Adjusting Our Mindset Before Practice: Like Visiting a Doctor

We are here to practice together. Before we begin, we need to adjust our mindset: practicing Dhamma simply means putting Dhamma to use for our benefit — and it's a simple matter, just like visiting a doctor. We bring ourselves in, sit down, and do whatever the doctor asks; the doctor's instructions are simple: just note. Stay with whatever recitation feels comfortable and familiar to you — that's what to use. There's no need to try too hard; it's really just a matter of the doctor treating us. Wholesome Dhamma will correct things for us; we simply note. The human body's role is just to know — a light, playful kind of knowing, staying with the breath, enjoying it, like coming to rest, resting body and mind, and simply knowing. Everything else is the doctor's job to handle; whatever comes up, we stay neutral toward it. Whatever bait is dangled, we remain neutral — whatever they want us to do, we stay neutral; whatever they want, we simply remain still.

The Body-Feeling-Mind-Dhamma Formula: Dispelling Craving and Grief

The principle taught is: "Monks, you should clearly note body, feeling, mind, and Dhamma-objects, in order to dispel craving (อภิชฌา) and grief (โทมนัส)." Craving and grief mean delight and sorrow — satisfaction in this or that thing. Whatever bait is used, it's usually something appealing dangled in front of us; knowing what we like, that's what gets offered. But if we carry defilement, wherever there's a "knot," they'll pick at that knot to make us feel sad about this or that, so we become emotionally hooked, wanting more of this or that.

The Refinement Analogy: A Pen-Dot Magnified Under a Microscope

We sit here to cultivate refinement. What does refinement look like? It's like pressing a pen down to make a dot, then magnifying that dot under a lens until it's large; then making another dot within it and magnifying that too; and again, and again. That is refinement — going deeper and deeper, in and in. That's all refinement really is. But at the basic level, we simply sit comfortably and note what we're knowing — that's all. Everything else, let it be cleared automatically. If hindrances arise, they get handled; if we feel drowsy and fall asleep, that's fine — sleep if you must; once the defilement causing it is exhausted, we wake naturally. If restlessness arises, let it be restless — once its defilement is exhausted, the restlessness resolves on its own. Simple, isn't it? No need to carry anything, no need to search for anything. Just sit comfortably; merit flows through us as we sit, refined treasure flows through us — merit being purity and happiness — receiving the stream of merit and the stream of treasure, enjoying it steadily.

Knowing Mind and Mental Factors: When a Nature Possesses the Heart

Returning to the teaching: "Monks, you should note" — noting means noting the breath, called ānāpānasati; noting the rise and fall of the abdomen; or simple body-awareness, called kāya-sati. Feeling (เวทนา) is knowing pleasure, pain, or neutral feeling — we simply ask: how do I feel right now? Happy? If not happy, is it suffering? Suffering is a state that must be endured and is hard to endure. If we don't feel we must endure anything, then it's simply neutral — and that noticing itself is already noting feeling.

What about noting mind (จิต)? Noting mind means noting thought. Whenever a particular nature possesses us, it layers its own จิต and เจตสิก over ours. However it thinks, we observe how it's thinking, what it's thinking about — we investigate what it thinks and how it feels. Thinking is จิต; feeling is เจตสิก, which falls under "Dhamma-object." We come to see: ah, this is what mind and mental factor actually are. Whatever nature possesses us layers its own จิต-เจตสิก over the จิต-เจตสิก of the human body — thought and feeling. With eyes closed, whatever thought arises that "possesses" us, the manager doing the possessing thinks about whatever we're already preoccupied with — whatever unresolved matter, whatever's weighing on our mind — and takes that as its topic. Our mood is made to become invested in whatever it's thinking, and we come to see: ah, it's really just this much.

