TheHeightened

Mind

DH AMMA TA L K S

AjaanLeeDhammadharo

TRANSLATEDFROMTHETHAIBY

ṬHĀNISSAROBHIKKHU

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Introduction

TheBuddha’spathconsistsofthreetrainings:traininginheightenedvirtue;inheightenedmind,orconcentration;andinheighteneddiscernment.AlthoughallthreeareessentialforAwakening,theBuddhaoftensingledoutthesecondtrainingforspecialattention.AjaanLeedoesthesameinthetalkstranslatedhere.Asheoncesaid,thethreetrainingsarelikepostssupportingabridgeoverariver.Thepostsonthenearshoreandfar—virtueanddiscernment—arenotthathardtosetinplace,fortheylieinshallowwaterawayfromthemaincurrentoftheriver.Thepostsinthemiddleoftheriver—concentration—aretheonesrequiringspecialeffort,andsotheyneedtobetreatedindepth.

InpreviouscollectionsofAjaanLee’stalks,themainfocushasbeenontechnique.Herethefocusismoreonattitudestobringtothepracticeofconcentration.Insomecases,AjaanLeeshowstheimportanceofconcentrationbyexploringitsroleinthepathofpracticeasawhole.Inothersheadmonisheshislistenerswhiletheyaremeditatingnottowanderastray,orencouragesthemtostaythecourse.TheadmonitionsandencouragementareespeciallynotablefortheinventivestorieswithwhichAjaanLeereinforceshispoints.

ManyofthepassagestranslatedherehadtheirbeginningsintalksthatAjaanLeegavetogroupsofpeoplewhiletheyweremeditating.Insomecases,thepeoplewerehisfollowers;inothers,totalstrangers.AjaanLeethusfounditnecessarytocoveralllevelsofpracticeatonce.Hismaintopicisoftenthemostbasicquestionthatoccurstopeoplenewtomeditation—Whymeditate?—buthealsoincludesbriefhintstomoreexperiencedmeditators,asfoodfortheirowncontemplation.

OneaspectofAjaanLee’steachingsthatmightstrikeyouasforeignishisanalysisofthebodyintofourproperties:earth,fire,water,andwind.ThismodeofanalysisdatesbacktothetimeoftheBuddha,althoughAjaanLeedevelopsitinadistinctiveway.Thinkofthisanalysisnotasanattemptatbiologyorchemistry—thesciencesweusetoanalyzethebodyfromtheoutside—butasawayofanalyzinghowthebodyfeelsfromtheinside.Thisisanaspectofawarenessthatweoftenoverlookandthat,inEnglishatleast,wehaveapoor

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vocabularyfordescribing.Asyougainthroughmeditationagreaterfamiliaritywiththisaspectofyourawareness,you’llcometoseehowusefulAjaanLee’smethodofanalysisis.

Twoofthetalksinthiscollection—“DhammaforEveryone”and“ThePowerofGoodness”—weretranslatedfromtranscriptsoftapedrecordingsofAjaanLee’stalks.TheremainingpassageshavetakenamorecircuitousroutefromAjaanLee’smouthtoyoureyes.Oneofhisfollowers—anun,MaeChiiArunAbhivaṇṇā—tooknotesduringhistalks,fromwhichshelaterworkedupreconstructedversionsofwhatAjaanLeehadsaid.AjaanLeehadachancetoreviewandrevisethereconstructionsofthetalksdatedpriorto1957.Asforthetalksgivenonlaterdates,MaeChiiArundidn’tmakereconstructionsuntilafterAjaanLee’sdeathin1961,andsothesewereprintedwithouthisinput.

Althoughthetalksmakeforgreatreading,theymakeforevenbetterlistening.Ifyoumeditatewithagroupoffriends,tryarrangingforonememberofthegrouptoreadapassagewhiletheothersaremeditating.Inthatway,youcanbestrecreatethecontextforwhichthetalkswereoriginallyintended.

ṬhānissaroBhikkhu(GeoffreyDeGraff)

METTAFORESTMONASTERYFEBRUARY,2008

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BeyondDeath

Undated

Everyhumanbeingfallsunderthesameconditions.Inthebeginningwe’reborn,theninthemiddlewechange,andintheendwefallapartanddie.Deathissomethingnooneaspiresto,andyetnoonecanescapeit.Weallhavedeathattheendofourpath.

Thinkingaboutdeathgivesrisebothtobenefitsandtoharm.Forshortsightedpeopleit’sharmful,becauseitmakesthemsodepressedanddiscouragedthattheydon’twanttodoanygoodintheworld.Inotherwords,alltheyseeisthepartthatdies.Theydon’tseethepartthatdoesn’t.

Actually,therearetwopartstoeveryperson:thepartthatcandieandthepartthatdoesn’tdie.Forexample,thenatureofthebodyistokeepchanginguntilitfallsapart.Youcansaythatitdies,andyoucansaythatitdoesn’t.Theword“dies”appliestothefactthatthepersondisappearsfromhisorherfriendsandrelatives,buttheelementsofthebodysimplygobacktotheiroriginalform.Theearthreturnstobeingearth,thewatertowater,thefiretofire,andwindtowind.It’slikeacubeofice:Ifyoukeeptheicelongenough,it’llreturntoitsoriginalconditionofbeingwater.

Soyoucansaythatthebodydies,andyoucansaythatitdoesn’tdie—simplythatitdoesn’tmaintainthesameformithad.Accordingtotheconventionsoftheworld,thisiscalleddeath,butwisepeopledon’tseedeathasanythingstrangeoroutoftheordinary.Theonlyquestioniswhetherdeathisaccompaniedbymeritornot.

Thisbringsustothemindthatusedtostaywiththebody.Thisistheimportantpartbecauseitdoesn’tdie.Itsimplychangesinlinewiththewaygoodandevilarrangethingsforit.Inotherwords,theyarrangethelevelofthemind,theplacewhereittakesrebirth.Ifyoudogood,you’llhavetogotoagooddestination.Ifyoudoevil,you’llhavetogotoabaddestination.Ifyoudevelopgoodnesstotheultimatedegreesothatyoucanletgoofgoodandevil,themindwillbecomechangeless,orwhat’scalleddeathless.Butmostofuscan’tconceiveofthetruth.Wetendtooverlookit,sothatweneverreachthe

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deathless.Thisisbecauseofourownstupidityandlackofdiscernment.Ourignorancehidesthetruthfromus.

Thenatureofthemindisverysubtle.Youcan’tseeitwithyoureyes.Somepeoplesayitdoesn’texist,whichiswhypeoplewhodon’tconsiderthingscarefullysaythatdeathisfollowedbyannihilation.Wecanmakeacomparisonwiththefireelementintheair.Themindislikethefireelement.Thebodyislikealitcandle.Whenthecandlerunsoutofitswaxandwick,thefirehastogoout.Butwhenthefiregoesout,thatdoesn’tmeanthatnofireisleftintheworld.We’reabletolightanothercandlebecauseofthefireelementstilltherethroughouttheair.That’sthewayitiswithus:Whenthebodyfallsapart,themindgivesrisetoanewlevelofbeingforitselfaslongasitstillhasthefuelofignorance,craving,andclinging.

ThisiswhytheBuddhataughthisdisciplesnottobeheedless,todevelopasmuchmeritandskillfulnessaspossible,formeritandskillfulnessarewhatbringhappinessbothinthisworldandinthenext.Thisisinlinewiththesayings,

Sukhopuññassauccayo:Theaccumulationofmeritbringswellbeing;Puññaṁsukhaṁjīvita-saṅkhamhi:Meritbringswellbeingattheendoflife;

andPuññānipara-lokasmiṁpatiṭṭhāhontipāṇīnaṁ:Meritiswhatestablishes

livingbeingsinthenextlife.

Thewordmeritheremeansthehappinessorwellbeingthatresultsfromdoinggood.Thegoodwecandocomesinmanyforms,butinshorttherearetwokinds:

(1)themeritthatactsasacause,i.e.,thegoodwehavetodo;and(2)themeritthatactsasaresult,i.e.,thehappinesscomingfromour

goodness.

Themeritthatactsasacausecomesinthreetypes:dānamaya,themeritofbeinggenerous;sīlamaya,themeritofobservingtheprecepts;andbhāvanāmaya,themeritofmeditating.IntheAbhidhammathesethreetypesaredividedintotenmeritoriousactivities.Generosityisexpandedtoincludepattidānamaya,themeritofdedicatingmerittoothers,andpattānumodanāmaya,themeritofappreciatingotherpeople’smerit.Thesethreegotogetherinthattheyallcounteractjealousyandstinginess.Themeritofobservingthepreceptsisexpandedtoincludeapacāyanamaya,themeritof

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showingrespecttopeopleworthyofrespect,suchasoureldersandthosetowhomweshouldbegrateful;veyyāvaccamaya,themeritthatcomesinhelpingothersinskillfulactivities,sharingyourstrength,wealth,andintelligence.Thesethreeallgotogetherinthatthey’rerelatedtointerpersonalvirtue.Asforthemeritofmeditation,that’sexpandedtoincludedhammassavanamaya,themeritoflisteningtotheDhamma;dhamma-desanāmaya,themeritofteachingtheDhamma;anddiṭṭh’ujukamma,makingone’sviewsstraight.Allfourofthesegotogetherinthattheyareallsourcesofdiscernment.

Theseformsofmeritcanariseonlywhentheyarerootedinmentalstatesfreeofgreed,aversion,anddelusion.AsthePalisays,alobhodāna-hetu,lackofgreedisthebasisforgenerosity;adososīla-hetu,lackofaversionisthebasisforvirtue;andamohobhāvanā-hetu,lackofdelusionisthebasisfordevelopingthemindinmeditation.

Themerityoudogivesyoueaseinbodyandmind.Wheneveryouthinkofthegoodyou’vedone,itwillalwaysmakeyouhappy.It’sanobletreasurethatfollowsyou,justasyourshadowfollowsyouatalltimes.Evenwhenyoudie,themerityou’vedonewillfollowyouandarrangeagoodplaceforyoutobereborn.Thisiscalledpuññābhisaṅkhāra,meritasafabricatingfactor.

Whenpeopleareabouttodie,theyareliketravelersgettingreadytogoabroad.Beforetheygo,theyhavetopreparethemselves.Onlythenwillthetripbecomfortable.Forexample,theyhavetoputmoneyinthebank,exchangingtheirThaicurrencyforforeigncurrencysotheycanuseitwhenthey’reabroad.IftheysimplytaketheirThaimoneyalongwiththem,theywon’tbeabletouseittobuyanything.Inthesameway,whenpeopleleavethisworldatdeath,theycan’ttakealongtheirwealthorpossessionstouseinthenextworld.Instead,whilethey’restillalivehere,theyhavetodeposittheirmoneyinthebankforBuddhistsandexchangeitfornobletreasures,orinnerwealth.

Whatthismeansisthattheymakedonations,forexample,inhomagetotheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Thatwaythey’llbeabletousetheirwealthinthenextworld.Iftheyhaveonlycounterfeitmoney—i.e.,ifthey’vedonenothingbutevilandunskillfulthings—theywon’tbeabletogotoanywherecomfortableorprosperous,becausetheylackthefundsneededtotakethemselvesthere.Theywon’tbeabletoreturntothehumanworldbecausetheylackthefunds—thehumanvalues—neededtotakethemselvesthere.Sothey’llhavetoturnintohungryghosts,wanderingaround,losingtheirway,hauntingpeopleandpossessingthem,sufferingallkindsofhardships.Forthis

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reason,beinggenerousislikedepositingyourmoneyinabanksothatyou’llbeabletouseitwhenyougoabroad.That’sthefirststep.

Thesecondstepistogetapassportasproofofyournationality.WhatthismeansisthatyouestablishyourselfinthevirtuesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,observingthepreceptstogetridofthegrossdefilementsinyourwordsanddeeds,asproofofyourstatusasamemberoftheBuddha’sfollowing.

Thethirdstepistolearnforeignlanguages.Inotherwords,youhavetopracticetranquilitymeditationandinsightmeditationsoastogetridoftheintermediateandrefineddefilements—thehindrances—intheheart,straighteningouttheheartsothatyoucangiverisetothreeformsofknowledge:

pubbenivasānussati-ñāṇa,theabilitytorememberpreviouslifetimes;cutūpapāta-ñāṇa,knowledgeofthedeathandrebirthoflivingbeings,seeing

whytheyarebornonlowlevelsorhigh,withpainorpleasure;andāsavakkhaya-ñāṇa,theknowledgeenablingyoutoridtheheartofits

fermentations.

Thesethreeformsofknowledgecountastheforeignlanguagesyou’llneedforyourjourney.Yourtripwillbeeasyandfun,dazzlingbright,withplentyoftreasuresalongtheway.You’llseesightsyou’veneverseenbefore,suchastheheavensandbrahmāworlds.Thisiswhatitmeanstobe“well-gone.”Evenasyoustayhere,you’llstaywell.Ifyouwanttocomeback,you’llbeableto.Ifyoudon’t,youcancontinueyourstudiesandgoallthewaytonibbāna,releasedfromhavingtoswimaroundinthecycleofdeathandrebirth.You’llreachsecurity,joyfulandfreefromdangerofeverysort.

Thepracticeofgenerosity,virtue,andmeditationthusresultsinthreetypesoftreasure—thetreasureofthehumanstate,thetreasureoftheheavenlystate,andthetreasureofnibbāna—inlinewithyourabilitiestodothepractice.Peoplewhoarecompleteinallthreeoftheseformsofskillfulnessaresaidtogowell,comewell,andstaywell,becausetheirthoughts,words,anddeedshavebeentrainedwell.Wherevertheygotheyarefreefromanimosityanddanger,fortheyarelovedandrespectedbyallbeings,humananddivine.

Soweshouldeachlookatourcondition,realizingthatwe’reonajourneyleadingdaybyday,minutebyminute,todeath.There’snoescapingthis.Forthisreason,weshoulddevelopthethreeformsofskillfulnessandmerit—generosity,virtue,andmeditation—sothatthehappinessandsecurityresulting

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fromgoodnesswillariseforus,takingusbeyonddeath,inlinewithourabilities.

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TheEssenceofMerit

July23,1957

Meritistheintentionthatarisesintheheartbeginningwiththefirstthoughttodosomethinggood.Forexample,todayyoudecidedthatyouwantedtocometothemonastery.Thatthought,inandofitself,wasmeritarisinginthemind.Thenyoucametothemonastery,receivedtheprecepts,andlistenedtoasermoninlinewithyouroriginalintention.Inthisway,youroriginalintentionsucceededinproducingmoremeritinlinewithitsaims.Butifyouthinkthatyouwanttogotothemonastery,toreceivethepreceptsandlistentotheDhamma,butsomeoneelsehappenstoobjectorcriticizesyouinawaythatspoilsyourmood,themeritinyourmind—theoriginalintention—disappears.Evenifsomeoneelsetheninvitesyoutocometothemonastery,youcomehereagainstyourwillandsitherelikeastump,withnomeritarisinginyourmind.Thisisbecausetheessenceofmeritinyourmindhasalreadydied.

Themeritoriousthingsthatyoudoaren’ttheessenceofmerit.Forexample,givingdonations,observingtheprecepts,listeningtosermons,orsittinginmeditationaren’ttheessenceofmerit.Still,wehavetokeepdoingthesethingssothatouroldmeritcangrowfatandhealthyinsteadofdyingaway.Forthisreason,whenyoumakeupyourmindtodosomethinggood,hurryupanddoitrightaway.Whenwanttogiveadonation,goaheadandgiveadonation.Whenyouwanttoobservetheprecepts,observetheprecepts.WhenyouwanttolistentotheDhamma,listentotheDhamma.Whenyouwanttomeditate,meditate.Inthisway,theresultsofyouractionswillgrowfullandcompleteinallthreetimeperiods.Inotherwords,yourmindwillfeelhappy,joyful,andsatisfiedinyourmeritwhenyoufirstthinkofdoingit,whileyou’redoingit,andwhenyou’redone.…

Theintentiontodogood—thefirststageinyourgoodness—istheessenceofmerit.It’slikeplantingatree.Whenyougiveadonation,it’slikeputtingfertilizeraroundthetree.Whenyouobservetheprecepts,it’slikepickingawaythewormsandcaterpillarsthatwilleattheflowersorleaves.Asformeditating,that’slikewateringthetreewithclean,clear,coolwater.Inthisway,yourtree

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issuretokeepgrowinguntilitproducesleavesandfruitthatyoucaneatforyourenjoymentinlinewithyouroriginalaim.Ifit’safloweringtree,theflowerswillbebrightandcolorful,withlargepetalsandarefreshingscent.Ifit’safruittree,thefruitswillbeplentiful,large,andsweet.Thisishowgenerosity,virtue,andmeditationaremeansofdevelopingthemeritofyouroriginalthought.

Butifyourheartisinasourmood,thenyouwon’tgetmuchfruitfrommakingmeritorgivingdonations.It’slikegivingfertilizertoatreethat’salreadydied.Evenifallyouwantisasinglecustardapplefromthetree,youwon’tbeabletogetwhatyouwant,becausethefertilizeryougavetothetreehasallgonetonourishthegrassesandherbsgrowingatthefootofthetree,andhasn’tdoneathingforthecustardappleyouwanted.Inthesameway,ifyoujustgothroughthemotionsofmakingmerit,youroriginalaim—toabandongreed,aversion,anddelusion—won’tbearfruit.Theactofgenerosityissimplythefertilizerofmerit.Whentheessenceofmerithasdied,there’snowaythatyoucaneatthefertilizer,forit’snothingbutfilth—cowdungandchickendroppings.Howcanyouaskforfilthystufflikethattocomeandhelpyouinanyway?Butstill,you’rebetteroffthanpeoplewhohaven’tfertilizedanythingatall—i.e.,whohaven’tdevelopedvirtue,concentration,ordiscernment—forattheveryleastyoucangatherthegrassesandherbsthathavefedonyourfertilizer,toboilinasouporfixasasalad.

Sowheneveryoudoanything,youhavetochecktoseewhethertheessenceofmeritisinyourheart.Somepeoplemakemeritwhentheirheartsareevil.They’relikeasticky-ricesweetroastedinbamboo,wherethericeonthetopissoftandwell-cooked,butthericeatthebottomisraworburnttoacrisp.Whenthisisthecase,there’snowayyoucaneatit,forit’snotgoodallthewaythrough.Peoplebyandlargeactinwaysthataren’tinlinewiththeirminds.Somepeoplemakedonationsbuttheirheartsarestillgreedy,aswhentheygiveagiftbecausetheywanttobecomemillionaires.Somepeoplegiveonedollarexpectingtogettenthousandorahundredthousandinreturn.Somepeopleobservethepreceptsbuttheirheartsarestillangry,jealous,orhatefultowardthispersonorthat.Somepeoplemeditatesothattheycanbebeautifulandshapelyintheirnextbirth,orbecausetheywanttobecomedevasupinheaven.Otherpeoplewanttobethisorthat—alwayslookingforsomethinginexchange.Thiskindofmeritisstillwideofthemark.

TheBuddhataughtustobegenerousforthesakeofdoingawaywithgreed,toobservethepreceptstodoawaywithanger,andtomeditatetodoawaywith

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delusion,notforthesakeoffeedingthesedefilements.Somepeoplecomeheretomeditateandsithereabsolutelystill—theireyesareclosed,theirposturestraightandunmoving,everythingontheoutsidejustthewayitshouldbe—buttheirmindsarerunningaroundallovertheplace:totheirorchards,theirfields.Somepeople’smindsgozoomingabroadinsearchoftheirchildrenorfriends,thinkingaboutallkindsofthings.Theirmindsaren’tsittingtogetherwiththeirbodies.Thisiscalledamindandabodynotinlinewitheachother—likeasticky-ricesweetwherethetopiscookedbutthebottomisstillraw.

Ifyou’recarefultokeeptheessenceofmeritwithyourheart,thengoaheadanddowhatevergoodnessyouwant.Don’tcometothemonasterybehindthecorpseofyourmerit.Inotherwords,ifyouoriginallywanttocometothemonasterybutsomeoneelseyellsatyousothatyoucomehereinafoulmoodagainstyourwill,thiskindofmerit-makingdoesn‘thelpyoumuchatall.

***Thereasonweneedtotrainourmindstobesolidandstronginthe

Dhammaisbecausewe’resuretofacethethreedangersoftheworld:(1)suffering,illness,andpoverty;(2)death;and(3)enemiesandfoolishfriends.Wehavetoprepareourselvessothatwhenanyofthesethingscomeourway,ourheartswillbestrongenoughtocontendwiththembravelyandwithoutfear.Nomatterwhatsidetheymayattackfrom,wehaveastrategytofightthemoffineveryway.Thisiswhythedailyblessingsays,“Icchitaṁpatthitaṁtumhaṁkhippam’evasamijjhatu,”whichmeans,“Whateveryouwantanddesire,mayitsucceedquickly.”Inotherwords,whenthemindisstrongandpowerful,whateveryouthinkofdoingisboundtosucceed.

Ifyouletyouroriginalthoughtsofmeritdieordisappearfromthemindbeforeyoucometogiveadonation,observetheprecepts,ormeditate,theresultsoftheoriginalintentionwon’tdevelop,butatleastyou’rebetteroffthanpeoplewhodon’tcomeatall.Theoriginalthoughtofmeritislikeatree.Ifyourtreedoesn’tdie,thenthemoreyoufertilizeit,thebiggerit’llgrowandthemoreit’llbranchout.Inotherwords,youractionswillbelovelyandquiet.Whateveryourhandsdowillbemerit.Whereveryourfeetstepwillbemerit.Whateveryourmouthsayswillbemerit.Whateveryourmindthinkswillbemerit.Yourwholebodywillbemerit.Whenthisisthecase,you’llmeetwithnothingbuthappiness.

***

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Virtue,intermsofitswording,consistsofundertakingthefive,eight,ten,or227precepts.Intermsofitsmeaning,itconsistsofthinking,speaking,andactinginwaysthatharmnoone.Whenyouthink,youdoitwithamindofgoodwill.Whenyouspeak,youdoitwithamindofgoodwill.Whenyouact,youdoitwithamindofgoodwill.Intermsofitsflavor,virtueiscoolness.Forthisreason,theactofundertakingthepreceptsisn’ttheessenceofvirtue;it’ssimplyawayoffertilizingvirtue—ouroriginalintention—sothatit’llgrowfatandstrong.

ThePaliwordforvirtue—sīla—comesfromselā,orrock,sowhenyoudevelopvirtueyouhavetomakeyourheartlargelikeanenormousrock.What’sarocklike?It’ssolid,stable,andcool.Eventhoughthesunmayburnitalldayorrainmaylashatitallnight,itdoesn’ttrembleorshake.Inaddition,itkeepsitscoolnessinside.Whatkindofcoolnessisthat?Thecoolnessofbravery,quickreflexes,andcircumspection.Thiskindofcoolnessisvirtue—notthekindofcoolnessofapersonwho’sslowandlackadaisical.Ifyou’recool,youhavetobecoolfromthevirtuewithinyou.Havingvirtuewithinyouislikehavingapoolofwaterinyourhouse.Whenyourhousehasapoolofwater,howcanfireburnitdown?Whenyouhavethiskindofcoolnesslookingafteryourheart,howcananger,hatred,orillwillovercomeit?

Inaddition,thiscoolrockofvirtueholdsfirewithinit—butnotthefireofdefilement.It’sacoolfirethatyoucanputtoallkindsofgooduses.Whenyoustrikeonerockagainstanother,thesparkcanlightafirethatyoucanusetocookyourfoodorlightyourhouse.Thesearesomeofthebenefitsofvirtue.

***Whenyoupracticeconcentrationbutyourmindisn’tfirmlyestablishedin

genuinemerit,Mārawillcomeafteryouwithabiggrinonhisface.WhatthismeansistheMārasoftheaggregates:Therewillbefeelingsofpainthroughoutyourbody,yourperceptionswillbeaturmoil,yourthought-fabricationswillthinkof108,000differentthings,andyourconsciousnesswillbeawareofthingsallovertheplace.Whenthishappens,yourheartwillbecrushedandyourmeritsnuffedout.Likeasticky-ricesweetthat’snotcookedallthewaythrough:Ifyoueatit,you’llgetindigestion.

Whenpracticingconcentration,youhavetobecarefulnottoforceorsqueezethemindtoomuch,butatthesametimeyoucan’tletitruntooloose.Forceitwhenyouhaveto;letitgowhenyouhaveto.Theimportantpointistokeepdirectedthoughtandevaluationinchargeatalltimes.Inthisway,the

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mindgainsquality:Itwon’tplaytruantorgostrayingoffthepathofgoodness.Thenatureofgoodnessisthatthereareboundtobebadthingssneakingin,inthesamewaythatwhentherearerichpeoplethereareboundtobethieveslyinginwaittorobthem.Whenyoumakemerit,Mārainhisdifferentformsissuretogetintheway.Sowhenyoumeditate,becarefulnottofallintowrongmindfulnessorwrongconcentration.

Wrongmindfulnessiswhenyourawarenessleavesthefourframesofreference—body,feelings,mind,andmentalqualities.Here,thebodymeansthebreath,feelingsaresensationsofcomfortordiscomfort,themindistheawarenessofthebody,andthementalqualitywewantisthequalityofthepresent.

Wrongconcentrationiswhenyou’reforgetfulorunaware,aswhenyou’reunawareofhowthebodyissitting,wherethemindiswanderingoffto,howitcomesback.Themindlacksbothmindfulnessandalertness.

Butwhenyourconcentrationgetsestablished,themindwillgrowhigher.Andwhenthemindisuphigh,nothingcanreachuptodestroyitsgoodness.Likethestars,themoon,orthesunthatshineinthesky:Eventhoughcloudsmaypassinfrontofthemfromtimetotime,thecloudscan’tsneakuporseepuptomakethebrightnessofthestars,moon,orsungrowmurkyordark.

***Meritisanobletreasure.It’sthesourceofallourinnerwealth.Whenit

arisesinthemind,don’tletanyoneelsetouchit.Whenyouhaveasourceofwealthlikethis,it’slikehavingarawdiamond,whichisahundredtimesbetterthanhavingyourwealthinproperty,cattle,orworkers,forthosethingsliefarawayandarehardtolookafter.Ifyouhavearawdiamond,allyouhavetodoiswrapitincottonandit’llkeepongrowing.Justmakesurethatyoudon’tcutorpolishit.Ifyouturnitintoacutdiamond,thenevenifyoukeepitfor100yearsitwon’tgrowanyfurther.

