Why We Practice: The Three Natures That Govern Our Lives

Let's practice meditation together. This practice is deeply necessary and important for every life, because we live under the control of three natures. When the unwholesome side, or the indeterminate side, gets its chance, it takes over as the ruling force, drawing in its own energy, working to control beings according to its own intentions and goals. Only the wholesome nature gives us benefit, knowledge, understanding, rightness and goodness, happiness, fulfillment, and peace. The other natures give nothing beneficial and instead bring us much suffering and harm. So we need to learn and understand how to abide within wholesome nature, and avoid abiding within the other natures.

The Buddha's Three-Part Teaching on Right Mindfulness

To abide within the system of wholesome dhamma, we need to learn and understand it. The Fully Self-Enlightened Buddha taught: "Monks, you should clearly discern the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects, in order to remove covetousness and grief regarding the world." His teaching on abiding with the wholesome system divides into three parts. The first part is the method he taught: we must "settle" the mind. What is settling? It is marking, specifying, and pinpointing, in order to know. Wherever we mark, specify, and pinpoint — that is where the mind gets placed.

Wherever We Settle, That Is What We Know: Testing at the Foot and the Breath

We specify the foot, pinpoint the foot, mark the foot. When we go to perceive coolness, heat, softness, and hardness there, we know it. But why didn't we know it before, even though the nervous system exists and is working? Why don't we perceive coolness, heat, softness, hardness? If we haven't placed the mind there, there's no way to know it — even though the nervous system and brain exist and function continuously. Likewise, right now, our breath — when we return attention to the breath, we come to know that we are breathing in and out; a long inhale we know as long, a short inhale we know as short. But while we know the breath, we forget the foot. As soon as we think of the foot, the mind goes there — the portion of awareness, the consciousness-element, moves to the foot instantly, even though everything continues functioning: the brain works, the nerve cells still work, but what matters is the mind. Wherever we settle, the mind gets placed there, and we can perceive the signal that appears there. So we know at once: if the mind moves from this point to another, we go on to perceive that other thing and forget this one. While we are settling the mind, behind the scenes, pure energy is being drawn into the brightness of the sphere of knowing. This pure energy that flows in then drives the wholesome nature to cleanse defilements, making them lighter. Defilement is what creates problems and obstacles, causing difficulty and hardship. When defilement is cleansed and lightened, problems and obstacles lighten too. When defilement is entirely removed, problems and obstacles vanish, and we are freed from this dimension into a more refined one.

The Wholesome System Cleanses Defilement, Making Life Lighter

We might say that abiding with wholesome nature is for the purpose of drawing in pure energy. Or we might say that abiding within the wholesome system is abiding with the cleansing of defilement. Or we might say it leads toward purity and liberation — being freed continuously from one dimension into another. As we are freed, the proportion of wholesomeness increases, diminishing the force of the unwholesome, indeterminate nature, making our lives easier. We then come to perceive lightness, openness, and vibrancy. This state arises when we abide with wholesome nature: it brings pure energy to cleanse defilement until it is gone, and once gone, we are freed from one dimension into another. This is the first part of what the Buddha taught. We can see that even this opening step brings us into a good state — open, light, and vibrant — simply by settling the mind and staying continuously aware without forgetting.

The Inner "Speaker": Proof That Intruding Thoughts Are Not Our Own

The Buddha taught further that in this settling, we should settle on the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects. Why settle exactly there? Because whenever some nature contends and manages to take over as the ruling force — being subtler and quicker, it seizes control — once it becomes the ruling force, it overlays its own body-feeling-mind-object onto our human body-feeling-mind-object. This makes its thoughts and feelings appear as our own feelings. What is mental factor and consciousness — its thoughts and feelings — appears in the mind as our own instrument of knowing. Whatever the mind knows, we know as ourselves. But nobody tells us that this feeling or thought, inserted by some other nature, is not us. We think every thought belongs to us. Yet nobody stops to wonder: why does a thought appear when we didn't think it? Many times we didn't think something at all, yet it appears. Sometimes we even try to reject it — not only do we not think it, we actively refuse it — yet the thought still lodges stubbornly in our mind, like a fussy child inside us. To put it more clearly: it's like a speaker producing sound, even though we didn't speak, didn't think — we know we didn't think it, so how does this inner voice appear? How does this inner "speaker" arise? We didn't think it at all — how does the sound from the speaker appear? How does the feeling appear? This shows that something must be sneaking in without our conscious awareness. Certain behaviors go beyond our control — we cannot restrain them; they happen automatically on their own, and sometimes we don't even like them. Besides the voice, there are also inappropriate bodily behaviors. Some days we feel irritable for no reason we can find, or weary for no discernible cause. All of this — if we don't observe the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects as the Buddha instructed — we would never know that something has come to lodge in our mind, causing distorted, abnormal behavior: making us complain endlessly, making us snap at people we love, at our staff, beyond what we can control — many things that simply aren't right. We can only know this once we bring the mind to settle and observe. Just as settling at the foot lets us know coolness, heat, softness, hardness there — but without settling, we don't know — the same applies to the breath. If we settle the mind on the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects, we come to perceive certain behaviors appearing with significant meaning, even though we didn't do them ourselves — something abnormal has occurred. This is what nature uses to control beings through the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects.