The bottom line is delight and aversion. They use delight as the trigger for greed, and aversion as the trigger for irritation — that's all there is to it. The bottom line is joy and sorrow, delight and aversion — that's all — used as a hook. In truth there isn't much to it at all. We simply keep knowing, and while knowing, merit continually arises, flowing through us the whole time; we receive it joyfully, taking in the stream of merit and treasure continuously. If drowsy, that's fine — sleep; once rested, come back refreshed and continue. Let life be filled with nothing but ease — don't try too hard, don't expect too much; simply practice the cause and observe the result. Things gradually improve, bit by bit; this minute differs slightly from the last — this is liberation happening moment by moment; เจโตวิมุตติ is arising.

Faith Arises When We See Results

When we see the improvement, we feel glad — our practice is working. When it works, faith (ศรัทธา) arises. Faith is a mental factor, a kind of tool that helps draw merit in; as faith grows, it becomes clearer and brighter, more effective at drawing merit in and clearing defilement. Once we understand this, we come to rest, relaxed and comfortable — sitting in the breeze, in the air conditioning, at ease, nothing complicated. Don't make it heavy; keep it light.

Advice for the Newly Ordained: Developing a Personal Meditation Practice

Now that we've ordained as monks, there's no more burden to carry — let everything go, keep nothing but ease, take ease itself as the object. Sitting is at ease. We may use "sammā arahaṃ" as our recitation; counting it makes it even better — sammā arahaṃ one, sammā arahaṃ two, three, four, five — no rushing, no hurrying. Whoever pressures or rushes us is, behind it all, only the unwholesome side, urging us to grab this or that exactly as we want. We don't take the bait — living in this world, having nothing but ease is already enough; why pressure ourselves?

Train this into a habit now, during ordination, and carry it with you after disrobing back into lay life — working, and still reciting sammā arahaṃ, letting merit flow through, refined treasure flow through — purity going to correct and clear defilement, refined treasure stored within the sphere of merit. Our "manager," the Sevenfold Emperor's Treasure, manages our resources, drawing the world's coarser treasures into our life. Our job is simply to note comfortably, "sammā arahaṃ," reciting joyfully and at ease, continuously.

If you can recall the Buddha image, recall him one Buddha at a time; don't take on anything else. Whatever else people suggest you try, set it aside — keep to this simple foundation: sammā arahaṃ, steadily, enjoyably, with a relaxed heart. The breath will naturally slow, muscles will relax, not tense or tight; keep nothing but ease, ease, ease. Train this ease as your foundation — even if all you take back to lay life is this sense of ease, it's already worthwhile; you'll know the principle that in this world, ease is enough, and everything else improves from there.

Train to have your own personal meditation practice — not one dependent on listening to a Dhamma recording during sitting; without a recording you wouldn't know what object to use. So we must train to develop our own meditation object. During this ordination, learn and experiment to find which object can become your personal practice, and try using it. To have a personal practice, we must actually reach the felt quality of that object; to reach it, we must note while practicing and become aware of that meditation-mood — it will gradually appear as the heart grows refined and gentle. We register it, but must proceed gradually — no rushing, no hurrying — gradually noting, gradually registering, resting the heart in neutrality, and continuing to practice that object steadily; its meditation-mood will gradually appear.

Mettā: A Tool for the Merit-Rich to Support the Merit-Poor

Next we will cultivate mettā, benefiting people and all beings, as well as ourselves. In cultivating mettā, because mettā is a tool of the wholesome side used so that those with abundant merit can support those with less, all we need do is set an intention of love and genuine, pure goodwill — wishing that the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and happy together. Simply set this wish, sincerely and with a pure heart, like a mother's love and goodwill toward her infant child. Mettā then appears, bright within our heart, and the stream of merit is drawn in, flowing continuously within the brightness of that mettā.

We need only sustain the feeling of mettā — while holding it, we are called "one who carries the Dhamma." Mettā then displays its special quality: the ability to dissolve ปฏิฆะ, irritation, a form of defilement, entirely. Our heart expands, filling this entire place of practice; since mettā arises from the heart, wherever the heart expands, mettā's light reaches too, illuminating and refining every atom of the atmosphere — people, beings, and things — with clarity, coolness, cleanliness, and purity.

