Fragments of a T eaching

All of y ou ha v e believ ed in Buddhism for many y ears no w thr ough hearing about the Buddhist teac hi ngs fr om many sour ces – especially fr om v arious mo nks and teac hers. In some cases Dhamma is taught in v ery br oad and v ague terms to the point wher e it is difficult to kno w ho w to put it into pr actice in daily life. In other instances Dhamma is taught in high language or special jargon to the point wher e most people find it difficult to understand, especially if t he teac hing is dr a wn too liter ally fr om scriptur e. Lastly Dhamma is taught in a balanced w a y , neither too v ague nor too pr ofound, neither too br oad nor too esoteric – just right for the listener t o understand and pr actise to personally benefit fr om the teac hings. T oday I w ould lik e to shar e with y ou teac hings of the sort I ha v e often used to instruct my disciples in the past; teac hings whic h I hope may possibly be of personal benefit to those of y ou listening her e toda y .

One Who W ishes t o R each t he Buddha-Dhamma

One who wishes t o r eac h the Buddha-Dhamma must be one who has faith or confidence as a foundation. He must under- stand the meaning of Buddha-Dhamma as follo ws:

‘Buddha’ is t he ‘one-who-kno ws’, the one who has purit y , r adiance and peace in his heart.

‘Dhamma’ means the c har acteristics of purit y , r adiance and peace whic h arise fr om mor alit y , co ncentr ation and wisdom.

Ther efor e, one who is to r eac h the Buddha-Dhamma is one who cultiv ates and dev elops mor alit y , concentr ation and wisdom within himself.

W alking t he P at h of Buddha-Dhamma

Natur ally people who wish to r eac h their home ar e not those who mer ely sit and think of tr a v elling. They must actually undertak e the pr ocess of tr a v elling step by step, and in the right dir ection as w ell, in or der to finally r eac h home. If they tak e the wr ong path they may ev entually run into difficulties suc h as sw amps or other obstac les whic h ar e har d to get ar ound. Or they may run into danger ous situations in this wr ong dir ection, ther eby possibly nev er r eac hing home.

Those who r eac h home can r elax and sleep comfortably – home is a place of comfort for body and mind. No w t hey ha v e r eally r eac hed home. But if the tr a v eller o nly passed by the fr ont of his home or only w alk ed ar ound it, he w ould not r eceiv e any benefit fr om ha ving tr a v elled all the w ay home.

In the same w a y , w alking the path t o r eac h the Buddha- Dhamma is something eac h one of us must do individuall y , for no one can do it for us. And w e must tr a v el along the pr oper path of mor alit y , concentr ation and wisdom until w e find the blessings of purit y , r adian ce and peacefulness of mind that ar e the fruits of tr a v elling the path.

Ho w ev er , if one only has kno wledge of books and scriptur es,

sermons and suttas, that is, only kno wledge of the map or plans for the jo urne y , ev en in hundr eds of liv es one will nev er kno w purit y , r adiance and peacefulness of mind. Instead one will just w aste time and nev er get to the r eal benefits of pr actice. T eac hers ar e those who only point out the dir ection o f the path. After listening to the teac hers, whether or not w e w alk the path by pr a ctising ourselv es, and ther eby r eap the f ruits o f pr actice, is strictly up to eac h one of us.

Another w ay to look at it is to compar e pr actice to a bottle of medicine a doctor lea v es for his patient. On the bottle is written detailed instructions on ho w to tak e the medicine, but no matter ho w many hundr ed times the patient r eads the dir- ections, he is bound to die if that is all he does. He will gain no benefit fr om the medicine. And befor e he dies he may complain bitterly that the doctor w asn ’t any good, that the medicine didn’t cur e him! He will think that the doctor w as a fak e or that the medicine w as w orthless, y et he has only spent his time e xamining the bottle and r eading the instructions. He hasn’t follo w ed the advice of the doctor and tak en the medicine.

