MB 06 Meditation On The Pathway To Nirvana

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This track explains the centre of the body as our place of sleeping, waking, leaving this world, and being conceived. It also explains the importance of the 'Pathama magga sphere.'

Transcript

So,

Having paid homage to the triple gem together,

Now we sit for meditation.

Gentlemen should sit in the cross-legged position,

While ladies who are not accustomed to sitting in the cross-legged position can sit with their feet to one side if they prefer.

You should have your right hand on your left hand,

With both hands palm upwards resting gently in your lap.

The index finger of your right hand should be touching gently against the thumb of your left hand,

Both hands resting gently in your lap.

Make sure your body is in an upright position,

Without slouching forward or leaning too far back,

So that both your circulation and your breathing are relaxed and unimpeded.

Because everything about the meditation ought to be relaxed.

If you are too forced as to your posture,

Then you will not be comfortable.

If you are slouching,

Then you will get aches and pains.

So close your eyes very gently,

With your eyelids very gently touching closed.

Never squeeze your eyes closed,

And make sure there is no pressure around your eyes.

Just close your eyes in an ordinary way.

For meditation it is necessary to relax our mind,

And in this respect the Lord Buddha taught the words Jā kō pati nisako vimutti anālayo,

That we must let go of all things,

Not being attached to them.

Not being attached to our physical body,

Whether we feel stiff or whether we feel uncomfortable,

We should just ignore these things.

We mustn't worry about them,

Because the body we are using for meditation is only like a tool for the mind to be used in order to reach liberation.

Liberation from defilements in order to reach towards nirvana.

Our body is only transient,

And we have only temporary use of it.

Thus,

No matter what may happen,

We will not be interested in our body.

We must let go of attachment for our body and even for our life.

Something we let go of in homage to the teachings of the Lord Buddha.

So,

No matter what happens,

We will not be attached to or worried about our bodily condition.

We are going to bring our mind to a standstill.

It's our only aim in life,

To train the mind to a point where it can be pure and clear.

To attain the body of enlightenment inside,

Not only attaining it,

But to become one and the same as it.

To know who is our real,

True self inside.

That is,

The body of enlightenment of the Arahant inside of us.

And to reach this point in our meditation can be said to be our obligation as a human being.

As the Lord Buddha used the words,

Katang garaniyang,

Something which we have to do for as long as our body is still viable.

Once our mind comes to a standstill,

We will be able to liberate ourselves from the cycle of existence.

So there is no use in being attached to our own body or the bodies of other people,

Especially those of our relatives or of our husband or wife,

Because all of these things end up bringing us suffering eventually.

They bring us anxiety,

Absent-mindedness,

Worries and doubts.

They bring all sorts of suffering to us simply because of the fact that we are worried about them.

The fact that we are worried about them is because we don't realize our real,

True aim in life.

The real reason for having our human body in life.

Once we don't know about our real aim in life,

Then it opens the way to hundreds of causes of suffering in our life.

So we have to let go of our body.

If we don't do it now,

Then we have to do it anyway at the time when we come to the end of our lives.

So we should make our mind relaxed and allow our mind to come to a standstill.

Today as we meditate,

We take the opportunity to explore the nature of the pathway to Nirvana.

But before we do that,

For those who are newcomers to the meditation,

We should familiarize ourselves with the seven bases of the mind first.

According to the original teachings of the Dhammakaya tradition,

By the founder,

The great abbot of Wat Phak Nam,

Otherwise known as Pratmokorna Thep Muni,

The originator of this meditation tradition.

Because he always started by teaching the pathway of the mind,

The pathway of all living beings,

The pathway by which all beings are born and die,

By which the mind enters and leaves the body at conception and death respectively.

The first point on this path,

The first base of the mind is at the nostril,

For ladies the left nostril,

For gentlemen the right nostril.

The second base of the mind is inside the nose,

Just next to the corner of the eye,

For ladies on the left side,

For gentlemen on the right side.

The third base is at the centre of the skull,

On the same level as the eyes.

This point and all the subsequent points are the same for ladies and for gentlemen.

The fourth base is at the roof of the mouth.

The fifth base is at the centre of the throat,

Just above the Adam's apple.

