frames of reference -ajaan lee dhamadharo

7/29/2019 Frames of Reference -Ajaan Lee Dhamadharo

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Framesof

Reference

by

Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

(Phra Suddhidhammaras Gambhramedhcariya)

Translated from the Thai

by hnissaro Bhikkhu

(Geoffrey DeGraff)

f o r f r e e d i s t r i b u t i o n


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CONTENTS

Foreword: About the Author

FRAMES OF REFERENCE

APPENDIX: A REFUGE IN AWAKENING

Glossary


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FOREWORD: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phra Ajaan Lee was born in 1906 in a rural village in Ubon Ratchathani

province, northeastern Thailand. At the age of 20 he was ordained as a monk atthe temple in his home village, and there began his study of Buddhist doctrineand monastic discipline. He discovered, much to his distress, that life in histempleas in most temples in Thailand at the timehad little to do with thepractice of the Buddha's teachings. As he wrote later in his autobiography,Instead of observing the duties of the contemplative life, we were out to have agood time: playing chess, wrestling, playing match games with girls wheneverthere was a wake Whenever I looked into the books on monastic discipline, Idstart felling really uneasy. I told myself, If you don't want to leave themonkhood, youre going to have to leave this temple.

Soon after making this resolution, he happened to meet a monk of the

wandering ascetic tradition founded by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantaslo (1861 - 1941)and Phra Ajaan Mun Bhridatto (1870 - 1949). Impressed both with the mansteachings and with his way of life, Ajaan Lee set out on foot to find Ajaan Munand to become his student. He spent two very intensive periods studying withAjaan Mun: once, that first year, in the forests of Ubon; and then again, fouryears later, at Wat Chedi Luang in Chieng Mai. Ajaan Mun and Ajaan Sao wereunique in their time in teaching that the way to nibbna was still open, and thetraining they gave their students in the direction of that goal was also unique,involving not only intensive meditation practice but also the total re-education ofthe students character: his habits, values, and powers of observation.

As Ajaan Lee wrote in his autobiography, Staying with Ajaan Mun was very

good for me, but also very hard. I had to be willing to learn everything anewSome days hed be cross with me, saying that I was messy, that I never putanything in the right placebut hed never tell me what the right places wereTo be able to stay with him any length of time, you had to be very observant andvery circumspect. You couldnt leave footprints on the floor, you couldnt makenoise when you swallowed water or opened the windows or doors. There had tobe a science to everything you didhanging out robes arranging bedding,everything. Otherwise, hed drive you out, even in the middle of the RainsRetreat. Even then, youd just have to take it and try to use your powers ofobservation.

In other matters, such as sitting and walking meditation, he trained me in

every way, to my complete satisfaction. But I was able to keep up with him atbest only about 60 percent of the time.After Ajaan Lees second period of training, Ajaan Mun sent him out into the

forests of northern Thailand to wander and meditate on his own. Ajaan Leeswanderings eventually took him through every part of Thailand, as well as intoBurma, Cambodia, and India. Of all of Ajaan Muns students, Ajaan Lee was thefirst to bring the teachings of the forest tradition into the mainstream of Thaisociety in central Thailand. In 1935 he founded a temple, Wat Paa Khlawng


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Kung, in a cemetery near Chanthaburi, on the southeast coast; and in 1955 hefounded Wat Asokaram in a marshy area at the mouth of the Chao Phraya Riveron the outskirts of Bangkok. He drew studentsmonks and lay people, men andwomenfrom all levels of society and all walks of life. In 1957 he was given theecclesiastical rank of Chao Khun, with the title Phra Suddhidhammaras

Gambhramedhcariya. He passed away in 1961.Even in his last years, though, he continued to retreat regularly into the forest.To quote again from his autobiography: Living in the forest, as I like to do, hasgiven me a lot to think about Its a quiet place, where you can observe theinfluences of the environment. Take the wild rooster: If it went around acting likea domestic rooster, the cobras and mongooses would make a meal of it in notime So it is with us: If we spend all out time wallowing in companionship,were like a knife or a hoe stuck down into the dirtitll rust easily. But if itsconstantly sharpened on a stone or a file, rust wont have a chance to take hold.So we should learn always to be on the alert

Living in the forest, the mind becomes confident. The Dhamma youve

studiedor even that you havent studiedwill make itself clear, because natureis the teacher. Its like the sciences of the world, which every country has used todevelop amazing powers: None of their inventions or discoveries came out oftextbooks. They came because scientists studied the principles of nature, all ofwhich appear right here in the world. As for the Dhamma, its just like science: Itexists in nature. When I realized this, I no longer worried about studying thescriptures and I was reminded of the Lord Buddha and his disciples: Theystudied and learned from the principles of nature. None of them followed atextbook.

For these reasons, Im willing to be ignorant when it comes to texts andscriptures. Some kinds of trees sleep at night and are awake during the day.

Others sleep by day and are awake by night.


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FRAMES OF REFERENCE

INTRODUCTION

This book on the frames of reference is based to some extent on my ownthoughts and opinions. In some spots it may not be directly in line with theoriginal texts, because my primary aim has been to get to the heart of the matterso that it can be conveniently put into practice. Those who hold zealously to thetexts may feel that what I have written is wrong; but as for me, I feel thatwhoever is able to practice in line with what is written here will find that it canbe taken as a guide to the true principles of concentration, discernment, andrelease. To hold to the texts isnt wrong, but they should be held to discerningly,just as in medicine: A doctor who thinks that the only way to cure a fever is todrink a concoction of boiled neem and quinine leaves is wrong. Some doctors

may add the leaves of other trees and make it into a powder; some may make aconcentrated extract; others may vary the dosage. In the same way, whenpracticing the Dhamma, to go no further than the texts may in some cases bewrong. Actually, any path that abandons defilement and brings relief fromsuffering is right. The value of medicine lies in its ability to cure disease; thevalue of a method of practice lies in its ability to abandon defilement. As far as Ican see, there is nothing wrong with any method that has been found to work. Inthe end, all such methods must follow the basic principles of virtue,concentration, and discernment, and differ only as to whether they are crude orsophisticated, direct or indirect, fast or slow.

Now, I dont want to set myself up as an absolute authority of any kind.

Thus, I want you, the reader, to use your own discernment. Take whateverpassage seems right for you as a basis for your practice. There is no need tofollow the entire book. Simply focus on a single point, and that will be enough.Once you have mastered an important point, all the other sections will cometogether and connect right there.

When you are ready to meditate, you should try to find a quiet, solitary placeto assist in your practice of the frames of reference. Otherwise, your practicewont go smoothly, because solitude is desirable for all spiritual seekers ingeneral. Just as a person who wants to look at his reflection in the water will beable to see himself clearly only when the water is still, with no wind ripplingacross the surface, in the same way, a person who wants peace that is subtle and

profound has to conduct himself in this manner.Or to put it another way, there has to be external peace and quiet before

internal peace will arise. When both forms of peace are present, you will knowand see the Dhamma as it actually is. So when you put this form of meditationinto practice, you should first say your chants and pay respect to the Buddha inwhatever way you are accustomed to, and then begin sitting in meditation. Youare sure to obtain genuine results in line with what I have written here.


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If there is anything defective or wrong in this book, I trust that the reader willshow me forgiveness, for Im not much of an expert when it comes to the texts.Ive simply learned a few parts, and put them into practice.

One more point: This practice of training the heart is very important in that itforms the source of all goodness and merit; and whatever is the source of goodness

and merit deserves special care and attention. The heart is a vessel for all that isgood. When the heart is pure, any meritorious actions you may perform externallywill truly foster happiness. External merit is like a tasty curry. If its served in afilthy dish, then even though the curry may be delicious, the person eating it wontwant to eat his fill because of the filth. But if the dish is clean and the currydelicious, the person eating is likely to eat with confidence to his hearts content. Inthe same way, if the heart is clean, it will find itself attracted to performingexternally meritorious actions. It will always be ready to make sacrifices, becausein every case it will taste the nourishment of its goodness.

Not only that, a clean heart also forms the path for release from stress andsuffering, leading ultimately to nibbna. Those who are to reach the paths

(magga) and fruitions (phala) leading to nibbna will do so by way of the heart. Ifthe heart isnt trained, then no matter how much external goodness you mayhave, you wont be able to reach nibbna. Nibbna can be attained only bytraining the heart in the practice of virtue, concentration, and discernment.Virtue forms the basis for concentration; concentration, the basis for discernment;and discernment, the basis for release. Concentration is especially importantbecause it forms the basis for discernment and intuitive understanding (a),which are the crucial factors of the path. You cant do without concentration. Ifconcentration is lacking, you can gain nothing but jumbled thoughts andobsessions, without any sound support.