Removing Covetousness and Grief Through Equanimity: The Pendulum Clock Simile

The second part helps us understand the truth that something unusual is at work. The third part is where the Buddha teaches the solution. Every problem that arises — confusion, hardship, difficulty — or indeed the whole of a chaotic, confused life full of suffering and hardship — all of it arises from covetousness and grief: gladness and sorrow. Gladness gives rise to greed; the unwholesome side uses the sense of "this is delightful" as a pretext to generate greed, even though it is merely the result of the law of karma — karma gives only this much, yet we want much more. The unwholesome side uses delight as a pretext to steer us toward greed. Grief, meanwhile, is sorrow — the unwholesome side uses it as a pretext for anger and irritation, blaming this person or that as the cause of our suffering and sorrow. So the Buddha taught that we must remove the covetousness and grief of the world we live in — which arise from looking through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, perceiving forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and touches. This is the external world. The internal world then has delight and aversion, gladness and sorrow, as the net result — or else neutrality. The Buddha taught: do not be fooled by them. We avoid being fooled only by removing covetousness and grief, removing gladness and sorrow, by placing the mind in neutrality so it becomes balanced — neutral through the quality of equanimity, without delight or aversion, balanced, so the unwholesome side cannot steer us. What we find delightful, we simply acknowledge as delightful — a little is enough; don't be overjoyed, because when we're overjoyed, when the time for sorrow comes, we will be overly sorrowful too — like a pendulum clock swinging fully to one side: the further it swings, the more potential energy builds to swing it back fully to the other side. The higher it swings, the greater the potential energy, driving the pendulum to the opposite extreme. So we place the mind in neutrality, not letting it swing too wildly. What is beautiful, we know as beautiful; what is handsome, we know as handsome; what tastes good, we know it tastes good; what smells foul, we know it smells foul; what smells fragrant, we know it's fragrant — just know it. Don't get excited about it, don't be delighted or averse to it — place the mind in neutrality, just knowing.

The Inner Voice That Fuels Craving: Staying Neutral So Craving Isn't Triggered

We can observe that whenever we perceive something, an inner voice arises to steer us: "So beautiful! So delicious! I love it, more, more, more!" These voices arise and steer us: "Fragrant, more, I want more, I want a lot!" Every time we perceive something, if we go along with that triggering voice, craving increases immediately. But if we simply remain neutral, refusing to accept it, refusing to let it stir us — placing the mind in neutrality — craving will not be triggered. Craving is triggered by accepting the inner voice. Observe carefully: whether it's greed, hatred, delusion, or lust, there is always an inner voice steering us, and the moment we take delight in that voice, we are instantly imprisoned within that dimension. From there, the emotion of craving is stirred up — whether sensual craving, craving for existence, or craving for non-existence — all arise from that inner steering voice. When we encounter something intensely delightful or intensely repulsive, the reaction becomes very clear — extremely beautiful or extremely ugly, so ugly we become frightened, so beautiful we lose our mindfulness entirely. All of this is a matter of delight and aversion. So the Buddha taught the remedy: place the mind in equanimity, abide in the quality of equanimity, without delight or aversion — remove delight and aversion entirely. When our mind encounters something delightful, remain still and neutral; being neutral, we can control the situation, and the nature that would otherwise control us cannot do so. All of this is the essential point that can transform an ordinary person into a noble one. It's the same in meditation practice — whether our eyes are open or closed, or whatever activity we do, we should clearly discern the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects, in order to eliminate the covetousness and grief of this world entirely. This single sentence is the sentence that changes the world — it can transform conditioned dhamma into unconditioned dhamma.