Ho w ev er , if the patient actually follo ws the doctor’s advice and tak es the medicine r egularly as pr escribed, he will r eco v er . And if he is v ery ill, it will be necessary to tak e a lot of medicine, wher eas if he is only mildly ill, only a little medicine will be needed t o finally cur e him. The fact that w e must use a lot of medicine is a r esult of the sev erity of our illness. It’s only nat- ur al and y ou can see it for y ourself with car eful consider ation.

Doctors pr escribe medicine to eliminate disease fr om the bod y . The teac hings of the Buddha ar e pr escribed to cur e dis- ease of the mind; t o bring it bac k to its natur al healthy state. So the Buddha can be consider ed to be a doctor who pr escribes

cur es for the ills of the mind. He is, in fact, the gr eatest doctor in the w orld.

Mental ills ar e found in eac h one of us without e xception. When y ou see these mental ills, does it not mak e sense to look to the Dhamma as support, as medicine to cur e y our ills? Tr a v el- ling the path of the Buddha-Dhamma is not done with the bod y . T o r eac h the benefits, y ou must tr a v el with the mind. W e can divide these tr a v ellers into thr ee gr oups:

First lev el: this gr oup is comprised of those who understand that they must pr actise themselv es, and kno w ho w to do so. They tak e the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha as their r efuge and ha v e r esolv ed to pr actise diligently accor ding to the teac h ings. These persons ha v e discar ded mer ely follo wing customs and tr aditions, and instead use r eason to e xamine for themselv es the natur e of the w orld. These ar e the gr oup of ‘Buddhist believ ers’.

Middle lev el: this gr oup is com prised of those who ha v e pr actised until they ha v e an unshakable faith in the teac hings of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saṅgha. They also ha v e penetr ated to the understanding of the true natur e of all co m- pounded formations. These persons gr adually r educe c linging and attac hment. They do not hold onto things and their minds r eac h deep understanding of the Dhamma. Depending upon the degr ee of non-attac hment and wisdom they ar e pr ogr essiv ely kno wn as str eam-enter ers, once-r eturners and non-r eturners, or simpl y , noble ones.

Highest lev el: this is the gr oup of those whose pr actice has led them to the bod y , speec h and mind of the Buddha. They ar e abo v e the w orld, fr ee of t he w orld, and fr ee of all attac hment and c linging. They ar e kno wn as ar ahants or fr ee ones, the highest lev el of the noble ones.

How t o P ur if y One ’ s Mor ality

Mor ality is r estr aint and discipline of body and spee c h. On the formal lev el this is divided into c lasses of pr ecepts for laypeople and for monks and nuns. Ho w ev er , to speak in gener al terms, ther e is one basic c har acteristic – that is intention. When w e ar e mindful or self-r ecollected, w e ha v e right intention. Pr actising mindfulness (sati) and self-r ecollection ( sampajañña ) will gener ate good mor alit y .

It is only natur al that when w e put on dirty c lothes and our bodies ar e dirt y , our minds too will feel uncomfortable and depr essed.

Ho w ev er , if w e k eep our bodies c lean and w ear c lean, neat c lothes, it mak es our minds light and c heerful. So too, when mor ality is not k ept, our bodily actions and speec h ar e dirt y , and this is a cause for making the mind unhapp y , distr essed and hea v y . W e ar e separ ated fr om right pr actice and this pr ev ents us fr om penetr ating the essence of the Dhamma in our minds. Wholesome bodily actions and speec h themselv es depend on mind, pr operly tr ained, since mind or ders body and speec h. Ther efor e, w e must continually pr actise by tr aining our minds.

T he P r actice of Concent r ation

The tr aining in concentr ation (samādhi) is pr actised to mak e the mind firm and stead y . This brings about peacefulness of mind. Usually our untr ained minds ar e mo ving and r estless, har d to contr ol and manage. Mind follo ws s ense distr actions wildly just lik e w ater flo wing this w ay and that, seeking the lo w est lev el. Agriculturists and engineers, t hough, kno w ho w

to contr ol w ater so t hat it is of gr eater use to mankind. Men ar e c lev er , they kno w ho w to dam w ater , mak e large r eserv oirs and canals – all of this mer ely to c hannel w ater and mak e it mor e usable. In addition, the w ater stor ed becomes a sour ce of elec- trical po w er and light; and a further benefit fr om contr olling its flo w is that the w ater doesn’t run wild, ev entually settling into a few lo w spots, its usefulness w asted.