Concentration is like a nail: and discernment, a hammer. If the nail isnt held

firm and straight, the hammer will strike it only hit-or-miss, and the nail will neverget through the board. For the heart to penetrate the world and get through to thehighest Dhamma, it must take a firm stance in concentration so as to give rise tointuitive understanding. Intuitive understanding can occur only to those who havecentered the mind in concentration. As for discernment, its something we all have,but if it lacks intuitive understanding, it can never get beyond the world.

For this reason, we should all take an interest in the factors that form the pathleading beyond suffering and stress to abundant wellbeing.

If you have questions about any part of this book, please feel free to ask atany time.

The merit coming from the writing of this book, I ask to dedicate to all those

who have felt inspired to help pay for its printing costs so that it can bedistributed freely as a gift of Dhamma. May the power arising from this gift bearthem fruit, so that whatever they aspire to that is upright and just may succeed inbringing them happiness in every way.

Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo

Wat Paa Khlawng Kung (The Shrimp Canal Forest Temple), Chanthaburi, 1948


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An explanation of the four frames of reference, which arefor those who putthem into practicea means for freedom from defilement:

I. Kynupassan satipahna: being mindful of the body as a frame of reference.

II. Vedannupassan satipahna:being mindful of feelings as a frame ofreference.III. Cittnupassan satipahna:being mindful of the mind as a frame ofreference.IV. Dhammnupassan satipahna:being mindful of mental qualities as a frameof reference.

In order to use these four frames of reference as a means for centering themind, you must first familiarize yourself with the following three qualities.Otherwise, you cant say that youre standing firm on your frame of reference.The truth of the matter is that the translations given above are too narrowfor in

dealing with the frames of reference, mere mindfulness isnt enough. When itsnot enough, and yet you keep being mindful of the body, you will give rise onlyto feelings of pleasure and displeasure, because the duty of mindfulness issimply to keep remembering or referring to an object. So in developing theframes of reference, you have to know your tools for remembering

1. Sati: mindfulness; powers of reference.2. Sampajaa: alertness. This has to be firmly in place at the mind before

sending mindfulness out to refer to its objectsuch as the bodyand thenbringing it back inwards to refer to the heart.

3. fitappa: ardency; focused investigation, analyzing the object into its variousaspects.

This can be illustrated as follows: The body is like a sawmill. The mind is likea drive shaft. Alertness is the pulley that spins around the drive shaft in one spot.Mindfulness is the belt that ties the mind to its object, not letting it slip away toother objects. Ardencyfocused investigationis the saw blade that keepscutting the logs into pieces so that they can be of use. These three qualities mustalways be present for your practice of centering the mind to succeed.

Now we will discuss the work to be done, the objects for which focusedinvestigation, alertness, and mindfulness are responsible, each its separate way.The objects are four

1. The body (kya), which is a conglomeration of the four properties of earth,

water, fire, and wind.2. Feelings (vedan): the experiencing of such sensations as pleasure, pain, and

neither pleasure nor pain.3. The mind (citta), which is what stores up the various forms of good and evil.4. Mental qualities (dhamma): conditions maintained within you, such as the

skillful and unskillful qualities that occur mixed together in the mind.

These are the four things for which you must be responsible.


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I. THE BODY

The term body here refers to conglomerations of the four properties, both those

that have consciousness directing them and those that no longer do, but that stillappear to the eye. Both sorts are termed physical bodies (rpa-kya). Bodies canbe considered under three aspects

A. The inner body: your own body.B. Outer bodies: the bodies of other people.C. The body in and of itself: the act of focusing on an aspect or part of the

body, such as the breath, which is an aspect of one of the four properties.This is what is meant by the body in and of itself.

The body, whether inner or outer, is simply a matter of the four properties.Now that you know your duties, you have to perform them properly.

Sampajaa: Keep your alertness in place, right at the mind within. You donthave to direct it anywhere else. Sati: Your mindfulness has to be all-round. Inother words, refer inwardly to the mind and then out to the objectin this case,the physical bodyand then watch after the mind and its object to make surethat they dont slip away from each other.fitappa: Focus ardently oninvestigating the physical body, analyzing it into its various aspects. This can bedone in any of five ways:

1. Investigate the 32 parts of the body, beginning with the hair of the head,hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, etc. Make a thorough survey and evaluation. Ifthis method doesnt calm the mind, go on to

2. Investigate the various repugnant aspects of the body, beginning with thefact that the body is a conglomeration of all sorts of things. In other words, its aburial ground, a national cemetery, filled with the corpses of cattle, pigs, ducks,chickens, sour, sweet, greasy, salty, gathered and aged in the stomach, filteredand distilled into blood, pus, decomposing and putrid, oozing throughout thebody and coming out its various openings: this body, which all of us in thehuman race care for without ceasingbathing it, scrubbing it, masking itssmelland even then its filth keeps displaying itself as ear wax, eye secretions,nasal drip, tooth tartar, skin-scruff, and sweat, always oozing out, filthy in everyway. What it comes from is filthy, where it stays is filthy (i.e., in a cemetery offresh corpses, or even worseweve probably buried hundreds of different

kinds of corpses within ourselves). If you look at the human body, youll see thatits characteristics are ill-matched and incongruous. Its smell is something reallyoffensive. If looking at the body in this way doesnt give rise to a sense of dismayand detachment, go on to

3. Investigate the in-and-out breath. When the breath comes in long, be awareof the fact. When it goes out long, be aware of it. When you first begin dealingwith the breath, start out by sending your attention out with the out-breath andin with the in-breath. Do this two or three times, and then let your attention settle


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in the middlewithout letting it follow the breath in or outuntil the mindbecomes still, paying attention only to the in-and-out breath. Make the mindopen, relaxed and at ease. You can settle your awareness at the tip of the nose, atthe palateif you can keep it centered in the middle of the chest, so much thebetter. Keep the mind still, and it will feel at ease. Discernment will arise; an

inner light will appear, reducing distractive thought. Now observe the behaviorof the breath as it swells and contractsin long and out long, in short and outshort, in short and out long, in long and out short, in heavy and out light, in lightand out heavy, in light and out light. Focus on making a thorough investigationinto these different modes of breathing, without letting the mind move alongwith the breath. Do this until it gives rise to a sense of mental calm. If, however,this method doesnt make you calm, go on to

4. Investigate the four properties: earth, water, wind and fire. The parts of thebody that feel hard are the earth property. The parts that feel liquid are the waterproperty. The energy that flows through the body is the wind property; and thewarmth in the body, the fire property. Imagine that you can take the earth

property out and pile it in a heap in front of you, that you can take the waterproperty out and pile it behind you, that you can pile the wind property in aheap to your left, and the fire property in a heap to your right. Place yourself inthe middle and take a good look at the body, until you see that, when taken apartin this way, it vanishes into nothing, into asheswhat they call deathand youwill come to feel a sense of dismay and detachment. If, however, you dont seeany results appearing, go on to

5. Consider the fact that the body, once its born, leaves you exposed on allsides to the steady onslaughts of old age, illness, and death. Ultimately, you aresure to be torn away from everything in the world. The body is alwaysdisplaying its nature

Anicca: Its inconstant, unstable, always shifting precariously about.Dukkha: Its hard to endure.Anatt: Its not you, yours, or anyone elses. You didnt bring it with you

when you came, and cant take it with you when you go. When you die,youll have to throw it away like an old log or a piece of kindling. Theresnothing of any substance or worth to it at all.

When you consider things in this way, youll come to feel a sense of dismayand detachment that will make the mind steady, still, and firmly centered inconcentration.

These five activities are the duties of your focused investigation, fighting to

see the true nature of the physical body. As for mindfulness, it has to follow itsown duties, referring to the object under investigation, at the same time referringto the mind within. Dont make reference to anything else. Keep check onwhether or not you have your mind on what youre doing: This is alertness. Keeptrack of your mind, observing it at all times to see in what ways it might beacting or reacting on you. Keep your alertness always in place, right at the heart.

All the activities mentioned here are aspects of taking the body as a frame ofreference. Whether you are dealing with the inner body, with outer bodies, or


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with the body in and of itself, you have to use the three qualities mentionedabove. Only when you have them fully developed can you say that you aredeveloping the great frame of reference (mah-satipahna).

Normally, mindfulness is a quality we all have, but when it lacks alertness, itfalls into wrong ways, becoming Wrong Mindfulness. But when you can follow

the methods outlined above, you are sure to develop a disinterested steadiness ofmind. You will come to feel a sense of dismay and detachment that will make themind quiet, calm, and unperturbed. This is the ladder of liberating insight(vipassan-a), leading to nibbna, which people of wisdom and experiencehave guaranteed:

nibbna parama sukha

Nibbna is the ultimate ease.

This ends the discussion of keeping the body in mind as a frame of reference.