Cultivating Right Mindfulness: Stopping Within Stopping, Stillness Within Stillness

In settling the mind and cultivating right mindfulness, wherever we settle, that is what we know, because the mind gets placed there. The sphere of knowing — the consciousness-element — goes to perceive coolness, heat, softness, hardness, and so on. Wherever we settle, that's what we know; whatever we settle on, that's what we are aware of. The sphere of knowing, the sphere of mindfulness, once it arises, draws pure energy — merit — into the brightness of the sphere of knowing. So we need clarity about where we are placing the mind right now. If we place it on something unwholesome and unwelcome, we'll know the mind has gone astray — craving arises. There are three kinds of craving: sensual craving, delighting in forms, tastes, smells, sounds, touches; craving for existence, delighting in a particular state of being; and craving for non-existence, not delighting in that state — all of these bring suffering. Clinging then arises in each present moment we abide in. Let the mind be neutral, without delight or aversion; train to become accustomed to neutrality — still, soft, at ease, stopping, quietly still, stopping within stopping, stillness within stillness, neutral within neutral. Then settling causes the sphere of stopping to arise; stopping within stopping enters the inner dimension; going further into stopping within stopping at the center, we get drawn naturally into the interior. Stopping within stopping, stillness within stillness, soft and at ease. Once we settle and the sphere of stopping arises, we enter the center of that sphere — called "stopping within stopping" — finding a subtler sphere of stopping within it, which then expands and we enter its center again: stopping of stopping of the unstopping within. We go further, layer by layer. If the state isn't yet still, we settle again until it becomes still, entering stillness within stillness continuously. What we settle on is dhamma — dhamma is a sphere, arising only at the mind, nowhere else. Stopping within stopping, stillness within stillness, soft and at ease, in the center of the center, the center of knowing, the center of stopping, the center of stillness — we send our heart and mind straight toward the path to Nibbana along the inner middle way. We gradually relax — clear, cool, still, soft, at ease, clean, pure, radiant — staying continuously aware without forgetting. Whatever we settle on, we know; wherever we settle, we know. When we settle the mind, the sphere of knowing — the sphere of mindfulness — arises, and the sphere of not-knowing — the sphere of ignorance — falls away. The sphere of mindfulness that arises is round, clear, and bright, giving us full self-awareness. At this moment, the Triple Gem appears radiant at the center of our body, and is radiant within them as well; both we and they appear radiant within Nibbana, within the presence of the Knowing Ones of boundless power, countless beyond number. Nibbana continues to correct and help us; the stream of merit from the deep refinement of Nibbana wells up into the brightness of this sphere, flowing through our mind, like the Triple Gem within.

Like Charging a Power Bank: Storing Pure Energy in an Inner Reservoir

Each day, once we finish our work and duties, having earned a living and supported our family, we go home to rest, eat, bathe, and wash. Then we come to cultivate right mindfulness, to abide with wholesome nature, within the Triple Gem, within Nibbana, so that they may help correct us, making adjustments on our behalf in advance, and draw in pure energy to be stored in our inner reservoir of energy — much like returning home to charge a phone with a power bank. We too have a reservoir for storing a charge of energy within, inside the sphere of dhamma, connected to the Triple Gem and Nibbana through the wholesome dhamma — namely, mindfulness — which continuously draws in pure energy, that is, merit, together with refined attainments and pre-set outcomes. This is why so many good things arise.

Radiating Loving-Kindness with a Mother's Heart — to Home, World, and Cosmos

Once we have cultivated goodness for ourselves, we go on to benefit the people of the world and all beings by developing loving-kindness. This loving-kindness is a tool that wholesome nature provides so that those with abundant merit can benefit those with less, simply by forming a good wish. The wholesome dhamma of loving-kindness then arises, and the stream of merit wells up continuously, flowing through the brightness of that loving-kindness. But since loving-kindness is a tool, its quality varies. Our revered preceptor therefore taught us to draw upon the heart of a mother toward her young child — a heart brimming with sincere love and goodwill for her child. We settle this very heart within our own mind. This sphere of loving-kindness is of the highest quality; once established in the mind, it first shines and refines the elements of dhamma within us, making them clean and pure. Then, as we expand this loving mind outward to cover our home, loving-kindness shines and refines every atom of the people, beings, and things around us, making them radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure. It expands further to our neighbors, covering the whole village, and continues on to the district, province, country, neighboring countries, until it covers the entire world, making this world like a crystal world — radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure — with sincere love and goodwill. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness — celestial beings of the earth, of trees, of the sky, heavenly beings of every realm, brahmas, formless brahmas, and also hell-beings, asuras, and animals — may all be free from suffering and find happiness. May those who suffer much suffer less; may those who suffer little be entirely free of suffering and happy; may those with little happiness find more; may those with much happiness find even more. It then extends further into the atmosphere of the cosmos, covering countless stars — tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions — and continuing on to ten thousand world-systems, hundreds of billions of universes, infinite universes. Our loving-kindness expands boundlessly. Our minds expand, blossom, become spacious, empty, light, clear, cool, clean, pure, and radiant.