Inthesameway,whenconcentrationarisesinthemind,youhavetolookafterit.Don’tletanylabelsorconceptstouchitatall.Thatwayyourconcentrationwilldevelopstepbystep.Yourmindwillgrowhigherandhigher.Happinessandcoolnesswillcomeflowingyourway.Everythingyouaspiretowillsucceed,andeventuallyyou’llattainthepathsandfruitionsleadingtonibbāna.

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ThePowerofGoodwill

October21,1958

Therewardsofgoodwillare:(1)Itpurifiesthevirtuesofthepersonwhodevelopsit;and(2)itbringsthemindtorightconcentration.Thisiswhyit’sincludedintheclassicalfortytopicsofconcentration.

OurLordBuddha,fromthetimebeforehegainedAwakeninguntilheenteredtotalnibbāna,practicedgoodwillinhisdeeds,goodwillinhiswords,andgoodwillinhisthoughtsatalltimes.ThefactthatwehumanbeingshavelivedinpeacethroughthevirtuesoftheTripleGemuptothepresentdayisbecauseofthepoweroftheBuddha’sgreatgoodwillandcompassion.Forthisreason,wetooshoulddevelopgoodwillforallbeingsinlinewithhisexample.

Thepowerofgoodwillcanbringpeaceandsecuritytotheworldincountlessways.There’sabriefstoryfromthetimeoftheBuddhathatillustratesthispoint.Onceakingwasreturninghomewithhistroopsafterhavingengagedinabattle.Ontheway,theystoppedoffinacool,quietforesttorestandtofindwatertodrinkandtobathein,andthereintheforesttheyhappenedtocomeacrossagroupofaround500monkspracticinggoodwillconcentration.Themonks’quietmanner—theyweren’tevenmakingasound—astonishedtheking.Hesaidtohimself,“Eveninasinglehouseholdoftwoorthreepeoplethereareboundtobequarrelsandcommotion.Butherethesecontemplativesarelivingtogetherbythehundredswithoutanycommotionatall.Ifourcountrycouldbeatpeacelikethis,thereprobablywouldn’tneedtobeanybattlesorwar.”

Impressed,hewenttotheheadmonk,boweddown,andaskedtobetaughttheircontemplativepractice.Afterlisteningtotheheadmonk’sadvice,hesenthistroopsbacktohiscapitalwhilehestayedthereintheforest,practicinggoodwillmeditationfortwelveyearstothepointwherehehadmasteredthejhānas.Onlythendidhereturntohiscapital.Immediatelyonhisreturn,hemadeapracticeofspreadingthoughtsofgoodwillineverydirectionthroughouthiskingdomandtotheneighboringkingdomsaswell.Hispeoplecamethrongingaroundhim:happy,joyful,andfilledwithrespectforhim.Whenheconversedwiththemtolearnoftheirhardshipsandjoys,hetaught

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themtodevelopgoodwill,compassion,empatheticjoy,andequanimityforoneanother.Captivatedbyhiswords,hispeoplelistenedtohimwithtrustandrespect,andfollowedhisinstructions.Fromthatpointon,loveandkindnessspreadthrougheveryhomeandvillage,givingrisetoasenseoffriendship,fellowship,andcooperationthatspreadthroughoutthekingdom.Therewerenomorewarswithneighboringkingdoms,andthepeoplelivedinhappinessandpeace.

Thisstoryshowswhatthepowerofgoodnessinasingleperson’sheartcanaccomplish:Itbringssecurityandwellbeingtopeoplethroughoutanentirenation.

ThisiswhytheBuddhateachesustodevelopinnergoodnessbymeditatingongoodwill.Butyouhavetobeearnestinreallydoingitifyouwanttogetrealresults.Evenifit’sonlyforashorttime—thewiggleofanelephant’searsortheflickerofasnake’stongue—itcangiverisetoamazingpower,likethepowerofanelephantorasnakeinbeingabletokilloffpeopleorotheranimalsinthetwinklingofaneye.Butifyou’renottrulyearnestinwhatyoudo,thepoweroftruthwon’tappearinthemind,andyouwon’tbeabletouseittogetanyresults—liketheearofadogoracat:Itcanwigglealldaylongandyetitwon’tcauseanyoneanyfear.Withanelephant,though,allithastodoiswigglehisearsjustonce,andpeopletripalloverthemselvestryingtorunawaysofastthattheirlegspracticallyfalloff.Oracobra:Allithastodoiswiggleitstongueonce,andpeoplefalloverinafaint.Thepowerofthemind’strueearnestnesshasthesamesortofpotency.

***Theworldlycrownofaking,embellishedwithallthenineauspiciousgems,

eventhoughit’sdazzlingandpriceless,isstillnomatchforameditator’sDhamma-crownembellishedwiththeBuddhaGem,theDhammaGem,andtheSaṅghaGem.

***Ifweletevilcomeflowingintotheheart,goodnesswillhavenochanceto

comeinandtakecharge.Evilwillseizepowerandtakecontrol,whilegoodnesswillhavetogorunningouttostandshiveringoutsidethewalls.

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ComingAshore

June28,1959

TheDhammaissomethingthatcleansesthemindsothatit’sbright,clean,andhappy.Peopledifferintheirtemperaments:Somearecrude,othersintermediate,andothersrefined.ThisiswhytheBuddhaelaboratedontheDhammainvariouswaysinlinewiththecharacterofhislisteners.Inotherwords,hetookshortthingsandexplainedthemuntiltheywerelong.Forexample,sometimeshe’dexplaintherewardsofgenerosity,sometimestherewardsofvirtue,andsometimestherewardsofpolishingtheheart:what’scalledmeditation.Buthisrealaimwastoteachpeopletomaketheirmindspure.Everythingelsewasjustelaboration.

Eachofushumanbeingsislikeapersonsittinginaboatinthemiddleofanoceanfilledwithwind,waves,andstorms.Somepeoplearefloatingsofarouttheycan’tevenseetheshore.Somearebobbingupanddown,sothatsometimestheyseetheshoreandsometimestheydon’t.Thisstandsforthepeoplewhoarerepeatingbuddho,buddho.Somepeoplearefloatingclosertoland,sothattheycanseethefishtraps,thesailboats,andthegreentreesonshore.Somehavestruggledtoswimclosertoshore,buttheystillhaven’tmadeittoland.AsfortheBuddha,he’slikeapersonstandingontheshore,freefromallthedangersofbeingatsea.He’sseenthedangersthatpeoplearesubjectto,whichiswhyhehasthegreatcompassiontowanttohelpusgetoutoftheseaandsafelyonland.Thisiswhyheteachesustopracticegenerosity,virtue,andmeditation,forthesearethethingsthatwillpullussafelyontoshore.

WhenwesetourmindsonpracticingtheDhamma,wehavetosetoursightsontheDhamma’strueaim.Don’tgowanderingoffinotherdirections.Youhavetoknowwhichpathisthewrongone,thedangerousone;andwhichoneistherightone,thesafeone.It’slikesteeringashipacrosstheocean.Thecaptainhastowatchforthesignalsofthelighthouse.Oryoucanmakeacomparisonwithdrivingacar:Thetrafficpolicehavetheirred,yellow,andgreenlightsastrafficsignalsatthemajorintersections.If,whenthesignalhasitsredlighton,youdon’tstop,thenifyoukeepondrivingthere’sboundtobedanger,andyou’resuretogetpulledover.Ifthegreenlightisonbutyoudon’t

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go,that’swrong,too.Thisiswhywhenyou’redrivingyouhavetounderstandthesignalssothatyou’llreachyourdestinationsafely.

It’sthesamewhenyou’retravelingtotheDhamma.YouhavetoknowtheBuddha’strafficsignals.Hisredlightsarehisprohibitions,thethingshedoesn’tallow.Anyonewholetshisorherboatorcargothroughtheredlightwillhavetomeetwithdanger.Sowhilewe’remeditatingherewehavetomakesurewedon’tgothroughtheredlightofourdefilements.

TheBuddhacomparedourdefilementstofire.Theheatofoursinglesuncanmaketheworldashotasitis.Thinkofhowhotitwouldbeiftherewerefiveorsixsuns.Thedefilementsaroundeachofoursensesareliketheheatofthesun.Cakkhuṁādittaṁ:Theeyeisamassoffire.Sotaṁādittaṁ:Theearisamassofflame.Ghānaṁādittaṁ:Thenoseisamassoffire.Jivhāādittā:Thetongueisamassofflame.Kāyoāditto:Thebodyisamassoffire.Manoāditto:Theheartisamassofflame.Don’tletthesesixmassesoffireburnyou.Normallythesensualdesiresarisingaroundtheeyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,andmindareredmassesofflameburningawayattheheart.If,whilewe’remeditating,westickourmindsintothesepreoccupations,it’sliketakingaburningmatchandstickingitintosomekeroseneorgasoline.Forthisreason,whileyou’remeditating,don’tstickyourmindintotheaffairsofyourfamily,yourhome,yourbelongings,orabsolutelyanybodyoranythingatall.ThisistheBuddha’sredlight,wherehetellsyounottogo.

Theothersignalisthegreenlight,theDhammabeingexplained.Whenthelightisgreen,that’sasignforyoutogoahead.ThegreenlightherestandsfortheDhammayou’vealreadystudied,aswellastheDhammayou’retrainingyourselfinrightnow.Whenthelightisgreen,thenwhetherwe’refastorslow,wehavetogo.Don’tjustloiteraroundandblocktheway,orthepolicewillarrestyou.Inotherwords,whentheDhammaarisesbywayofoureyes,ears,nose,tongue,bodyandmind,wehavetopursuethatgoodness.

TheDhammaiswhatpushesorpullsastogoodnessandpeace.ThegreenlightistheDhammaarisinginaheartthat’scleanandpure.Rightnow,haveourmindsenteredthequalityofbuddha?Thisisanimportantpoint.Wehavetobeobservanttoseewhethertheaffairsofourmindsareheadingtowardthegreenlightortowardtheredlight.Ifwe’renotheadingintherightdirection,wehavetoturnourselvesaround.It’slikepickingflowers,washingthem,andthenputtingtheminavase.Wehavetomakesuretherearen’tanywormsorcaterpillarseatingawayatthem.Makethemindlikeapure,bloominglotusina

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vase.Thisqualifiesasthequalityofbuddha.Orthinkofitinanotherway:Themindiscoolandrefreshedlikealotusbloominginthemiddleofapond.It’ssurroundedbynourishingwater,coolandwithanappealingscent.Ifyou’resittinghereinthemeditationhallwithoutanyhindrancesinthemind,it’slikealotusinthemiddleofapond.Thisisalsocalledthequalityofbuddha.Thisiscalledtheradiantmind,orinsimplerterms,thequalityofinnerworth.Whenthemindissaturatedininnerworthlikethis,it’shappyandatease.

TheDhammaisapreoccupationthatgivesthemindasenseofrapture,fullness,andease.Whenitarises,we’retaughttodevelopitandcultivateitasmuchaspossible.Keepthemindinthispreoccupationuntilitattainsastateofoneness:That’stheDhamma.Whateverisgoodintheheart,wetrytoraisethatgoodnesstoahigherandhigherlevel.Keepevaluatingit,focusingyourmindfulnessonitatalltimes,toseehowthemindentersintothisstateofgoodness.Thisiscalleddevelopingafoundationofmindfulness.

Ifyoukeepyourmindfulnessfocusedonasinglepath—aswhenyouthinkbuddho,buddho—withoutsendingyourmindoffonotherpaths,themindgrowsdeeperanddeeperintoastateofinnerworth.Justaswhenwewalkalongapathontheground:Ifwekeepwalkingbackandforthonthesamepath,it’sboundtogetwornsmooth.Thegrassesandweedswilldieaway,andthepathwillgetworndeeperintotheground,tothepointwhere,whenitrains,itbecomesawatercourse,wateringourcrops,sothattheygrowabundant.We’llbeabletosellthemforalivingandgrowrich,freedfrompoverty.Thisiswhythisqualityofmeritorinnerworthiscallednoblewealth.

Thingsdeepandrefinedtendtobehighinquality.Ifthebreathisrefined,themindrefined,andmindfulnessrefined,thenthebrightnessofourawarenesswillspreadwiderandwider,liketheelectriclightsthatspreadtheirlightthroughoutthecapital.Thisisdifferentfromlanternlight,which—ifwewanttoseeallaroundus—wehavetocarryandrunaround.Whenthemindisrefinedandthebreathisrefined,we’llbeabletoknowthebreathenergiesthroughouttheworld.We’llseehowthingsaregoingwithalltheelements.Theheartwillgrowevenbroader,sothatourfoundationofmindfulnessbecomesthegreatframeofreference.Themindgrowsevendeeperandcooler.Morefullandrapturous.Bloomingandatease.Whenthemindmaturesinthisway,you’vegotnoblewealth.You’renolongerpoor.

Coolnessislikewater.Whereverthegroundhaswaterthereareboundtobefish,crabs,crayfish,andshellfish,grassesandvegetables,allofwhichcanbe

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convertedtowealth.TheBuddhasawthefullnessofthismindstate,whichiswhyhetoldthemonks,“Don’tfarmforaliving.Don’tgetinvolvedinreceivinggoldandsilver.Focusondoingonlyonething—beintentonreallypracticingtheDhamma,makingyourmindsintothesingle,unifiedpath—andthenwhateveryouwant,you’llbesuretoget.ThisisbecausewhenthemindisfullofvirtueandDhamma,you’llalwayshavewealth.”

Thisisthepowerthatcomesfrommakingyourgoodnessdeep—liketheChaoPhrayaRiver,whichisdeeperandbroaderthananyotherriverinThailand.It’sfullofeverything—boats,rafts,motorboats,steamboats,bigboats,littleboats—sothattravelandcommerceareconvenient.Intheriverwillbefish,inthefieldswillberice,melons,cucumbers,corn,wheat—allofthesethingswillbewithinyou.You’llbewealthyineverything.Ifyoudon’tgiverisetogoodness,thennomatterwhat,youwon’tbewealthy.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtthemonks,“Don’tbefarmersormerchants.Anddon’tworry,youwon’tbepoor.Simplybuildupalotofgoodnessinyourhearts,andallformsofwealthwillcomeflowingyourwayontheirown.”

Butwedon’treallybelievehim.Webelieveourdefilementsinstead,andsoourmindskeepslidingtowardredmassesofflameratherthantotheclearmassofpurity.Thisiswhywe’retaught,sukkaṁbhāvethapaṇḍito,thewisepersondevelopstheclearDhammaofpurity.

AllI’vementionedsofardealswiththequalitiesoftheBuddhaandDhamma.

ThequalityoftheSaṅghameansmakingthemindgoforwardwithoutslidingback.Wekeepputtingourmindintogoodshape.Forinstance,whentheeyeseessomethingthatisn’tgood,ourmindisingoodshape.Theearhearssomethingthatisn’tgood,yetourmindisingoodshape.Thenosesmellsanaromathatisn’tgood,thetonguetastesaflavorthatisn’tgood,thebodytouchesatactilesensationthatisn’tgood,yetourmindisstillingoodshape.Thisiscalledsupaṭipanno,practicingrightly.Whenwekeepthemindstraightontherightpath,that’scalleduju-paṭipanno,practicingstraightforwardly.Whenwebringthemindtothelevelofinsightmeditation,attainingthetranscendent,that’sñāya-paṭipanno,practicingforthesakeofknowledge.Asforsāmīci-paṭipanno,practicingmasterfully,thatmeansmakingourgoodnessevenbetterandbetter.Forexample,whendefilementarisesintheheart,wehavetousetheDhammatopenitin.Defilementislikearabiddogrunningaroundinmisery.Whoeveritsees,itrunsrightuptobiteindiscriminately,until

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eventuallyitgetskilledorfallsdowndeadonitsown.Inthesameway,whenourdefilementsarisewehavetopentheminquicklyandkeepthemunderourthumb.Don’tbringthemouttoputthemtouse.Greed,anger,anddelusionareintoxicants.Whenwe’reintoxicated,ourmindsareinthedark.Whenwe’reinthedarkwestaggeraround,backandforth,dizzyandconfused,notknowingwhatwaytogo,andasaresultwenevergettothedestinationwewant.

TheBuddha’sgreenlighttakesustotheclearlightofthequalitiesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Whenwehavethesethreegemsandaresittingonthecrystalthroneofthesevenformsofnoblewealth,whatsufferingwillwehave?WhenwemakeourmindsintoDhamma,thevariousdefilementsthatliefermentingintheheartwillhavetodisappear.Therewillbenothingtospoiltheheart.We’llbeabletoescapefromthesea.

Oncewegetonlandwecanhaveallkindsoffun,fortherearealotofthingsweneversawatsea.It’slikewhenwecomeintothemouthoftheChaoPhrayaRiver,wheretherearemarshtreesandfreshgreenplants.WebecomeenchantedandkeepwalkingfurtherinlandtoSukhumvitRoad.Thereweseebicyclesandtrucksandjeepsandprettyautomobilesofdifferentcolors.Thisgetsusevenmoreexcited,andsomeofusgetsmittenwithwhatweseeonland.Inotherwords,wefallforthevisionsandsignsthatcomeinmeditation.Forinstance,wemaybegintorememberpreviouslifetimes.Ifwerememberbadthings,webecomesad.Ifweremembergoodthings,wegethappy.Thisturnsintocraving,thedesiretobethisorthat,andsomepeoplegetreallydeluded,thinkingtheyactuallyarethethingstheysee.

Ifourdiscernmentisn’tstrongenough,thenwhateverweseewillturnintothecorruptionsofinsight(vipassanūpakkilesa)—likepeoplewhogetallexcitedthefirsttimetheyseeacar.Theygorunningtothecar,wantingtorideinit,wantingtodriveit,butwithoutlookingrightorleftorstoppingtotakenoteofanything.Theyrunrightoutintothemiddleoftheroad,getrunover,andeitherdieorbreakanarmoraleg.Afterallthetroubletheywenttoinordertogetoutofthesea,theygetdeludedandputthemselvesindangeralloveragain.

Liketheexamplethathappenedafewdaysago.Anoldmonkcameintothemonastery,sosomelaypeopleaskedhimwherehewasfromandwhomhewantedtomeet.Hetoldthem,“Youalldon’tknowathing.AjaanLeeusedtobeKingAsoka,whichiswhyhebuiltWatAsokaram.I’mKingPasenaditheKosalan,hisoldfriend.That’swhyI’vecometovisithimtoday.”Hehadhisstudentcomeintoinformme,andsoItoldthestudent,“Quick.Quick.Goback

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andtellhimtogoaway.He’sabsolutelyforbiddentocomeinhere.”Eventhissortofthingcanhappen.Thisiscalledgettingsmittenwithbeingonland,i.e.,fallingforthevisionsyousee.Thatoldmonkprobablyhadafewideasofonesortoranotherarisinginhismind,andsogotcarriedaway.

Ifyoustartseeingthingswhenyourdiscernmentisn’tstrongenough,itturnsintoacorruptionofinsight—aswhenapersongetsexcitedatthesightofacarbecausehe’sneverseenonebefore.Hewantstorideinit,todriveit,sowithoutlookingleftorrighthegoesrunningtowardit,rightintothemiddleoftheroad.Andsohegetsrunoverbyacarandkilled,orelsecrippledwithabrokenleg.This,too,isakindofdelusion,adanger.

Butifourdiscernmentisstrongenough,whateverweseewillturnintonobletreasures(ariya-dhana).Ifweseeaforestofmarshtress,wecanputthemtouse.Wecancutthemintofirewoodtouseourselvesorsellinthemarket.Ifthelandisatangleofweeds,wecanclearitandturnitintofields.Ifwedon’tletitliefallow,it’ssuretoyieldcrops.

Fallingforvisionsisalsocalled“skewedperception.”Therightwaytoactwhenyouseeavisionistoremembertoevaluateitandthenletitgoinlinewithitstruenature.Don’tlatchontowhatyousee,becauseallthingsareinconstant.Ifyou’rebornpoor,yousufferfromyourdesiretoberich.Ifyou’rebornrich,yousufferinlookingafteryourpossessions,afraidthatthey’llwearout,afraidthatyou’llgetcheatedoutofthem,afraidthatthieveswillbreakinandstealthem.There’snothingcertainordependableatall.Thesameholdstruewithvisions.Sowhateveryousee,youhavetoletitgoinlinewithitsnature.Leavethetreesintheforest,thegrassinthemeadows,andthericeinthefields.Ifyoucandothis,youcanbeatyourease,becauseyouknowwhatit’slikeonland,whatit’slikeinthewater,whentogetinandwhentogetout.Onceyou’reskilled,youcantravelonwaterorland,ateaseineveryway.Youcangoforwardorbackwithoutanyobstacles.Thisiscalledlokavidū,knowingtheworld.Youcanstaywithwhatyouknow,butyou’renotstuckonit.Youcanliveintheoceanwithoutdrowning.Youcanliveintheworldwithoutgettingsunkintheworld—likealotusleafinthewater:Thewaterdoesn’tseepintotheleafatall.

Fabricatedthingsbelongtonoone,havenooneincharge.Ifyoucontemplatethemandletgooftheminlinewiththeirnature—inthesamewaythatyouputdownaknife,withoutholdingontoit—themindwillreachanimportantpoint:theleveloftheradiantmind.

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RightAction,RightResult

November11,1958

TheDhammaissomethingconstantandtrue.Thereasonwedon’tseethetruthisbecausewe’realwaysspinningaround.Ifwe’reridinginacar,wecan’tclearlyseethethingsthatpassnearbyusontheroad,suchashowbigthestonesonthegroundare,whatcolortheyare.Welookattrees,mountains,andfields,andtheyallseemtobeonthemove.Ifwe’vebeeninacarsincebirth,withoutstoppingtogetoutandwalkaroundonourown,we’resuretothinkthatcarsrun,treesrun,andmountainsrun.Thefactis,though,thatthetruthandourspinningaroundaren’tinlinewitheachother.Therunningliesinus,inthecar,notinthetreesormountains.

Everythingthat’sDhammastaysfirmandconstant.That’swhyit’scalledthetruth.Whateverisn’ttrue,isn’tDhamma.IntheareaoftheDhamma,oneoftheBuddha’shighestaimswasdiscernment.Hewasn’tjustoutafterasenseofpeaceandease,forsimplepeaceofmindisn’treallypeaceful,isn’treallyeaseful,isn’treallyrestful.Itstillhassomeunrestmixedinwithit.Thehighesthappinessliesabovenotonlypeaceofmind,butalsoabovediscernmentaswell.

Mostofus,whenwefeelatpeaceandatease,tendtogetheedlessandcareless.Asaresultwedon’tdevelopanydiscernment.WecantakealessonfromthepeopleofJapan:Theirlandispoor,theircropsgrowslowly,andthelandscapeisfullofvolcanoes.Asaresult,thepeoplehavetoexertthemselvestomakealivingandalwaysbeonthealert,readytoevacuatewheneverthere’sdanger.Thisiswhythey’resoactiveandintelligent,solvingalltheirdifficultiessothattheycanbringprogresstotheircountry.Peoplewhohaveiteasy,though,tendtobestupidbecausetheyhavenosenseofhowtoexertthemselvestogetridofsuffering.

Peoplenowadayshavestudiedalot,butthey’restillstupid.Stupidinwhatway?Stupidinthattheydon’tknowhowtofixtheirownrice,sewtheirownclothes,orwashtheirownclothes.Theydon’thaveanyskills.Thetimewillhavetocomewhenthiscausesthemtosufferandfallintodifficulties.MostofusThaipeoplecomplainthatforeignersaretakingoveroureconomy,but

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actuallythefaultlieswithourownstupidity.Wecan’tevenmakeonebigtoe’sworthofhappinessforourselves,andinsteadsitstaringoffintothedistance.Otherpeoplerunandjumpanddoeverythingnecessaryforthesakeoftheirhappiness,butwejustsitaroundandcreatedifficultiesforourfamilies.Then,whenwesuffer,thatopensthewayforcorruption.Wegetupfromamealanddon’twashourowndishesorputthemaway.Ifallourdiscernmentisinknowinghowtoeat,howwillweevergetanywhere?ThisiswhytheBuddhataughttheDhammabothintermsofcausesandresults,skillsandtheirrewards.Hetaughtfirstaboutthingsthatlieimmediatelyaroundus.Onceweputourselvesintogoodshape,itwillspreadtohelpeveryonewhocomesafterus.Whatevercauses,whateverskills,willgiverisetopeace,ease,andconvenienceforourselves,wehavetodo.Theresultsaresuretofollow.

Onthegoodside,virtueisacauseforconcentration.Concentrationisacausefordiscernment.Onthebadside,sufferingcomesfromcraving.Andwhatdoescravingcomefrom?Fromourownstupidity.It’sbecausewe’restupidinsomanywaysthatwesuffersomuch.Whencravingarises,itdamagespeopleallaroundus.Thisiswhyweshoulddevelopthecausesforhappinessandease,soastopreventthesekindsofdangers—forwhendifficultiesarise,themindwillstartspinninginallsortswaysthatwillcauseustosuffer.

Forthisreasonyoushouldexamineyourselfwheneveryougetthechance,atalltimes.Ifyoustartfeelingillatease,youshouldtracebacktothecauses.Askyourself,“WhathaveIbeendoingsinceIgotupthismorning?WhathaveIbeenthinkingabout?”Whenyoutrytocutdownatreebutcan’tcutallthewaythrough,youhavetolookatyourmachetetoseeifit’snickedordull.Ifyoutrytocutthetreedownwithyourteeth,youwon’tgetanywhere.Youhavetotracebacktothecausesofyourproblemsifyouwanttofigureouthowtosolvethem.Whenyoudothat,allyourdifficultieswillvanish.

