’sthesamewiththelivingbeingsinourbodies:Someliketoeathardthings,sotheynibbleatourbones—oratourfleshuntilitsloughsoffinpieces.Somedrinktheliquidparts.Somelikehotthings,somelikecoldthings.Sowhenitgetscold,wefeelthatwe’rereallycold,butwe’veneverstoppedtothinkaboutwhat’smadeuscold.Whenitgetshot,wedon’tknowwhat’smadeushot.Wejustthinkthatit’sus:Thisisus,that’sus.Whenitwasthatwebecameaspirit-consciousnessalongwiththem,wenevernoticed.

ThisiswhytheBuddhasaidthatwehavenodiscernment.Wefallfortheseformsofconsciousness,forgettinghisteachingthatconsciousnessisnot-self.Actually,there’sonlyoneofus,andit’snotallcomplicatedlikethis.

Asforourmind—mano-dhātu—thesameholdstrue.It’sbeenpossessedbyspiritssothatitsuffersfromallsortsofsymptoms.Theideasthatgetthoughtupinthemind,theideasthatcausethoughtsinthemind:Theycomefromacause.Sometimesthecausemaybetheshockwavesfromotherconsciousnessesbumpingintous.Thethoughtsoflivingbeingswithbodiesmaybedirectedatus.Theconsciousnessofbeingswithoutbodiesmayhavesomeunfinishedbusinessinvolvingus,andtheymaycauseourownmindstofallinwiththem.Whenthishappens,youshouldknow:“Oh.There’sbeenaninfiltration.”Thethingthathasinfiltratedisthemoodofanotherlivingbeing.Itmaybethemoodofananimal.Themoodofadeva.Themoodofanangrydemon.Wehavetodecodethemsothatwe’ll

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know.Whenwecanknowinthisway,thentherearen’tallthatmanyissuesinour

mind.There’sonlyonemind.There’sonlyoneconsciousness,notawholelotofthem.Whenoneisone,itshouldstayasone.Theproblemisthatoneturnsintotwoandthenthreeandthensoonwithoutend.Thisiswhatblocksoursenses.

Unawarenessblocksoureyes,sothatwedon’tknowtheconsciousnessesthathavebuilttheirhomesinoureyeballs.Unawarenessblocksourears:theconsciousnessesofalltheanimalsthathavecomeandbuilttheirhomesfillingupourearholes.Unawarenessblocksournose:theconsciousnessesofalltheanimalsthathavecomeandbuilttheirhomesinournostrils.Itblocksourtongue:theconsciousnessesofalltheanimalsthathavecomeandbuilttheirhomesandcitiesinourtongue.Itblocksourbody:theconsciousnessesofalltheanimalsthathavecomeandbuilttheirhomesineverypore.Asforourownsingleconsciousness,it’snomatchforthem.Thisiswhytheeffortofourmeditationissolimpandlax:Wedon’tunderstandwhatthesethingsaredoingtous.Theycloseoffoureyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,andmindsothatwecan’tseeourwayout.Asaresult,thequalitieswe’retryingtodevelopjustdon’tgrow.

Now,whenwecanwipeoutthehomesofunawareness,that’swhenwe’llunderstandwhat’sgoingon:

aneka-jātisaṁsāraṁsandhāvissaṁanibbisaṁgaha-kārakaṁgavesanto….

ThroughtheroundofmanybirthsIwanderedwithoutrest,

seekingthebuilderofthehouse….

Whenwecontemplatetothepointwhereweunderstandthesethings,we’llcometoseetheendlessaffairsofallthelivingbeingsthathavetakenupresidenceinourhome.Aneka-jātisaṁsāraṁ….They’vecometoquarrelandsquabbleandcreatealotoftrouble.Theyliketopullourmindintoallkindsofharm.

