..續本文上一頁its fashionings.

　　Unskilled awareness is a brine in which the mind lies soaking; a mind soaked in its juices is like wet, sappy wood that, when burned, gives off smoke as its signal, but no flame. As the smoke rises into the air, you imagine it to be something high and exalted. It”s high, all right, but only like smoke or overcast clouds. If there”s a lot of it, it can obscure your vision and that of others, so that you can”t see the light of the sun and moon. This is why such people are said to be "groping." Those who train their own hearts, though, will give rise to skilled awareness. When skilled awareness penetrates the heart, you”ll come to realize the harmful potency of mental fashionings. The arising of skilled awareness in the heart is like the burning of dry, sapless wood that gives off flame and light. Even though there may be some smoke, you don”t pay it any mind, because the firelight is more outstanding.

　　The flame of skilled awareness gives rise to five sorts of results:

　　1. Rust (the defilements) won”t take hold of the heart.

　　2. The heart becomes purified.

　　3. The heart becomes radiant in and of itself (pabhassaram cittam).

　　4. The heart develops majesty (tejas).

　　5. The three skills, the eight skills, and the four forms of acumen will arise.

　　All of these things arise through the power of the mind. The nature of the mind is that it already has a certain amount of instinctive intuition — the times when it knows on its own, as when you happen to think of a particular person, and then he or she actually shows up. All good qualities, from the mundane to the transcendent, are always present in each of us. These qualities — the Dhamma — aren”t the exclusive possession of any particular group or person. We all have the right to develop them and put them into practice.

　　For these qualities to yield results, we have to develop them in conjunction with the following four principles:

　　1. Chanda: feeling an affinity for the practice.

　　2. Viriya: being persistent in the practice.

　　3. Citta: being intent on the practice.

　　4. Vimansa: being circumspect in what we do, i.e., circumspect before we do it, circumspect (mindful and aware) while we”re doing it, and circumspect with regard to the results that arise from what we”ve done.

　　These four principles form the foundation for success in all areas, whether in matters of the world or of the Dhamma. Once they”re actualized within us and focused together on a single goal, we”re bound to succeed in line with our aspirations. The results they yield, briefly put, are of two sorts:

　　1. Iddhiriddhi: certain mundane powers that accrue to meditators.

　　2. Puññariddhi: power in terms of the Dhamma that will accrue to meditators, providing means for settling issues that relate to the world and the heart, or for liberating the mind from all mundane influences. This is termed:

　　Vimutti — release,

　　Visuddhi — purity,

　　Santi — peace,

　　Nibbana — the disbanding of all stress.

　　Thus, I would like to invite all Buddhists — all who hope for peace and well-being — to reflect on the principles of practice dealing with Right Concentration presented here as a guide for those who are interested. If you have any questions dealing with this book, or any problems arising from the practice of training the mind, I will be glad to give whatever advice I can.

　　May you prosper and be well.

　　Whoever feels that this book is of use and would like to print it again for free distribution, may go ahead and do so without having to ask permission. Some parts may not be correct in terms of the Pali, so wherever there may be any mistakes, I ask your forgiveness.

　　— Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

　　Wat Asokaram, Samut Prakaan

　　September, 1960

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