July 16, 2546 B.E.
Darkness, Achiness, Restlessness
Today is the third day of this Rains-Retreat, the season in which the monks can see the Dhammakaya, the novice monks can see the Dhammakaya, and the lay devotees can see the Dhammakaya.
When one sits down and closes one's eyes to practice meditation and all one can see is darkness, one may regard the darkness as a hindrance or an enemy. But actually, it is not, for darkness is a natural phenomenon.
Think of darkness as your friend or your pal. Think of it as being endearing and then you will feel comfortable with it. Do not try to chase away the darkness. Remember that when you first enter a room at night, all you can see is darkness. But when you stand still and allow sometime for your eyesight to adjust itself, you will begin to make out the shapes and forms of the furniture and things inside the room. Then you can locate the light switch and turn the light on to chase away the darkness.
It is the same with the darkness you see inside you. All you have to do is to sit quietly, calmly and comfortably and then you will discover how there is no such thing as absolute darkness. From a high level of darkness to a moderate level of darkness to a low level of darkness, and before you know it, you will experience a low level of light the way it is at dawn. A low level of light will gradually turn into a moderate level of light, so on and so forth until it is as bright as the midday sun.
Another hindrance in meditation practice is achiness. Some people stop practicing meditation as soon as they experience a low level of achiness. Remember that one is only human. One is not a celestial being. Therefore, achiness is natural and it should not be thought of as a hindrance. If you feel achy, all you have to do is adjust your posture.
Restlessness occurs as a result of the accumulation of thoughts inside your mind. These include the experiences you have from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Everything that one has ever done including all of one's past experiences has all been stored inside one's mind. Therefore, when one sits down to practice meditation, these experiences will show up as images or sounds or as both images and sounds and to the extent that one may feel bored and discouraged.And one begins to think of one's restless mind as a hindrance to one's meditation practice.
Actually, thought and mind belong together. When one is in the water, one's mind can also be restless. When one is in space, one's mind can also be restless. Wherever one may be, one is always thinking things. The good news is that the presence of thoughts means that the mind can be trained. Therefore, restlessness is not at all a hindrance to meditation practice.
One must bear in mind that one cannot escape three things, namely, sleepiness, achiness, and restlessness when one practices meditation. But there are ways to deal with them. If you feel sleepy, go ahead and drop off to sleep. If you feel achy, adjust your posture. If your mind is restless, open your eyes and begin again. Continue to make improvement and
adjustment gradually until these three things are no longer present. And then your mind will gradually become clearer and more refined. In time, your mind will be brought to a standstill and it will be ready to journey inward. And you will be able to see all the things that are already there inside you.
Meditation practice is not difficult. What makes it difficult is laziness. If one is diligent and practices meditation correctly and earnestly, in time one will meet with success. This Rains-Retreat is the season of wish fulfillment.
The persons who have attained the Dhamma have two hands, so do you. If they can do it, so can you.
Do Not Store Your Anger.
Some persons leave their house in a good mood but later they feel frustrated as they encounter the mistakes made by their fellowmen during their commute or at work. Every kind of work has its own problems;
problems from work pressure and one's fellowmen's imperfection. At times, one's coworkers annoy one or make one angry and one stores one's anger in one's mind which will have a negative effect on one's meditation practice later on. Precious time has to be spent and wasted on clearing one's mind of anger. And by the time one is ready to practice meditation, the session is already nearing its end. Such is the negative effect of storing one's anger.
It is much better for one to just forget about the offences. Misunderstanding lies at the root of offences. What one sees and what others see may be different. One sees one thing. Another person sees another thing. That's life! Therefore, it is better to let go of anger and keep one's mind relaxed and comfortable instead. Then when it is time to practice meditation, one's mind will be clear and before one knows it, one can see the arising of one Dhammakaya after another.
