September 30, 2546 B.E.
The Fruit of Monkhood
It will be the Rains-Exit Day eleven days from now. We are continuing to do the countdown day by day. In these last eleven days, everyone needs to practice meditation to the fullest extent in order to attain the Dhammakaya.Actually, everyone has been doing that since the start of the Rains-Retreat.Everyone has made progress, some a lot, some a little. For some, their progress is evident to them; for others, not as much. Those whose progress is not as evident tend to think that they have not made any progress at all when in fact they have and it will become evident in these final eleven days. Therefore, continue practicing meditation to the fullest extent.
For the newly ordained monks who have taken a leave of absence from work in order to enter the monkhood and will need to disrobe and return to work soon, they should take this opportunity to practice meditation to the fullest extent so that when they look back upon this time of their life, they can feel proud and happy. Whether or not they plan to remain in the monkhood until the day of the Kathina Robe Offering, they ought to spend these final days of this Rains-Retreat practicing meditation to the fullest extent. The reason is that they may or may not be able to enter the monkhood again in the future. Therefore, they should take the fullest advantage of the time remaining of their monkhood.
Everyone has begun to understand that the meditation practice leading to the attainment of the Dhammakaya is fairly simple. It is easier than going to school because one is not required to memorize, read, imagine, think or do anything at all. All one has to do is to keep one’s mind still and quiet at the seventh base in the center of one’s body. That is all.One is required however to stay mindful, comfortable, consistent, and observant. Everyone whether he is a monk or a lay devotee is encouraged to practice meditation to the fullest extent for the remaining of this Rains-Retreat as one goes about one’s work and one’s life.The new monks are especially encouraged to do their very best so that after they disrobe, they cannot say that they have benefited nothing from being in the monkhood.
Whether or not one gains anything from being in the monkhood depends entirely on one’s self. If one hardly does anything at all, then one can scarcely gain anything. However, if one practices meditation early morning, mid-morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and at night, one is sure to gain much.How one behaves while in the monkhood plays an important role in causing Buddhism to either flourish or decline. Those who entered the monkhood for a brief period but did not perform any work required of a monk tended to say after they had disrobed that they gained nothing from being in the
monkhood. Moreover, they tell everyone else about it. As a result, they inadvertently cause others not to see any point in entering the monkhood.
Actually, there is so much that one can learn and three months in the monkhood are hardly enough time to really learn anything. But at the very least, one can learn to practice meditation so that one can attain the Dhammakaya. Once that happens, one will automatically want to learn more and more about the Lord Buddha’s Dhamma-Discipline.If one practices meditation earnestly, one will definitely be able to attain the Dhammakaya as shown by the meditation results submitted by different Inner Dreams kindergarteners. Some share similar experiences. These reports work to motivate fellow kindergarteners to continue improving the way that they are trying to keep their mind still and quiet. Although Stillness Is the Key to Success forms the principal tenet of meditation practice, details of the practice are uniquely different with each practitioner.Everyone is encouraged to spend the remaining of the Rains-Retreat practicing keeping his mind still and quiet to the fullest extent!
