..續本文上一頁orality has one function, concentration has another function and Wisdom another. These factors are like a cycle. We can see them all within the peaceful mind. When the mind is calm it has collectedness and restraint because of wisdom and the energy of concentration. As it becomes more collected it becomes more refined, which in turn gives morality the strength to increase in purity. As our morality becomes purer, this will help in the development of concentration. When concentration is firmly established it helps in the arising of wisdom. Morality, concentration and wisdom help each other, they are inter-related like this. In the end the Path becomes one and functions at all times. We should look after the strength which arises from the path, because it is the strength which leads to Insight and Wisdom.

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　　On The Dangers Of Samadhi

　　Samadhi is capable of bringing much harm or much benefit to the meditator, you can”t say it brings only one or the other. For one who has no wisdom it is harmful, but for one who has wisdom it can bring real benefit, it can lead him to Insight.

　　That which can be most harmful to the meditator is Absorption Samadhi (Jhana), the samadhi with deep, sustained calm. This samadhi brings great peace. Where there is peace, there is happiness. When there is happiness, attachment and clinging to that happiness arise. The meditator doesn”t want to contemplate anything else, he just wants to indulge in that pleasant feeling. When we have been practicing for a long time we may become adept at entering this samadhi very quickly. As soon as we start to note our meditation object, the mind enters calm, and we don”t want to come out to investigate anything. We just get stuck on that happiness. This is a danger to one who is practicing meditation.

　　We must use Upacara Samadhi. Here, we enter calm and then, when the mind is sufficiently calm, we come out and look at outer activity. 5 Looking at the outside with a calm mind gives rise to wisdom. This is hard to understand, because it”s almost like ordinary thinking and imagining. When thinking is there, we may think the mind isn”t peaceful, but actually that thinking is taking place within the calm. There is contemplation but it doesn”t disturb the calm. We may bring thinking up in order to contemplate it. Here we take up the thinking to investigate it, it”s not that we are aimlessly thinking to investigate it, it”s not that we are aimlessly thinking or guessing away; it”s something that arises from a peaceful mind. This is called "awareness within calm and calm within awareness." If it”s simply ordinary thinking and imagining, the mind won”t be peaceful, it will be disturbed. But I am not talking about ordinary thinking, this is a feeling that arises from the peaceful mind. It”s called "contemplation." Wisdom is born right here.

　　So, there can be right samadhi and wrong samadhi. Wrong samadhi is where the mind enters calm and there”s no awareness at all. One could sit for two hours or even all day but the mind doesn”t know where it”s been or what”s happened. It doesn”t know anything. There is calm, but that”s all. It”s like a well-sharpened knife which we don”t bother to put to any use. This is a deluded type of calm, because there is not much self-awareness. The meditator may think he has reached the ultimate already, so he doesn”t bother to look for anything else. Samadhi can be an enemy at this level. Wisdom cannot arise because there is no awareness of right and wrong.

　　With right samadhi, no matter what level of calm is reached, there is awareness. There is full mindfulness and clear comprehension. This is the samadhi which can give rise to wisdom, one cannot get lost in it. Practitioners should understand this well. You can”t do without this awareness, it mu…

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