So, too, the mind whic h is dammed and contr olled, tr ained constantl y , will be of immeas ur able benefit. The Buddha him- self taught, ‘The mind that has been contr olled brings true happiness, so tr ain y our minds w ell for the highest of benefits.’ Similarl y , the animals w e see ar ound us – elephants, horses, cattle, buffalo, etc. – must be tr ained befor e they can be useful for w ork. Only after they ha v e been tr ained is their st r ength of benefit to us.

In the same w a y , the mind that has been tr ained will bring many mor e times the number of blessings than t hat of an untr ained mind. The Buddha and his noble disciples all started out in the same w ay as us – with untr ained minds; but look ho w they became the subjects of r ev er ence for us all, and see ho w m uc h benefit w e can gain thr ough their teac hing. Indeed, see what benefit has come to the entir e w orld fr om these men who ha v e go ne thr ough the tr aining of the mind to r eac h the fr eedom bey ond. The mind contr olled and tr ained is better equipped to help us in all pr ofessions, in all situations. The disciplined mind will k eep our liv es balanced, mak e w ork easier and dev elop and nurtur e r eason to go v ern our actions. In the end our happiness will incr ease accor dingly as w e follo w the pr oper mind tr aining.

Mindfulness and Br eat hing

The tr aining of the mind can be done in many w ays, with many differ ent methods. The method whic h is most useful and can be pr actised by all types of peo ple is kno wn as ‘mindfulness of br eathing’. It is the dev eloping of mindfulness on the in- br eath and the out-br eath. In this monastery w e concentr ate our attention on the tip of the nose and dev elop a w ar eness of the in-br eath and out-br eath with the mantr a w or d ‘Bud-dho’. If the m editator wishes to use another w or d, or simply be mindful of the air mo ving in and out, this is also fine. Adjust the pr actice to suit y ourself. The essential factor in the meditation is that the noting or a w ar eness of the br eath be k ept up in the pr esent moment so that one is mindful of eac h in-br eath and eac h out- br eath just as it occurs. While doing w alking meditation w e try to be co nstantly mindful of the sensation of the feet touc hing the gr ound.

This pr actice of meditation must be pursued as continu- ously as possible in or der for it to bear fruit. Don’t meditate for a short time one day and then in one or tw o w eeks, or ev en a month, meditat e again. This will not bring r esults. The Buddha taught us to pr actise often, to pr actise diligentl y , that is, to be as continuous as w e can in the pr actice of mental tr ainin g. T o pr actise meditation w e should also find a suitably quiet place fr ee fr om distr actions. In gar dens or under shady tr ees in our bac k y ar ds, or in places wher e w e can be alone ar e suitable envir onments. If w e ar e a monk o r nun w e should find a suitable hut, a quiet for est or ca v e. The mountains offer e xceptionally suitable places for pr actice.

In any case, wher ev er w e ar e, w e must mak e an effort to

be co ntinuously mindful of br eathing in and br eathing out. If the attention w anders to other things, try to pull it bac k to the object of concentr ation. Try to put a w ay all other thoughts and car es. Don’t think about anything – just w atc h the br eath. If w e ar e mindful of thoughts as soon as they arise and k eep diligently r eturning to the meditation subject, the mind will become quieter and quieter .

When the mind is peaceful and concentr ated, r elease it fr om the br eath as t he object of concentr ation. No w begin to e xamine the body and mind comprised of the fiv e khandhas: material form, feelings, per ceptions, mental f ormations and conscious- ness. Examine these fiv e khandhas as t hey come and go. Y ou will see c learly that they ar e impermanent, that this imperman- ence mak es them unsatisfactory and undesir able, and that they come and go of their o wn – ther e is no ‘self ’ running things. Ther e is to be found only natur e mo vin g accor ding to cause and effect. All things in the w orld fall under the c har acteristics of instabilit y , unsatisfactoriness and being without a permanent ego or soul. Seeing the whole of e xistence in this light, attac h- ment and c linging to the khandhas will gr adually be r educed. This is because w e see t he true c har acteristics of the w orld. W e call this the arising of wisdom.

