October 9, 2546
B.E. Stillness Is the Key to Success
The Rains-Exit Day will be here in two days. Everyone has been practicing meditation earnestly for the past eighty-eight days and only two days are now left of this Rains-Retreat. If one endeavors to practice meditation earnestly and correctly, two days are long enough for one to realize one’s wish which is the attainment of the Dhammakaya. The Dhammakaya can be found at the seventh base in the center of one’s body at two fingers’ width above one’s navel. All of you know that Stillness Is the Key to Success.
It means that when one can bring one’s mind which is in the habit of thinking all kind of things to a complete standstill at the seventh base in the center of one’s body and when everything is just right, one will be able to attain the Dhammakaya. The process requires mindfulness, comfort, consistency, and observation. Two days are enough time to practice meditation earnestly and correctly so that one can attain the Dhammakaya. Take our Most Venerable Luang Pu for example, he had no idea that the Dhammakaya could be found inside his person. And yet, he was determined to attain the Dhamma as attained by the Lord Buddha; otherwise, he would not rise from his seat.
It was a feat more difficult than diving for a needle in the ocean. Still, he was able to do it once his mind came to a complete standstill in just the right way. His past Perfections enabled him to attain the Dhammakaya, and he has summarized for us all that he knew in just a few words, Stillness Is the Key to Success. The attainment of the Dhammakaya has been made easy for the rest of us by Luang Pu. All we have to do is to practice what Luang Pu teaches, not too tight, not too lax but just right. It is the point where one feels comfortable and content, the state of mind which enables one to attain the Dhammakaya. Before entering the classroom, Kru Mai Yai saw the moon shining brightly outside and thought how this should be the night of wish fulfillment for our monks, our novice monks and our lay devotees.
Kru Mai Yai thought especially of the monks and the novice monks who may or may not be here long but however long they remain as a monk or a novice monk, their goal is still the same in that they must endeavor to make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana. And the only way that one can make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana is to attain the Dhammakaya. For those who will need to leave soon, the time they have left is crucially important and they must do their very best. When one enters the monkhood for however long it may be, one’s goal must always be to make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana by practicing the Lord Buddha’s Teachings or at least by practicing keeping one’s mind clear. If the stay is a short one, one will not have enough time to really learn the Lord Buddha’s Teachings. In that case, one should just practice what the Most Venerable Luang Pu teaches, Stillness Is the Key to Success.
Our Most Venerable Luang Pu’s life was filled with righteousness in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. It is nearly impossible to find another Buddhist monk like Luang Pu. In one of Luang Pu’s Dhamma lectures, he said, “The lecturer (the noun Luang Pu used to refer to himself) entered the monkhood and the following morning up until now, he has practiced meditation every day without fail.” Luang Pu said, “I put my life on the line twice by vowing that if I could not attain the Dhamma as attained by the Lord Buddha, I would continue to sit still.” It is very difficult to find someone like our Most Venerable Luang Pu. Perhaps, we may be able to find someone who puts his life on the line once but not twice. And it was because Luang Pu was so determined to attain the Dhamma that he finally succeeded.
Having attained the Dhammakaya and taught it to others, Luang Pu has done a great good thing for humanity especially the Buddhists who can now truly feel confident of the Lord Buddha’s Teachings. Many phenomena are mentioned in the Tipitaka but they are problematic for the new students or the active students of the Lord Buddha’s Teachings. These phenomena include the Law of Kamma, the Hell Realm, the Celestial Realm, etc. The Lord Buddha told us that there are altogether thirty-one realms of existence and He had been reborn in almost all of them. The Lord Buddha did not hesitate telling us these things even though some of them can be embarrassing, but He did it because He wished to let us know the truth about the round of rebirth. In regards to the Celestial Realm, many answers have been given. “It says so in the Tipitaka.” “It probably exists.” “It may not exist.” “Heaven andhell are all in the mind.”
“The Celestial Realm is used to coax people to be good; the Hell Realm is used to make people afraid of unwholesomeness.” “It’s just blind faith, completely out of date!” Such answers do little to motivate people to study the Tipitaka and to perform wholesome deeds. But when our Most Venerable Luang Pu discovered the truth about the Dhammakaya, he was able to confirm that when one has attained the Dhammakaya, one will be able to visit the Hell Realm and the Celestial Realm. One will be able to talk to hell beings and celestial beings. One can visit the Hell Realm in order to help one’s parents or loved ones. Therefore, all of us are extremely fortunate to be here and to have heard Luang Pu’s teachings. Let all of us do our very best.