The sixth base of the mind is in the middle of the stomach,

At the same level as the navel,

Supposing you were to take two thin threads,

The first running from your navel directly through your back on the horizontal axis,

And the second running from the right side to the left side,

Also horizontal on the same level.

The point where these two lines intersect,

No larger than a pinpoint,

Is called the sixth base of the mind.

This is where a sphere of Dhamma is to be found,

Which is clear and bright,

Transparent,

And about the same size as the yoke of an egg.

With its centre at the point of intersection of the two threads.

This sphere of Dhamma is very important,

Because without this sphere it would be impossible to take birth in human form.

If this sphere is bright,

Your life will prosper,

But if this sphere becomes dull or darkened,

Then it predicts that life will soon bring you problems.

Every human being has this sphere at their centre,

And the existence of this sphere is proof that anyone who makes an effort in their meditation to the point that they can bring their mind to a standstill can succeed in meditation.

This is because they don't need to create anything new in their meditation.

All they need to do is to tune in their mind to see what is already there.

Two fingerbreadths above this intersection of the two threads.

Supposing you were to take your index finger and your middle finger together and to place them on the intersection of the two threads.

Then exactly that distance,

The distance of two fingerbreadths above the intersection of the two threads,

Is what we call the seventh base of the mind.

It is the precise centre of our body,

And in fact it's this final point which we are interested in.

It's the most important of all the bases of all seven which we've already mentioned,

Because all the senses,

Whether it be eye,

Ear,

Nose,

Mouth,

Or sense of touch,

Are focused at this point.

This point is a place from which we are born and from which the mind leaves the body when we die.

When we are born,

The spiritual component moves through all the seven bases of the father.

When the father and the mother come together for conception,

The spiritual component of the baby to be born comes from the father to the mother,

Collecting up together with it the physical constituents,

Going down through the seven bases of the mind,

Down to implant itself at the seventh base of the mind and the mother in the womb.

When we pass away,

It's the reverse process.

The mind leaves the body starting from our own seventh base,

Straight through all the seven bases,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

And leaves our body by the first base,

That is,

Via our nostril.

It is also the location of our mind at the time of our falling asleep and also at the time of our waking.

When we come to the end of our human life,

The mind leaves the body starting from our own seventh base,

Straight through all seven bases,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Leaving our human body to seek for rebirth somewhere else in the cycle of existence.

It doesn't matter whether the next birth will be as an angel or as an animal.

If the dying person is destined for a future rebirth,

Their spirit has to leave the body via the seven bases.

However,

If we don't want to be reborn anymore,

The mind has to leave the body by a different path,

Which is directly through the center of the seventh base.

It is an inward journey for the spirit rather than a journey to take it out of the body.

If we are making the inward journey,

It is different from making journeys in the outside world,

Where we have to use our feet to walk or we have to move around.

In the outside world,

We have to think,

We have to take action.

However,

If we want to make the inward journey,

We have to start by stopping the mind.

The most important point is this one which is two finger breaths above the level of the navel in the center of our body.

It's here that we have to bring our mind to a standstill,

And it's this place which we have to become familiar with.

But in practice,

You can just remember it as the point which is roughly in the middle of your stomach.

The description so far is only just to become familiar with the rough position of the center of the body,

So that you know where to place your attention when you're meditating.

We have to start by giving ourselves the feeling that our mind has come to a standstill at the center of the body.

We can do this by giving ourselves the feeling that our mind is visualizing a sphere or a crystal Buddha image at the center of our body.

In fact,

It can be any object at all which we are familiar with,

Which has a positive association for us.

All we do is remember such an image or visualize such an image at the center of our body instead.

It's a way of seeing an image at the center of our body,

Not seeing with the eyes,

But seeing with the mind.

For those of you who can see the blue-colored top view of the Buddha image shown on the computer display or television screen,

Also this is a very useful image which you can use.

Establish your mind at the center of the body in just the same way that we might tether a wild animal to a tree.

We tether the mind to the center of the body by using a visualized mental object.

The image is like an anchor to keep the mind at the center of the body the whole of the time.

