พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าเป็นผลจากฝ่ายกุศลลงมาซ้อนควบคุมช่วยเหลือ ทำให้กาลเวลารู้สึกช้าลงและตัดสินใจได้ทัน ต่างจากเมื่ออกุศลควบคุมซึ่งจะทำให้ทุกอย่างเร็วเกินรับมือ พร้อมแนะวิธีสังเกตผ่านลมหายใจและการเต้นของหัวใจPra Ajarn explains that in that split second, the wholesome steps in to take control, making time itself feel slower and allowing a split-second decision — unlike when the unwholesome is in control, which makes everything feel too fast to handle. He also offers a way to notice which is in charge, by watching the breath and heartbeat.
A student asked: while driving, when something suddenly cuts in front and you brake or swerve just in time, that split second feels like time itself has slowed down, allowing a faster decision. What actually happens in that moment?
Pra Ajarn explained that in that moment, steps in and takes control. When the wholesome is in control, our sense of time slows down. But if takes control instead, time feels very fast — too fast to decide in time — because the unwholesome wants us to be unable to decide in time. During a dangerous moment, if one abides in the wholesome, it feels as though one is inside a soft bubble of protection; even the body and mind remain unaffected.
He gave the example of world-class tennis players who sit in meditation with eyes closed before a match. Doing so lets them see the ball coming toward them more slowly than normal, making it easier to control their play — hitting left or right, receiving from either side with ease. But if they become startled or anxious, the ball seems to come far too fast to handle, and everything turns chaotic and confusing. The wholesome has many levels of subtlety; the more refined it is, the slower time feels.
The student then asked why, at times, one aspires for work to finish on time or reading to be done on time, yet it doesn't work out. Pra Ajarn explained this happens because excitement and panic let the unwholesome take control instead, coarsening the mind. A simple way to notice is to watch the breath and the heartbeat. When the wholesome takes control, both the breath and heartbeat gradually slow and lighten, step by step, until a feeling of openness and lightness arises — a freed from one dimension into another, though not the liberation of an arahant.