Watching Hand Posture as a Sign of Mindfulness

Phra Ajarn invites the group to try observing their own hand posture before beginning to meditate. Normally, when sitting, if mindfulness is lost, hands that are clasped or resting in position will gradually loosen and drift apart. When we deliberately keep mindfulness, the hands stay as intended. As sitting continues, the hands begin to loosen, and what follows is a lapse of mindfulness — awareness starts slipping away. So the moment you notice your hands loosening, it's a sign your mindfulness is fading and a problem is beginning; re-establish mindfulness at once to sharpen your awareness again.

Learning the Signals of Clear Awareness in Body and Mind

The Buddha taught that mindfulness should recollect body and mind — on the mind side, feeling, perception, mental formation, and consciousness, though in practice these are grouped as body, feeling, mind, and mental objects. The state of mind is subtle, so we first learn through the body.

Once the eyes close, seeing stops being used, smell stops, taste stops; only hearing remains, which comes and goes and so doesn't count either — leaving only bodily touch. Through touch, there is the breath striking the nostrils, which we can sense clearly. Observe whether that signal at the nose, as breath moves in and out, is clear. If it isn't, move to another point. Once the signal is sensed, awareness arises, and mindfulness gradually strengthens.

As Focus Deepens, You May Sense the Pulse at the Fingertips

As concentration deepens, we can sense blood circulating at the fingertips, driven by the heart pumping and pressing against the nerve endings at the fingers — allowing us to feel the pulse. The knowing element grows increasingly subtle. Whether hands are touching each other or clasped together, we can sense that pulse the same way. If awareness starts to blur, gently pressing or squeezing the flesh brings it back — just as, in the old custom, people would massage someone who had fainted to bring their "spirit" back into the body, which is really just bringing mindfulness back to sense the body directly.

Consciousness Arises Exactly Where We Direct Attention

The Tipitaka states clearly: wherever we direct attention, consciousness arises there. Consciousness arises when an internal sense base meets an external one — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind meeting form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental object. Wherever we direct our attention, consciousness arises there instantly. While we recollect the consciousness that has arisen, merit flows in to purify that consciousness, purifying the very state of existence we occupy in that moment. Consciousness always registers the present — never dwelling in the past or future. Stay with that awareness without drifting into liking or disliking; maintain equanimity.

Mantra Recitation and the Visualized Image

When we cannot sense a clear signal, we can rely on mantra recitation — repeated words that quiet the chatter of arising thoughts. Here the mantra is "Samma Arahang," the name of the Dhamma body of the Arahant. Every time we speak his name, the Triple Gem — our true self — appears. We don't even need to visualize; simply speak the name and become the one who senses the state that arises. Confidence and clarity build from there. That state may last fifteen to thirty seconds before fading, at which point we simply repeat the name again.

If lust arises, some teachers instruct students to note it: "lust, lust." The moment it's noted, an awareness arises; that sphere of awareness draws in merit that dissolves the defilement. But if we fail to anchor on that awareness, feeling drifts into the domain of the unwholesome and becomes trapped in its own fabricated content.

The Practice: Knowing Always, Never Lapsing

Phra Ajarn leads a practice session: sit in a comfortable posture, then notice which point feels clearest — for instance, the hips touching the chair seat — and rest awareness there. Simply knowing is enough; entry into concentration has already begun. Sustain that awareness continuously. If the signal fades or something else intrudes, simply know that something else has intruded, or shift slightly to make the signal clearer again. All that's needed is to know always, without lapsing. This principle must be held firmly in mind.

It is precisely while we know continuously that the stream of merit flows into the center of that sphere of awareness — because that sphere is itself a wholesome state, and once established, ignorance cannot enter. The Triple Gem within then works to refine our inner elements and truth.

Sustained Attention and Sustained Examination

Raising a state of awareness for the mind to settle on is called "applied thought" (vitakka); the continuous sustaining of that awareness is called "sustained thought" (vicara). Keep raising and sustaining awareness this way until rapture arises. An "object of mind" is the state to which the mind is tethered; sustaining that feeling continuously is the gateway into the first jhana. As clarity continues uninterrupted, defilements are gradually purified — some people carry heavier defilement and need more time, others less, and results come more quickly, all automatically. All that's required is to know always, without lapsing.

The Merit That Flows and the Treasures Within the Sphere

While we sustain continuous awareness, the stream of merit from Nirvana flows into the sphere of knowing, the sphere of light, and is stored in the Dhamma sphere of every body, from the human body through to the Dhamma body of the Arahant. Within that sphere of merit rests wealth of form, riches, virtue, retinue, honor, praise, happiness, and the path and fruit of Nirvana together with knowledge of the Dhamma body — all complete within it. This subtle treasure is what draws the world's ordinary treasures into our lives. Merit is used as the energy that runs the system enabling happiness and prosperity; the more it's spent, the more it depletes, like a battery — so we must keep accumulating it.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Outward

Once the center of body and mind is bright and pure, set the wish for the wellbeing of all beings: may they be free from suffering; may the very suffering be lessened, and where suffering has ended, may happiness increase further still. The stream of loving-kindness shines out like flipping a light switch, expanding to fill the home, the village, the district, neighboring countries and every nation, until it covers the whole continent and the whole world — turning this world into a crystal world, bright and clear. Continue expanding into the countless galaxies of the universe. As far as the heart expands, the Buddha image within — our true self — expands proportionately along with it. We are his disciples, and he watches over us at all times.

Setting Resolve and Dedicating Merit

Phra Ajarn leads the resolution: invoking the blessing, power, radiance, and authority of every Buddha, every Silent Buddha, every Arahant, together with the merit of the great teachers, to combine with the merit we have sincerely accumulated — freeing us from misfortune, karmic obstruction, and the many difficulties of life; granting the Dhamma Eye and penetration into the Dhamma body; good health and long life; unwavering resolve toward Nirvana; good fortune, safety, and the affection of humans and celestial beings; prosperity in our work; and, when we eventually pass from this world, may all past wrongdoing be forgiven forever, and may every accumulated merit bear fruit for all of us, until we reach the ultimate goal of the Dhamma.