Evam Me SutamI Hear TellEkam SamayamOnce Upon A Time A Very Long Time Ago (about 2600 years ago, c. 600 B.C.) In the Kingdom of the A-Y-Y-A The Great Master came revisit'n (VIHARITI: Come ta sit down baside one-sa gen) SIDDHATTHA GOTAMA SAKYAMUNISIDDHATTHA: Accomplished Attainer GOTAMA: Family-man (His Mother's Clan) SAKYAMUNI: Wiseman of the body-of-Truth Clan There, appearing in every respect (As he said: Beating the drum of deathlessness in a world gone blind.)
Bhikkhus! He would say, (Beggars!): Pay Attention! And Broke Tooth! I will teach you, beggars, about the world!
In the same way, Beggars, [Readers should, whenever this action is mentioned, actually snap their fingers. — Good Sharp Snap! This is part of the instruction.]
In the case of the first case, beggars, "O,O,O, Here I am, In that case,
Beggars! A beggar looking for his Wishes to come true The path down hedonistic self indulgence and the path down self torture. Avoiding those two extremes[1], he should come up the MAJJHIMA path. The Magic path, the middle way.
IntroductionThere are two schools of thought out there: Here the term "review" is often used for vipassana. "Insight" is not precisely wrong, but has connotations that would be better avoided. The word means VI=Re or In; PASSA=sight or view. The idea is of the seeing of the view one experiences coming upon a mountain pass. "Review" is used because the coming upon that pass involves re-examination as well as accidental discovery. After 'basic training' in generosity, ethical culture, and self-control, the practice that will be presented here could be described briefly as calming down, review, getting high and letting go. Round and round and round and round. The practice of getting high is much older than the Pali, and if it, by it's own nature, could lead to utter detachment, there would have been no need for the Buddha. The practice of getting high is a tool to be used to gain perspective, in the same way as one at the summit can see the view. Here advanced practice will be to describe a path toward the highest getting high and then from there to direct the attention to a path toward the highest vision and the detachment that results by way of review and calming down.
Getting Started: High Getting HighSamma Samadhi. Samma=English summit=high; sama=even, adhi=higher. Here the practice of getting high begins with the satipatthana. SATI=memory, mind; PATTHANA = manufacture. The English "Satisfaction," if understood to mean the state achieved by the two running themes of the Satipatthana Sutta: penetrating knowledge and release, is exactly the meaning intended: the manufacturing of mental and physical satisfaction, the state of having had enough. To the degree it is possible: Find yourself some place to be alone.[4] Sit down in the cross-leg Indian style ('legs bent-across-lapwise')[5]. Your seat should be low to the ground and firm. It is not necessary to sit in the full lotus position or the half lotus position although both of those positions have advantages. The idea here is that the position to strive for is one that is the least uncomfortable over extended periods of time. Flop the trunk forward and release as much tension from the body as possible in that position. And then, put the mind on the anal sphincter, and, squeezing as tightly as possible from the anal sphincter upward, squeeze all the muscles around the spine until the body begins to achieve the erect posture. At this point squeeze and re-squeeze, (twist and shout!) to attain the uttermost erect posture attainable. And then, put the mind on the face. The face contains more of the sense organs than any other location on the body. The muscles of the face are connected to five "tendon group tendons" which control the tensions in the entire body. The face, continuously reacting to sense stimuli, expresses the individual's reactions to the world. This reaction, if the individual is caught up in the hunger and thirst for sense stimuli, is reflected in an overall feeling of dissatisfaction. If the individual has seen through to the real nature of things and has let the hunger and thirst for sense stimuli go, his body reflects a general feeling of satisfaction. The practice here is to familiarize the individual with the experience of satisfaction. Therefore, while still in the utmost erect posture possible, put a look of Satisfaction on the Face.[6] It does not matter that the look of Satisfaction is not genuine. The idea here is to create a point of reference. Exercise:Smile broadly and then focus on the face muscles needed to create that broad smile and let go of the tension involved. And then, take in 1, 2, 3 Deep Deep Deep Satisfying breaths, and Let It all Go. Thinking: "With penetrating knowledge of this confounded body, I breath in a deep breath" breath in a deep breath. Thinking: "With release from this confounded body, I breath out a deep breath" breath out a deep breath. Thinking: "Stilling, calming, tranquilizing this confounded body, I breath in and out with short breaths" breath in and out with short breaths.
