พระอาจารย์อธิบายเคล็ดลับของหลวงพ่อที่ว่า ธรรมะแม้ลึกซึ้งแต่เข้าถึงได้ด้วยวิธีง่ายๆ คือทำใจให้หยุดนิ่งเฉย โดยไม่คาดหวังสิ่งใดหรือคำนึงถึงความมืดความสว่าง อาศัยดวงหยุด ดวงนิ่ง ดวงเฉย ซึ่งจะเหนี่ยวนำบุญมาชำระมลทิน นำใจเข้าสู่เส้นทางสายกลางไปเรื่อยๆThe teacher explains their late great teacher's secret: though the Dhamma is profound, it can be reached through a simple, unexpected method — stilling the mind, without expecting anything or minding darkness or light. Relying on the spheres of stillness, calm, and equanimity draws in merit to purify defilement, carrying the mind naturally along the inner middle path.
A student asked the teacher to elaborate on the teaching that the can be reached through an unexpected method.
Still the Mind, Without Expectation, Without Minding Darkness or Light
The teacher explained that the late great teacher taught: though the Dhamma is profound, it can be reached through a method we would never expect — simply stilling the mind, without concerning ourselves with darkness or light. Just calm the mind into inner stillness, letting the mood become light and easy, without expecting to gain or see anything. The initial ease will feel neither pleasant nor unpleasant, simply neutral, and the mind will gradually refine, moving toward true . If we can do this, before long we will reach the Buddha jewel, the Dhamma jewel, and the Sangha jewel — the foundation of life and our true refuge.
The Spheres of Stillness, Calm, and Equanimity Each Have Distinct Qualities
When the sphere of stillness is established, it has the quality of halting every natural process — even the breath pauses. The sphere of calm has the quality of easing every vibration within us, growing quieter and quieter. The sphere of equanimity has the quality of preventing us from accepting whatever any nature tries to persuade us of. These three spheres are all genuine -spheres — invisible, yet truly present. When we stay aware of them, they draw in a continuous stream of pure energy called merit, which purifies the defilement that causes problems and obstacles — the various hindrances — allowing them to grow lighter and lighter.
The Buddha taught: monks should clearly discern body, feeling, mind, and mental objects, in order to eliminate covetousness and grief regarding the world — that is, to eliminate excessive joy and excessive sorrow — because and neutral natures use these very emotions as bait to lure us into accepting their suggestions, then trap us within their own dimension. We must therefore settle the mind into equanimity.
From Stillness, Calm, and Equanimity to the Inner Middle Path
When we continuously stay aware with the spheres of stillness, calm, and equanimity, defilement grows lighter and lighter, darkness gradually turns to brightness, and brightness gradually turns to clarity. Once we can control this sphere, we can move it to settle at at . The purification continues from there, until draws us automatically along the middle path — refined from the sphere of , passed on to the sphere of concentration, the sphere of wisdom, the sphere of liberation, and finally the sphere of and vision of liberation, in sequence. This is the wonder made possible simply by relying on these three spheres — stillness, calm, and equanimity — from the very beginning all the way to the ultimate end of the Dhamma.