..续本文上一页g and watching. Eventually, the mind withdrew to a state of normality, without stimulating any more doubts. I continued to contemplate and the mind inclined inwards again. The third time I had the experience of the whole world completely disintegrating. The earth, vegetation, trees, mountains, in fact the entire planet appeared as akasa-dhatu (the space element). There were no people or anything else left at all. At this stage there was complete emptiness.
The mind continued to dwell within on it”s own peacefully, without being forced. I don”t know how to explain how it happened like that, or why. It”s difficult to describe the experience or talk about it in a way that anyone else could understand. There”s nothing you can compare it with. The last time the mind stayed in that state far longer and then when its time was up, it withdrew. Saying that the mind withdrew, doesn”t mean that I was controlling it and making it withdraw – it withdrew by itself. I simply watched as it returned to normal. Who could say what happened on these three occasions
Who could describe it
Maybe there”s no need to describe it
What I have been telling you about here concerns the pure nature of mind as it is experienced in reality. This hasn”t been a theoretical analysis of the mind or mental factors. There isn”t any need for that. The things which really are needed are confidence in the teachings and the sincerity to keep deepening the practice. You have to put your life on the line. When the time comes, the whole world turns upside down. Your view and understanding of reality is completely transformed. If other people see you at that time, they might think that you”re insane. If it happened to someone who couldn”t maintain their mindfulness and rationality, they might really go crazy, because after such an experience, nothing is the same as before. The way you view people in the world is no longer the same, but you are the only one who has seen things like this. Your whole sense of reality changes. The way you think about things alters – when other people think in one way, you think in another. They talk about things one way, you another. While they go up that way, you go down this way. You are no longer the same as other human beings. From then on you have this experience often and it can last for a long time.
Try it out for yourselves. If you have this kind of experience in your practice, you won”t have to go looking for anything far away; just keep observing the mind. At this level, the mind is at it”s boldest and most confident. This is the power and energy of the mind. It”s much more powerful than you”d ever expect.
This is the power of samadhi. At this stage it is still just the power that the mind derives from samadhi alone. If samadhi reaches this level, it is at it”s deepest and strongest. It”s no longer a matter of controlling the mind through suppression or momentary periods of concentration. It has reached it”s peak. If you were to use such concentration as a basis for practicing vipassana, you would be able to contemplate fluently. From here onwards it could be used in other ways, such as to develop psychic powers or perform miraculous feats. Different ascetics and religious practitioners use such concentration in various ways, such as casting spells and making Holy Water, charms and talismans. Having reached this point, the mind can be used and developed in many different ways and each might be good in it”s own way, but it”s the kind of good like a good drink: once you”ve had it you become intoxicated. That kind of good is ultimately of little use.
The calm mind is like a resting place for the practitioner. The Buddha rested here as it forms the base from which to practice vipassana and to contemplate the truth. At this point you …
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