MB 10 Meditation On Taking Refuge

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This track explains how meditation connects with attainment of the Triple Gem as one's refuge, on the historical, global and experiential levels.

Transcript

So,

Having adjusted your posture for meditation,

Rest your mind in stillness,

Gently at the centre of your body,

Allowing your mind to become empty from all anxieties and worries,

So that inside feels spacious.

Allow your mind to rest in complete stillness,

As if you never had any worries before.

Without any attachments,

Without any worries,

Your mind should be still and free.

And there's no need to think of anything at all.

Your mind should be in complete stillness for a minute or two,

While at the same time adjusting your posture,

Especially the way you close your eyes,

To be completely comfortable and relaxed without worrying about your external environment,

Even though your surroundings might not be ideal for meditation,

Or if your meditation mat might not be the most comfortable.

Pretend you are not interested in these external factors.

Our mind should be unmoved at our centre,

And we fill our mind with happiness and joy,

As if it's refreshed the whole of the time and filled with faith in the triple gem,

In the Buddha,

The Dharma and the Sangha,

Which are our highest refuges.

Because there's no higher thing which can be our refuge than these three things.

As Buddhists,

We should take the triple gem as our true refuge.

It should be a refuge to our mind.

Our mind should be aligned with these things,

Taking these things as our support in life,

Rather than resorting to superstitious charms or rites and rituals.

Today as we meditate,

We take the opportunity to explore the inner meaning of the triple gem,

The Buddha,

The Dharma and the Sangha,

And how these can be the things which give us support and be our refuge.

We shouldn't expect other things to be able to help us in times of trouble,

No matter what other people might try to convince us.

We should pay attention to the triple gem,

Rather than paying attention to these things which cannot be our true refuge or help us to break free from suffering.

Because anything other than the triple gem must eventually deteriorate.

They must go through the cycle of arising,

Perpetuation and decay.

If they are not permanent,

They cannot be a true refuge to us.

Most people know that taking refuge in the triple gem is the first and foremost step which you need to take as a Buddhist.

However what do we mean by taking refuge?

Shouldn't it be more than just saying a few words in the Pali language?

A refuge is something that shelters us from adversity.

If you are ill or injured,

Maybe a hospital is your refuge.

If you are hungry and painless,

Maybe a helpful relative can be your refuge.

But what if you are cast adrift in the cycle of rebirth?

What can you take as your refuge when you realise the perils of birth,

Old age,

Sickness and death,

Which are built into your very existence?

If someone comes along and tells you that tree spirits can be your refuge,

Maybe you will go and worship tree spirits in order to give yourself comfort and overcome your fears.

If someone tells you that a certain place of pilgrimage can be your refuge,

Maybe you will try to go there,

In order to give yourself comfort and try to overcome your fears.

If someone tells you that faith in a certain deity you have never seen,

Can be your refuge,

Maybe you will try to worship that deity in order to give yourself comfort and overcome your fears.

Refuge,

In a religious sense,

Usually focuses on an unknown factor,

And it's the differences in the nature of the unknown factor which distinguish the different religions that we know in the world today.

Buddhism,

However,

Advocates that you take refuge in the triple gem,

The Buddha,

The Dhamma and the Sangha.

But we have to understand what exactly we are focusing on,

So that we cannot be accused of being gullible.

So we have to know what we mean by the triple gem.

In fact,

The triple gem is something we can take refuge in on three possible levels of description.

On the historical level of meaning,

When we talk about the Buddha,

We mean the historical personage of the founder of Buddhism,

Siddhātā Gautama,

Who became enlightened under a Bodhi tree 2,

500 years ago.

When we talk of the Dhamma,

We mean the things that Siddhātā Gautama was able to teach as a result of his enlightenment,

Which are nowadays found in the Buddhist scriptures.

When we talk of the Sangha,

We mean the historical community of monks,

Contemporary to Siddhātā Gautama,

Who became enlightened as a result of his teaching.

On a slightly deeper level of meaning,

Which you can call the global level of meaning,

We look beyond the historical origins of contemporary Buddhism to see that our Buddha was not unique,

But that there have been many Buddhas down the ages.

We see that there are similarities in the characteristics of these Buddhas down the ages.

And as a result,

We are able to come to conclusions about the characteristics of a Buddha,

From which we can recognise ideals and values which we can try to instil in ourselves.

Therefore,

The triple gem as a refuge becomes the global ideals exemplified by Buddha,

Dhamma and Sangha down the ages.

On an even deeper level of meaning,

Which you can call the experiential level of meaning,

We describe the triple gem,

The Buddha,

The Dhamma and Sangha as the Buddha gem,

The Dhamma gem and the Sangha gem,

Not outside ourselves,

But as something which is already within ourselves,

But which we must attain through meditation practice.

If we can attain it for ourselves,

That is what we call true taking of refuge.

In the case of the Buddha gem,

It is the undefiled body of enlightenment or the Dhammakaya at the centre of the body.

