พระมหาวัชรินทร์สอนหลักการนั่งสมาธิก่อนเข้าสู่ช่วงปฏิบัติ อธิบายว่าสมาธิเกิดจากการรวมกาย ใจ และสติไว้ ณ จุดเดียวกัน พร้อมชี้แนวทางเลือกจุดวางใจ การรับมือความฟุ้งซ่าน และการผ่อนคลายอย่างพอดีเพื่อให้นั่งได้นานPhra Maha Vacharin teaches the principles of sitting meditation before a practice session, explaining that concentration arises when body, mind, and mindfulness converge on a single point. He covers how to choose that point, how to handle distraction, and how to relax just enough to sit for a long time.
Clear Knowing Means Placing the Mind Clearly After Closing the Eyes
Keeping the mind in wholesome states lets us put everything we've learned into practice. True clear knowing happens once the eyes are closed — it means being clear about exactly where we rest the mind, never drifting or hazy. If we're not aware of that haziness, (avijjā) takes over every time we close our eyes.
Once the eyes close, we must learn to inhabit the inner world, as opposed to the outer world perceived through the eyes and outer sense bases. Connecting with the inner Triple Gem requires a clear point of connection — fixing on something and resting the mind there, like a lens focusing light. If we can't find that point of connection, there's nothing to gather the light into real power. Finding where to rest the mind requires to guide it; without mindfulness, the mind simply drifts. Mindfulness is therefore a tool we must use constantly with our eyes closed — for instance, recalling an image of the Buddha as a meditation object, and resting with that image. The Buddha image becomes the point where the mind gathers, though that point must be located within the body.
The Three Components of Sitting Meditation
Sitting meditation is bringing body and mind together. Concentration () only arises when mindfulness is present within — body and mind joined together with mindfulness as the connecting point. Without mindfulness present, what we're doing is just ordinary sitting, not meditation, because the mind isn't with the body — and the stream of merit from Nibbana won't flow in every time we close our eyes to meditate. If body and mind don't come together and there is no mindfulness, the stream of merit doesn't flow, and the connection to the Triple Gem doesn't happen.
Sitting and falling asleep doesn't count — it lacks the component of mindfulness. Sitting while the mind wanders outward, thinking about family members, also isn't fully effective — the components aren't complete because body and mind haven't joined. Sitting meditation requires three things united at a single point: body, mind, and mindfulness. For example, if we fix attention at a fingertip, the body is the finger, the mind is the senon, and fixing attention is bringing them together there. If we can fix at a point, that means mindfulness is present; without mindfulness, we cannot fix on any point at all. Only with mindfulness can we hold our attention steadily at that point for a long time, letting the stream of merit induct in — like a machine that starts working once the switch is flipped.
Many Valid Resting Points — the Seven Bases
These three components can be placed anywhere in the body, and the mind can gather anywhere within it — recalling the Buddha image at , fixing at the head, or moving through the Seven Bases as taught by the revered senior teacher. The body is simply the instrument; once our eyes are closed, we bring the mind to rest with the body.
Even soreness or aching can serve as a point of awareness, since it, too, is located within the body — a headache, an aching hand — fix attention right there. Once fixed, mindfulness stays with that point, sensation settles there, and body, mind, and mindfulness come together. This works too. Even starting from suffering rather than pleasure still falls within these same three components — this is called -sacca, appearing in the present moment. We can use bodily discomfort itself as the connecting point for resting the mind, by observing whatever signal arises in the body and using that as our anchor, focused through mindfulness.
Sitting Long Without Quality, If the Components Aren't Complete
Someone who likes to sit while letting the mind drift can also sit for an hour — but without quality. For real quality, or the full power of merit, the three components must converge at a single point, like three legs of a stand coming together to create strength. Only with that strength can one draw in merit from the inner Triple Gem or Nibbana. It isn't as simple as just sitting any way and expecting induction to happen — the three components are required, and one must sit long enough to also cleanse defilements. Give an hour, and an hour's worth is purified; give however many minutes, and that much is purified.
You May Shift the Point, But Not Too Often
If we stay with the body but don't know exactly where within it, without mindfulness we can't focus properly. It's fine to change the resting point, but not too frequently. Suppose we try one point for five minutes and can't settle the mind there — we can move to another point. But changing too often keeps the mind unsettled and without power. Try holding a point for around fifteen minutes, or five minutes — not switching every single minute. Once you find a point where you can stay a long time, keep staying there. This is how sitting meditation arises from these three components coming together.
Old Memories and Distraction While Sitting
While training in sitting, old memories will surface and cause distraction. When this happens, simply observe without elaborating on it, and without resisting or forcing yourself not to think. Just ac that the mind is distracted, then bring it back to the same resting point. Recognize the distraction, let it go, and return to the same point. At first there may be no clear image — let sensation lead the way. Stay with the sensation and the fixed point for a long while, gradually training mindfulness to become stable first.
Relaxing Just the Right Amount, Without Seeking Results
Once the three components begin to converge, gradually adjust toward relaxation — not "comfort," but "relaxation," in just the right measure, so that we can sit for a long time. We aren't sitting for just five or ten minutes but for an hour or more, so relaxation must be natural — without tension, without hurry, and without seeking a result. Seeking results turns into craving. Simply be aware in each present moment for the sake of . Purity contains no craving for anything at all — just stay focused on the present, continuously sustaining body, mind, and mindfulness together.
Calm Abiding and the Cleansing of the Hindrances
Doing this continuously until stillness arises — that stillness is . Samatha becomes the power that brings stillness and carries the mind to cleanse defilements — cleansing (), cleansing paṭigha, meaning displeasure, dissatisfaction, murkiness, or dullness — all of which arise from the hindrances. Once we understand this principle clearly, when we close our eyes we'll know there is a process like this: gradually easing until body and mind converge at a single point. Converging at a single point is itself the presence of mindfulness.
Testing Whether a Resting Point Actually Works
If you've been used to resting at the center of the abdomen, test how many minutes you can actually stay there. If it lasts only five minutes before distraction sets in, that point isn't yet the right one — look for another point that holds longer. Don't rely on habit as the standard. If a point truly works, you should be able to rest there for at least half an hour. Accept things as they actually are — what works, works; what doesn't, doesn't. Don't train on habit alone; train while staying present.