Insight To End Doubt | 24 Jan 2024

Ajahn Anan teaches that inner peace arises by meditating on the body and mind’s nature, focusing on elements like earth, water, fire, and air. By reflecting on death’s certainty, the body's impermanence, and qualities of generosity and virtue, one can calm the mind into samadhi (mental collectedness).

Ajahn encourages choosing practices that suit individual character—whether through reciting, breath awareness, or contemplation. He stresses keeping mindfulness in daily acts and letting go of doubts, which leads to wisdom about the selfless and impermanent nature of all things. Balancing sincere practice with an attitude of non-clinging, he advises that a peaceful mind brings insight into nibbana (awakening).

This path, he says, allows each to cultivate mindfulness, gain clarity, and grow in Dharma blessings.

Transcript

Homage to the blessed,

Noble,

And perfectly enlightened one.

So today we study the Dhamma about rupa and nama,

Name and form,

Materiality,

Mentality.

So this material form,

That's the earth element,

Air element,

Fire element,

Water element.

So these natural elements,

When we recollect them as our meditation object,

As our kamatana,

That's a way to bring the mind to peace,

A way to samadhi.

In these ways to bring the mind to peace and collectedness,

There are many of them.

So whatever meditation object we're proficient in,

Then we don't have to doubt about that,

Just do it a lot,

Practice it a lot.

Some practitioners contemplate death,

That life is uncertain,

Death is certain,

And death is for sure,

That all life must end in death.

And so contemplating like this,

The mind becomes peaceful and collected in samadhi,

Whether kanaka samadhi,

Momentary collectedness,

Or upajara samadhi,

A neighborhood collectedness.

Or one can contemplate the body,

That it's a heap or pile of the four elements of earth,

Air,

Fire,

And water,

And this can also bring the mind to momentary or neighborhood collectedness.

We can also recollect the qualities of the Buddha,

The qualities of the Dhamma,

The qualities of the Sangha,

We take that as the object of our mind,

And that can bring us to samadhi.

We practice virtue,

So we can recollect that virtue as our object of mind,

And that can also bring us to upajara samadhi,

Neighborhood samadhi.

We also practice generosity as a regular aspect of our lives,

Whether in the past all the way up until today.

So we recollect that goodness in giving,

What we call cagganusati kamatthana,

A recollection of giving,

And we can feel joyful,

Full,

And content in our hearts,

And this can bring us to neighborhood collectedness as well.

So therefore we see that whatever meditation object we use,

That it can bring us to peace and collectedness,

And whatever it is that we use,

We do it a lot,

So it's a way to bring the mind to peace and collectedness,

And then throughout the day we endeavor to have a lot of mindfulness,

We have effort in that.

For instance,

When we take the food,

We recite,

Buddho,

Dhammo sangho,

Or just only buddho,

We can recite it slowly,

We recite it in our minds slowly.

For instance,

We recite it while we're taking our food,

While we're lifting up the food to our mouth,

While we're chewing the food,

While we're swallowing the food,

We do that all with mindfulness.

And as we work as well,

We work and we have our meditation object as well,

We take them together as a pair,

Or while we're listening to the dhamma,

We have mindfulness with the in and out breath,

And if the mind's wavering or distracted,

Then we recite buddho as well.

And when we're listening to others,

We recite buddho in the heart,

Dhammo sangho,

To keep the mind with mindfulness.

So we set our hearts on doing this all the time,

Continuously,

And when we wake up in the morning,

We determine that we won't get angry,

We won't wish harm,

We won't have ill will,

But we determine to have restraint of body and speech,

To have virtue,

To have as much mindfulness as we are able.

And we endeavor to reduce the thinking and proliferation in the mind,

To bring the mind to peace and collectedness,

To contemplate conditioned formations,

To contemplate material form.

So one contemplation is,

Well,

When the mind clings to materiality and mentality,

What are the various kinds of suffering that the mind experiences?

For instance,

If we don't rest enough,

Then the body doesn't feel well.

