Why Meditate?

First we should ask ourselves, ‘Why did The Buddha teach meditation?’ or, ‘What is the purpose of meditation?’ The purpose of Buddhist meditation is to attain Nibbāna. Nibbāna is the cessation of mentality (nāma) and materiality (rūpa). To reach Nibbāna, therefore, we must completely destroy both wholesome mental formations, rooted in non-greed, non-anger, and non-delusion, and unwholesome mental formations, rooted in greed, anger, and delusion, all of which produce new birth, ageing, sickness and death. If we destroy them totally with the path knowledge (ariyamagga), then we will have realized Nibbāna. In other words,Nibbāna is release and freedom from the suffering of the round of rebirths (sa§sāra), and is the cessation of rebirth, ageing, sickness, and death. We are all subject to the suffering of rebirth, ageing, sickness, and death, and so to free ourselves from the many forms of suffering we need to meditate. Since we wish to be free from all suffering, we must learn how to meditate in order to attain Nibbāna.

What Is Meditation?

So what is meditation? Meditation consists of Samatha and V ipas sanā med i tation, which must both be based upon moral con - duct of body and speech. In other words, medit a tion is the deve - lopment and perfection of the Noble Eigh t fold Path (ariya aññhaïgika magga) .
The Noble Eightfold Path is: 1. Right view ................................ ................................ ......................... (sammā diññhi) 2. Right thought ................................ ................................ ............. (sammā saïkappa) 3. Right speech ................................ ................................ ...................... (sammā vācā) 4. Right action ................................ ................................ ............... (sammā ka m manta) 5. Right livelihood ................................ ................................ ............... (sammā ājīva) 6. Right effort ................................ ................................ .................... ( sammā vāyāma) 7. Right mindfu l ness ................................ ................................ .............. (sammā sati) 8. Right concentr a tion ................................ ................................ ... (sammā samādhi) Right view The Buddha called Vipassanā right view (v i passanā sammā diññhi) and path right view (magga sammā diññhi) . Right view and right thought are together called the tra ining of wisdom (paññā) . Right speech, right action, and right liv e lihood are to gether called the training of morality (sīla) . Right effort, right mind fulness, and right concentration are t ogether called the train ing of concentr a tion (samādhi) , which i s Samatha meditation (samatha bhāvanā) .

The Noble Eightfold Path 1/5

Now, let us look a little bit more at each of the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. The first factor is right view (sammā diññhi) . What is right view? Right view consists of four kinds of knowledge: 1. The insight - knowledge of the Noble Truth of Suffering, which is the five aggregates of clinging. 2. The insight - know ledge of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe ring, which discerns the causes for the five aggregates of clinging, in other words, it is the insight - knowledge of dependent - origination. 3. The realiza tion and knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, w hich is the cessation of the five ag gregates of clin g ing, Ni b bāna. 4. The knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Ce ssation of Suffering, which is the way of practice leading to the r ealization of Nibbāna, the Noble Eightfold Path. .

The Noble Eightfold Path 2/5

The second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right thought (sammā saïkappa) . Right thought too is four - fold: 1. Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of Suffering, which is the five ag gregates of clin g in g. 2. Applied thought to the ob ject of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, which is the causes for the five aggregates of clin g ing. 3. Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, which is Nibbāna. 4. Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of the Path Lea ding to the Cessation of Suffering, which is the N o ble Eightfold Path. Thus, right thought applies the mind to the object of the Truth of Suffering, the five aggregates o f clinging, and right view u nder stands it as it really is. These two factors work together to a pply the mind to each of the Four Noble Truths, and to unde r stand them. Since they work together in this way, they are called the training of wisdom (paññā sikkhā) . The third factor of the N o ble Eightfold Path is right speech (sammā vācā) . Right speech is to abstain from l y ing, slander, harsh speech, and useless tal k. The fourth factor of the N o ble Eightfold Path is right action (sammā kammanta) . Right action is to abstain from killing, from theft, and from se x ual misconduct. The fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right livelihood (sammā ājīva) . Right livel i hood is to abstain from obtaining a liv ing by wrong speech or wrong actions, such as killing, steal ing, or l ying. For laypeople it includes to abstain from t he five types of wrong trade: trade in weapons, humans, animals for slaugh ter, i ntoxicants, and po i sons.

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The three factors of right speech, right action, and right liveli - hood are called the traini ng of mora l ity (sīla sikkhā) . The sixth factor of the N o ble Eightfold Path is right effort (sammā vāyāma) . Right effort is also of four kinds: 1. The effort to pre vent the arising of unwholesome states that hav e not yet arisen; 2. The effort to remove unwhol e some states that have already arisen; 3. The effort to arouse the arising of whol e some states that have not yet arisen; 4. The effort to increase wholesome states that have a l ready arisen.

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In order to develop th ese four types of right effort, we must practise and develop the three trainings of mo rality, concen - tration, and wi s dom. The seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right min d ful - ness (sammā sati) . Right mindfulness is also of four kinds: 1. Mindfu l ness of the body 2. Mindfulness of feelings 3. Mindful ness of consci ousness 4. Mindfulness of dhammas Here, dhammas are the fifty - one associated mental factors e x clu d ing feeling, or the five aggregates of clin ging, or the twelve internal and external sense - bases, or the eighteen elements, or the seven factors of enlight enment, or the Four N o ble Truths, etc. But the four types of mind fulness can in fact be reduced to just two, mindfulness of materiality and mi ndfu l ness of mentality.

