Why Practice Is Essential to Every Life

Phra Ajarn opens by explaining that every moment of life requires merit-energy to drive it forward. Sustaining human existence depends on merit; happiness and growth in life depend on merit. Since life is governed by three natures, only the wholesome nature grants genuine benefit, rightness, goodness, knowledge, understanding, and flourishing.

Focused Awareness of Body, Feeling, Mind, and Mental Objects

The Buddha taught that a monk should clearly discern body, feeling, mind, and mental objects in order to eliminate craving and displeasure toward the world. Phra Ajarn explains that focusing the mind is essential: wherever we direct our attention, the mind settles there, and going in to know it is how mindfulness arises. Wholesome, unwholesome, or neutral states can only arise at the mind - nowhere else.

Mindfulness: A Wholesome Mental Factor Shaped Like a Clear, Radiant Sphere

Mindfulness is a wholesome mental factor, appearing as a clear, luminous sphere. As we go in to perceive it, recollection and recognition arise together with the brightness of the established orb of mindfulness. Once established, mindfulness draws pure merit-energy in to flow through the center of its brightness. Wholesome systems require wholesome energy; unwholesome systems require unwholesome energy - demerit.

The Three Roles of Defilement

Phra Ajarn explains that as long as one has not attained arahantship, every dimension we inhabit still carries the energy of defilement. Defilement has three roles: first, it drags the elements downward through the power of greed, anger, delusion, and lust. Second, if it cannot drag us down, it uses the hindrances to stir up turmoil, making it difficult to remain in that dimension. Third, if we wish to be liberated, defilement clings to hold us back from escaping.

Liberation in Small Increments, Like a Growing Child

As merit-energy flows in and cleanses defilement away entirely, we become liberated from this dimension into a subtler one - not liberation as an arahant, but a small, incremental release from one dimension to the next. Phra Ajarn compares this to a child who grows a little each day from eating, centimeter by centimeter, millimeter by millimeter, with growth invisible to the eye. The wholesome mind develops the same way: its proportion gradually increases, based on countless lifetimes of prior development.

Body Within Body, Feeling Within Feeling: What Superimposes Itself on Us

Phra Ajarn explains that when a given nature manages to seize control, it superimposes its own mind and mental factors onto our body, feeling, mind, and mental objects - producing a "body within the body," a "feeling within the feeling." Mind within mind appears as thought; mental objects within mental objects appear as superimposed feeling. This is why a directing voice sometimes arises though we never thought it, or irritation and boredom appear for no apparent reason. This is precisely why the Buddha taught focused awareness of body, feeling, mind, and mental objects - so we can examine what has been superimposed on us.

Holding the Mind Neutral Through Tatramajjhattata

Phra Ajarn teaches that whenever something arises, we should simply perceive it - without excitement, holding the mind neutral, neither delighting in nor resisting whatever stimulates us. This is tatramajjhattata cetasika. Once established, it draws pure merit-energy in through the center of the brightness of this equanimous quality, gradually producing lightness and subtlety of body and mind.

When Suffering Arises, Simply Know It - Endurance Builds a Shield

Phra Ajarn continues: if a state of suffering that is hard to bear arises during sitting, simply focus your awareness on it - there's no need to writhe in distress, since intense suffering can topple any other meditation subject. Endurance (khanti) arises as we contend with suffering, functioning like a shield that lets us bear just enough. If the suffering intensifies further, endurance builds an even stronger shield at the very same time.

The Noble Ones Face Suffering Directly, Unlike Ordinary People Who Flee

Phra Ajarn points out that the noble ones reach the very end of the mass of suffering precisely because they dare to face it directly, while ordinary people typically turn away when suffering arises, unwilling to confront it. Fearing suffering, they cannot build endurance. But when suffering appears to a noble one, they face it and recognize that it arises from defilement. What must be done is to face it directly and cleanse it, focusing awareness on the suffering so the orb of knowing can draw pure energy in to cleanse the defilement.

Defilement Is Finite, but Our Awareness Is Like Endless Waves

Phra Ajarn offers a simile: defilement is finite, but our continuous awareness is like waves in the sea, crashing endlessly against the shore. Simply by sustaining effort and endurance continuously, the drawing-in of pure merit-energy will exhaust the finite store of defilement entirely. All that is needed is to stay continuously, unfailingly aware.

The Doorway of Dimension Opens as the Covering Elements Thin

As ignorance's covering elements thin out and dissolve, the doorway of dimension at the point of our focus opens, allowing entry into the inner dimension. It feels like stepping into a room, even if still dim and hazy. Mindfulness automatically transforms into clear comprehension; merit flows through the center of the brightness of this comprehension, spreading through every particle of that dimension, progressively cleansing the defilement within.