Knowledgehastocomefromthediscernmentwegiverisetowithinourselves.Thelowestorweakestlevelofdiscernmentknowsneithercausesnorresults.Themiddlelevelknowsresultswithoutknowingtheircauses,orcauseswithoutknowingtheirresults.Thehighestlevelofdiscernmentknowscausesbeforetheygiverisetotheirresults.Inotherwords,youknowwhatkindofresultsyou’llgetfromyouractions.Butmostofusdon’tevenknowwhatcauseswe’recreating,whichiswhytheresultswegetaren’tgoodatall.Whenwewanttoprogressinlife,wehavetogiverisetothecausesforpeaceandease.Inotherwords,wehavetopracticemeditationinlinewiththefactors

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ofthenoblepath.Sammā-kammanta,rightaction,isthecauseforpeaceandease.Ouractions

comeinallsortsofforms.Thewaywestandisanaction.Themovementofthebodyisanaction.Theactions,thevariouskindsofworkintheworld,requireustorun,topickthingsupwithourbody.ButintheareaoftheDhamma,simplysittingstillwiththerightintentionisaformofworkoraction.Lyingdownwiththerightintentionisaformofworkoraction.Sitting,standing,walking,lyingdown:Allofourmovementsandpostures,ifdonewiththerightintention,areaformofworkoraction.Whenouractionsareright,we’llexperiencepeaceandease.Andthenhowwillsufferingcomeourway?Thereasonwesufferisbecauseouractionsarewrong.Wesit,stand,walk,andliedowninwayscontrarytotheDhamma.Andthenwhenwetakeonotherworkinadditiontoourbasicactions,thatworkisboundtoturnintowrongactionaswell.ThiswaswhytheBuddhaimprovedhismannersinhowhesat,stood,walked,andlaydown,sothattheywereallpureintermsoftheintentionsofhismind.Whatthismeansisthathekeptpracticingtranquilitymeditationinallhisactivities.Hismindhadtostaywithwhatthebodywasdoing.Ifthemindtoldthebodytodosomething,butdidn’tdoitalongwiththebody,thenhedidn’tsucceedinwhathewantedtodo.Hecouldn’tletthebodyworkonitsown.Themindhadtoworkalongwiththebody.Otherwise,hisoldmannerswouldcomebackandtakechargeofthemind.

Wrongactionmeansthoughtsofsensuality:thinkingintermsofsensualobjectsthatgiverisetosensualdefilements.Sights,sounds,smells,tastes,tactilesensations,andideascomefromthebodyandmindactingtogether.Ifthemindthenwantsanyofthesethings,that’scalledgreed.Youwantthemtobegood,butwhentheyaren’tgoodinlinewithyourthoughts,thatgivesrisetoaversion.Ifyougetcarriedawaybyyouraversion,that’sdelusion.

Butifyoudirectyourthinkingtothebreath,thatwillkilloffsensualdesires.Evaluateyourbreath,andthatwillkilloffillwill.Therearetwokindsofevaluation:(1)evaluatingthein-and-outbreath,and(2)evaluatingtheinnerbreathsensationsofthebodyuntiltheyinteractwiththeotherpropertiesofthebody.Whenyoureachthispoint,youforgetanyfeelingsofillwill.Oncethemindandbodyarefull,youfeelasenseofease.Raptureandpleasurearethustheresultsofdirectedthoughtandevaluation.Directedthoughtandevaluationthuscountasrightaction.Theprincipleofcauseandeffectappliestoallyouractivities,bothinsideandout.

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Thereasonwesufferisbecauseweeat.Howiseatingsuffering?Becausewenevercangetfull.Thebodyisn’tfull;themindisn’tfull.Itneverhasasenseofenoughwithitspreoccupations.Thisgivesrisetohunger.

Butwhenthemindstopsworryingabouteating,andinsteadstayswithitsrightactions,thenyoucanbeatyourease.Sometimes,whileyoumeditate,youfocusonthecause,thesenseofseclusion,withoutanythoughtfortheresults.Sometimesyoustaywiththeresults,vihāra-dhamma,theeaseofstayinginthehomeofthemind.Eventhoughtheworkthisrequiresmaybedifficult,youaren’tworriedorconcerned.Themindkeepsstayingwithitssenseofease.Whenyougetskilled,yougainasenseofwhentofocusonthecausesandwhentofocusontheresults.Thisiscalledactingwithasenseofcausesandresults.You’renotstuckonanyofthebaitsoftheworld.YoustayexclusivelywiththeeaseoftheDhamma.Eventhoughtheworkmayrequireeffort,you’renotworkedupaboutit.Youdoitwithasenseofwellbeing.

Whenthere’sasenseofwellbeing,theminddoesn’tgetstirredup.Whenit’sstillinthisway,liberatinginsightcanarise.Ourworkturnsintotheworkofinsight.Youwatchthepropertiesofsensation:Whensightsstriketheeye,therearisefeelingsoflikinganddisliking.Youwatchwhilethesethingsstayforaninstant,disintegrate,anddisappear.Youseesightsaspropertiesthatmove.Theeyeisapropertythatmoves.Consciousness—theawarenessofthesethings—isapropertythatmoves.Thisappliestoallthesensemedia:Theyalllieunderthecharacteristicsofinconstancy,stress,andnot-self.Discernmentiswhatstaysstillenoughtoseewhatmovesandwhatdoesn’t.Andthenthere’saletting-goofboth.That’swhenyouseethateaseontheconventionallevel,fromthepointofviewoftheDhamma,isafalsehood—forthere’saneaseontheultimatelevelthat’strue.

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Clean&Clear

August3,1957

Thehappinesstowhicheveryhumanbeingaspiresisattainedsolelythroughtheheart.Someoftheseformsofhappiness,though,aren’tclearorclean.ThehappinessthatisclearandcleanisthehighesthappinessintheBuddha’steachings,inotherwords,nibbāna.Anyformofhappinessasidefromthisisneitherclearnorclean.

ForthemindtoattainhappinessithastodependontheDhammaasitsfoundation.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtustobecomeacquaintedwiththeDhammasothatwecanputittouseindevelopingthegoodnessthatbringsusthebeneficialhappinesswewant.

InwhatwayisthepracticeoftheDhammasoimportant?It’simportantinthatwhenapersonpracticestheDhammaitgivescoolshelter(1)tothepersonwhopracticesitand(2)toothersatlarge.IftheworldlackedtheDhamma,there’snowaywecouldfindhappinessanywhereatall.ThisiswhywehavetoseekoutDhammafortheheart,becausethecurrentsituationoftheworldissuchthatallkindsofeventsaresuretocomeseepingintotheheart.AnythingprotectedbytheDhammacontainsthecausesthatwillbringabouthappiness.AnythingnotprotectedbytheDhammacontainsthecausesfordisturbanceandunrest.

Wehumanbeingsareliketrees.Ifatreehasanabundanceofflowersandfruits,thickbranchesandleaves,andafirmlyrootedtrunkthatdoesn’tfalldowninthewind,itgivespleasuretothebirdswhocomeandliveinit,tothetravelerswhopassbyandrestinitsshade.ThisislikeapersonwhohastheDhammaasafirmlyrootedfoundationintheheart.Suchapersongivesshelterbothtohimselfandtoothersaswell.TheDhammaislikearainymistthatkeepsplantsfreshandgreen.PeopleprotectedbytheDhammahaveacoolsenseofeasewithinthemselvesandareabletospreadandshareitwithothersatlarge.

TaketheBuddhaasanexample:Whenhewasstillalayperson,hewasthesonofapowerfulkingwithgreatwealthandalargefollowing.Hispalacewas

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enormous.Hehadeverythinghecouldwishfor,withouttheleastthinglacking.Buteventhen,hesawthatthissortofhappinesswaslikearipebananaonatree:There’snowayitcouldescapefromthebeaksofthehawksandravenswhowantedtoeatit.Thisiswhyheabandonedhisgreatwealthandwentforthinsearchofahappinesslastingandtrue—inotherwords,thepathtoreleasefromsuffering.Whenhefoundit,hekeptexclaiminginhisheart,“Whatbliss!Whatbliss!”Eventhoughthereweretimeswhenhehadtoencountersituationsthatweredifficulttobear—forinstance,whentherewerehardshipsingainingfoodorintheexternalconditionsofhislife—heneversawthosethingsastroublesomeinanywayatall.Hekeptrepeatingtohimself,“Whatbliss!Whatbliss!”tothepointwherehewasrumoredtobecrazy.

Still,whenhehadfoundahappinessthistrue,henaturallyfeltcompassionforthestupidityofhumanbeingsandotherlivingbeingsatlargewhostillkeptthemselvessunkinsufferinginsuchapitifulwaywithoutknowingthemeansforgainingreleasefromit.Feelingthiscompassion,theBuddhathuswanderedfromcitytocity,villagetovillage,toteachpeopletheDhammaandthewaytopracticebywhichtheycouldreleasethemselvesfromsufferingandreachthesamekindofhappinesshehadfoundhimself.WhenpeoplelistenedtotheBuddha’sDhamma,manyofthemgainedconvictionandconfidenceinwhathetaught.Sotheyputitintopracticetothepointwheretheyattainedmanyofthehighestlevelsofhappiness.Theythenbroughttheirchildren,grandchildren,andfriendstoheartheBuddha’sDhamma,andsoever-increasingnumbersofpeoplesawtheresultsappearingintheirhearts.ThisishowtheBuddha’steachingsspreadfarandwideineverydirection.Atpresent,BuddhismseemstobemostpredominantinThailand,inthatthosewhorespecttheBuddha’steachingsarefoundineverylevelofsociety,fromthelowesttothehighest.ThestudyoftheDhammaisfoundoneverylevelfromthelowesttothehighest.ThesameistrueofthepracticeoftheDhamma:Itoccursonlowlevels,intermediatelevels,uptothehighestlevel.Thelowestlevelsarethoseofussittingheretrainingourselvesinmeditation.Theintermediatelevelsstartwiththeattainmentofstream-entryonup.Onthehighestlevelarethearahants.Youhavetobeveryobservanttoknowthis.Therearelotsofpeopleonthelowlevels,butonlyafewontheintermediateandhighestlevels.Thereallylowlevelsarethosewhowanttodevelopgoodnessbutwhosemotivationisbad.Inthiswayourpracticedependsonwhatwewanttochoose:Doyouwanttoeatleaves,flowers,ortheactualfruit?

Ifwewantthekindofintelligencethatcangatherflowersandfruittoeat,

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wehavetouseourdiscernment—theinnerbrightnesscalledtheeyeofthemind,ortheinnereye.Asfortheoutereye,that’stheeyeofflesh.Forthebrightnessoftheinnereyetoariseandseethetruth,weneedconcentration.Theoutereyekeepsdeceivingthemindallthetime,makingusseethingsinthiswayorbelievethingsinthat.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtustodeveloptheinnereyesothatourvisioncanpenetratefar.

Thereareactuallytwopartstoeachperson.Theouterpartisthebody;theinnerpartistheheartandmind.Theouterpartislikeapuppetoramannequin,builtoutoftheelementsofstress.Nomatterhowmuchwefawnoverit,caringforitatgreatexpense,itwon’tstaywithus.Intheendit’llhavetoturnintoashesandsinkintotheground.Asforthemind,whichisthemorelastingpart,wedon’tgiveitmuchcareorattentionatall.ThisiswhytheBuddhasaidthatpeopleareverydeluded.Wedon’tseeoursubstantialpart,andinsteadseeonlythedeceptivepart.We’relikeamonkeywhoseesitsreflectioninamirrorandassumesthatthere’sanothermonkey.Soitsticksoutitstongueandmakesfacesatitsreflection,tryingtoscareitsreflection—andsoscaringitself,untilitgetsallwornouttonopurposeatall.Oursubstantialpartisthemind.Ourfakepartisthebody.Evenifweweretodecoratethebodywithcrownsandheaddressestomakeitlookreallyfancy,itwouldn’tchangeitsbasicnature.Onceit’sbornitages,thenitstartstohurt,andthenitdies.Nomatterhowmuchwestudyandgaindegreesfromuniversitiesallovertheworld,westillcan’tdivertthebodyfromitsbasicnature.There’snowayitcanescapedying.

Thisiswhydiscerningpeoplefocustheirattentiononthesubstantialpartofthemselves,inotherwords,thepartthat’sresponsibleforallthings:themind.Thebodyisn’tresponsibleforgoodorevilatall.Forexample,ifwemurderorsteal,thebodydoesn’tgotohell.Nomatterhowmuchgoodwedo,thebodydoesn’tgoalongwithustoheaven.Themindwecan’tsee:That’swhatgoes.Wecan’tseetheprocessofitsgoing,butit’sneverthelesscapableofmovingfromplacetoplace.Theactofgoingtothegoodorbaddestinationsisentirelyanaffairoftheheartandmind.Thisiswhythosewhotraintheirownheartsandmindsaresaidtrulytolovethemselves.Thosewhodon’ttraintheirownheartsandmindsaresaidtobeinaplaceofdarkness,orunawareness.

Whenthelightofawareness,orcognitiveskill,arisesinthemind,themindwillhavethearms,legs,hands,andeyesitneedstosucceedinitsaims.Ifitdoesn’thavethisawareness,it’sinsomuchdarknessthatitcan’tseeanythingatall.Ithastodependtotallyonthebody.Butwhenyoupracticesoastogiverisetotheeyeofthemind,you’llseethatthebodyisonething,themind

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another.They’renotoneandthesame.Atthemomentourmindsarestilllikechildren,whichiswhywehavetodependonthebodytobeourguardian.Butoncethemindistrained,itwillgrowintoanadultandbeabletoletgoofthebody.Thenatureofchildrenisthattheystillhavetodependontheirguardians.Butonceachildisraisedtoadulthood,itcangooutonitsownwithouttheguardian.There’snoneedtocarrythechildaroundanymore.Ifwedon’tknowhowtotrainthemind,it’llsimplystayatthechildishlevel.Thereasonweallsuffersomuchinourlivesisthatourmindsarestillchildren.

ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtustofindtheDhammaasarefugeorshelterforthemind.Atpresentourmindsdon’thaveahometostayin.Nomatterwherewesitorliedown,themindwon’tstayput.Theonlythingthatdoesstayputisthebody.Andthisiswhythemindknowsnohappiness,likeapersonwhoalwayshastokeepwanderingwithoutrest,tiredandhotfromthesun.Thephrase,“homeforthemind,”heremeansthefoundationofconcentration.Justasapersonwithlotsofpossessionsbutnosafeplacetokeepthemcanfindnorest,inthesamewaypeoplewithnoconcentration—thefoundationforthemind—can’tfindanypeacenomatterhowmanymeritoriousthingstheydo.Thisiswhyweshouldtrainthemindtoattainconcentration.Trainingthemindislikeeatingameal:Whenyou’vefinishedeating,youhavetowashthedishesandputthemawayinanorderlyfashion,sothatthenexttimeyouwanttoeatyou’llhavethemrightathand.Whenwewanttousethemindinanyofouractivities,wehavetokeepwashingitandputtingitinorderinjustthesameway.

Tellyourself,whileyou’resittinghere,thatyou’reonyourwaytotheshadeofaBodhitree,i.e.,therefugeoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Whenyoudevelopyourinnergoodnessinthisway,youcan’tentrustyourmindtotheworld,toanypeople,oranymaterialthingsatall.You’regoingtoentrustitentirelytosomeonevenerable.Inotherwords,youkeepyourmindflowingintherecollectionoftheBuddhawithoutgettingsnaggedonanythingelse.Useyouralertnesstosurveyyourheartandtakethebodyasyourplayground.Keepmindfulnessalwaysinchargeofthemind,thinkingbud-dhowiththein-andout-breath.Youknowwhatthebreathislikewhenitcomesin,youknowwhatit’slikewhenitgoesout.ThisiscalledgettingestablishedintherecollectionoftheBuddha.That’sthefirststep.

Thesecondstepistocleanupthemind.Youdon’tfocusonanythinginvolvedwiththehindrances,suchaslovingthisperson,hatingthatperson,likinganddisliking,goodandbad.Youhavetobeintentonreleasingthemind

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fromthesethings.Inthisway,theDhammawillariseintheheartwithacoolsenseofrelief.Thenyoucanlookatthecleanlinessofthemind,toseewhetherthewayyoulivefromdaytodayiscleanornot.Beinguncleanmeanshavingamindmixedupwithdefilements.Asyousitherecalmingthemind,don’tgothinkingaboutsights,sounds,smells,etc.,inwaysthatleadtosensualdesire,illwill,orthoughtsofharmfulness.Ifgreedarises,trytowashitaway.Don’tletitariseagain.Ifangerarises,trytowashitaway.Don’tletitariseagain.Thesameholdstruewithdelusion.Trytochaseouteveryformofevil.

Thisiscalledmentalpurity.Oncethemindcomestoastop,that’swhenpuritywillarise—likeatravelerwhostopsandrestsundertheshadeofatree.Hiswearinesswilldisappear,andhewon’thaveanysweat.Passion,aversion,anddelusionarelikesweatthatmoistensandstainsourmind.Whoevercanstopsweatinginthisway—byenteringtheshadeoftheBodhitreethroughpracticingrecollectionoftheBuddha—willbecomecleanlikeapersonsittingunderatree.Whenthemindisestablishedingoodqualities,it’llbeshelteredandatease(thiseasecomesfromstillnessandcalm).Asthemindgrowsmoreandmoreclean,itwillbecomeasclearandtransparentaswater,givingrisetoaninnerbrightness.Sometimesit’scleanbutnotbright.Inotherwordsitkeepsmovingforwardandbackwithoutstayinginplace.Oncethemindisbrightandclear,though,it’llgiverisetoawareness.Cakkhuṁudapādi,ñāṇaṁudapādi,paññāudapādi,vijjāudapādi:Visionarises,knowledgearises,discernmentarises,awarenessarises.You’llgiverisetothreeeyes.Theeyeofthepastisrecollectionofpastlives,theeyeofthefutureisknowledgeofthedeathandrebirthoflivingbeings,andtheeyeofthepresentisknowledgeoftheendingofmentalfermentations.You’llbeabletoletgoofallthingspoisonous.Youwon’tbestuckonthepast,present,orfutureatall.

Thisiswhy,whenyoudevelopconcentration,you’llendupwiththreeeyes.Inotherwords,yourouterlefteyewillseegoodthings,yourouterrighteyewillseebadthings,andthey’llsendthemintotheinnereye,whichwillremainatequilibrium.You’llalsohavethreeears:Yourouterleftearwillhearpraise,yourouterrightearwillhearcriticism,andthey’llsendthemintotheinnerear,whichwillstayatequilibrium.Thisishowyoucanreceiveallthegueststheworldsendsyourway.Asfortheeyeofthemind—intuitiveinsight—it’llreceiveyourdefilements.Onceitreallyunderstandsthem,it’llbeabletosendthempacking.Thatwayyou’llbeabletolivecomfortablyintheworld,withnothingtodisturbyoureyes,ears,nose,tongue,body,ormind.You’llmeetwithnothingbutbrightnessandpurity.

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Themindthathasn’tbeentrainedislikeachild.Whenit’strained,itturnsintoanadult.Asforthebody,whichusedtoseemsolargeandmature,you’llnowseethatit’sreallyachild.It’sinconstant,stressful,andnot-self.Butthemindtrainedtothepointofadulthoodwon’tbetroubledbythesethings.Eventhoughthebodyisinconstant,inconstancywon’tappearinthemind.Eventhoughthebodyisstressful,stresswon’tappearinthemind.Eventhoughthebodyisnot-self,nothingtroublingwillappearinthemind.Themindwillstaystillandatequilibrium,equanimous,withoutlatchingontoanyofthesethingsatall.

Oncethemindistrainedtoapointofrealstrength,it’sabletoletgoofthebody.Forthisreason,whenwedevelopourgoodnessbypracticingtherecollectionoftheBuddhaasourconstantpreoccupation,we’llreachthepointwherewecanletgoofallattachments.OurmindswillenterthecurrentoftheDhammawithtrueintuitiveinsight,andwe’llultimatelymeetwiththebrightness,coolness,andeaseI’vedescribed.

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GenuinePractice,GenuineKnowing

August30,1958

Whenyou’resittinginconcentration,don’tthinkthatyou’resittinghereinthismeditationhall.Tellyourselfthatyou’resittingalone,inthedeep,deepforest.Cutawayallyourcommitmentsandconcerns.Don’tthinkaboutthegrouporaboutanyoneatall.Thoughtsofwhat’sgood,what’sbad,whatyouhaveorwhatyoulack:Youdon’thavetothinkthem.Thinkjustaboutwhat’sinyourbodyandestablishyourmindfulnessexclusivelyonthebreath.Oryoucantellyourselfthatyou’resittingface-to-facewiththeBuddha,sothatyouhavetokeepcarefulwatchoverthemannersofthemind.Don’tletitfidgetaround,pickingitsearsandnose,orscratchingitselfhereandthere.KeepthebodystraightandthemindfocusedsteadilyontheBuddha—i.e.,exclusivelyonyourmeditationword,buddho.Bemindfulwitheachandeveryin-and-outbreath.Don’tgoslippingoffanywhereelse.

Ifyouaren’tgenuinelyintentonwhatyou’redoing,you’redeceivingyourteacher,deceivingthepeoplearoundyou,anddeceivingyourselfaswell.Thedeceithereisthatyoucloseyoureyesandactlikeyou’reinconcentration,butthemindisn’tstilllikethebody.Whenthisisthecase,you’llsuffer.

Theresultsofnotgenuinelybeingintentarethatthingssometimesgowell,sometimestheydon’t,sometimesyou’reaware,sometimesyou’renot.Inotherwords,thegoodresultsyou’relookingforaren’tconstant.That’sthefirstresult.Thesecondisabsentmindedness.Themindthinksaboutotherpeople,otherthings,anddoesn’tstaywiththebody,doesn’tstaywiththepresent.You’relikeapersoneatingameal.Youintendforyourhandtoputriceinyourmouth,butyougazearoundabsentmindedly.Youthinkyou’reeatingaspoonfulofsoup,butitturnsouttobeaspoonfulofpeppersauce.Youreachforasweetbutgrabandbiteintoaclodofdirtorapieceofgravelinstead.Oryoucanmakeacomparisonwithablindpersoneatingameal.Apersonwithgoodeyesightsendsyouyourfood,tellingyouthat,“Thisisrice.Thisiscurry.Thisisasweet,”butyoudon’ttakenoteofwhatshesaysandsoyougetthemallmixedup.Thenyougoblamingherforyourownabsentmindedness.

Thethirdresultofnotgenuinelybeingintentisforgetfulness.Youlosetrack

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ofyourmindfulness,losetrackofthebreath,losetrackofyourself.Allthreeoftheseresultsareobstaclestothepractice.They’resignsofnot

beingsincereinyourduties.Therearetwokindsofknowing:genuineknowinganddeceptiveknowing.

Genuineknowingiswhatstaysrighthereandnowwithinyou,withoutgoinganywhereelse.Youknowwhenyou’restanding,youknowwhenyou’relyingdown,speaking,thinking,etc.Asfordeceptiveknowing,that’stheknowledgegoingafterlabelsandperceptions.Labelsareanactofknowing,butthey’renottheknowingitself.They’reliketheshadowofknowing.Genuineknowingisbeingmindfulofthepresent,seeingcausesandeffects.Thisisdiscernment.

Forthisreason,weshouldeachtrytotrainourselvestogiverisetodiscernment,thegenuineknowingthatwon’tdeceiveusintofallingforamassofsuffering.Wedothisbytrainingthemindtostayfirmlyinconcentration,bybeingmindfulandcircumspectinourbreathing,bybeingalertinoureverymovement,bybeinggenuinelyintentinourduties,andbyshowingrespectforourteachersandforourselves.Thesearethefactorsthatwillleadustothehappinessandwellbeingtowhichweaspire.

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Intent

August25,1957

Whenapersonmakesuphismindtodoonethingbutthenturnsaroundtodosomethingelseentirely,theresultsofhisfirstintentionsimplywon’tcomeabout.Apersonlikethishastobeclassedasreallystupid—aningratetohimself,atraitortohimself.Likeachildwhosaysgoodbyetoitsparents,tellingthemthatit’sgoingtoschool,butthengoeswanderingofftoseeamovieoratravelingshow.Theparentsdon’tknowwhat’sgoingon.Theythinkthechildisatschool.Bythetimethey’vetrackeddownthetruth,theywillhavewastedalotoftime.Inthisway,thechildharmsitselfinfourways:(1)There’sthebadkarmaofhavingdeceiveditsparents;(2)itthrowsawaythemoneytheparentspaidforitstuition;(3)itstaysignorantanddoesn’tpickupanyoftheknowledgeitwouldhavegainedatschool;and(4)deathkeepscreepingcloserdaybyday,thechilditselfeventuallybecomesaparent,andyetitcan’tevenreadorwritethreelettersofthealphabet.

Inthesameway,whenyouaren’treallyintentonthepractice—youcomeandsitheremeditatingbutyourmindisn’twiththebody;itgoeswanderingofftothinkaboutthingsunrelatedtotheDhamma,thinkingaboutthingsathome,thinkingaboutyourchildrenorgrandchildren,thinkingaboutthispersonorthat,thinkingaboutthingsaheadorbehind;yourmindisn’testablishedinstillness;youreyesareclosedbutyourmindslipsofftolookforfunwithdifferentkindsofpreoccupations;sometimesyoumeetupwithdogsandcats,soyouplaywiththedogandcats—whenthishappens,youharmyourselfinthesameways.(1)First,there’sthebadkarmaofdeceivingyourteacher,tellinghimyou’regoingtopracticeconcentrationbutthennotdoingit.(2)Theteacherdoesn’tknowwhat’sgoingonandsoteachestheDhammauntilhismouthrunsoutofsaliva,butwithnoresultstoshowforit.(3)Youyourselfstayignorant.Yousitandmeditateforthreeyearsbutdon’tgetanythingoutofit.Ifpeopleaskyouaboutthepractice,theycan’tgetanysenseoutofyou,whichreflectsbadlyontheteacher.(4)Whendeathcomes,you’lldiewithpainandhardship,withnoinnerwealthtotakealongtothenextlife.Soyou’llkeeponspinningaroundindeathandrebirthforwhoknowshowmanylives,

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withoutevergettingtonibbāna.Allofthiscomesfromnotreallybeingintent.Ifyou’rereallyintenton

practicingtheDhamma,thennomatterwhat,you’llhavetogetresults—largeorsmall—dependingonthestrengthofwhatyoucando.Ifyou’regoingtomeditate,beintentonmeditating.Ifyou’regoingtolistentotheDhamma,beintentonlistening.Ifyou’regoingtospeak,beintentonspeaking.Whateveryoudo,beintentonwhatyou’redoing.Thatwayyou’llgettheresultsyouwantfromyouractions.

