Today there are many attendants from Canada. To study Buddhism, one must first understand the concept. Buddhism answers only one question: how to be free from suffering. That’s the only thing Buddhism has an answer to. Buddhism is not just about sitting meditation to calm the mind, not to learn about the past, not to forecast the future, or anything else. Those are not the goals of Buddhism. Buddhism is the religion of knowledge, awakening, and enlightenment. It’s about how our minds can be aware, awaken, and enlightened, not drowning in suffering.
People in the world are pitiful. They are constantly drowning in suffering and finding ways to be free from it. Wise men and prophet of different religions, all have strived to find the way to avoid suffering. How can one find happiness in life? How can one attain the ultimate happiness? How can we return to be with God? Buddhism does not concern itself with those issues. Whether there is a God or not is not a big deal for Buddhists. As Buddhists, we focus on the present. We strive not to suffer in the present moment. We do not wait until we suffer or until we die and be with God. Those are more of future expectations, not present.
To avoid suffering in the present moment, you have to study to find out what is its origins. Suffering arises from causes and conditions. Most people want to avoid suffering, yet they unknowingly create the causes for it. They do not realize what the cause is that leads to its manifestation. Lord Buddha observed that life is filled with suffering: physical suffering from aging, illness, and death; mental suffering from negative emotions that separate us from joy and love. We want things that we can’t have. We feel indifferent while sinking into suffering at times. There are feelings that contribute to our sorrow. Therefore, suffering resides in both the body and mind.
The cause must be renounced, and we must understand its effects.
Lord Buddha indeed sought the root cause of suffering to find out which is its origin. To alleviate suffering, we must address its root, not just its symptoms. This is crucial. The cause must be renounced, and we must understand its effects. Just as in life, when suffering arises, we acknowledge it, not running away from it. No one can escape suffering. The cause of suffering lies within our grasping mind, our desires, and our attachments. Just like we grasp onto our bodies, when they age or suffer, we suffer. When our bodies deteriorate, we suffer. When our bodies fall ill, our minds suffer. When our bodies die, we grieve. Similarly, when our minds are disturbed, we wish for it to pass, for the unpleasant emotions to cease. When we experience pleasant emotions, we wish for them to stay. Lord Buddha had analyzed this and found that it is actually the craving and the grasping that lead to our suffering.
The truth is, the body is born, it must age, it must suffer, it must die. This is an unavoidable nature. Lord Buddha didn’t teach us to run away from this reality but to understand and to accept it. If the mind can accept the truth that we must age, we must suffer, and die, then craving to be young, to not suffer and to live eternally will not arise. If we understand the truth, craving doesn’t arise. Understanding the truth is wisdom, it cleanses away ignorance or delusion. When we don’t delude ourselves, we then understand the reality of this body. The body must age, must suffer, and must die. If the mind can accept this truth, craving and agitation do not arise. When the body ages, there’s no desire for it not to age or to become young again. Whenever desire arises, the mind fabricates continually. Then consequently suffering arises. Therefore, if we see the truth of the body, whatever will happen to it, the mind won’t suffer.
Likewise, if we see the truth of the mind, regardless of what happens within it, we won’t suffer. The truth of the mind is that it is impermanent. A happy mind is temporary, as is a suffering mind. A good mind is temporary, just as a bad mind, full of greed, anger, and delusion, is temporary. We can’t command a good mind, nor can we control it. The mind is beyond our control. We can’t command it. When the mind is restless, we cannot command it not to be restless. If the mind is suffering, we cannot command it to be happy. You just can’t. The mind will become angry. We can’t command it not to be angry. We may command ourselves not to be angry, but it doesn’t always listen. Sometimes, despite our intentions, we get angry. We may intend not to be greedy, but the mind doesn’t listen. When a woman has a boyfriend with bad habits, she may decide not to love him anymore, but when he apologizes, she forgives him again. The mind is beyond our control. We simply can’t command it.
