..续本文上一页on with a wide-ranging knowledge of the texts -- well-versed in their letter and meaning, capable of clearly and correctly explaining various points of doctrine -- but with no inner center for the mind, is like a pilot flying about in an airplane with a clear view of the clouds and stars but no sense of where the landing strip is. He”s headed for trouble. If he flies higher, he”ll run out of air. All he can do is keep flying around until he runs out of fuel and comes crashing down in the savage wilds.

　　Some people, even though they are highly educated, are no better than savages in their behavior. This is because they”ve gotten carried away, up in the clouds. Some people -- taken with what they feel to be the high level of their own learning, ideas, and opinions -- won”t practice centering the mind because they feel it beneath them. They think they deserve to go straight to release through discernment instead. Actually, they”re heading straight to disaster, like the airplane pilot who has lost sight of the landing strip.

　　To practice centering the mind is to build a landing strip for yourself. Then, when discernment comes, you”ll be able to attain release safely.

　　This is why we have to develop all three parts of the path -- virtue, concentration, and discernment -- if we want to be complete in our practice of the religion. Otherwise, how can we say that we know the four Noble Truths

　　 -- because the path, to qualify as the Noble Path, has to be composed of virtue, concentration, and discernment. If we don”t develop it within ourselves, we can”t know it. And if we don”t know, how can we let go

　　Most of us, by and large, like getting results but don”t like laying the groundwork. We may want nothing but goodness and purity, but if we haven”t completed the groundwork, we”ll have to keep on being poor. Like people who are fond of money but not of work: How can they be good, solid citizens

　　 When they feel the pinch of poverty, they”ll turn to corruption and crime. In the same way, if we aim at results in the field of the religion but don”t like doing the work, we”ll have to continue being poor. And as long as our hearts are poor, we”re bound to go searching for goodness in other areas -- greed, gain, status, pleasure, and praise, the baits of the world -- even though we know better. This is because we don”t truly know, which means simply that we aren”t true in what we do.

　　The truth of the path is always true: Virtue is something true, concentration is true, discernment is true, release is true. But if we aren”t true, we won”t meet with anything true. If we aren”t true in practicing virtue, concentration, and discernment, we”ll end up only with things that are fake and imitation. And when we make use of things fake and imitation, we”re headed for trouble. So we have to be true in our hearts. When our hearts are true, we”ll come to savor the taste of the Dhamma, a taste surpassing all the tastes of the world.

　　This is why I have put together the following two guides for keeping the breath in mind.

　　Peace.

　　Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

　　Wat Boromnivas

　　Bangkok, 1953

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　　Preliminaries

　　Now I will explain how to go about the practice of centering the mind. Before starting out, kneel down, with your hands palm-to-palm in front of your heart, and sincerely pay respect to the Triple Gem, saying as follows:

　　Araham samma-sambuddho bhagava:

　　Buddham bhagavantam abhivademi. (bow down)

　　Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo:

　　Dhammam namassami. (bow down)

　　Supatipanno bhagavato savaka-sangho:

　　Sangham namami. (bow down)

　　Then, showing respect with your thoughts, words, and deeds, pay homage to the Buddha:

　　Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhasa. (three ti…

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