นำนั่งสมาธิ: จุดเดียว ดวงแก้ว และรสแห่งธรรมGuided Meditation: One Point, the Crystal Ball, and the Taste of Dhamma

Preparing the Body, Preparing the Mind

Begin by adjusting the body, sitting in a posture that is suitable — one we can hold as long as our physical frame allows. Sit easily, sit long, and settle into the posture that feels most steady for us. Once we have found a seat that feels settled, the next matter is where to place the mind. We have to place it clearly — knowing clearly means clearly, nothing less will do. Be clear about one single point, not broad. The narrower it is, the easier the focus becomes.

Finding One Single Point to Rest the Mind

We may focus anywhere on the body. The first base is the opening of the nostrils — we place the mind there, focused on that one point alone. Or one may place it between the eyebrows. Or place it at the point of contact between the body and the seat, being aware of that contact. That awareness must be clear, not drifting — do not let the mind drift even for a single second, because it slows us down. Focus on a point, a place, then stay fixed and aware, still, at that point — whichever point is easiest to place the mind on, use that one.

Mindfulness First, Comfort Second

Once the mind is placed, mindfulness becomes steady. We must put mindfulness first — mindfulness is number one. Luang Phor said, “mindfulness, then comfort” — but do not forget that comfort is number two. Once mindfulness is steady, we gradually relax into comfort. But if number one is not yet firm — if the first step, the foundation, is not yet firm — it is not yet time to relax or make ourselves comfortable. Mindfulness is therefore a quality of great help — sati-sampajañña is called a quality of great help to practice, to sitting, to wholesome states. Let us train mindfulness, train the placing of the mind. For the mind to have power it must gather into a single point. For the mind to succeed it needs strength, so we must train the mind to stay at that one point. At the start any meditation word (parikamma) will do, but try this first: look for one clear point to place the mind — clear, bright, evident — then stay fixed on it continuously, clear, bright, focused, staying at that one point continuously and for a long time. Let the strength of steady mindfulness be the foundation, sustain and protect that mindfulness, then gradually relax just enough to be sustainable.

The Crystal Ball as a Visual Aid

We may picture a crystal ball resting at the point we are focused on — wherever we focus, we place the crystal ball there. If the point is still not clear or not firm, we use the crystal ball as a meditation image (nimitta) placed into that point. For example, if we are focused on the opening of the nostrils, instead of just thinking of the nose, we place the crystal ball right there at the nose. Or if focused on the crown of the head, we place the crystal ball on the crown, as a point for placing the mind. Or one may place it at the palm, the arm, the leg — wherever touches the seat — or at the tip of the index finger touching the tip of the thumb. Whichever point is easiest, use that one, but let it be a single point, and stay aware there. We will begin to feel stillness. Once we are aware, we have mindfulness, and we stay still with that mindfulness — that stillness together with mindfulness is exactly the right result. There will be stillness at the point we have placed, and we will be able to sustain it further — this is the accomplishment that arises. The stillness will grow more and more still, aware continuously, still at that one point. Still enough, firm enough, it will hold — once it holds, we can stay there, at that one point.

The Worth of Stilling the Mind, Even for a Minute

Stay still for one minute, and pure energy arises for that whole minute — a stream of merit flows continuously for that one minute. It is worthwhile. Whether we see it or not does not matter — the profit has already arisen. The stream of merit has already arisen. The sphere of merit will carry energy, sacred elements of merit, subtle treasures, blueprints of accomplishment, all flowing in. It feels as if we gained nothing, yet we have gained a great deal. The stream of merit flows in abundantly, able to cleanse and clear away so much. Do not underestimate the stilling of a human mind. If it were not so important, being born would not be so difficult — but because it is so important, being born is difficult. Being born human is difficult. Being born and encountering the Buddha's teaching is difficult. Encountering the teaching and then coming to sit in meditation is difficult — see how difficult it is? Yet we do something so simple, and the merit gained is immense. Simply stilling the mind earns more merit than going here and there to give alms, or rushing about doing many kinds of merit-making elsewhere. Doing so much, rushing about until exhausted, still does not equal sitting and stilling the mind at ease for just one minute. Stilling the mind is therefore a matter of great importance, a great thing. Every time we close our eyes, let us take pride that we are drawing nearer to the path of nibbāna with every second.