Therefore, we will see that if we learn the truth of the mind, we realize that this mind is not permanent. It keeps changing all the time. It is naive for most people to wish that the mind would be happy all the time. Wishing for the mind to always experience only positive emotions, not negative ones. This is also naive. Everything that arises is inherently impermanent, beyond our control. This is the nature of the mental state.
As for the physical condition, it is also impermanent, non-self and constantly being constrained by suffering. Our bodies are not inherently good; they are constantly plagued by suffering. Sitting for too long causes discomfort, walking for too long causes fatigue, sleeping for too long also causes discomfort. Everything we do involves suffering. Some may feel that hard work leads to fatigue, so they need to sleep in order to feel fresh. Yet, sleeping brings only temporary happiness. After a while, discomfort returns. You then have to keep moving because your bodies seek to avoid suffering. If you remain still, suffering arises. The undeniable truth about the body is its inherent suffering. And it’s beyond our control; we can’t command it not to feel pain or not to fall ill.
In summary, the truth of both the body and the mind shares common character, which is they are all under the Three Characteristics. The body and the mind are both impermanent. The body and the mind are both subject to suffering. And when we stay in one emotion for too long, for example, we desire to listen to a sermon and then after a while, we become bored as the sermon doesn’t end. The mind becomes restless. We can’t tolerate it anymore; we don’t like it. Initially, we may enjoy it, but as time goes on, we lose interest. Similarly, in relationships, we may love someone passionately at first, believing we will be in love forever. However, after being together for many years, our feelings may become indifferent, and if we’re not happy with each other, we may even become angry. The truth of life is that it’s filled with things we can’t endure, things we can’t tolerate for long periods in the same emotional state.
Even in the blissful state of meditation, happiness can only be sustained for a while. Eventually, we must leave that state. We can’t remain in meditation indefinitely as it’s also subject to impermanence. It’s constantly constrained and beyond our control. Therefore, the truth of both the body and the mind is that they are impermanent, subject to suffering, and non-self. This is reality. If our minds can accept this truth, then they will be free from craving, attachment, and agitation, free from embellishment and free from fabrication.
When certain conditions arise, the mind is fine with it. It’s okay for the body to age; that’s normal. When the body is in pain, the mind understands the reality that the body is not permanent, it suffers, it’s non-self, and that’s okay. The mind can accept pain and acknowledge that it will eventually die and may lose loved ones, because it understands that all emotions are temporary. When faced with negative emotions, such as sadness or restlessness, the mind accepts them too. It’s not just about accepting the good phenomena. Through continuous contemplation, the mind can accept the bad ones as well. When the mind reaches a state of equanimity towards all conditions, whether pleasant or unpleasant, it transcends agitation. When the mind is free from agitation, it truly attains peace.
The path to truly access peace
The path to truly access peace is by seeing the truth within the mind and body, not merely by meditating. No matter how skilled one is at meditation, at some point, the mind must be out of meditation and interact with external emotions. When Prince Siddhartha went into monkhood, he studied with ascetics, but he found that the way out of suffering could not be achieved through that. While in contemplation, there was temporary happiness, but once out, the suffering remained the same. As far as I have observed, those who are stuck in meditation tend to be more malicious than ordinary people, as their defilements grow like compound interest.
Therefore, to access calmness through meditation does not truly address the issue. It’s like taking painkillers when we’re not feeling well. It temporarily relieves the pain. Once the effect wears off, the pain returns. Similarly, when our minds are restless, we meditate, and when the meditation’s power wanes, we become disheartened again. Lord Buddha realized that being skilled at meditation, sitting for long periods, or achieving sudden tranquility does not really address the problems. He investigated the root cause of mental suffering and found that it’s our refusal to accept the truth of the body and mind. We refuse to acknowledge that they are inherently unsatisfactory, constantly under the pressure of suffering, and beyond our control.
When the mind refuses to accept this, desire arises. When the mind refuses to accept that we have to age, it then desires not to age. If we can accept that aging is inevitable, there is no need to desire. Aging is natural. Therefore, dhamma is not something extraordinary; it’s just ordinary. We often depict dhamma as something extraordinary, but in reality, it is ordinary. It’s our refusal to accept the ordinary that makes it extraordinary. The ordinary nature of the body is to age, to experience pain, and to pass away. The ordinary nature of the mind is to be content sometimes, be disappointed sometimes, to be affected by both positive and negative emotions, to experience both wholesomeness and unwholesomeness. That’s the reality of the mind. So, when our minds are restless, we refuse to accept it and seek ways to calm it down, such as through meditation.
