Cultivating Peace Of Mind

Cultivating Peace of Mind from 'The Collection of Teachings by Ajahn Chah.' The detailed meditation instructions and encouragement to develop a consistent practice that Venerable Ajahn Chah gave to a lay group in Hampstead Vihara, London.

Transcript

Developing Collectiveness of Mind,

Samadhi.

Meditation instructions given at Hampstead Vihara,

London,

By Venerable Ajahn Chah.

When developing Samadhi,

Fix your attention on the breath,

And imagine that you're sitting absolutely alone,

With no other people,

And nothing else around to bother you.

Develop this perception in the mind,

And sustain it until the mind completely lets go of the world outside.

All that's left is simply the knowing of the breath entering and leaving.

The mind must set aside the external world.

Don't allow yourself to start thinking about this person who is sitting over here,

Or that person sitting over there.

Don't give space to any thoughts that will give rise to confusion or agitation in the mind.

It's better to throw them out and be done with them.

There is no one else here.

You're sitting all alone.

Develop this perception until all the other memories,

Perceptions,

And thoughts concerning other people and things subside,

And you're no longer doubting or wondering about the other people or things around you.

Then you can fix your attention solely on the in-breath and the out-breath.

Allow the in-breath and out-breath to continue naturally,

Without forcing them to be longer or shorter,

Stronger or weaker than normal.

Allow the breath to continue in a state of normality and balance,

And then sit and observe it entering and leaving the body.

Once the mind is at go of external mind objects,

It means that you'll no longer feel disturbed by the sounds of traffic or other noises.

You won't feel irritated with anything outside,

Whether it's forms,

Sounds,

Or whatever.

They won't be a source of disturbance,

Because the mind won't be paying attention to them.

The mind will become centered upon the breath.

If the mind is agitated by different things and you can't concentrate,

Try taking an extra deep breath until the lungs are completely full,

And then release all the air until there's nothing left inside.

Do this several times,

Then re-establish awareness and continue to develop concentration.

Having re-established mindfulness,

It's normal that for a period the mind will be calm,

Then changes and becomes agitated again.

When this happens,

Make the mind firm,

Take another deep breath,

And then expel all the air from your lungs.

Fill the lungs to capacity again for a moment,

And then re-establish mindfulness on the breathing.

Fix mindfulness on the in-breath and the out-breath,

And continue to maintain awareness in this way.

The practice tends to be this way,

So we'll have to take many settings and much effort before you become proficient.

But once you are,

The mind will let go of the external world and remain undisturbed.

Mind objects from the outside will be unable to penetrate inside and disturb the mind itself.

Once they're unable to penetrate inside,

You will see the mind.

You will see the mind as one object of awareness,

And the breath as another,

And mind objects as another.

They will all be present within the field of awareness,

Centered at the tip of your nose.

Once mindfulness is firmly established with the in-breath and out-breath,

You can continue to practice at ease.

As the mind becomes calm,

The breath,

Which originally was coarse,

Correspondingly becomes lighter and more refined.

The body feels lighter,

And the mind itself feels progressively lighter and unburdened.

The mind lets go of external mind objects,

And you continue to observe internally.

From here onwards,

Your awareness will be turned away from the world outside and is directed inwards to focus on the mind.

Once the mind has gathered together and becomes concentrated,

Maintain awareness at that point where the mind becomes focused.

As you breathe,

You will see the breath clearly as it enters and leaves.

Mindfulness will be sharp,

And awareness of mind objects and mental activities will be clearer.

At that point,

You will see the characteristics of morality,

Meditation,

And wisdom,

And the way in which they merge together.

This is known as the unification of the factors of the past.

Once this unification occurs,

Your mind will be free from all forms of agitation and confusion.

It will become one-pointed,

And this is what is known as samadhi.

When you focus attention in just one place,

In this case the breath,

You gain a clarity and awareness because of the uninterrupted presence of mindfulness.

As you continue to see the breath clearly,

Mindfulness will become stronger,

And the mind will become more sensitive in many different ways.

You will see the mind in the center of that place,

The breath,

One-pointed,

With awareness focused inwards,

Rather than turning towards the world outside.

The external world gradually disappears from your awareness,

And the mind will no longer be going to perform any work on the outside.

It's as if you come inside your house,

Where all your sense faculties have come together to form one compact unit.

You're at your ease,

And the mind is free from all external objects.

Awareness remains with the breath,

And over time it will penetrate deeper and deeper inside,

Becoming progressively more refined.

Ultimately,

Awareness of the breath becomes so refined that the sensation of the breath seems to disappear.

You could say either that awareness of the sensation of the breath has disappeared,

Or that the breath itself has disappeared.

Then there arises a new kind of awareness,

Awareness that the breath has disappeared.

In other words,

Awareness of the breath becomes so refined that it's difficult to define it.

So it might be that you're just sitting there,

And there's no breath.

But really,

The breath is still there,

But it's become so refined that it seems to have disappeared.

Why?

Because the mind is at its most refined,

With a special kind of knowing.

All that remains is the knowing.