Togetresults,yourintenthastobecomposedofthefourbasesforsuccess.Inotherwords,(1)chanda:Likewhatyou’redoing.Ifyou’regoingtomeditate,becontenttostaymindfulofthebreath.(2)Viriya:Bepersistentanddon’tgetdiscouraged.Eventhoughtheremaybepainsinthebody,youendurethem.(3)Citta:Giveyourfullmindtowhatyou’redoing.Don’tjustplayaround.Don’tletyourmindwanderofftothinkofotherthings.(4)Vimansā:Whenyoureallydothemeditation,youcontemplatetoseewhatgivesrisetoasenseofpeaceandeaseinthebodyandmind.

Whenyourmeditationiscomposedofthesefourfactorsinfull,it’sasifyou’resittingonachairwithfourgoodlegs.Youwon’thavetofearthatthechairwillstarttiltingorfallover.Thisisdifferentfromapersonwho’ssittingonachairwithonlytwolegsorone.Ifanyonehappenstobrushpast,hemaytipoverorfallflatonhisback.Butifyou’resittingonachairwithfourgoodlegs,thenevenifsomeonerunsintoyouorgrabsholdofthechairtogiveitashake,youneedn’tbeafraidoffallingoff.Eveniftheypickupthechairandmoveitsomewhereelse,you’llstillbeabletositonitincomfort.Youdon’thavefearanydangeratall.

Thisiswhatit’slikewhenyoumakeyourmindfullysolidandstronginthegoodnessofwhatyou’redoing.Youcansitandliedowninease.Whetheryou’reinthemonasteryorathome,youcanliveatyourease.Youcaneatorgowithoutfoodandstillbeatease.Youcanhandlealotofworkoronlyalittleandstillbeatease.Youcanhavetenmillionbillionsinmoneyornotevenasingleredcentandstillbeatease.Whendeathcomes,youcandiewithease,freefromsufferingorhardship.Whenanyonecandothis,thedevasclaptheirhandsinjoy.Whenanyonecan’t,thedevasscrewuptheirfaces,whileMāraandhisganglaughandclaptheirhandsbecausethey’vebeatanotheroftheBuddha’sdisciples.Thinkaboutit:DoyoureallywanttobeoneofMāra’sdisciples?

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Wehavetouseskillfulnessandmerittopolishourselvesuntilwe’reshiningandbright.Inotherwords,wepolishouractionswithvirtue,concentration,anddiscernment.Whenyoutrainyourmindwithconcentrationuntilit’sfullytemperedandstrong,it’llbecalmandcool,brightandgleaminglikestillwaterinadeepwell,orlikethestarsinthesky.Thehindranceswon’tbeabletowalkalloveryou,forthelevelofthemindwillkeepgrowinghigherandhigheratalltimes.Whenit’sreallyuphigh,itgrowscool.Justaswhenwe’resittinghere:Wedon’tfeelespeciallycoolwherewe’resitting,butifwegouptwoorthreekilometersoffthesurfaceoftheearth,we’llfeelcoldrightaway.Inadditiontocoolingoff,oureyeswillbeabletoseethingsfar,faraway.We’llbeabletoseetheconditionofhumanbeingsandanimals,allthedangersanddifficultiesoflifeontheworldbeneathus.We’llstarttakingthesedangerstoheart,sothatwewon’twanttocomebackdownagain.

Whenwetalkaboutthemind’sbeingonahighlevel,wedon’tmeanthatit’shighuplikeanairplane,simplythatthequalityofitsawarenessisheightenedthroughtrainingitsconcentrationanddiscernment.Whenthishappens,you’llbeabletoseethecausesandeffectsofeverythingtrueandfalse.You’llseethedangersofwanderingonthroughdeathandrebirth,andgainasenseofdisenchantmentwithbirth,aging,illness,anddeath,seeingthemasnothingbutpainandtrouble.Whenyouseethingsinthisway,you’llloseallhankeringforsights,sounds,smells,tastes,tactilesensations,andideas.You’llbeintentsolelyondevelopingthehearttogainreleasefromalldefilementsandmentalfermentations,sothatyouwon’thavetocomeswimmingaroundthroughdeathandrebirthintheworldeveragain.

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TheFreshFlavorofDhamma

August23,1959

Whenyousitinmeditation,focusyourattentionsolelyonasinglepreoccupation.Ifyouslipoffthatpreoccupation,youfallintohell.Whatdoes“hell”meanhere?Cakkhuṁādittaṁ:Anypreoccupationsthatcomeinbywayoftheeyearesaidtobeaballofhellfire.Sotaṁādittaṁ:Anypreoccupationsthatcomeinbywayoftheearareaballoffire.Anypreoccupationsthatcomeinbywayofthenose,tongue,bodyandmindareallballsoffire.Ifyoufocusyourattentiononanyofthesepreoccupations,they’llmakeyouashotasifyouhadfallenintohellinthisverylifetime.That’swhyyoushouldcutawayallperceptionsofthatsort.Don’tletthemgetinvolvedwithyourmindatall.

***Thedefilementsarelikesaltwater;theDhammaislikefreshwater,which

benefitstheworldinthreeways:(1)Peoplecandrinkit;(2)itwashesthingsclean;and(3)ithelpsplantstogrow.Asforsaltwater,youcan’tdrinkit,youcan’tuseittowashthingsclean,andifyouuseittowaterplants,they’lldie.

Apersonwhositsfermentinginhisdefilementsislikeasaltwaterfish.Saltwaterfishhaveastrong,nastysmell.OncewhenIwasinChantaburi,stayingattheLotusPondMonastery,agroupoffishwivescarriedabatchofoceanfishpastthemonasteryatadistanceofabout80meters.Eventhen,thesmellofthefishhitmynoseandseemedreallyfoul.Asforfreshwaterfish,eventhoughtheyhavesomesmell,it’snotasfoulassaltwaterfish.Inthesameway,peoplewithalotofdefilementsreallysmell:Noonewantsthemtocomenear,andwherevertheygothey’redespised.

Ordinarily,saltwaterfishliketostayonlyinsaltwater.Ifyoucatchthemandputtheminfreshwater,they’lldieinaninstant.Thesamewithfreshwaterfish:Ifyoucatchthemandputtheminsaltwater,they’llimmediatelydie.Butmodernscientistshavefoundawaytoturnsaltwaterfishintofreshwaterfish.Theyputsaltwaterfishinsaltwater,andthengraduallymixinfreshwaterlittlebylittle.Thefishgraduallygetmoreandmoreaccustomedtofreshwateruntilultimatelytheycanbereleasedintoafreshwaterpondandtheywon’tdie.The

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samewithfreshwaterfish:thescientistsgraduallymixsaltwaterintothetankswherethey’rekeepingfreshwaterfish,andthefishgraduallygetusedtobeinginsaltywater,untilthescientistscanthrowthemintotheseaandtheywon’tdie.Inthesameway,peoplewhoarefullofdefilementsarelikesaltwaterfish.Whentheyfirststartcomingtothemonastery,theybringalltheirdefilementsalongwiththem.Then—astheystarttastingtheflavoroftheDhamma,astheychantandmeditate—theirheartsgraduallygetfurtherandfurtherawayfromtheirconcentratedsaltiness:theirgreed,anger,anddelusion.Goodnessseepsintotheirheartslittlebylittle,graduallydilutingtheeviloftheirdefilementsuntiltheirheartsareentirelyfreshwiththetasteoftheDhamma.Therestlessnessandturmoilintheirheartswillvanish,andthey’llbecontenttostaywiththeDhammahappilyandatpeace,likeasaltwaterfishthat’sgrownaccustomedtofreshwater.

Therearefourkindsoffreshwater:still,flowing,falling,andshootingup.Stillwateristhewaterinlakesandwells.Flowingwateristhewaterinrivers,canals,andstreams.Fallingwateristhewaterofwaterfallsandrain.Sometimesthistypeofwaterissoheavyandcoldthatitturnsintohailstones,whichcanhurtastheyhityouonthehead.Shooting-upwateristhewateroffountainsandgeysers.Inthesameway,therearedifferentkindsofDhamma—soyoucanchoosetostaywithwhicheverofthe40typesofmeditationthemesyoulike.

Whenyoustaymixedupwithyourdefilements,orliketorunbackandforthwithyourexternalconceptsandperceptions,you’renodifferentfromapersonfloatinginaboatinthemiddleofastormysea.Youcan’tsitorliedowntogetanyrestbecausethewavesareconstantlystriking,makingyoudizzyandnauseousallthetime.Yourheartisallstirredupandcan’tfindanypeace.Allyoucandoiscryout,“I’mdying!I’mdying!”

Butwhenyoutrytopullyourselfoutfromthemassofdefilementortheballsofhellfire—bringingyourmindintothequalitiesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,andestablishingitinconcentration—youfreeyourselffromthewindandwaves.You’relikeapersonwhohasreachedshoreandisstandingonfirmground.Apersononfirmgroundcansit,liedown,stand,walk,orjumparoundashelikes.He’smuchmorecomfortablethanapersonoutontheocean.Forthisreason,weshouldtrainourheartstoreachrightconcentration,absolutelycuttingoffallourexternalconceptsandperceptions.Inthisway,we’llallgainshelterandrest.

TheflavoroftheDhammaislikeambrosia,thenectarthat—whenyoudrink

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it—makesyouimmortal.IfyoulivewiththeDhamma,thenwhenyoudieyou’llgotoagooddestination,asavisuddhi-deva,adevapureinbodyandmind.Thissortofpersondoesn’tdieeasily—anddoesn’tdieatallinthesamewayaspeopleingeneral.IfyouaspiretotheDeathless,youshouldwashyourthoughtsanddeedswithcool,clean,clear,pureDhammasothatthey’resparklingclean.Thatwayyou’llmeetwiththeflavoroftheDeathlessandgobeyonddeath,reachingthetranscendentandnibbānaatlast.

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LivinginPeace

August24,1957

TheDhammaiswhatgivespeace,shelter,andhappinesstotheworld.IftheworldweredeprivedoftheDhamma,wecouldn’tfindanypeacehereatall.IfpeopleindividuallyorasagrouphavetheDhammaconstantlyintheirhearts,they’relikefresh,greengrassgrowinginaspring-fedmeadowormountainvalley,constantlywateredbytherain.IfpeoplelacktheDhamma—ifthey’reevilorunskillfulintheirbehavior—they’relikegrassinthedryseasonorinadesert,lyingdeadontheground.Theyhavenothingtoattracttheheartsofotherpeopletolikethemorrespectthem.Instead,they’llsimplygetsteppedalloverandthrownaway.They’llreapnothingbutsufferingandmisfortune.

PeoplewiththeDhammaintheirheartsareliketreeswhoseflowersarebeautifulandfragrant.Everyonewantstobenearthem,toassociatewiththem.Asforpeoplewhoareshoddyintheirbehavior,they’relikethekindoftreewhoseflowersmaybeprettybutaresurroundedbythorns,orhavenofragrance,oraredownrightfoulsmelling.Otherpeoplearesuretodetestthemandwon’twanttocomenear.

TheDhammacanalsobecomparedtotheflameofalantern,whichbyitsnatureisdazzlingbright.Ourmindisliketheglobearoundthelantern.Iftheglobehasn’tbeenwashedandiscoveredwithsoot,thennomatterhowbrightthelightoftheflamemaybe,itwon’tbeabletoradiatethatbrightnessoutsideoftheglobe.Inthesameway,ifourmindiscloudedandobscuredwithevilintentions,thennomatterhowmuchgoodwetrytodo,itwon’tbecleanorpurebecauseourheartsarestillsoiledwithdefilementsinthesamewaythatthesootsoilstheglobeofthelantern.

We’vecometothisplace,whichisapeacefulplace,soweshouldtrytobepeacefulandpureinourbehavior:pureinourwordsanddeeds,andpureinourthoughts.Whenwe’repurebothinwardlyandoutwardlylikethis,wefitinwiththepeacefulnessoftheplace.

Peacecomesfromcausesandgivesrisetoresults.Ifthecausesaren’tpresent,theresultswon’tcome.Thekindofhappinesscomingfromalackof

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peacefulnesslastsonlyaslongasaquickcatchinyourbreath.Butthehappinesscomingfrompeacelastsforalong,longtime.Ifwhereweliveisn’tpeaceful,itwon’thelpusbenefitfromouractivities.Forinstance,ifwewanttoread,write,ormemorizeapassagefromabook,we’llhaveahardtime.Thisiswhypeacefulnessissomethingveryimportantthatweshouldallworktogethertofoster.

Ourbodyislikealargewaterjar;themind,likethewaterinthejar;andourdefilements,likesedimentinthewater.Ifwetakeanalumcrystalandswishitaroundinthewater,thebitsofsedimentwillgatherasaprecipitateonthesidesorbottomofthejar,leavingthewatercleanandclear.TheDhammaislikeanalumcrystalthatcanmakeourmindscleanandclear.WhenwelistentotheDhammaandtakeithometopondersoastobenefitfromit,itwillfilteroutallourunskillfultendencies,whicharedefilements,sothattheyseparateoutasaprecipitateinthemind.WhentheDhammastayswiththemindinthisway,thenevenwhentherearefeelingsofanger,wewon’tgetangryalongwiththem.Whentherearefeelingsofhatred,wewon’tgetworkedupalongwiththem.Whentherearefeelingsofinfatuation,wewon’tgetinfatuatedalongwiththem.Butevenso,thesefeelingsarestilllyinginwaitthereinthemind,whichiswhywehavetodevelophigherformsofgoodnesssoastoremovetheprecipitatescompletelyfromourwaterjar.

Thehigherformsofgoodnessthatwehavetodeveloparethepracticesforgivingrisetopeaceinthemind.Whentheheartisatpeace,itgivesrisetoaninnerqualitywithinitself,inthesamewaythatwaterallowedtositstillwillbecomemoreclear.Wepeoplehavethreeinstigatorswithinus:oureyes,ourears,andourmouth.Thisisonthephysicallevel.Onthementallevel,theinstigatorwithinusisourheart.Thesearethethingsthatcreatealackofpeacewithinus.Soyouhavetobecarefulnottoletpoisonintoyoursystemthroughanyofthesethings.Ifyourealizethatyou’veingestedpoison,youhavetospititoutrightaway.Otherwise,it’llharmyou.Inotherwords,youreyes,ears,andmouthareareaswhereyouhavetoexercisealotofrestraint.

Normally,oureyesarealwayslookingfortrouble,ourearsarelookingfortrouble,andourmouthhasahabitofsayingthingsthatcausetrouble.Tospeakinwaysthatwon’tcausetroublerequireswisdomanddiscernment.Whenyouhavediscernment,thenwhenyouingestgoodfood,youwon’tbeharmed.Evenifyouingestpoison,youwon’tdie.ThediscernmentI’mreferringtohereisknowledgeofpastlives,knowledgeofhowpeopledieandarereborn,andtheknowledgethatputsanendtothefermentationofdefilementintheheart.If

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youdon’tyethavethesekindsofdiscernment,youhavetobeextracarefulinlookingafteryourself,sothatyoucangainknowledgeofwhat’sskillfulandwhat’snot.

Inlookingafteryourself,youhaveto(1)watchoutforevilsothatitdoesn’tarise;(2)watchoutforyourgoodnesssothatitdoesn’tfallaway;and(3)putyourgoodnesstousesothatitgivesrisetobenefits.Whenyouspeak,speakinawaythatleadstopeacefulness.Ifyouspeakinawaythatgivesrisetotrouble,it’sasifyouhadeatenpoison.Andinthiswayyouharmnotonlyyourself,butotherpeopleaswell,inthesamewayaswhenyousprinklepoisoninanaquariumoffightingfish.Onefishbitesanother,sothatthewoundbecomespoisoned,andwhenallthefishhavebittenoneanothertheyendupfloatingdeadlikearaftonthesurfaceofthewater.Sowhenyourealizethatyoustillhavegreed,anger,anddelusioninyourmind,youhavetobeextracarefulinwhatyousay.Whenyou’remindfultospeakonlythethingsthatshouldbesaidandholdbackwhenyou’reabouttosayanythingyoushouldn’t,you’llbelookingoutforyourgoodnesstomakesureitdoesn’tfallaway,atthesametimethatyoupreventevilfromarising.Inaddition,youhavetowatchoutforyourears.Sometimesotherpeoplespeakwithgoodintentions,butwehearthemasbad.Sometimeswespeakwithgoodintentions,butotherpeoplemisunderstand.Whenthisisthecase,it’snodifferentfromplayingafluteintheearsofawaterbuffalo.Itservesnopurposeatall.

Whenwelivetogetherinagrouplikethis,thereareboundtobeallkindsofsoundswhenwecomeintocontactwithoneanother.Ifyouweretomakeacomparison,we’renodifferentfromanorchestra,whichhastoincludethesoundoftheoboes,thesoundofthegong,thesoundofthexylophones,highsounds,lowsounds,treble,andbass.Ifalltheinstrumentshadthesamesound,therewouldbenofuninlisteningtotheorchestra,foraone-soundorchestrawouldn’tbepleasingatall.Inthesameway,whenlotsofpeoplelivetogether,thereareboundtobegoodsoundsandbadarisinginthegroup.Soeachofushastolookafterhisorherownheart.Don’tletyourselffeelangerordislikeforthebadsounds,becausewhenthere’salotofdislikingit’sboundtoturntoanger.Whenthere’salotofanger,it’llturntoillwill.Whenthere’sillwill,it’llleadtoquarrelsandtrouble.

Forthisreason,weshouldspreadthoughtsofgoodwilltopeopleaboveus,belowus,andonthesamelevel.Whenpeoplebelowusshowdisagreeableattitudesintheirwordsoractions,weshouldforgivethem.Whenwecandothis,we’llbecontributingtothepeaceandcalmofthegroup.

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Ourhumanmindsrarelyhaveanytimetorestandrelax.Weallhavethingswekeepthinkingabout.Youcouldsaythateversincewe’velearnedhumanlanguage,we’vekeptonthinkingwithoutanytimetostopandrest.Themindkeepsitselfbusyuntilitdies.Ifourbodieswerethisindustrious,we’dallbemillionaires.Butwhentheminddoesn’thaveanytimetorest,it’sfilledwiththehindrances.That’swhyitknowsnopeace.Sowe’retaughttopracticeconcentration,lettinggoofthoughtsaboutsensuality.Inotherwords,wecloseoffoursensedoors,sothatthemindisn’tinvolvedwithanythingexternal,andwesetourmindstillandtallinthequalitiesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Wedon’tletitfalldownintoanysights,sounds,smells,tastes,ortactilesensations,whicharesensualobjects.

Asforsensualdefilements,wedon’tletthemindfallintopassion,aversion,ordelusion.Sometimesourconcentrationpracticegoesaswewantitto,andwegetpleasedandoblivious.Sometimesitdoesn’tgoaswe’dlikeitto,andwegetirritatedandannoyed.Thesearecasesofpassionandaversion.Asfordelusion,sometimeswhenwesitwelosetrackofwhatwe’redoingorwhereweare.Wegetdistractedorabsentmindedanddon’tknowwhat’sgoingon,goodorbad,rightorwrong.Thiscausesthemindtobecomedarkandobscure.Sometimeswedriftoffintothoughtsofthepastandthinkaboutpeoplewhohavedoneuswrong,sothatwefallintoillwill,wantingtogetrevengeandtosettleanoldscore.Inthiswayweharmourselvesbyspoilingourpractice.Allthreeofthesedefilements—passion,aversion,anddelusion—arepilesofdriedtimberjustwaitingtocatchfire,sowehavetoclearthemcompletelyoutoftheheart.

MindfulnessandalertnessarethequalityoftheBuddha.ThecoolsenseofhappinesstheygiveisthequalityoftheDhamma.Ifyoucanmaintainthatcoolnessuntilithardensintoablockofice—inotherwords,youmakethatgoodnesssolidandstronginyourheart—that’sthequalityoftheSaṅgha.Onceyou’vegotasolidblockofgoodnesslikethis,youcanpickitupandputittoanyuseyoulike.Whateveryousaywillgivegoodresults.Whateveryoudowillgivegoodresults.Yoursolidblockofgoodnesswillturnintoawish-fulfillinggem,bringingallsortsofhappinessyourway.

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FeedingtheMind

August10,1957

Whenwaterissubjectedtotheheatofthesunortheheatofafiretothepointwhereithasevaporatedaway,leavingjustthedrykettleorpot:Canyousaythatthat’stheendofthewater?Actually,itstillexists,simplythattheheathasturneditintoavaporthathasdispersedintotheair.Soyoucan’tsaythatthewaternolongerexists.Itstillexistssomewhereelseinanothercondition.Thesameholdstruewiththemind.Whenthebodydies,theminddoesn’tdiealongwithit.Itsimplymovestoanewplaceinlinewithyourgoodorbadkamma.Thefactthatitstillexistsinanothercondition:That’swhatwemeanwhenwesaythatitdoesn’tdie.

Still,whenit’ssubjectedtoalotoffire,itdegenerates.Justlikethebody:Whenthebodyissubjectedtothefiresofaging,illness,anddeath,itdegenerates.Whenthemindissubjectedtothefiresofdefilement—passion,aversion,anddelusion—itdegenerates.Themorethesethreemassesofflameburnawayatthemind,themoreitdegeneratesintermsofitsgoodness.It’sbecausewehavefireburningthebodyandthemindfrombothsides,thattheyenduphavingtofallapartandgoingtheirseparatedirections.Thiswecalltheprocessofbirthanddeath.

Soifyouwanthappiness,youhavetotrainthehearttogetridofitsdefilements.Onlythenwillyoubedonewithbirthanddeath.Butifyouweretoaskwherethatplaceofnobirthandnodeathislocated,itwouldbehardtopointout.Justlikepointingatanalbinoelephantorwaterbuffalotogetablindpersontolookatit:Itwouldbeawasteofeffort.Inthesameway,describingtheplaceofnobirthandnodeathsothatanignorantpersonwouldunderstanditisawasteoftime.Onlywhenyoudevelopdiscernmentwillyouunderstandwherepeoplegoaftertheydie,andwhetherornotthere’sreallyaplaceofnobirthandnodeath.Thisisbecauseapersonofdiscernmenthasaninnereye—theñāṇa-cakkhu,oreyeofknowledge.WhatthismeansisthatheorshehasseenthetrueDhamma.That’swhatgivessuchapersontheabilitytounderstandthisissue.TheBuddhasaid,“WhoeverseestheDhammaseesme.”Inotherwords,whenweseetheDhammathatdoesn’tdie,we’llbeabletosee

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thosewhodon’tdie,whatitisthatdoesn’tdie.SowhenwereachtheDhammathatdoesn’tdie,wemeetwiththeplacethatdoesn’tdie.Aslongaswehaven’tmetwiththatplace,wehavetokeeppracticingsoastogiverisetotheeyeofthemind.

Theproblemisthateventhoughmostofushavecleareyesight,ourmindsarestilldarkandblurry.TheDhammaoftheBuddhathatwe’retaughteverydayislikealensforcastingsomelightintotheeyeofthemind,sothatwecanfeelourwayalongwithoutfallingintopitsorwells.Eventhen,though,ourmindsarestillblurry.Thisiswhywehavesomanydifferingopinions:Oureyesarestillblurry—butatleastwe’renotblind.Wecanstillseevagueshapesandshadows.

There’sasaying:samaṇāñcadassanaṁetam-maṅgalamuttamaṁ.“Seeingacontemplativeisthehighestblessing.”Whatthismeansisthatwhoeverseesanobleone—astream-enterer,once-returner,non-returner,orarahant—seesagrandauspicioussight.Butyoureallyhavetoseeagenuinenobleoneforthistobetrue.Sowhereareyougoingtolookforanobleone?Whatsortsoffeatureshelpyourecognizeanobleone?Ifyoulookatanobleonefromtheoutside,there’snowayyoucanknowforsure.TheonlywaytoknowforsureistopracticetheDhammasoastogiverisetothequalitiesofanobleonewithinyourself.Aslongasyoudon’thavethosequalitieswithinyou,youcan’tseeagenuinenobleone.Youreyesarestillblurry,soeverythingyouseeisblurry.Yourmindisanordinarymind,soeverywhereyoulook,allyoucanseeareordinarypeople.

Tohelpusseethetruthinthisway,theBuddhateachesthreeguidelinesforpractice:

1)mattaññutācabhattasmiṁ—havingasenseofmoderationinconsumingfood;

2)pantañcasayanāsanaṁ—delightinginseclusion;3)adhicittecaāyogo—beingcommittedtotheheightenedmind,i.e.

heighteningthehappinessofthemind.

Withregardtothefirstguideline—havingasenseofmoderationinconsumingfood—therearetwokindsofconsumption:consumingfoodforthebodyandconsumingfoodforthemind.Twosortsoffoodforthebodyshouldbeavoided:anythingthat’sbeenobtainedthroughbadkamma,andanythingthatdoesn’treallynourishthebody.Whenyouavoidthesetwosortsoffood,

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that’scalledhavingasenseofmoderationinconsumingfood.Asforfoodforthemind,therearethreekinds:

1)phassāhāra,thefoodofsensorycontact,i.e.,thecontactofsights,sounds,smells,tastes,tactilesensations,andideasastheystrikeagainsttheeye,ear,nose,tongue,body,andmind;

2)viññāṇāhāra,thefoodofconsciousness,i.e.,awarenessatthesixsensedoors;and

3)mano-sañcetanāhāra,thefoodofmentalintentions,i.e.,settingthemindonanobject.

Apersonwithoutasenseofmoderationinfoodislikeanillpersonwhodoesn’tknowwhatfoodswillaggravatehisillness.He’sboundtohaveashortlifeandanearlydeath.Notonlythat,healsocreatesburdensforthepeoplearoundhim:hisparents,spouse,children,andrelatives.They’reputtoallsortsoftrouble.Whenhedies,theyhavetofindthemoneytopayforthefuneralandmakemerittodedicatetohim.Beforehedies,theyhavetopayformedicalcare.Thedoctorsandnurseshavetolookafterhimuntilwaylateintothenight,givinghimmedicine,cleaninguphisurineandfeces,allkindsofthings.Butifyougainasenseofhowtolookafteryourselfandarecarefulabouthowyouconsumeyourfood,you’llhavefewdiseases.Youyourselfwillbeatease,andthepeoplearoundyouwon’tbeburdened.