Whenwecontemplatesoastoseethingsinthisway,disenchantmentarises.Cakkhusmiṁ-pinibbindati.Wefeeldisenchantmentfortheeye.Rūpesu-pinibbindati.Disenchantmentforforms.Cakkhu-viññāṇe-pinibbindati.Disenchantmentforconsciousness.Wereallygettiredofit.It’sagenuinenuisancetotheheart.Nibbindaṁvirajjati,virāgāvimuccati.Wespitthemout.Theeyespitsoutforms.Itspitsoutconsciousness.Itspitsthemout,becauseit’shadenough.

Sotasmiṁ-pinibbindati.Wefeeldisenchantmentfortheear.Saddesu-pinibbindati.Disenchantmentforsounds.Sota-viññāṇe-pinibbindati.Disenchantmentforconsciousness.Virāgāvimuccati.Wespitthemallout.Whentheeyespitsout

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form,formsdon’tgetstuckintheeye,sotheeyecanpenetrateandseeformiles.Whensoundsgetspitout,ourearscanpenetrate.Wecanhearwhatthedevasarechattingabout.Whenthenosespitsoutaromas,theentireworldsmellssweet.Ourgoodness,whenweletgoofit,smellssweetineverydirection.Thetonguespitsoutflavors,itdoesn’tswallowthem;itspitsoutconsciousness.Thebodyspitsouttactilesensations.Heatdoesn’tgetstuckintheheart.Colddoesn’tgetstuckintheheart.Hard,soft,whatever,inthebody,doesn’tgetstuck,doesn’tseepin.Everythinggetsspitout,allthewaytomentalconsciousness.Themindletsgoofitsgoodness.Itdoesn’tholdontothevieworconceitthatitsgoodnessbelongstoit.Itspitsoutevil,unskillfulstates,sothatevilcan’tleakintogetitsoaked.Itspitsoutallthevariousthingsitknows,suchas,“That’stheconsciousnessoflivingbeingswithbodies….That’stheconsciousnessoflivingbeingswithoutbodies….That’sreallymyconsciousness.”Allofthisgetsspitout.That’swhat’scalledviññāṇasmiṁ-pinibbindati:Disenchantmentwithconsciousness,disenchantmentformentalobjects.

Virāgāvimuccati.Everythinggetsspitout;nothinggetsswallowed,sonothinggetsstuckinthethroat.Theeyedoesn’tswallowforms,theeardoesn’tswallowsounds,thenosedoesn’tswallowsmells,thetonguedoesn’tswallowflavors,thebodydoesn’tswallowtactilesensations,theminddoesn’tswallowideas.Vimuccati:Release.There’snomoreturmoilorentanglement.That’swhenyou’resaidtobeinthepresenceofnibbāna.Vimuttasmiṁvimuttamitiñāṇaṁhoti,khīṇājāti,vusitaṁbrahma-cariyaṁ—“Inrelease,thereistheknowledge,‘Released.’Birthisended,theholylifehasbeenfulfilled.”Whenwecanpracticeinthiswaywe’llknowclearlywhat’stheconsciousnessofanimals,what’sourconsciousness,andwecanletgoofthemall.That’swhenwe’llknowthatwe’vegainedreleasefromallthreesortsofconsciousness.

Theconsciousnessoflivingbeingswithbodiesisn’tourconsciousness.Theconsciousnessoflivingbeingswithoutbodiesisn’tourconsciousness.Ourconsciousness,whichisawareofthesethings,isn’tus.Thesethingsgetletgo,inlinewiththeirnature.That’swhenwecanbesaidtoknowthefiveaggregatesandallsixsensemedia.Wegainreleasefromtheworldandcanopenoureyes.Oureyeswillbeabletoseefar,aswhenweslideawaythewallsonourhomeandcanseeforhundredsofyards.Whenoureyesaren’tstuckonforms,wecangainclairvoyantpowersandseefar.Whenourearsaren’tstuckonsounds,wecanheardistantsounds.Whenournoseisn’tstuckonsmells,wecansniffthesmellofthedevas,insteadofirritatingournosewiththesmellofhumanbeings.Whenflavorsdon’tgetstuckonthetongue,wecantasteheavenlymedicineandfood.Whenthemindisn’tstuckontactilesensations,wecanliveincomfort.Whereverwesit,wecanbeatourease:ateasewhenit’scold,ateasewhenit’shot,ateaseinasoftseat,ateaseinahardseat.Evenifthesunburnsusup,wecanbeatourease.Thebodycanfallapart,

