Talk given by Ajahn Jagaro, 1988
I would like to begin
this talk firstly by speaking about developing the
posture for meditation. The ideal posture is one that is
quite balanced, so try to sit on the floor quite
straight. Keep the back straight and push the lower back
forward as if something is pulling you from the chest
upwards a little bit so that you are lifting yourself
up. The top of the head should be towards the ceiling,
keep your chin tucked in a little so that the neck is
straight. The posture is something that you can work
with and improve, as it is never perfect from the start.
Rather than using the
cross-legged posture, try to cultivate either the half
lotus or the Burmese posture for sitting meditation
practice; when the knees are firmly on the floor there
is greater stability and it is easier to sit for longer
periods. Use a firm cushion to help push the pelvis
forward, so that the belly softens and the knees drop
lower. Hatha yoga exercises are helpful in building
strength in the back and to help open the thighs, and
make the body more flexible. You should be careful not
to pull the muscles, but do try to exercise and stretch
the legs.
Some people sit on a low
stool, which is tilted slightly forward to straighten
the back. If none of these postures are possible for
you, and you must sit on a chair, choose a straight
backed firm chair, and support your own back; do not
lean on the back of the chair, do rest your feet firmly
on the ground. Experiment with these postures to find
your own limits. Work with your body to see if you can
gradually cultivate a good, straight and balanced
posture. The more balanced you are, the more comfortable
you'll be and the easier you'll find it to sit for
longer periods; however some discomfort is natural, as
we are unaccustomed to sitting still for any time at
all.
Working with the posture
is in itself a very good meditation, especially when we
feel very dull. At this time the breath is too refined
an object, so take this opportunity to use the body. The
body is so concrete; it feels so solid that it really
grounds us and the feelings of the body are always there
definite, sharp and very present. So when the mind
starts getting into dull, confused states or very
distracted thinking, come back to something really
definite like the bodily posture. Just feel the body
sitting, bring the mind within the body; fill the body
with the mind. Remind yourself, whenever the mind starts
to wander - just sitting. Let the mind sink back into
the body. Body just sitting. Then you can begin to
experiment with improving the posture. Start by putting
a bit of strength into the back and neck. This is not
only developing posture for its own sake but it is also
disciplining the mind itself by cultivating awareness
and energy in the mind. The state of the body reflects
the state of the mind. When our mind is dull or lazy the
body starts slumping, losing its strength and energy.
As for the natural
exercise of concentration, this is what we call Samatha
meditation. This meditation is good for everyone because
we tend to create, think and analyse too much.
Intellectually we are very active and agile but this
always leads to a sense of confusion and complexity
because the nature of thought and the conditioned world
is very complex. We are very complicated beings and when
we try to understand ourselves just by thinking it can
be very confusing. One's mind seems like a jungle of
thoughts, ideas, perceptions and memories. So what we
really need is a firmer foundation of clarity and
stability, where the mind can begin to rest and focus on
being still, content in the present moment and not
getting lost in thinking one thought after another.
Moving away from the realm of thought and complexity,
towards simplicity. That is why we practise the
technique of anapanasati, the cultivation of mindfulness
of the in and out breath. It 'is a very good technique
of meditation because the breath is quite natural, it
does not require any ego. The breath comes in and goes
out by itself; it doesn't require us to do anything.
anapanasati is quite different from breath control
because it is using the natural flow of the breath.
There is no contriving or constructing, making it into
this or that, which is what we do with most other
things. It is just the natural flow of the breath. Allow
your mind to rest, dwell with, and get close to, the
breath, which is in itself an extremely tranquil,
peaceful and soothing object. Just the rhythmic flowing
in and flowing out of the cooling, gentle touch of the
breath.
It requires a lot of
patience before our minds become used to this simple
activity because we are used to exciting mental
gymnastics and this is just a very simple task,
observing and staying with the breath. So we must have
patience and confidence in the teachings of the Buddha
and in our teachers. If we have confidence it will give
us the resolve to patiently bring the attention back to
the breath, turning towards the breath more fully. When
the mind starts running off and gets interested in
something else, what does that mean? It means that we
see greater value in those other things; we think they
will give us more excitement, more happiness. We think
thoughts of past or future plans are going to give us
more happiness than staying with the breath. That's why
the mind moves away from the breath: we always seek
happiness.
