July 17, 2546 B.E.
The Monkhood Is a Great Realm.
Today is the fourth day of the Rains-Retreat which is the season for attaining the Dhamma where the monks can see the Dhammakaya, the novice monks can see the Dhammakaya, and the lay devotees can see the Dhammakaya.
Newly ordained monks still cannot truly understand the objective of the monkhood. If you find yourself looking at the calendar and anxiously counting the days before the Rains-Retreat comes to an end, it means that you do not yet understand the importance of the monkhood.
The monkhood is a great realm and it belongs to merit-filled individuals.Rebirth in the Human Realm is for the purpose of making clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana. This applies to every human in the world regardless of his race or creed.
For as long as one cannot make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana,one will continue to be dictated by the Law of Kamma whether or not one knows about its existence. The Lord Buddha saw and knew the Law of Kamma with His Dhammacakkhu (Dhammakaya-Eye) and Nanadassana (Supernormal Insight). He saw how the round of rebirth was fraught with all forms of great danger. For those who do not know the Truth, they tend not to be afraid. Those who have committed all forms of unwholesomeness are not afraid. They are not afraid because they do not know the Truth.
If one does not make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana, one's life will still be full of great danger here and now as well as in the States of Unhappiness.
One cannot appreciate great danger in the States of Unhappiness because one is still dominated by Avijja (ignorance) which drives one to cling to every nonsensical thing having to do with the physical forms, sounds, smells, tastes, contacts and emotions. One's mind is immersed in these things. Therefore, one cannot find the time or make the effort to learn about the reality of life. This situation is gravely dangerous. Making clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana is a highly important and neccesary undertaking.
Luang Por (meaning Luang Por Dhammajayo) must reiterate it often. Donot tire of hearing it. It is because all of you tend to forget that Luang Por has to remind you often of how important it is to make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana, which is almost impossible to do for a householder. It does not mean that it cannot happen, however. It is almost impossible because a householder must earn a living and he has a myriad of concerns. A monk, on the other hand, is free from concern because he does not earn a living. All a monk has to do is to cultivate Sila (morality), Samadhi (concentration) and Panna (insight). He has the best opportunity to keep his mind quiet and clear, the very means to hasten the attainment of Nibbana. Such is the true objective of the monkhood.
Every Buddhist Monk Must Practice Meditation
If a Buddhist monk does not practice meditation and train his mind to be still and quiet, the monkhood will be a torture for him. He will feel that timeis passing by so slowly and the day of disrobing seems to be so far away as he keeps glancing at the calendar. This happens because he is not working to realize the objective of being in the monkhood. If one is working
to realize the objective of being in the monkhood, one also glances at the calendar but the thought which goes through one's mind is completely different. One feels sad that time is passing by too quickly and fewer days are left of the Rains-Retreat. One wonders how one can keep one's mind still and quiet so that one can attain the Inner Triple Gem. One wonders how one can successfully make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana.
If as a Buddhist monk, one does not practice meditation but spends time talking about secular matters or performing secular activities, then his being in the monkhood is a waste of time. As a Buddhist monk, one must practice meditation. One must endeavor to train one's mind to be still and quiet.
One must practice meditation every day. Derive happiness from one's meditation practice and one will realize how it is different from secular happiness. One must be able to derive happiness from one's meditation practice. Even a small amount of it can motivate one to continue practicing meditation. And then one will begin to realize the value of being in the monkhood and the happiness which can be derived from meditation practice.
The happiness derived from meditation practice is the kind of happinessthat continues to evolve. It is sublime happiness. It makes one feel free and expansive. Such happiness is difficult for anyone who has not yet arrived at this point to understand. Such happiness already exists inside us at every level in terms of quantity and quality. It exists inside us and not outside of us. And it depends on where one has arrived and at what level.
