หากตื่นเช้ามารักษาใจให้มีสติอยู่กับปัจจุบัน ไม่วิตกกังวลกับอนาคตที่ยังมาไม่ถึง ระบบกุศลธรรมจะช่วยขจัดปัญหาให้ แต่หากปล่อยให้สติเตลิด อกุศลจะเข้าสิงจิตและก่อปัญหาไม่รู้จบIf we wake up keeping the mind mindful of the present, without worrying over a future that hasn't arrived, the wholesome system helps clear away our problems. But when mindfulness slips away, the unwholesome side takes hold and problems arise without end.
Someone asked the teacher to expand on the teaching: "Surviving another day is the finest gift for starting a new morning... Mindfulness brings wisdom; losing brings only trouble."
This teaching calls us to face life one day at a time, staying mindful of the present with ease, not worrying about a future we cannot see — because anxious thinking clouds the mind before anything bad has even happened. Conversely, if we keep the mind mindfully anchored in the present, even when circumstances appear to worsen, the mind itself stays well, and mindfulness and wisdom carry us through.
The teacher described a morning practice: beginning with the recitation "sammā arahaṃ" to merge ourselves with our true nature — the inner Buddha image — into one, resting the mind still at the center of the center, then extending and goodwill to all beings. Dwelling in this state lets a continuous current of merit flow through us.
The unwholesome and neutral forces often whisper, "That's enough for now, you have other things to do," trying to pull us out of this state. The teacher warned that such voices are not our own thoughts, but momentary intrusions.
Mindfulness is the that arises together with a wholesome mind. When mindfulness is present, it means a wholesome mind has already arisen, connecting us to the wise inner guide and giving rise to wisdom. But when "mindfulness slips away" — when the faculty of knowing disappears — takes its place, wrong view moves in, and problems inevitably follow. Wisdom comes in two forms: external wisdom (from hearing, reading, and reflecting) and internal wisdom (from the inner wise guide, who can direct us even in matters we've never learned before). So if we live continuously within system, there is no need to worry about the future, because the wise and powerful forces within will keep clearing away impurities and resolving our problems for us.