..续本文上一页ne. Even though you know this, you are unable to stop stepping on those ”thorns.” The mind still follows various states of happiness and sadness, but doesn”t completely indulge in them. You sustain a continuous effort to destroy any attachment in the mind - to destroy and clear all that which is the world from the mind.
Some people want to make the mind peaceful, but don”t know what true peace really is. They don”t know the peaceful mind! There are two kinds of peacefulness - one is the peace that comes through samådhi, the other is the peace that comes through paññå. The mind that is peaceful through samådhi is still deluded. The peace that comes through the practice of samådhi alone is dependent on the mind being separated from mind-objects. When it”s not experiencing any mind-objects, then there is calm, and consequently one attaches to the happiness that comes with that calm. However, whenever there is impingement through the senses, the mind gives in straight away. It”s afraid of mind-objects. It”s afraid of happiness and suffering; afraid of praise and criticism; afraid of forms, sounds, smells and tastes.
One who is peaceful through samådhi alone is afraid of everything and doesn”t want to get involved with anybody or anything on the outside. People practising samådhi in this way just want to stay isolated in a cave somewhere, where they can experience the bliss of samådhi without having to come out. Wherever there is a peaceful place, they sneak off and hide themselves away. This kind of samådhi involves a lot of suffering - they find it difficult to come out of it and be with other people. They don”t want to see forms or hear sounds. They don”t want to experience anything at all! They have to live in some specially preserved quiet place, where no-one will come and disturb them with conversation. They have to have really peaceful surroundings.
This kind of peacefulness can”t do the job. If you have reached the necessary level of calm, then withdraw. The Buddha didn”t teach to practise samådhi with delusion. If you are practising like that, then stop. If the mind has achieved calm, then use it as a basis for contemplation. Contemplate the peace of concentration itself and use it to connect the mind with and reflect upon the different mind-objects which it experiences. Contemplate the three characteristics of aniccam (impermanence), dukkham (suffering) and anattå (not-self). Reflect upon this entire world. When you have contemplated sufficiently, it is all right to re-establish the calm of samådhi. You can re-enter it through sitting meditation and afterwards, with calm re-established, continue with the contemplation. As you gain knowledge, use it to fight the defilements, to train the mind.
The peace which arises through paññå is distinctive, because when the mind withdraws from the state of calm, the presence of paññå makes it unafraid of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and ideas. It means that as soon as there is sense contact the mind is immediately aware of the mind-object. As soon as there is sense contact you lay it aside - mindfulness is sharp enough to let go right away. This is the peace that comes through paññå.
When you are practising with the mind in this way, the mind becomes considerably more refined than when you are developing samådhi alone. The mind becomes very powerful, and no longer tries to run away. With such energy you become fearless. In the past you were scared to experience anything, but now you know mind-objects as they are and are no longer afraid. You know your own strength of mind and are unafraid. When you see a form, you …
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