พระอาจารย์ชี้ว่าคำกล่าวที่ว่าความเครียดจำเป็นต่อความสำเร็จเป็นคำพูดอันตราย เพราะเป็นการยกย่องอกุศลว่ามีคุณ ทั้งที่ความสำเร็จแท้จริงเกิดจากกุศลธรรมที่แก้ไขความเครียดนั้นต่างหาก พร้อมอธิบายเรื่องการกำหนดรู้ในฝันและหลักสุจิปุริThe teacher points out that the claim that stress is necessary for success is a dangerous statement, since it credits unwholesomeness with a virtue it doesn't have — true success comes from the wholesome forces that resolve that very stress. He also explains lucid awareness within dreams and the four-part formula for scholarly wisdom.
This session covered several topics. A student first described a dream in which something happened that unsettled her, yet within the dream she instantly recognized she shouldn't grieve, and chose instead to recall the Buddha image and send to the person who had passed, rather than crying. Later, a similar situation arose in waking life, and this time she cried first before remembering to do what she had done in the dream. She asked whether one can truly be lucidly aware within a dream, and why seemed to recover faster than the waking body.
Can One Be Lucidly Aware Within a Dream
The teacher explained that the subtle human body — the dream body — has greater capability and quicker wit than the coarse human body. Subtle bodies exist at many levels, from ones of lesser quality than the human body, such as a wandering spirit, up to finer ones found in heavenly realms. How refined the dream body is on any given night depends on how aligned the mind was with wholesomeness at that time. The subtle body serves as a constant mentor, guiding us both in dreams and in daily life — but once awake, unwholesomeness may take the seat of the heart and cause us to forget or reject the good we had. He advised that understanding this mechanism reveals we are never truly alone, since countless levels of Knowers and Powerful Ones stand ready to help — we need only maintain clear awareness of body, feeling, mind, and mental objects, as the Buddha taught.
Is Stress Really Necessary for Success?
Someone asked about a claim they had seen online, that stress is necessary for success — is this true? The teacher explained this is a tactic unwholesomeness uses on people facing difficulty, convincing them that more stress is better. He pointed out that the opposite of stress is clarity of mind, like comparing a clean white sheet of paper to one crumpled and soiled — one glance tells you which leads to prosperity. Anyone who claims stress is necessary for success has been misled by unwholesomeness, and if that claim spreads to others, it becomes dangerous, since it credits unwholesomeness with a it doesn't possess. In truth, stress is an im of the demerit side that brings misfortune along with it; real success occurs because wholesome forces work to resolve that very stress — not because of the stress itself.
The Four-Part Formula for Scholarly Wisdom
The teacher explained a classic formula for scholarly wisdom, consisting of four parts: attentive listening, to take in new information; careful reflection, examining that information thoroughly by reasoning both forward and backward to its causes and effects; questioning, to clarify whatever remains unclear; and recording, writing things down to aid memory and review. He explained that careful reflection allows the sphere of awareness — mindfulness — to draw in pure energy that lightens the veil of obscuring the mind, allowing genuine understanding to arise. Without reflecting on what one has heard, ignorance continues to conceal true understanding.