The Noble Eightfold Path 5/5

The eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right concentra - tion (sammā samādhi) . Right concentration is the first jhāna ( absor ption), second jhāna, third jhāna, and fourth jhāna. These are called right concentration according to the ‘Mahāsa tipañ ñ hāna Sutta ’ , the ‘Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness ’. 1 In the Visuddhi Magga , 2 right concentration is explained further as the four fine - mate rial jhānas (rūpa jhāna) , the four imm a terial jhānas (arūpa jhān a) and access conce n tration (upacāra samādhi) . Some people have a great accumulation of pāramī s , and can at - tain Nibbāna by sim ply listening to a brief or d e tailed talk on the Dhamma. Most people, however, do not have such pāramī s, and must practise the Noble Eightfold Path in its gradual order. They are called person - to - be - led (ne yya - puggala) , and must develop the Noble Eightfold Path step by step, in the o r der of morality, con - centration, and wisdom. After purifying their morality they must train in concentration, and after purif y ing their mind by way of concentration practice, th ey must train in wisdom.

How You Develop Concentration

How should you develop concentration? There are forty subjects of Samatha meditation, and a person can develop any of these to attain concentr a tion. Those who cannot decide which meditation subject to develop should start with ānāpānasati (mindfulness - of - breathing) . Most people succeed in meditation by using either ānāpānasati or four - elements med i tation. Therefore, let us now look briefly at how to practise ānāpānasati .

How You Develop Mindfulness of Breathing 1/11

The development of ānāpānasati (mindfulness - of - breathing) is taught by The Buddha in the ‘Mahās a tipañ ñ hāna Sutta’ 1 He says: Bhikkhus, here in this Teaching, a bhikkhu having gone to the fo rest, or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty place, sits down cross - legged and keeps his body erect and establishes min d fulness on the meditation object. Ever min d fully he breathes in, and ever mind fully he breathes out. [1] Breathing in a long breath, he knows, ‘I am breathing in a long breath’; or breathing out a long breath, he kno ws, ‘I am breat h ing out a long breath’. [2] Breathing in a short breath he knows, ‘I am breathing in a short breath’; or breathing out a short breath, he knows, ‘I am breath ing out a short breath’. [3]‘Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe in’, thus he trains hi m self; and, ‘Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe out’, thus he trains himself. [4] ‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe in’, thus he trains him self, and, ‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe out’, thus he trains hi m self.

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To begin meditating, sit in a comfortable pos i tion and try to be aware of the breath as it enters and le aves the body through the nos trils. You should be able to feel it either just below the nose or somewhere around the nostrils. Do not fo l low the breath into the body or out of the body, because then you will not be able to pe rfect your concentration. Just be aware of the breath at the most obvious place it brushes against or touches, e i ther the top of the upper lip or around the nostrils. Then you will be able to de velop and perfect your concentr a tion. Do not pay attention to the individual characteristics (sa b hāva lak - khaõa) , general characteristics (sammañña lakkhaõa) or co lour of the nimitta (sign of concentration). The individual character istics are the characteristics of the four elements in the breath: har d ness, roughness, flowing, heat, supporting, pushing, etc. The general characteristics are the impermanent (anicca) , suf fering (dukkha) , and non - self (anatta) characteri s tics of the breath. This means, do not note ‘in - out - impermanent’, or ‘in - out - suffering’, or ‘in - out - no n - self’. Simply be aware of the in - and - out breath as a co n cept.

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The concept of the breath is the object of ānāpānasati . It is this object you must co n centrate on to develop con centration. As you conce ntrate on the concept of the breath in this way, and if you practised this medit a tion in a previous life, and developed some pāramī s, you will easily be able to conce n trate on the in - and - out breath. If not, the Visuddhi Magga suggests coun t ing the breaths. You should count after the end of each breath: ‘In - out - one, in - out - two,’ etc. 1 Count up to at least five, but to no more than ten. We suggest you count to eight, because that re minds you of the Noble Eigh t - fold Path, which you are trying to develop. So you should count, as you like, up to any number between five and ten, and deter - mine that during that time you will not let your mind drift, or go els e where, but be only calmly awa re of the breath. When you count like this, you find that you are able to conce n trate your mind, and make it calmly aware of only the breath.

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After concentrating your mind like this for at least half an hour, you should proceed to the first and second stage of the medit ation: [1] Breathing in a long breath, he knows, ‘I am breathing in a long breath’; or breathing out a long breath, he knows, ‘I am breat h ing out a long breath’. [2] Breathing in a short breath, he knows, ‘I am breathing in a short breath’; breathing out a short breath, he knows, ‘I am breath ing out a short breath’. At this stage, you have to d e velop awareness of whether the in - and - out breaths are long or short. ‘Long’ or ‘short’ here do not re - fer to length in feet and inches, but length in time, the dur a tion. You should decide for yourself what length of time you will call ‘long’, and what length of time you will call ‘short’. Be aware of the d u ration of each in - and - out breath. You will notice that the breath is som e times long in time, and sometimes short. Just know ing this is all you have to do at this stage. Do not note, ‘In - out - long, In - out - short’, just ‘In - out’, and be aware of whether the breaths are long or short. You should know this by b e ing just aware of the length of time that the breath brushes against and touches the upper lip, or around the nostrils, as it enters and leaves the body. Sometimes the breath may be long throughout the sitting, and som e times short, but do not purposely try to make it long or short.

How You Develop Mindfulness of Breathing 5/11

At this stage the nimitta may appear, but if you are able to do this calmly for about one hour, and no nimitta a p pears, you should move on to the third stage; [3]‘Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe in’, thus he trains hi m self and; ‘Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe out’, thus he trains himself. Here The B uddha is i n structing you to be aware of the whole breath from beginning to end. As you do this the nimitta may now appear. If it does, do not immed i ately shift your mind to it, but stay with the breath.

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If you are ca lmly aware of the breath from beginning to end for about an hour, and no nimitta appears, you should move on to the fourth stage: [4]‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe in’, thus he trains him self and, ‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe out’, thu s he trains hi m self. To do this, you should decide to make the breath calm, and go on being continuously aware of the breath from begi n ning to end. You should do nothing else, otherwise your concentration will break and fall away.