Loving-Kindness Cleanses Defilement and Benefits the Environment

The light of loving-kindness shines into the hearts of people and all beings, dissolving the resentment and irritation of defilement entirely. Wholesome nature then comes to reside as the ruling force in each heart — their own — drawing in pure energy to drive the wholesome system, refining and correcting the elements of dhamma to be clean and pure, continuously freeing beings from one dimension into another. The proportion of wholesomeness increases, the force of the unwholesome, indeterminate nature decreases, and life becomes easier — the body lighter, the mind lighter; the body more refined, the mind more refined; gentle and soft in both body and mind, better suited to work, lighter, and more vibrant. Beyond this, loving-kindness also refines every atom of the atmosphere — earth, water, air, sky, mountains, seas, oceans, trees and grass, buildings and homes, belongings, crops and food — making them radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure, to provide a fitting environment for people and beings to live in. Whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may draw upon the resources of the world and the cosmos. Let us cultivate loving-kindness continuously until it becomes our natural habit. The human role is simply to settle the mind — settle on loving-kindness and sustain that state of love and goodwill; that's all. Keep it in mind continuously, don't let it fade. Loving-kindness will then do its own work of refining every atom of people, beings, and things, making them radiant and clean, dissolving resentment and irritation on its own.

Dedication of Merit and the Closing Aspiration

As the stream of merit wells up continuously within the brightness of the loving-kindness we sustain, we dedicate this merit to the people of the world and all beings, so they may share in the merit we have sincerely made. This includes our ancestors and relatives — parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, aunts and uncles, and all our benefactors — as well as the celestial beings who help and support us, and any beings we may have wronged, our karmic counterparties of every kind; may we forgive one another and share fully in this merit. We then gather the mind to stop and still within this stream of merit that continues to well up and flow, resting in the midst of the happiness and purity of the merit-element. We gather our minds to stop and still within the Triple Gem — within the Buddha-jewel, the Dhamma-jewel, the Sangha-jewel, and the great venerable teachers — within the utterly refined dhamma body of our revered preceptor, of our revered teacher, and of our respected teacher (Khun Yay). The mind is a ready-made element; whatever we settle on, that is what arises. Whether we see them clearly or not doesn't matter; whether we see them at all doesn't matter. We need to merge our minds with the Triple Gem and the great venerable teachers, for they hold boundless goodness toward us. Every single moment, they never cease helping and correcting us — guiding, leading, instructing, and teaching — whether we are aware of it or not. Their kindness toward us is truly immeasurable; we must recognize this immeasurable goodness. Every time we think deeply of them, we appear radiant within them, and they appear radiant within us; both we and they appear radiant within Nibbana, within the presence of the Knowing Ones of boundless power, countless beyond number — every Fully Self-Enlightened Buddha, every Silent Buddha, and every Arahant.

As we appear radiant within them and they appear radiant within us, we take this moment to pay respects and ask for blessings, setting our intention deep within the sphere of merit, so that our good wishes bear fruit in every life throughout our path of building perfections, so that our lives may be transformed by knowledge paired with happiness and purity, and by success in everything right and good. We ask for the blessing of merit, radiance, strength, power, and the decisive authority of Nibbana throughout all elements and all dhamma, together with the blessing of our revered preceptor, our revered teacher, and our respected teacher. May all this merit combine with the merit we have sincerely accumulated since our very first life, through countless lifetimes up to the present, becoming sacred merit of great power, refining our body, speech, mind, and the elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, knowing — earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness — making them radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure. May we be freed from misfortune and the results of past wrongdoing, from every obstacle in life, all dissolved and gone — greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong views, craving, and clinging entirely eradicated without residue. May we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma, penetrating and mastering the knowledge of the dhammakaya. May we have strong health and a long life, able to build merit and perfections throughout our lives, with unwavering courage in building perfections, heading straight along the path to Nibbana, to the ultimate end of Dhamma. May all these good wishes come to fruition for us all, from this moment onward, in every life until the ultimate end of Dhamma, by the boundless power of every Fully Self-Enlightened Buddha. May all our aspirations be fulfilled.