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II. FEELINGS

The word feeling refers to the experiencing of sensations that arise from onesown actions, or kamma. There are three sorts of feelings: inner feelings or moods,outer feelings, and feelings in and of themselves.

A. Inner feelings, in terms of how they feel, are of three kinds

1. Sukha-vedan: good moods; a carefree sense of ease or well-being in themind.

2. Dukkha-vedan: bad moods; a feeling of sadness, irritation, or depression.3. Upekkh-vedan: neutral moods, during intervals when happiness and

sadness are not appearing.

B. Outer feelings are also of three kinds

1. Somanassa-vedan: pleasure or delight in objects of the six sensessights,sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas; becoming attractedto and pleased with these things as they come into contact with theheart.

2. Domanassa-vedan: displeasure or discontent that arises from contact withobjects of the senses such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc., as theyappear to the eye, ear, nose, tongue, etc., and strike one as unsatisfactoryor undesirable.

3. Upekkh-vedan: a feeling of indifference or neutrality as one comes intocontact with sights, sounds, etc.

These feelings are called out feelings because they are connected with theexternal sense media.

C. Feelings in and of themselves: This refers to the act of focusing on anysingle aspect of the above-mentioned feelings. In other words, you dont have tobe particular. Whenever pleasure arises, for example, set your mind oninvestigating it. Keep it firmly in mind. Watch after it to see that it stays withinyou, and that you stay within it. Dont let your frame of reference slip away andchangeand dont let any hopes or wants arise in that mental moment at all.Then use your powers of focused investigation to look into the truth of thefeeling; and alertness to watch after the mind, to make sure that your awarenessstays in place. Dont allow the mental current that causes stress to arise.

The cause of stress first arises when alertness is weak and the mind vacillates.The vacillation is called craving for not-becoming (vibhava-tah). As themovement becomes stronger, a mental current arises and goes straying out. Thecurrent that strays out is craving for becoming (bhava-tah). When it comesacross a thought or sensory object and grabs hold, thats called craving forsensuality (kma-tah). For this reason, you should watch after the mind to makesure that it stays with its one object, its feeling of pleasure. Dont let any other


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preoccupations get involved. Keep your mindfulness and alertness firmly inplace, and then make a focused investigation of the truth of that feeling. Onlywhen you do this can you say that you are making use of feelings in and ofthemselves as a frame of reference.

By and large, whenever a mood or feeling arises, we tend to give rise to

various hopes or desires. For instance, when a good mood arises, we want thatsense of wellbeing to stay as it is or to increase. This desire gives rise to stress,and so we receive results contrary to what we had hoped for. Sometimes a badmood arises and we dont want it, so we struggle to find happiness, and thissimply piles on more suffering. Sometimes the heart is neutralneither happynor sad, neither pleased nor displeasedand we want to stay that wayconstantly, or else we start to think that staying neutral is stupid or inane. Thisgives rise to more desires, and we start to struggle for something better thanwhat we already are.

When this happens, we cant say that were firmly based on our frame ofreferencefor even though we may be mindful of the fact that a good or a bad or

a neutral feeling has arisen, were not beyond it. This shows that we lack thethree qualities that can nurture and support mindfulness in becoming a factor ofthe Path. In other words, start out with alertness firmly established, and then usemindfulness to connect the mind with its object. Dont let the mind slip awayfrom the object, and dont let the object slip away from the mind. Keepmindfulness firmly in reference to the object, and watch the mind to make surethat it stays fixed on its one object. As for the object, its the responsibility of yourfocused investigation to keep track of whatever aspect of feeling may appear:inner or outer; happy, sad, or neutral.

For instance, when pain arises, what does it come from? Investigate it untilyou know its truth. What does pleasure come from? Its the duty of your focused

investigation to find out. In what mental moment does neutrality occur? Its theduty of your focused investigation to keep watch until you really know.Whatever feelings may arise, inner or outer, are the responsibility of yourfocused investigation. You have to use your powers of analysis to burn intowhatever spot a feeling may arise. This is the first round in your investigation.

2. The second round: Watch the arising of feelings in the present. You donthave to follow them anywhere else. Tell yourself that whatever may be causingthese feelings, youre going to focus exclusively on what is present.

3. Focus on the fading of feelings in the present.4. Focus on the passing away of feelings in the present.5. Stay with the realization that feelings do nothing but arise and fall away

simply flowing away and vanishing in various wayswith nothing of anysubstance or worth. When you can do this, you can say that your frame ofreference is firmly established in feelings in and of themselvesand at thatpoint, the Path comes together.

If we were to express this in terms of the factors of the Path, wed have to doso as follows: The alertness that constantly watches after the mind, keeping it atnormalcy, making sure that it doesnt fall into unskillful ways, is virtue. Themindfulness that keeps the mind connected with its object so that it doesnt slip


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away to other objects, is concentration. The focused investigation that penetratesinto each object as it arises so as to know its true nature clearlyknowing botharising and disbanding, as well as non-arising and non-disbandingisdiscernment. These three qualities have to arise together in a single mentalmoment for the Path to come together (magga-samag), and then the Path will

function on its own, in line with its duties, enabling you to see clearly and knowtruly without having to let go of this or work at that, work at this or let go of that,let go of the outside or work at the inside, work at the outside or let go of theinside or whatever.

When all three of these qualities are gathered together, you can deal with anyfeeling at allpast, present, or future; pleasant, unpleasant, or neutralbecausewhen these three qualities are fully developed, they all connect. This is why Imade the comparison at the beginning: The mind is like a drive shaft. Alertnessis like a pulley spinning in place around the drive shaft. Mindfulness is like thebelt that keeps the mind and its objects from slipping away from each other.Focused investigation is like the saw blade that works back and forth, cutting

each object to pieceswhich is what is meant by bhagavant.Only a person who has the discernment to see in line with the truth in thisway can be said to have fully mastered the use of feelings as a frame of reference.


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III. THE MIND

In using the mind as a frame of reference, there are three aspects to deal with:A. The mind inside.B. The mind outside.C. The mind in and of itself.

The mind inside refers to a state exclusively in the heart unrelated to anyouter preoccupations. The mind outside refers to its interaction with such outerpreoccupations as sights, sounds, etc. The mind in and of itself refers to the actof singling out any aspect of the mind as it appears, whether inside or out.

As for the modes of the mind inside, there are three

1. Rga-citta: a mental state infused with desire or passion.

2. Dosa-citta: a sense of inner irritation and displeasure.3. Moha-citta: a cloudy, murky, or confused state of mind, in which it is unable

to consider anything; in short, delusion.

The mind outside is divided into the same three aspectsstates of passion,irritation and delusionbut these are said to be outside because once any ofthese aspects arises, it tends to go out and latch onto an outer preoccupation thatsimply serves to further aggravate the original state of passion, irritation, ordelusion. The mind then doesnt clearly or truly understand its objects. Itsknowledge goes off in various directions, away from the truth: seeing beauty, forinstance, in things that arent beautiful, constancy in things that are inconstant,pleasure in things that are painful, and self in things that are not-self.

All of these things are aspects of the mind outside.The mind in and of itself refers to the act of singling out any one of these

aspects of the mind. For example, sometimes passion arises, sometimes irritation,sometimes delusion: Whichever aspect may be arising in the present, single itout. With your alertness firmly in place, be steadily mindful of that aspect of themind, without making reference to any other objectsand without letting anyhopes or wants arise in that particular mental moment at all. Then focusunwaveringly on investigating that state of mind until you know its truth. Thetruth of these states is that sometimes, once theyve arisen, they flare up andspread; sometimes they die away. Their nature is to arise for a moment and then

dissolve away with nothing of any substance or worth. When you are intent onexamining things in this waywith your mindfulness, alertness, and powers offocused investigation firmly in placethen none of these defilements, eventhough they may be appearing, will have the chance to grow or spread. This islike the baskets or jars used to cover new lettuce plants: If no one removes thebaskets, the plants will never have a chance to grow, and will simply witheraway and die. Thus you have to keep your alertness right with each mental stateas it arises. Keep mindfulness constantly referring to its object, and use your


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powers of focused investigation to burn into those defilements so as to keepthem away from the heart at all times.

To put this another way, all of the mental states mentioned above are likelettuce or green-gram seeds. Mindfulness is like a basket. Alertness is the personwho scatters the seeds, while the power of focused investigation is the heat of the

sun that burns them up.So far, we have mentioned only bad mental states. Their opposites are goodmental states: virga-cittathe mind free from the grip of passion; adosa-cittathe mind free from the irritation or anger that can lead to loss and ruin; amoha-cittathe mind free from delusion, intoxication, and misunderstandings. Theseare skillful states of mind (kusala-citta), which form the root of all that is good.When they arise, maintain them and observe them so that you can come to knowthe level of your mind.

