..續本文上一頁o sleep. But just as suddenly, that condition changes and there is only brightness. If, in fact, we are actually going to enter into sleep that sleepiness would just carry through into dullness until we are fast asleep and we would be completely unaware of what was going on. This is the initial stage of developing the meditation object.
When the heart is quiet and slips into a state of restful and still brightness, what should the meditator do then
Ajahn Sao taught the the meditator should then pay close attention to this bright mind, to peer straight into the bright heart and become aware and mindful of the brightness. The brightness itself then becomes the object of meditation. The meditator should continue to look into this brightness until the heart becomes progressively more refined. If at this stage the mind happens to become aware of the breathing again, Ajahn Sao instructed that we should then observe the breath. We should simply focus on the breathing as it goes in and out without interfering with it or questioning it. We don”t have to distinguish whether the breathing is fine or coarse, but just notice it. If we begin to note the mode and texture of our breathing, the mind will change and our mind will withdraw and samadhi will dissipate. For that reason you just notice the breathing as it is, without any involvement. At this time the heart will be bright and peaceful. We just let go of any intruding thoughts which beckon us to investigate the breath, and continue to note just the breathing. When the heart knows the in and out breath just let it stay like that. The breathing becomes our object of awareness and object of recollection.
Eventually the heart will become peaceful and subtle. The breath becomes very subtle as well. The level of subtlety of the breath corresponds to the level of subtlety of the heart. Finally, the breathing just seems to stop and the body seems to disappear. At this time the heart will be still and bright. In this state, the mind doesn”t think about anything. There is no awarenss of the breathing or even of the body. At this moment the heart is absolutely one pointed - still, bright and calm. The heart has now been raised into appana, samadhi (absorption or attainment concentration). This particular state of appana samadhi is not particularly useful (for developing wisdom), but it is necessary to develop this state, and to practise it often. When the mind is able to attain this state more fluently, it enables us to know what the original nature of our heart really is.
Formerly, we would perceive our mind getting involved in all sorts of thoughts and mental objects. When our practice penetrates into the peaceful and quiet of appana samadhi, the heart abandons all these external objects and is free of all thoughts and feelings. There is only a still, bright state of peace. We know that, actually, the original state of the heart is like this. This state of consciousness is called pabhassaramidam bhikkhave cittam - The original state of our mind is pure: calm, bright and clean. But it is made impure by the defilements, which withdraw into the shell of the mind; they lurk deeply within the mind and do not readily show themselves. At this stage, mindfulness and clear comprehension (satisampajanna) are not yet completely operational. There is only sufficient development to sustain peacefulness momentarily or for a short period.
This state of mind is called pathoma citta (the ”first” or ”original” mind), or pathoma samadhi (basic concentration) or manodhatu (the mind element). It is similar to a baby chick still inside its egg; it can”t yet do anything, all it can do is sit around inside the egg. However, it is this state of mind which allows us to recognize the original nature of our heart. This …
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