I have been thinking about meditation, experiences in meditation, and the teachers/traditions in which one study/practice in. What would happen if someone has deep insights and report to the teachers who may not have experienced the particular insights? What if the tradition also dismiss any kinds of experiences if they are not in accordance to the tradition? What if the teachers are not experienced enough to guide that particular practitioner?
[I am not talking about myself though. The forest tradition as taught by Ajahn Mun and his students, to me, is the tradition that I know I will be with until the day this body disintegrates, if not after...Simple, yet profound, is my opinion of the Thai forest tradition.]
Monday, March 24, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Bhavanga - Ajahn Thate
A post by Santerisuro at E-Sangha on Ajahn Thate's teaching
.....Here are few words of great forrest meditation master, Luang Por Thate, about bhavanga
The Autobiography of a Forest Monk
"The weather had been incredibly hot when I was organizing the building of shelters and meditation huts at Wat Pah Salawan in Korat. I don't like hot weather but I had gritted my teeth and endured, persevering in my meditation without let up. I had trained my mindfulness so well that there was stillness and calm throughout day and night. Sometimes it would converge and enter the bhavanga and totally disappear for many hours. This, however, is certainly not the way that allows wisdom to be born.I had been trying to correct this tendency for a long time both by my own efforts and by asking others for help. It had never previously succeeded but this time I found a way out for myself. This was by being ready to apprehend the heart when it was right at the point of convergence into bhavanga. At that moment the condition of awareness becomes unmindful and there is the inclination towards indulgence in the pleasure of the tranquillity and happiness. When mindfulness fades the mind will converge into bhavanga. The thing to do is to apprehend it right at the point when it is fading towards indulgence in that refined tranquillity. Catch it there and swiftly set mindfulness on to a coarser object and focus and examine it more externally."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/thate/thateauto.html
Luang Por seems to be saying, that dropping into the state of bhavanga during meditation is not a good thing. At least not always.Luang Por Thates experiences of bhavanga are interesting to contemplate. The bhavanga he is talking about, is equivalent to some kind of a state of samadhi. This samadhi is not jhana... There is no sharp vitaka and vicara. One-pointedness seems to be there. It is just not very stong.The bhavanga state that Luang Por is talking about, is a samadhi state without strong mindfulness. It is like a lucid dream state without any dreams.This are just my own contemplations of Luang Por's words. Not he's own....
.....Here are few words of great forrest meditation master, Luang Por Thate, about bhavanga
The Autobiography of a Forest Monk
"The weather had been incredibly hot when I was organizing the building of shelters and meditation huts at Wat Pah Salawan in Korat. I don't like hot weather but I had gritted my teeth and endured, persevering in my meditation without let up. I had trained my mindfulness so well that there was stillness and calm throughout day and night. Sometimes it would converge and enter the bhavanga and totally disappear for many hours. This, however, is certainly not the way that allows wisdom to be born.I had been trying to correct this tendency for a long time both by my own efforts and by asking others for help. It had never previously succeeded but this time I found a way out for myself. This was by being ready to apprehend the heart when it was right at the point of convergence into bhavanga. At that moment the condition of awareness becomes unmindful and there is the inclination towards indulgence in the pleasure of the tranquillity and happiness. When mindfulness fades the mind will converge into bhavanga. The thing to do is to apprehend it right at the point when it is fading towards indulgence in that refined tranquillity. Catch it there and swiftly set mindfulness on to a coarser object and focus and examine it more externally."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/thate/thateauto.html
Luang Por seems to be saying, that dropping into the state of bhavanga during meditation is not a good thing. At least not always.Luang Por Thates experiences of bhavanga are interesting to contemplate. The bhavanga he is talking about, is equivalent to some kind of a state of samadhi. This samadhi is not jhana... There is no sharp vitaka and vicara. One-pointedness seems to be there. It is just not very stong.The bhavanga state that Luang Por is talking about, is a samadhi state without strong mindfulness. It is like a lucid dream state without any dreams.This are just my own contemplations of Luang Por's words. Not he's own....
Is Zen exclusive to only Zen !@?
I just started reading the book "The Zen of Creativity: Caltivating Your Artistic Life" by John Daido Loori. In the Introduction, the author wrote that:
"In the sixth century C.E., Bodhidharma, considered to be the first ancestor of the Zen lineage, put forth the four points that define Zen:
Zen is a special transmission outside the scripture,
With no reliance on words or letters,
A direct pointing to the human mind,
And th realization of englightment.