The happiness which is gained when one's mind can be kept still and quietat a certain level comes with a certain level of deliciousness. When one's mind becomes more and more still, the happiness gained will be more and more profound and refined. And the feeling of expansiveness will increase further and further and so will its deliciousness. One will be able to taste the deliciousness of happiness which comes with meditation practice. It is truly delicious. If one can see brightness instead of darkness when one closes one's eyes, one will value one's monkhood and guards jealously the remaining time one has in the monkhood. If one can derive happiness from one's meditation practice especially if one can see the Dhammakaya, one will want one's time in the monkhood to last a million years instead of just ninety days. That is how one will feel when one has arrived at that point.
Therefore, now that you are in the monkhood, you should feel joyful and proud of the fact that you possess enough merit to become a Buddhist monk, the same pure status as our Lord Buddha. He had gone through every level of life in the round of rebirth and He came to the conclusion that a monk's life was the best and the truest. Life outside the monkhood is not true, for it is still attached to all kind of things that have absolutely no substance. You will come to know what is true once you can attain the Dhammakaya. And then you will be overjoyed. You will earn an incomparable amount of merit, and so will your parents because you have made it possible for your parents to become relatives of Buddhism.
The Merit Earned from Entering the Monkhood Can Help Your Parents.
Once one enters the monkhood, one's parents automatically become relatives of Buddhism. This is an important fact. A Yakkhini, who was once the mother of the novice monk called Sanu* in a previous existence a very long time ago, was respected by high-ranking celestial beings that possess great aura in spite of the fact that she was just a lowly Yakkhini. When it was time for celestial beings to attend the Lord Buddha's Dhamma lecture, these high-ranking celestial beings as well as other celestial beings would give way to her. Normally, celestial beings are seated in accordance with their accumulated merit and the greatness of their aura when attending the Lord Buddha's Dhamma lecture. Those who possess less accumulated merit and a lower level of aura will have to sit further away from the Lord Buddha.
Therefore, as a monk or a novice monk, it would behoove one to conduct one's self properly. One's parents have now become relatives of Buddhism. They will receive a special privilege when attending a Dhamma lecture. Wherever they go, others will give way to them. And it will be
* Mahamakut Buddhist University, "Sanu, the Novice Monk", the Sutta and the Atthagatha Translation
of the Khuddakanikaya Gathadhammapada, vol. 43, 4th printing (Bangkok,
Mahamakut Buddhist University, 2543 B.E.), article 236, pages 245-251.
talked about widely how they are the parents of that monk or that novice monk. Remember then how one's being a monk or a novice monk can greatly benefit one's parents.
And the merit earned by their son's being in the monkhood or novicehood will also help them in that should they ever commit a misdeed knowingly or unknowingly, the merit earned will help them not to fall deeper into the States of Unhappiness.
A monk's life is noble and one should be overjoyed and proud that one is now a monk or a novice monk. Therefore, one should endeavor to practice meditation to the fullest extent.
Just Keep On Looking
What should a monk or a novice monk do? He should practice meditation in order to attain the Dhammakaya. During meditation practice, if you feel sleepy, you should go ahead and sleep. If you feel achy, you should adjust your posture. If your mind is restless, you should open your eyes. And then begin again. You should do this over and over again and in time your mind will be able to remain inside your body and it will become more and more familiar with the center of your body.
At times, you may experience a light or an image. It may appear to your left, to your right, at the front, at the back, below or above you. Wherever it appears, pay no attention to it. If it does not appear in the center of your body, pay no attention to it. Keep your mind centered. When your mind becomes quiet, the light or image may reappear to your left, to your right, at the front, at the back, below or above you. It may be a small star or an image of this or that.
Pay no attention to it even if you want so badly to look at it. You should just continue to keep your mind calm and quiet.If you try to look at it, it will disappear right away. Therefore, keep your mind calm and quiet in the center of your body. It may be dark there and there is nothing to look at, just look at the darkness. Look at it quietly.
An image may appear in the center of your body, but it is not what you want to see because you want to see a crystal sphere or a crystal Buddha Image. Suppose the image is that of a tree, a mountain, an ant, a cat or whatever. You need to simply look at it quietly and calmly. There is no need to stare at it or chaste it away.