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andwecanbeatourease.Thisiscalledspittingouttactilesensations.Asfortheheart,itspitsoutideas.It’saheartreleased:releasedfromthefiveaggregates,releasedfromthethreesortsofconsciousness.Theycan’teverfoolitagain.Theheartisreleasedfromstressandsuffering,andwillreachthehighest,mostultimatehappiness:nibbāna.

HereI’vebeentalkingonthetopicofconsciousness.Takeittoheartandtrainyourselftogiverisetoknowledgewithin.That’swhenyoucanbesaidtoknowtheworlds.Theconsciousnessesthathavebodiesinhabittheworldsofsensuality,fromthelevelsofhellonuptoheaven.TheconsciousnesseswithnobodiesinhabittheworldoftheformlessBrahmās.Ourownconsciousnessiswhatwilltakeustonibbāna.

Whenyouknowthesethreekindsofconsciousnessyoucanbesaidtobevijjā-caraṇa-sampanno:consummateinknowledgeandconduct.Sugato:You’llgowellandcomewellandwhereveryoustay,you’llstaywell.Allthebeingsoftheworldcanthengetsomerelief.Inwhatway?Wehandeverythingovertothem.Anyanimalswhowanttoeatawayinourbodycangoaheadanddoso.We’renolongerpossessive.Whatevertheywant,whatevertheyliketoeat,theycangoaheadandhaveit.Wedon’tgiveadamn.That’showwereallyfeel.We’renotattached.Iftheywanttoeatourintestines,theycangoahead.Iftheywanttoeatourexcrement,theycanhaveit.Iftheywanttoeatourblood,theycaneatalltheylike.We’renotpossessive.Whateveranytypeofconsciousnesswants,they’rewelcometoit.Wegivethemtheirindependence,sotheycangovernthemselves,withoutourtryingtosnitchanythingawayfromthem.Asaresult,theygainashareofourgoodness.Thesameforthebodilessconsciousnessesinourbody:Theygaintheirindependence.Andwegainourindependence,too.Everybodygetstoliveinhisorherownhouse,eathisorherownfood,sleepinhisorherownbed.Everyonelivesseparately,soeveryonecanbeathisorherownease.

Thisiscalled“bhagavā”:Theeyegetsseparatedfromforms,formsgetseparatedfromtheeye,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromself.

Theeargetsseparatedfromsounds,soundsgetseparatedfromtheear,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromself.

Thenosegetsseparatedfromsmells,smellsgetseparatedfromthenose,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromself.

Thetonguegetsseparatedfromflavors,flavorsgetseparatedfromthetongue,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromself.

Thebodygetsseparatedfromtactilesensations,tactilesensationsgetseparatedfromthebody,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromthebody.

Themindgetsseparatedfromideas,ideasgetseparatedfromthemind,andconsciousnessgetsseparatedfromthemind.

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There’snosensethatthisisourselforthat’sourself.Thisiscalled,“Sabbedhammāanattā,”allphenomenaarenot-self.Wedon’tclaimrightsoveranythingatall.Whoevercandothiswillgainreleasefromtheworld,fromthecycleofdeathandrebirth.Thisisāsavakkhaya-ñāṇa—theknowledgeoftheendingofmentalfermentation—arisingintheheart.

Sonowthatyou’velistenedtothis,youshouldtakeittoponderandcontemplatesoastogainaclearunderstandingwithinyourself.Thatwayyou’llbeonthepathtoreleasefromstressandsuffering,usingpersistenceandeffortatalltimestocleanseyourownconsciousnesssoastoknowitclearly.That’swhatwillleadyoutopurity.

