..續本文上一頁e end. In fact, Luang Por had already practiced until -to say it directly - to the level of fourth jhana, when he started to investigate. But later, when he taught, he didn”t speak about this. He taught to investigate straight away. This is why some of the monks and Ajahns misunderstood Luang Por, thinking: "Well, it”s not really necessary for us to have samadhi we can investigate straight away." But in fact, Luang Por”s mind had already attained peace - or whatever you may want to call it conventionally - or let”s say, he had already attained a solid base of peace. He had come to where one is able to investigate. In this way, his investigation had power, other than that of us - it”s on a different level, although we keep assuming: ”I am like him and he is like me… “, or we reflect: He and me, like all other people we all have to die one day…” .

　　But thinking in this way is not bound to go in very deeply. We don”t really believe it. Imagine someone thinking these thoughts with the power of samadhi.

　　This is an example of how I experienced the power of samadhi. I can take a single hair and enlarge it to whatever size, without limit, into the infinite, and then again shrink it as much as possible, smaller than a needle tip, or make it disappear. This is what they call apanna. You can enlarge and shrink objects in their size and reflect on them. If you don”t have the power of samadhi and you reflect straight away, you won”t be able to see for example the dirtiness of the hair. This idea would only come through the thinking mind. It takes time to develop the power of samadhi but if you have it, it will be of great help to you and enable you to see more clearly. Panya (wisdom) arises bit by bit, supported by samadhi.

　　Another example [for the power of samadhi] is that the mind of those Krooba-ajahns, that have already entered peace or oneness is able to penetrate and overcome all kinds of obstacles, that may occur in the mind, whether it”s the five hindrances, or others. Samadhi has got more power than the hindrances and it can overcome them, whereas normal thinking isn”t able to. Our normal thinking has not got enough energy to go beyond, not even enough for dealing with just a single one out of all the five hindrances. Normally our mind can”t even go beyond a single hindrance, but if we apply our minds to the stage of single-mindedness, we can leave all five hindrances behind. Having passed them, our mind is free, to put it simply. We can experience freedom that doesn”t have to be concerned with any states of mind at all. But still, all this is only samadhi; not yet panya -but at least we get to see freedom beyond having to bother with mind - states. Later panya will arise following up on this.

　　So, this is my understanding of the practice. It”s the way I have practiced- how other people see it, I don”t know. In comparison to how I have practiced, I”d say, some krooba-ajahns have misunderstood taking the end for the beginning and the beginning for the end, and that”s why when practicing they don”t get the fruits the way they thought.

　　Ajahn Jayasaro: May I summarize what you have said, please: in developing anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) or whatever other kammatthana (meditation practice), those who have the necessary parami can take this practice straight away up to apanna, and when they come out, they start investigating. But those who don”t have the parami...

　　Luang Por: ...those who don”t have the barami they have to do things step by step; that means first use investigation in order to reach apanna

　　Ajahn Jayasaro: ...and then investigate a second time...

　　Luang Por:... a second or third time. If we are tired of investigation, we can go to looking at the breath, and then again investigate the body. When we are pe…

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