If we bring our mind back here each time it wanders,

Before long we will find out that the mind will start to stay there the whole of the time.

As the mind becomes established at the center of the body,

It will become able to fall through the center.

In fact,

All we need to do is to bring our mind to a standstill at the center of the body to allow the mind to do this.

It is not necessary to do anything else.

Simply doing this will set the conditions that will lead us to the beginning of the pathway in a way which we never expected.

Once our mind becomes properly adjusted,

The sphere inside ourselves will start to expand outwards,

Enlarging outwards,

Becoming softer and revealing at its center a pathway which leads further inside.

We will find that there is only one pathway,

A single pathway which leads towards Nirvana,

A pathway which the Lord Buddha referred to as Ekalyanamaka.

It is the mainstream which has no alternative way.

Thus,

For anyone whose mind is not at a standstill yet,

We should use the following advice.

We have to pretend to ourselves that our mind is already at the center of the body.

In fact,

We are fooling ourselves a little bit by assuming that,

But from the fact that we are happy to place our mind somewhere in the center of our stomach,

Even though it might not be exactly at the point at the center of the body,

The fact that we allow our mind to be free of worry at that point and do this the whole of the time by day and by night,

Before long the mind will find its own way to the center of the body.

Once our mind becomes properly adapted,

Steadfast at the center,

Then it will come precisely to the center of the body.

We will not see brightness in the beginning,

But we will have the feeling that there is spaciousness inside,

As if our mind is light in weight and at ease.

Sometimes we may feel as if we could almost float.

Some people have the lesser feeling,

Which would be more like mere spaciousness inside,

As if the breathing becomes more refined,

Or as if we are alone in empty space.

Sometimes we may feel merely that our body seems to expand inside,

And it may do so more in one direction than in another.

Sometimes we may feel as if it is expanding upwards,

So that we feel that we grow so tall that our head might reach the ceiling.

Sometimes it feels as if we were contracting as if our body were being pulled down towards the ground.

Some people feel as if they were falling down through the center of the body.

If it is less refined than that,

Sometimes we may feel as if the body is swaying,

As if we are sitting on a boat,

Or as if we are being rocked in a cradle.

If it is less refined than this still,

Sometimes we may feel as if our hair is standing on end,

Or we may feel that our heart is beating more vigorously than usual.

Sometimes we may feel as if we have lost feeling in part of our body,

Sometimes just in our legs or in our hands,

As if they have become numb,

Or as if we cannot feel them anymore.

When some people come across such feelings,

They make a mistake of giving up their meditation,

Thinking they have not succeeded.

But in fact,

These are all symptoms that our meditation is nearly at the point of progress.

We ought to continue,

And we should use our mindfulness to keep ourselves on track,

Instead of giving up when we come across these sort of experiences.

So don't get excited,

Don't be elated by such experiences,

And don't be afraid of anything,

Not even of death,

But maintain your mindfulness and your wisdom,

Because once your mind reaches the point of equilibrium,

You come to the point where there are no thoughts anymore.

Even though you try to think,

You cannot think of anything anymore.

It's not like when you start out in your meditation where,

Even though you try not to think,

You are always thinking about something.

It will be almost as if you are not breathing anymore.

But even though you are not breathing anymore,

You feel that you have more happiness than if you were breathing.

Your mind will be steadfast at the centre of the body,

And your body will seem to be upright of its own accord,

So that you have no interest in the outside world anymore.

Once your mind has become fully adapted,

Then the mind will swoop through the centre of the body,

And there will be a sphere coming up in the opposite direction,

Which is bright and clear.

The smallest size is like a star in the night sky,

Or like the tip of a needle,

Very bright but tiny.

For some people,

For whom it may be of medium size,

The sphere won't be the size of the full moon or of the shining sun.

These spheres are what we call the sphere of Patma Maka.

It arises at the centre of the body.

It never arises anywhere else.

If it does arise anywhere else,

Then you know it's not the true experience,

But rather a distortion of one's proper meditation experience,

Something which technically speaking we call Vipassa Nupagilesa.

But once the mind is properly adapted,

We will see things bright and clear,

But precisely at the centre.

It's this Patma Maka sphere which the great Abbot of Wat Phuk Nham referred to as the Dhamma Nupasana Satipatthana sphere.