The heart can be unbalanced,

Or the heartbeat is unwell,

And this can have an effect on the mind,

If the mind has clinging or attachment.

If we sleep too little,

We feel tired and unwell.

If we sleep too much,

Then we feel drowsy.

And throughout the day,

We experience hunger,

Hunger dissipates,

And then hunger arises again.

And thirst as well,

If we don't drink water,

We get thirsty.

If it's too hot,

Or it's too cold,

All these things have an effect on the body,

And on the mind as well.

If we sit for too long,

Or we walk for too long,

Then we experience dukkha,

Or suffering.

So we contemplate this body as a heap of suffering,

As a pile of suffering and impermanence.

We contemplate like this in order to give rise to wisdom.

Sometimes practitioners hear that they don't have to do a lot,

Just recite bhutto all the time.

It's simple like that,

But the mind won't dive into it,

The mind won't go with that.

The mind might think,

Well if I only recite bhutto,

How will wisdom arise?

Because the character type of us is one that likes to think,

Likes to contemplate.

So if we take bhutto as our only meditation object,

It'll feel too bland for us to use.

So therefore we use contemplation,

We use wisdom to contemplate.

So we see that there's these two character types.

One uses wisdom,

Wisdom to contemplate,

To bring the mind to peace,

Or just reciting only bhutto,

And coming to peace through that,

So it ends up in the same place.

So this is according to our personality type,

Or conditioned behavior.

So we contemplate these aggregates of ours,

What do they live based on,

Or what supports the life of these bodies and minds.

So there's the in and out breathing,

If there's no in and out breath,

Then the body doesn't live for very long.

And there's food as well,

Like rice,

Or desserts,

Or bread,

Whatever we like,

And all these foods allow our body to live,

So the body needs food.

And a very important food is the breath,

We can't miss out on that,

It's a subtle food.

Another type of food is sense contact,

Whether the ear with sounds,

The eye with sights,

The nose with aromas,

The tongue with tastes,

The body with tactile objects,

Or the mind with mind objects.

So this is sense contact food.

And based on this contact,

Then there's pleasant feeling,

Unpleasant feeling,

Neutral feeling,

Sometimes vedana,

So this is all food.

And there's another,

Which is mano-sanya-jetana,

Or intention as food,

Which leads to,

Or can lead to birth in the sensual realms of becoming,

So it leads the mind to be born in those realms.

Or if the samadhi is more subtle,

Then it can lead to becoming in a realm of the form brahmas,

Or if the samadhi is even more subtler,

Then to the formless brahma realms.

So this is the mano-sanya,

Or it's the mind with perception with regard to sense objects.

Or if there's liking for certain sense objects of the six senses,

This can lead to the realm of sensuality,

Or the planes of becoming in the sensual realm.

The mind with samadhi goes to either form or formless brahma realms.

So we contemplate these three different types of food.

So we have,

So we practice to understand,

But in order to give rise to true understanding,

We need to have samadhi.

So we listen,

We study,

We contemplate to bring the mind to peace and collectedness.

And once the mind is peaceful,

Then this gives rise to a deeper knowing.

Because if the mind doesn't have peace and collectedness,

It'll have doubts.

Prabhupada Jancha taught that doubts don't end through studying and listening,

But they end through practice.

And it really is like that in truth.

For myself,

I was a monk who doubted a great deal.

I doubted about the practice,

I didn't understand.

My mind was very agitated and troubled,

Because when these doubts arise,

They lead to a great deal of agitation.

But when the mind gathers in peace and collectedness,

Then these doubts go away on their own.

If one feels,

Or if one has samadhi,

Then at that time,

Then the mind feels at ease,

There's no doubts.

But when the samadhi goes away,

Then the doubts arise again.

So we don't understand that doubts are something that block samadhi,

That block peace and collectedness.

From arising.

So when doubts arise,

We have to let go of them first,

We have to put them aside first,

To bring the mind to samadhi first.

But we may have the problem that when doubts arise,

We can't let them go.

And if we can't let them go,

Then we patiently endure.