Zen is about the experience of Buddha's enlightenment, not the words and ideas that describe it. To understand or believe in enlightenment doesn't impart any lasting strength. But to realize it - to make it real for yourself - can transform your life. The teachings of Zen always point directly to the inherent perfection of each one of us. The Zen arts are a form of direct pointing."
----------
Anyway, although Zen does not use scripture as a part of its teaching (as far as I know of Zen anyway), the method itself is not confined to Zen, in my opinion. Some other Buddhist traditions, though teach students to learn the basic teachings of the Buddha first, prefer to tell students that when they practice they have to "let go" of all that they have been taught as they are merely concepts made by the minds. Although they may be correct concepts, or partly correct concepts, they are still concepts, and hanging on to these concepts can prevent progress in Buddhist practice.
So Zen type of practice may not be exclusive for students of Zen, in my opinion.
"In the sixth century C.E., Bodhidharma, considered to be the first ancestor of the Zen lineage, put forth the four points that define Zen:
Zen is a special transmission outside the scripture,
With no reliance on words or letters,
A direct pointing to the human mind,
And th realization of englightment.
Zen is about the experience of Buddha's enlightenment, not the words and ideas that describe it. To understand or believe in enlightenment doesn't impart any lasting strength. But to realize it - to make it real for yourself - can transform your life. The teachings of Zen always point directly to the inherent perfection of each one of us. The Zen arts are a form of direct pointing."
----------
Anyway, although Zen does not use scripture as a part of its teaching (as far as I know of Zen anyway), the method itself is not confined to Zen, in my opinion. Some other Buddhist traditions, though teach students to learn the basic teachings of the Buddha first, prefer to tell students that when they practice they have to "let go" of all that they have been taught as they are merely concepts made by the minds. Although they may be correct concepts, or partly correct concepts, they are still concepts, and hanging on to these concepts can prevent progress in Buddhist practice.
So Zen type of practice may not be exclusive for students of Zen, in my opinion.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Never underestimate
I have always felt that we should not underestimate others' knowledge and realizations of dhamma even though they have only started practicing for a day or a week. They may have practiced so much in their past lives, or they may have already entered the stream to nibbana.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Mindfulness...of senses
About a year ago, after attending a meditation session in Kao Yai (with my teacher), I went to listen to a group of upasika practitioners who were discussing meditation and practice. One upasika that has been practicing for quite a while and has also been observing 8 precepts since I remember seeing her, was saying something along this line...
"..The key is to watch the mind right where the senses arise. Catch the sensations when they arise, and don't let them lead to anything. Keep being extremely mindful of these sensations, and keep on letting go of any follow-on mental factors, and never stop doing so (i.e. a 24/7 type thing). Whenever you fail to stop these sensations from leading to further mental factors, that is when you loose mindfulness...So keep mindfulness right at the mind, and watch the sensations as they arise. If any mental factors arise due to these sensations, stop them dead where they are..."
"..The key is to watch the mind right where the senses arise. Catch the sensations when they arise, and don't let them lead to anything. Keep being extremely mindful of these sensations, and keep on letting go of any follow-on mental factors, and never stop doing so (i.e. a 24/7 type thing). Whenever you fail to stop these sensations from leading to further mental factors, that is when you loose mindfulness...So keep mindfulness right at the mind, and watch the sensations as they arise. If any mental factors arise due to these sensations, stop them dead where they are..."
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Meditation...external and internal worlds
When we go about our daily living, we try to find some exciting things to do, some fun parties somewhere during weekends, and memorable experiences when we visit foreign countries and talk to people who have been through certain amusements. When we go to work, we want progress, progress and more progress.
When we meditate, we also naturally want to experience something mystical. And sometimes we do experience something we have never experienced before, and we want more of it. That creates goals and expectations. If we read about certain attainments and stages of samadhi, we want to experience them. That also create goals and expectations in meditation.
Experiences both inside and outside of the mind are the same. They share the same characteristics - anicca, dukkha, anatta. So we can look at the external world in the same way as internal world, as the world of samsara. And do so objectively.
We are conditioned to create goals and expectations, and want to experience "wow" feelings both externally and internally. We carry our expectations that we normally have of the external world into our meditation practice. So it's difficult to be totally relaxed about it, and have no expectation when we start learning to meditate. That is normal. But as time goes by, we should find that in order to calm the mind, we simply ....sit. If we go on to vipassana, we simply observe and investigate. That's all.