The Human Body's Only Role: Stay Continuously, Unfailingly Aware

Phra Ajarn emphasizes that the sole role of the human body is to focus awareness - the only thing a human being can actually do. Drawing pure energy through is the work of the orb of knowing itself; humans cannot do this directly, it depends on the 84,000 units of the wholesome Dhamma, every one of which can draw pure merit-energy through. We must therefore train in sustained awareness - whether resting with the breath, the seventh center of the body, a recitation, or the feelings and sensations that arise.

The Dark Cloud Scorched to Sediment: The Meaning of "Anusaya"

Phra Ajarn explains that when we stay continuously aware without lapsing, holding the mind in equanimity without excitement or alarm, the mind does not waver - because a truly neutral mind cannot waver. But if it wavers through delight or aversion, this stirs up "anusaya," the latent tendencies that lie dormant within. He compares what we're aiming for in meditation to letting these settle as sediment. Without delight or aversion, holding the mind neutral, defilement gradually settles; the coarse portion is cleansed away by pure merit-energy until it fades entirely - like a dark storm cloud scorched by sunlight until it evaporates away. What remains behind is "anusaya" - a fine residue that settles at the very bottom of the mind.

Willingness, Effort, and Continuous Reflection

Phra Ajarn teaches that making this practice easy requires chanda - genuine willingness and satisfaction. With chanda, sustained effort follows naturally, whether sitting for five minutes, thirty minutes, an hour, or many hours. Viriya (effort) means keeping attention fixed on the point of focus, reflecting back and forth continuously with a relaxed, at-ease mind. Merit continues to be drawn in without interruption.

Abiding in the Present Moment - the Only Place Where Truth Appears

Phra Ajarn reminds us that we must learn to abide in each moment of the present, because true reality can only manifest in the present. As we remain continuously, unfailingly aware, the river of merit flows continuously through the center of the brightness of mindfulness and clear comprehension. This pure energy appears as a clear, radiant sphere, containing within it pure, sacred dhamma-elements with power capable of dispelling defilement, together with form-wealth, material wealth, virtuous qualities, gain, honor, praise, and the knowledge of the Dhamma body.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Through a Mother's Heart

Having benefited himself first, Phra Ajarn then leads the radiating of loving-kindness to benefit others. Following his teacher's instruction, he guides practitioners to draw on the heart of a mother toward her own small child, imagining ourselves as a parent to all sentient beings - all of them our own beloved children and grandchildren. Holding this in mind, a bright orb of loving-kindness arises at the center of the heart.

Extending Loving-Kindness from Ourselves to Home, Country, and Cosmos

Phra Ajarn guides the gradual extension of this loving-kindness-filled mind - first filling ourselves completely, then extending to our home, neighbors, village, district, province, the entire country, neighboring countries, and finally the whole world. May all beings of the world be free from suffering and find happiness; may those with much suffering have less; may those with little suffering be free of it entirely; may those with little happiness have more; may those already happy grow even happier. The radiance then extends further still, to earthbound devas, tree devas, sky devas, form-Brahmas, formless-Brahmas, and even hell-beings, asuras, and animals.

Loving-Kindness Purifies the Environment Itself

Phra Ajarn explains that loving-kindness not only benefits people and beings, freeing them and purifying them, but also purifies the environment itself - the earth, water, air, sky, clouds, mountains, seas, oceans, trees and grasses, as well as homes and belongings - making them clean and fit for peaceful dwelling. Anyone who benefits the world and the cosmos in this way is naturally able to draw on the treasures of the world and cosmos in turn.

Resting the Mind Still, at the Center of the Triple Gem and the Great Teachers

Phra Ajarn then leads practitioners to rest the mind still and quiet at the center of the brightness of loving-kindness, at the center of the Triple Gem - the Buddha Jewel, the Dhamma Jewel, the Sangha Jewel - and at the center of the great teachers, resting still within the subtle Dhamma-body of his own revered teachers. Trusting that the mind is a substance that becomes exactly as it is directed, he explains the need to merge ourselves as one with the Triple Gem and the great teachers.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparts

Phra Ajarn then dedicates this merit to the beings of the world, as well as to ancestors, parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, and all benefactors, to devas who assist and support us, guardian spirits, and to all karmic counterparts we may have wronged, asking for mutual forgiveness and that all may share equally in this merit.

Closing Aspiration: A Prayer to the Triple Gem and the Great Teachers

Phra Ajarn closes with an aspiration for blessings and the accumulated merit of Nibbana throughout all elements and all Dhamma, together with the merit of his own revered teachers, asking that it combine with all merit sincerely accumulated across every past life. He prays for release from misfortune, karmic obstacles, and hardship; for the eye of Dhamma and full penetration into the knowledge of the Dhamma body; for good health and long life to continue building merit; and for a path leading straight toward Nibbana - closing with the wish that all these good aspirations be fulfilled, and a chant invoking the power of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.