..续本文上一页 Triple Gem – the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha – and let go of everything else. As you practice right here, you are already creating the causes and conditions for enlightenment in this very lifetime. Be honest, sincere and keep doing it.

　　The nature of the practice is such that even if you are sitting on a chair, you can still fix attention on a meditation object. At first you don”t have to concentrate on many different things, it is enough just to focus on one simple object, such as the breath, or the recitation of a mantra like Buddho, Dhammo or Sangho used in conjunction with the breath. When you fix attention on the breath, make a clear mental determination that you are not going to force it in any way. If you get disturbed by the breathing, it”s a sign that you still aren”t practicing in the right way. If you are not at ease with the breath then it will always seem either too short or too long, too gentle or too forceful and it won”t feel comfortable. But once you do feel at ease with it and there is awareness of each in-breath and out-breath, you”ve got it right. This indicates you are practicing in the correct way. If it”s not yet right, you are still deluded then stop the meditation and re-establish mindfulness on the breathing. In the course of the meditation, if the desire arises to experience different things, or you actually do start to experience different psychic phenomena, such as bright lights or visions of celestial palaces or other similar things, don”t be afraid. Be mindful of such experiences and keep doing the meditation. Sometimes you might be meditating and the sensation of the breath totally disappears. It might truly seem to have vanished making you afraid, it”s only your thoughts that have vanished, the breath is still there, but is simply operating on a much more refined level than normal. Once an appropriate period of time has elapsed, the sensation of the breathing will return by itself.

　　In the beginning you have to practice making the mind calm in this way. Whenever you sit down to meditate – whether on a seat somewhere, or in a car or a boat – you should be able to calm the mind right away by focusing attention on your meditation object. You have to practice to the point where, if you get on a train to travel somewhere, you should be able to sit down and enter a state of calm, almost immediately. If you have trained yourself this thoroughly, you will be able to meditate anywhere. It means you already have some insight into the path of practice and can use this as a basis for contemplating mind-objects: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and ideas. Be aware of all the liking and disliking which you experience and don”t make anything out of such mental-states. If you experience a pleasant object, know it as pleasant; if you experience an unpleasant one, know it as unpleasant. These are part of conditioned reality. Whether they”re good, bad or whatever, they”re all have the same characteristics, they”re all aniccam, dukkham and anatta. Things that are uncertain, so don”t attach or cling to them. This is a teaching or mantra that you should keep repeating to yourself. If you keep seeing these three characteristics, panna will arise by itself. The heart of vipassana meditation is to throw each mind-object which you experience into these three “pits” of aniccam, dukkham and anatta. Whatever it is, whether good, bad or worse, throw it into these three pits and very soon you will start to gain knowledge and insight. Panna will begin to arise in small amounts, which is what meditation is all about. Keep putting a consistent effort into it. You”ve been keeping the five precepts for many years now, so it”s time to really put some effort into the meditation. You have to gain insight into the truth of …

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