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The Visuddhi Magga gives four factors for making the breath calm: 1.Concern ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ (ābhoga) 2.Reaction ................................ ................................ ............................. (samannāhāra) 3.Attention ................................ ................................ ............................... (manasikāra) 4.Reviewing ................................ ................................ ...................... (paccavekkhaõa) And they are explained first with a si m ile: Suppose a man stands still after running or after descending from a hill , or pu t ting down a load from his head; then his in - breaths and out - breaths are gross, his nostrils become inad e quate, and he keeps on breathing in and out through his mouth. But when he has rid himself of his fatigue and has bathed and drunk and put a wet cloth on his chest, and is lying in the cool shade, then his in - breaths and out - breaths eve ntually occur so subtly that he has to invest i gate whether they exist or not.

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Likewise, says the Visuddhi Magga , the bhikkhu’s in - and - out - breaths are gross to begi n with, become increasingly su b tle, after which he has to investigate whether they exist or not . To further explain why the bhikkhu needs to investigate the in - and - out - breaths, the Visuddhi Magga says: Because previously, at the time when the yogi had not yet discerned the [in - and - out breath] there was no concern in him, no reaction, no attention, no reviewing, to the e ffect that [he knew] ‘I am progressively tranquillizing each grosser bodily form a tion [the in - and - out breath] .’ But once he has di s cerned [ the in - and - out breath] , there is. So his bodily formation [the in - and - out breath] at the time when he has di s cerned [it] is subtle in comparison with what it was at the time when he had not [di s cerned it] .

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1.Concern ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... (ābhoga) You pay initial attention to th e breath, you apprehend the breath, you advert the mind towards the breath, to the e f fect: ‘I will try to make the breath calm.’ 2.Reaction ................................ ................................ ........................... (samannāhāra) You continue to do so, i.e. you pay su s tained attention to the breath that way, do it again and again, keep the breath in the mind, to the effect: ‘I will try to make the breath calm.’ 3.Attention ................................ ................................ ............................. (man a sikāra) Literally ‘deciding to make the breath calm’. A t tention is the mental factor that makes the mind advert towards the object. A t tention makes the mind conscious of the breath and know the breath. 4.Reviewing ................................ ................................ .................. (paccavekkhaõa) You review (vīma§sa) the breath, make it clear to the mind, to the effect: ‘I will try to make the breath calm.’

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So all you need to do at this stage is to decide to calm the breat h, and to be contin u ously aware of it. That way, you will find the breath b e comes calmer, and the nimitta may ap pear. Just before the nimitta appears, a lot of yogis encounter diffi - culties. Mostly they fin d that the breath becomes very su b tle and unclear; they may think the breath has stopped. If this hap pens, you should keep your awareness where you last n o ticed the breath, and wait for it there. A dead person, a foetus in the womb, a drowned person, an u ncon scious person, a person in the fourth jhāna, a person in the a ttainment of cessation (n i rodha samāpatti) 2 , and a brahmā: only these seven types of person do not breathe. Reflect on the fact that you are not one of the m, that you are in reality breathing, and that it is just your min d fulness which is not strong enough for you to be aware of the breath.

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When it is subtle, you should not make the breath more obvi ous, as the effort will cause agitation, and your concentr a tion will not develop. Just be aware of the breath as it is, and if it is not clear, simply wait for it where you last noticed it. You will find that, as you apply your mindfulness and wisdom in this way, the breath will rea p pear.

The Nimitta 1/7

The nimitta of ānāpānasati varies a c cording to the individual. To some the nimitta is pure and fine like cotton wool, or drawn out cotton, moving air or a draught, a bright light like t he mor - ning star Venus, a bright ruby or gem, or a bright pearl. To others it is like the stem of a cotton plant, or a shar p ened piece of wood. To yet others it is like a long rope or string, a wreath of flowers, a puff of smoke, a stretched out co b web, a film of mist, a lotus, a chariot wheel, a moon, or a sun. In most cases, a pure white nimitta like cotton wool is the ug - gaha - nimitta (taken - up sign or learning sign), and is usually dull and opaque. When the nimitta b e comes bright like the morning star, brilliant and clear, it is the pañ ibhāga - nimitta (counterpart sign). When like a dull ruby or gem, it i s the uggaha - nimitta, but when bright and sparkling, it is the pañ i b hāga - nimitta. The other images should be unde r stood in this way too. So, even though ānāpānasati is a single meditation subject, it produces various types of nimitta: the nimitta a p pears differently to different people.

The Nimitta 2/7

The Visuddhi Magga explains that this is be cause the nimitta is produced by perception. 1 And the Commentary to the Visuddhi Magga explains that it is the different perceptions which the di fferent yogis had before the nimit ta arose. 2 Thus, the nimittas are different because of perception. But pe rception does not arise alone. It is a mental formation that arises always together with the individual consciousness and other me ntal formations: these mental formations associated w ith the individual consciousness are called associated mental factors (cetasika) . 1 So, for example, if a yogi conce n trates on the ānāpāna nimitta with a happy mind, the mental fa c tors are not only the one per - cep tion, but are altogether thirty - four, such as, contact, volition, one - pointed ness, attention, applied thought, sustained thought, dec i sion, effort, and desire: not only perception differs, but also all the other mental factors di f fer.

The Nimitta 3/7

This is in fact explained elsewhere in the Visuddhi Magga , in its explanation of the attainment of the base of ne i ther - perception - nor - non - perception (nevasaññā - nāsaññā yatana jhāna) , the fourth immat erial jhāna. 2 There, the Visuddhi Magga explains that the perception in that jhāna is very subtle, which is why we cal l it the attainment of ne ither - perception - nor - non - perception. But it is not only the perce ption that is very subtle. The feelings, the consciousness, the co ntact and all the other mental formations are also very su b tle. Thus, says the Visuddhi Magga , in th e attainment of neither - perception - nor non - perception there is also neither - feeling - nor - non - feeling, neither - consciousness - nor - non - consciousness, neither - contact - nor - non - contact, etc. 3 So, when the commentaries say the nimittas are different b ecause of pe rception, they are merely explaining the ānāpāna - nimitta from the single point - of - view of perception, in terms of perce p tion (saññāsīsa) , using perception as their example.