Loosely translated,

It means the sphere of the initial path,

Because it's the trailhead to the path which will lead us to the noble pathway of all the Buddhist saints.

Having seen this sort of thing,

Then this sort of purity is something which we should try to maintain the whole of the time,

Whether we are standing,

Walking,

Sitting or lying down,

Eating,

Or whatever task we may be doing.

We should maintain it the whole of the time,

Reflecting at the centre of our body in order to maintain this state of mind.

Whether our eyes are open or closed,

We should see it the whole of the time,

Because this is the start of the pathway towards Nirvana.

If we can maintain ourselves on this path,

Then we will be on the right pathway to Nirvana for every lifetime.

We will never lead a life in an unskillful way anymore,

And our life will be a life which is supreme.

We will not be living our life by trial and error as we have done in the past.

Sometimes when we think back over our life,

We regret all the mistakes we have made in our life.

But once we come to this point in our meditation,

And we have stillness of mind as our refuge,

We will only make our way towards Nirvana from this lifetime onwards,

And our attainment of human birth in this life will have been worthwhile.

It will have been a lifetime of profit for us,

And it will be a sign that we will profit in every life from this time onwards until we enter upon Nirvana.

It is something which will close the doors to unfortunate rebirth from this time onwards,

So that we will not be able to fall into the unfortunate realms anymore.

There will be no more straying from the path,

And we will be reborn only in the fortunate realms,

Whether it be the six levels of heaven,

The sixteen levels of four Brahma realms,

Or the four levels of the formless Brahma realms on Nirvana itself.

Therefore,

We should give full importance to these experiences,

And must train our mind consistently and regularly.

If we have not yet attained the Patma Magga sphere,

We cannot trust that we will achieve success in life.

If we are unable to attain it,

Then it is as if we have made a loss on our life.

We have only things which will bring us regret later in life,

And looking back over our life,

We will have resentment in retrospect.

As for the way in which we should attain the Patma Magga sphere,

Everyone should let go of all worries in the world outside and on the inside,

Everything about the other beings,

The environment,

And even about ourselves.

We should let go of all these things and bring our mind to the centre of the body.

We must be interested only in our mind,

As if we are threading a needle through the centre of our mind.

Don't use too much effort,

Don't use too much force when thinking about the centre of the body.

Think of it as if you were dwelling on something,

But do as if you were dwelling on it at the centre of your body.

And imagine a bright,

Clear crystal ball rather like a diamond sphere there,

A diamond sphere which has been polished without any blemishes or scratches,

About the same size as the tip of our little finger.

In fact,

Any size will do.

And imagine this bright and clear like a diamond.

It can be the size of the tip of our little finger,

The size of the tip of our index finger,

Or the size of our eyeball.

Simply imagine it gently.

The only condition is that you should imagine it gently.

If you think of it just in a relaxed way,

Then it will be clear.

But if we use too much effort,

It will give us a headache.

If you find that you are getting a headache from imagining it,

Then relax and try again.

Make sure that the sphere is bright and clear,

Spherical.

If you can imagine how bright and clear a diamond is,

Then that is about the brightness we ought to be imagining for our crystal ball.

Maintain our mind at the standstill at the centre of our body,

At the seventh base of our mind,

Because we already know all about this position in our body.

Keeping our mind at the centre of the body the whole of the time,

Two fingerbreadths above the two threads in the centre of our body.

Maintain it,

Remembering the image,

By imagining it with the mind,

Not by using our eyes to stare down at the centre of our body.

If we get the principle now,

Then we can practice it by ourselves without any problem in the future.

But if we don't get it right this time round,

Then we may be off track every time we practice it in the future.

So just relax and work at it slowly.

Make sure you get the method right,

Remembering the bright,

Clear image at the centre of the body bright and clear,

Transparent and vivid in our mind,

Rather as if we were seeing it with our own eyes.

But now we are seeing it at the centre of our body,

Maintaining it the whole of the time.

So now,

May all of you be fulfilled in your wish to attain the triple gem inside yourself.

Now each their own meditation for a few more moments in silence until we come to the appropriate time.