..續本文上一頁 practise what the Buddha taught. And the first requisite is: when you come you have to observe five precepts during your stay. Hindu or Muslim, Christian,Buddhist or Jain, all will take five precepts. They don”t disagree; they accept this discipline-because the precepts are universal. Which religion will say, "Yes, you can kill; it doesn”t matter. Go ahead, you can steal; it doesn”t matter." No religion wlll teach that, because moral conduct is the greatest common denominator of all the religions.

　　So the first step is to practise moral physical and vocal actions. Next you are asked to sit down comfortably, keeping your back straight. You close your eyes, close your mouth and your guide will say, "Observe your breath." This is what Buddha taught: "Observe your breath, natural breath - as it comes in - as it goes out."

　　Suppose along with the awareness of the breath, one is instructed to mentally recite a word. This is what happens in various kinds of meditation. You are asked to breathe in while mentally reciting one word; breathing out, you mentally repeat another word. For example, if I am a Hindu, I breathe in: "Rama, Rama"; if I am Sikh: "Sata-nama, Sata-nama."Like this, some word is used, whatever it might be. One who calls himself a Buddhist will say, "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha."

　　This teaching is sectarian, because whenever one is given any word to recite, that word is almost always a sectarian word. How can a non-Buddhist say "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha"

　　 Certainly, mentally repeating "Buddha, Buddha," the mind will get concentrated. In the same way if you recite, "Rama, Rama, Rama,"your mind will get concentrated. Even if you use an ordinary word, like, "clock, clock,clock, clock," the mind will get concentrated. But the Buddha never gave his followers any word to concentrate on.

　　Buddha”s instruction is to observe the breath just breath, natural breath. The breath cannot be Hindu, breath cannot be Muslim, cannot be Christian. In my teaching, everywhere around the world, I find people coming from different sects, different communities, different beliefs. I ask them to observe breath. It doesn”t go against their religion and they accept it. Breath is breath, natural breath. Buddha”s object of meditation is so universal.

　　Buddha says no shape, no form, no verbalization, no visualization, no imagination. Yathabhuta nana dassanam (realization of the truth as it is). This is Buddha”s teaching. Yathabhuta: as it happens, as it is happening at this moment. The breath has come in. That”s all. The breath has gone out. That”s all. If it is deep you are just aware that it is deep. If it is shallow, you are just aware that it is shallow. You don”t interfere with the natural flow of the nature. You are just aware. Your job is to develop the faculty of awareness.

　　You are asked to keep the attention at the entrance of the nostrils. For three days you keep working continuously because nothing else is allowed in a Vipassana course. You are just observing yourself.

　　One day, two days, three days pass, then you begin to notice that besides this breath going in and coming out, something else is happening. Every moment there is some biochemical reaction throughout your body, but at the conscious level you are unaware of this. At a deeper level your mind keeps feeling these biochemical flows and keeps reacting to them. There is some sensation happening everywhere in the body. It may be heat or perspiration; it may be throbbing, pulsing,itching, tickling something or the other keeps happening. But you are instructed to keep your attention on the area of the nostrils.

　　On the third day you start feeling something happening here. Again, your teacher will say, "Just observe. Do nothing. If it is itching, just observe. Don”t scratch it. Don”t rub it. Ju…

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