August 21, 2546 B.E.
Self-Reliance (Part II)
Today is the 39th day of this Rains-Retreat and the Rains-Exit Day will be here in less than two months. We call this Rains-Retreat the season for attaining the Dhammakaya. This has to be reiterated often so that everyone including the new members can realize the importance of this particular Rains-Retreat.
The Dhammakaya exists inside every human being on earth regardless of his race or creed and whether or not he knows about the Dhammakaya.One will know this fact once one can see the Dhammakaya. How does one go about seeing the Dhammakaya? Well, one does so by keeping one’s mind still and quiet at the seventh base in the center of one’s body.
Everyone can attain the Dhammakaya. Therefore, everyone must endeavor to practice meditation earnestly during this Rains-Retreatso that the Dhammakaya can be attained. The Dhammakaya is the Inner Triple Gem that serves as our highest refuge. Nothing else except for the Triple Gem can be our refuge.
Once the Dhammakaya can be attained, one will feel safe and securebecause one has now achieved true self-reliance. One has no more need to try and search for anything else outside one’s self.All one needs now is a seat cushion placed on an area the size of one square meter anywhere in the world, and one can feel brave, courageous, joyful, and happy. One will not be visited by loneliness, anxiety, sadness, boredom or worry. One will feel satisfied and content. One may have very little in terms of material wealth, but one will not feel deprived at all. One feels that one has everything one needs. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone on earth attains the Dhammakaya whether he is a monk, a novice monk , a lay devotee or a non-believer.
This is the Rains-Retreat that the monks can see the Dhammakaya, the novice monks can see the Dhammakaya, and the lay devotees can see the Dhammakaya. It is odd if one cannot see the Lord Buddha when onecloses one’s eyes, since one is so familiar with the Buddha Image. Therefore, during this Rains-Retreat, everyone must be able to see the Dhammakaya. Otherwise, one can never feel safe and secure and one’s life will still be fraught with great dangers. Moreover, one will not know what true happiness is like.
People often make the mistake of thinking that happiness lies outside of themselves in people, animals, things, nature, bars, pubs, movie theaters, etc. They go somewhere for their vacation only to return home exhausted. They are thrilled by something only momentarily and they will have to find something else to thrill them later on.
Something no longer thrills them because it is not what they really want. This something may be a person, an animal, a thing, a piece of jewelry, etc. It has the power to thrill them only for a short while. But there is one thing that can never cease to thrill one and that is the Dhammakaya. Once one can see Him, one will feel so thrilled, so joyful, and so happy. One will feel satisfied and content. And one does not feel that one needs anything else at all. The important thing is to maintain this state of mind for a long time even if it is not easy to do.
The Inner Triple Gem is our highest refuge here and now as well as in future existences. The attainment of the Dhammakaya brings the practitioner happiness and joy. And when it is time for him to depart from this world, he will feel brave and ready to face death even if he is lying on his sickbed and plagued by aches and pains. Even if he feels as if he was being pinned to the bed by ten strong men, his mind will be at ease and he will not be fearful of death because he has the Triple Gem as his refuge. He can see the crystal clear and bright Dhammakaya inside him and his mind is clear. He can choose to be reborn in any of the States of Happiness because the attainment of the Dhammakaya provides him with the special password needed to be reborn in the States of Happiness.