Thefivehindrancesarelikegerms.Iftheygetestablishedinyourheart,they’llmultiplyandspreadandeatawayatyourheartcontinually,tothepointwhereyourmindfallstosuchalowlevelthatyoucan’tliftitupagain.

Thefoodofconsciousnessmeanstheconsciousnessatthesixsensedoorsthatariseswhensightsstriketheeyes,soundsstriketheears,andsoforth.Pleasingsightsarelikesugar,molasses,orhoney,whicharesuretobeteemingwithants,gnats,andflies.Disagreeablesightsarelikefilth:Inadditiontocarryinggerms,they’resuretoattractallsortsofotherbadthings,too,becausethey’recrawlingwithfliesandworms.Ifwedon’tnoticetheants,flies,andfilth,we’llgoaheadandeatthefood—anditwillbetoxictoourhealth.Likeapersonwithoutanyteethwhofindschickenbonesinhisfood:Hecan’tchewthem,sohetriestoswallowthemwholeandendsupwithhiseyesbulgingoutoftheirsockets.Ifyouaren’tdiscerning,you’llgobbledownthefilthtogetherwiththewormsandsmellyparts,andthesugartogetherwiththeantsandflies.

Soyouhavetopaycarefulattention.Beforeyoueat,looktoseewhatyou

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canhandleandwhatyoucan’t,whatyouhavetobewaryofandwhatyoudon’t.Thisiscalledhavingaknifeandachoppingboardforyourfood.Whenyouexaminethingsforyourselfinthisway,you’llgettoeatfoodthat’swellpreparedandcooked—notlikeamonsterthateatsthingsraw.Ifyoudon’texaminethings,you’llmisunderstandwhat’shappening,thinkingthatgoodthingsarebad,andbadthingsaregood.Themindwon’tbeclearaboutthesethingsbecauseyoulackmindfulnessanddiscernment.You’llswallowtoxicfoodrightintoyourheart.Thisiscalledbeingverygreedy,verydeluded,becauseyou’recarelessinyoureating,andthiscreateshazardsforyourheart.

Thesameholdstruewiththefoodofear-consciousness.Thesoundsyoulikearelikesugarordelicioussweets.Thesoundsyoudon’tlikearefoodthat’srottenandspoiled.Ifyoudon’tusediscernment,don’tuserestraint,anddon’tpayproperattention,you’llendupeatingfoodthat’sallrottenandwormy.Whatever’ssweetyou’llswallowdownwhole,andalltheants,worms,andflieswillgodownwithit.Thiswillcausepainandtroubleforyourintestines,andturmoilforyourheart.Yourheartisalreadyinpoorhealth,andyetyougogobblingdownthingsthataretoxic.Whenthishappens,noonecancureyoubutyouyourself.

Thesamethingappliesintheareaofthenose,tongue,body,andmind.Whateverfoodyouplantoswallow,youfirsthavetopaycarefulattention,asmonksdowhentheychantthepassageforreflectionbeforeusinganyofthefourrequisites.Atthesametime,wehavetoreflectonwhetherthepersonbringingusthesethingssuffersfromwrongviewsandpracticeswronglivelihoodaswell.Otherwise,ourownvirtueswillbecompromised.

Sowehavetobefirmlyintent,usingmindfulnesstogainevidence,andourdiscernmenttopassjudgment.Thatwaywe’llgettoeatfoodthat’sjustandfair.Anyonewhodoesn’tusemindfulnessanddiscernmentislikeanogrethateatsdeadthings,rottenthings,andraw.Bones,wings,skins,andfeathers:Everythingyouswallowrightdown,likeasavagewhodoesn’tknowanybetter.

Scientistsnowadaysaresmart.Theycantakethingsyounormallycouldn’teatandthendistilandprocessthemsothatyoucaneatthem,andthey’regoodforyou,too.Peoplewithoutdiscernment,whoallowthemselvestogetovercomewithgreedandhunger,willeateverything:wings,tails,bones,fins.Thethingstheylikegetstuckintheirhearts.Thethingstheydon’tlikegetstuckintheirhearts.Wherevertheygo,it’sasiftheyhavebonesstuckintheir

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throats.Butifwehavevirtue,concentration,anddiscernmentinourconsumptionofthefoodofconsciousness,it’sasifwehaveafire,astove,andaknifetoprepareourfoodtherightway.

Thenextkindoffoodisthefoodofmentalintentions.Ifwesetourheartsonthewrongthings,itcanbetoxictous.Ifyousitherethinkingaboutsomeoneyouhateorwhomakesyouangry,tellingyourselfthatifyoumeetthatpersonyou’llhavetosaythisorthat,thisiscalledsettingyourheartonthewrongobject.Ifyousetyourheartontherightthings,itwillflowintherightdirection.Forgetfulnessanddelusionwon’tbeabletoarise.Forinstance,youcanthinkaboutthevirtuesorthegenerosityyou’vepracticed,oraboutyourteachers.Thisiscalledsettingyourheartontherightobject.Theheartwillbegintoblossom.JustlikethepeopleinthetimeoftheBuddha:WhentheirheartswereinclinedtowardrecollectionoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,theyenteredtherefugeofthenobleattainments.Forthisreason,weshouldinclineourheartstowardthepeopleorthingsthatwillcauseourheartstoflourishandgrow.Thisiswhatwillgivethemthestrengththeyneedtogainreleasefromthehindrances,whicharelikecurtainsoffog,orlikewormsthatswarmoverandeatawayattheheart.Thisiswhatwillgiveusthestrengthtoshootourwayuptothepathsandfruitionsleadingtonibbāna.Inthiswaywe’llbegoodcooksforourselves.Butifwedon’tknowhowtochop,boil,orfryourownfood,we’llhavetoeatitraw,justlikeamonster.

Thethirdmouthfuloffoodisthefoodofcontact.Whateversightscomeinbywayoftheeyes,whateversoundscomeinbywayoftheears,whateversmellscomesinbywayofthenose,andsoforth,youhavetobecareful.Payattentionatalltimestowhateverwillbeofuse,andavoidanythingpoisonous.Whateverwillbemeritoriousorskillful,evenifitmaybepainful,youhavetoendureandstickwithit,aswhenyouhavetoendureheat,cold,orraininthepractice.Asforanythingthatwillbeunskillful,youhavetoshakeitrightoff.Thesameappliestotheideasthatmakecontactinthemind.Whenyoucanactinthisway,goodfoodwillkeepflowingintobenefityoureyes,ears,nose,tongue,andbody,andwillseepintobatheyourheart.You’llbesecludedfromevil,secludedfromdefilements.Adhicittecaāyogo:You’llbecommittedtotheheightenedmind.Mindstatesheadingtothelevelofthelowerrealmswilldisappear,andthoseofthenobleoneswillariseintheirplace.Themindwillbeinafirmsteadystate,headingstraightfornibbāna.That’showitgetsbeyondthereachofthefiresthatburnattheendoftheeon.

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Shelter

September28,1958

Thistalkisunusualinthatwehavetworeconstructionsofit:alongerone(II)byMaeChiiArunAbhivaṇṇā,andashorterone(I)byanunknownhand.Comparingthetworeconstructionsisasoberingexperience,givingahintofwhatcansometimesgetlostintheprocessofreconstructingatalk.Still,weoweagreatdealtothosewhowenttothetroubleoftakingnoteswhileAjaanLeeexplainedtheDhamma.Withoutthem,wewouldhavenothingofhisspokenteachingsatall.

SomepassagesinIIhavealreadybeentranslatedinFoodforThoughtandTheSkillofRelease.PuttingtheminthecontextoftheoriginaltalkshowshowtheyfunctioninAjaanLee’steachingstyle.AsAjaanFuang,oneofhisstudents,oncesaid,AjaanLeecouldtalkonthreelevelsatonce.Thistalkhasalittlesomethingforeveryone.

I

“Pleasure”and“purity”meantwodifferentthings.They’renotoneandthesame.Pleasureisthephysicalandmentaleasethatcomesfrommaterialobjects,butit’snotpurity,becausethemindisstillsoakedandsaturatedwithvariouspreoccupations,whichdefileit.Asforpurity,that’sakindofpleasureindependentofmaterialobjects.It’sapleasurethatcomesfromthestillnessandeaseofthemind.

Pleasureisalowerformofgoodness.It’smundane.Purityisahigherformofgoodness:thetranscendent.

Inconcentrationpractice,righteffortisasupportingfactor,whilerightmindfulnessandrightconcentrationaresupervisingfactors.Thesetwotypesoffactorsarethebasicprinciplesoftranquility.They’rethefactorsthatoverseeandprotectthemindfromfallingintowrongconcentration.

Somepeoplesaythattranquilityandinsightaretwoseparatethings,butactuallythey’reoneandthesame.Tranquilitygivesrisetoinsight.Insightgives

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risetopurity.Andsopuritycomesfromthisplainoldstillnessofmind.Whatcanwedotoreachpurity?Forthemindtobecomepurewehaveto

trainit.Ifyouweretosayit’seasy,it’seasy.Ifyouweretosayit’shard,it’shard.Ifyou’retrueinwhatyoudo,you’llgetresultseasily.Ifyouaren’t,theresultswillbehard.

Tranquilityislikealitcandle.Ifit’swellprotectedfromthewind,theflamewillstandstraightandgiveoffabrightlight.You’llbeabletoseeanythingclearly.Ifthecandletipsover,theflamewillgooutandyou’llhavetogropearoundwithyourhands.Youmaymistakeacatforadog,oradogforacat,becauseyoucan’tseeclearly.

Inthesameway,wehavetomakeanefforttousemindfulnesstoprotectthemindfromthewind.Don’tletthehindrancesblowinandovercomethemind.

II

Pleasureandthegoodnessofpurityaretwodifferentthings,notoneandthesame.Pleasureisthephysicalandmentaleasethatcomesfromordinarythings:eating,living,andsleepingcomfortably,withoutanyillness;havingplentyofwealthatyourdisposal,andsoforth.Asforthegoodnessofpurity,thatcomesfromapleasureapartfromtheordinary.Itcomesfromyourownmindwithouthavingtodependonthesupportofthingsoutside.ThiskindofpleasuretakesitssupportfromtheDhamma.Andwhenitarises,it’sstable,unchanging,andlasting.Asforordinarypleasure,it’sundependable.Ittends,byandlarge,toleavepeopledisappointed.Thisiswhywe’vecometolookforpleasureintheareaoftheDhamma,whichisapleasurethatwon’tletusdown.

TheDhammaislikethethatchortilesthatpeopleputontheirroofstoprotectthemfromthesunandrain.Whenpeoplearebornintotheworldit’sasifthey’releftoutintheopenwithoutanyshelter.They’resuretosufferfromthesunandrainandstormywinds.OnlyiftheyhavetheDhammaensconcedintheirheartswilltheyescapefromthesedangers.Thisiswhywe’retaughttofindshelterfortheheart—i.e.,theDhamma—togiveusprotection.TheDhammahereisvirtue,concentration,anddiscernment.

Therearefourtypesofvirtue:restraintofthesenses,restraintintermsofthePāṭimokkha(precepts),purityoflivelihood,andcontemplationofthe

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requisites.Thesefourtypesofvirtuearelikewallsonallfoursides,whichwillprotectusfromstormywinds.Concentration—thefourlevelsofjhāna—islikeafour-sidedroofthatwillprotectusfromthesunandrain.Discernment—transcendentdiscernment—islikeasolidfloorthatwillprotectusfromthedangeroffallingintothestatesofdeprivation.Whenyou’veprovidedyourselfwiththesethreetypesofprotection,youhaveasenseofsecurityanddon’thavetofearanyofthesufferingsthatmightcomeinthisworldorthenext.

Thepreceptsareshelterforthebody;concentrationisshelterforthemind.Thisshelterforthemindiscomposedoftranquilityandinsight.Tranquilitymeansmakingthemindquietandfirm,freefromthehindrances.Insightmeansusingyourdiscernmenttoinvestigatethecausesandeffectsofallfabricatedthingswithinyousothatyoucanseetheirtruthtothepointwhereyoucanletgoofdefilements,levelbylevel.Whenyoucanletgoofthemall,yourmindwillgainreleasefrommentalfermentations,reachingthegoodnessofpurity.Somepeoplesaythattranquilityandinsightaretwoseparatethings,butactuallythey’reoneandthesame.Tranquilityismakingthemindstill.Whenthemindisstill,itgivesrisetoaglow.Astheglowgetsbrighterandbrighter,itturnsintothelightofinsight.Wheninsightarises,youenterintothegoodnessofpurity.Andsothisgoodness,thispurity,comesfromtranquility:thisplainoldstillnessofmind.

Themindthatisn’tstillisthemindthatdoesn’tstaywiththebody.Whenthishappens,you’llmeetwithnothingbutsufferinganddefilement.It’slikeahouseinwhichnooneisliving:It’sboundtogetdustyandmessy.Youdon’thavetolookveryfarforanexample:Takethismeditationhallwe’resittingin.Supposeallthemonks,novices,andlaypeopleweretogooffandleaveitforjustaday.Onyourreturnyou’dseethatitwascoveredwithdustandcobwebs,simplyfromhavingnoonetodothesweepinganddusting.Inthesameway,whenthemindgoesoffandleavesthebody,boththebodyandmindgetdustyanddefiled.Andwhenthebodyisdusty,howcanthemindstaywithit?It’slikeadusty,dirtyhouse:Theownerscan’tlivethere,andnobodyelsecaneither.Monkswon’twanttovisitthem.Supposeyoulaypeopleweretoinvitemeintoyourhome.Ifyourhomeweremessyandfilthy,filledwithchickendroppingsandduckdroppings,Iwouldn’twanttogoin,Iwouldn’twanttositdown,I’dscarcelybeabletobreathe.Sokeepthiscomparisoninmind:Iftheminddoesn’thaveconcentration,isn’tdevelopingskillfulqualities,it’slikeafilthyhouse.Wherewouldyoufindmonkswhowouldliketovisityourhousewhenit’slikethat?Andwhenmonkswon’tvisityou,wherewillyougainany

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blessings?Whenthemindisoutsideofthebody,it’stheworld.Whenit’sinsidethe

body,it’sDhamma.Ifit’stheworld,ithastobeashotasfire.Ifit’sDhamma,it’sascoolingaswater.

Skillfulnessonthesensualplaneisgoodnessontheconventional,sociallevel.Ithastoinvolvepeopleandthingsoutside.Transcendentskillfulnessisgoodnessaboveandbeyondthesociallevel:Youlearntodependonyourselfandcanhandleyourproblemsonyourown.

Themindofanordinarypersoncangoforwardandback,andsoit’snotdependable.Sometimes,afterwinning,itturnsaroundandloses.Itwinstodayandlosestomorrow.Asforthemindofanobledisciple,whenitwinsitdoesn’tthenlose.Itgoesforwardanddoesn’tslideback.Itkeepsforgingstraightahead.

Whenthemindisundependable,whenitdoesn’thavefirmprinciples,it’saCommunistmind,i.e.,onewithoutanyreligion.Amindwithareligionhastohaveprinciplessothatitcandependonitself.It’samindthatcanbeitsownperson.

Whenthemindisn’titsownperson,itdoesn’thavecompleteauthority.Itcan’tgiveordersorexercisecompletecontroloveranything.Forinstance,ifyouorderthebodytocomeandlistentoaDhammatalk,itwon’tbewillingtocome.Ifyouorderittositinconcentration,itwon’tbewillingtosit.Likebeingaparent:Onlyifyou’rethechild’sparent100%willyouhavefullauthorityoverit.Ifyou’rejust50%itsparent,andit’s50%yourchild,youcan’texercisefullcontrolwithanyconfidence.Sothemindislikeaparent;thebody,likeachild.That’swhywehavetotrainthemindtobeitsownperson,sothatwecanhavefullcontroloverthebody.Whenthemindhasfullcontrol,wecanovercomeanypainsthatarisefromthebodyandanydefilementsthatarisefromthemind.That’swhenyoucansaythatyou’rereallyyourownperson.

Eachofusislikealong-playingrecord.Whenwedogood,thatgoodnessgetsrecordedwithinus.Whenwedobad,thatbadnessgetsrecordedwithinus—justlikearecordthat’sbeenusedtorecordgoodandbadsounds.Whatevertypeofkammawedo,itstayswithinus—itdoesn’tgooffanywhereelse.Soaskyourselfwhetheryouwanttokeepgoodnessorbadnesswithinyou.

Themindisneithergoodnorbad,butit’swhatknowsgoodandknowsbad.It’swhatdoesgoodanddoesbad.Andit’swhatletsgoofgoodandletsgoofwhat’sbad.

Thebodyissomethingthatwearsdownanddisintegratesintonothing.The

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mindissomethingthatdoesn’tdisintegrate,doesn’tdie.Sowe’relikearicegrain,withonepartthattakesbirthandanotherthatdoesn’ttakebirth.Thepartthatdoesn’ttakebirthistheplainriceflour.Thepartthattakesbirthisthewhitespotonitstip.Ifwedon’twantthatricegraintotakebirthasaplant,allwehavetodoisdemolishthelittlewhitespot,anditwon’tbeabletosprout.Thesamewithus:Thebodyisliketheplainriceflour;themind,thelittlewhitespotthatsprouts.Ifthemindcontainsdefilements—itsattachmentstogoodandbad—withoutdemolishingthem,itwillcauseustosproutinnewplanesofbecomingandbirth.Thisiswhywe’retaughttoletgoofourattachmentstogoodandbad,toputthembothdown.Whenthemindhasnothingmoretosprout,itcanthengainreleasefrombirthanddeath.

Whenthemindleavesthebodyatdeath,itvanishesinthesamewaythatanextinguishedcandleflamedoesn’thaveashapeforourphysicaleyestosee.Butthatdoesn’tmeanthatflamefirehasdisappearedfromtheworld.Itsimplygetsdiffusedintoitsproperty,likethefireofelectricityinacopperwire.Ifwesimplylookatthewirewewon’tseeanyfireinit.Butifwetouchitwithourhand,we’llimmediatelyfeeltheheat.Inthesameway,whenthemindleavesthebodyitreappearsinotherplacesjustlikethefirethatdiffusesintoitsproperty.

Toholdontothebodyistoholdontooldkamma.Toletgoofthebodyistoletgoofoldkamma.Andwhenwecanletgointhisway,therewillbenomorekammainthebody.It’sthesameaswithapieceofproperty.Ifwetakepossessionofit,withadeedandtheboundariesstakedout,theretendtobeproblemswithtrespassing,swindling,boundarydisputes,andcasesincourt.Butifwedon’ttakepossessionofitandsimplyletitbepublicproperty,therewillbenotroublesorquarrels.Thiswaytheheartcanbeatitsease.

Thebodyislikeaboat;theriverisourskillfulintentions.Mindfulnessisthewindthatmovesusalong.Thedefilementsarelikesandbars.Ifyoudevelopmindfulnessatalltimesyou’llbeabletotakeyour“body-boat”totheothershorewithoutrunningagroundonthesand.

Defilementsarelikesandbarsorstumpsinariverthatwillkeepourboatfromgettingtoshore.Inotherwords,passionissomethingthatsnagsus,angerissomethingthatbumpsintous,anddelusionissomethingthatmakesusspinaroundandsink.There’sastorytheytelloftwomenwhowerehiredtorowaboatalongtheriversandcanalstosellplowshares,shovels,andhoes.Iftheysoldallthewaresintheboat,theiremployerwouldgivethemtheirfullwages

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ofonekahāpana,whichwasequaltoaboutfourdollars,aday.Thefirstdaytheiremployerwentoutwiththem,andtheysoldalltheirwares.Afterthat,hedidn’tgowiththem,sothetwoofthemwentouttoselltheirwaresontheirown.Oneday,astheywereoutrowingalong,callingout,“Plowshares,shovels,andhoes!”theirmindswanderedandtheystartedgettingdrowsy.Allofasuddentheycrashedsmackintoastumpandranagroundonasandbar.Evenaftertheygotfreetheyweresoshakenupthatinsteadofcallingout,“Plowshares,shovels,andhoes!”theystartedcallingout,“Sandbarsandstumps!Sandbarsandstumps!”allalongtheriver,butnobodywantedtobuy.

Wheneveningcame,theyrowedbacktotheiremployer’shouse,theirboatstillfullofplowshares,shovels,andhoes.Theyhadn’tbeenabletosellathing.Sotheemployergavethemeachonlyadollarfortheirday’swages.Oneofthementookthemoneybacktohiswife,whowassurprisedtoseethatshewasgettingonlyonedollar,insteadoftheusualfour.“Maybehe’sgiventherestofthemoneytoanotherwoman,”shethought,soshegavehimapieceofhermind.Nomatterhowmuchhetriedtoexplainthings,shewouldn’tlisten.Sohetoldhertogoasktheemployer.Ifwhathesaidwasn’ttrue,he’dbewillingtoletherhithimonceonthehead.Thewife,impatientbecauseshewassoangry,said,“No,letmehityoufirst,andthenI’llgoask.”Asshesaidthis,shereachedforashovelhandle,butallshecouldgrabwasthesticktheyusedtodrivethedogoutofthehouse,sosheusedthattobashherhusbandthreetimesonthehead.Later,ofcourse,shefoundoutthetruth,butbythattimeitwastoolate,forthehusbandhadalreadygottenthreefreehitsonthehead.

Thisstoryshowstheharmthatcancomefromnotbeingmindful.Ifyouletyourmindwanderawayfromwhatyou’redoing,youcanendupgettingyourselfintotrouble.

Ifweweretomakeacomparison,themanattheprowoftheboatstandsforthemonks.Themanatthetailoftheboatstandsforthelaypeople.Thestumpsarepassion,aversion,anddelusion;whilethesandbaristhehindrances.Ifwe’renotcarefultobemindful,ifweletourmindsgetentangledindefilementsandcoveredwiththefivehindrances,ourDhammapracticewillhaveahardtimesucceeding.

Skillfulnessonthesensualplaneislikeatruckrunningalongaroadoraboatrunningalongariver,butineithercaseit’snotasgoodasatruckstoppedstillatawarehouseoraboatstoppedstillatadock.Now,therearebenefitsthatcomewhenatruckrunsalongaroadoraboatrunsalongariver.(1)Itcan

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carryfreightorpassengers.(2)Itcancollectfarefromthepassengersorshippingchargesforthefreight.Butwhenourtruckstopsatthewarehouseorourboatstopsatthedock,wegetgreaterbenefitsmanytimesover.(1)Wegettimetorestourwearybones.(2)Wegettounloadallouroldfreightandpickupnewfreight.(3)Ifwekeepstoppingatthesamedockoftenenough,we’llgetmoreandmorefamiliarwiththepersonwhorunsthedockandthepeoplenativetothearea.Ultimatelywe’llgetsothatthey’llsharefoodwithuswithoutourhavingtopayforourdinner,orletusspendthenightwithouthavingtopayforourroom.Thisisbecausewegetmoreintimateandfamiliarwithoneanother,sothattheycometolikeus.Ultimately,they’lltrustussomuchthatwecansharethesamebed.Whenthishappens,wemaygettoaskthemtheirfamilysecrets:howmanywivesandchildrentheyhave,howtheymaketheirmoney,wheretheykeepthefamilytreasures.They’lltelluseverything.

Inthesameway,ifourmindstopsrunningafteritspreoccupationsandstaysstillatitsdock—thebody—we’llreapthesamethreekindsofbenefits.(1)Themindwillgettorestandrecoverfromitsweariness.(2)Itwillpickupasenseofpeace,pleasure,andease.(3)Itwillbecomemorefamiliarandintimatewiththefourproperties,whicharelikethenativesinthisarea.We’llcometoknowthoroughlytheworkingsofthebodyandmind.Whenwestaywiththeearthproperty,we’llknowtheaffairsoftheearthproperty.Whenwestaywiththewaterproperty,we’llknowtheaffairsofthewaterproperty.Whenwestaywiththewindproperty,we’llknowtheaffairsofthewindproperty.Whenwestaywiththefireproperty,we’llknowtheaffairsofthefireproperty.We’llgiverisetothethreeandtheeightcognitiveskills.We’llknowalltheaffairsofthebodytothepointwherewehavenomoredoubts.Thatwillenableustoletthebodygo.

Knowinginlinewithlabels,inlinewithbooksorwithwhatpeoplesay,isimitationknowing,nottherealthing.It’sliketheshadowofknowing.Realknowingistheknowingthatariseswithinyourself.It’spaccattaṁ:entirelypersonal.It’sthekindofknowingthatcan’tbetaughtandcan’tbetold.Ithastoarisewithinyou.Onlythenwillyouknowwhat’sinconstant,stressful,andnot-self;andwhat’sconstant,easeful,andself.Change-of-lineageknowledge(gotarabhū-ñāṇa)seesbothsidesandletsgoofboth.ThetruthoftheDhammaisDhammaṭhiti,theaspectofmindthatstaysinplacewithoutchanging.Themovementsandcharacteristicsofthemindaresimplyshadowsorimitationsofknowing.InpracticingtheDhamma,youwanttrueknowing.Ifyoudon’treallypractice,you’llmeetuponlywiththeshadowsoftheDhamma.Forthisreason,

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weshouldpracticesothattrueknowingwillappearwithinus.Thisbodyofourshaspartsthatareconstantandthosethatareinconstant,

botheaseandstress,bothselfandnot-self.Forexample,thepropertiesofearth,water,wind,andfireareconstantinthatthey’veneverturnedintoanythingelse.Theearthpropertyhasneverturnedintowater,thewaterpropertyhasneverturnedintowind,thewindpropertyhasneverturnedintofire.Whateverthey’vebeensincethebeginningoftheworld,that’swhatthey’llbeuntiltheworldfallstopieces.Takewaterasanexample:Evenifpeoplefreezeituntilit’shard,orputgreen,yellow,orreddyeintoit,it’llstillbewaterjustthesame.There’sevenaconstantaspecttothepartsofourbody:Ourhandhasneverturnedintoafoot,ourarmhasneverturnedintoaleg,oureyehasneverturnedintoanear,ourlowerliphasneverpusheditswayuptobeingtheupperlip.Thesearetheaspectsthatareconstantandself.Asfortheinconstantparts,thosearejustthecharacteristicsofthesethings,notwhattheyreallyare.

