พระอาจารย์สอนต่อจากวันก่อนเรื่องบารมี 10 ทัศ อธิบายว่ากายมนุษย์แข็งแกร่งพอต้านทานอกุศลได้ และไล่เรียงบารมีตั้งแต่ทานบารมีถึงขันติบารมี ทุกข้อล้วนเกี่ยวข้องกับการเหนี่ยวนำพลังงานบริสุทธิ์เพื่อยกระดับมิติภายในให้เข้าถึงกายธรรมContinuing from the previous day, the teacher explains that the human body is sturdy enough to withstand unwholesome forces, and walks through the perfections from generosity to patience — all connected to drawing in pure energy in order to elevate our inner dimension toward the Dhamma body.
The teacher continues from the previous day's teaching on the ten perfections that must be built while one has a human body.
Why Perfections Must Be Built While We Have a Human Body
The human body is sturdy — a body that experiences results yet can withstand the burning force of unwholesome states, unlike a celestial body, which shatters when hatred arises and burns through it. The human body can withstand greed, hatred, lust, and delusion, and can continue developing without limit — from the coarse human body to the refined human body, the celestial body, the form-Brahma body, the formless-Brahma body, all the way to every level of . The human body thus serves as an armor protecting the subtler bodies within, allowing them to develop endlessly.
There are two approaches to reaching the body: reaching it directly, or, as a preliminary practice, doing so "as if" — by adopting the feeling that we are the Buddha image itself. The mind is the element of accomplishment: whatever it determines, that is what arises. When we recall the Buddha image, he appears together with the s of wisdom, , and great compassion, and we can invoke him to help and support us.
The Perfection of Generosity
Unwholesome forces exploit and greed to make people selfish, forcing them to exploit others merely to survive. The wholesome side therefore teaches us to accumulate the habit of giving, to free ourselves from stinginess, to be generous and supportive of one another, and to abide in . When we abide in these qualities, the stream of merit flows in, refining the mind to be clean and pure, and helping society become harmonious and united.
The Perfection of Morality
Precepts () mean normalcy — there is the normalcy of wholesomeness (precepts proper), the normalcy of unwholesomeness, and the normalcy of neutrality. Everyone carries a mixture of the three natures, except an arahant, whose wholesomeness is complete. Someone with a large unwholesome proportion can be entirely controlled by it, easily guided to harm others; someone with a large wholesome proportion is always guided toward doing good.
The Perfection of Renunciation
The world consists of form, taste, smell, sound, and touch, which unwholesome and neutral forces use as bait through feelings of joy and sorrow, unsettling and unbalancing the mind. The wholesome side therefore teaches us to accumulate the perfection of renunciation — stepping away from sensuality. While we may reasonably rely on some worldly , we should gradually withdraw toward the happiness born of peace and seclusion, beginning with the eight precepts, which guard against both unwholesome and neutral systems, then developing meditation to enter progressively subtler inner dimensions, until we connect with the powerful knower within.
The Perfection of Wisdom
Wisdom is the essential tool for solving problems, relying on that already exists but is obscured by . To access this knowledge, we must determine what we wish to know, then draw in the energy of merit to cleanse the obscuring stains until the knowledge reveals itself. This pure wisdom helps free us from the defilements of the human body — laziness, fear, envy — which requires the sphere of liberation. But before we can be freed, we must always first see the danger of that thing, just as someone quitting smoking or gambling must first see its harm.
The Perfections of Effort and Patience
When we exert effort, the powerful knower within descends to reinforce us, enabling effective results. But effort alone develops us only to a certain degree. To reach an even more wondrous life, we must break through the wall of suffering, which requires the . The wholesome system teaches us — that suffering is a state that must be endured, difficult though it is. Once it arises, simply being aware of it makes it bearable. Whether in worldly or spiritual pursuits, hoping for excellent results always requires passing through suffering — just as an athlete aspiring to a world-class level must endure rigorous, sustained training.
The teacher said he would continue teaching on the perfection of truthfulness at a later time.