The Dhamma gem is the sphere of wisdom within the Dhammakaya and the Sangha is the subtle presence within which guards and perpetuates the Dhamma for posterity.

Seeing Buddhism in this way,

Buddhism is less of a religion or a belief system,

But more of a lifestyle,

Because we understand that the reason we call ourselves Buddhists is that we are working towards attaining the triple gem within.

The body which we can see with our naked eye is merely our physical body.

It's not really ourselves.

According to the Mahāsātipatthāna Sutta and the findings of the great abbot of Wat Bhakṇām,

We know that there are inner bodies which are more subtle,

Nested inside the physical body,

Which are referred to as the body inner body or the inner bodies inside the physical body,

Which are nested inside of us.

In fact,

There are a total of eighteen bodies that make up our body and mind,

But in brief,

To deal with the main categories,

We start with the astral body,

Which is nested inside the physical human body and which has the same features as our physical body.

It is male if you are a man,

It is female if you are a lady.

It is nested and centered also at the seventh base of the mind,

The seventh base which is two finger breaths above the navel.

Inside the center of the astral body,

There is the angelic body.

It is a more subtle body.

It is a body yet more subtle than the astral body or the subtle human body.

It is nested inside.

It's a very beautiful body with all the bodily trappings of a celestial being at the center of the astral body.

At the center of the angelic body,

There is another body nested,

Which is the form Brahma body,

Which is at the center of the angelic body.

At the center of the form Brahma body,

There is the formless Brahma body nested at its center and these are nested sequentially.

In the center of the formless Brahma body,

There is the first of the bodies of enlightenment,

The body which we refer to as the Buddha gem.

It is a very beautiful body with no blemishes or faults,

With a crystal lotus bud on top of its head,

Sitting in meditation bright and clear and pure,

Purer than a diamond and clearer than anything you will find in the world.

This is the Buddha gem inside us,

Which we must try to attain for ourselves.

We must lead our mind inwards until we can attain this for ourselves.

Only when we can do this can we really say that we have the Buddha gem as our refuge in life.

Now that we know what a refuge is and how Buddhism teaches us to take refuge in the triple gem rather than in an unknown factor,

It may come as no surprise to us that the Buddha taught us further to be a refuge unto ourselves.

People hearing such a teaching of the Buddha might consider that Buddhists are self-centered,

Selfish or simply self-sufficient.

But in fact,

If we see the triple gem in its experiential context,

We will understand that in fact we seek to attain the triple gem within ourselves.

We are seeking to find our true self within ourselves.

Apart from being an unknown factor,

It is trusting in ourselves and seeking for the highest in ourselves,

Namely the body of enlightenment or the dhammakaya,

Which is like a little seed of nirvana inside ourselves.

It is like the precursor of liberation inside ourselves.

The more a part of our life we can make it,

The more we are able to liberate ourselves from the clutches of the cycle of rebirth.

When one day our consciousness is reunited with such an awareness 24 hours a day,

We will not be drawn back into the cycle of rebirth anymore.

Thus,

The triple gem is the starting point of being a good Buddhist.

And today we should fill our mind with faith in the triple gem so that this can be our refuge and we will make the firm intention that we should lead our mind to go to the triple gem for refuge.

And today we will be looking at the method by which you can train your mind to go to the triple gem.

It is the most subtle of our inner bodies which is nested inside our centre,

Because once we attain it,

We will be a refuge to ourselves in terms of true happiness.

We will know the true meaning of happiness,

Because we have heard a lot about happiness in the past,

But we will find out what it is actually really like.

Most beings have no idea what the real meaning of the word happiness is.

They only know about the fake happiness,

Taking refuge in insubstantial things.

They borrow the word happiness to use for other things.

Some people say gambling brings them happiness,

That alcohol brings them happiness or going to nightclubs.

But when they find the real Buddha gem inside themselves,

The thing which before they understood to be true happiness will instantly be transformed.

They will have no remaining doubts.

They will know that the characteristic of true happiness is something completely different from anything they have experienced before.

They will realise that what they caught happiness before was really just a distraction from the state of suffering in their lives.

So true happiness is something we can only really have when we attain the Buddha gem inside ourselves,

Which is clearer than clear,

More beautiful than beauty inside ourselves.

This is the real happiness that we should be looking for.

The shortcut to attaining the happiness of the triple gem is to bring our mind to a standstill at the centre of the body,

At the seventh base of the mind.

We should bring our mind to a standstill at that point,

Bringing perception,

Memory,

Thought and cognition to a standstill at one single point at the centre of our body.

Because focusing our mind anywhere else is of no real value to us.

We should be regular in our reflection at the centre of the body by imagining a bright,

Clear object there as an anchor for the mind,

By thinking of a crystal ball at the centre of our body,

Or perhaps thinking of a diamond at the centre of the body,

A diamond that is clear and bright as if it has been polished into a sphere about the same size as the tip of our little finger.