The Nimitta 4/7

But, whatever the shape or colour of your nimitta, whatever your perception of the in - and - out breath, it is important not to play with your nimitta. Do not let it go away, and do not inte ntionally change its shape or appearance. If you do, your conce ntration will not d e velop any further and your progress will stop. Your nimitta will prob ably disappear. So when your nimitta first appears, do not move your mind from the breath to the nimitta. If you do, you will find it disa p pears. If you find that the nimitta is stable, and your mind by itself has become fixed on it, then just leave your mind there. If you force your mind to come away from it, you will probably lose your concentration.

The Nimitta 5/7

If your nimitta appears far away in front of you, ignore it, as it will probably disappear. If you igno re it, and simply conce n trate on the breath at the place where the breath touches, the nimitta will come and stay there. If your nimitta appears at the place where the breath touches, is stable, and appears as the breath itself, and the breath as the nimit ta, then forget about the breath, and be aware of just the nimitta. By moving your mind from the breath to the nimitta, you will be able to make further progress. As you keep your mind on the nimitta, the nimitta becomes whiter and whiter, and when it is w hite like cotton wool, it is the u g gaha - nimitta.

The Nimitta 6/7

You should determine to keep your mind calmly concentrated on the white uggaha - nimitta for one, two, three hours, or more. If you can keep your mind fixed on the uggaha - nimitta for one or two hours, it shoul d become clear, bright, and brilliant. This is then the pañ ibhāga - nimitta (counterpart sign). Determine and prac tise to keep your mind on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta for one, two, or three hours. Practise until you su c ceed. At this stage you will reach either access (upacāra) or absorp tion (appanā) concentr ation. It is called access concentr a tion be cause it is close to and precedes jhāna. Absorption concentr a tion is jhāna.

The Nimitta 7/7

Both types of concentration have the pañ ibhāga - nimitta as their object. The only differen ce between them is that in access co ncentra tion the jhāna factors are not fully developed. For this re ason bhavaïgas still occur, and one can fall into bhavaïga (l ife - continuum consciousness). The yogi will say that every thing stopped, and may even think it is Nibbāna . In reality the mind has not stopped, but the yogi is just not suffi ciently skilled to discern this, as the bhavaïgas are very su b tle.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 1/9

To avoid dropping into bhavaïga and to develop fu r ther, you need the help of the five controlling faculties ( pañcindriyā ) to push the mind an d fix it on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. The five control ling facu l ties are: 1. Faith ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. (sa d dhā) 2. E ffort ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ (vīriya) 3. Mindfulness ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... (sati) 4. Concentr a tion ................................ ................................ .......................... (samādhi) 5. Understan d ing ................................ ................................ ............................. (paññā) The five controlling faculties are the five powers that co n trol the mind, and keep it from straying off the path of Samatha (tran - quillity) and Vipassanā (insight) that leads to Nibbāna. If one or more of the co n trolling faculties are in excess, there will be an im balance.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 2/9

The first controlling faculty is faith in what one should have faith in, such as the Triple Gem, or faith in kamma and its results. It is important to have faith in the enlightenment of The Buddha, b e cause without it, a person will regress from his work in medita - tion. It is also important to have faith in the teac h ing of The Bud - dha, namely the Four Pa ths, the Four Fruits, Ni b bāna, etc. The teaching of The Buddha shows us the way of med i tation, so at this stage it is important to have co m plete faith in it. Let us say the yogi thinks, ‘Can jhāna really be a t tained by just watching the in - breath and out - breath? Is it really true that the uggaha - nimitta is like white cotton wool, and the pañ i b hāga - nimitta like clear ice or glass?’ If these kinds of thought persist, they result in views such as, ‘Jhāna cannot be at tained in the pr esent age,’ and the yogi’s faith in the teach ing will d e cline, and he will be unable to stop himself from giv ing up the deve l opment of Samatha.

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So a person who is developing concentration with a meditation subject like ānāpānasati needs to have strong faith. He should develop ānāpānasati without any doubts. He should think, ‘Jhāna can be achieved if I follow the instruc tions of The Fully Enligh tened Bud dha systemat i cally.’ If, however, a person lets his faith become excessive, and here it is faith in the meditation pañ ibhāga nimitta, his conce n tration will decrease. Excessive faith co n tains excessive joy (piti) , which leads to emotions. This means the yo gi’s mind is disturbed by joyful excitement, and wisdom is unable to understand the pañ ibhāga nimitta. Then, because e x cessive faith has decided on the object, wisdom is not clear and firm, and also the remaining faculties, e ffort, mindfulness and concentr ation are weakened: effort is u nable to raise ass o ciated mental formations to the pañ i bhāga ni - mitta, and keep them there; mindfulness is unable to establish knowledge of the pañ i b hāga nimitta; concentration is unable to pre vent the mind from going to a nother object; and wisdom is u nable to see the pañ ibhāga nimitta penetratively. Thus excessive faith leads actually to a d e crease in faith.