Soon the image will change to something else or to a Buddha Image. The Image may be made of bricks or stone or cement or sand or metal. It may be small. It may be large. It may be facing you. It may tilt. It may turn upside down. However the Buddha Image appears to you, just look at it quietly without thinking anything at all. Look at it the way you look at a bird flying in the air or at the clouds in the sky. Just continue to look at the image.
Be glad that images appear to you because it means that your concentration has already improved to a certain extent. Your mind is becoming more refined but not to the fullest extent just yet. It is the reason that you cannot yet see the images you want. What you need to do is to continue looking at whatever image appears to you in a relaxed manner and without thinking anything.
In time, the image will change and when your mind has come to a complete standstill, you will see a crystal sphere. You will see the Dhammakaya arising from the center of your body one after another. Then you will be flooded with happiness and you will feel like sharing the happiness gained with others.
Suffering Brought About by Recklessness
If you arrive at the point where you see the Dhammakaya arising from the center of your body one after another or perhaps just one Dhammakaya, you must guard it more jealously than life itself. What you have attained will be your own refuge. It has the power to close the gate to the States of Unhappiness and open the gate to the Celestial Realm for you. It means that you will not have to be reborn in the States of Unhappiness. But you will be reborn in the Celestial Realm not to mention being flooded with true happiness here and now.
Some of you were able to arrive at the point in their meditation practice where they saw the arising of one Dhammakaya after another as a result of their accumulated merit. Unfortunately, they made the mistake of thinking that the whole process was easy and that they could practice meditation whenever they wanted. This often happens to new practitioners. They donot know anything yet and their minds are still more or less innocent. They do not fuss the way long-time practitioners seem to do. The result of too much fussing is very slow progress in their meditation practice.
When new practitioners are able to easily arrive at this point, they often become reckless thinking that they can practice meditation whenever they want. As a result, the image of the Dhammakaya simply fades away and disappears from their mind. Actually, the Dhammakaya is still there in the center of their body. But their mind has become less and less refined because there are so many things in life that cause one's mind to be coarse whether one is awake, sleeping or dreaming. Things in life are always ready to pull one's mind out of one's center.
When one is busily doing everything which scarcely brings about happiness, one's mind is pulled out of one's center. But when one's accumulated merit reminds one or one meets with a virtuous friend who asks if one is still seeing the Dhammakaya and how one must take great care to guard the image, one then tries to see the Dhammakaya. But one cannot see Him again because one's mind is no longer as refined as it once was.
Such is the painful experience of a reckless practitioner. And all one can do is to keep talking about what one once was able to see. As a result,whenever one practices meditation, one ends up wanting so badly to arrive at the same point again. It is because one wants it so badly that one cannot arrive at the same point again.
Anyone being able to reach the point where he can see the arising of the crystal clear Dhammakaya should know that one possesses enough accumulated merit to see the most valuable thing in his life. Take great care in keeping the image and guarding it more jealously than life itself. Such meditative attainments will become your true refuge. Besides giving you happiness and purity, once you become skilled at it, you will be able to see the arising of the Dhammakaya one after another all the time. And then you will be able to learn Vijja Dhammakaya at a more profound level starting from primary level to secondary, tertiary and quaternary levels. You will be able to learn the truth about life which remains concealed for
others but will be revealed to you.
When you can arrive at the point where you can begin to learn Vijja Dhammakaya, you will be so amazed by your accomplishment. You used to be amazed when someone else could do it. But soon enough, you will feel that it is only natural that you can do it too. Once you become very skilled, the experience will feel as natural to you as breathing. You have no need to think now you will inhale or now you will exhale. It happens naturally. Or when you want to look at something, all you have to do is open your eyes and look at it. Likewise, in meditation practice, when you have arrived at the point where you and the Dhammakaya are merged as one, you will be able to recall your past both in this existence and in previous existences.
These phenomena exist inside every human being but most have scarce idea that they have these amazing things inside their mind. Therefore,having arrived at this point, you must endeavor to sustain your meditative attainments. Keep your mood good and even at all times and endeavor to practice meditation often so that you can continue to make progress.
