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Meditation
Meditation for Beginners
Serenity of the mind ">
Today, think of the phrase “ Naddhi Santi Parang Sukhang ” :
there is no happiness beyond serenity of the mind.
Such are the words of every Buddha in the past, present, and
future.
">There is no happiness other than the calmness of the
mind.
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"> It is long-established by the enlightened one who has
experienced various lives.
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He has attained the ultimate life as a great emperor ruling
the 4 continents of Jampu Tavipa (this world),
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Bupaviteha Tavipa, Utarakuru Tavipa, and Aparagoyana
Tavipa. The word “ continent” is meant
by the Buddha to be the 4 worlds surrounding Phra Sumaeru Mountain , where
Jatumaharajika Heaven is located. In his
previous lives, the Buddha had ruled that heaven. He had been Emperor Manthaturaj that ru led
half of Tavatimsa Heaven. He had been a
great king, a ruler, a wealthy man, a man of middle class, of lower class. He had also been animals and even fallen into
hell. Through all his experiences, he
concluded that “ Naddhi Santi Parang Sukhung ”. No happiness other than
serenity of the mind.
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"> Happiness means comfort of the body and the mind, feeling
satisfied with such comfort. The body
must endure through pain, illness, numbness, and tiredness. Such is pure suffering. Likewise, the mind can also be depressed,
sad, confused, and volatile. Everyone
goes through such pains wether rich or poor .
Thus, material wealth cannot lead to comfort of the body or mind. The rich can be taken ill just as the poor. it is similar for the mind: the rich may be
worried about losing wealth, afraid that it may be stolen, afraid that one's
wealth is less than other' s.
The rich person is worried that he needs to maintain his
status quo. Being rich does not mean
that his family will be happy and perfect as there are other things that lead
to discomfort of the mind. This is also
true for people of middle and lower class.
Every human, regardless of nationality, language, gender, age, religion
and belief, experiences suffering of the body and mind. Suffering may be reduced through space and
time but it never disappears.
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Therefore, the mind and body without serenity are burdened
with heaviness and tension. Such is the
truth about body and mind that is experienced by all.
Once one attains calmness, one will
experience comfort of the body and mind and desire no more. This all happens through the mind. The mind must be without thought. By placing the mind at the 7th base, one will
be able to not think, not speak, not do anything, and thus attain
stillness. Once there, the mind will
become enlarged without boundaries and as the mind expands, the body will also
expand until feelings from physical senses no longer exist. One will feel weightless, light, and alive,
always awake within and always with good intentions toward all other
beings. No longer will he possess anger,
greed, or lust.
Frustration will be gone
and his sense of tiredness will not be there.
No sense of doubt. No thought of
physical wealth, of the opposite sex, of revenge. All the confusion will be gone. The mind is light and lively. Such is the true happiness and it will be
more intensified as serenity of the mind increases. It is happiness that is free, boundless,
unlike the temporary enjoyment from drinking, speaking, singing, or gambling
that may lead to discomfort of body and mind later on. Winning a bet may tempt one to keep playing
and losing a bet may tempt one to play even more. Once the money is gone, one might start
borrowing.
At first, playing for profit
and later to get rid of debt. Playing
until all is lost---the family, house, estate.
This is happiness with disaster attached. It is not free, not comforting. One may be happy winning but it leads to
discomfort, attachment, and worries in the end.
Happiness from wealth is temporary.
It is limited and temporary. It is unlike endless happiness from
serenity of the mind.
">One of the Princes was older than the Buddha, and was born
in a frontier kingdom three hundred yojanas in area, in the city of Kukkutavati
.
A human can never feel truly happy if his mind and body
never expands and never becomes lightened.
With true happiness, the mind will be as light as cotton or a feather in
the air. When sitting, one may
smile. It is a smile from the heart that
expands from within and surrounds us.
Walk, stand, sit, sleep with smile.
Without serenity, happiness cannot be found, even if one is an
emperor. True happiness comes with
stillness of the mind. Without thought,
the mind is comforted, brightened, and clear like crystal .
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"> Maha Kappina spent his days in the ecstasy of jhana, (deep meditation) and so
full of happiness was he that he constantly repeated "aho sukham, aho
sukham," which made the monks suspect that he was longing for the pleasures
of kingship which he had left behind, until the Buddha dispelled their doubts.
Practice the mind so that it may remain calm and light. If one reaches Dhammakaya within, one will
understand why Phra Maha Kappina exclaimed “ Such happiness, such happiness
. This is because his mind was
still. The mind which had once been
chaotic became still through inner happiness.
Meditation is the practice to calm such a mind. If the mind is calm, one will see a bright
sphere within. But do not assume that this
sphere can be attained anytime. If you
found it, do not abandon it, for if it cannot be reached again, one may dwell
on the past and be unable to calm the mind in the present. Thus, if one finds the true happiness from
meditation, do not abandon it. Keep
it. Maintain it, develop it so that this
happiness may expand.
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