So establish your
confidence in this teaching and then focus your
attention on the breath. Just turn towards it and
sustain your attention, be with it, be completely
contented. If we become really concentrated, this causes
the mind to become joyous and happy, and the body to
feel rapture and bliss. This is happiness far greater
than what we can derive from the sensory world. It's a
very good thing to keep in mind. It gives us the
incentive and the ability to resolve, each time we sit
in meditation, to really turn towards the breath,
incline towards it, be satisfied with it, knowing that
the mind will be happy. Isn't that what we all want?
Now when we begin it is
quite difficult. The breath is difficult to find and to
be with; you can't force the mind or strangle the stray
thoughts. You have to be very, very patient and very
alert. It is not a mechanical exercise. Notice the mind
being with the breath, and then notice the mind moving
away to something else, notice and then bring the
attention back to the breath. Knowing at least that this
is an inhalation and this is an exhalation. When images,
dialogues and memories arise, begin to cut through them.
It's like cutting your way through a jungle made of
thoughts, images, words, memories and plans. Keep coming
back to the reality of the breath. The breath is
something, which is now, which is definite. The breath
comes in, this is an inhalation, and you know that. The
breath goes out, this is an exhalation, and you know
that. Then begin to know and incline towards the
beginning and the end of the breath more clearly. Know
the beginning of the inhalation, know the end of the
inhalation. Know the beginning of and the end of the
exhalation.
So you are disciplining
the mind by using a physical object, because this object
is now. It's a reality. There is nothing complex about
the breath it is very simple. As the mind begins to
clear a little you notice that the imagery and the
internal noise begin to diminish. Then it is a matter of
focussing more closely on the breath; inclining towards
it is all you can really do. Allow the mind to sink into
the breath, to touch it, to get as close as you can to
it and the more you do that the greater the
concentration and tranquillity will be.
You can read all sorts
of books on how to practise mindfulness of breathing but
it is just something you have to find your own way with,
and experiment with. Regular practice is very important
because the skill is cultivated through repetition,
learning from each meditation period. Sometimes you are
peaceful, sometimes restless, but just keep going.
Tranquillity meditation is quite simple, it simplifies
the mind and focuses the attention.
It is the same with
walking meditation. Use the touch of the feet or the
movement of the legs as your focus of attention. It is a
very concrete thing with a beginning and an end to focus
on. Begin to simplify, to move away from the world of
thinking, projecting and complexity to the world of now,
this moment, this body. Walking just one step at a time.
Training the mind gently and firmly requires awareness
and patience. If we have expectations and no patience we
will soon become disheartened. The Buddha said that it
is easier to go into battle single handed against a
thousand enemies armed to the teeth and to conquer them
a thousand times than it is to conquer one's own mind.
It's not that difficult, but the Buddha did want to
stress that it is a difficult thing to do. It requires a
great deal of patience.
To develop this
foundation of concentration and clarity is important as
it gives emotional stability and the ability to cut
through all the doubt, foolishness and obsessiveness of
the mind. When the mind is centred and in a state of
clarity and stillness it is a very powerful and useful
tool. The Buddha said that a well-trained mind is the
most useful thing and the untrained mind the most
dangerous thing to have. An untrained mind causes a lot
of trouble to oneself and others, so begin by dedicating
quite a lot of time and patience to the cultivation of
concentration. Develop a good foundation in
concentration by practising, sharpening the attention,
and repeating this practice of tranquillity meditation
in the morning and at night.
What is the purpose of
concentrating the mind? Is it just to experience a
blissful state? Obviously there is more to it than that.
In Buddhism we say that concentration is only one part;
there is also morality and wisdom. Wisdom is the most
important, but not in the sense of knowledge. It's not
what we can hear from someone else, read in a book or
think out ourselves, but wisdom in the sense of really
understanding the nature of experience. This is why it
is so important to have a well-trained mind, sharp and
clear, with the ability to be collected and look
directly at the experience. A clear mind can look so
directly, intensely and so penetratingly that we can see
through experience and see it for what it really is.