When we meditate, we also naturally want to experience something mystical. And sometimes we do experience something we have never experienced before, and we want more of it. That creates goals and expectations. If we read about certain attainments and stages of samadhi, we want to experience them. That also create goals and expectations in meditation.
Experiences both inside and outside of the mind are the same. They share the same characteristics - anicca, dukkha, anatta. So we can look at the external world in the same way as internal world, as the world of samsara. And do so objectively.
We are conditioned to create goals and expectations, and want to experience "wow" feelings both externally and internally. We carry our expectations that we normally have of the external world into our meditation practice. So it's difficult to be totally relaxed about it, and have no expectation when we start learning to meditate. That is normal. But as time goes by, we should find that in order to calm the mind, we simply ....sit. If we go on to vipassana, we simply observe and investigate. That's all.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Ajahn Dune on nibbana
I have been reading a bit of "posts" at my usual Buddhism forum. I can't be bothered to post there though. However, I always like Ajahn Dune's small bit on nibbana, as well as Ajahn Mun's bit on Avijja (in his biography, posted here somewhere already)
108. Final words
A few moments after we had finished chanting the Mahasatipatthana Discourse, Luang Pu began speaking about the Lord Buddha's total nibbana, from the beginning to the end. Here, I'll ask just to quote his concluding remarks:
"The Lord Buddha didn't attain nibbana in any of his jhanic attainments. When he left the fourth jhana, his mental aggregates all ceased at once, with nothing remaining. In other words, he allowed his feeling aggregate to cease in an awake state of mind, the normal human mental series, complete with mindfulness and alertness, with no other mental states coming to blind or delude the mind at all. This was the mind fully in its own state. You could call that state great emptiness, or the original cosmos, or nibbana, whichever you like. That's the state I've been practicing all along to reach."
Those were Luang Pu's last words.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sila and Meditation
Obviously one reinforces the other. Anyway, this is a little part on my post on meditation :
...
....And perhaps the most important of all, in my opinion, is sila. Observing precepts (in my case only 5) does help in meditation as it help prevent unwanted thoughts from happening too often. As for maintaining and getting into samadhi (for some, jhana), reducing enjoyment in sensory world does also help a lot. For me, that means simply no night clubbing activities (too old anyway), reduce craving and attachments to material things and sensory pleasures. For those who are able to, observe 8 precepts consistently is ideal for lay practitioners. These things do help in meditation, and in maintaining mindfulness 24/7.
...
....And perhaps the most important of all, in my opinion, is sila. Observing precepts (in my case only 5) does help in meditation as it help prevent unwanted thoughts from happening too often. As for maintaining and getting into samadhi (for some, jhana), reducing enjoyment in sensory world does also help a lot. For me, that means simply no night clubbing activities (too old anyway), reduce craving and attachments to material things and sensory pleasures. For those who are able to, observe 8 precepts consistently is ideal for lay practitioners. These things do help in meditation, and in maintaining mindfulness 24/7.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Two planes of meditation and "intuitive awareness"
Another bit of my post on a Buddhist forum regarding Ajahn Sumedho's "intuitive awareness."
....To expand on this, simply put, there are 2 planes of meditation [not saying that one is better than another]. One is meditation on the "contents" of experience. Another is meditation on the experiences themselves, not on the contents. The first is simpler to understand as in everyday experience, since we were born, we have been conditioned to think that "I am thinking.", "I am hearing", "I am meditating.", etc. As this is the mode of our thinking, it is easier to start meditation by paying attention to the "breathing that I am doing" or "the arising and falling of my abdomen". This is a duality-type meditation.
On the second plane of meditation, instead of going into the "contents" of experience, we can simply meditate on the experiences themselves. This is, IMO, a non-duality type of mediation. Instead of starting with the "I am doing something, etc", we simply rest in the awareness – aware of experiences objectively. There is no observer. Instead of saying that "I am meditating on the sound in my brain", or "the sound outside my brain", just aware of sound without conception that this is even a sound, as any perceptions that “the sound is heard by me”, “inside my brain” or “outside my brain”, are all concepts. Similarly, instead of saying that "I am observing the breathing in and out", just aware of breathing without putting any label. If labeling arises (as we have been conditioned to think that it is me who is breathing), just be aware of this thinking. If there is a labeling that "it is no-self that is breathing", also just be aware of that too. Both are mind-produced concepts. So simply aware of them. That is all. Stand back from labeling, and simply stay with awareness without prejudice. This is a non-dual type of meditation.