There are four levels of good mental states

1. Kmvacara-bhmi: the level of sensuality.2. Rpvacara-bhmi: the level of form.

3. Arpavacara-bhmi: the level of formlessness.4. Lokuttara-bhmi: the transcendent level.

1. The level of sensuality: A mental state arises and connects with a skillfulobjectany sight, sound, smell, taste, tactile sensation, or idea that can form thebasis for skillful mental states. When it meets with its object, it becomes happy,joyful, and glad. (Here we are referring only to those sensory objects that aregood for the mind.) If you were to refer to the Heavens of Sensual Bliss as theyappear within each of us, the list would run as follows: Sights that can form thebasis for skillful mental states are one level, sounds are another, and same withsmells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas. Together they form the six levels of

heaven on the sensual level.2. The level of form: A mental state arises from thinking about (vitakka) aphysical object that serves as the theme of ones meditation; and then analyzing(vicra) the object into its various aspects, at the same time making sure that themind doesnt slip away from the object (ekaggatrammaa). When the mind andits object are one in this way, the object becomes light. The mind is unburdenedand can let go of its worries. Rapture (pti) and pleasure (sukha) arise as a result.When these five factors appear in the mind, it has entered the first jhnathebeginning stage in the level of form.

3. The level of formlessness: The mind lets go of its physical object on the level ofform, but is still attached to a very subtle mental notionthe jhna of infinite

space, for instance, in which you are focused on a sense of emptiness andawareness with no physical object or image passing into your field of attention,so that you are unable to know its full range. What has actually happened is thatyou have curled up and are hiding inside. This isnt the kind of going in toknow that comes from finishing your work. Its the going in to know thatcomes from wanting to run away. Youve seen the faults of what arises outsideyou, but havent seen that they really lie buried within youso youve hiddeninside by limiting the field of your attention.


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Some people, when they reach this point, believe that they have done awaywith defilement, because they mistake the emptiness for nibbna. Actually, itsonly the first stage in the level of formlessness, and so is still on the mundanelevel.

If you seriously want to know whether your mind is on the mundane or the

transcendent level, then observe it when you turn your awareness inward andmake it stillwhen you feel a sense of peace and ease that seems to have nodefilements adulterating it at all. Let go of that mental state, to see how itbehaves on its own. If defilements can reappear, youre still on the mundanelevel. Sometimes that mental state remains unchanged through the power ofyour own efforts, but after a while you become unsure of your knowledge. Yourmind has to keep fondling, i.e., making a running commentary on it. When this isthe case, dont go believing that your knowledge is in any way true.

There are many, many kinds of knowledge: The intellect knows, the heartknows, the mind knows, consciousness knows, discernment knows, alertnessknows, awareness knows, unawareness knows. All these modes are based on

knowledge; they differ simply in how they know. If you arent able todistinguish clearly among the different modes of knowing, knowing can becomeconfusedand so you might take wrong knowing to be right knowing, orunawareness to be awareness, or knowledge attached to suppositions (sammuti)to be freedom from suppositions (vimutti). Thus you should experiment andexamine things carefully from all angles so that you can come to see for yourselfwhich kind of knowledge is genuine, and which is counterfeit. Counterfeitknowledge merely knows but cant let go. Genuine knowledge, when it goesabout knowing anything, is bound to let go.

All three levels of the mind discussed so far are on the mundane level.4. The transcendent level: This begins with the path and fruition of entry into

the stream to nibbna. Those who reach this level have begun by following thethreefold training of virtue, concentration, and discernment on the mundanelevel, but then have gone on to gain their first true insight into the four NobleTruths, enabling them to free themselves from the first three Fetters (sayojana).Their minds are thus released into the stream to nibbna. The three Fetters are

a. Self-identification (sakkya-dihi): the view that leads us to believe that theconscious body is our own.

b. Doubt (vicikicch): the uncertainty that leads us to be unsure of the good webelieve ini.e., of how much truth there is to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sagha.

c. Attachment to precepts and practices (slabbata-parmsa): fondling the goodthat we practice; being attached to those forms of goodness that are merely

external activitiesfor instance, observing precepts or practices by clingingsimply to the level of bodily action or speech. Examples of this attitude includesuch things as developing virtue by adhering simply to the precepts; practicingconcentration by simply sitting like a post; not being able to free yourself fromthese activities, always holding onto the goodness that comes from them, happywhen you have the chance to perform them in a particular way, upset when youdont; thinking, for instance, that virtue is something you get from monks whenthey give you the precepts; that the eight precepts are to be observed only on


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certain days and nights, months and years; that you gain or lose merit simply asa result of external activities associated with your accustomed beliefs. None ofthese attitudes reaches the essence of virtue. They go no further than simplyclinging to beliefs, customs, and conventions; clutching onto these forms ofgoodness, always fondling them, unable to let them go. Thus this is called

attachment to precepts and practices.Such attitudes are an obstacle to what is truly good. Take, for example, thelong-held belief that goodness means to practice generosity, virtue, andmeditation on the uposatha days: Stream-winners have completely let go of suchbeliefs. Their hearts are no longer caught up in beliefs and customs. Their virtuesno longer have precepts. In other words, they have reached the essence of virtue.Their virtue is free from the limits of time.

In this they differ from ordinary, run-of-the-mill people. Ordinary peoplehave to hand goodness over to external criteriabelieving, for instance, thatvirtue lies on this day or that, during the Rains Retreat, during this or that monthor yearand then holding fast to that belief, maintaining that anyone who

doesnt follow the custom cant be virtuous. In the end, such people have a hardtime finding the opportunity really to do good. Thus we can say that they dontknow the true criteria for goodness. As for Stream-winners, all the qualities ofvirtue have come in and filled their hearts. They are able to unshackle themselvesfrom the conventional values of the world that say that this or that is good. Whatis truly good they have seen appear in their hearts. Good lies right here. Evil liesright here. Neither depends on external activities. This is in line with theBuddhas saying,

mano-pubbagam dhammmano-seh mano-may

All phenomena are preceded by the heart,excelled by the heart,achieved through the heart.

This is what is meant by Stream-winner.Stream-winners are like people who have rowed their boats into the main

current of the Chao Phraya River, and so are destined to float down to the riversmouth and into the sea ofamatadeathlessnibbna. There are three ways theycan reach the sea:

(1) The lowest level of Stream-winner is like a boatsman who leans back withhis hand simply placed on the rudder. This level of Stream-winner reaches thegoal slowly.

(2) The second level is like a boatsman who has his foot on the rudder, hishands on the oars, and rows along.

(3) The third level: The boat is equipped with a motor and the boatsman is atthe steering wheel, and so he reaches the goal in practically no time at all.

Thisreaching the stream to nibbnais the beginning stage of thetranscendent level. If you were to simplify the three Fetters, you could do so asfollows: To be attached to the conscious body as being ones own is self-identification. To be attached to the activities of the body is attachment to


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precepts and practices. Not knowing how to separate the mind from the body orfrom ones activities makes one unable to see clearly and know truly: This leadsto uncertainty and doubt.

These are simply my opinions on the matter, so you who read this shouldconsider things carefully on your own.

This ends the discussion of the transcendent and mundane skillful states ofmind.

When you know the characteristics of the various mental states, you shoulduse the three qualities mentioned above as your tools: Keep your mindfulness,alertness, and powers of focused investigation firmly in place at the mind. To beable to gain knowledge, you have to use the power of focused investigation,which is an aspect of discernment, to know how mental states arise and fall:pulling out, taking a stance, and then returning into stillness. You must keepyour attention fixed on investigating these things constantly in order to be able toknow the arising and falling away of mental statesand you will come to knowthe nature of the mind that doesnt arise and doesnt fall away.

To know the arising and falling away of mental states of the past is one levelof cognitive skill (vijj), and deserves to be called knowledge of previous births.To know the states of the mind as they change in the present deserves to becalled knowledge of death and rebirth. To know how to separate mental statesfrom their objects, knowing the primal nature of the mind, knowing the currentor force of the mind that flows to its objects; separating the objects, the current ofmind that flows, and the primal nature of the mind: To be able to know in thisway deserves to be called knowledge of the ending of mental effluents. Theobjects or preoccupations of the mind are the effluent of sensuality. The currentthat flows is the effluent of a state of becoming. Not knowing the nature of themind is the effluent of unawareness.

If we were to express this in terms of the four Noble Truths, we would haveto do so as follows: The objects or preoccupations of the mind are the truth ofstress (dukkha-sacca). The current of the mind that flows into and falls for itsobjects is the truth of the cause of stress (samudaya-sacca). The mental state thatpenetrates in to see clearly the truth of all objects, the current of the mind, andthe primal nature of the mind, is called the mental moment that forms the Path(magga-citta). To let go of the objects, the mental current, and the nature of themind, without any sense of attachment, is the truth of the disbanding of stress(nirodha-sacca).