What is the quality of mind that we need for reflection?
It is the mind that is still, empty, but fully awake;
what we call "bare awareness". We practise Samatha
meditation so we can bring the mind into this state of
calmness and stillness. When we sit meditation and
concentrate on the breath, even if we let go of the
breath, we can just be still and when the mind is silent
there is this knowing, this awareness of the present.
Now it is good if we can stabilize that awareness even
if we start with only a few moments. Venerable Ajahn
Sumedho says, "To listen to the silence of the mind". So
what Samatha meditation does is to give stability to the
mind so that we can stay in that alert state of knowing
and emptiness for longer and longer periods.
The Buddha said that
this thing I call "me" is made up of the body, feeling,
perceptions, concepts and consciousness. These are the
five aggregates that make up a human being. These are
the things that we are attached to and that we take to
be who we are. These are the things that cause our
problems; we have to reflect on and observe them more
closely in order to see them for what they are. How do
we do this insight meditation with reflection? We
objectify what is in consciousness and then observe its
nature. Take the body for example. We can be aware of
the body just sitting. If the mind is quite still we can
be aware of the posture, the nature of the body, before
we start labelling it or making anything of it. Then
there are the sensations of the body, especially when
they become very strong. If there is pain, we can make
it an object of our awareness. Stop thinking about it as
being this or that, just experience the sensation, see
if we can stay with it. What is the sensation actually
like? Is it really you? Is it constant? What makes it
pain rather than pleasure? Why is the mind shrinking
away from it? What happens if we stay and abide calmly
with it? Try turning towards the sensation in order to
understand its nature a bit more and reflect on it.
The important thing is
not just to react to every situation. For example when
there is an itch on your leg, you can scratch it and
it's gone, but you haven't learnt anything because you
are acting mechanically out of aversion and desire.
There is no freedom there. I am not saying that it is
wrong to scratch but I am talking about insight, about
freeing the mind from the power of instinct, aversion
and desire. If you have knee pain and you decide to go
to sleep rather than sit meditation that is not bad,
wrong or immoral in any way but there is no effort,
patience or reflection on that which is difficult to
reflect on. There is no seeing, and this is why it is
very valuable to sometimes do that which is difficult
for us, in order to cultivate spiritual qualities and to
develop wisdom.
Sometimes we can feel
very tired during meditation and the body begins to
slump. What is that feeling of tiredness in the body?
Notice what it feels like instead of just reacting,
giving in to it. Instead of just feeling tired and
laying down, stay and begin to observe. See the nature
of this state of the body, the lack of energy, and if
you stay with it you may also see it passing away.
Venerable Ajahn Cha used
to say that Vipassana, insight meditation, had three
signs: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self.
This practice of Vipassana means to continually reflect
on these three signs, make them your point of reference.
The easiest of the three signs is impermanence, the
process of change. It requires a lot of patience;
normally we see the arising but we don't bother to hang
around to wait for the passing away, especially if it is
something unpleasant. For example we may get into a
restless state, the mind is agitated and the body
doesn't want to sit still. If this arises during your
sitting, stay with it, don't give up and walk away. Be
aware, objectify and observe the restless state, get to
know it, and have the patience to stay around and
observe its impermanent nature. It is within the
capacity of everyone to see the passing away of things,
just ordinary things like restlessness, sleepiness or a
little bit of pain. Make them fully conscious in your
mind, and stay with them to see the beginning and the
end, the arising and cessation: impermanence.
Impermanence is a very
good subject to meditate on. We can observe it in the
body, in its various states of energy, pain, dullness
and calm. We can observe it in the mind - the mental
states of restlessness, dullness, peacefulness, calm and
joy. Notice all these changing impermanent states of
body and mind, just as they are. Objectify them. Reflect
on what comes into the field of consciousness, whether
that may be body, feeling, perceptions, conceptions or
moods. See them all as objects. Stay with them and see
them arising and passing away. Know that what you see
cannot be "you" because it is coming and going, cannot
be "yours" because you cannot make it stay forever.