Thepropertiesofearth,water,wind,andfirearelikefourpeople.Ifyoukeeptryingtoacquaintyourselfwiththem,afterawhilethey’llbecomeyourfriends.

Inthebeginningtheyaren’ttoofamiliarwithyou,theydon’ttrustyou,sothey’llwanttotestyoufirst.Forinstance,whenyoustartsittinginmeditation,they’lltakeastickandpokeyouinyourlegsandshins,sothatyourlegshurtorgrownumb.Ifyouliedown,they’llpokeyouintheback.Ifyoulieonyourside,they’llpokeyouinthewaist.Ifyougetupandsitagain,they’lltestyouagain.Ortheymaywhispertoyoutogiveup.Ifyougiveintothem,theKingofDeathwillgrinuntilhischeekshurt.

Whatyouhavetodoissmileagainsttheoddsandendureeverythingtotheendpoint.Keeptalkingwithallfourproperties.Eventhoughtheydon’trespondatfirst,youhavetokeeptalkingwiththem,askingthemthisandthat.Afterawhilethey’llgiveyouaone-wordanswer.Soyoukeeptalkingandthentheiranswerswillstartgettinglongeruntilyoueventuallybecomeacquaintancesandcanhaverealconversations.Fromthatpointtheybecomeyourintimatesandfriends.They’llloveyouandhelpyouandtellyoutheirsecrets.You’llbeapersonwithfriendsandwon’thavetobelonely.You’lleattogether,sleeptogether,andwhereveryougo,you’llgotogether.You’llfeelsecure.Nomatterhowlongyousit,youwon’tache.Nomatterhowlongyouwalk,youwon’tfeeltired—becauseyouhavefriendstotalkwithasyouwalkalong,sothatyouenjoyyourselfandreachyourdestinationbeforeyourealizeit.

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Thisiswhywe’retaughttopracticemeditationbykeepingmindfulnessimmersedfirmlyinthebody.Usedirectedthoughtandevaluationwithyourmeditationthemes—body,feelings,mind,andmentalqualities—withoutlettingyourmindwanderastrayinoutsidethoughtsandpreoccupations.Contemplatethebodysoastoknowhowallfourpropertiesaregettingalong,whereitfeelspleasant,painful,orneutral.Noticehowthemindmovesaroundinthevariousthingsyouknowuntilyoureachthementalqualitythat’sstill,solid,andtrue.

Thiswayit’slikehavingfriendsgowithyouwhereveryougoandwhateveryoudo.Inotherwords,whenthebodywalks,themindwalkswithit.Whenthebodyliesdown,themindliesdownwithit.Whenthebodysits,themindsitswithit.Whereverthebodystops,themindstops,too.Butmostofusaren’tlikethis.Thebodytakestwosteps,butthemindtakesfourorfive—sohowcanitnotgettired?Thebodyliesinamosquitonetsurroundedbyarailingandseventhickwalls,butthemindcanstillgorunningoutsidethehouse.Whenthisisthecase,wherewillitgetanyhappiness?Ifitdoesn’tstayinitshouseit’llhavetowanderaroundexposedtothesun,wind,rain,andallsortsofdangersbecauseithasnoroof,noprotection.Ifthere’snoconcentrationtoactasashelterfortheheart,it’llalwayshavetomeetwithmiseryandpain.

Forthisreason,youshouldtrainyourhearttostayfirminconcentrationandtodevelopfullauthoritywithinyourselfsothatyoucanbeyourownperson.Thiswayyou’llbeboundtomeetwiththegoodnessofpurity,asmentionedabove.

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LoyaltytoYourMeditation

October22,1958

Whilewemeditatehereonthewordbuddho,wehavetomakeupourmindsthatwe’regoingtostayrightherewithsomeonevenerable,inthesamewaythatwe’dbeamonk’sattendant.We’llfollowafterhimandwatchoutforhimandnotrunoffanywhereelse.Ifweabandonourmonk,he’sgoingtoabandonus,andwe’llbeputtoallsortsofhardships.Asforthemonk,he’llbeputtohardshipsaswell,asinthestorytheytell:

OnceinthetimeoftheBuddhatherewasarichmoneylendercouplewhohadbeenmarriedalongtimebutwithoutanychildren.Bothofthemreallywantedasonwhocouldcarryonthefamilylineandreceivetheirinheritance.Sotheytalkedthematteroveranddecidedtoinviteamonktotheirhometoinformhimoftheirpredicament,toseeifhecouldusehismeditativepowerstohelpintercedewiththedevassothattheycouldhaveachild.Whentheyhadmadetheirdecision,theytoldoneoftheirmaleservantstogointoanearbyforesttoinviteameditatingmonktocomehaveamealintheirhome.

Thenextmorningbeforedawn,theservantgotreadytogointotheforesttoahutwhereameditatingmonkhadtakenupresidence.Now,thisservanthadoncebeenahunterandstillhadallhisoldhuntinginstincts.Hehadevenkepthiscrossbowandarrowsandotherhuntingequipment,andmaintainedthemingoodshape.Whenhismasterhadsenthimtoinvitethemonk,whichwouldrequiregoingintotheforest,hewashappytogo,foritwouldgivehimachancetodoalittlehuntingontheside.Sohesnuckhiscrossbowandarrowsoutofthehouseunderhisshirt.

Whenhegothalfwaytothemonk’shut,herealizedthatitwouldn’tbepropertoapproachamonkwhilearmed,sohedecidedtohidehisweaponsonthesideofthepath.Onthewayback,he’dbeabletopickthemup.Sohestashedthecrossbowandarrowsbehindabushnearthepath.Thenhewentonhiswayempty-handeduntilhecameacrossanoldmonksittinginfrontofahut.Afterbowingdowntothemonk,hesaidtohim,“Venerablesir,mymasterthemoneylenderandhiswifehaveaskedmetocomeinviteyoutoamealintheirhousethismorningandhavetoldmetotakeyouthere.Wouldyouplease

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besokindastoaccepttheirinvitation.”Theoldmonk,onhearingthis,decidedtoaccept.Nowitsohappenedthat

hedidn’thaveanattendantofhisown,sohehadtheservantcarryhisbowlandshoulderbag.Thenhepickeduphiscaneandheadedoutinunsteadystepstowardthemoneylender’shouse.Astheywalkedalong,heaskedtheservant,“Whereisyourmaster’shouse?Howfarisitfromhere?Howdoyougetthere?”Theservantansweredallhisquestions.Aftertheyhadwalkedonalittlefurther,theservantrememberedthecrossbowandarrowshiddenbehindthebushonthesideofthepath.Thethoughtoccurredtohimthathe’dliketoabandontheoldmonk,pickuphisweapons,andsneakofftodoalittlehuntingintheforest.Afterall,hetoldhimself,hehadalreadygivenexplicitdirectionstotheoldmonk,sohe’dbeabletofindhiswayonhisown.

Thenhecameupwithaplan.Hetoldtheoldmonk,“I’vegottogotothebathroomreallybad,soletmeheadintothewoodsforamoment.Youcanwalkonahead.WhenI’mfinishedI’llcatchupwithyou.”

Theoldmonkwasn’ttheleastbitsuspiciousandthoughtthattheservantwastellingthetruth,sohelettheservantgooffwhilehehurriedonahead,afraidthatitwasgettinglateandthathewouldn’tgettothemoneylender’shouseintimeforhismeal.Asfortheservant,heturnedoffthepathandheadedforthebushwherehehadhiddenhiscrossbowandarrows.Butbeforehegotthere,oneoftheforestdevasdecidedtotesthisloyaltytotheoldmonk.Sothedevametamorphosedhimselfintoalargegoldenswanandpretendedtohaveabrokenwing,flyinganerraticcourseunderthetreesnearthepaththeservantwasfollowing.

Theservantheardthesoundofabirdflappingitswings—flip-flap,flip-flap—and,lookingup,sawanenormousgoldenswanzig-zaggingbackandforth,lookinglikeitcouldn’tgetaway.Seeingthis,hegotreallyexcited,thinkingthathe’dhavetoshootthisbirdforfoodforsure.Inhisexcitementheforgotthathewascarryingthemonk’sbowlandshoulderbag,andthoughtinsteadthathehadaquiverstrappedtohisbackandacrossbowonhisshoulder.Sohereachedintotheshoulderbagandpulledouttheoldmonk’sbetelnutcrusher,abouttwofeetlong,andtookaimwithitasifitwereacrossboworarifle.Thenhetookhisstanceandpulledbackonthecrusher,atthesametimemakingthesoundofagunfiring,byng,byng,byng.Butofcourseheneverhitthebirdatall.

Asfortheoldmonk,afterwalkingonawayshebegantoforgetthe

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servant’sdirections,soheturnedleftandright,rightandwrong,andcouldn’tfindhiswayoutoftheforest.Helookedbackoverhisshouldertoseeiftheservantwascatchingupwithhim,buttheservantnevercame.Allhecouldhearwasthesound—byng,byng,byng—echoingthroughtheforest,butnomatterhowmuchhecalledout,therewasneveranyanswer.Thelateritgot,thehotterthesun,andthemoretiredandhungryhegot—forafterall,hewasveryold—sohemadeuphismindtoturnaroundandretracehissteps,staggeringbacktohishut.

Meanwhile,theservant—exhaustedfromtryingtoshootthegoldenswanwithoutsuccess—wasreadytogiveup.Sothedeva,seeingthathehadhadenoughfunwiththeservant,pretendedtobeshotandfelldownpantingheavilyonthepathalittlewaysahead.Thrilled,theservantcamerunninguptopickupthebird,butjustashebentovertograspholdofit,itdisappearedinaflash.Thisstartledtheservant,andsuddenlyitdawnedonhimthatsomeforestspirithadbeendeceivinghim.That’swhenherememberedtheoldmonk.Soinhispanichedroppedthebowlandshoulderbagandranawaywithhisarmsflailing,allthewhilecallingouttothemonk,“Helpme!Helpme!”Butthemonkwasnowheretobefound.Sotheservanthurriedstraighthomeandtoldhismastereverythingthathadhappened.Themoneylenderwassofuriousthathepunishedtheservantbymakinghimsleepoutsidethewallsofthehousecompoundandgowithoutfoodforthreedays.Ontopofthat,hecutbackhisdailywage.

Thisstoryshowsthehardshipsthatcomewhenapersonisn’tloyaltohismonk,whenherunsawayfromhisresponsibilitiesandabandonshismonk.Hecausesallsortsofproblemsforhimselfandforothersaswell.Theoldmonkhadtogowithoutfoodforaday.Havinglosthisbowl,shoulderbag,andbetelnutcrusher,hewasforcedtosearchfornewrequisites.Asforthemoneylenderandhiswife,theydidn’tgetthethingstheyhadhopedfor.

WhenyouapplythisstorytotheDhamma,itbecomesalessonworthremembering.Ifyou’renotloyaltoyourmeditationobjectortoyourself,ifyouforgetthebreathyou’remeditatingonwithbuddho,buddho,andletyourmindgowanderingoffinthoughtsandconcepts,it’sasifyou’veabandonedthemonkyou’resupposedtolookafter.Youdon’tfollowhim;youdon’tacttheroleofhisstudentasyouhadintendedto.Theresultsthatyouhadhopedforwillthusgetruined.Inotherwords,yourmindwon’tgetestablishedinconcentration.Allkindsofhardships—thefivehindrances—willcomeflowingintotheheart,andnopeacewillappear.Thiscausesyoutosufferandtomiss

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outonthegoodresultsthatyoushouldhaveachieved.Atthesametime,youcausehardshipstoothers—i.e.,themonksittingup

heregivingyouaDhammatalk.Hewasteshistime,talkingforhoursuntilhisrearendhurts.Insteadoflyingaroundhishutathisleisure,hehastositherejabberingawaywithnoresultstoshowforitatall.

Sokeepthisstoryinmindasalessoninteachingyourselftobeintentindoingwhat’sgood.Don’tbethesortofpersonwho—liketheservantinthestory—isdisloyaltohismonk.

There’sanotherstorytoillustratethegoodthingsthatcomefrombeingloyaltoyourmonk,whichI’lltelltoyounow.

OncetherewasamoneylendercouplewhohadalargemansioninthecityofBārāṇasī.Bothhusbandandwifewereavidmerit-makers.EveryyearduringtheRainsretreattheywouldinviteamonktohavehismealintheirhomeeachdayfortheentirethreemonths.

Nowthemoneylendercouplehadaslavecoupleworkingintheirhousehold.Thedutyoftheslavewomanwastopoundthericeandseparateitintovariousgrades.Thehighestgradericewasforgivingthemonkasalms.Thesecondgradericewasforthemoneylendercoupletoeat.Thethirdgradericewasfortheservantsinthehousehold,andthefourthgrade—thelowestgradericemixedwithbran—wasfortheslavecoupletoeatthemselves.Asfortheslavewoman’shusband,hisprimarydutywastocutfirewoodintheforestandmakethefireforcookingtherice.Hissecondarydutywastowaitatthemansiongateeachmorningtowelcomethemonkwhowouldcomeforthemeal,andtocarryhisbowlandshoulderbaguptothehouseforhim.AndifIrememberrightly,themonkwhowasinvitedforthemealthatyearwasaPrivateBuddha.Atanyrate,whenthemonkhadfinishedhismeal,theslavewouldcarryhisbowlandbagfromthefrontdoorofthehousebackouttothemansiongate.Asheperformedthisdutyeveryday,theslavecametodevelopastrongaffectionforthemonk.Andthemonkfeltcompassionfortheslave.Ifhehadanyfruitsorotherdelicaciesleftfromhismeal,hewouldalwayssharethemwiththeslave.Thismadetheslavefeelanevengreaterloyaltytowardthemonk—tothepointwherethemoneylendercoupleallowedhimtoenterthehouseasthemonk’sattendant.

Onedaytheslavegottofollowthemonkallthewayintothediningroom.Beforereachingthediningroom,hepassedthebedroom,theparlor,andthemoneylenders’privatediningroom.Hegottoseeallthemanybeautifuland

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expensivethingsdecoratingthemoneylendercouple’shome.Onthewayout,afterthemeal,hehappenedtoseethemoneylenders’favoritedog—amale—eatingfoodfromadishnearthedoortothediningroom.Hecouldn’thelpnoticingthatthedog’sfoodwasfinericewithcurries,andthatthedishwasmadeofsilver.Hethoughttohimself,“Lookatallthemeritthisdoghas.Itgetstoliveinthehouseanddoesn’thavetorunaroundlookingforfoodonthegroundoutsidelikeotherdogs.Whenthetimecomes,someonefixesfoodforittoeat,andthefoodlookssodelicious.ThericeisahighergradethanwhatmywifeandIgettoeat.Anditsdishisafineonemadeofsilver.IfonlyIcouldberebornasamoneylender’sdog,justthinkofhowhappyI’dbe!”

Afterhehadaccompaniedthemonktothemansiongate,hewentbacktohisshackandtoldhiswifeaboutallthethingshehadseeninthemoneylenders’house,andespeciallyaboutthedogeatinghighgradericeandcurriesfromasilverdish.Thenheadded,“NeitheryounorIhaveanyrealhappinessoreaseinourlives.You’reexhaustedeverydayfromhavingtopoundtherice.Asforme,Ihavetoslashthroughtheforesttofindfirewoodandtomakethefireforcookingthericeforeveryoneinthehousehold.Butallwegettoeatisthelowestgradericemixedwithbran.Weshouldn’thavebeenbornashumanbeings.Ifonlywecouldberebornlikethatmoneylenders’dog!”

Fromthatdayon,thememoryofthemoneylenders’dogkeptoccupyinghisthoughts.Atthesametime,though,hestillremainedloyaltothemonk.Butjustafewdayslaterhehadanattackofhorriblecrampsanddied.Afterhestoppedbreathing,hisspiritdidn’tgooffanywhere,butkepthoveringaroundthemoneylenders’house—bothbecauseitwasstillfixatedonthedogandbecauseitfeltattachedtothemonk.Everymorningitwouldfollowthemonkinandoutofthehouse.

Oneday,afterofferingthemonkhismeal,themoneylendercouplepresentedhimwithmanyadditionalofferings.Whenhehadfinishedeating,hecarriedalltheofferingsoutthedoorwherethedogwaslyingonguard.Seeingthemonkwithhisarmsallfullofthings,thedogthoughtthathehadstolenthemfromthemoneylendercouple.Soitrushedathimandstartedtobark.Thespiritoftheslave,hoveringbehindthemonk,slippedrightintothedog’sopenmouthandintoitsstomach—andthencouldn’tgetout.

Sonowitwasstuck.Itcouldn’tfollowthemonkinandoutofthehouseasithadeverymorning.Insteaditcouldonlystiraroundrestlesslyinthedog’sstomach,whichofcoursehadaneffectonthedog’sbehavior.Itcouldn’tlie

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still,andkeptgettingintoplacesitdidn’tbelong.Themoneylendercouplenoticeditactingabnormallyand,mystified,hadoneoftheirservantsputitoutsideinapenwiththeotherdogsofthehousehold.Beforetoolong,thedogmatedwithafemale,andthefemalebecamepregnant.Andsonowtheslavewasrebornasapuppyinthefemale’swomb.Whileitwasinthewomb,itstillwantedtofollowthemonkinandoutofthehouse,butitcouldn’tgetout.Allitcoulddowasthrasharoundinitsmother’swomb,causingherallsortsofmiseryandpain.

Whenhertimecame,thefemalefinallygavebirthtoamalepuppymuchlargerandstrongerthannormal.Thiswasbecausethepuppy’sconsciousnesshadsuchastrongdesiretogetoutandseethemonkallalong.Assoonasitwasborn,itopeneditseyeswideandstartedtorun—becauseactuallyithadbeenrunningeversinceitstimeinthewomb.Sothenextmorning,whenitsawthePrivateBuddhacometothemansiongate,itwasoverjoyed.Itranupandjumpedalloverhim,grabbinghisshoulderbagfromhishandandrunningafterhimallthewayintothediningroominthemoneylenders’house.Thisamazedthemoneylendercoupleandmadethemfeelstrongaffectionforit.

ThenextmorninghappenedtobethelastdayoftheRainsretreat,whichwasthefinaldayofthemonk’sinvitationtoeatinthemoneylendercouple’shome.Sobeforeleavingthehouseafterhehadfinishedhismeal,themonksaidtothemoneylendercouple,“Becausetodayisthelastdayofyourinvitation,Iwouldliketogiveyoumyblessingandtakemyleavetoreturntotheseclusionofmyhermitageintheforest.”Thenheturnedtothepuppy,“TomorrowIwon’tbecomingtoyourmasters’homeanymorenow,soIwantyoutostayhereandguardyourmasterswithloyalty.Don’tfollowmeoutintotheforest,okay?”

WhenthepuppyheardthePrivateBuddhasaythis,itwassoheart-brokenthatitdroppeddeadonthespot.ThroughthepowerofitsloveandloyaltyforthePrivateBuddha,itwasrebornasadeva’ssoninheaven,withalargefollowingandmanydivinetreasures.Hispalacewasmorelovelythanthatofanyoneelse’s,hislooksmorehandsomethananyotherdeva’ssoninheaven.Hisvoicewasalluring,hisfragrancelikethatofflowers.Anyfemaledevawhoheardhisvoiceorsmelledhisfragrancewantedtoseehim.Onseeinghim,shewouldwanthimashermate.

Allofthiswastheresultofthegoodnessoftheslave’ssincereloyaltytothePrivateBuddha.Theonlybadpartofhisstorywasthatmomenthegotfixated

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onthemoneylenders’dog,whichwaswhyhehadtospendonelifetimeasapuppy.Butbecausethegoodkammaofhismindwasstronger,itwasabletowipeoutthekammaofhisanimalbirthandtakehimtoheaven.

Thisstoryisanotherexamplethatyoushouldtaketoheartinyourpracticeoftrainingthemind.Youhavetobevery,verycareful.Don’tletanyhindrancescomeinandtakeoveryourmindwhileyou’repracticingconcentration.Don’tletyourmonkrunawayfromyou,anddon’tyouabandonyourmonktogorunningafterdogs.Ifyourminddoesn’tstaywithyourmonk—i.e.,thefactorsofyourmeditation—allsortsoftroubleswillresult,asinthestoriesI’vetoldyouhere.Asforthegoodnessthatcomesfromkeepingtrackofyourmonk,itwillsendyoutogoodstatesofbecomingandbirth,andwillraiseyourmindultimatelytothelevelofthetranscendent.

***Wrongconcentrationisconcentrationlackingmindfulnessandalertness.

Wrongreleaseiswhenyougetbeyonddistractionsbyfallingasleep.Anotherformofwrongconcentrationiswhenyoulosetrackofyourbreath

andyourbody.Anotherformiswhenyoudon’tlosetrackofthem,butyougetdeluded—aswhenyougetfixatedonsignsorlight,andassumeyourselftohavegainedsomespecialattainment.Youfallforthesethingsandholdontothemasbeingtrustworthyandtrue.Inthisway,theyturnintothecorruptionsofinsight(vipassanūpakkilesa)andallsortsofskewedperceptions.

***Apuremindisonethathasgrowndispassionatetowardthoughtsofpast

andfuture,andhasnohankeringforanysights,sounds,smells,tastes,tactilesensations,orideasatall.

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DhammaforEveryone

October5,1960

NowI’mgoingtoremindyouofsomeoftheBuddha’steachingsasawayofencouragingyoutobeintentonpracticingcorrectlyinlinewiththeBuddha’sbidding.TheseteachingsarecalledDhamma.TheDhammaisanornamentforthemind.It’salsoameansfordevelopingthefacultiesofthemind.TheteachingsI’mabouttodiscusscomeintheOvāda-Pāṭimokkha,thePāṭimokkhaExhortation.ThisisatalkthatdealswiththedutiesofthosewhohaveordainedintheBuddha’sdispensation,butthesepracticesalsoapplytolaypeopleaswell.Laypeoplecantakethesepracticesandtrainthemselvestobegoodpeople,sothattheycanbeeyesandears,legs,feet,andhands,tohelplookaftertheworkofthereligionandtohelpitprosper.

Theseguidelines,whichapplytoallofus,fallundersixheadings:

anupavādo:notdisparaginganupaghāto:notinjuringpāṭimokkhecasaṁvaro:restraintinlinewiththePāṭimokkhamattaññutācabhattasmiṁ:moderationinfoodpantañcasayanāsanaṁ:dwellinginseclusionadhicittecaāyogo:commitmenttotheheightenedmind—etaṁbuddhāna-sāsanaṁ:thisistheBuddhas’bidding.

Thefirstguideline:anupavādo.Don’tgofindingfaultwithoneanother.Inotherwords,don’tsayevilthingsaboutoneanother,don’tmisrepresentoneanother,don’tsayanythingthatwillcausepeopletofallapartfromoneanother.Don’tstartfalsereportsaboutoneanother,anddon’tencouragethem.Don’tcurseoryellatoneanother.Insteadoffindingfaultwithoneanother,eachofusshouldlookathisorherownfaults.Thisiswhat’smeantbyanupavādo.Youcanusethisprincipleanywhere,whetheryou’reordainedornot.

Anupaghāto:Don’tallowyourselftohateoneanother.It’sonlynormalthatwhenpeoplelivetogether,theirbehaviorisn’tgoingtobeonanequallevel.Somepeoplehavegoodmanners,somepeoplehavecoarsemanners—not

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evil,mindyou,justthattheirmannersarecoarse.Physically,somepeopleareenergetic,industrious,andstrong;othersareweakandsickly.Verbally,somepeopleareskilledatspeaking,othersarenot.Somepeopletalkalot,somepeoplehardlytalkatall;somepeopleliketotalkaboutworldlythings,somepeopleliketotalkabouttheDhamma;somepeoplespeakwrong,somepeoplespeakright.Thisiscalledinequality.Whenthisisthecase,thereareboundtobeconflictsandclashes,atleasttosomeextent.WhenthesethingsariseamonguswhilewelivetogetherwithintheboundariesofthesameDhamma,weshouldn’tholdgrudges.Weshouldforgiveoneanotherandwashawaythatstainfromourhearts.Why?Becauseotherwiseitturnsintoanimosityandenmity.Theactofforgivingiscalledthegiftofforgiveness.Itturnsyouintothesortofpersonwhodoesn’tholdontothings,doesn’tcarrythingsaround,doesn’tgetcaughtuponthings—thesortofpersonwhodoesn’tbeargrudges.Evenwhentherearemisstepsormistakesfromtimetotime,weshouldforgiveoneanother.Weshouldhaveasenseoflove,affection,andkindnessforeveryonearoundus,asmuchaswecan.Thisiscalledanupaghāto.It’sapartofourtrainingasBuddhists,bothforhouseholdersandforcontemplatives.

Pāṭimokkhecasaṁvaro:Actinawaythatkeepsyouneartheentrancetonibbāna.What’stheentrancetonibbāna?ThePāṭimokkha.Mukhameansmouthorentrance.Mokkhameansliberation.Sitclosetoyourfoodsothatyourmouthisnearliberation.Don’tsitfaraway,oryou’llhavetroubleeating.Sitcloseenoughsothatliberationiswithinreachandyoucanstickitrightinyourmouth.Inotherwords,whateverbehaviorisnearthewaysofthereligion,that’sthebehavioryoushouldfollow.Tobenearthereligionmeansfollowingtheholylife.Laypeoplehavetheirholylife,too,youknow,justasmonkshavetheirs.Laypeoplefollowtheholylifeintwoways.Thefirstisobservingthefirstfiveoftheeightprecepts:nokilling;nostealing;nosex—thisiswhatmakesittheholylife;notellinglies;andnointoxicants.Thisisoneformofholylife,neartheentrancetonibbāna.Thesecondwayforlaypeopletofollowtheholylifeisbyobservingalleightprecepts.

Asfornovicesandmonks,theyshouldmaintainrestraintinlinewiththetenor227precepts.Atthesametime,theyshouldn’tomitanyofthegoodtypesofbehaviorthattheyshouldfollow.Thisiscalledācāra-gocara-sampanno.Don’tgowanderingaroundinareasthatareoutofboundsandcanharmyou.Inotherwords,don’tletyourbodygothere,don’tletyourspeechdwellonthoseplaces,anddon’tletyourmindgothere,either.Don’tassociatewithimmoralpeoplewhoarecoarseintheirhabits.Don’taskadvicefrom

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unvirtuouspeople.Don’tletyourmindgetentangledwiththem.Trytokeepinmindpeoplewhoaregood,togetherwiththegoodnessthatyouyourselfaretryingtodevelop.Thisiscalledtheholylife.WhoeverbehavesinthiswayissaidtoberestrainedinlinewiththePāṭimokkha,rightnexttonibbāna.