In the opening chapter "Intuitive Awareness", this is quoted from Maharahulovada Sutta 62.17, Majjhima Nikaya:
"Just as space is not
established anywhere,
so too,
develop meditation
that is like space,
for when you
develop meditation
that is like space,
arisen agreeable
and
disagreeable contacts
will not invade
your mind"
....To expand on this, simply put, there are 2 planes of meditation [not saying that one is better than another]. One is meditation on the "contents" of experience. Another is meditation on the experiences themselves, not on the contents. The first is simpler to understand as in everyday experience, since we were born, we have been conditioned to think that "I am thinking.", "I am hearing", "I am meditating.", etc. As this is the mode of our thinking, it is easier to start meditation by paying attention to the "breathing that I am doing" or "the arising and falling of my abdomen". This is a duality-type meditation.
On the second plane of meditation, instead of going into the "contents" of experience, we can simply meditate on the experiences themselves. This is, IMO, a non-duality type of mediation. Instead of starting with the "I am doing something, etc", we simply rest in the awareness – aware of experiences objectively. There is no observer. Instead of saying that "I am meditating on the sound in my brain", or "the sound outside my brain", just aware of sound without conception that this is even a sound, as any perceptions that “the sound is heard by me”, “inside my brain” or “outside my brain”, are all concepts. Similarly, instead of saying that "I am observing the breathing in and out", just aware of breathing without putting any label. If labeling arises (as we have been conditioned to think that it is me who is breathing), just be aware of this thinking. If there is a labeling that "it is no-self that is breathing", also just be aware of that too. Both are mind-produced concepts. So simply aware of them. That is all. Stand back from labeling, and simply stay with awareness without prejudice. This is a non-dual type of meditation.
In the opening chapter "Intuitive Awareness", this is quoted from Maharahulovada Sutta 62.17, Majjhima Nikaya:
"Just as space is not
established anywhere,
so too,
develop meditation
that is like space,
for when you
develop meditation
that is like space,
arisen agreeable
and
disagreeable contacts
will not invade
your mind"
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Forest Tradition books...
Something I posted in a Buddhist forum...
The good thing about books by ajahns in the Thai Forest Tradition, for example, The Sound of Silence, is that you can pick them up, open any pages, and start reading. You don't even have to start from the beginning of a chapter. Most of the books are from talks given during meditation retreats to lay practitioners and in some cases to only bhikkhus during morning or evening meditation sessions.
If you compare these books to books that are scripture-based, you may be disappointed because they may seem so shallow. But are they? Many teachings are different ways of telling us how to meditate; to encourage us to practice, practice and practice and never stop practice; to guide us to watch the arising and falling of bodily pains or the popping up of thoughts, and see the nature of these feelings and thoughts as what they really are. Perhaps that is all there is to it, see for ourselves if the Buddha's teaching that all conditioned things have the nature of anicca, dukkha, anatta ...or not. That is the way to realize for oneself if the teachings are true or not true. Once in a while ajahns would guide us back to mindfulness, to be mindful of the experience of whatever arise and cease, to be with the present moment - as our minds tend to wander around, going into the past or the future.
In my recollection, teachings and books by the Thai Forest Tradition ajahns are mostly introductions in meditation sessions, not dhamma discussions. So the aim is to lead the readers or listeners to calm their minds and become more concentrated, for the minds to be relaxed and not tense, so that they can go on to meditate easily. If someone prefers to read scripture-based books, then they may not find what they are used to in these books by Thai Forest Tradition ajahns.
Are these books for you or not? That depends on how one practices. I myself prefer to start my meditation session by listening to talks by ajahns (MP3). If I read a book, say The Sound of Silence for example, I may not even finish the chapter, and start a meditation session when my mind has become a bit more quiet. It's "a" way to practice, to see for ourselves, without pre-conception, of how things really are; to let go and not to hang on.
The good thing about books by ajahns in the Thai Forest Tradition, for example, The Sound of Silence, is that you can pick them up, open any pages, and start reading. You don't even have to start from the beginning of a chapter. Most of the books are from talks given during meditation retreats to lay practitioners and in some cases to only bhikkhus during morning or evening meditation sessions.