Even though the breath has vanished,

The mind is still concentrated with the knowledge that the breath is not there.

As you continue,

What should you take up as the object of meditation?

Take this very knowing as the meditation object.

In other words,

The knowledge that there is no breath,

And sustain this.

You could say that a specific kind of knowledge has been established in the mind.

At this point,

Some people might have doubts arising,

Because it is here that a vision or mental image,

An imitator,

Can arise.

There can be many kinds,

Including both forms and sounds.

It's here that all sorts of unexpected things can arise in the course of the practice.

If mental images do arise,

And some people have them,

Some don't,

You must understand them in accordance with the truth.

Don't doubt,

Or allow yourself to become alarmed.

At this stage,

You should make the mind unshakable in its concentration,

And be especially mindful.

Some people become startled when they notice that the breath has disappeared,

Because they're used to having the breath there.

When it appears that the breath is gone,

You might panic,

Or become afraid that you're going to die.

Here you must establish the understanding that it's just the nature of the practice to progress in this way.

What will you observe as the object of meditation now?

Observe this feeling that there is no breath,

And sustain it as the object of awareness as you continue to meditate.

The Buddha described this as the firmest,

Most unshakable form of samadhi.

There is just one firm and unwavering object of mind.

When your practice of samadhi reaches this point,

There will be many unusual and refined changes and transformations taking place within the mind,

Which you can be aware of.

The sensation of the body will feel at its lightest,

And it might even disappear altogether.

You might feel like you're floating in midair,

And seem to be completely weightless.

It might feel like you're in the middle of space,

And wherever you direct your sense faculties,

They don't seem to register anything at all.

Even though you know the body is still sitting there,

You experience complete emptiness.

This feeling of emptiness can be quite strange.

As you continue to practice,

Understand that there is nothing to worry about.

Establish this feeling of being relaxed and unworried,

Securely in the mind.

Once the mind is concentrated and one-pointed,

No mind object will be able to penetrate or disturb it.

And you'll be able to sit like this for as long as you want.

You'll be able to sustain concentration without any feelings of pain or discomfort.

Having developed samadhi to this level,

You'll be able to enter or leave it at will.

When you do leave it,

It's at your ease and convenience.

You withdraw at your ease,

Rather than because you're feeling lazy,

Unenergetic,

Or tired.

You withdraw from samadhi because it's the appropriate time to withdraw,

And you come out of it at your will.

This is samadhi.

You're relaxed and at ease.

You enter and leave it without any problems.

The mind and heart are at ease.

If you genuinely have samadhi like this,

It means that sitting meditation and entering samadhi for just 30 minutes or an hour will enable you to remain cool and peaceful for many days afterwards.

Experiencing the effects of samadhi like this for several days has a purifying effect on the mind.

Whatever you experience will become an object for contemplation.

This is where the practice really begins.

It's the fruit which arises as samadhi matures.

Samadhi performs one function,

That of calming the mind,

While morality and wisdom perform others.

These characteristics,

Which you are focusing attention on and developing in the practice,

Are linked,

Forming a circle.

This is the way they manifest in the mind.

Morality,

Samadhi,

And wisdom arise and mature from the same place.

Once the mind is calm,

It will become progressively more restrained and composed,

Due to the presence of wisdom and the power of samadhi.

As the mind becomes more composed and refined,

This gives rise to an energy which acts to purify our morality.

Greater purity of our morality facilitates the development of stronger and more refined samadhi,

And this in turn supports the maturing of wisdom.

They assist each other in this way.

Each aspect of the practice acts as a supporting factor for each other one,

And in the end these terms become synonymous.

As these three factors continue to mature together,

They form one complete circle,

Ultimately giving rise to the path,

To maga.

Maga is a synthesis of these three functions of the practice,

Working smoothly and consistently together.

As you practice,

You have to preserve this energy.

It's the energy which will give rise to vipassana,

Or wisdom.

Having reached this stage,

Where wisdom is already functioning in the mind,

Independent of whether the mind is peaceful or not,

Wisdom will provide a consistent and independent energy in the practice.

You see that whenever the mind is not peaceful,

You shouldn't cling to that,

And even when it is peaceful,

You shouldn't cling to that either.

Having let go of the burden of such concerns,

The heart will accordingly feel much lighter.

Whether you experience pleasant mind objects or unpleasant mind objects,

You remain at ease.

The mind will remain peaceful in this way.

Another important thing is to see that when you stop doing the formal meditation practice,

If there's no wisdom functioning in the mind,

You'll give up on the practice altogether without any further contemplation,

Development of awareness,

Or thought about the work which still has to be done.

In fact,

When you withdraw from samadhi,

You know clearly in the mind that you have withdrawn.

Having withdrawn,

Continue to conduct yourself in a normal manner.

Maintain mindfulness and awareness at all times.

It isn't that you only practice meditation in the sitting posture.

Samadhi means the mind which is firm and unwavering.

As you go about your daily life,

Make the mind firm and steady,

And maintain the sense of steadiness as the object of mind at all times.

You must be practicing mindfulness and clear comprehension continuously.