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If effort is too strong, the remaining faculties, faith, mindfu lness, concentration, and wisdom, will be unable to respectively decide, establish, pre vent distraction, and develop penetrative discer n ment. Thus excessive effort causes the mind not to stay calmly conce n trated on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. This can be illustrated by the case of the Venerable Soõa. In the cit y of Rājagaha, he heard the Buddha teach, and wi n ning faith, he got his parents’ consent and ordained. The Buddha taught him a subject for meditation, and he went to the monastery S ī tavana. He worked very hard, but pacing up and down in medit a tion with gre at energy, he developed painful sores on his feet. He did not lie down and sleep, and when he could no longer walk, he crawled on his hands and knees. He worked so hard that his med itation path was stained with blood. Even so, he won no attai nment and was filled with d e spair.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 5/9

The Buddha, on Gijjhakūta ( Vulture Peak mountain) , b e came aware of his despair and visited him. And The Buddha reminded him that when he as a layman had played the vī õā (a type of I ndian lute), the lute was not tuneful or playable if the strings were strung either too tight or too loose: they had to be strung evenly. The Buddha explained that in the same way, too much energy or effort ends in flurry, and too little energy or effort ends in idl eness. The Venerable Soõa profited from the lesson, because not long afterwards, having reflected on the lesson, he became an Ar a hant.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 6/9

To balance faith with wisdom, and concentr a tion with effort, is praised by the wise. If, for i n stance, faith is strong and wisdom is weak, a p erson will develop faith in, and r e spect for objects with - out use and essence. For instance, he will develop faith in, and rever ence for objects revered and respected by religions ou t side orthodox Buddhism, such as guardian spirits or protective de i ties. If, on the other hand, wisdom is strong and faith is weak, a pe r - son can become quite crafty. Without meditating, he will spend his time simply passing judgements. This is as difficult to cure as to cure a disease caused by an overdose of med i cine. If faith and wisdom are balanced, however, a person will have faith in objects he should have faith in: the Tr i ple Gem, kamma, and its effects. He will believe that if he meditates in acco r dance with The Buddha’s instructions, he will be able to attain the pañ ibhāga - nimitta, and jhāna.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 7/9

Again, if concentration is strong and effort is weak, a person can become lazy. For example, if, when the yogi’s conce n tration improves, he pays attenti on to the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta with a relaxed mind, without knowing it penetr a tively, he may become lazy. The five jhāna - factors will in that case not be strong enough to maintain the high level of concentration, which means his mind will very often f all into bhavaïga. But if ef fort is strong, and concentration weak, however, he can become agitated. When concentration and effort are balanced, he will become neither lazy, nor agitated, and will be able to a t tain jhāna. When a person wishes to cultivat e a Samatha subject, it is in any case good to have very strong faith. If he thinks, ‘I will cer - tainly reach jhāna, if I develop conce n tration on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta’, then by the power of that faith, and by conce n trating on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta, he wi ll definitely achieve jhāna. This is be - cause jhāna is based primarily on concentr a tion.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 8/9

For a person developing Vipassanā it is good that wisdom be strong, because when wisdom is strong he will be able to know and see the three characteristics of imperman ence, su f fering, and non - self penetratively. Only when concentration and wisdom are balanced can mun - dane jhānas (lokiya jhāna) arise. The Bu d dha taught that this ap plies equally to supramundane jhānas (lokuttara jhāna) , which fur ther r equire that concentration and wisdom be balanced with e f fort and faith. Mindfulness is necessary under all circumstances, because it pro tects the mind from agit a tion due to excess faith, effort, or wis dom, and f rom laziness due to excess concentration. It bal - ances faith with wisdom, concentration with effort, and conce ntra tion with wi s dom.

How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties 9/9

So mindfulness is always necessary, as is the seasoning of salt in all sauces, and a prime minister for all the king’s a f fairs. Hence the ancient commentaries say the The Blessed One said, ‘Min dfulness is always necessary in any meditation subject.’ Why? B ecause it is a refuge and protection for the meditating mind. Min dfulness is a refuge, because it helps the mind arrive at special and high states it has never reached or known before. With out min dfulness the mind is incapable of attaining any spe cial and extrao rd inary states. Mindfulness protects the mind, and keeps the object of meditation from b e coming lost. That is why to one discerning it with insight - knowledge, mindfulness appears as that which pr otects the o b ject of meditation, as well as the mind of the yog i. Without mindfulness, a person is unable to lift the mind up or r estrain the mind, which is why The Bud dha said it is necessary in all i n stances.

How You Balance the Seven Factors of Enlightenment 1/2

If one is to ach ieve jhāna using ānāpānasati , it is also important to balance the Seven Factors of Enligh t enment. They are: 1. Mindfulness ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... (sati) Remembers the pañ ibhāga - nimitta and di s cerns it again and again. 2. Investigation of Phenom ena ................................ .................... (dhammavicaya) Un derstands the pañ ibhāga - nimitta penetratively. 3. Effort ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ (vīriya) Brings the enlightenment factors together, and balances them on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta; and especially reinforces itself, and the Fa c tor of Investiga tion of Phenomena. 4. Joy ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... (pīti) Gladness of the mind when experiencing the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. 5. Tranquillity ................................ ................................ ............................. (passaddhi) Calmness of the mind and associated mental factors, that have the pañ ibhāga - nimitta as their object. 6. Concentration ................................ ................................ .......................... (samādhi) One - pointedness of the mind on the p añ i b hāga - nimitta. 7. Equanimity ................................ ................................ ................................ (upekkhā) Evenness of mind that neither be comes e x cited, nor withdraws from the pañ ibhāga - nimitta.

How You Balance the Seven Factors of Enlightenment 2/2

A yogi must develop and balance all seven enlightenment fa ctors. With insufficient effort the mind will fall away from the o bject of meditation, in this case the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. Then one should not develop tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity, but instead develop investigation of phenomena, e f fort, and joy. That way the mind is raised up again. When there is too much e ffort, however, the mind will become agitated and distracted. Then one should do the opposite, and not de velop investigation of phenomena, effort, and joy, but i n stead develop tranquillity, concentration, and equani m ity. This way the agitated and di s tract ed mind becomes restrained and calmed. This is how the five controlling faculties, and seven factors of enlightenment are balanced.