When the three qualities that assist the mindalertness, mindfulness, andfocused investigationare vigorous and strong, strong alertness becomes the

awareness of release (vijj-vimutti), strong mindfulness becomes intuitiveunderstanding (a), and strong focused investigation becomes liberatinginsight (vipassan-a), the discernment that can stay fixed on knowing the truthof stress without permitting any sense of pleasure or displeasure for its object toarise. Intuitive understanding fathoms the cause of stress, and the awareness ofrelease knows the heart clearly all the way through. When you can know in thisway, you can say that you know rightly.


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* * *

Here I would like to back up and discuss the question of the mind in a little moredetail. The word mind covers three aspects:

(1) The primal nature of the mind.

(2) Mental states.(3) Mental states in interaction with their objects.

All of these aspects, taken together, make up the mind. If you dont know themind in this way, you cant say that you really know it. All you can do is say thatthe mind arises and falls away, the mind doesnt rise or fall away; the mind isgood, the mind is evil; the mind becomes annihilated, the mind doesnt becomeannihilated; the mind is a dhamma, the mind isnt a dhamma; the mind gainsrelease, the mind doesnt gain release; the mind is nibbna, the mind isntnibbna; the mind is sensory consciousness, the mind isnt sensoryconsciousness; the mind is the heart, the mind isnt the heart...

As the Buddha taught, there are only two paths to practicethe body,speech, and heart; and the body, speech, and mindand in the end both pathsreach the same point: Their true goal is release. So if you want to know the truthconcerning any of the above issues, you have to follow the path and reach thetruth on your own. Otherwise, youll have to argue endlessly. These issuesforpeople who havent practiced all the way to clear insighthave been termed bypeople of wisdom as sedamocana-kath: issues that can only make you break outin a sweat.

So I would like to make a short explanation: The primal nature of the mind isa nature that simply knows. The current that thinks and streams out fromknowing to various objects is a mental state. When this current connects with its

objects and falls for them, it becomes a defilement, darkening the mind: This is amental state in interaction. Mental states, by themselves and in interaction,whether good or evil, have to arise, have to disband, have to dissolve away bytheir very nature. The source of both these sorts of mental states is the primalnature of the mind, which neither arises nor disbands. It is a fixed phenomenon(hiti-dhamma), always in place. By the primal nature of the mindwhich istermed pabhassara, or radiantI mean the ordinary, elementary state ofknowing in the present. But whoever isnt able to penetrate in to know it cantgain any good from it, like the proverbial monkey with the diamond.

Thus the name given by the Buddha for this state of affairs is really fitting:avijjdark knowledge, counterfeit knowledge. This is in line with the terms

pubbante aamnot knowing the beginning, i.e., the primal nature of themind; parante aamnot knowing the end, i.e., mental states in interactionwith their objects; majjhantika aamnot knowing the middle, i.e., thecurrent that streams from the primal nature of knowing. When this is the case,the mind becomes a sakhra: a fabricator, a magician, concocting prolifically inits myriad ways.

This ends the discussion of the mind as a frame of reference.


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IV. MENTAL QUALITIES

Mental qualities as a frame of reference can be divided into three sorts: innermental qualities, outer mental qualities, and mental qualities in and ofthemselves.

A. Inner mental qualities can be either good or bad, but here we will deal onlywith the five Hindrances (nvaraa), which are bad

1. Kma-chanda: sensual desire.2. Bypda: ill will, malevolence.3. Thna-middha: sloth and drowsiness.4. Uddhacca-kukkucca: restlessness and anxiety.5. Vicikicch: uncertainty.

These five Hindrances can be either inner or outer phenomena. For example:1. The mind gives rise to sensual desire but hasnt yet streamed out to fix its

desires on any particular object.2. The mind gives rise to a sense of irritation and displeasure, but without yet

fixing on any particular object.3. A state of drowsiness arises in the mind, without yet fixing on any

particular object.4. The mind is restless, anxious, and disturbed on its own, without yet fixing

on any particular object.5. The mind is doubtful and uncertainunable to think anything through

but without yet fixing on any particular object. Its simply that way on its own.

If these five Hindrances are still weak and havent yet streamed out tobecome involved with any external objects, they are called inner mentalqualities.

B. Outer mental qualities simply come from the inside:

1. Once the mind has given rise to a sense of desire, it streams out and fixeson such external objects as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.

2. Once the mind has given rise to a sense of irritation, it streams out and fixeson a sight, sound, smell, taste, etc., and then dislikes its object, wanting it to bedestroyed.

3. The mind, already in a state of torpor, streams out and fixes on an outerobject. Once it has fixed on the object, it then becomes even more torpid.4. The mind, already restless, streams out to fix on such outer objects as

sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.5. A mental state of uncertainty arises in the mind, and the mind lets it stream

out to fix on such external objects as sights, etc.


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These are thus called outer mental qualities. When any mental quality firstarises in the mind, its called an inner quality. When it flares up, grows strongerand streams out to an outer object, its called an outer quality.

C. Mental qualities in and of themselves: This means to focus on any one ofthese Hindrancesbecause not all five Hindrances can appear in the same

mental moment. You can thus pick out any Hindrance at all to focus on andexamine. For example, suppose that sensual desire has appeared: Keep youralertness firmly in place at the heart, and use your mindfulness to keep the mindon the phenomenon. Dont waver, and dont let any hopes or wishes arise. Keepyour mind firmly in one place. Dont go dragging any other objects in tointerfere. Focus your powers of ardent investigation down on nothing but thequality appearing in the present. As long as you havent gained clear, trueinsight into it, dont let up on your efforts. When you can do this, you aredeveloping mental qualities in and of themselves as a frame of reference.

The qualities mentioned above are all unskillful qualities (akusala dhamma).They act as obstacles to such things as jhna, liberating insight, and the

transcendent. Thus, if you want to gain release from them, you must first centerthe mind firmly in concentration. To be able to center the mind firmly, you haveto develop the following three qualities within yourself

(1) Sampajaa: alertness. Always have this firmly in place.(2) Sati: mindfulness. Keep the mind in firm reference to whatever quality

has arisen within it. Watch after the quality to keep it with the mind; watch afterthe mind to make sure that it doesnt lose aim and go slipping off to otherobjects. Once you see that the mind and its object have become compatible witheach other, use

(3) fitappathe power of focused investigationto get to the facts of thequality. If you havent yet gained clear and true insight, dont relax your efforts.

Keep focusing and investigating until the power of your discernment isconcentrated and strong, and you will come to know that mental qualitieswhether inner, outer, or in and of themselvessimply arise, fade and disband.Theres nothing of any lasting worth to them, because they are all sakhatadhammafabricated phenomena; and whatever is fabricated falls under thetruths ofaniccatinconstancy; dukkhatstress, i.e., its hard to bear; andanattat: Its not you, yours, or anyone elses. It simply changes in line withnatural conditions. No one with any real discernment holds onto these qualitiesas self or as anything of lasting worth, because such people have seen that thesethings are like wheels or gears: Whoever holds onto them will have to betrampled or mashed.

Thus if you hope for the genuine happiness offered by the Buddhasteachings, you should take the three qualities mentioned above and make thempermanent features of your heartand you will come to see clearly the qualityfree from fabrication, called the unfabricated (asakhata dhamma), the genuineDhamma. Uncreated, uncaused, it simply is, by its very nature. It doesnt circleabout, arising and passing away. The unfabricated is a perfectly ordinary part ofnature, yet no one in the world can know it aside from those who havedeveloped virtue, concentration, and discernment. So if you sincerely want to go


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beyond suffering and stress, you should work to give rise to clear and trueinsight through your own efforts. When you can keep your alertness constantlyin place, you will be able to know the nature of the mind. Your powers ofreference and focused investigation will have to be constantly in place within foryou not to be misled by the objects and preoccupations of the mind.

Most of us, ordinarily, have no clear sense of our own nature, and so we cantclearly see the thoughts and urges that arise within us. As a result, we go out tofasten onto their objects, giving rise to the wheel of wandering-on (vaa-sasra), circling around and around without end.

Here I will refer to the wheel within: Not knowing the primal nature of themind is the cycle of defilement (kilesa vaa), or unawareness, which is thebeginning of the cycle. This gives rise to fabrication, which is the cycle ofintention and action (kamma vaa). This in turn leads us to experience mentalobjects and preoccupations, which is the cycle of retribution (vipka vaa). Thusthere are three parts to the cycle.

