Seeing the Mind

　　Meditation Instruction of Luangphor Putt

　　Translated by Brigitte Schrottenbacher

　　First we note “Buddho, Buddho”. If thinking arises we know we are thinking and bring the mind back to “Buddho”. Sometimes we can see our thoughts - that”s alright, we can think - but we should always know about it. If we do not want to use a mantra, finding it disturbing, then we only know the thinking.

　　When we sit in meditation it naturally happens that thoughts come up. We know them, let go of them and stay with the empty mind. This will happen again and again we just know there is thinking and we know if there is no thinking.

　　The mantra “Buddho” is thinking, noticing the rising and falling of the abdomen while breathing is thinking. These are thoughts we want to think. Sometimes we think without wanting to think. If we apply mindfulness then the value will be the same.

　　Some new meditators who do not have much experience yet might be too attached to the kind of meditation practice they are doing. It might happen that we become very calm and we think we shouldn”t be that calm but the mind enters samadhi (calmness) - it”s as if there is something pulling it into it. At other times we would like to have a calm mind but we are thinking and thinking, maybe all night long. So, what we have to do is train our mindfulness. Thoughts arise, we know there is thinking, we do not support those thoughts - we do not try to influence them by trying to bring them into this or that direction, we only know them and let them go by themselves.

　　We know and know and if mindfulness and contemplation becomes stronger, we can see the mind in its three functions. First: it thinks without end; second: it sees the thinking; third: it comes back to the state of non-thinking or emptiness, that means it comes back to the body. The body is still there, thoughts come and go and mindfulness knows about them - calmness comes and goes - and we know. All of this happens. Thinking is vitakka, mindfulness which knows is vicara. If vitakka and vicara are present, then insight into the Dhamma arises.

　　The rising and falling, coming and going in the mind is Dhamma. The mind knows, mindfulness knows and slowly concentration (samadhi) is getting better. Mindfulness becomes stronger, joy (piti) arises. When piti arises it will be accompanied by happiness (sukha). We see the mind is thinking and there is piti and sukha - we can let it go on like that.

　　Then it might happen that thinking stops and there is a bright mind full of light, rapture and bliss (sukha). The mind becomes more and more refined and even piti and sukha will disappear. Only one-pointedness and equanimity will be left. Bodily feelings, joy and happiness will be completely gone.

　　If we sit here now, we know there are pleasant feelings, pain, suffering and restlessness because there is still the body. If the mind becomes more refined and enters samadhi, then the body disappears and all those disturbances cannot happen anymore. The base for their appearance - the body - has disappeared. If the body is still there, piti, sukha, vitakka and vicara arise when we concentrate the mind. When the mind enters samadhi and becomes refined until the body disappears and there is only the bright radiant mind left - then the mind is on the “Samatha Way”. The mind is full of light, radiant and bright, it seems as if it is floating in space. This we call “the mind having space as its base (arammana)”. When this happens, there are two things: bright light and complete freedom from thoughts - there seems to be nothing.

　　Some meditators think that the mind on the “Samatha Way” doesn”t have any knowledge. Up to that point the mind went through a lot of Dhamma-knowledge - seeing and knowing the body, impermanence, suf…

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