When we can accept the truth of our bodies and minds, that they are impermanent. They are oppressed to decay and beyond our control, then the mind will be ultimately free from desire. When the mind is free from desire or craving, it will also be free from agitation. When the mind is free from agitation, it will attain peace and true tranquility. This peace is nirvana.
There is one particular vocabulary, “Nirodha” (the truth of the cessation of suffering). Nirodha is the extinguishing of all suffering. Nirodha has several levels such as extinguishing suffering by entering contemplation. This is a way to extinguish suffering but just temporarily. Extinguishing suffering by practicing to develop wisdom. When we develop wisdom, as soon as the mind understands the truth through wisdom, happiness arises. The matter of suffering disappears. Extinguishing suffering through the understanding of Noble Path or Four Noble Fruits, the highest extinguishing of suffering is nirvana. Nirodha itself is the extinguishing entity, while nirvana is the peaceful entity. True peace lies in our ability to let go of false views, and understand the dhamma. When we can let go of false views, desire and the agitation of the mind disappear. When the mind does not struggle, it is peaceful. This true peace comes from the gradual development of wisdom until reaching the goal. Experiencing the true peace of nirvana is true peace.
Nirvana is not a strange condition. The state of nirvana and its characteristics is peaceful. Peaceful from what? Peaceful from ignorance, peaceful from not knowing, peaceful from craving, peaceful from attachment, and peaceful from fabrication. These peace arise because of wisdom. We cultivate wisdom to see the truth of the body, to see the truth of the mind. The mind accepts the truth of the body; the mind will not suffer because of the body. The mind can accept the truth of the mind that nothing is permanent, they are suffering and non-self. The mind will then not suffer because of the mind. For example, if you meditate and feel content, you then think that meditation is the way to go about happiness. This is still not true because the happiness from meditation is still temporary. You are yet to realize the truth. Therefore, the way to alleviate suffering for most practitioners through escaping suffering won’t really set you free from suffering. To truly be free from suffering, one must do it through wisdom, seeing the truth of the body and mind.
The way that leads to understanding the truth of the body and mind is through the cultivation of insight meditation or Vipassana.
How to see the truth of the body and mind? To see the truth of the body and mind, we have to be mindful and aware of the true nature of the body and mind. We need to know without bias, without prejudice. This means knowing with a steadfast and neutral mind. If our mind is not steadfast and neutral, it will have biases and will not be able to see reality as it is. Therefore, to see the truth of the body and mind, we must know the body as it is, know the mind as it is, not as we want them to be. Knowing how the body is, knowing how the mind is, knowing it truthfully the way it is.
Some masters use the phrase “knowing it truthfully the way it is”, it means knowing without fabrication. There’s no need to pretend to be a good person, striving to be perfect, not greedy, not angry, or not delude. Trying to be a good person can lead to stress about living up to that ideal. Instead, knowing it truthfully; if the mind is unwholesome, acknowledge it. Then see whether the unwholesomeness is permanent or not? Look right here. When our mind is restless, we sit down to meditate, and our mind is still restless. If we want calmness but our mind is restless, we acknowledge that it’s restless. See how long it can remain restless. Eventually, restlessness won’t persist, and the mind becomes calm. When the mind is calm, we rejoice. Oh, that’s awesome. Today, our prayers are better than yesterday. Yesterday wasn’t good, but today is. Today, it’s finally calm. The mind is pleased and content. We keep sitting, and eventually, it becomes restless like before. A calm mind will naturally move to work and to think again.
