THE BUDDHIST THOUGHT
For I know very well that, for a long time, I have experienced desirable, pleasant and agreable results from meritorious deeds often performed. For seven years I cultivated thoughts of loving-kindness. Having cultivated a heart full of loving- kindness for seven years, I did not return to this world for seven cyclic aeons of world destructions and world-originations. Whenever a world was destroyed, I entered (by way of rebirth) the realm of the Radiant Gods: and when the world unfolded again, I was reborn in an empty Brahma palace. And there I was the Great Brahma, the unvaquished victor, all-powerful. And thirty-six times I was Sakka, ruler of gods, and many hundred times I was a world-ruling king, a just and righteous king... 41. Mental
Development
mind), may have the wish. "Oh, that my heart may be freed of the taints (asava), without attachment", yet his heart will not be freed. And for what reason?. "Because he has not developed (hig mind)," one has to say. Not developed in what?. In the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Success, the five Spiritual Faculties, the five Spiritual Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment and in the Noble Eightfold Path. Suppose, monks, there are eight, ten or twelve hen,s eggs. But the hen did not sit on them suffi- ciently along and they are not well warmed, not developed enough (for hatching). Though that hen may wish. "Oh that my chicken would break the egg shells with their claws and beaks and emerge safely!, yet these chicks will not be able to do so. And for what reason?. The hen did not sit on the eggs sufficiently long, so that they are not well warmed and not developed enough (for hatching). Similarly it is with a monk who has not applied himself to the meditative develop,ent of his mind. Though he may have the wish that his heart may be freed of the taints, yet he will not be so freed. And for what reason?. Because he has not developed his mind. Not developed in what?. In the four Foundations of Mindfulness... and in the Noble Eightfold Path. But if a monk has applied himself to the meditative development of his mind, even if he should not have that wish, "Oh that my heartmay be freed of the taints, without attachment!" still his heart will be freed of the taints. And for what reason?. "Because he has developed his mind," one has to say. Developed in what?. In the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Beses of Success, the five Spiritual Faculties, the Five Spiritual Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment and in the Noble Eightfold Path. Suppose, monks, there are eight, ten or twelve hen,s eggs. And the hen has sat on them sufficiently long, so that they are well warmed and developed enough for hatching. Even if that hen did not wish, "Oh that my chicken would break the egg shells with their claws and beaks and emerge safely!" still the chicks will break through the shells and emerge safely. And for what reason?. Because.... the eggs were well developed for hatching. Suppose, monks, a carpenter has an axe and its handle shows the marks of his fingers and thumb. Yet he will not know that so much (of the handle has worn away) today, so much yesterday and so much at other times; but he will just know of what is wasted that it has worn away. It is similar with a monk devoted to the cultivation of his mind. Though he has no knowledge that so much of the taints (of mind) has worn away to-day, so much yesterday and so much at other times; yet he knows of what is wasted that it is worn away. 
Or
suppose, monks, an ocean-going boat rigged with; robes, having been exposed
to the water for six months, has been dragged to the shore for the winter.
Then the ropes that had been affected by wind and sun, when soaked by the
monsoon rains, will easily go to waste and rot away. It is simlar
with a monk devoted to the cultivation of his mind: his
fetters will easily be loosened and will (finally) rot away. as has been put forward by Vipassana teachers outside Thailand. First we mention Thray Sithes U Ba Khin of Burma. This is how he puts the experience of sensa tion in question. "The Buddha made it known to his disciples that the human body is composed of Kalapas (atomic units): each dying out simultaneously as it becomes. Kalapas is a mass formed of natural-elements. These Kalapas are in a state of perpetual change and flux. They are nothing but a steam of energies, just as the light of a candle or an electric bulb. The body, as we call it, is not an entity, as it seems to be but a continuum of matter with life force co-existing. Does man feel the rocking vibrations within himself?. Does the scientist who knows that all are in a state of change or flux ever feel that his body is but energy and vibration?. What will be the repercussion on the mental attitude of the man who introspectively sees that his own body is mere energy and vibration?. To quench thirst one just easily drinks a glass of water from a village-well Supposing his eyes are as powerful as microscopes, he would surely hesitate to drink the very water in which he must be seeing the magnifield microbes. So also, when a person comes to a realization of the perpetual chang within himself (i, e, Anicca or impermanence, he must necessarity come to the understanding, as a sequel