..續本文上一頁n to live in peace. Train yourself until you are able to stay and meditate in the place you are in. The Buddha taught that you should know and understand proper time and place according to conditions; he didn”t encourage monks and nuns to roam around all over the place without any real purpose. Certainly he recommended that we find a suitable quiet place, but if that”s not possible, it might be necessary to spend a few weeks or a few months in a place that isn”t so quiet or suitable. What would you do then

　　 You would probably just die from the shock of it!

　　So learn to know your own mind and know your intentions. In the end, travelling around from place to place is only that much. When you move on to somewhere else, you tend to find more of the same of what you left behind, and you”re always doubting about what might lie ahead at the next place. Then, before you know it, you could find yourself with malaria or some other unpleasant illness, and you”d have to find a doctor to treat you, give you drugs and injections... In no time at all, your mind would be more agitated and distracted than ever!

　　Actually, the secret to successful meditation is to bring your way of viewing things in line with the Dhamma; the important thing is to establish right view (sammaditthi) in the mind. It isn”t anything more complicated than that. But you have to keep putting forth effort to investigate and seek out the correct way for yourself. Naturally, this involves some difficulty, because you still lack maturity of wisdom and understanding.

　　So, what do you think you”ll do

　　 Try giving thudong a go and see what happens... you might get fed up with wandering about again; it”s never a sure thing. Or maybe you”re thinking that if you really get into the meditation, you won”t want to go on thudong, because the whole proposition will seem uninteresting -- but that perception is uncertain. You might feel totally bored with the idea of going on thudong, but that can always change and it might not be long before you start wanting to go off moving about again. Or you might just stay out on thudong indefinitely and continue to wander from place to place with no time limits or any fixed destination in mind -- again, it”s uncertain. This is what you have to reflect upon as you meditate. Go against the flow of your desires. You might attach to the view that you”ll go on thudong for certain, or you might attach to the view that you will stay put in the monastery for certain, but either way you are getting caught in delusion. You are attaching to fixed views in the wrong way. Go and investigate this for yourself. I have already contemplated this from my own experience, and I”m explaining the way it is as simply and directly as I can. So listen to what I am saying, and then observe and contemplate for yourself. This really is the way things are. In the end you will be able to see the truth of this whole matter for yo, urself. Then, once you do have insight into the truth, whatever decision you make will be accompanied by right view and in accordance with the Dhamma.

　　Whatever you decide to do, whether to go on thudong or stay on in the monastery, you must wisely reflect first. It isn”t that you are forbidden from going off wandering in the forest, or going to find quiet places to meditate. If you do go off walking, really make a go of it and walk until you are worn out and ready to drop -- test yourself to the limits of your physical and mental endurance. In the old days, as soon as I caught sight of the mountains, I”d feel elated and be inspired to take off. Nowadays when I see them, the body starts moaning just at the sight of them and all I want to do is turn around and go back to the monastery. There”s not much enthusiasm for all that any more. Before, I”d be …

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