Keep learning about this truth. We do not practice just to be good as goodness is not permanent. We do not practice just to be happy as happiness is not permanent. We do not practice just for peace as the peace we know is not permanent. But we practice to see the truth of the body and mind. We practice to see the truth of the body and mind. If we can see the truth of the body and mind, the mind loses desires, attachments, and agitation. The mind reaches true peace with wisdom. Now there’s no need to maintain it. Once the mind reaches this ultimate point, there’s no need for maintenance. The mind is just peaceful. It’s empty.
At this point where it’s called “Śunatā” or voidness, it’s not referring to external emptiness. It refers to where our mind is free from fabrication so It is empty. Empty from what? Empty from fabrication, empty from cravings, empty from suffering. Nirvana is right there, not elsewhere. It’s not in some other world that we need to seek. As long as we seek nirvana, we will never find it because seeking is driven by craving. Seeking is the agitation and fabrication. There’s no way to find nirvana through agitation and fabrication alone.
Therefore, the primary duty of us Buddhists is to learn about the body the way it is, learn about the mind the way it is, learn as it truly is. This body, this mind, as Lord Buddha said, are suffering. The Five Aggregates are suffering. So, this body, this mind, they are indeed suffering. We do not practice dhamma to transform them to become better or extraordinary. Truly, they are suffering. The Five Aggregates are suffering. We have to learn about it. Lord Buddha taught us to understand suffering, not to desert it. We all want to avoid suffering altogether; instead, we should aim to avoid the cause of suffering. To avoid the cause of suffering is to avoid craving and attachment. Craving and attachment stem from a cause, which is ignorance, the refusal to accept the truth of the body and mind. Therefore, if we want to uproot the problem, it’s about abandoning the wrong view regarding this body and mind.
Once we truly understand that this body is indeed suffering; the desire for the body to be happy doesn’t arise, the desire for the body not to suffer doesn’t arise. If we see the truth, the mind accepts the truth that consciousness is also a source of suffering. The desire for consciousness to be happy doesn’t arise, the desire for consciousness not to suffer doesn’t arise because we already know that the Five Aggregates, including body and mind, form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, are suffering. Being aware of suffering doesn’t mean abandoning it. The thing you should abandon is the cause of suffering. The cause of suffering has various levels, and at the subtlest level, it’s the craving, the attachment, the mental agitation. The origin of suffering, which leads to the arising of craving, attachment, and mental agitation, is ignorance, the lack of understanding of the true nature of the body and mind. This ignorance is the root, the cause, that leads to the arising of the mental fabrication and agitation.
Therefore, if you want to practice, you have to learn the truth of the body and truth of the mind until the mind can accept the truth. This body is impermanent. it is suffering, it is non-self. This mind is not permanent; it is suffering, it is non-self. When the mind can accept the truth, the mind then no longer desires, loses attachments, and loses mental agitation, and reaches peace. True peace is nirvana. The actual nirvana, not the assuming one like entering meditative absorption. That’s called the Brahma nirvana, not the genuine nirvana of Buddhism. Nirvana of Buddhism appears when one reaches ultimate purity through wisdom, understanding the true nature of the body and mind.
So how can one understand the truth of the body and mind? The way that leads to understanding the truth of the body and mind is through the cultivation of insight meditation or Vipassana. Vipassana comes from the words “vi” and “passana.” “Passana” means seeing, and “vi” means clearly or thoroughly. Seeing clearly, seeing truly, seeing the phenomena as they are. Seeing the body and mind as they really are means seeing the Three Characteristics; they are impermanent, suffering, and non-self. So, our task in cultivating insight meditation is to observe the reality of the body and mind, to see that they are impermanent, that they are suffering, and that they are non-self. That’s why it’s called insight meditation. It’s not about thinking; it’s about truly seeing. Seeing the body as it is, seeing the mind as it is. We can only see the body as it is and the mind as it is once we train the mind to be the knower.
Train the mind to be the knower
The forest monastery masters often refer to this mind as the “knower mind.” The knower mind is the mind that withdraws itself from the world of thoughts and resides in reality. It observes the phenomena of the body, observes the phenomena that pass through the mind. The mind is just the observer, just the knower. The mind that can be the knower has to practice. Our mind isn’t always the knower. Our mind is the thinker, the planner, the deluded one, the restless one, the one constantly seeking pleasure. It seeks this and that feeling endlessly. Therefore, our mind is the thinker, the planner, the creator. That’s why the first step is to develop our mind to become the knower, the awakened one. The way to make our mind the knower, the awakened one, is to cultivate some kind of foundation, a homebase. Then constantly be aware of our own mind.