And imagining this crystal ball as clear as a diamond the whole of the time.

And giving ourselves the feeling that this bright image is resting at the centre of our body,

Two finger breaths above the navel.

As for those who are new to meditation,

Who have not yet understood the position of the centre of the body,

You should imagine that you are taking a thread from your navel directly through your back and a second thread running from the right side to the left side on the same level.

The intersection of these two threads at a point which is no larger than the eye of a needle.

If you go two finger breaths above this point,

It's a point which you call the seventh base of the mind.

This is the point where we must imagine that we are resting the crystal ball.

We should imagine it gently,

Rather like thinking of the image of a rose or a dew drop which is running to and fro in a lily pad.

We should have a light,

Gentle feeling,

A relaxed feeling.

When we think of the crystal ball,

When we are new to meditation,

Sometimes we cannot imagine it very clearly.

Mostly it's not easy for us to do in the beginning.

It's only a few rare persons who have cultivated these skills from previous lifetimes,

Who have an instant familiarity with the crystal ball at the centre of their body.

But such people are rare to find.

Usually 90% of people don't find it easy to keep their mind on the mental object in the beginning.

We have to accept the nature of people's skills because we are new to meditation.

So we have to be patient in the beginning.

We must gradually train ourselves to imagine the crystal ball,

Which is clear and bright at the centre of the body.

Clear as a diamond,

Flawless at the centre of our body.

Gradually and patiently imagine it.

Imagine it gently.

Don't let go of your feeling of being relaxed.

You must just gently imagine it.

It's difficult in the beginning for those whose minds are still in a coarse state,

Who are used to struggling for things in the outside world.

We have to retrain ourselves to relax and just allow the crystal ball to appear for itself.

Because if we use worldly methods to try to procure the crystal ball,

We will never be successful and it will just frustrate us and give us a feeling of despair in our meditation.

Because we've got the method wrong.

If you meditate in a proper way,

Giving yourself all the time in the world to allow the mind to adapt,

Before long we will become familiar with the centre of the body and the bright image will gradually appear by itself.

Furthermore,

In daily life you have to make enough time to meditate,

Giving a little time to it each and every day,

Frequently and daily,

In accordance with the Buddhist words bahula bahuligata,

And maintaining the vision at your centre.

No matter whether you are standing,

Walking,

Sitting or lying down,

Or whatever chores you are doing,

You must give yourself the opportunity,

You must give yourself the chance to keep the mind in the centre all the time,

So that your mind can really become familiar with the centre of the body and the crystal ball there.

So,

If we do this often,

The image in the mind will gradually become clearer in our mind little by little.

From just seeing things vaguely,

The image will become gradually clearer to us,

More vivid,

It will become gradually clearer as time passes,

In proportion to the amount of time we give to ourselves.

You need to have enough flying time in your meditation.

You need to give yourself enough time to adapt the meditation,

Just as a pilot must build up experience of flying,

We must have sufficient time for ourselves to imagine the crystal ball at the centre of our body,

Whatever position we are in.

Some day in the future,

Once our mind becomes familiar with the centre of the body,

We will come to a point where we will be fulfilled in our wish for success in meditation,

And in the end,

We will be able to see the object inside ourselves as clearly with our mind as we can see things in the outside world.

We will see the object inside with a real clarity,

As if we were opening our eyes to look at it.

And it may even become clearer than the objects we can see in the outside world.

Normally,

We can see things in the outside world only as clearly as our eyes are able to see them.

But if we are able to see more clearly than the eye,

It's like taking a magnifying glass or a microscope,

With which one is able to magnify the object to make it larger in size than we can see with our naked eye.

This is how it is when our meditation is going well.

We will be able to see more of the detail of the object than we can see even with our physical eyesight.

This is the meaning of the words clearer than can be seen with the naked eye,

Which we sometimes find in our meditation evaluation.

The moment the object becomes this clear,

We will have the instant by-product,

Which is the happiness that fills the mind,

Overwhelms the mind,

As if someone turned on the tap of happiness inside ourselves.

That happiness will spread to fill every molecule of our being.

We will be filled with joy.

We will feel light and weight,

Both in body and in mind,

And we will feel as if our body is weightless,

Rather like our whole body is as light as a bubble.

We will feel as if our body has faded away into the atmosphere around us,

And we will feel that our body is not there anymore.

Our mind will be so pure,

Purer than anything we have ever experienced before.

So,

From this moment onwards,

May all of you imagine the bright crystal ball at the centre of your body,

Bringing your mind to a standstill at the centre of the brightness in the centre of the crystal ball,

While maintaining the mantra,

Samma Arahang,

Samma Arahang,

Samma Arahang,

If necessary,

In your mind.

Your mind should be at a standstill,

So don't allow your mind to be distracted anywhere else.

Now,

Each their own meditation practice in silence,

Until we come to the appropriate time.