The three parts of the cycle can be illustrated as follows: Unawareness is the

hub of the wheel. Fabrications are the spokes; and mental preoccupations, therim. The sensory organs form the yoke and harness, sensory objects are the oxen,and the driver is birth, aging, illness, and death. Now pile on your belongingsyour defilementsand with a lash of the whip, youre off: The oxen drag youaway, leading you up the mountains and down, until in the end you crash andare smashed to smithereens, i.e., death.

For this reason, we must make our awareness penetrate into the nature of themind at the center of the axle, which doesnt turn with the wheel and which issaid to be uncycling (vivaa). Whoever can do this will find that the path issudden and short, not slow. For example, in ancient times, monks and laydisciples were able to reach Awakening even while sitting and listening to a

sermon, while going for alms, or while gazing at a corpse. From this we cangather that, after imbuing themselves with the qualities mentioned above, theyfocused their investigation on that particular point and gained clear and trueinsight right then and there, without having to pull in or out, back or forth. Theywere able to let go naturally, with no in or out, no coming or going.

Those who investigate will see the truth. Some people believe that they willhave to abandon all mental preoccupations before they can train the mind, butthe truth of the matter is that the mind is usually deluded right thereat itspreoccupationsand the spot where you are deluded is the spot you have toinvestigate. If you dont solve the problem right where youre deluded, dontbelieve that you can let go by hiding out or running away. Even if you do run

away and hide, youll end up coming back and falling for the same oldpreoccupations once more.People of discernment, though, whether they deal with what is inside or out,

can give rise to virtue, concentration, discernment, and release in every context.They have no sense that the inside is right and the outside wrong; that the insideis wrong and the outside right; or that the inside is refined and the outside base.Such opinions never occur to people of discernment. Discernment has to be all-around knowing or knowing all around before it can be called full-fledged


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discernment. Knowing all around means to know the inside first and then theoutside. All-around knowing means to know the outside first, and then to bringthat awareness all the way in. This is why they are called people of discernment:They can bring the outside in; what is base they can make refined; past andfuture they can bring into the present, because they have brought the parts of the

Path together in equal measuremindfulness, alertness, and focusedinvestigationeach performing its duties, forming the way that leads beyond allsuffering and stress.

Those who can do this will be able to reach the truth in any posture. All thatwill appear to them will be the condition of stress (sabhva-dukkha) and thecondition of things in themselves (sabhva-dhamma). To see things this way iscalled yathbhta-aseeing things for what they really are.


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SUMMARY

The four frames of reference can be reduced to two: physical and mentalphenomena, oranother way of putting itbody and mind. Even though theyare divided into four, it is simply the current of the mind that is divided. Whenyou come to the essence of the practice, it all boils down to the body and mind. Ifyou want really to simplify the practice, you should focus on investigating thebody and then focus on investigating the mind.

1. To focus on investigating the body: Be aware of any one aspect of the body,such as the breath, and then when you can keep focused on it accurately, spreadyour awareness to observe other aspects of the body, examining them fromvarious angles. While making your investigation, though, dont let go of youroriginal focusthe breath. Keep examining things until youve gained clear and

true insight into the aspects of the body, and the mind becomes more quiet, stilland subtle than before. If anything arises while you are investigating, dontfasten onto it in any way.

2. To focus on investigating the mind: Set your awareness at one spot oranother, and keep that awareness perfectly still. After your mind has been stilllong enough, examine the ways it then changes and moves, until you can see thatits movements, whether good or bad, are simply a form of fabrication (sakhra).Dont let yourself become preoccupied with anything you may come to know,think, or see while examining. Keep your awareness in the present. When youcan do this, your mind is headed toward peace and clear insight.

This way of practice falls in line with all four of the frames of reference. When

you can do this, you will give rise to the mental moment that forms the Pathand the moment the Path arises in full power is the moment you can let go.Letting go has two forms: (1) Being able to set go of mental objects but not of

ones own mind. (2) Being able to let go both of the objects of the mind and ofones self.

To be able to let go both of ones objects and of ones self is genuine knowing.To be able to let go of ones objects but not of ones self is counterfeit knowing.Genuine knowing lets go of both ends: It lets the object follow its own nature asan object, and lets the mind follow the nature of the mind. In other words, it letsnature look after itself. Object here refers to the body; self refers to the heart.You have to let go of both.

When your knowledge can reach this level, you dont have to worry muchabout virtue, concentration, or discernment. Virtue, concentration, anddiscernment arent the nature of the mind; nor is the nature of the mind virtue,concentration, and discernment. Virtue, concentration, and discernment aresimply fabricated phenomena, tools for extinguishing defilement. Whendefilement is extinguished, then virtue, concentration, and discernment disbandas well. Virtue, concentration, and discernment are like water. Defilement is likea fire. The mind is like the person using the water to put out the fire. When the


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water has put out the flames, the water itself has vanishedbut the personputting out the fire hasnt disappeared. The fire isnt the water, the water isntthe fire. The person isnt the water, the water isnt the person. The person isntthe fire, the fire isnt the person. The genuine nature of the mind isnt defilement,nor is it virtue, concentration, and discernment. It simply is, in line with its own

nature.Those who dont know the nature of the truth maintain that death isannihilation or that nibbna is annihilation of one sort or another. This is simplytheir own misunderstanding. Even those who have gone no higher than the levelof Stream-entry are able to know that the true nature of the mind isnt in any wayannihilated, which is why they are people of strong, unwavering conviction,believing in the paths and their fruitions. Even though their hearts arent yetentirely free from the admixture of defilements, those defilements cant efface thetrue nature of their heartsjust as an ingot of gold, when it falls into the dirt,may be covered with soot, but the soot cant turn it into anything other thangold.

This is unlike ordinary, run-of-the-mill people. An ordinary persons mindmay be pure from time to time, but it doesnt stay that way. It cant escape frombeing defiled againjust as a sharpened knife will stay in shape only if it is keptbathed in oil. If you put the knife to use or forget to keep it bathed, the steel ofthe blade might turn into something other than steel.

Thus each of us should enthusiastically make the effort to reach at least theStream, for although all the qualities I have mentionedwhether fabricated(sakhata dhamma) or unfabricated (asakhata dhamma)lie mixed within everyone of us, none of them are as exalted as virga dhamma: the act of dispassion thatextracts the unfabricated from the fabricated as gold is extracted from crude ore.

The Buddhas teachings are subtle and deep. Whoever isnt set on truly

putting them into practice wont know their tastelike a cowherd hired to watchover cattle without ever knowing the taste of their milk.Thus we are taught:

To study is to know the texts,To practice is to know your defilements,To attain the goal is to know & let go.


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APPENDIX

Ajaan Lees last recorded sermon dealt with the topic of making oneself ones own refuge

by practicing the four frames of referencemuch like one of the Buddhas sermons in thelast year of his life. Because the sermon expands on the topic of the four frames ofreference in a slightly different way from the above book, I thought it would makevaluable addition to this volume, so here it is:

A REFUGE IN AWAKENING

ye keci buddha saraa gatse

na te gamissanti apya-bhmipahya mnusa dehadeva-kya paripressantti

Those who have gone to the Buddha as refugewill not go to the realms of deprivation.

On abandoning the human body,they will fill the company of the gods.

I will now explain this verse so that you can practice in a way leading to thesupreme attainment, capable of eliminating all your suffering and fears, reaching

the refuge of peace.We come into this world without a substantial refuge. Nothingaside fromthe Buddha, Dhamma, and Saghawill follow us into the next life. These threeare the only things in which we can take refuge both in this life and in lives tocome.

There are two levels on which people take refuge in the Triple Gem. Sometake refuge only on the level of individuals, while others take refuge on the levelof inner qualities, by developing the steps of the practice within themselves.

I. On the level of individuals

A. Buddha. Buddhas are people who have attained purity of heart. There arefour types:

1. Rightly self-awakened Buddhas: those who have attained Awakening on theirown, without anyone to teach them, and who have established a religion.

2. Private Buddhas: those who have gained Awakening without establishing areligion. On attaining the goal, they live by themselves.

3. Disciple Buddhas: a Buddhas immediate disciples who have practiced inline with his teachings until they too have gained Awakening.


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4. Learned Buddhas: those who have studied the teachings in detail, havefollowed them, and attained the goal.

All four of these types are individual people, so to take refuge in them is totake refuge on the level of individuals. They can give us refuge only in a shallowand not very substantial way. Even though taking refuge on this level can be

advantageous to us, it helps us only on the level of the world, and can give onlytemporary protection against falling into the realms of deprivation. If we losefaith in these individuals, our mind can change to a lower levelfor allindividuals fall under the laws of all fabricated things: They are inconstant andchanging, subject to stress, and not-selfi.e., they cant prevent their own death.