For me, my home base is inhaling Bud, exhaling Dho. When the mind wanders to think, I am aware. The mind wanders to focus on the breath, I am aware. The mind wanders to think about Bud-Dho, I am aware. Then the mind becomes steadfast and becomes the knower, not the thinker, not the one wandering aimlessly. The enemies of the knower are twofold: the one who wanders and the one who keeps focusing on one emotion like those who practice contemplation. Those who focus tightly on one emotion are not the true knower. I myself use inhaling Bud, and exhaling Dho as a homebase, while Ajarn Ar uses bodily movements. Moving and being aware, moving and being aware. Sometimes the mind wanders away. As soon as there’s movement, ah, the mind is aware that it wanders away. The mind then becomes steadfast and awakens. I once pointed out to Ajarn Ar while we were sitting at a rest area by the motorway, saying, “Do you see? Those people who were passing by, no one is aware of themselves. No one is the knower. There are only wanderers, lost in the world of thoughts and fantasies.”
You have to practice, accumulate your consciousness. The method is to assign a homebase, anything will do, and then be aware of your own mind. I didn’t just say that you only have to assign a homebase. The key is that you have to be aware of your own mind. That’s the key. Be aware of your own mind. Therefore, whether we practice by chanting Bud-Dho or any words of your choice, anything at all. As long as when you chant, the mind wanders off to think about something else, you are aware. Or if the mind goes off to focus on the breath, be aware. You can observe the abdomen, and when it contracts, and then the mind escapes to think, be aware. When the mind keeps focusing on the abdomen, be aware. You can also choose to see the breath, and when the mind wanders off to think about something else, be aware. When the mind keeps focusing on the breath, be aware. Moving your hands in a rhythmic manner like Luangpor Tien’s method is good too. When the mind moves, or the mind wanders off to think, be aware. When the mind keeps focusing on the hand movements, be aware. It is the same principle.
Create a foundation of practice or a homebase that suits you, anything that you are comfortable with. The key point or the essence of it all is to be aware of your own mind. When the mind wanders away from the homebase, be aware. When the mind drifts away to focus on that emotion, be aware. Keep practicing extensively. In my case, I breathe in and out, inhaling Bud, exhaling Dho. When the mind wanders off to think, forgetting about the breath, it won’t forget for too long. Soon enough, the mind realizes that it moves away from the homebase.
Once, I attempted to move like the practice of Venerable Luangpor Tien. As I have practiced using Anapanasati or mindfulness of breathing, I wanted to try practicing by moving in 14 steps the way Luangpor Tien has taught. I have tried that and one day while walking on a street, I spotted a friend walking on the opposite side of the road. I had not seen this friend for a long time so I felt joyful. Yet, I didn’t realize that I was joyful. I lost mindfulness. As I was about to move my foot to cross the road to meet my friend, as soon as the foot began to move, mindfulness arose. Once I moved, I realized that my mind wandered off. That was like when I practiced moving my hands in steps. But that moment I didn’t move my hand but my foot. The mind realized it and mindfulness automatically arose. Then the mind became resolute and radiant.
Therefore, you can practice using anything as a homebase, but the crucial point is to be aware of the mind. If the mind strays from the homebase, be aware. If the mind keeps focusing too much on the homebase, be aware. Practice this, and the mind will become a knower, an awakened, and a joyful one. As for myself, I started practicing breathing meditation at the age of 7. One day, while playing in front of my row house (back in the days when there weren’t many cars around), the footpath in front of the row houses was spacious and empty. Many children would come to play games using marbles together. Do you know marbles? Kids these days might not know what it is. Back then, they had clay marbles, not just any stones. They were made of fired clay or something like that. They were glass marbles. They played with them.