T he Ar ising of W isdom

Wisdom (paññā) is to see the truth of the v arious manifest- ations of body and mind. When w e use our tr a ined and concen- tr ated minds to e xamine the fiv e khandhas, w e will see c learly that both body and mind ar e impermanent, unsatisfact ory and soul-less. In seeing all compounded t hings with wisdom w e do not c ling or gr asp at them. Whatev er w e r eceiv e, w e r eceiv e

mindfull y . W e ar e not e xcessiv ely happ y . When things of ours br eak up or disappear , w e ar e not unhappy and do not suffer painful feelings – for w e see c learly the impermanent natur e of all things. When w e encounter illness and pain of any sort, w e ha v e equanimity because our minds ha v e been w ell tr ained. The true r efuge is the tr ai ned mind.

All of this is kno wn as the wisdom whic h kno ws the true c har acteristics of things as they arise. Wisdom arises fr om mindfulness and concentr ation. Concentr ation arises fr om a base of mor ality or virtue. Mor alit y , concentr ation and wisdom ar e so inter-r elated that it is not r eally possible to separ ate them. In pr actice it can be look ed at in this w ay: first , ther e is the disciplining of the mind to be attentiv e to br eathing. This is the arising of mor alit y . When mindfulness of br eathing is pr actised continuously until the mind is quiet, this is the arising of concentr ation. Then e xamination sho wing the b r eath as impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self, and the subsequent non-attac hment to it, is the arising of wisdom. Thus the pr ac- tice of mindfulness of br eathing can be said to be a course fo r the dev elopment of mor alit y , concentr ation and wisdom. They all come together .

When mor alit y , concentr ation and wisdom ar e all dev eloped, w e call this pr actising the eightfold path whic h the Buddha taught as our only w ay out of s uffering. The eightfold path is abo v e all others because if pr operly pr a ctised, it leads dir ectly to Nibbāna, to peace. W e can say that this pr actice r eac hes t he Buddha-Dhamma truly and pr ecisel y .

Benefit s f r om P r actice

When w e ha v e pr actised meditation as e xplained abo v e, the fruits of pr actice will arise in the follo wing t hr ee stages:

First, for those pr actitioners who ar e at the lev el of ‘Buddhist by faith’, ther e will arise incr easing faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha. This faith will become the r eal inner support of eac h person. Als o, they will underst and the cause-and-effect natur e of all things, that wholesome action brings a wholesome r esult and that unwholesome action brings an unwholesome r esult. So, f or suc h persons, ther e will be a gr eat incr ease in happiness and mental peace.

Second, those who ha v e r eac hed the noble attainments of str eam-win ner , once-r eturner or non-r eturner , will ha v e unshakable faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha. They ar e joyful and ar e pulled to w ar ds Nibb āna.

Thir d, for those ar ahants or perfected ones, ther e will be the happiness fr ee fr om all suffering. These ar e the Buddhas, fr ee fr om the w orld, complete in the faring of the holy w a y .

W e ha v e all had the goo d fortune to be born as human beings and to hear the teac hings of the Buddha. This is an opportunity t hat millions of other beings do not ha v e. Ther e- for e, do not be car eless or heedless. Hurry and dev elop merits, do good and follo w the path of pr actice in the beginning, in the middle and in the highest lev els. Don’t let time r oll by unused and without purpose. Try to r eac h the truth of the Buddha’s teac hings ev en toda y . Let me c lose with a Lao folk-saying: ‘man y r ounds of merriment and pleasur e past, soon it will be ev ening. Drunk with tears n o w , r est and see, soon it will be too late to finish the journey .’

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Giv en to the lay community at W at Pah Pong in 1972.