So if you go to a Buddha as refuge on the level of individuals, there are onlytwo sorts of results youll get: at first gladness, and then sadness when the timecomes to partfor its the nature of all individuals in the world that they arise,age, grow ill, and die. The wisest sages and the most ordinary people are allequal on this point.

B. Dhamma. For many of us, the teachings in which we take our refuge arealso on the level of individuals. Why is that? Because we see them as the wordsof individual people.

Sages of the past have divided the teachings in the Buddhist Canon into fourtypes:

1. Sayings of the Buddha.2. Sayings of his disciples.3. Sayings of heavenly beings. There were occasions when heavenly beings, on

coming to pay respect to the Buddha, said truths worth taking to heart.4. Sayings of seers. Some hermits and yogis uttered truths from which

Buddhists can benefit.

All of these sayings were organized into the three parts of the BuddhistCanon: the discourses, the discipline, and the Abhidhamma. If we take refuge inthe Dhamma on this level, it is simply an object: something we can remember.But memory is inconstant and cant provide us with a safe, dependable refuge.At best it can help us only on the worldly level because we are depending onindividuals, on objects, as our refuge.

C. Sagha. There are two sorts of Sagha.

1. The conventional Sagha: ordinary people who have ordained and taken upthe homeless life. This sort of Sagha is composed of four sorts of people.

a. Upajvik: those who have taken up the ordained life simply as acomfortable way of making a living. They can depend on others to provide fortheir needs, and so get complacent, satisfied with their ordained status, withoutlooking for any form of goodness better than that.

b. Upadusik: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, destroy theBuddhas teachings through their behaviornot abandoning the things theyshould abandon, not doing the things they should do, damaging their own


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capacity for good and that of others, being destructive, falling away from theBuddhas teachings.

c. Upamuyhik: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, make themselvesblind and ignorant, who dont look for tactics for bringing their behavior intoline with the Buddhas teachings. They dont pull themselves out of their

unskillful ways, and stay continually deluded, oblivious, and defiled.d. Upanisaraik: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, are intent onstudying and practicing in line with what they have learned, who try to findthemselves a secure refuge, and who dont let themselves become negligent orcomplacent. Whatever evil the Buddha said to abandon, they try to abandon.Whatever good he said to develop, they try to develop. Whether or not theyattain that goodness, they keep on trying.

All four of these count as one type of Sagha on the level of individuals.

2. The Noble Sagha. This has four levels: those who have practiced theBuddhas teachings until they have reached the attainments of stream entry,once-returning, non-returning or arahantship. All four of these are still on thelevel of individuals because they are individual people who have reached thetranscendent attainments in their hearts. Suppose, for example, we say thatAakondaa is a streamwinner, Sriputta a once-returner, Moggallna a non-returner, and finanda an arahant. All four of them are still individuals in nameand body. To take refuge in them is to take refuge on the level of individualsand as individuals they are inconstant and unstable. Their bodies, sense facultiesand mental phenomena by nature have to age, grow ill, and die. In other words,they are anicca, inconstant and changeable; dukkha, subject to stress and suffering;and anatt: They themselves cant prevent the nature of conditioned phenomenafrom taking its course with them.

This being the case, then when anyone tries to take refuge in them, thatrefuge is inconstant. We can depend on them only for a while, but they cantprovide us any true refuge. They cant keep us from falling into the realms ofdeprivation. At best, taking refuge in them can give us results on the worldlyleveland the worldly level is changing with every moment.

This ends the discussion of the Triple Refuge on the level of individuals.

II. On the level of inner qualities

Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sagha on the level of innerqualities means reaching the Triple Gem with the heart through the practice.

To reach the Buddha on the level of inner qualities, you first have to know thevirtues of the Buddha, which are of two sorts: causes and results. The causes ofhis Awakening are mindfulness and alertness. The result of his Awakening is thetranscendent: the stilling of all defilements and mental effluents.

So we have to develop these qualities within ourselves. Buddha-satimindfulness like the Buddhasis what wakes us up. Full alertness is whatmakes us correctly aware of cause and effect. The way to develop these qualities


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is to practice in line with the four frames of reference. This will enable us to reachthe Buddha on the level of inner qualities.

A. Contemplation of the body as a frame of reference. This means being firmlymindful of the body, using mindfulness to wake up the body and mind both byday and by nightsitting, standing, walking, lying down. We use mindfulness

and alertness to be fully conscious throughout the body. This is the cause forreaching the Buddha on the level of inner qualitiesi.e., reaching the Buddha byoneself and within oneself, without having to depend on anyone else. When youdepend on yourself, thats when you're on the right track.

Before focusing mindfulness on the body so as to wake yourself up, you firsthave to know that there are two ways of looking at the body:

1. The body, i.e., all four physical properties gathered together as a physicalobject: the earth property, or the solid aspects; the water property, or the liquidaspects; the fire property, or the warm aspects; and the wind property, i.e., suchthings as the in-and-out breath. When all four of these properties are in harmony,they intermingle and form an aggregate or object we call the body.

2. The body in and of itself, i.e., any one aspect of any of these four properties.For example, we can take the wind property. Focus your mindfulness andalertness on nothing but the wind property and keep them there. You dont haveto get involved with any of the other properties. This is called the body in and ofitself.

From there you can go to wind in and of itself. There are six aspects to thewind property: the breath energy flowing down from the head to the spacesbetween the fingers and toes; the breath energy flowing from the spaces betweenthe fingers and toes up to the top of the head; the breath forces in the stomach;the breath forces in the intestines; and the in-and-out breath. These six aspectsmake up the wind property in the body.

When you focus on wind in and of itself, be mindful to keep track of only oneof these aspects at a timesuch as the in-and-out breathwithout worryingabout any other aspects of the breath energy. This can be called focusing on windin itself. The same principle applies to earth in and of itself, water in and of itselfand fire in and of itself.

When you have mindfulness and alertness constantly established in the body,the body in and of itself, wind, fire, earth or water in and of itselfwhicheverseems easiest and most comfortablekeep with it as much as possible. Whenyou do this, the body will wake up, for you arent letting it simply follow itsnatural course. To bring mindfulness into the body helps keep it awake. Thebody will feel lighter and lighter as we keep it in mind. Alertness is what enables

us to be aware throughout the body. When these two mental qualities enter intothe body, the body will feel agile, pliant, and light. In Pali, this is called kya-lahut. The mind will also be awake and will give rise to knowledge in and ofitself through its own sandihiko practicei.e., the person who does the practicewill see the results for him or herself in the here and now.

People who awaken from their slumbers are able to see and know things. Thesame holds true for people who practice mindfulness immersed in the body as aframe of reference. They are bound to see the true nature of their own bodies. To


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penetrate in, knowing and seeing in this way, is to reach the Buddha, Dhamma,and Saghawhich differ only in name, but are one and the same in theiressence.

Whoever doesnt practice in this way is asleep, both in body and mind. Aperson asleep cant see or know anything at all, which is why we can say that

people of this sort have yet to reach the Buddha on the level of the innerqualities.

B. Contemplation of feelings as a frame of reference. Be mindful of feelings as theyarise within you. Feelings are results that come from your own past and presentactions. There are three sorts:

1. Feelings of pleasure2. Feelings of pain3. Feelings of equanimity.

To practice contemplation of feelings, be mindful of each of the various kindsof feeling that occur in the body and mind. For instance, sometimes theres

physical pleasure but mental distress; sometimes physical pain but mentalpleasure; sometimes pleasure both in body and mind; and sometimes pain bothin body and mind. So focus in on being mindful of feelings as they arise.Examine them closely. This is called contemplation of feelings.

As for feelings in and of themselves, this means focusing on one type offeeling. For instance, wherever theres pleasure, focus right there, solely on thepleasure. You dont have to get involved with feelings of pain or equanimity. Ifyou're going to focus on pleasure, keep focused right there. Or, if you want, youcan focus on equanimity without getting involved with pleasure or pain. Dontlet the mind jump around so that any other preoccupations come in andinterfere. Keep monitoring the feeling youve chosen until you know its true

nature through your own awareness.Whichever type of feeling is easiest for you to focus on, keep yourmindfulness and alertness right there as much as you can. This is what willenable you to awaken from the feelings within you. Whoever does this ranks ashaving developed the inner quality ofbuddha that is the cause for comingawake.

C. Contemplation of the mind as a frame of reference. Be mindful of the state ofyour own mind so that you can awaken it from the slumber of its delusions.When your mind awakens, it will be able to see and know the various thingsoccurring in the present. This will enable it to become firmly centered in thefactors of concentration andjhna, or mental absorption, which in turn lead todiscernment, skilled awareness and release.

There are three basic states of mind you can focus on:

1. Passion: The mind hankers after sensual objects and sensual moods thatcolor it, making it intoxicated and oblivious to other things. This prevents it fromexperiencing states that are brighter and clearer.


