..续本文上一页o take their natural course into cessation.

　　When you are patient, allowing things to cease, then you begin to know cessation -- silence, emptiness, clarity -- the mind clears, stillness. The mind is still vibrant, it”s not oblivious, repressed or asleep, and you can hear the silence of the mind.

　　To allow cessation means that we have to be very kind, very gentle and patient, humble, not taking sides with anything, the good, the bad, the pleasure, or the pain. Gentle recognition allows things to change according to their nature, without interfering. So then we learn to turn away from seeking absorption into the objects of the senses. We find our peace in the emptiness of the mind, in its clarity, in its silence.

　　Emptiness and Form

　　When your mind is quiet, listen, and you can hear that vibrational sound in the mind -- ”the sound of silence”. What is it

　　 Is it an ear sound, or is it an outward sound

　　 Is it the sound of the mind or the sound of the nervous system, or what

　　 Whatever it is, it”s always there, and it can be used in meditation as something to turn toward.

　　Recognising that all that arises passes away, we begin to look at that which doesn”t arise or pass, and is always there. If you start trying to think about that sound, have a name for it, or claim any kind of attainments from it, then of course you are using it in the wrong way. It”s merely a standard to refer to when you”ve reached the limit of the mind, and the end of the mind as far as we can observe it. So from that position you can begin to watch. You can think and still hear that sound (if you”re thinking deliberately, that is), but once you”re lost in thought, then you forget it and you don”t hear it anymore. So if you get lost in thought, then once you”re aware that you”re thinking again, turn to that sound, and listen to it for a long time. Where before you”d get carried away by emotions or obsessions or the hindrances that arise, now you can practise by gently, very patiently reflecting on the particular condition of the mind as anicca, dukkha, anatta, and then letting go of it. It”s a gentle, subtle letting go, not a slam-bang rejection of any condition. So the attitude, the right understanding is more important than anything else. Don”t make anything out of that sound of silence. People get excited, thinking they”ve attained something, or discovered something, but that in itself is another condition you create around the silence. This is a very cool practice, not an exciting one; use it skilfully and gently for letting go, rather than for holding onto a view that you”ve attained something! If there”s anything that blocks anyone in their meditation, it”s the view that they”ve attained something from it!

　　Now, you can reflect on the conditions of the body and mind and concentrate on them. You can sweep through the body and recognise sensations, such as the vibrations in the hands or feet, or you can concentrate on any point in your body. Feel the sensation of the tongue in the mouth, touching the palate, or the upper lip on top of the lower, or just bring into the consciousness the sensation of wetness of the mouth, or the pressure of the clothes on your body -- just those subtle sensations that we don”t bother to notice. Reflecting on these subtle physical sensations, concentrate on them and your body will relax. The human body likes to be noticed. It appreciates being concentrated on in a gentle and peaceful way, but if you”re inconsiderate and hate the body, it really starts becoming quite unbearable. Remember we have to live within this structure for the rest of our lives. So you”d better learn how to live in it with a good attitude. You say, ”Oh, the body doesn”t matter, it”s just a disgusting thing, gets old, gets sick and dies. The body do…

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