there to of the vibration and friction of the atomic units within and without. By intro- spective meditation he makes analytical study of nature, firstly of Rupa (Matter) and then of Nama (mind and mental properties). He feels and then also he sees the Kalapas in their true state". "The Truth of Suffering" is something which must be experienced before it can be understood. For example, we all know from science that everyting that exists is nothing but vibration caused by the whirling movement of infinite numbers of electrons; but how many of us can convince themselves and accept the fact that our own bodies are subject to the same law?. Why not then try to feel as to what the body is so far as it is related to ourselves?. Why not try to feel as they (electrons) really are so far as they are related to your goodself?. "With developed mental power, one can see through and through more than what one can see with the help of the latest scientific instruments" "The extract from a diary of one my disciples which I will presently read out will give you an idea of what 'suffering within' is. Here it goes: "21,8,51. No sooner I began to meditate, when I felt as if someone is boring a hole through my head and I felt the sensation of crawling ants all over my head. I wanted to scratch it, but my Guru forbade me todo it. Within an hour I saw the sparkling 'radiance of blue light tinged with violet colour gradually entering my body. When I lay in my room continually for three hours I almost fell unconscious and felt a terrible shock in my body. I was about to be frightened out of my wits but my Guru encouraged me to proceed. I felt my whole body heated up and I also felt an indication of the electronic needle at every part of my body. 
22.8.51. Today I laid
down meditating for nearly three hours. I had a sensation of
feeling that my whole body was in flames and I also saw sparkles of
blue and violet rays of light moving fro top to bottom aimlessly. Then my Guru told me that the changing in my body is "Anicca" (impermanence) and the pain and suffering following it is "dukkha" and that one must get to a state beyond "dukkha" or 'suffering'. 23.8.51. My Guru asked me to concentrate on my breast without the radiation of light and added that we are reaching the stage of "philosophy of our body". I did accordingly and came to the conclusion that our body is full of "suffering". "What is man?. Man is, after all, mental forces personified. What is matter?. Matter is nothinng but mental forces materialised, the result of the reaction of the moral (positive) and immoral (negative) forces. Buddha said cittena nayati loko; "the world is mind-made". So far the extract from "What Buddhism is" by Thray Sithes U Ba Khin. Before we mention the approach of another teacher, also from Burma, it may be added, that unlike realising sensation through a particular movement of one,s hand first, as mentioned before, U. Ba Khin starts contempla ting breathing and realises sensation at the spot of contact of breath. Secondly we will here mention the approach of Sunlun Gakyaung Sayadaw as a disciple describes it in "The Yogi and Vipassana" (According to this method, too, the contemplation of breathing, notably strong breathing, is started with): "Mental nothing tends to take place at a much slower pace than the actual process of phenomena. Thus instead of being able to see these processes as they are, there is the tendency to keep slipping into a past where the processes are reconstructed by an intervening reasoning mind. To be able to keep up with the natural processes, the yogi need only be mindful. This is not difficult tp perform. The initial requirement is awareness of sensation. Be aware of touch or sensation or mental pheno- mena. Watch and guard this awareness of sensation with mindfulness. When the awareness of sensation is guarded with mindfulness, thoughts are locked out, they cannot intrude. No apportuni- ty is offered for formation of concepts, images or ideas to arise. Thereby the processes are got at directly in the very moment of occurrence as they are in themselves without the distortation of thought. This is true Vipassana. "Of the four methods of anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) the first three are (pure) sama- tha exercises. According to the first method there is counting (one normally counts 1 to 10 while breathing in and 1 to 10 as one breathes out). Numbers are concents. According to the second method the form of breath is noted (length or shortness). Form is an image. According to third method the going in and out of breath is noted. This is achieved through the creation of ideas. Concepts, images and ideas belong to the sphere of conventional truth, as they are conceived by us, but not reality itself. Only the fourth method where the sense of touch alone is taken in its bareness, involves Vipasana. Yet even this practice can go astray if one handles touch or sensation with the gloves of concepts and ideas. It instead of being aware of the touch in its bare actuality, if instead of guarding this awareness with mindfulness, the yogi makes a mental note of it, that moment he has slipped into the old habit of forming concepts or ideas and therefore he practises samatha as excul- sive of the intended Vipaana practice.
Continue Next
Page
|
Watchia