So we just watch the doubts,

If the doubts arise,

Then we watch them,

Then they'll gradually disappear,

Or dispel on their own.

If we have a lot of doubts,

Then sit a lot,

Sit a lot,

And walk a lot,

And if you sit for long enough,

Or walk for long enough,

Then pain will arise,

And then the doubts go away,

Because the pain replaces the doubt as the object of mind.

So this is one example.

So one keeps practicing to bring the mind to peace and coolness.

This is a way to understand clearly.

So we keep walking,

The body can feel very light,

And there's one occasion where Venerable Ajahn Chah,

He understood this,

And he taught the way to practice a way that's not incorrect,

Or the way that's correct,

That whatever contact arises through the six senses,

Not to fall into attraction or aversion towards it.

If one lacks mindfulness,

Then one will like or dislike,

Or have equanimity without wisdom.

One must practice not liking,

Not disliking,

Having wisdom as well,

To bring the mind to samadhi and emptiness.

This can bring the mind to tathanga,

Vimutti,

Or temporary nibbana,

And when one has a lot of samadhi,

Then one can understand.

The mind becomes bright,

Gives rise to knowledge,

Insight,

Wisdom,

Wisdom insight,

Jnana,

And understands that this heap of materiality and heap of mentality,

Understands that the teachings are correct.

These teachings on the four foundations of mindfulness is correct,

And if we think it's not correct,

It's because of our doubts,

Because our practice hasn't yet reached that level.

So if it reaches that level already,

The samadhi is there,

We'll see the doubts go away,

Dispel,

On their own.

If there's no samadhi,

Then the mind will be agitated,

Or it'll be troubled.

So therefore,

If that's the case,

We practice generosity,

Virtue in meditation,

Or virtue samadhi in wisdom.

We do it evenly,

Continuously,

Without ceasing,

And one day the mind can gather together,

And see that the body is just a convention,

Sees impermanence,

Sees disintegration,

Sees the dhamma,

It's not difficult to do,

And one's views change,

Before one would see everything as self,

And just understand on the level of thought,

Like for instance,

One might give blood,

And see that the blood in the container that one is given is not self,

But the blood still within the body,

One thinks of it as self,

And thinks that very firmly.

It's something that the thoughts can't reach.

In order to reach it,

One needs a mind in samadhi,

That's peaceful and collected.

And once there's samadhi,

One can contemplate not-self,

And see not-self,

But then when one exits samadhi,

Then the sense of self arises again.

But never mind about this,

Just keep having effort,

Keep having perseverance,

Keep practicing,

Keep going with the practice,

To bring the mind to peace and collectedness,

To be able to do that.

And we listen to the teachings of the great masters,

Who say that Nibbana is close by.

We hear that the mind can feel very bright,

The five hindrances can dispel,

So therefore may you train in this way,

Train this way evenly and continuously,

There are many ways to bring the mind to peace and collectedness,

And so whatever way suits your character,

You can do that.

So those here cultivate a lot of generosity,

The spiritual virtue of generosity,

So you can recollect that generosity,

Or if you have faith in the Buddha,

You can recollect the Buddha,

Or if you think a lot,

You can recollect death,

That in a long time,

All beings must die,

And all conditioned formations must degrade,

And in the end the mind is able to gather in samadhi,

And understanding can arise,

Doubts can end,

We see the truth,

We see materiality and mentality as impermanent,

Stressful and not-self,

Wisdom arises,

Knowledge arises,

And this wisdom is bhavana,

Maya-panya,

The wisdom through practice,

One sees not-self,

One's able to destroy the fetters of personality view,

Attachment to rites and rituals,

And skeptical doubt,

This is the mind that enters the stream of dhamma,

In this way there's no eighth birth,

No eighth life,

And the births that do remain,

There's less suffering.

So may you strive to reach this point,

But may you strive with an attitude of letting go as well,

Because if you do this practice in striving with sincerity and with clinging,

Then the mind will be too tense and too agitated,

So may you be careful about that,

And do it just right,

So may you all grow in dhamma and grow in blessings.

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