Talk Two: Sitting Meditation and Consuming Food (Step by Step)

Before starting the main practice, one has to carry out some preliminary work (parikamma) or duties.

With parikamma, the mind gains a sense of security, especially in quiet places (for example, deep forests, Dtaw Dum Forest is a good example.) In this way, the mind is not overly concerned with the body and can move straight towards Nibbāna.

Therefore, this duty or preparatory work should be done by every yogi. Practising meditation means enriching oneself with the Dhamma. If one does not do so, one instead nourishes unwholesomeness and latent defilements. The enrichment of greed, hatred, and delusion, together with unskillful actions, leads to the apāyas.

Mindfulness (sati) is very important for discerning latent defilements (see some examples given by U Sun Lwin in his talks). Indeed, we can say that the beginning of the Dhamma is mindfulness.

Among the forty meditation objects, ānāpāna is the best. Kasiṇa objects (usually prepared as visual disks) require preparation. Asubha (corpse) meditation can be too demanding. (I once met a Western monk who practised in Sri Lanka with corpses in a cave where human bodies were disposed of; he even took some colour photographs of them.) Ānāpāna, however, can be practised anywhere and acquires more time rather than special conditions. (?? OR However, Anapanasati meditation can be practiced anywhere; what it requires is more time rather than special conditions. OR Anapanasati meditation, however, can be practiced anywhere; what is needed is more time rather than special conditions. ??)

Some people think that ānāpāna meditation is only related to the Buddha, the agga-sāvakas, and the mahā-sāvakas.

(For example, Sāriputta, Mahā Kassapa, and others. They also teach people in this way. This is a commentary-based interpretation. The Buddha never taught people impossible things, such as the existence of a Creator or Creation.)

This is a problem of misinterpretation. As a result, some people gave up their practice. (If there are differences, we must follow the suttas.) If we do not try for ourselves, we should not speak blindly.

To teach the phusa method for a beginning yogi: phusa means touching or contact, the same as phassa.

If you practise with desire and interest, the practice will develop. At the beginning of the practice, if there is no experience of attention and noting, laziness will arise, leading to nodding, or the mind will move toward external objects. Therefore, practise with faith and confidence—this is an important point. It will lead to success; otherwise, one cannot succeed. Without enjoyment and interest in practice, development cannot occur, and one must change one’s state of mind.

Without a vigorous mind, one cannot succeed in worldly matters. The same applies to spiritual endeavour—it requires even more confidence and vigour. When you practise, the power of the mind must be accompanied by confidence and vigour in order to succeed. Practise with patience and endurance in relation to difficulties, restlessness, and inconveniences.

When you have sati, you know the restless mind. Without mindfulness, you do not know what is happening, and this is delusion (moha). Pulling the mind back to the object is right effort (sammā-vāyāma).

For ordinary people, when they do a good and noble work or task, if they do not succeed three or four times, they usually give up. Noble persons, however, keep trying until they succeed. This is the difference between them. If you try again and again, it becomes right effort. In this way, sati and viriya repeatedly pull the mind back to the object, and after some time the mind will settle down.

How can something precious be achieved easily? You have to try many times—this is the meaning of bhāvanā (cultivation). To make a good knife, heating the iron and striking it only once is impossible. In Dhamma practice, it is even more difficult. Do not give up. Keep pulling the mind back to the nostrils. Do not lose mindfulness; otherwise, it will lead to nodding.

Many people do not know the nature of breathing from birth until death. To die without sati is delusion—moha or avijjā—which leads to saṅkhāra. Practise ānāpāna with effort in the four postures: sitting, walking, standing, and lying down. Train continuously until you are able to do it naturally.

Some people find it easier in studies and good memories due to concentration power. (?? OR Some people find it easier in studies and good memories due to their strong ability to concentrate. OR Some people excel in their studies and possess excellent memory due to their strong ability to concentrate. ??) This is the power of sati and samādhi. In the Mahāsi system, the mind is concentrated at the abdomen; in the Saya Thet system at the middle of the head. (This is not for samādhi but for vipassanā cotemplation after samādhi has been established through ānāpāna.) Although the objects may differ—abdomen, middle of the head, and so on—they all occur within oneself and are known directly, not through thinking. Seeing them in the present moment and knowing them as they are is ñāṇa (knowledge). All of these are contemplations of the four great elements.

The benefits of ānāpāna are as follows:

For example, consider Buddhānussati—contemplation of the qualities of the Buddha. Would someone practise that in a toilet? Ānāpāna, however, can be practised anywhere without limitation.

[Note: Realization of the Dhamma can happen at any time and in any place. For example, The-in Gu Sayadaw became an anāgāmī while relieving himself in a bamboo thicket. Even in a toilet, it can be a suitable place to contemplate asubha, loathsomeness, decay, and related themes. A true yogi should always keep a contemplative object in mind and not allow defilements to enter.

In some of his talks, We-bu Sayadawgyi mentioned the following:

“Have you ever been mindful of the in-breath and out-breath for twenty-four hours without a break? If you can, you will know its result.”]

If the mind has stiffness, or if a lot of saliva comes into the mouth, this is not good for samādhi practise. With continuous practice, the in-breath and out-breath become very refined and may even seem as if they have stopped, that is, they become unclear. There is no need to be afraid or frightened, and there is no need to search for the breath. One should not breathe strongly in order to make it clearer.

Simply collect the mind at the entrance of the nostrils and observe. For example, if a train station has only one entrance, you only need to wait for the guests at that entrance.

Some people experience gooseflesh during ānāpāna practice. Do not follow these experiences; let the mind remain only at the entrance of the nostrils. Rapture (pīti) can pull the yogi away from the object. If rapture is not followed, samādhi will gradually become stable. Do not let the mind chase after these experiences; simply ignore them.

Sometimes the body experiences sensations like a shower of coolness. This is similar to grinding rice paddy: we are not concerned with the husks, only with the white grains. If yogis do not care about rapture and happiness, samādhi becomes stronger, and rapture and happiness will naturally increase. If one experiences them often, one becomes accustomed to them.

When the mind can be collected at one place, its power becomes stronger. Later, when practising insight, this power can be used to contemplate seeing, hearing, and other phenomena.