So,fortoday’sdiscussionofconsciousnesses,I’llasktostophere.

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Glossary

I . Terms

ThedefinitionsgivenherearebasedonthemeaningsthesewordshaveinAjaanLee’swritingsandsermons.Termsmarkedwithasingleasterisk(*)aretakenfromthestandardchantofthequalitiesoftheBuddha;thosewithadoubleasterisk(**),fromthechantofthequalitiesoftheDhamma.

akāliko**:Timeless;unconditionedbytimeorseason.apāya:Stateofdeprivation;thefourlowerlevelsofexistence—rebirthinhell,

asahungryghost,asanangrydemon,orasacommonanimal.Noneofthesestatesarepermanent.

arahant:A‘WorthyOne,’apersonwhoseheartisfreedfromthefermentations(āsava)ofsensuality,statesofbeing,views,andignorance,andwhoisthusnotdestinedforfurtherrebirth.AnepithetfortheBuddhaandthehighestlevelofhisnobledisciples.

avijjā:Unawareness;ignorance;counterfeitawareness.bhagavā*:Blessed.Thiswordisalsorelatedtotheverbfor‘divide’and

‘separate,’andsoissometimesinterpretedinthatlightaswell.bhāvanā-maya-paññā:Discernmentachievedbydevelopingthemindthrough

meditation.brahmā:Inhabitantofthehigher,non-sensuallevelsofheaven.bodhisattva:AbeingfirmlyonthepathtobecomingaBuddha.buddho*:Awake.chabbaṇṇa-raṅsī:Six-coloredradianceoraura.Mentionedusuallyasan

attributeoftheBuddha.chalang’upekkhā:Six-factoredequanimity,i.e.,maintainingequanimitytoward

eventsknownthroughanyofthesixsenses—sight,hearing,smell,taste,touch,andideation.

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deva:Inhabitantofanyoftheheavensofsensualpleasure.dhamma:Event;phenomenon;thewaythingsareinandofthemselves;their

inherentqualities;thebasicprinciplesthatunderlietheirbehavior.Also,principlesofbehaviorthathumanbeingsoughttofollowsoastofitinwiththerightnaturalorderofthings;qualitiesofmindtheyshoulddevelopsoastorealizetheinherentqualityofthemindinandofitself.Byextension,‘dhamma’isusedalsotorefertoanydoctrinethatteachessuchthings.ThustheDhammaoftheBuddharefersbothtohisteachingsandtothedirectexperienceofthequality—nibbāna—atwhichthoseteachingsareaimed.Incontextswherethetermisusedinaneutralsenseinthesesermons,ithasbeenleftuncapitalized.Whereusedinapositivesense,ithasbeencapitalized.

dhamma-vicaya-sambojjhaṅga:Analysisofphenomena,qualities,principles,etc.Oneofthefactorsforawakening,theothersbeingmindfulness,persistence,rapture,serenity,concentration,andequanimity.

dhātu:Element;property;theelementarypropertiesthatmakeuptheinnersenseofthebodyandmind:earth(solidity),water(liquidity),fire(heat),wind(energyormotion),space,andconsciousness.Thebreathisregardedasanaspectofthewindproperty,andallfeelingsofenergyinthebodyareclassedasbreathsensations.AccordingtoThaiphysiology,diseasescomefromtheaggravationorimbalanceofanyofthefirstfouroftheseproperties.Wellbeingisdefinedasastateinwhichnoneofthesepropertiesisdominant:Allarequiet,unaroused,balanced,andstill.

ekayāna-magga:Aunifiedpath;adirectpath.Anepithetforthepracticeofbeingmindfulofthefourframesofreference:body,feelings,mind,andmentalqualitiesinandofthemselves.

gotarabhū-ñāṇa:‘Changeoflineageknowledge’:Theglimpseofnibbānathatchangesonefromanordinaryrun-of-the-millpersontoanobleone.