While playing, I saw a fire burning near my house, about 4-5 rooms away in the row of houses. Startled, I instinctively grabbed my marbles and wouldn’t let go, even as the fire was about to burn. I was still clinging to my marbles despite the fire. Startled, I ran with fear. With each step, fear persisted. On the third step, my mind was aware of the fear. Fear suddenly vanished, and mindfulness arose. At that moment, I was 10 years old. During meditation practice, I practiced by being mindful of the breath. Yet, when strong emotions of fear arose, I didn’t focus on the breath. Instead, mindfulness arose on its own.
It was like when practicing moving hands in steps, as soon as my foot moved, mindfulness arose on its own. I didn’t have to wait and be aware of my breath the way I had practiced in order for mindfulness to arise. When emotions suddenly arose, the mind automatically became aware and became the knower. There was no excitement or fear; the mind just became the knower. You have to train yourselves. Practice using any homebase, not for peace, not for happiness, not for goodness, but to be aware of yourselves. If the mind wanders, be aware. If the mind wanders to focus on some emotion, be aware. Then the mind will become resolute and radiant.
Once the mind becomes steadfast and powerful, we can then learn about the body, about the mind. Mindfulness awakens to the body; we see the body as something being observed, not as ourselves or ours. Mindfulness awakens to happiness and suffering within the body and mind; we see happiness and suffering as something being observed, not as ourselves or our possessions. Mindfulness awakens to greed, anger, and delusion; with a steadfast mind, the mind becomes the knower. We then can be aware of greed, anger, and delusion as something observed, not as ourselves or ours.
When the mind is steadfast, then it arises and extinguishes through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, and the mind until it becomes more refined. Then the mind perceives spiritual phenomena arising through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and we see them as something observed. The mind knows the mind. One aspect of the mind perceives forms and becomes captivated by them. Another aspect of the mind, where the captivation occurs, has been functioning for many moments. Initially, the mind sees forms without attachment. Then there is an interpretation of the meaning of the form, and the mind becomes satisfied with it. The mind becomes interested, and it inclines to view the form. This is called being captivated. Initially, there is just perception, without attachment. The eye sees a form, and in the first moment, there is no attachment. But when the meaning of the form is interpreted, then the form is recognized, and there is intentional observation.
Like when you see someone walking, and initially, there’s just a vague image. When you first turn to look, there’s still no defilement. But when you recognize, “Wow, she’s Miss Universe!,” the heart feels, “Oh, so beautiful! I like it, I want to see more,” and then you intentionally look. The mind is being captivated. Once captivated, it’s accompanied by greed. This is the mind being captivated. It is unwholesome. However, if you train the mind well, once the mind wanders to see, the mind that wanders then extinguishes right away, the captivated mind extinguishes. Then the knowing mind arises automatically. Sometimes the masters teach us about the mind wandering off and the knowing mind arising. It is based on this principle. So, keep practicing inhaling Bud, exhaling Dho, when the mind wanders to think, be aware. The mind wanders to think, be aware. Every time you realize that the mind wanders off, the wandering mind then extinguishes, and the knowing mind will arise. Keep practicing until you eventually achieve a strong knowing mind.
To be mindful and constantly aware of both physical and mental phenomena as they truly are, with a steadfast and neutral mind.
Once you have a strong knowing mind, the cultivation of wisdom becomes not difficult. There is only one principle of cultivating wisdom: to be mindful and constantly aware of both physical and mental phenomena as they truly are, with a steadfast and neutral mind. The knowing mind is the mind that is steadfast and neutral. If it’s not neutral, it starts to wander off, being captivated by joy and sorrow. So, be mindful. Why be mindful? What is it for? Have mindfulness to observe your own body and mind. How to observe your body and mind? Be aware as they truly are. That is seeing the truth, seeing that the body and mind is impermanent, suffering, and non-self. They reflect the Three Characteristics. The mind must be firmly established as the knower. Then, when it encounters any phenomena, be aware whether it is joy or sorrow. The mind will be neutral. This state of steadfast and neutral mind means there is no bias. Then, the mind can learn about the body and the mind without prejudice, and be aware of things as they truly are.