Why Mettā's Light Differs from Moonlight or Sunlight

We continue expanding this heart, filled with mettā, to cover the entire Khao Kaeo Sadet study center; the heart expands to cover the whole area, and mettā shines through every atom of the atmosphere, making everything — people, beings, things — clear and bright. Moonlight, sunlight, and ordinary light still cast shadows, because they cannot penetrate through the interior of beings and things. But the light of mettā can shine through every atom of people, beings, and things — bright both outside and within.

Radiating Mettā Across the Universe

We continue expanding mettā outward to cover the entire village, and onward to cover the sub-district, district, province, the whole country, and onward into neighboring countries and all nations, until it covers the entire world, making this world a crystal world, radiant, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and happy together. May those with much suffering have less; may those with little suffering be free of it entirely and find happiness; may those with little happiness have more; and may those already happy grow happier still. May earthbound devas, sky devas, heavenly beings of every realm, Brahma and form-Brahma beings, and beings in hell, as hungry ghosts, and as animals, all be free from suffering and happy together.

Having made this wish, we continue expanding this heart, filled with mettā, out into the vastness of the cosmos, covering tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of stars, and onward to ten thousand world-systems, a hundred thousand koṭi of endless universes. Our mettā shines, expanding without limit; our heart expands, joyful, open, light, and at ease, clear, cool, clean, and pure. The stream of merit continues pouring through, in the midst of the brightness of mettā, without interruption.

Dedicating Merit and Offering It to the Revered Teacher

We now dedicate this merit to the people of the world and all beings, and also the merit we have sincerely accumulated well. May it reach our ancestors — parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, and all who have supported us — as well as the devas who help and support us, and those who tend and protect all beings, including any คู่กรรมคู่เวร (karmic counterparties) we may have wronged; may we forgive one another and all receive a share of this merit equally.

We then gather the heart, stopping and stilling it in the midst of this radiant sphere of merit — stilling in the midst of happiness, purity, and the radiant brightness of the merit-element. We rest still at the center of the Buddha-jewel, the Dhamma-jewel, the Sangha-jewel, the center of our great teachers, the refined Dhamma-body of the revered หลวงปู่, the revered หลวงพ่อ, and คุณยายอาจารย์.

We then recall the merit of our own ordination, offering it up to our great teacher, asking that the revered หลวงพ่อ enjoy strong health and a long life, and that every one of his projects succeed wondrously.

Closing Aspiration

Recollecting the Triple Gem and our great teacher, we appear radiant within them, and they appear radiant within us; together we appear shining within Nibbāna, the boundless power of countless Awakened Ones. We use this auspicious moment to pay respects and ask blessings from Nibbāna — every Lord Buddha, every Paccekabuddha, every Arahant — setting an aspiration to take root within this radiant sphere of merit, so that our entire path of building perfections may be filled with knowledge, happiness, and purity, and every rightful, wholesome wish come true.

We, the disciples, prostrate and ask for the blessing, the radiance, the boundless power and authority of Nibbāna throughout all realms of existence, together with the blessing of หลวงปู่, หลวงพ่อ, and คุณยายอาจารย์ — may all this merit combine with whatever merit we have sincerely accumulated across countless past lives up to the present, granting us the Dhamma-eye, full penetration into the knowledge of Dhammakāya, the three vidyās, the eight vidyās, the six higher knowledges, the four analytical insights, the eight liberations, and the fifteen conducts, complete in every respect, together with strong health and long life to keep building merit and perfections throughout this life, steadily on the path toward Nibbāna, the final end of Dhamma.

The sitting closed with: "Sabbe buddhā balappattā, paccekānañca yaṃ balaṃ, arahantānañca tejena, rakkhaṃ bandhāmi sabbaso. Sabba-buddhānubhāvena, sabba-dhammānubhāvena, sabba-saṅghānubhāvena, saddhā-sotthī bhavantu te" — and a final aspiration that all these wholesome wishes come to fruition for everyone present, from this moment onward, through every life to come, all the way to the final end of Dhamma, by the boundless power of every Lord Buddha.