The Gradual Training: IntroductionGetting high and calming down are not ends in themselves. They are tools to be used so that one may examine things with objectivity. In the broadest of general terms, these things to examine and understand are: Body, Sensation, Mental States, and the Word. The structure of this examination should take the form of penetrating knowledge. Penetrating knowledge consists of seeing into the uttermost root, ('studious etiological examination') of a thing as applied to its broadest interpretation. One must see the attraction of a thing, it's repellant nature, and the way to escape it's bondage. The attraction of a thing is it's ability to produce pleasant sensations. Having seen the attraction of a thing, it's repellant nature, and the way of escape, one naturally has no appetite[7] for it. Having no appetite, one is not attached. Not attached one is free. Knowing one is free one has attained the release of detachment. Here is an exercise to begin The Gradual Training, the first object onto which to focus the high mind:
THE FIRST LESSONThis is sometimes also called "The First Question," or "The One Question." This is the first of Ten Questions which are a hallmark of Pali Buddhism. They are capable of being answered only by one who has heard the answer from Gotama or from one who has heard it from one who has. Thus in the Old Days they were used as a kind of password to determine if someone was a follower or not.[8] Although I am about to give the answer to this question, let no one imagine that simply by repeating the answer will one be mistaken for a man of knowledge! This is the question: EKA NAMA KIM? What one concept, when seen to it's root with penetrating knowledge, and understood to it's broadest limits, such that it's repellant nature is seen as it really is and one has released it in its entirety, can bring one to the uttermost freedom of detachment?
AHARAFood
All Beings Live On On Food. This is what is meant by "understood to it's broadest limits": The Four Foods:1. Material Food, hard and soft 2. Sense Stimulation, Touch 3. Intentions (MANOSANCETANA: MANO=mind; SAN=one with; CETANA=heart) 4. Consciousness (VINNANA: double-knowing-knowledge; awareness of knowing, individualized consciousness) With Material Food (or any of the other foods) as his object, the individual, enabled by consciousness, propels himself into future rebirth. At this point, should this instruction end here, this much would be enough to guide an energetic, intelligent, honest seeker to his goal. Recommended side-trip: A Son's Flesh and Where There Is LustHigh Getting High 2Assume the sitting position. Flop forward. Rise up erect. Put a look of satisfaction on the face. Breath in 1, 2, 3 deep deep deep satisfying breaths, and let it all go. From this point on, practice Not Doing. Do not deliberately "do" anything but breath in and out. For the beginner: If you notice after a few minutes that the tensions in your body have twisted you up like a pretzel and the awkwardness of the position is impossible for you to correct by letting go — start again. For the more advanced: There may come a time for those making some headway when a variety of strange bodily phenomena seem to be taking place on their own. The phenomena are different for different people, and do not occur with all people. Some people experience twitching in the legs. Some people experience twitching in the buttocks like the body wants to hop around. Some will experience "spasms" in the stomach or back or neck or face. Some people will experience tingling all over or in a certain spot only, some will have a feeling that small animals (or even larger ones!) are crawling on one or a feeling similar to walking through a cobweb...and other varieites of such. Some people will experience apparently isolated spots of heat or cold. The best practice here is to attempt to 'get ahead' of these phenomena. By that is meant that prior to the onset of the phenomena there is a period where directing the consciousness to letting go of tensions at certain unfamiliar places, or where 'allowing' the energy to flow smoothly, will eliminate the strange behavior. The Westerner not used to sitting in the Indian style position will soon begin to experience intense pain in the legs. (Too much meat.) A balanced approach to this phenomena is recommended here: endure the pain for a little longer each time, until you can sit for several hours without pain. There will come a time when the best strategy will be to sit and endure the pain until it has completely passed. [The fastest way to restore circulation to the legs is to stand with the feet flat and do several shallow "knee bends" without raising the heals from the floor. It is an interesting phenomena that sitting in the full lotus, if one has managed to stay in the position for a while usually does not result in the legs 'falling asleep.'] The beginner may experience an intense desire to sleep. Resist the temptation. If all else fails, go to the alternative form of "sitting" practice: pacing back and forth. Find a level place about 24 feet long (not too long, not too short) and holding the body erect and looking ahead at the ground about six-eight feet in front of you, pace back and forth with a regular pace.
There are psychological phenomena which also occur: one may think the world is coming to an end; one may think one is dying; a vast array of strange, unusual, and frightening mental phenomena may occur. The best remedy here is to ‘Still, Calm, and Tranquilize the bodily mechanism.' If under harassment from some frightening idea or phenomena, there is one remedy which will always prove victorious: study the Dhamma. That is the Buddha's promise! When sitting, do not concern yourself as to whether your eyes are open or shut. Some methods recommend various places to put the attention. Some recommend attention to breathing. Some recommend focusing on an object like a circle of earth or a bowl of water or a board with a hole in it, or a cut out circle with a view of a fire, or the wind blowing the leaves of a tree. Here, with the idea that it is strictly an exercise in the development of concentration (reference above, as a factor of high-getting, as opposed to thinking of concentration as the whole stroy), it is recommended that you focus on the breathing. It is not important where you focus on the breathing.[9] The focus on the breathing is complimentary to the focus on penetrating knowledge (of the Body, Sensations, Mental States, and The Word) and Release. It is a trick we are playing on the mind, saying focus on this and focus on that. It is easier to develop a high degree of concentration this way than to try to maintain concentration on one and only one point of focus. (The beginner, trying to focus on only one object will focus on that object, lose his concentration and drift off into a million other thoughts. Here when the first concentration is broken, the focus is brought to an alternative.) This technique will use hundreds upon hundreds of tricks like this. In the end we will say that you have developed concentration using "The Dhamma Device." Now bring your attention back to Penetrating Knowledge of AHARA: Food [say: 'Ah ha!']