indrīya:Mentalfaculty,ordominantfactorinthemind.Therearefivefacultiestobedevelopedinthepractice:conviction,persistence,mindfulness,concentration,anddiscernment.

jhāna:Absorptioninaphysicalsensation(rūpajhāna)orinamentalnotion(arūpajhāna).Vitakka(directedthought),vicāra(evaluation),andpīti(rapture)arethreeofthefivefactorsformingthefirstlevelofrūpajhāna,theothertwobeingsukha(pleasure)andekaggatārammaṇa(singlenessofpreoccupation).

kamma:Intentionalactthatresultsinstatesofbeingandbirth.

khandha:Aggregate;heap;componentpartsofsensoryperception:rūpa(physicalsensations,sensedata);vedanā(feelingsofpleasure,pain,orneitherpleasurenorpain);saññā(labels,concepts);saṅkhāra(mentalfabrications,anything

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createdbythemind);andviññāṇa(consciousness).lokavidū*:Expertwithregardtothecosmos.magga:Thepathtothecessationofsufferingandstress.Thefourtranscendent

paths—orrather,onepathwithfourlevelsofrefinement—arethepathtostreamentry(enteringthestreamtonibbāna,whichensuresthatonewillberebornatmostonlysevenmoretimes),thepathtoonce-returning,thepathtonon-returning,andthepathtoarahantship.Phala—fruition—referstothementalstateimmediatelyfollowingtheattainmentofanyofthesepaths.

mahābhūta-rūpa:Thefourgreatphysicalproperties—earth,water,fire,andwind(see‘dhātu’).

māra:Thepersonificationofdeath,temptation,andanyforcethatobstructsthepracticeofthepathtoLiberation.

nāga:Atypeofserpentreputedtohavemiraculouspowers.nibbāna(nirvāṇa):Liberation;theunbindingofthemindfromgreed,anger,

anddelusion,fromphysicalsensationsandmentalacts.Asthistermisusedtoreferalsototheextinguishingoffire,itcarriesconnotationsofstilling,cooling,andpeace.(AccordingtothephysicstaughtatthetimeoftheBuddha,thepropertyoffireinalatentstateexiststoagreaterorlesserextentinallobjects.Whenactivated,itseizesandstickstoitsfuel.Aslongasitremainslatentorisextinguished,itis‘unbound.’)

nīvaraṇa:Hindrancetoconcentration—sensualdesire,illwill,sloth&drowsiness,restlessness&anxiety,anduncertainty.

opanayiko**:Referringinwardly;tobebroughtinward.paccattaṁ**:Personal;individual.puñña:Innerworth;merit;theinnersenseofwellbeingthatcomesfromhaving

actedrightlyorwell,andthatenablesonetocontinueactingwell.sādhu:Excellent;well-done.Oftenusedasatermofapprovalwhensomeone

hasdonesomethingmeritorious.sambhavesin:(Abeing)searchingforaplacetotakebirth.sandiṭṭhiko**:Self-evident;visiblehereandnow.saṅgha:ThecommunityoftheBuddha’sfollowers.Ontheconventionallevel,

thisreferstotheBhikkhuSaṅgha,orBuddhistmonkhood.Ontheideallevel,itreferstothoseoftheBuddha’sfollowers,whetherlayorordained,whohavepracticedtothepointofgainingatleast‘stream-entry,’thefirstofthetranscendentqualitiesculminatinginnibbāna.

saṅkhāra:Fabrication—theforcesandfactorsthatfabricatethings,theprocessoffabrication,andthefabricatedthingsthatresult;allprocessesorthingsconditioned,compounded,orconcoctedbynature,whetheronthephysicalorthe

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mentallevel.sugato*:Going(orgone)toagooddestination.uposatha:Observanceday,correspondingtothephasesofthemoon,onwhich