Thus, clearly seeing impermanence will help us see
non-self and unsatisfactoriness - they are actually
three sides of the same thing.
This practice of insight
meditation comes from a very passive state, not a dull
state of mind but an alert, reflective mind. A mind that
is very clear, no longer chasing or fighting
experiences, but sticking around to see the beginning
and the passing away of that which is in the field of
consciousness, that which is being experienced. Please
consider this very carefully because this is really what
insight meditation is. The technique is not insight
meditation. Some people say if you do this technique
it's insight and if you do that technique it is not.
That is all rather silly. It is not the object or the
technique that makes it insight meditation. What makes
it insight meditation is this passive, alert, clear
state of mind that reflects its presence to seethe
beginning and the end, the arising and the passing away
of the present object of experience. See its
impermanence whether or not that object is the breath.
Concentration of the breath can be insight meditation if
you see the beginning and the end of each on our breath;
not just thinking about it but really knowing it,
experiencing it, seeing it clearly arising and passing.
The Buddha said that to have insight doesn't mean to
have insight into one particular thing. You can have
insight into any thought, any mood, they are all
Sankhara: conditioned phenomena, mortal conditions. They
all have the nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness
and non-self. Make the object fully clear in the
conscious mind and then with a passive, awake, alert
mind, be present and see its beginning and its end. This
is the practice of insight meditation.
Try to do this more and
more in your lives, not only when you meditate. Begin to
notice the day, for example. It has a beginning, then it
changes and we call it night. Notice the changing
colours and light and how it will change into day again.
Watch the changing seasons and the weather; be
continually aware of change.
The Buddha said that to
do good things and to give generously is a wonderful,
meritorious thing to do. To have confidence and faith in
virtue and to live a virtuous life based on morality is
even more meritorious. To cultivate the mind of
loving-kindness is even more meritorious still. However,
to be aware of impermanence even for the snap of a
finger is even greater merit because to be truly aware
of impermanence brings about insight. So take an
interest in noticing change, notice the arising and
passing away of all conditioned phenomena with the mind
in a Passive state of alertness, knowing, bare
awareness.
In Forest Monasteries we
just do what is being done at that time, we follow the
routine of the monastery. We become passive mentally and
physically but with an alert mind we watch the changing
phenomena. Everything is changing within you and around
you. When food is offered we receive it with gratitude.
We are not choosing any more, just surrendering to the
present. If aversion or desire arise, we observe it and
see it passing away. In the lay life, too, this is a
very good reflection. I encourage you to really
cultivate this passive, awake, alert state of mind,
objectifying experience to see the beginning and the
passing away. Instead of running about trying to control
and change everything, try to notice the natural change
that happens. We are usually so busy trying to control
and shape everything we don't notice or really
appreciate impermanence. If we have an unpleasant
sensation, we try and avoid it. If we feel tired, we lie
down and go to sleep. If we feel hungry, we eat. We keep
trying to control situations, to avoid the unpleasant
and chase after the pleasant, and that is why
impermanence never becomes truly clear to us. So in
meditation we try to stay with what is happening now and
learn from it. We are training ourselves to become
patient, humble and willing to stay around to see the
arising and passing away, to notice the changes. It's
the same with good health and sickness, strength and
weakness. Stop chasing after and getting away from the
changing conditions, stay around and use them for
reflection.
Practise tranquillity
meditation as much as you can to develop a strong
foundation. The stable mind can stop thinking, can stop
going on and on. Begin to abide in stillness and
clarity. You can stay with the breath or stay with bare
awareness, silently and fully awake. The more you can do
that the more you can do reflecting on the changing
phenomena we normally think of as "me". See them all as
objects, stay with them and see their arising and
passing away. The more we see impermanence the clearer
unsatisfactoriness and non-self become, and the clearer
we see that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent.
So really reflect on that, because the more we see that
the more we begin to incline towards a peaceful mind,
the mind that is empty, contented, and still, no longer
clinging onto any mortal condition. We are all very
fortunate to have this opportunity to practise.
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