Mattaññutācabhattasmiṁ:Haveasenseofmoderationinthefoodyoueat.HereI’lltalkaboutphysicalfood.Peopleeatinthreeways,andthefirstiseatinggreedily.Eventhoughthestomachisfull,themindisn’tfull.Themouthisfull,youcan’tswallowwhatyou‘vegot,thestomachisfull,andyetthemindstillwantstoeatmore.Thisiscalledeatinggreedily.Don’tletthisgreedtakechargeoftheheart.

Thesecondtypeiseatingcontentedly.You’recontentwithwhatyouhaveinyouralmsbowl,anddon’teatanythingoutsideyourbowl.Oryou’recontentwiththefoodwithinreach.Youdon’taskforanythingoutofreach.Youdon’tgiveanysignwithyourhand,youreyes,oryourexpressionthatyou’dlikemoretoeat.Youeatonlywhat’sonyourplate,what’sinyourbowl.Thisiscalledeatingcontentedly.

Thethirdtypeiseatingmodestly.Thistypeofeatingisverygood,bothintermsoftheworldandoftheDhamma.TakeVen.Sīvaliasanexample.Heatemodestly.Howdidheeatmodestly?AllthatmostofusknowaboutVen.Sīvaliisthathewaswealthyintermsofthedonationshereceived.Butwheredidthatwealthcomefrom?Itcomesfromeatingmodestly.Eatingmodestlyisthesourcethatgivesrisetowealth.WhatVen.Sīvalididwasthis:Wheneverhereceivedcloth,ifhedidn’tthengiveagiftofcloth,hewouldn’twearwhathehadreceived.Whenhereceivedfoodinhisbowl,hewouldn’teatuntilhehadgivensomeofitasagifttosomeoneelse.Nomatterwhichofthefourrequisiteshereceived—food,clothing,shelter,ormedicine,nomatterhowmuchorhowlittle—onceitwasinhispossession,hewouldn’tuseituntilhehadsharedsomeofitwiththosearoundhim.Whenhereceivedalot,hewouldmakealargegifttobenefitmanypeople.Whenhereceivedjustalittle,he’dstilltrytobenefitothers.Thisgaverisetoallsortsofgoodthings.Hisfriendslovedhim,hiscommunitylovedhim,andtheywerekindtohim.Thisiswhybeinggenerousissaidtotietheknotoffriendshipandtowipeoutyourenemies.

Sothat’swhatVen.Sīvalidid.Whenhepassedawayfromthatlifetimeandwasreborninhislastlifetime,hegainedallkindsofwealthandneverhadtogohungry.Evenwhenhewenttoliveinplaceswherefoodshouldhavebeen

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scarce,heneversufferedfromscarcity,neverhadtodowithout….Whatthismeansforusisthat,whateverweget,weeatonlyathirdandgive

theothertwothirdsaway.Thepartsappropriateforanimals,wegivetoanimals.Thepartsappropriateforhumanbeings,wegivetohumanbeings.Thepartsweshouldsharewithourfellowsintheholylife,wegivewithaclearheart.Thisiswhatitmeanstobemodestinourconsumption.Wefeeleaseofheartandeaseofbody.Whenwedie,wewon’tbepoor.

Thisprincipleissomethingverygoodnotonlyintermsofthereligion,butalsointermsofthemodernworldatlarge.It’sagreatmeansforsubduingterrorism.Howdoesitsubdueterrorism?Whenpeoplearen’tpoor,theydon’tgetstirredup.Wheredoesterrorismcomefrom?Itcomesfrompeoplehavingnowheretolive,nothingtoeat,noonetolookafterthem.Whenthey’repoorandstarvinglikethis,theythink,“AslongasI’msuffering,let’shaveeveryoneelsesufferallthesame.Don’tlettherebeanyprivateproperty.Leteverythingbeownedincommon.”Thiskindofthinkingcomesfrompovertyanddeprivation.Andwhyistherepoverty?Becausesomepeopleeatallalone.Theydon’tsharewithpeopleatlarge.Thenwhenpeopleatlargesufferandfeelrevenge,theyturnintocommunistsandterrorists.

Soterrorismcomesfromgreedandselfishness,fromnotsharingwhatwe’vegot.Ifwegettenbaht,wecangiveawaynineandeatwhatwecangetfortheonebahtremaining.Thatwaywe’llhavelotsoffriends.Therewillbeloveandaffection,peaceandprosperity.Howcanthatcomeabout?Whenpeoplehaveplacestoliveandfoodtoeat,whentheycaneattheirfillandcansleepwhentheyliedown,whywouldtheywanttobothertheirheadswiththeconfusionofpolitics?

ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtusthatmodestyinourconsumptionissomethinggood,somethingnobleandoutstanding.Whenwepracticeinthisway,we’reinlinewiththephrase,mattaññutācabhattasmiṁ.We’llbepracticingright,practicingproperly,forthebenefitofourselvesandothers.

Pantañcasayanāsanaṁ:Don’tbeabusybody.Whereveryoulive,trytobequietandatpeace.Don’tgetentangledor“playthegongs”withtheothermembersofthegroup.Don’tgetinvolvedinissuesunlessitreallycan’tbehelped.Whenyou’vestudiedandunderstandyourduties,lookforquiet,solitaryplacestoliveandtomeditate.Whenyoulivewithothers,lookforquietgroupstolivewith.Whenyoulivealone,inphysicalseclusion,beaquietperson.Evenwhenyoulivewiththegroup,beasecludedperson.Takeonly

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thegood,peacefulthingsthegrouphastooffer.Whenyoulivealone,don’tgetinvolvedinalotofactivity.Bequietinyouractions,quietinyourspeech,quietinyourmind.Whenyouliveinagroup—eithertwoorthreepeople—don’tgetinvolvedinquarrels,forwhenthere’squarrelingthere’snopeace.Youractionsaren’tpeaceful,foryouhavetogetupandstormaround.Yourwordsaren’tpeaceful.Yourmind—withitsthoughtsofanger,revenge,andillwill—isn’tpeaceful.Andthisgivesrisetoallsortsofbadkarma.Whenyouliveinacommunity—anywherefromfouronupto99—youhavetomakesurethatthecommunityisatpeace,thatthere’snoconflict,noquarreling,nohurtingoneanother’sfeelingsordoingoneanotherharm.ThecommunityshouldbeacooperativefortrainingpeacefullyinvirtueandtheDhamma.That’swhenit’sagoodcommunity,orderlyandcivilized,fosteringprogressforallitsmembers.ThisisoneofourdutiesaspartoftheBuddha’sfollowing,inlinewiththeBuddha’sbidding.It’scalledpantañcasayanāsanaṁ:creatingaquietplacetolive,atyoureaseinbothbodyandmind.

Adhicittecaāyogo:Don’tbecomplacent.Bediligentinpracticingconcentrationtothelevelofadhicitta,ortheheightenedmind.Practiceconcentrationfrequently,sitinconcentrationfrequentlyasanexampletotherestofthecommunity.Whenyoutalk,seekadviceinhowtodevelopyourmeditationtheme.Discusstherewardsofconcentration.Practiceriddingtheheartofitshindrances.Whenyoudothis,you’reactinginlinewiththeprincipleofheightenedmind.

Anotherlevelofheightenedmindiswhenthemindhasbeenfreedfromitshindrancesandhasenteredconcentration,withoutanyupsordowns.It’ssolid,stalwart,andstrong,withnothingdefilingit.Thisiscalledadhicittecaāyogo,commitmenttotheheightenedmind.Sodon’tbecomplacent.Keepworkingatthisalways.

Etaṁbuddhāna-sāsanaṁ:Whenyoudothis,you’reactinginlinewiththeBuddhas’bidding.ThesearetheBuddha’swords,straightfromhismouth.

Soweshouldallworkatgivingrisetotheseprincipleswithinourselves.Ifyouestablishyourselfintheseteachings,inallhonestyandintegrity,thenevenifyoucan’tliberateyourmindtotallyfromsuffering,attheveryleastyou’llbedevelopingyourselfintherightdirection.Yourbadhabitswilldisappeardaybyday,andthegoodhabitsyou’veneverhadbeforewillariseintheirplace.Asforthegoodhabitsyoualreadyhave,they’llprosperandflourish.

Sonowthatyou‘velistenedtothis,takeitandputitintopractice.Train

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yourselftobehaveinlinewiththeBuddha’sexhortation.Whenyoudothat,you’llmeetwithhappinessandprosperityasyouflourishinlinewithhisbidding.

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VisākhaPūjā

May24,1956

PūjācapūjanīyānaṁEtam-maṅgalamuttamaṁ

Homagetothosedeservinghomage:Thisisthehighestblessing.

I’mnowgoingtogiveaDhammatalk,discussingtheteachingsoftheBuddha,asanadornmenttothemindfulnessanddiscernmentofallthosegatheredheretolisten,sothatyouwilltaketheDhammaandputitintopracticeasawayofachievingthebenefitsthataresupposedtocomefromlisteningtotheDhamma.

Today,VisākhaPūjā,isanextremelyimportantdayintheBuddhisttradition,foritwasonthisdaythattheBuddhawasborn,and35yearslaterawoketotheunexcelledrightself-awakening,andanother45yearslaterpassedawayintototalnibbāna.Ineachcase,theseeventstookplaceonthefull-moondayinMay,whenthemoonisintheVisākhaasterism,whichiswhythedayiscalledVisākhaPūjā.

Everyyearwhenthisimportantdaycomesaroundagain,weBuddhiststaketheopportunitytopayhomagetotheBuddhaasawayofexpressingourgratitudeforhisgoodness.Wesacrificeourdailyaffairstomakemeritinaskillfulwaybydoingsuchthingsaspracticinggenerosity,observingtheprecepts,andlisteningtotheDhamma.ThisiscalledpayinghomagetothevirtuesoftheTripleGem:theBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.TheBuddhaislikeourfather,whiletheDhammaislikeourmother—inthatit’swhatgivesbirthtoourknowledgeoftheBuddha’steachings.Atpresentourfatherhaspassedaway,leavingonlyourmotherstillalive.Bothofthemhavebeenprotectingus,lookingafterus,sothatwe’vebeenabletostayfreeandhappyuptothepresent.We’rethusgreatlyintheirdebtandshouldfindawayofshowingourgratitudeinkeepingwiththefactthatwearetheirchildren.

Ordinarily,whenpeople’sparentsdie,theyhavetocryandlament,wear

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black,etc.,asawayofshowingtheirmourning.OnVisākhaPūjā—whichistheanniversaryofthedayonwhichourfather,theBuddha,passedaway—weshowourmourningtoo,butwedoitinadifferentway.Insteadofcrying,wechantthepassagesreflectingonthevirtuesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Insteadofdressingupinblack,wetakeoffourprettyjewels,gowithoutperfumeandcologne,anddressverysimply.Asforthecomfortablebedsandmattressesonwhichwenormallylie,weabstainfromthem.Insteadofeatingthreeorfourtimesaday,aswenormallyliketodo,wecutbacktoonlytwotimesorone.Wehavetogiveupourhabitualpleasuresifwe’regoingtoshowourmourningfortheBuddha—ourfather—inasincereandgenuineway.

Inadditiontothis,webringflowers,candles,andincensetoofferinhomagetotheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha.Thisiscalledāmisa-pūjā,ormaterialhomage.Thisisaformofpracticeontheexternallevel—amatterofourwordsanddeeds.Itcomesundertheheadingsofgenerosityandvirtue,butdoesn’tcountasthehighestformofhomage.There’sstillanotherlevelofhomage—paṭipatti-pūjā,orhomagethroughthepractice—whichtheBuddhasaidwassupreme:i.e.,meditation,orthedevelopmentofthemindsothatitcanstandfirmlyinitsowninnergoodness,independentofanyandalloutsideobjects.ThisisthecrucialpointthattheBuddhawantedustofocusonasmuchaspossible,forthiskindofpracticewaswhatenabledhimtoreachthehighestattainment,becomingaRightlySelf-awakenedBuddha,andenabledmanyofhisnobledisciplestobecomearahantsaswell.Soweshouldalltakeaninterestandsetourmindsonfollowingtheirexample,asawayoffollowingthefootstepsofourfatherandmother.Inthiswaywecanbecalledtheirgrateful,loyalheirs,becausewelistenrespectfullytoourparents’teachingsandputthemintopractice.

TheversefromtheMaṅgalaSuttathatIquotedatthebeginningofthetalk,Pūjācapūjanīyānaṁetam-maṅgalamuttamaṁ,means“Homagetothosedeservinghomage:Thisisthehighestblessing.”Therearetwokindsofhomage,aswe’vealreadymentioned:materialhomageandhomagethroughthepractice.Andalongwiththesetwokindsofhomage,peopleaimtheirhopesattwokindsofhappiness.Someofthempracticeforthesakeofcontinuinginthecycleofdeathandrebirth,forthesakeofworldlyhappiness.Thiskindofpracticeiscalledvaṭṭagāmanī-kusala,orskillfulnessleadingintothecycle.Forinstance,theyobservethepreceptssothatthey’llberebornasbeautifulorhandsomehumanbeings,orasdevasintheheavenlyrealms.Theypractice

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generositysothattheywon’thavetobepoor,sothattheycanberebornwealthy,asbankersorkings.Thiskindofskillfulnessgoesonlyasfarasthequalificationsforhumanorheavenlyrebirths.Itkeepsspinningaroundintheworldwithoutevergettinganywhereatall.

Theotherreasonthatpeoplecanhaveforpayinghomageissothattheywillgainreleasefromsuffering.Theydon’twanttokeepspinningthroughdeathandrebirthintheworld.Thisiscalledvivaṭṭagāmanī-kusala,skillfulnessleadingoutofthecycle.

Inbothkindsofpractice,theaimisathappiness,butonekindofhappinessisthepleasurefoundintheworld,andtheotheristhehappinessthatliesaboveandbeyondtheworld.WhenwepayhomagetotheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,it’snotthecasethatwehavetotaketheresultsofourpracticeandtrytopushtheTripleGemanyhigher.Actually,whatwe’redoingistogiverisetogoodnessthatwillbenefitourselves.Soinsearchingforgoodnessforourownsakes,wehavetokeepyetanotherpointinmind,astheBuddhataughtus:Asevanācabālānaṁpaṇḍitānañcasevanā,whichmeans,“Don’tassociatewithfools.Associateonlywithwisepeople.”Onlythenwillwebesafeandhappy.

“Fools”heremeanspeoplewhosemindsandactionsareshoddyandevil.Theybehaveshoddilyintheiractions—killing,stealing,havingillicitsex—andshoddilyintheirwords:tellinglies,creatingdisharmony,deceivingotherpeople.Inotherwords,theyactasenemiestothesocietyofgoodpeopleatlarge.That’swhatwemeanbyfools.Ifyouassociatewithpeopleofthissort,it’sasifyou’relettingthempullyouintoacavewherethere’snothingbutdarkness.Thedeeperyougo,thedarkeritgets,tothepointwhereyoucan’tseeanylightatall.There’snowayout.Themoreyouassociatewithfools,thestupideryouget,andyoufindyourselfslippingintowaysthatleadtonothingbutpainandsuffering.Butifyouassociatewithwisepeopleandsages,they’llbringyoubackoutintothelight,sothatyou’llbeabletobecomemoreintelligent.You’llhavetheeyestoseewhat’sgood,what’sbad,what’sright,what’swrong.You’llbeabletohelpyourselfgainfreedomfromsufferingandturmoil,andwillmeetwithnothingbuthappiness,progress,andpeace.Thisiswhywe’retaughttoassociateonlywithgoodpeopleandtoavoidassociatingwithbad.

Ifweassociatewithbadpeople,we’llmeetupwithtroubleandpain.Ifweassociatewithgoodpeople,we’llmeetupwithhappiness.Thisisawayofgivingaprotectiveblessingtoourselves.Thissortofprotectiveblessingis

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somethingwecanprovideforourselvesatanytime,atanyplaceatall.We’llgainprotectionwherever,whenever,weprovideit.Forthisreason,weshouldprovideaprotectiveblessingforourselvesatalltimesandallplacesforthesakeofourownsecurityandwellbeing.

Asforthingsdeservinghomage:Whetherthey’rethesortsofthingsthatdeservematerialhomageorhomagethroughthepractice,theactofhomageprovidesaprotectiveblessinginthesameway.Itprovideshappinessinthesameway.Thehappinessthatliesintheworld,thatdependsonpeopleandexternalthings,hastosufferdeathandrebirth;butthehappinessoftheDhammaisaninternalhappinessthatdependsentirelyonthemind.It’sareleasefromsufferingandstressthatdoesn’trequireustoreturntoanymoredeathandrebirthintheworldeveragain.Thesetwoformsofhappinesscomefrommaterialhomageandhomagethroughthepractice,thingsthatcaneithermakeuscomebacktoberebornorfreeusfromhavingtobereborn.Thedifferenceliesinonelittlething:whetherwewanttoberebornornot.

Ifwecreatelong,drawn-outcauses,theresultswillhavetobelonganddrawn-outaswell.Ifwecreateshortcauses,theresultswillhavetobeshort,too.Long,drawn-outresultsarethosethatinvolvedeathandrebirthwithoutend.Thisreferstothemindwhosedefilementshaven’tbeenpolishedaway,themindthathascravingsandattachmentsfastenedonthegoodandbadactionsofpeopleandthingsintheworld.Ifpeoplediewhentheirmindsarelikethis,theyhavetocomebackandberebornintheworld.Tocreateshortcauses,though,meanstocutthroughanddestroytheprocessofbecomingandbirthsoasnevertogiverisetotheprocessagain.Thisreferstothemindwhoseinnerdefilementshavebeenpolishedoffandwashedaway.Thiscomesfromexaminingthefaultsandformsofdarknessthatariseinourownhearts,keepinginmindthevirtuesoftheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅgha,oranyofthe40meditationtopicsthataresetoutinthetexts,tothepointwherewecanseethroughallmentalfabricationsinlinewiththeirnatureasevents.Inotherwords,weseethemasarising,remaining,andthendisintegrating.Wekeeptherangeofourawarenessshortandclosetohome—ourownbody,fromheadtofoot—withoutlatchingontoanyofthegoodorbadactionsofanyoneoranythingintheworld.Welookforasolidfoundationforthemind,sothatitcanstayfixedandsecureentirelywithinitself,withnoattachmentatall,evenforthebody.Whenwe’vereachedthisstate,thenwhenwediewewon’thavetocomeswimmingbacktoberebornintheworldeveragain.

Whetherwegivematerialhomageorhomagethroughthepractice,ifwe

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pullthefocalpointofthemindoutandplaceitinouractions—i.e.,ifwegetattachedtoourgoodactions,asinpracticingvirtue,generosity,etc.—thenthat’scalledvaṭṭagāmanī-kusala,skillfulnessleadingintothecycle.Themindisn’tfree.Ithastobecometheslaveofthisorthatthing,thisorthataction,thisorthatpreoccupation.Thisisalong,drawn-outcausethatwillforceustocomebackandbereborn.Butifwetaketheresultsofourgoodactionsintermsofvirtue,generosity,etc.,andbringthemintothemind’sinnerfoundation,sothatthey’restashedawayinthemind,withoutlettingthemindrunoutafterexternalcauses,thisisgoingtohelpcutdownonourstatesofbecomingandbirthsothateventuallywedon’thavetocomebackandbereborn.Thisisvivaṭṭagāmanī-kusala,skillfulnessleadingoutofthecycle.Thisisthedifferencebetweenthesetwoformsofskillfulness.

Thehumanmindislikeabaelfruit.Whenit’sfullyripeitcannolongerstayonthetree.Ithastofalloff,hittheground,andeventuallydecayintothesoil.Then,whenit’sbeenexposedtotherightamountofairandwater,theseedgraduallysproutsagainintoatrunkwithbranches,flowers,andfruitcontainingallitsancestryintheseeds.Eventuallythefruitfallstothegroundandsproutsasyetanothertree.Itkeepsgoingaroundandaroundinthisway,withoutevergettingannihilated.Ifwedon’tdestroythejuicesintheseedsthatallowthemtogerminate,they’llhavetokeeptheirgeneticinheritancealiveforaneon.

Ifwewanttogainreleasefromsufferingandstress,wehavetomakeourmindsshootoutoftheworld,insteadoflettingthemfallbackintotheworldthewaybaelfruitsdo.Whenthemindshootsoutoftheworld,itwillfinditslandingspotinaplacethatwon’tletitcomebackandbereborn.Itwillstaytherealoftintotalfreedom,freefromattachmentofanysort.

Freedomheremeanssovereignty.Themindissovereignwithinitself.Inchargeofitself.Itdoesn’thavetodependonanyone,anddoesn’thavetofallslavetoanythingatall.Withinourselveswefindthemindpairedwiththebody.Thebodyisn’tallthatimportant,becauseitdoesn’tlast.Whenitdies,thevariouselements—earth,water,wind,andfire—fallapartandreturntotheiroriginalcondition.Themind,though,isveryimportant,becauseitlasts.It’sthetrulyelementalthingresidinginthebody.It’swhatgivesrisetostatesofbecomingandbirth.It’swhatexperiencespleasureandpain.Itdoesn’tdisintegratealongwiththebody.Itremainsinexistence,butassomethingamazingthatcan’tbeseen.It’sliketheflameofalitcandle:Whenthecandlegoesout,thefireelementisstillthere,butitdoesn’tgiveoffanylight.Only

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whenwelightanewcandlewillthefireappearandgivelightagain.Whenwetakethebody—composedofelements,aggregates,sensemedia,

andits32parts—andthemind—orawarenessitself—andsimplifythemtotheirmostbasicterms,we’releftwithnameandform(nāma,rūpa).Formisanothertermforthebodymadeupofthefourelements.Nameisatermforthemindresidinginthebody,theelementthatcreatesthebody.Ifwewanttocutbackonstatesofbecomingandbirth,weshouldtakeasourframeofreferencejustthesetwothings—nameandform—asthey’reexperiencedinthepresent.Howdoesform—thebody—stayalive?Itstaysalivebecauseofthebreath.Thusthebreathisthemostimportantthinginlife.Assoonasthebreathstops,thebodyhastodie.Ifthebreathcomesinwithoutgoingout,wehavetodie.Ifitgoesoutwithoutcomingbackin,wehavetodie.

Sothinkaboutthebreathinthiswaywitheverymoment,atalltimes,regardlessofwhetheryou’resitting,standing,walking,orlyingdown.Don’tletthebodybreathewithoutyourmindgettingsomegooduseoutofit.Apersonwhodoesn’tknowhisorherownbreathissaidtobedead.Heedless.Lackinginmindfulness.AstheBuddhasaid,heedlessnessisthepathtodanger,todeath.Wecan’tletourmindsrunoutandgetstuckonexternalpreoccupations,i.e.,thoughtsofpastorfuture,whetherthey’regoodorbad.Wehavetokeepourawarenessrightinthepresent,atthebreathcominginandout.Thisiscalledsinglenessofpreoccupation(ekaggatārammaṇa).Wecan’tletthemindslipoffintoanyotherthoughtsorpreoccupationsatall.Ourmindfulnesshastobefirmlyestablishedinourawarenessofthepresent.Themindwillthenbeabletodevelopstrength,abletowithstandanypreoccupationsthatcomestrikingagainstit,givingrisetofeelingsofgood,bad,liking,anddisliking—thehindrancesthatwoulddefilethemind.

Wehavetokeepourawarenessexclusivelyinthepresent,alertandquicktosensethearisingandpassingawayofpreoccupations,lettinggoofbothgoodandbadpreoccupationswithoutgettingattachedtothem.Whenthemindstaysfirmlyfocusedinitsonepreoccupation—thebreath—itwillgiverisetoconcentration,tothepointwheretheeyeofinnerknowledgeappears.Forexample,itmightgiverisetopowersofclairvoyanceorclairaudience,enablingustoseeeventspastandfuture,nearandfar.Oritmightgiverisetoknowledgeofpreviouslives,sothatwecanknowhowweandotherbeingshavebeenborn,died,come,andgone,andhowallthesethingshavecomeaboutfromgoodandbadactions.Thiswillgiverisetoasenseofdismayanddisenchantmentwithstatesofbecomingandbirth,andwilldissuadeusfrom

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everwantingtocreatebadkammaeveragain.Thiskindofdisenchantmentissomethingusefulandgood,withoutany

drawbacks.It’snotthesamethingasitsnearcousin,weariness.Wearinessiswhathappenswhenaperson,say,eatstodaytothepointofgettingsofullthatthethoughtofeatinganymoremakeshimweary.Buttomorrow,hiswearinesswillwearoffandhe’llfeellikeeatingagain.Disenchantment,though,doesn’twearoff.You’llneveragainseeanypleasureintheobjectsofyourdisenchantment.Youseebirth,aging,illness,anddeathasstressandsuffering,andsoyoudon’teverwanttogiverisetotheconditionsthatwillforceyoutocomebackandundergobirth,aging,illness,anddeatheveragain.

Theimportantfactorsforanyonepracticingtogainreleasefromallstressandsufferingarepersistenceandendurance,foreverykindofgoodnesshastohaveobstaclesblockingtheway,alwaysreadytodestroyit.EvenwhentheBuddhahimselfwasputtinghiseffortintothepractice,thearmiesofMārawererightonhisheels,pesteringhimallthetime,tryingtokeephimfromattaininghisgoal.Still,heneverwavered,nevergotdiscouraged,neverabandonedhisefforts.HetookhisperfectionoftruthfulnessandusedittodriveawaytheforcesofMārauntiltheywereutterlydefeated.HewaswillingtoputhislifeonthelineinordertodobattlewiththeforcesofMāra,hisheartsolid,unflinching,andbrave.Thiswaswhyhewaseventuallyabletoattainagloriousvictory,realizingtheunexcelledrightself-awakening,becomingourBuddha.Thisisanimportantexamplethatheasour“father”setforhisdescendantstoseeandtotaketoheart.