ExerciseTry this exercise to physically understand the difference between "doing nothing" (which, by definition, is a doing, and is, therefore, impossible) and "not doing" (which is important to the understanding of every phase of the Pali practice, especially for Getting High). Clench your fist using extreme pressure. Hold the fist clenched for a few seconds, until you can focus on the mechanics of what you are doing. Then, without opening the fist or moving a muscle with intention, let go of the tension that is causing the fist to clench. This is not "doing" anything, this is the letting go of (the ending of) the doing that was the clenching. This example, demonstrated through the physical body, applies as well to all forms of grasping: grasping of the body; grasping after sense experience; grasping after perceptions; grasping after the creation of your own world; and grasping after consciousness.
ExerciseTry this exercise to "physically" demonstrate the phenomena of the Pain of Withdrawal. It is a fact that in the beginning, when setting into practice, say, the abstention from saying things that are not true, the individual will experience sometimes enormous Pain, hassles, grief, turbulence, and so forth (you are destroying your old world and naturally it fights to hang on!). This exercise will provide a visible example of the fact that what is really happening is a good thing. Have a friend make a fist. While you are sitting in a relaxed posture, have your friend push his fist into your stomach (he should push hard, but not forcefully or fast) and then have him keep the fist in position with a continuous pressure. Hold this position for a good few minutes. Then, have your friend swiftly pull back his fist. Call this "The Unpunch." |
[1]Means avoid taking even one step in either direction; does not mean moderately take either direction.
[2]Sariputta: 'The Art of developing one state of consciousness by abandoning another.'
[3]"Pali" is a name for both the language in which the system was set down, and also the system itself.
[4]'Here beggars, a beggar having gotten himself off to the forest or to the root of some tree, or to some empty hut, and having taken up his seat there sitting down body upright, legs bent-across-lapwise, minding he attends to the face, just so he minds the in-breath, just so he minds the out-breath. — SN MV:54.1
[5]Indian Style; full lotus, half lotus, or crossed in front without overlap. Most images show the Buddha in half lotus posture, however the two other postures provide a better balance, and the full lotus has the advantage of securing the legs in the event of flight, of 'forcing' the body up on the haunches and by that forcing the back up straight [with time in the full lotus, perfectly upright bodily posture is the only comfortable postion], and of fighting off sleepiness. Once mastered the full lotus posture can be sustained without pain for longer periods than the other two postures.
PED: Pallanka [pary+anka, cp. Class Sk. palyanka and M¤gadh¨ paliyanka] 1. sitting cross-legged, in instr. pallankena upon the hams ... ; and in phrase pallankaµ ¤bhujati "to bend (the legs) in crosswise" ... .
[6]Sati Pari Mukkham.
Whatever word or phrase you end up deciding to use
in your meditation
to describe this word:
Next time you go to your place to be alone,
to sit down for a while,
sit down
sitting up straight
Then bring your attention to the face
and thus to the in and out breathing.
Become aware of the whole face.
Each sense organ located there individually.
Release the tensions in the face.
All of this is controlled with the face.
Mind now!
Remember to breath.
II.
I'm just tell'n you what I hear:
It's like a caracature chinese man speeke say: 'Happy all round face.'
Sati Parimukkham. Sati what you want or extrapolate a little from this and just take it as an unproven: Satisfaction. Penetrating Knowledge + Release.
Sati all round face.
Mug.
No problem if you want to hear: "Attention all around the face" or
"Awareness all round the face," or
"Mind all round the face," or
"Remember all round the face,"
as long as you remember
that the goal of the system
is Detachment,
so that you will become aware
at the time
that when this has been established by you
through your attention, or awareness, or minding, or recollection,
the look you will have on your
mug
is a look of satisfaction.
[7]'Repelled', 'revolted', 'Disgusted' and such are incorrect in the sense of being words for an active dis-like, whereas the state to be acquired is a state of not-liking, detached understanding of the revolting nature of a thing without experience of revulsion. The thing itself is repellant, revolting, disgusting; one feels a lack of desire for it.
[8]Today the set is used as a grammar-school level reading textbook in countries like Thailand! The idea that this is a fitting use for this set of Dhamma practices comes from the fact that the series was introduced by the Buddha in connection with the ordinarion of a seven year old child. He used the list as a demonstrtion to the Order that this child was sufficiently advanced to warrant full ordination. He was alrady Arahant — that is, fully accomplished in the system. This is no children's Dhamma Instruction!
[9]The idea is that indicated in the quote above from the Anapana Samyutta of the Samyutta Nikaya, 'minding he attends to the face, just so he minds the in-breath, just so he minds the out-breath', that is, that attention brought to the face is also attention brought to the in- and out-breathing.