นำนั่งสมาธิสั้นๆ ว่าด้วยการ “กำหนด” ตามพระพุทธดำรัสในสติปัฏฐานสูตร ตั้งแต่การผ่อนคลายกายใจ การใส่ใจให้ดวงรู้ดวงสติตั้งขึ้น การเข้าสู่มิติภายในที่บุญกลั่นชำระมลทิน ไปจนถึงการอยู่กับกรรมฐานด้วยความสบายใจ กลางพระรัตนตรัยและพระนิพพาน พร้อมวิธีนับสัมมาอะระหังA short guided sit on “noting” (กำหนด) as taught by the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta — from relaxing body and mind, through letting the sphere of mindfulness form, into the inner dimension where merit refines away defilements, to resting with one's meditation anchor at ease, radiant in the center of the Triple Gem and Nibbana, with the sammā-arahaṃ counting method.
Make comfortable, make the mind — relaxed, open, spacious and empty, light and at ease, clear, cool, clean, pure, and radiant.
Whatever we note, that is what appears. Whatever we determine our mind on, that thing will arise in our mind. Once it has arisen, it will show its qualities — its nature — within the mind. If what we note is something good, it will draw in the pure energy that is , letting it flow in continuously.
Then set the mind at ease — at ease in body, at ease in mind. The essential foundation of life is physical and mental well-being. We can determine ourselves to be at ease. Our role is simply to note good things into existence in our life — much like making a wish, an aspiration for good things to arise in our life — and force then takes that and builds it into a completed .
Noting, as the Buddha Taught in the Satipatthana Sutta
The Lord Buddha taught in the Satipatthana Sutta: “Bhikkhus, you should note and clearly know the body, feelings, mind, and mental phenomena, in order to remove (abhijjhā) and grief (domanassa) toward the world.” He taught the monastic Sangha that they must note. If we do not note, some other force will come and direct us to note what it wants instead. So we join forces with the wholesome side, and note what is wholesome — this is called noting-and-knowing.
Noting means marking, pinpointing, or specifying. Wherever we mark it, wherever we pinpoint it, wherever we specify it, the mind gets placed right there — that is called paying attention. When we place our attention there, we begin to perceive it: the sphere of knowing, the sphere of , forms right at that spot. Once this sphere of knowing and mindfulness has formed, it draws the pure energy in to flow through right there. That pure energy is merit — and once it flows in, it purifies that very spot first, clearing away the covering, obscuring elements of covetousness until they grow faint and vanish.
Entering the Inner Dimension, Refining and Purifying
Once that faintness has fully cleared, we can enter the inner dimension right there. The inner dimension opens, and we pass into it automatically — like a new room that is still dim. But we know we have entered the inner room. The sphere of knowing and the sphere of mindfulness then shift into full awareness (), perceiving every particle of the atmosphere within that room. Merit is then drawn into the center of that brightness — of the sphere of knowing, the sphere of full awareness — spreading out to fill the whole room, knowing fully in every particle, purifying every particle of the atmosphere, making it clean, making it pure, clearing away the defilements — the covering, obscuring darkness — until it grows faint.
As the covering, obscuring darkness grows faint, brightness gradually appears, gradually appears, until that defiling darkness is entirely gone, and the dimension we are in becomes bright of its own accord. We may be surprised — who turned on the light? But when we open our eyes to check, it is still dark. Whatever method is working, keep doing it — the brightness will come on its own before long.
The sphere of knowing, the sphere of mindfulness — once it has formed, all we need do is keep knowing, without drifting off. Keep knowing steadily, at ease, and merit will come in to purify the defilements. Stay with full awareness, knowing completely, everywhere, in every particle of the atmosphere, with a mind that is relaxed, open, spacious and empty, light and at ease, clear, cool, clean, pure, and radiant. Note with ease — let there be only ease, and be at ease.
Resting with the Meditation Anchor, in the Center of the Triple Gem
In this very moment of knowing steadily, without drifting, we appear radiant in the center of the Triple Gem, and the Triple Gem appears radiant at our center. Every moment we note and know, the sphere of knowing and mindfulness forms — meaning a wholesome mind arises, wholesome s arise. This shows we are dwelling within the system of wholesome Dhamma, with the Triple Gem overseeing that system, and Nibbana standing behind it.
The Triple Gem graciously shines radiant at our center. Both we and all beings appear bright at the center of Nibbana — at the center of the Knower of boundless power, of countless asaṅkhyeyya Buddhas beyond count. The stream of merit from the deep, refined dimension of Nibbana wells up and flows continuously into the center of our body and mind.
The merit flowing in is then refined — the wholesome system does the work of refining, correcting, and improving the elements and Dhamma-nature within us, making them clear, clean, and pure — clearing away the defilements that cause problems and obstacles until they grow faint. As problems and obstacles grow faint, difficulty and hardship grow faint along with them. And once the defilements belonging to a given dimension are gone, we are freed from that dimension into one more refined. Every dimension carries defilement, so long as we have not yet attained arahantship — only, in the more refined dimensions, the defilement is correspondingly more refined; in the coarser dimensions, the defilement is correspondingly coarser.
Stay still, soft, relaxed, and light — let there be only ease, and be at ease. Know while resting in ease, dwell pleasantly in ease, stay in ease continuously, knowing steadily without drifting. We may stay with our , but know it with ease.
Sammā-arahaṃ — we may count along too: sammā-arahaṃ one, sammā-arahaṃ two, sammā-arahaṃ three, sammā-arahaṃ four, sammā-arahaṃ five, sammā-arahaṃ six. Note it syllable by syllable — sammā, arahaṃ; sammā, arahaṃ; sammā, arahaṃ. Note and know, keeping steady without drifting, knowing pleasantly, at ease, and be at ease. Know steadily without drifting — whatever we note, we simply stay with it, and it will appear in the mind; know it, entering into knowing, with ease. Stay with our meditation anchor at ease, and be at ease — let there be only ease.