ena, then the noble paths and fruits and fi nally penetrating the Four Noble Truths.
P T E R
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C H A 52 | SAMATHAVIPASSANA MEDITATIONOnly the word, “Stop” is the right path for Buddhists or samaa from the be- gining up to Arahant. It is the real heart of Buddhism. The word “stop,” here, is just one word, but it is the beginning of the real path to true religion for all seekers. Thus, you must bring your mind to stop perfectly still at the center of the Sphere which governs the Human Body. Stopping still is the target. If you don’t stop still you can’t practice. Even if you try for 40-50 years, or 100, or even 120-130 years. If the mind can’t stop still, you can never reach the core foundation of true religion. ... You must get to the gateway of reli- gion to remember and continue on.
Luang Phor Wat Paknam Phra Mongkol-Thepmuni (Sodh Candasaro)
CONCENTRATION | 53
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R E T P A H CW
CONCENTRATION
SAMATHA & ANUPASSANA
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hen a being is about to die and consciousness seeks a rebirth destination, it will pass through these positions. For example, when a human being is to be born, Rebirth Consciousness
(paisandhi-viññāa) will eventually
settle in the mother’s womb. The complete set of refi ned bodies from the refi ned Human Body up, each with its governing First Path Sphere (the pathamagga sphere) becomes a Rebirth Sphere and fi rst settles at the center of the father, entering the father along this seven- step path from Position One at the nostril to Position Seven at the center of the body. If the Rebirth Sphere is female, it enters via the left nostril and left eye. If it is male, it enters via the right nostril and right eye...
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C H A P T E R 54 | SAMATHAVIPASSANA MEDITATION 2.1 SAMATHA MEDITATION 2.11 TRODUCTIONLuang Phor Sodh integrated three methods of samatha con- centration meditation: (1) Light Object Meditation (āloka- kasia),
(2) Mindfulness of Breathing (ānāpānasati), and (3) Recollection of the Virtues of Lord Buddha (Buddhānusati).
Practicing these three together is one of the most effec- tive methods of meditation because the light object is a universal meditation object appropriate for all personality types. While con- templating the preliminary sign (parikamma-nimitta) one visual- izes a light sphere and continues contemplating it, until attaining the learning sign (uggaha-nimitta) and then the counterpart sign (paibhāga-nimitta) which remains stable as a bright sphere for a long time. A meditator who practices any one of the other nine kasias and begins with that preliminary sign will also eventual- ly come to see the light sphere when the mind attains its learning sign and counterpart sign. The light kasia is, therefore, a universal meditation object, appropriate for all temperaments. It can bring the components of the mind, which are vision, memory, thought and cognition, into oneness very effi ciently.
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C H A P T E R CONCENTRATION | 55When a meditator has practiced light object (āloka- kasia) meditation suffi ciently to attain the counterpart sign, the mind be- comes concentrated, stable and one-pointed and the meditator at- tains the fi rst state of absorption (jhāna). The mind, then, contains the fi ve jhāna factors: applied thought (vitakka), sustained thought (vicāra), joy or rapture (pīti), peaceful happiness (sukha) and one- pointed concentration (ekaggatā). The meditator can, then, develop further to the second, third and fourth jhānas. This is the “Right Concentration or Sammā- samādhi” taught by Lord Buddha. That is why the light kasia is so effective.
One who practices light object meditation and completes jhāna attainment (jhāna-samāpatti) of all four rūpa-jhāna and four arūpa-jhāna states (i.e. attains “Right Concentration”) will read- ily achieve supernormal powers (abhiññā) such as the deva eye or deva ear. This, in turn, leads to development of the threefold or eightfold transcendental knowledge (vijjā) taught by Lord Buddha as the essence of enlightenment. Light object meditation or āloka- kasia is, thus, extremely powerful.
Venerable Buddhaghosa explained that light object medi- tation enables one to see all karmic beings in the Three Worlds (the three bhāva or potential domains for rebirth within karmic existence: the Sensual World or kāmaloka, the Brahman World or rūpaloka and the Formless Brahman World or arūpa-loka). This knowledge is called yathākammūpagañāa. It is the foundation for Deva Eye Knowledge (dibbacakkhuñāa), which leads to Knowledge of the Decease and Rebirth of Beings (cutūpapātañāa). That is the second of the Three Transcendental Realizations (vijjā) that Lord Buddha attained on enlightenment night (samantapasadika, 184- 185). Thus, just before attaining enlightenment, Lord Buddha was cultivating light object (āloka-kasia) meditation and also saw the sphere and form icon (rūpa-nimitta). Once, Lord Buddha addressed Phra Anuruddha as follows (Majjhima-nikāya, 14/452/302):
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C H A P T E R 56 | SAMATHAVIPASSANA MEDITATIONTa kho pana vo anuruddhā nimitta pativijjhitabba. Ahampi suda anuruddhā pubbeva sambodhā anabhisambuddho bodhisatto va samāno obhāsaceva sajānāmi dassanaca rūpāna.
Anuruddha and company, you must pene- trate those signs (nimitta) which I saw before enlightenment when I, the Tathāgata, was just a Bodhisatta, not yet enlightened with higher wisdom. I penetrated the light object (āloka-kasia) and saw the form icon (rūpa- nimitta).
Thus, Luang Phor Sodh chose light object meditation (āloka-kasia) along with Mindfulness of Breathing (ānāpānasati) and Recollection of the Virtues of Lord Buddha (Buddhānusati). These methods are very effective because they are based on the Right Practice of Lord Buddha.
2.12 THE MEDITATION PRACTICE
lows:
The way to practice initial samatha concentration is as fol-
Base 1: The Nostril Aperture: Visualize a bright sphere