How You Attain Jhāna 1/6

When the five controlling faculties, faith, effort, mindfulness, con centration, and understanding are sufficiently developed, co ncen tration will go beyond access, up to jhāna, absorption concen - tration. When you reach jhāna, your mind will know the pañ i b - hāga - nimitta without interruption. This can co n tinue for se veral hours, even all night, or for a whole day. When your mind stays continuously concentrated on the pañ i bhāga - nimitta for one or two hours, you should try to di s cern the area in the heart where the bhavaïga - consciousness rests, that is the heart - materiality. The bhavaïga - consciousness is bright and luminous, and the commentaries explain that it is the mind - door (manodvāra) . If you try many times, again and again, you will eve ntually discern both the mind - door (bhavaïga), and pañ ibhāga - nimitta as it appears there. You should then discern the five jhāna factors one at a time. With continued pra c tice, you will be able to discern them all at once. In the case of ānāpānasati , the five jhāna fa c tors are: 1. Applied thought ................................ ................................ ..................... (vitakka) Directing and placing the mind on the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta. 2. Sustained thought ................................ ................................ .................. (vicāra) Maintaining the mind on the ānāpāna pañ i b hāga - nimitta. 3. Joy ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... (pī ti) Liking for the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta. 4. Bliss ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. (sukha) Happiness about the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta. 5. One - pointedness ................................ ................................ ................ (ekaggatā) One - pointedness of mind on the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta.

How You Attain Jhāna 2/6

The jhāna factors are together called jhāna. When you are just be ginning to practise jhāna, you should practise entering jhāna for a long time, and not s pend too much time discerning the jhāna fac tors. You should develop mastery (vasī - bhāva) of the jhānas. There are five masteries: 1. To enter jhāna whe n ever desired. 2. To resolve ( adhiññhāna ) to stay in jhāna for a deter mined dur a tion, a nd carry out the resolve. 3. To emerge from jhāna at the determined time. 4. To advert to the jhāna factors. 5. To review the jhāna factors. 1 In the ‘ Pabbateyyagāvī Sutta ’ of the Aïguttara Nikāya , 2 The Bud dha says one should not try going to the second jhāna b e fore mastering the first jhāna. He explains that if one does not ma s ter the first jhāna completely, and tries to go to higher jhānas, one will lose the first jhāna, as well as be una ble to attain the other jhā nas. One will lose all the jhānas.

How You Attain Jhāna 3/6

When you have mastered the first jhāna, you can try to pro gress to the second jhāna. You need to enter the now familiar first jhāna, emerge from it, reflect on its faults, and reflect on the a dva n tages of the second jhāna. That is: the first jhāna is close to the five hin drances, and has the gross jhāna fa c tors of applied and sus tained thought, making it less calm than the second jhāna, which is with out them. So, with no desire now for those two jhāna fac tors, a desire for only joy, happiness, and one - pointedness, you should again concentrate on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta, and attain the first jhāna. When you now emerge from the first jhāna, and aga in r e view the jhāna factors with mindfulness and full awareness, the two jhāna factors of a p plied thought and sustained thought will ap pear gross to you, while joy, happ i ness or bliss and one - pointed ness appear peaceful. So, in order to abandon the gross fac tors and obtain the peaceful factors, you should again conce n trate on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. This way you will be able to attain the second jhāna, possessed of only those three fa c tors, joy, bliss, and one - pointedness. You should then de velop the fiv e maste r ies of the second jhāna.

How You Attain Jhāna 4/6

When you have succeeded, and want to develop the third jhāna, you should emerge from the now familiar second jhāna, reflect on its faults, and reflect on the advantages of the third jhāna. That is: the se c ond jhāna is close to the first jhāna, which has the gross jhāna factor of applied - and sustained thought. And the second jhāna itself has the gross jhāna fa c tor of joy, 1 making it less calm than the third jhāna, which is wit h out it. So, with no desire now for that gross fa ctor, a desire for only the peaceful factors, you should again concentrate on the pañ i b hāga - nimitta, and attain the second jhāna. When you now emerge from the second jhāna, and again review the jhana fa c tors, the jhāna factor of joy will appear gross to yo u, while bliss and one - pointedness appear peaceful. So, in order to abandon the gross factor and obtain the peaceful factors, you should again conce n trate on the pañ ibhāga - nimitta. This way you will be able to attain the third jhāna, possessed of only happ i ness and one - pointedness. You should then develop the five ma s teries of the third jhāna.

How You Attain Jhāna 5/6

When you have succeeded, and want to develop the fourth jhāna, you should emerge from the now familiar third jhāna, r eflect on its faults, and reflect on the advanta ges of the fourth jhāna. That is, the third jhāna is close to the second jhāna, which has the gross jhāna factor of joy. And the third jhāna itself has the gross jhāna factor of happiness, ma k ing it less calm than the fourth jhāna, which is without it. Wit h the de sire now to attain the fourth jhāna, you should again concentrate on the pañ i b hāga - nimitta and attain the third jhāna. When you now emerge from the third jhana, and again review the jhāna factors, the jhāna fa ctor of bliss will appear gross to you , while equani m ity and one - pointedness appear peaceful. So, in o r der to abandon the gross factor and obtain the peaceful factors, you should again conce ntrate on the pañ i b hāga nimitta.This way you will be able to attain the fourth jhāna, possessed of only equani m ity and one - pointedness. You should then develop the five ma s teries of the fourth jhāna.

How You Attain Jhāna 6/6

With the attainment of the fourth jhāna, the breath stops com - pletely. This completes the fourth stage in the development of ān āpānāsati : [4] ‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe in’, thus he trains him self, and, ‘Calming the breath body, I will breathe out’, thus he trains hi m self. This stage began just before the nimitta appeared, and as co ncen tration developed through the four jhānas, the breath be came pr o gressively calmer and calmer, until it stopped in the fourth jhāna. The four jhānas are also called fin e - material - realm jhānas, (rū - pāvacara jhāna) , because they may cause rebirth in the fine - mate rial realm. But here we do not e n courage you to develop jhā nas for the sake of attaining rebirth in the fine - material realm, but for the sake of using them to develop Vipassanā med i tation. When a yogi has reached the fourth jhāna by using ā nāpān asati , and has d eveloped the five masteries, the light of concentr ation is bright, brilliant and rad i ant, and he can, if he wishes, move on to develop Vipassanā medit a tion. The yogi can, on the other hand, continue to develop Samatha meditation. That will be the subject of our next talk, namely, how you develop Samatha med i t a tion on the thirty - two parts of the body, the skeleton, ten kasiõas, etc.