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2. Aversion: The mind at times gets irritated and angry, causing whateverinternal goodness it has to deteriorate. Aversion is thus a way in which the minddestroys itself.

3. Delusion: absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, mental darkness,misunderstanding.

These states of mind arise from preoccupations with what we like and dislike.If you have mindfulness watching over your mind with every moment, it willenable the mind to awaken and blossom, to know the truth about itself.

Whenever passion arises in the mind, focus on being mindful of the mind inand of itself. Dont focus on the object of the passion. Pay attention solely to thepresent, and the passion will fade. Or, if you want, you can use other methods tohelp, by contemplating the object of the passion in certain ways. For example,you can contemplate the unattractiveness of the body, focusing first on theinsides of your own body, seeing them as filthy and disgusting. Your mind willthen be able to free itself from the passion in which it is immersed, and tobecome more blooming and bright.

Whenever aversion arises in the mind, focus on being mindful exclusively ofthe present state of your mind. Dont focus attention on the external object orperson that gave rise to the anger and aversion. Anger in the mind is like aburning fire. If you arent mindful and aware of the state of your own mind, andinstead think only of the object or person that incited the anger, its like settingyourself on fire. All you can do is end up getting burnt. So you shouldntpreoccupy yourself with the outside object. Instead, focus on being mindful andaware of the state of aversion in the mind. When mindfulness reaches fullstrength, the state of aversion will immediately disband.

Aversion and anger are like a cover over a fire that lets the fire provide heatbut no light. If we remove the cover by doing away with the aversion, the light of

the fire can brighten the mind. The light here is discernment and skilledawareness.

Actually, theres nowhere else that we have to look for goodness other thanour own minds. Thats how well be able to gain the freedom from suffering andstress that is termed citta-vimutti, mental release, i.e., a mind beyond the reach ofits preoccupations. This is one way in which we reach the Buddha, Dhamma, andSagha on the level of inner qualities.

As for states of delusion, in which the mind tends to be absent-minded andforgetful: These come from there being many objects crowding in on the mind.When we find this happening, we should center the mind on a singlepreoccupation where we can gather strength for our mindfulness and alertness,

in the same way that we can take diffused light rays and focus them on a singlepoint. The power of the light is sure to get brighter. In the same way, when weare constantly mindful of the mind and dont let it get involved with variousoutside perceptions and preoccupations, mindfulness will give rise to a powerfullight: skilled awareness. When skilled awareness arises within us, our minds willgrow shining bright, and well awaken from our slumber of unawareness. Wewill have attained a quality of secure refuge in our own hearts. We will know for


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ourselves and see for ourselves, and this is what will enable us to attain the noblequalities of the transcendent.

D. Contemplation of mental qualities as a frame of reference. Be mindful to focuson the mental qualities that occur in the mind with every moment. Mentalqualities are of two basic sorts, good and bad.

1. Bad mental qualities, which obstruct the mind from attaining higher levelsof goodness, are called the Hindrances (nvaraa), and there are five sorts.

a. Sensual desire: hankering after sensual objectssights, sounds, smells,tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas that you like and find appealing; and ahankering after sensual moods, such as passion, anger, aversion, and delusionassuming good to be bad and bad to be good, right to be wrong and wrong to beright. A hankering for any of these things is classed as sensual desire.

b. Malevolence: ill will for people or objects, hoping that they will be destroyedor come to a bad end.

c. Sloth & drowsiness: sleepiness, torpor, lassitude, laziness, and depression.

d. Restlessness & anxiety: being upset at failure in your aims, lacking themindfulness to put a brake on your worries and concerns.e. Uncertainty: indecision; doubt about the various things or qualities your are

working to develop in your practice.

These five Hindrances are bad mental qualities. If you fall into any of them,youre in the darklike a person at the bottom of a well who cant see anythingon the surface of the earth, cant move around as he likes, cant hear what peopleat the top of the well are saying, and cant see the light of the sun and moon thatillumine the earth. In the same way, the Hindrances obstruct us from developinggoodness in many, many ways. They close off our ears and eyes, keep us in thedark, put us to sleep.

2. This is why we should work at developing the good mental qualities thatwill awaken us from the slumber of our unawareness. For instance, we shoulddevelop the fourjhnas or mental absorptions, which are the tools forsuppressing or eliminating all of the Hindrances.

a. The firstjhna has five factors. Directed thought: Think about any one of theobjects of meditation that exist within you, such as the in-and-out breath. Makethe mind one, keep it with the object you are thinking of, and dont let it slip offto anything else: This is called singleness of preoccupation.Evaluation: Carefullyobserve the object of your meditation until you see its truth. When you arethoroughly aware of the objectthis is called alertnessthe results will arise

within you:pleasure or ease; and rapturefullness of body and mind.When mindfulness fills the body like this, the body feels saturated, like soil

saturated with moisture: Whatever you plant stays green and fresh. Plantsflourish. Birds and other forest animals come to live in their shade. When rainfalls, the soil can hold it instead of letting it wash away.A person who has masteredthe first jhna is like a holding-place of goodness for other human and celestial beingsbecausejhna and concentration can have a cooling influence not only on oneself,but also on others as well.


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When mindfulness and alertness are fully aware in your mind, the mind feelssaturated and full with an unadulterated sense of rapture and joy at all times. Asfor the pleasure and ease that come from the firstjhna, they give you a sense offreedom with no worries or concerns for anyone or anythinglike a person whohas attained enough wealth that he no longer has any worries or concerns about

his livelihood, and can relax in peace.When you attain the pleasure and ease that come from the firstjhna, you arefreed from the Hindrances of indecision and restlessness & anxiety. So youshould work at developing these factors in your mind until it can stay steadily injhna. Your heart will then be blooming and bright, giving rise to the light ofdiscernment, or liberating insight. And if you have developed your capabilitiesenough, then on attaining the firstjhna you may gain entry to the transcendent.Some people, though, may go on to the secondjhna.

b. The secondjhna has three factors: rapture, pleasure, and singleness ofpreoccupation. The power of the mind gets stronger step by step, so try to keepyour mind in that state simply by focusing down and keeping mindfulness

firmly established right there. The mind will grow even stronger and this willlead you on to the thirdjhna.c. The thirdjhna has two factors: pleasure and singleness of preoccupation.

Keep focusing down through the power of mindfulness and alertness, and youwill be able to shed the factor of pleasure and enter the fourthjhna.

d. The fourthjhna has two factors: equanimity and singleness ofpreoccupation. On this level ofjhna, the mind has great strength, based on itsstrong focus accompanied by mindfulness and alertness. The mind is firm andunmovingso completely unmoved by past and future that it lets them both go.It keeps track solely of the present, steady and unwavering like the light of aColeman lantern when there is no wind. When the mind attains the fourth jhna, it

gives rise to a brightness: discernment and the skill of liberating insight. This iswhat enables it to gain understanding into the four Noble Truths, and so toproceed to the transcendentthe truly safe refuge.

People who have done this experience nothing but an inner brightness andhappiness in their hearts, for they dwell with the quality they have given rise towithin themselves. They reach the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sagha on the highestlevel, the level of release or ultimate attainment, a quality free from defilementand mental effluents.

People who train their hearts in this way have reached the Buddha, Dhamma,and Sagha on the level of inner quality. In other words, they have reachedrefuge in their own hearts. They have absolutely closed off the route to the

realms of deprivation. At the very least, they are destined after death to go to thehigher realms of happiness. At best, they will attain nibbna. All of them arecertain to attain nibbna within at least seven lifetimes, for they have reached aninner quality that is steady and certain. They wont fall into anything low.Anyone who has yet to attain this quality, though, has an uncertain future.

So if we want the peace and security that Buddhism has to offer, we shouldall try to find ourselves a dependable refuge. If you take refuge on the level ofindividuals, find people of worth so that your conviction in them will take you to


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the happy realms. As for refuge on the level of inner qualities, which will reallybe of substantial value to you, practice so as to give rise to those qualities withinyourself.

To summarize: On the level of inner qualities, the Buddha, Dhamma, andSagha are all one and the same thing. They differ only in name.

So you should opanayikobring these qualities into your heart.SandihikoWhen you practice, youll see them for yourself. PaccattaYoull know them only for yourself. Things that other people know about arentsafe.

If you want peace and refuge that are substantial and sure, you should giverise to them in your own heart. The result will be nibbna, liberation fromdefilement, from all birth, aging, illness, and death in this world and any worldto come.

nibbna parama sukha

Nibbna is the ultimate happiness.

There is no happiness higher.This is buddha on the level of results: freedom from sleep, total Awakening.

And this ends our discussion of the verse on refuge.

7/29/2019 Frames

frames of reference -ajaan lee dhamadharo

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