If you compare these books to books that are scripture-based, you may be disappointed because they may seem so shallow. But are they? Many teachings are different ways of telling us how to meditate; to encourage us to practice, practice and practice and never stop practice; to guide us to watch the arising and falling of bodily pains or the popping up of thoughts, and see the nature of these feelings and thoughts as what they really are. Perhaps that is all there is to it, see for ourselves if the Buddha's teaching that all conditioned things have the nature of anicca, dukkha, anatta ...or not. That is the way to realize for oneself if the teachings are true or not true. Once in a while ajahns would guide us back to mindfulness, to be mindful of the experience of whatever arise and cease, to be with the present moment - as our minds tend to wander around, going into the past or the future.
In my recollection, teachings and books by the Thai Forest Tradition ajahns are mostly introductions in meditation sessions, not dhamma discussions. So the aim is to lead the readers or listeners to calm their minds and become more concentrated, for the minds to be relaxed and not tense, so that they can go on to meditate easily. If someone prefers to read scripture-based books, then they may not find what they are used to in these books by Thai Forest Tradition ajahns.
Are these books for you or not? That depends on how one practices. I myself prefer to start my meditation session by listening to talks by ajahns (MP3). If I read a book, say The Sound of Silence for example, I may not even finish the chapter, and start a meditation session when my mind has become a bit more quiet. It's "a" way to practice, to see for ourselves, without pre-conception, of how things really are; to let go and not to hang on.
What is this for, Thaksin?
I know, not really Buddhism. But a PR like this is not good in my opinion. According to a newspaper, Thaksin has hired international level PR firm to advice him over the past year. This is probably their job too.
Feeling better already !@#
Well, this look at the anicca (impermanent) aspect of samsara. A few hours ago I was feeling guilty of naming this blog forest dharma / forest dhamma (which should tell visitors that it is a blog about the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism) because I am only a lay practitioner.
Now I feel much better! Reason? I simply delete all the advertisement links provided by Google (adsense), though I maintain them on my non-Buddhist blogs. There is only one aspect that I would benefit, apart from doing some good things IMO by providing some useful resources (links to websites on Buddhism) and provide some pieces of teachings that I think useful and do not violate copyright, (hopefully not, anyway), the book recommendation part does give me something like 5-7% (never get any anyway, but they are great books).
Now I can go on with my daily life with [probably] less guilt than before. I do sincerely hope that this blog, in one way or another, do help people getting nearing to realize the four Noble Truths (including myself, of course :-)) !
Just one final point. For anyone who has strong feelings against Buddhism or the Thai Forest Tradition, please keep an open mind. Buddhist teachers in the Thai Forest Tradition speak from their hearts, from their own experiences. That's all.
Now I feel much better! Reason? I simply delete all the advertisement links provided by Google (adsense), though I maintain them on my non-Buddhist blogs. There is only one aspect that I would benefit, apart from doing some good things IMO by providing some useful resources (links to websites on Buddhism) and provide some pieces of teachings that I think useful and do not violate copyright, (hopefully not, anyway), the book recommendation part does give me something like 5-7% (never get any anyway, but they are great books).
Now I can go on with my daily life with [probably] less guilt than before. I do sincerely hope that this blog, in one way or another, do help people getting nearing to realize the four Noble Truths (including myself, of course :-)) !
Just one final point. For anyone who has strong feelings against Buddhism or the Thai Forest Tradition, please keep an open mind. Buddhist teachers in the Thai Forest Tradition speak from their hearts, from their own experiences. That's all.
Uneasy feelings !@#?
Till today I still feel a bit strange naming this blog "forest dharma". Even though I have been practicing in the Thai Forest Tradition for about 20 years, I am not an authority in the tradition. I am simply a lay Buddhist who practice according to the teachings of Ajahns in the Thai Forest Tradition.
Anyway, over the past years, I have also witness that some changes in the way some younger Ajahns in the Thai Forest Tradition teach. I won't go into detail, but I hope that the spirit of teaching and practice of Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Chah will continue to be at the hearts of those who teach and learn Buddhism in the Thai Forest Tradition.
Anyway, over the past years, I have also witness that some changes in the way some younger Ajahns in the Thai Forest Tradition teach. I won't go into detail, but I hope that the spirit of teaching and practice of Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Chah will continue to be at the hearts of those who teach and learn Buddhism in the Thai Forest Tradition.
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