When we perceive things but fail to perceive them as they truly are, it’s because of prejudice and bias. Like when 2 children are arguing, we might have previously thought that one child had a good nature and the other didn’t. When we see them arguing, we make a judgment: “The one with the bad nature is the cause.” That’s called bias. However, if our mind is the one seeing, we then see both children arguing. Both are mischievous! It’s just that one is slightly more well-behaved. When that child spots an adult, he behaves better. The mind sees the truth. Therefore, to perceive the truth of our body and mind, the mind must be steadfast and neutral.
This stems from practicing. Assign a homebase and when the mind wanders, be aware. When it wanders to think, be aware; when it wanders to focus on the phenomena, be aware. Through practicing like this, the mind becomes steadfast. Then mindfulness arises. When being aware of the body, you will see the Three Characteristics of the body. When being aware of the mind, you will see the Three Characteristics of the mind. When you see them repeatedly, at some point, the mind will accept the truth. This body is impermanent; it’s suffering and non-self. This mind is not permanent; it’s suffering and non-self. Once the mind accepts the truth, it then truly understands the Dhamma. The Dhamma is the truth itself. When the mind accepts the truth, it lets go of desires, attachments, and fabrications. The mind then reaches true peace and happiness.
The mind that transcends fabrication truly attains genuine peace and happiness. It’s not about not thinking; even amidst thoughts, the mind remains unbiased, not getting lost in the world of thoughts. It sees the flow of thoughts pass through indifferently, as well as the flows of happiness and equanimity. The mind is tranquil, finding happiness like no other. It is different from the happiness we commonly know, which depends on others or external factors. The happiness we know are ones related to sensory experiences—sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches—this is called “sensual happiness”. If it’s the happiness of meditative absorption, it’s called “unworldly happiness,” surpassing sensual happiness. The happiness of Nirvana transcends even that; it doesn’t depend on sensory experiences.
Therefore, Nirvana has no entering, no exiting; Nirvana is right here in front of you. When the mind transcends fabrication, it doesn’t cling to names, forms, or feelings. It’s free from adornments. The mind naturally attains peace and happiness within itself. This is the entire essence that you need to learn, then start practicing. First, observe the five precepts, especially the first four, which are most crucial. The fifth precept distracts our mindfulness. Breaking the fifth precept is unwholesome, yet the first four precepts are the most important.
And then, assign one home base that you are comfortable with, and keep being aware of the mind. When the mind strays to focus on the emotion, be aware. Keep practicing and eventually, the knowing mind will arise. Then, wisdom arises. Once wisdom arises, mindfulness awakens to the body, discerning the Three Characteristics. Mindfulness awakens to feelings, to consciousness, and then one sees the Three Characteristics. Finally, one realizes that everything, both form and name, are all arising, existing, and extinguishing. They are impermanent, suffering and non-self. The mind then lets go of all adhering. When the mind lets go of adhering, agitation ceases, and it attains the true peace and happiness of Nirvana.
This is the entirety of wisdom that we need to study. The day we finish studying it, they call it achieving the status of an Arahant. An Arahant isn’t a superhuman; they still feel hungry if they don’t eat, thirst if they don’t drink, and still feel discomfort in illness. They are ordinary. They aren’t ageless, invulnerable, or immortal. Only their minds are unshaken, and forever peaceful. So, we must practice, and our ultimate goal lies in completely transcending suffering. Transcending suffering means letting go of attachment to names, forms, and feelings. Once we let go of suffering, we no longer pick up names or forms again. The body and mind are sources of suffering; whenever we cling to them, suffering arises. But once we let go of them, there’s no more suffering.
Well, that’s all for today. I actually intended to give a sermon for newcomers. Most Canadians here are accustomed to meditating, so try to understand and practice sitting meditation correctly. Practice sitting meditation while being aware of the mind. Then you can progress. As for sitting meditation like a hermit, when entering deep meditative absorption, once you come out of meditation, the mind will still feel agitated as before.
Wat Suansantidham
27 January 2024