พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่ากิเลสจะลดลงได้ต้องอาศัยความเป็นใหญ่ในตน (อินทรีย์ 5) ให้กุศลเป็นใหญ่เหนืออกุศล และปัญญาวิมุตติเกิดขึ้นได้ตั้งแต่เข้าใจจนสามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงชีวิตได้จริง ไม่จำเป็นต้องเข้าถึงกายภายในเสมอไปThe teacher explains that reducing defilements requires becoming master of oneself through the five spiritual faculties, letting wholesomeness outweigh unwholesomeness in the mind — and that liberating wisdom can arise the moment understanding truly changes how we live, not only through reaching the inner bodies.
A lay follower asked: many people meditate for a long time, yet their character and defilements don't seem to change much — why is that? Several related questions followed about liberating wisdom (panna-vimutti) and the five spiritual faculties.
Becoming Master of Oneself
Real change requires becoming "master of oneself" — developing the five spiritual faculties (indriya): , faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort. As long as we are not master of ourselves, wholesomeness cannot take charge, and unwholesomeness rules instead. When unwholesomeness is in charge, old habits stay fixed, because the proportion of wholesomeness in the mind is still small and we are not yet familiar with it. Becoming master of oneself happens only when we give real weight and priority to wholesome states — only then can wholesomeness take the lead, and change follows.
The other piece is understanding how the mind actually works. The mind is an "accomplished element" — whatever it resolves upon, it becomes. Without understanding this mechanism, we end up trying to fix the mind in the wrong place. When wholesomeness enters, it brings a higher quality of mind that makes our thinking correct and good, drawing merit in. But if we let our thoughts drift toward unwholesomeness or plain indifference, we draw in unwholesome influence instead, and the mind grows steadily more clouded and low.
What Liberating Wisdom Really Means
Liberating wisdom (panna-vimutti) is understanding clear and complete enough to actually solve the problem and free us from it. Having information alone, without being able to solve the problem, isn't yet liberating wisdom. We must study until a vision arises, an inspiration to genuinely change our life for the better — and until we can actually change. Only then does it deserve the name.
The teacher told the story of a child whose parents told him to sweep the room and put away his bedding, which he did only sometimes. His teacher then showed him videos about dust mites, germs, and insects. Once the child saw the real danger in these things, he grew afraid and began cleaning on his own, without being told. It's the same as someone who won't go to the temple because they don't see the value in it — once they truly understand, they go on their own. This is what liberating wisdom looks like.
Reaching the inner bodies is not a prerequisite for developing liberating wisdom — it is enough for the teacher to have sufficient wisdom to help the listener become free.
How This Relates to the Five Faculties
Developing liberating wisdom does help grow, because wisdom must be accompanied by mindfulness — the two go together. When mindfulness is paired with wisdom, faith naturally increases; without mindfulness, faith becomes mere superstition. As faith grows, concentration becomes more stable and reaches subtler inner dimensions, and liberation can occur whether or not we're consciously aware of it happening.
Being master of oneself is also directly tied to the proportion of wholesome and unwholesome states in the mind. Someone who has accumulated more wholesomeness has more power to restrain unwholesome impulses and choose correctly, because they have greater inner strength and more guidance from the inner knowing ones. No one becomes wise purely on their own — we all depend on inner and outer sources of and guidance.
So, stay close to s and environments that support wholesomeness, and don't be stubborn or difficult to teach — being easy to guide is one of the qualities of someone who will succeed in studying the .