..续本文上一页t down the burden of having to care for it. (At this point there”s no need to speak of the Hindrances any longer, because the mind at this point is firmly centered. The Hindrances don”t have a chance to slip in.)

　　When the mind can let go of the body in this way, we”ll feel an inner glow in both body and mind, a glow in the sense of a calm pleasure unlike the pleasures of the world — for instance, the body feels relaxed and at ease, with no aches or fatigue — and a glow in the sense of radiance. As for the mind, it feels the glow of a restful sense of calm and the glow of an inner radiance. This calm glow is the essence of inner worth (puñña). It”s like the water vapor rising from ice-cold objects and gathering to form clouds that fall as rain or ride high and free. In the same way, this cool sense of calm explodes into a mist of radiance. The properties of earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness all become a mist. This is where the ”six-fold radiance” (chabbanna-ransi) arises.

　　The sense of the body will seem radiant and glowing like a ripe peach. The power of this glow is called the light of the Dhamma (dhammo padipo). When we”ve developed this quality, the body is secure and the mind wide awake. A mist of radiance — a power — appears within us. This radiance, as it becomes more and more powerful, is where intuitive insight will appear: the means for knowing the four Noble Truths. As this sense of intuition becomes stronger, it will turn into knowledge and awareness: a knowledge we haven”t learned from anywhere else, but have gained from the practice.

　　Whoever can do this will find that the mind attains the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, which will enter to bathe the heart. Such a person can be said to have truly reached the refuge of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Whoever can do even just this much is capable of reaching Awakening, without having to go and do much of anything else. If we”re careful, circumspect, persistent, mindful, and discerning, we”ll be able to open our eyes and ears so that we can know all kinds of things — and we may not even have to be reborn to come back and practice concentration ever again. But if we”re complacent — careless, inattentive, and lazy — we”ll have to come back and go through the practice all over again.

　　* * *

　　The reason we practice concentration is to disband the Hindrances from the heart. When the Hindrances are absolutely quiet, the mind can reach vihara-dhamma — the inner quality that can form its home. We”ll then be able to gain complete freedom from the Hindrances. Our future states of rebirth will be no lower than the human level. We won”t be forced to gain rebirth in the four realms of deprivation (apaya). Once the mind reaches its inner home, it”s capable of raising itself to the transcendent level, to the stream flowing to nibbana. If we”re not lazy or complacent, if we keep persevering with our meditation, we”ll be able to gain release from the mundane level. If our mind gains the quality of stream-entry, we will never again have to be born in the realms of deprivation.

　　Stream-winners, if we were to explain them in really simple terms, are people whose minds are certain and sure, but who still have some forms of shoddy thoughts — although they would never dare let that shoddiness show in their actions. As for ordinary run-of-the-mill people, once they have a shoddy thought, it”s bound to appear in their words and deeds — killing, stealing, etc. Although stream-winners may still have some forms of shoddiness to them, they don”t act shoddy at all, like a person who has a knife in his hand when he”s angry, but who doesn”t use it to cut off anyone”s head.

　　Ordinary people usually can”t say no to their defilements. They usually have to act in…

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