Question 1.1

How do we, in the four stages of ānāpānasati (min dfulness - of - breathing), d e cide when to go from one stage to an - other? Answer 1.1 The Buddha taught ānāpānasati step by step: long breath, short breath, whole breath and subtle breath, only for easy understan ding. At the time of actual practice, all four stages may occur at the same time. Then, if you can concentrate on the whole long breath, and the whole short breath for about one hour, then (as your concen tra - tion improves) the breath will automat i cally b e come subtle, and you can change to concentrate on the subtle breath. When the subtle breath is long, you should try to know the whole, long, su b tle breath; when the subtle breath is short, you should try to know the whole, short, subtle breath. If the b reath does not become subtle by itself, you should co ncentrate on it (attention (manā sikāra) ) with the decision that it should be subtle. 1 That way it will become su b tle, but you must not make the breath subtle on purpose, nor make it long or short on pur pose; just decide that it should be calm. In this way, long breath, short breath, whole breath and subtle breath, all the four stages, are included in a single stage. At the early part of the fourth stage, the breath becomes only very subtle. It does not cease entirely. The breath ceases entirely only at the fourth jhāna. This is the subt lest stage.

Question 1.2

Is it necessary, in med i tation, to have a nimitta? Answer 1.2 In some meditation subjects (kammaññhāna) like ān āpān asati (mindfulness - of - breathing), kasiõa meditation and repulsiv eness meditation (asubha) , a nimitta is necessary. If one wants to a ttain jhāna in other meditation subjects, like recollection - of - The - Bud dha (Buddhānussati) , a nimitta is not possible. In lovingkind ness meditation (mettā bhāvanā) , breaking down the barr i ers is called the nimitta.

Question 1.3 - 1/3

Some say that while practising ānāpānasati (mindfu lness - of - breathing) their soul goes out of the body. Is that true, or are they on the wrong path? Answer 1.3 A concentrated mind can usually create a nimit ta. When concentration is deep, strong, and powerful, then because of di fferent perceptions, different nimittas appear. For exa m ple, if you want the nimitta to be long, it will be long; if you want it to be short, it will be short; if you want it to be rou nd, it will be round; if you want it to be red, it will be red. So various percep tions may arise while practising ānāpānasati . You may pe r ceive yourself as outside the body. It is simply a mental creation, not because of a soul. It is not a problem. Just ignore it, and return to being min dful of your breath. Only when you discern ultimate mentality - materiality (paramat tha nāma - rūpa) internally and externally, can you solve the pro b lem of a soul: you will not find a soul anywhere. So, you need to break dow n the compactness of mentality and materia l ity, and realize ultimate mentality and materiality. Nānādhātuyo vinibbhujitvā ghanavinibbhoge kate anattalak khaõa§ yāthāv a sarasato upaññhāti ( When we break down co m pact ness, the perception of non - self (anatta saññā) will arise. ) 2 It is because of the perception of compactness, that the perce ption of a soul arises.

Question 1.3 - 2/3

To break down the compactness of materiality, you must first dis cern the rūpa - kalāpas (small particles). Then you must di s cern the differ ent types of ultimate materiality, which are at least eight in each rūpa - kalāpa. Without doing this the pe r ception of a soul will not di s appear. 1 Similarly, without breaking down the compactness of menta l ity, the perception of a soul will not disappear. F or exa m ple, when your mind wanders, you may think that the wandering mind is your soul. And how do you break down the compactness of mentality? Take, for example a mind - door cognitive - process of access co ncentration that has the ānāpāna pañ ibhāga - nimitta a s o b ject. Such a cognitive - process has one mind - door adverting - con - sciousness and seven impulsion - consciousnesses (javanas) . In the mind - door adverting - consciousness moment there are twelve mental form a tions, and in each impulsion moment there are thirty - four mental formations.

Question 1.3 - 3/3

There are four types of compactness in such a cognitive process that need to be broken down by insight knowledge: 1. Compactness of continuity ................................ .................. (santati ghana) : to break this down, you need to discern how a different co nsciousness, and its associated mental factors, arises in each consciousness - moment throughout the cogn i tive process. 2. Compactness of group ................................ .......................... (samūha ghana) : to break this down, you need to discern each consciousness and each of its associated mental factors in every consc iou sness - moment throughout the co g nitive - process. 3. Compactness of function ................................ ........................ (kicca ghana) : to break this down, you need to discern the characteristic, function, manifestation and proximate cause of each co nsciousness and each of its associated me n tal facto rs. 4. Compactness of object ................................ .................... (ārammaõa ghana) : to break this down, you need to discern the insight - knowledge cognitive - process that discerned the cognitive process you have just examined (the mind - door cognitive - process of access conce n tration). This means the cognitive -process that knew needs itself to be known by a subsequent cogn i tive process. If you break down the four types of compactness of mentality this way, you will see only the rapid arising and pas s ing - away of consciousnesses and their associate d mental factors. With that perception of impermanence, one can no longer think one’s consciousness is one’s soul, because with the pe r ception of impermance comes the perception of non - self. As said by The Buddha, in the ‘Meghiya Sutta’ : 1 Ani c casaññino meghiya anattasaññā saõñhāti . ( For those who have powerful insight - knowledge of imperm a nence, insight - knowledge of non - self will also appear clearly. ) Question 1.4 Where does the [ ānāpāna ] nimitta come from? What makes it appear?