A Small Point, a Great Power

Let it be focused correctly on one single point — that is our task, the human body with awareness, bringing body and mind together at one point. The more truly single that point is, the more power it holds. A small point, but with great power. A small point, yet the happiness and success we await are there, and it has the capacity to cleanse away impurity on a vast scale. We simply stay here, do just this, sustain the mind just this much, aware and focused continuously. As the focus narrows and becomes smaller, it will hold longer, and the focusing itself becomes easier. We make it a small point because it gathers the mind more easily — it does not drift, does not wander, does not slip away. When it does not drift, wander, or slip away, the hindrances (nīvaraṇa) find it hard to enter. What used to wander easily now finds it harder to wander, because we have steady mindfulness and a sharp point of focus — it must be sharp and keen, sharp and keen at that one point — and then we gradually relax, just enough, relax just enough to sustain it. Once mindfulness is steady, we relax appropriately, aware appropriately, placing the mind appropriately — meaning not letting ourselves become too comfortable, and not straining mindfulness too much either. It becomes gently balanced, just right — we stay with that balance, that gentleness, that just-rightness in placing the mind, letting the stream of merit flow through continuously.

The Flavor of Dhamma

Relax just enough. Still the mind, quiet, staying at that point continuously. Keep placing the mind there, keep being aware there — it becomes the mark, the reference point for placing the mind clearly. So the mark we set must be clear. We stay with that clarity, just enough, not too much, not too little, adjusting point by point. Once we can sustain it, we can stay longer — focused on that one point, sustaining it further, we begin to savor the feeling. At first we simply stilled the mind, simply looked for a landmark for the mind, simply relaxed just enough to sustain it. Sustained long enough, it becomes something we savor — savoring the stilling of the mind. Gradually we come to taste the fruit of a focused mind, to taste the flavor of Dhamma — this is where “Dhamma-rasa”, the flavor of Dhamma, comes from: tasted from stilling the mind, tasted from inner happiness. The flavor of Dhamma arises, bringing gentleness, softness, lightness, purity. The longer we still ourselves, the more we begin to receive it, to become aware of it — happiness arising from stillness, and it begins to feel enjoyable to sit. What was once just sitting blankly, dully, once flavor enters, becomes enjoyable. Sitting still, as if doing nothing, yet there is something to do. So our sitting will no longer be the dull, blank kind of sitting — it will have flavor, as if there is something to do even while we are perfectly still. This is the inner state taking over the work — it takes over and continues working, and we feel as if we are doing nothing, yet something is at work within. Once this process arises, once this feeling arises, it means we are on the right path. Once on the right path, we simply continue being aware, continue watching — just watching. Once we reach this point, we will naturally want to just stay still, not wanting to do anything else, wanting to keep our eyes closed just like this, wanting to stay in that state every minute, every moment. We can stay for an hour, we can stay for two hours, sitting without limit, because it becomes something we are absorbed in. Once we are absorbed in savoring it, from then on it is up to us — we can sit long, sit easily, sit with gentleness, with comfort, with stillness. This, altogether, is the flavor of Dhamma — the flavor of sitting, the flavor of the Dhamma that arises from stillness. And we will come to taste its depth, to taste the state that arises. Meditation, besides earning merit, once we sit until it holds, sit until it is clear, comes with the bonus of enjoyment, a playful kind of happiness. Once it becomes enjoyable, we want to do it, want to sit, because it is no longer dull or blank — it feels as if there is something to do, as if happiness is offered to us. All we do is focus just this much, stay at one point, stay with our own feeling, stay with our own body, stay with stillness, stay with what is real rather than illusion, stay with the knower, stay with the knowledge, stay with the Lord Buddha, heading toward nibbāna. This flavor will arise on its own — it is the connecting of an inner state that arises from purity. Let us simply still ourselves, quietly, at the one point we are focused on — that is all there is to do, and there is no other task greater than this. There is nothing to do, yet the feeling is as if something inside is working, because it is the inner state taking over. Doing as if not doing — staying within, gently, or even if not entirely gently, there is still a stillness within. We simply remain aware of this stopping, this stillness, at the one point we are focused on. Gently sustain the mind, sustain the placing of the mind, stilling ourselves at that one point. Do it calmly, do it slowly, do it gently, so that refinement of the mind arises. Soon the mind will become refined on its own; the gentleness will arise on its own.

Closing Chant

He then leads a closing Pali chant invoking the power of all Buddhas, the Dhamma, and the Sangha for wellbeing — “sabbe buddhānubhāvena, sabbe dhammānubhāvena, sabbe saṅghānubhāvena, sabbe sotthī bhavantu te” (by the power of all the Buddhas, by the power of the Dhamma, by the power of the Sangha, may all blessings be yours). [An earlier portion of the chant in the source recording was too indistinct to transcribe reliably and has been omitted per the arranging guidelines.]