พระอาจารย์อธิบายมงคลข้อที่ 21 ทั้ง 7 ข้อของความไม่ประมาท ชี้ว่าความประมาทเกิดจากการที่ธรรมชาติฝ่ายอกุศลและอัพยากตะ ชิงช่วงชิงเป็นเจ้าเรือนใจ พร้อมยกอุปมาการทุบหินและเรื่องราวการอธิษฐานเพื่อชี้ว่าผลของความไม่ประมาทย่อมปรากฏแน่นอน แม้จะไม่เห็นทันทีPra Ajarn explains all seven points of Blessing 21, showing that heedlessness arises when unwholesome and neutral forces of nature seize control of the mind, and uses the analogy of breaking stone and a story about prayer to show that the results of non-heedlessness are certain to appear, even if not immediately visible.
Someone asked Pra Ajarn to expand on Blessing 21: "Non-heedlessness in the ."
Seven Points of Non-Heedlessness
Just as a building under construction needs pillars to support its structure, every kind of goodness needs non-heedlessness as its core support. There are seven things one should never be heedless of: first, of time — reminding oneself that the days and nights are passing, and asking what one is doing right now; second, of age — never assuming one is still young; third, of good health — never assuming one will always be this strong; fourth, of life itself — reminding oneself that death could come at any moment; fifth, of one's work — doing everything to the very best of one's ability, never putting things off; sixth, of learning — seeking as fully as possible; and seventh, of Dhamma practice — practicing steadily, without giving up.
Who Is Really Behind Heedlessness
Non-heedlessness requires constantly reminding us, and only the system of wholesome can provide that mindfulness — or neutral forces of nature are never capable of mindfulness at all. Every single day, the three forces of nature compete for control, like sparks flickering back and forth. Whichever force accumulates enough energy first gets to "set the program" for that day's activities. When the unwholesome side wins, it pressures us toward idle amusement, wandering about, buying things we don't need, spending our time to no benefit. The inner voice that says "it's fine, there's still time" or "I'll do it tomorrow" is nothing but the unwholesome and neutral forces urging us toward heedlessness.
Abiding in the System of Wholesome Dhamma Is the Only True Non-Heedlessness
There is only one way to be truly non-heedless: to set the mind on the Triple Gem, taking ourselves as the inner Buddha image, abiding at the center of nibbāna. When we hold to this, the Triple Gem and nibbāna help refine and resolve the problems that arise from our defilements, and even settle matters ahead of time on our behalf. Without abiding in this system of wholesome dhamma, whatever work or business we pursue tends to exhaust us for little result.
The Results of Non-Heedlessness Accumulate Until They Reach a Turning Point
Pra Ajarn told the story of a man watching someone break a large stone with a sledgehammer — blow after blow seeming to accomplish nothing, until at some point the stone suddenly split in two. Dhamma practice works the same way. At first we might sit for only a minute, then gradually five minutes, then ten, until eventually an hour — each session may seem unchanged, but progress is quietly accumulating all along. He also told of a young man born into a Buddhist family who never once made a specific request of the Triple Gem, yet the day he prayed to a different faith and made a clear request, he got results — simply because he had never before set his intention clearly on what he wanted. Pra Ajarn taught that we must set our mind on merit, on the Triple Gem, and make our requests clearly, because the mind is an instrument of accomplishment: whatever we set it on, that is what tends to come to be.