Question 1.4

Most mind states that arise dependent upon the heart - base produce breathing. A real ānāpāna - nimitta comes from the breath. But not every mind state produces a nimitta. Only a deeply concentrated mind produces a nimitta. Ther e fore, the breath produced by a deep and c oncentrated mind makes an ānāpāna - nimitta appear. If the nimitta is far from the nostrils, it is not a real nimitta. A nimitta may appear because of concentr a tion, but not necessarily the real ānāpāna - nimitta. If the nimitta pr oduces jhāna, we call it an ā nāpāna - nimitta. But if it does not pr oduce jhāna, it is not the real ānāpāna - nimitta. If you concentrate on that nimitta, jhāna will not arise. Usually the concentr a tion cannot become strong and powerful. If you meditate on that nimitta, it will very soon di s appear.

Question 1.5 - 1/9

What are the seven stages of purification and si x teen insight - knowledges? Answer 1.5 The seven stages of purification are: 1. Purification of Morality ................................ ................................ ............. (sīla visuddhi) 2. Purification of Mind ................................ ................................ ................. (citta visuddhi) 3. Purification of View ................................ ................................ ................ (diññhi visuddhi) 4. Purification of Overcoming Doubt ................................ ......... (kaïkhāvitaraõa visuddhi) 5. Purification of Knowledge and Vision of What Is and What Is Not the Path .................... (ma g gāmaggañāõadassana visuddhi) 6. Purification of Knowledge and Vision of the Way ..... (pañipadāñāõada s sana visuddhi) 7. Purification of Knowledge and Vision ................................ ....... (ñāõadassana visuddhi)

Question 1.5 - 2/9

And the sixteen insight - knowledges are: 1. Knowledge of Analysing Mentality - Materiality ................. (nāma - rūpa paric cheda ñāõa) 2. Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Condition ........................ (paccaya - pariggaha ñāõa) 3. Knowledge o f Comprehension ................................ ................................ .......... (sammasana ñāõa) 4. Knowledge of Arising and Passing - Away ................................ .................... (udayabbaya ñāõa) 5. Knowledge of Dissolution ................................ ................................ ............................ (bhaïga ñāõa) 6. Knowledge of Terror ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... (bhaya ñāõa) 7. Knowledge of Danger ................................ ................................ ................................ .... (ādīnava ñāõa) 8. Knowledge of Disenchantment ................................ ................................ .................. (nibbidā ñāõa) 9. Knowledge of Desi re for Deliverance ................................ ................... (muñcitukamyatā ñāõa) 10. Knowledge of Reflection ................................ ................................ ....................... (pañisaïkhā ñāõa) 11. Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations .............................. (saïkhārupekkhā ñāõa) 12. Knowledge of Conformity ................................ ................................ .......................... (anuloma ñāõa) 13. Knowledge of Change - of - lineage ................................ ................................ .......... (gotrabhu ñāõa) 14. Knowledge of the Path ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... (magga ñāõa) 15. Knowledge of Fruition ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... (phala ñāõa) 16. Knowledge of Reviewing ................................ ................................ ............. (paccavekkhaõa ñāõa) Now you know the names of the insight - knowledges: have you experienced them? No. That is why to have only the o retical knowledge is not enough; you must practise wi th great e f fort to also realize them.

Question 1.5 - 3/9

[At the end of this talk the Venerable Pa - Auk Tawya Sayadaw added the follo w ing comment on the five hindrances.] Now let us discuss briefly the five hindrances (nīv a raõa) : 1. Sensual Desire ................................ ................................ ................. (kāmacchanda) 2. Ill - Will ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ (byāp āda) 3. Sloth and Torpor ................................ ................................ ............. (thina middha) 4. Restlessness and Remorse ................................ ................ (uddhacca kukkucca) 5. Doubt ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ (vicikicchā)

Question 1.5 - 4/9

The first hindrance, sensual desire (kāmacchanda) , is attachment to property or people. It is the desire for sense objects. For example, you may get attac hed to your kuñ i 1 or room. While medita t ing you may think, ‘Oh, it would be good if my kuñ i were beautiful.’ Or you may think, ‘Oh, it would be good if the whole room b elonged to me!’ If you are overwhelmed by sensual d e sire, you will not be able to concen trate well on your meditation object. You must exert strong mindfulness and make effort to stop the ari s ing of sensual desire.

Question 1.5 - 5/9

The second hindrance is ill - will (byāpāda) . It is hatred for or di ssatisfaction with people or things. For example, if the yogi s itting next to you, while sitting down, makes a noise with his robes, you may become angry and think, ‘Oh, why is he making so much noise!!’ If your mind is overwhelmed by hatred or dissatisfaction, you will not be able to concentrate well on your medit a ti on object either.

Question 1.5 - 6/9

The third hindrance is sloth and torpor (thina middha) . If the mind is weak, or not interested in the meditation object, sloth and to rpor can occur. Sometimes, however, sleepiness may be due to tiredness, illness, or lack of rest.

Question 1.5 - 7/9

The fou rth hindrance is restlessness and remorse (uddhacca ku kkucca) . If your mind is restless, it will be like a heap of ashes hit by a stone, flying about and scattering. The mind is scattered. While med i tating, you must not relax the mind, and let it leave you r meditation object. If you do, restlessness will occur. Remorse is to regret bad deeds done, and good deeds not done in the past. Here too, you must exert strong mindfulness, and make great e ffort to stop the arising of restlessness and r e morse.

Question 1.5 - 8/9

The fifth hindrance is doubt (vicikicchā) . It is ha v ing doubts about: 1. The Buddha 2. The Dhamma 3. The Saïgha 4. The three trainings: morality, concentration, and wi s dom. 5. The past five aggregates (khandhā) , which is past lives. 6. The future five aggregates, which is future li ves. 7. Both the past and future five aggregates, which is past and future lives. 8. Dependent - Origination (pañiccasamuppāda ), which includes the pr e sent five aggregates.

Question 1.5 - 9/9

If you have doubts about the training in concentration, you ca nno t meditate well. For example, you may think: ‘Is it possible to attain jhāna through ānāpānasati (min d fulness - of - breathing)? Can jhāna be attained by co n centrating on the ānāpāna - nimitta?’ The five hindrances are opposite to jhāna co n centration.