After you get up from the formal sitting practice and go about your business,

Walking,

Riding in cars,

And so on,

Whenever your eyes see a form or your ears hear a sound,

Maintain awareness.

As you experience mind objects which give rise to liking and disliking,

Try to consistently maintain awareness of the fact that such mental states are impermanent and uncertain.

In this way,

The mind will remain calm and in a state of normality.

As long as the mind is calm,

Use it to contemplate mind objects.

Contemplate the whole of your physical form,

The body.

You can do this at any time and in any posture,

Whether doing formal meditation practice,

Relaxing at home,

Out at work,

Or in whatever situation you find yourself.

Keep the meditation and reflection going at all times.

Just going for a walk and seeing dead leaves on the ground under a tree can provide an opportunity to contemplate impermanence.

Both we and the leaves are the same.

When we get old,

We shrivel up and die.

Other people are all the same.

This is raising the mind to the level of vipassana,

Contemplating the truth of the way things are the whole time.

Whether walking,

Standing,

Sitting,

Or lying down,

Mindfulness is sustained evenly and consistently.

This is practicing meditation correctly.

You have to be following the mind closely,

Checking it at all times.

It's now seven o'clock in the evening,

And we've been practicing meditation together for an hour,

Establishing the mind in the here and now,

And now stopped.

It might be that your mind has stopped practicing completely,

And it's not carrying on by contemplating.

That's the wrong way to do it.

When we stop,

All that should stop is the formal aspect of sitting meditation in a group.

You should continue practicing and developing awareness consistently without letting up.

I've often taught that if you don't practice consistently,

It's like drops of water.

It's like individual drops of water because the practice is not a continuous uninterrupted flow.

Mindfulness isn't sustained evenly.

The important point is that the mind does the practice and nothing else.

The body doesn't do it.

The mind does the work.

The mind does the practice.

If you understand this clearly,

You'll see that you don't necessarily have to be doing formal sitting meditation in order for the mind to know Samadhi.

The mind is the one who does the practice.

You have to experience and understand this for yourself in your own mind.

Once you do see this for yourself,

You'll be developing awareness in the mind at all times and in all postures.

If you're maintaining mindfulness as an even and unbroken flow,

It's as if the drops of water have joined to form a smooth and continuous flow of running water.

Mindfulness is present from moment to moment,

And accordingly,

There'll be awareness of mind objects at all times.

If the mind is restrained and composed with uninterrupted mindfulness,

You'll know each time that wholesome and unwholesome mental states arise.

You'll know the mind that's calm and the mind that's confused and agitated.

Wherever you go,

You'll be practicing like this.

If you train the mind in this way,

It means your meditation will mature quickly and successfully.

But please don't misunderstand.

These days it's common for people to go on Vipassana courses for three days or seven days,

Where they don't have to speak or do anything but meditate.

Maybe you've gone on the silent meditation retreat for a week or two,

Afterwards returning to your normal daily life.

You might have left thinking that you've done Vipassana.

And because you feel that you know what it's all about,

Then carry on going to parties,

Discos,

And indulging in different forms of sensual delight.

When you do it like this,

Then what happens?

There won't be any of the fruits of Vipassana left by the end of it.

If you go and do all sorts of unskillful things,

Which disturb and upset the mind,

Wasting everything,

Then next year go back again and do another retreat for seven days or a few weeks,

Then come out and carry on with the parties,

Discos,

And drinking.

That isn't true practice.

It isn't Dharma practice or the path to progress.

You need to make an effort to renounce.

You must contemplate until you see the harmful effects which come from such behavior.

See the harm in drinking and going out on the town.

Reflect and see the harm inherent in all the different kinds of unskillful behavior which you indulge in until it becomes fully apparent.

This will provide the impetus for you to take a step back and change your ways.

Then you will find some real peace.

To experience peace of mind,

You have to clearly see the disadvantages and dangers in such forms of behavior.

This is practicing in the correct way.

If you do a silent retreat for seven days where you don't have to speak or get involved with anybody and then go chatting,

Gossiping,

And overindulging for another seven months,

How will you gain any real lasting benefit from those seven days of practice?

I would encourage all the laypeople here who are practicing to develop awareness and wisdom to understand this point.

Try to practice consistently.

See the disadvantages of practicing insincerely and inconsistently,

And try to sustain a more dedicated and continuous effort in the practice.

Really take it to this extent.

It can then become a realistic possibility that you might put an end to the impurities of the mind.

But that style of not speaking and not playing around for seven days,

Followed by six months of complete sensual indulgence without any mindfulness or restraint,

Will just lead to the squandering of any gains made from the meditation.

There won't be anything left.

It's like if you were to go to work for a day and earn 200 baht,

But then went out and spent 300 baht on food and things in the same day.

How would you ever save any money?

It would all be gone.

Just the same with meditation.

Reviews

Lots of information about samadhi; encouragement to maintain seamless practice.

Excellent. One of the best talks I have ever heard. Thank you 🙏🏽

Very good reflection on why we need to continue to practice

Thank you 🙏

🙏🏼