BuddhistlaypeoplegathertolistentotheDhammaandtoobservespecialprecepts.Theeightuposathapreceptsaretorefrainfromtakinglife;fromstealing;fromsexualintercourse;fromtellinglies;fromtakingintoxicants;fromeatingfoodafternoonuntilthefollowingdawn;fromwatchingdancing,singing,instrumentalmusic,andothershows,andfromusinggarlands,perfumes,cosmeticsandjewelry;andfromusinghighandluxuriousbedsandseats.

vicāra:Evaluation(see‘jhāna’).vijjā:Awareness,science,cognitiveskill.vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno*:Consummateinknowledgeandconduct;

accomplishedintheconductleadingtoawarenessorcognitiveskill.vipassanā:Clear,intuitiveinsightintophysicalandmentalphenomenaasthey

ariseanddisappear,seeingthemforwhattheyactuallyare—inandofthemselves—intermsofstress,itsorigin,itsdisbanding,andthewaytoitsdisbanding.

vitakka:Directedthought(see‘jhāna’).

II . Quotations

aniccāvatasaṅkhārā,uppāda-vaya-dhammino,uppajjitvānirujjhanti:Fabricationsareinconstant,subjecttoarisingandpassingaway.Arising,theydisband.(FromstanzasutteredontheoccasionoftheBuddha’spassingintototalnibbāna.)

asevanācabālānaṁ,paṇḍitānañcasevanā:Non-associationwithfools,andassociationwiththewise.(Fromadiscourselistingfactorsthataugurwellforone’swellbeing.)

attāhiattanonātho:One’sselfisone’sownmainstay.atītaṁnānvāgameyya,nappaṭikankheanāgataṁ…paccuppannañcayo

dhammaṁ,tathatathavipassati:Hewouldnotpursuethepastoryearnforthefuture…andwhateverphenomenonispresent,heclearlyseesitrightthere,rightthere.(Fromstanzasdescribingapersonwhospendshisdayauspiciouslyintermsofthepractice.)

āyudobaladodhīro’ti:Theenlightenedpersonwhogiveslifeandstrength….(Fromstanzasextollingthebenefits—tothedonor—ofadonationoffood.)

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ekāyanoayaṁmaggosattānaṁvisuddhiyā:Thisisadirectpathforthepurificationofbeings.(See‘ekāyana-magga.’)

kammassako’mhi:Iamtheownerofactions.mano-pubbaṅgamādhammā,mano-seṭṭhāmano-mayā:Phenomenaare

precededbythemind,areexcelledbythemind,aremadefromthemind.namotassabhagavatoarahatosammā-sambuddhassa:HomagetotheBlessed

One,WorthyandRightlySelf-awakened.

***

Ifanythinginthistranslationisinaccurateormisleading,Iaskforgivenessoftheauthorandreaderforhavingunwittinglystoodintheirway.Asforwhatevermaybeaccurate,Ihopethereaderwillmakethebestuseofit,translatingitafewstepsfurther,intotheheart,soastoattainthetruthtowhichitpoints.

Thetranslator

sabbesattāsadāhontuaverāsukha-jīvino

kataṁpuñña-phalaṁmayhaṁsabbebhāgībhavantute

Mayallbeingsalwayslivehappily,freefromanimosity.

MayallshareintheblessingsspringingfromthegoodIhavedone.

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TableofContents

Titlepage 2Copyright 3InnerStrength 4Introduction 5I.InnerWealth 7

TheLastSermon 7AMindofPureGold 11Fabrications 15TheTreeisinitsSeed 18TheLessonsofUnawareness 22

II.InnerSkill 27TheABC’softheBreath 27AstheMindTurns 29MentalPower,StepbyStep 35Observe&Evaluate 38TheRefinementsoftheBreath 42TheDirectPath 46Knowledge&Vision 49ComingHome 53

III.InnerRelease 61TheTruth&itsShadows 61BeyondRight&Wrong 65PointZero 68

PartingGifts 70Introduction 71CrossingtheOceanofLife 73TheDemonsofDefilement 83Knowledge 93Consciousnesses 106

Glossary 120

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I.Terms 120II.Quotations 123

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