พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าจิตใต้สำนึกคือกายละเอียดต่างๆ ที่คุมกันเป็นชั้นๆ ตั้งแต่กายมนุษย์ไปจนถึงกายธรรมอรหัตละเอียด ยิ่งใจสะอาดบริสุทธิ์มากเท่าไหร่ก็ยิ่งเชื่อมกับจิตสำนึกที่ละเอียดได้ลึกซึ้งขึ้น ส่วนแรงดึงดูดสิ่งที่ต้องการนั้น ขึ้นอยู่กับว่าใจเป็นธาตุสำเร็จที่ถูกกุศลหรืออกุศลเป็นผู้กำหนดThe teacher explains that the subconscious is made up of layered subtle bodies, from the human body up to the most refined arahant dhamma body — the purer the mind becomes, the deeper the connection to these subtler levels goes. As for the law of attraction, it depends on whether the mind, as an "accomplished element," is being directed by wholesomeness or unwholesomeness.
A lay follower asked: in worldly terms, people talk about the subconscious mind as the source of the law of attraction, while in practice we're taught to utter "Samma Araham" from a refined level of the subconscious. What does the subconscious actually mean — is it part of the mind? And how does it relate to attracting what we want?
The Subconscious Is a Series of Layered Subtle Bodies
The teacher explained that our life consists of both the human body and a series of subtler bodies layered one over another: the refined human body, the celestial body, the refined celestial body, the form-brahma body, the refined form-brahma body, the formless-brahma body, the refined formless-brahma body, up through the gotrabhu bodies (both coarse and refined), the stream-enterer, once-returner, and non-returner dhamma bodies, and the path and fruit of arahantship — eighteen bodies in total. When we do something wholesome, merit flows from the most refined body — the refined arahant dhamma body — through , concentration, wisdom, liberation, and liberated-knowing-and-seeing of each body in turn, all the way down to the human body. This backdrop behind the human body is exactly what we call the subconscious — it is these subtle bodies themselves.
How Deeply We Connect to the Subconscious Depends on Purity
When we meditate reciting "Samma Araham," the mind travels to connect with the subtler consciousness of each body. The purer we become, the deeper that connection can reach. If the mind is very impure, the connection becomes difficult — which is exactly why we must practice or remain rooted in the system of wholesome dhamma, so that pure energy — merit — can flow down from the refined arahant body through each layer, purifying the entire chain of our elemental and spiritual nature.
Where the Law of Attraction Comes From
Our true self is the pure, complete, refined arahant dhamma body. The Wheel-Turning Guardian residing within the sphere of merit manages the resources — the sphere of merit — that we have accumulated. When we want something, we simply set our intention — but the outcome depends on who is "occupying the house" at that moment. If unwholesomeness is in charge, it directs us to set our intention on the wrong things, spending our time and resources without benefit, or in ways that bring suffering to ourselves and others. If wholesomeness is in charge, it directs our intention toward what is right and good, drawing in the stream of merit, because the mind is an "accomplished element" — whatever it resolves upon, it becomes. Whatever we intend is drawn toward us, according to whichever nature is doing the directing at that moment.
As for the subconscious at its various levels — the refined human body, the celestial body, the brahma body — each carries a different quality, depending on how far our own "frequency" can tune in. Those who enjoy meditating can develop a connection reaching the brahma or formless-brahma body, while those who are simply good-hearted in an ordinary way tend to connect at the level of the celestial body or the refined human body.