Sowhenwe’reintentontrainingourmindstobegood,thereareboundtobeobstacles—theforcesofMāra—justasinthecaseoftheBuddha,butwesimplyhavetoslashourwaythroughthem,usingourpowersofenduranceandthefullextentofourabilitiestofightthemoff.It’sonlynormalthatwhenwehavesomethinggood,therearegoingtobeotherpeoplewhowantwhatwe’vegot,inthesamewaythatsweetfruittendstohavewormsandinsectstryingtoeatit.Apersonwalkingalongtheroadempty-handeddoesn’tattractanyone’sattention,butifwe’recarryingsomethingofvalue,therearesuretobeotherswhowillwantwhatwe’vegot,andwilleventrytostealitfromus.Ifwe’recarryingfoodinourhand,dogsorcatswilltrytosnatchit.Butifwedon’thaveanyfoodinourhand,theywon’tpounceonus.

It’sthesamewaywhenwepractice.Whenwedogood,wehavetocontendwithobstaclesifwewanttosucceed.Wehavetomakeourheartshardand

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solidlikediamondorrock,whichdon’tburnwhenyoutrytosetthemonfire.Evenwhentheygetsmashed,thepiecesmaintaintheirhardnessasdiamondandrock.TheBuddhamadehisheartsohardandsolidthatwhenhisbodywascremated,partsofitdidn’tburnandstillremainasrelicsforustoadmireeventoday.Thiswasthroughthepowerofhispurityandtruthfulness.

Soweshouldsetourmindsonpurifyingourbodiesandmindsuntiltheybecomesotrulyelementalthatfirewon’tburnthem,justliketheBuddha’srelics.Evenifwecan’tgetthemtobethathard,atleastweshouldmakethemliketamarindseedsintheircasing:Evenifinsectsborethroughthecasingandeatallthefleshofthetamarindfruit,theycan’tdoanythingtotheseeds,whichmaintaintheirhardnessasalways.

So,tosummarize:Cuttingdownonstatesofbecomingandbirthmeansretractingourawarenessinward.Wehavetotakethemind’sfoundationandplantitfirmlyinthebody,withoutgettingattachedtoanyoutsideactivityatall.Wehavetoletgoofeverythingofeverysortthatfollowsthelawsofevents,arisingandpassingawayinlinewithitsnature.Wedogood,butdon’tletthemindgorunningoutafterthegood.Wehavetolettheresultsofourgoodnesscomerunningintothemind.Wepullineverythingofeverysorttostashitawayinourmind,anddon’tletthemindgetscatteredoutside,gettinghappyorsadovertheresultsofitsactionsoranythingelseexternal.Wedothisinthesamewaythatthebaelfruitkeepsthetrunk,branches,flowers,andleavesofthebaeltreecurledupinsidetheseed.Ifwecanthenpreventoutsideconditionsofsoilandwaterfromcombiningwiththeinsidepotentialoftheseed,itwon’tbeabletounfurlintoanewbaeltree.

WhoeverpracticesinthewayI’vediscussedhereispayinghomagetoourlordBuddhainthecorrectway.Suchapersonwillbeendowedwithblessingsprovidinghappinessthroughouttime.

HereI’vediscussedsomeversesfromtheMaṅgalaSuttaasawayofdevelopingourdiscernment,sothatwewilltaketheselessonsandputthemintopracticeasawayofpayinghomagetotheBuddha,Dhamma,andSaṅghaonthisVisākhaPūjāday.

That’senoughfornow,soI’llstophere.Evaṁ.

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ThePowerofGoodness

October4,1960

Thegoodnesswe’vebeendevelopinghere:Don’tforgetit.It’sboundtobearfruit.Don’tunderestimateit,thinkingthatthelittlethingswe’vebeendoingherewon’tbearmuchfruit.Don’tunderestimateitatall.

ThereareexamplesfromthetimeoftheBuddha.Someofthemonksandnovices,afterordaining,weren’tabletocutthroughtheirdefilements.Theywereonlyabletothinthemoutabit,sotheygotdiscouragedanddisrobed.Afterdisrobingtheyhadtofindalivelihood:sometimesinwaysthatwerehonest,sometimesinwaysthatwerenot.Thosewhogotinvolvedindishonestwayswerecaughtbythecivilauthoritiesandimprisoned.

OneexamplewasastudentofSāriputta.Heordainedtodevelophisgoodness,butwhenhedidn’tgettheresultshehadhopedforhedisrobedandbecameathief.Afterawhilehewascaughtandsentencedtodeath.Beforehewastobeexecuted,thecivilauthoritiesdecidedtotorturehimforsevendaysasanexampletothegeneralpublicsoastodiscourageotherpeoplefrombreakingthelaw.Thekingorderedhisofficialstosharpensomewoodandironspearstoasuper-finepoint,toplanttheminrows,andthentohavethethiefsitandlieonthespearpointssothattheywouldskewerhisbody,causinghimtobebathedinbloodandtoexperienceexcruciatingpain.Theywoulddothisthreetimesaday—morning,noon,andevening—callingthepeopleofthecitytocomeandseeanexampleofhowthieveshavetosuffer.

Theplanwastohavethethieftorturedlikethisforsevendaysandthentobeheadhim,butthethiefstillhadsomegoodkarmaleftoverfromthetimehehadstudiedwithSāriputta.Sāriputtahadtaughthimtofollowsomeoftheasceticpracticesandtomeditate,andhehadbeenabletodevelophismindtothelevelofthefirstjhāna.Butthefirstjhānawasn’tenoughtowithstandhisdefilementsandcravings,whichiswhyhehaddisrobed.

Itsohappenedthatonthesixthday,Sāriputta,throughhisgreatcompassion—afterall,thereweretimeswhenhe,intheBuddha’sstead,hadhelpedteachthepopulacetopracticetheDhamma—usedthepowersofhis

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meditationtocheckuponhisstudentswhowerestillordained,aswellasthosewhohaddisrobedtoreturntothelaylife,toseewheretheywereandhowtheyweredoing.BecauseofthegoodnessthatthethiefhaddevelopedwithSāriputta,alightappearedtoSāriputtainwhichhesawthathisstudentwasbeingtorturedandwasscheduledtobebeheadedthenextday.Onseeingthis,Sāriputtacontemplatedthestudent’sreservesofgoodness,seeingthathestillhadsomepotential,butthatithadallwitheredaway.Evenso,someofthegoodnesshehaddevelopedwasstillburiedthereinsidehim.Eventhoughdefilementshadenwrappedhisheart,therewasstillsomegoodnessthere.

Onrealizingthis,Sāriputtawentonhisalmsroundintheearlymorningtotheareawherehisstudentwasbeingtortured.HisstudentwaslyingonhisbedofspearsasSāriputtacamenear.Theplacewasthrongedwithpeoplerunningaroundinexcitement,someofthemexcitedaboutseeingSāriputta,someofthemexcitedaboutseeingthethiefbeingtortured.Itsohappenedthatthecrowdpartedbriefly,enoughforSāriputta’sstudenttoseetheedgeofhisteacher’srobe.Sāriputtaspreadthoughtsofgoodwill,whichthestudentcouldfeelandwhichservedasaguaranteeofhispresence,butthatwasascloseashecouldget.

OnseeingSāriputtathestudentfeltoverjoyed,thinking,“TomorrowI’mgoingtohavetotakemyleaveofmyteacher—I’mgoingtobeexecuted.”Atthethoughtofbowingdowntohisteacher,herememberedSāriputta’smeditationinstructions,andsohestartedtopracticejhāna,stillinghismindinconcentration.Whenhismindgrewstill,hereflectedondeath,thinking,“Tomorrowthey’regoingtogetmeforsure.There’snodoubtaboutthat.”Sohereflectedfurther:“Whereisdeath?Wheredoesdeathhappen?”Andhecametotherealizationthatdeathliesattheendofyournose:Ifthebreathstops,that’sit.Butaslongasyou’restillbreathing,thenevenifyou’rebeingbrutallytortured,you’renotdead.

Sohestartedtopracticemindfulnessofbreathing.Assoonashegotfocusedonthebreath,thebreathgrewabsolutelystillandhisbloodstoppedflowingfromhiswounds.Whenthebloodstoppedflowing,hiswoundsclosedupandhealed.Whenhiswoundswerehealed,hefeltasenseofraptureandjoyoverhowmuchhismeditationhadbeenabletoovercomethepain.

Sohesurveyedthepartsofhisbody—hairofthehead,hairofthebody,nails,teeth,skin—backandforth,overandoveragain,untilalltheseveredpartsofhisbodyconnectedbackupagain.Whenthepartsofhisbodygained

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strengthlikethis,hewasabletositupinfulllotusonthetipsofthespearsandtoenterintojhāna:thefirstjhāna,thesecond,thethird,andthefourth.Onenteringintothefourthjhāna,hisbodybecameaslightasatuftofcottonandstrongerthanthewoodandironspears.Thetipsofthespearscouldn’tpenetratehisbodyanymore.Finally,hismindenteredfixedpenetrationandhemadeavow:“IfIescapewithmylife,I’mgoingbacktolivewithmyteacher.”Hefocusedhismindinthefourthjhāna,withitstwofactors.Thefirstwassinglenessofpreoccupation:notinvolvedwithanythingatall;thethoughtthattheyweregoingtoexecutehimhaddisappearedcompletely.Thesecondfactorwasmindfulness,brightanddazzling.Andinthatlightofmindfulnesshewasabletoseehisteacher.Sohemadeanotherdetermination:“I’mgoingtogostaywithmyteacher.”Assoonashemadethisdetermination,hisbodylevitatedupintotheairandwenttowhereSāriputtawas.Afterrejoininghisteacher,hevowedhewouldneverdoanythingevileveragain.Sohepracticedmeditationandcameoutofthewholeaffairalive.Hedidn’tbecomeanarahantoranything,buthedidcomeoutalive.

Thisgoestoshowthateventhoughthegoodnesswedevelopdoesn’tmeetwithourexpectationsrightaway,weshouldn’tunderestimateit.Goodnessislikefire.Youshouldn’tunderestimatefire,forasinglematchcandestroyanentirecity.Goodnesshaspowerinjustthesameway.ThisiswhytheBuddhataughtusnottounderestimatethegoodnesswedevelop.Eventhoughitseemstobejustatinybit,ithasthepowertowardoffunfortunateevents,toturnheavyintolight,andtokeepussafeandsecure.Thisisonepointtoremember.

Anotherpointisthatpeoplearelikeplants.Saythatyouplantsomesquashseedsintheground:Youwanttheseedstogrowandgiveyousquashrightaway,buttheycan’tdothat.Still,thenatureofwhatyou’veplantedwillgrowbitbybit,andafterawhilewillgiveyouthesquashyouwant.Butifyousitthereandwatchittoseehowmuchthesquashplantgrowsinaday,anhour,aminute,toseehowmanycentimeterstheshootwillgrow,canyoumeasureit?No,ofcoursenot.Butdoyoubelievethatit’sgrowingeveryday?Sure.Ifitweren’tgrowing,howwoulditgetsolongovertime?Thesameholdstruewithhowevermuchorlittlegoodnesswedevelop:Eventhoughwedon’tseetheresultsrightaway,they’resuretocome.Youcanknowhowmuchgoodyou’vedoneinaday,butyoucan’tknowhowmuchgoodnesshasresultedfromyouractions.Still,ifyouaskwhetherthereareresults,youhavetoanswerYes.It’slikethesquashplant:Youcan’tseeitgrowing,butyouknowthatitgrows.Eventhoughthegoodnessyou’vebeendoingdoesn’tseemtobedeveloping,

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youshouldn’tunderestimateit.Anotherpointisthatsomepeoplearelikebananatrees.Thenatureof

bananatreesisthatifyoucutthemoffatthetrunkandthencomebackinanhour,you’llseethatanewshoothasgrownawholeinchfromthetop.Intwoorthreedays,theshootwillhavegrownafootortwo.Somepeoplearelikethis.Theygetfastresults,extraordinaryresults,anddevelopallkindsofabilities.Forexample,theycangetquicklyintojhānaandthenclearlyexplainwhatthey’veexperiencedtootherpeople.

ThesamethinghappenedinthetimeoftheBuddha.TakeCūḷapanthaka,forexample:Hehadworkedatdevelopinggoodnessforalongtime,butwhenhefinallygotthehangofthemeditation,practicingwithasenseofwoundedprideafterbeingscornedbyhisfriends,hegotresultsrightaway.Thestoryisthis:Once,whenhewasstayingwithagroupof500monksheadedbytheBuddha,amoneylenderinvitedthewholegroupforamealathishome.Cūḷapanthaka’solderbrother,Mahāpanthaka,wasthemealdistributor.Whoevercamewithaninvitation,itwasMahāpanthaka’sdutytoinformtheothermonks.Now,Mahāpanthakawasashamedofhisyoungerbrotherforbeingsolazyandtorpidinhismeditation,noddingoffallthetime.So,thinkingthatCūḷapanthakadidn’tdeservetoeatfoodinanyone’shome,Mahāpanthakadecidednottoincludehimintheinvitation.Heinvitedonlytheremaining499monks,headedbytheBuddha,togotothemoneylender’smeal.Whenthegrouparrivedatthemoneylender’shomeandallthemonkswereserved,onetrayoffoodwasleftover.SothemoneylenderaskedMahāpanthakawhythemonksdidn’tnumberthefull500hehadaskedfor;MahāpanthakainformedhimthatCūḷapanthakahadn’tbeenincludedintheinvitation.

ThemoneylenderthenwenttotheBuddha.TheBuddha,knowingthatCūḷapanthakawasmeditatingbackatthemonastery,toldthemoneylenderthatCūḷapanthakawasanimportantmonk:Themoneylenderwouldhavetosendoneofhisservantstoinvitehimtothemeal.ButbecausetheBuddhawantedthemoneylendertoseethepowersCūḷapanthakahaddeveloped,hedidn’texplainhowtogoaboutmakingtheinvitation.Heletthemoneylender’sservantgotoseeforhimself;onlythenwouldheexplain.

AsforCūḷapanthaka,hispridehadbeensowoundedthathedecidedtogowithoutfoodandtositinmeditationthatday.Itsohappenedthatheenteredthefourthjhāna:Neversincethedayofhisbirthhadhismeditationprogressedsofar.Onreachingthefourthjhāna,heenteredthefifth,makinghismind

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clear,bright,andblooming,andgivingrisetosupernormalstrengthsbothinbodyandmind.

Itwasatthatpointthatthemoneylender’sservantarrivedatthemonastery.Cūḷapanthakasawhimandmadeamentaldetermination,causingmonks—allofthemimagesofhimself—tofillthemonastery.Someweresittinginmeditation,someweredoingwalkingmeditation,somewerewashingtheirrobes.TheservantwenttoaskoneofthemonkswhereCūḷapanthakawas,andthemonkpointedtoanotherpartofthemonastery.Hewenttothatpartofthemonasteryandaskedoneofthemonksthere,whopointedtostillanotherpartofthemonastery.Thiskeptupuntilthetimeforthemealwasalmostover,andyettheservantcouldn’tlocateCūḷapanthakaatall.Soheranbacktothemoneylender’shouse.

TheBuddhaatthispointknewthatCūḷapanthakahadperfectedhispsychicpowersandfromnowonwouldn’tbescornedbyhisfriends,sohetoldtheservanttogobackandmaketheinvitationagain,butthistimehetoldhimhowtodoit.Howwasthat?WhentheservantaskedoneofthemonkswhereCūḷapanthakawas,thenassoonasthemonkwasabouttoopenhismouth,theservantshouldgrabhimbythearmbeforehehadachancetospeak.Sotheservantdidashewastold.Hewentbacktothemonastery,whichwasstillfilledwithmonks,andaskedoneofthemonkswhereCūḷapanthakawas.Asthemonkstartedtopointtoanotherpartofthemonastery,theservantgrabbedholdofhisarm.Theinstanthegrabbedthemonkbythearm,alltheothermonksinthemonasterydisappeared,leavingonlythemonkhewasholding.Soheinvitedthatmonktothemealatthemoneylender’shome.

FromthatpointonCūḷapanthakabecameoneoftheprominentmonksoftheSaṅgha,withallsortsofextraordinarypsychicabilities.Hewasabletostandinthesunwithoutgettinghot,towalkintherainwithoutgettingwet,totravelgreatdistancesinnotimeatall.Hecouldmakehimselfappearinmanyplacesatonce:inforests,cemeteries,andotherplacesaswell.Hedevelopedallkindsofpowers.Asaresult,hewasabletogetoverhiswoundedpridefrombeingscornedbyhisfriends,andinsteadbecameoneofthemoreextraordinaryoftheBuddha’sprominentdisciples.

Thisisthepowerofgoodness.Somepeoplegainextraordinarypowersandwide-rangingabilities:matureintheirconcentration,matureintheirinsight,abletoreachnibbānainthisverylife.Allofthiscomesfromthegoodness,theperfectionsthey’vedeveloped.Soweshouldtakeprideinthegoodnesswe’ve

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beendeveloping,too.There’sanotherstory,aboutanoldwomanwhowenttoamonasteryone

dayandsawthatthewalkingmeditationpathsweredirty.Shesweptthepathsclearofthedirtandrubbish,sothatthemonkscouldwalkconvenientlyonthepaths.Shediditonlythisonce,butshediditwithanattitudeoflove,anattitudeofconviction,anattitudeofrespect,andapurestateofmind.Thedirtandrubbishhadmadeherfeeldispirited,soshesweptitallawayandsetoutwaterforwashingthefeet;asaresult,hermindfeltcleanandrefreshed.Soonaftershereturnedhomeshehadaheartattack.Aftershediedshewasrebornasadevawithalargefollowing,apalace,divinefood,andallkindsofabundantwealth.Livinginherpalace,shebegantorememberherpreviouslifeandthoughttoherself,“IfIhaddonelotsofmerit,I’dbeevenricherthanIamnow.It’dbegoodtogobackanddogoodthingsforjustalittlebitlonger,sothatIcouldgetevenmoreabundantresultsthanwhatIhavenow.Before,Ihadnoideathatgoodnesswouldgiveresultslikethis.”

Sosheleftheavenandcamedowntoearth,prowlingaroundinsearchofmonksintheforestandwilderness.Shecameacrossonemonkwhowasabouttoenterconcentration,soshestoodtherestaringathim,lookingforawaytobeofservice.Butwhenhesawher,hechasedheraway:“Whatkindofdevaisthis,tryingtohorninonhumanbeings’merit?Before,youunderestimatedmerit,butnowthatyou’vereceivedgoodresultsyouwantevenmore.Howgreedycanyouget?Goaway!Iwon’tletyoudoanything.Lethumanbeingshaveachancetodogood.Therearelotsofpeoplewhodon’thaveanyofthegoodthingsyoudo.Don’tcomehorninginontheirchanceforgoodness.”

Chagrined,thedevafledbackuptoheavenandhadtocontentherselfwiththeresultsshealreadyhad.Shehadwantedtomakemoremerit,buttheywouldn‘tlether.Whywasthat?Wehumanbeingstendtounderestimatelittleactsofmerit,butafteryoudieit’shardforyoutomakeanymoremeritatall.Howisithard?Yourbodyisnolongerlikeahumanbody.Youcan’ttalkwithhumanbeingsatall.Youcan’tevenputfoodinmonks‘bowls.Thebestyoucandoissimplystandaroundrejoicinginthemeritofothers.Onlyhumanbeingswithgoodeyescanseeyou.Thosewithoutthatkindofeyewon’tdetectyouatall.Ifyouencounterthosewiththerightmentalpowers,theycanteachyoutosomeextent.Butifyoudon’tencounterthatkindofpersonwhenyou’readeva,youhavenowayofdevelopinganymoregoodness.

Soyoushouldn’tunderestimatethepowerofgoodness.Aslongasyou‘ve

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gotthetimeandtheopportunity,thenwheneveryounoticethechancetodogoodnessofwhichyou‘recapable,youshouldhurryupandmaketheeffort,tryingtodevelopthatgoodnessassoonasyoucan.Ifdeathweretocomerightnow,whatwouldyouhaveleft?Nothing.Allyoucoulddoiswrapupthetrailmixyou‘veputaside—inotherwords,thegoodnessyou‘vedoneinthepast.Whenyourememberit,thatgoodnesswillnourishyourspirit,helpingyoureachoneofthegooddestinationsintheheavenlyworlds.Ifyou’vedevelopedyourmindinstrongconcentration,you‘llbeabletogainreleasefromtherangeofworldlinessandtakeyourhearttothetranscendent.

Sothoseofuswhohaven’tyetdevelopedthegoodnesswe’vehopedfor:Don’tunderestimatewhatyou’vegot.Regardwhatyou‘vedoneasyourwealth.Thiswealthofyoursiswhatwillpreventyourlifefromfallingintolowplaces.Aslongasyoustayinthisworld,youcandependonthegoodyou’vedonetodeterminethecourseofyourlife.Ifyouleavethisworld,yourgoodnesswillfollowyoulikeashadowatalltimes.

HereI’vebeentalkingaboutthegoodnesswe’vejoinedourheartstogetherindevelopinghere.TaketheadviceI’vegivenandrememberitaspartofyourrecollectionoftheDhamma.

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Glossary

Abhidhamma:Thethirdofthethree“baskets”orcollectionscomprisingthePaliCanon,consistingofsevenbooksdevotedtostandardizingthevocabularyoftheteachingspresentedintheSuttas,ordiscourses,inthefirstbasket.

Ajaan:AThaiwordderivedfromthePaliterm,ācariya:mentororteacher.

Arahant:A“worthyone,”apersonwhoseheartisfreedfromthefermentations(āsava)ofsensuality,statesofbecoming,views,andignorance,andwhoisthusnotdestinedforfurtherrebirth.AnepithetfortheBuddhaandthehighestlevelofhisNobleDisciples.

Ariyadhana:Noblewealth,i.e.,qualitiesthatserveascapitalinthequestforliberation:conviction,virtue,shame,compunction,erudition,generosity,anddiscernment.

Āsava:Fermentation;effluent.Fourqualities—sensuality,views,becoming,andignorance—thatbubbleupintheheartandflowout,leadingtothefloodoffurtherbecoming.

Avijjā:Ignorance;counterfeitawareness.

Brahmā:Inhabitantofthehigher,non-sensuallevelsofheaven.

Buddho:Awake.

Deva:Literally,a“shiningone.”Aterrestrialorcelestialspiritinhabitingaplaneofsensualpleasure.

Dhamma:Event;phenomenon;thewaythingsareinandofthemselves;theirinherentqualities;thebasicprinciplesthatunderlietheirbehavior.Also,principlesofbehaviorthathumanbeingsoughttofollowsoastofitinwiththerightnaturalorderofthings;qualitiesofmindtheyshoulddevelopsoastorealizetheinherentqualityofthemindinandofitself.Byextension,“dhamma”isusedalsotorefertoanydoctrinethatteachessuchthings.ThustheDhammaoftheBuddharefersbothtohisteachingsandtothedirectexperienceofthequality—nibbāna—atwhichthoseteachingsareaimed.Incontextswherethe

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termisusedinaneutralsenseinthesetalks,ithasbeenleftuncapitalized.Whereusedinapositivesense,ithasbeencapitalized.

Dhātu:Property;element.Thefourphysicalpropertiesareearth(solidity),water(liquidity),fire(heat),andwind(energy).Thesixpropertiesincludethesefourtogetherwithspaceandconsciousness.(Foradescriptionofhowthefiredhātuisrelatedtotheappearanceanddisappearanceofafire,seethediscussionundernibbāna,below.)

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

Kamma:Intentionalactionsthatresultinstatesofbeingandbirth.Sometimesthistermisalsousedtodenotetheresultsofsuchactions.

Khandha:Componentpartsofsensoryperception,fromwhichone’ssenseofselfisconstructed:rūpa(physicalsensations);vedanā(feelingsofpleasure,pain,orneitherpleasurenorpain);saññā(labels,concepts);saṅkhāra(mentalfabrications,anythingcreatedbythemind);andviññāṇa(consciousness).

Māra:Thepersonificationofdeath,temptation,andanyforcethatobstructsthepracticeofthepathtoLiberation.

Nibbāna(nirvāṇa):Liberation;theunbindingofthemindfromgreed,anger,anddelusion,fromphysicalsensationsandmentalacts.Asthistermisusedtoreferalsototheextinguishingoffire,itcarriesconnotationsofstilling,cooling,andpeace.(AccordingtothephysicstaughtatthetimeoftheBuddha,thepropertyoffireinalatentstateexiststoagreaterorlesserextentinallobjects.Whenactivated,itseizesandstickstoitsfuel.Whenextinguished,itis“unbound.”)

Nīvaraṇa:Hindrancestoconcentration—sensualdesire,illwill,torpor&lethargy,restlessness&anxiety,anduncertainty.

Pāṭimokkha:Thebasiccodeof227rulesfollowedbyTheravādaBuddhistmonks.

Saṅgha:ThecommunityoftheBuddha’sfollowers.Ontheconventionallevel,thisreferstotheBhikkhuSaṅgha,orBuddhistmonkhood.Ontheideallevel,itreferstothoseoftheBuddha’sfollowers,whetherlayorordained,who

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havepracticedtothepointofgainingatleast“stream-entry,”thefirstofthetranscendentqualitiesculminatinginnibbāna.

Saṅkhāra:Fabrication—theforcesandfactorsthatfabricatethings,theprocessoffabrication,andthefabricatedthingsthatresult;allprocessesorthingsconditioned,compounded,orconstructedbynature,whetheronthephysicalorthementallevel.

Sutta:Discourse.

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sabbesattāsadāhontuaverāsukha-jīvino

kataṁpuñña-phalaṁmayhaṁsabbebhāgībhavantute

Mayallbeingsalwayslivehappily,freefromanimosity.

MayallshareintheblessingsspringingfromthegoodIhavedone.

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TableofContents

Titlepage 2Copyright 3Introduction 4BeyondDeath 6TheEssenceofMerit 11ThePowerofGoodwill 16ComingAshore 18RightAction,RightResult 24Clean&Clear 28GenuinePractice,GenuineKnowing 34Intent 36TheFreshFlavorofDhamma 39LivinginPeace 42FeedingtheMind 46Shelter 51I 51II 52

LoyaltytoYourMeditation 60DhammaforEveryone 67VisākhaPūjā 73ThePowerofGoodness 81Glossary 88

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