  
                    PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR MEDITATORS

                                   by
                           Bhikkhu Khantipalo


                       Wheel Publication No. 116

                         First Impression  1968
                         Second Impression 1974
                         Third Impression  1980
                         Fourth Impression 1986


           Copyright 1986, 1995 Buddhist Publication Society

                      BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
                      KANDY              Sri Lanka


                                 * * *
  
  
                         DharmaNet Edition 1995

                    Transcription: Bradford Griffith
                Proofreading & Formatting: John Bullitt

        This electronic edition is offered for free distribution
            via DharmaNet by arrangement with the publisher.

                        DharmaNet International
                 P.O. Box 4951, Berkeley CA 94704-4951

                            * * * * * * * *




                                FOREWORD
                                ~~~~~~~~
  
  The following pages were originally intended as new sections to be
  added to the second edition of my introductory book on the Dhamma,
  //What is Buddhism?//.  However, as many people are greatly interested
  in the practice of meditation, and as many are also separated from the
  sources of a living tradition, it is hoped that the following may be
  of value even apart from the sections of the book which they
  supplement.
  
        When we consider meditation, we cannot stress too much the
  importance of having the right reasons for taking it up.  Meditation
  -- or, as a better translation of //samadhi//, collectedness -- is
  only one aspect of Buddhist practice, and //must//, to be successful,
  //go hand in hand// with such other practices as generosity,
  gentleness, nonviolence, patience, contentment and humility.  If such
  genuine qualities of the Dhamma neither exist in oneself initially,
  nor grow through one's practice, then something is drastically wrong,
  and only a foolhardy person will try to proceed.  The practice of
  collectedness is based upon firm roots of virtue (//sila//) and cannot
  succeed in anyone who does not make a real effort to be strict in
  keeping the precepts.
  
        The signs of "progress" in collectedness are not strange
  visions, peculiar feelings and the like (though it is conceivable that
  these may arise also where progress is achieved), but rather an
  all-round and harmonious growth in the way of Dhamma.  If one is
  without a teacher then one has to be doubly vigilant, otherwise one
  will never become aware whether one of Mara's distractions is likely
  to succeed, or whether one does in fact tread the Middle
  Practice-Path.
  
        This essay is an extract from //Buddhism Explained//, the second
  edition (revised and enlarged) of the book formerly known as //What is
  Buddhism?//, published by The Social Science Press of Thailand, Phya
  Thai Road, Chula Soi 2, Bangkok.
  
                                        -- Bhikkhu Khantipalo
  
                                 * * *




  
                       TWO STREAMS IN MEDITATION
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  Two apparently distinct streams of Buddhist meditation may be
  discerned, though when meditation is established, these are seen to be
  complementary.
  
        It may be profitable for some people whose minds are very active
  and who suffer from distraction, to follow with mindfulness the mad
  monkey-mind's acrobatics.  As the mind is really a series of mental
  events which arise and pass away with incredible rapidity, each of
  which is a mind complete with supporting mental factors, so at the
  beginning this kind of mindfulness is really one "mindful" mind
  watching other "minds" (which are all within one's own mental
  continuity of course).  One thereby develops the ability to look into
  the mind and to see where it has gone to.  Has it gone to the past,
  present or future?  Has it gone to materiality, or to feelings, or
  perhaps to cognitions, to volitional activities, or has it gone to
  consciousness?  By this method of "Where has it gone?", the distracted
  mind slowly comes under the surveillance of the mindful mind, until
  mindfulness forms a strong foundation for further development.
  Considerable, though mundane, brilliance of mind is both needed and
  developed by this practice, which however should be balanced by the
  tranquility of the absorptions.  When the mind has become calm, one
  should start to practice for the absorptions (//jhana//), which will
  in their turn be the basis for the arising of real insight.  This
  method is called "wisdom leading to calm."
  
  	Other methods suited to those whose minds are less disturbed
  initially, include the classic forty subjects of meditation (see
  Appendix); and these, together with more developed types of meditation
  practice, involve the use of a definite object for concentration. This
  may be one's own body or a part of it, a colour or a picture, a word
  or a phrase, or abstract contemplation and so forth.  All these
  methods involve some firm but gentle discipline of the mind, in that
  each time it strays away, it must be gently brought back again (by
  mindfulness, of course) to concentrate again on the chosen subject.
  
  	Some people have the quite mistaken idea that practice of this
  sort must necessarily lead to tranquility almost at once.  They may
  be surprised when beginning to practice themselves, since they
  actually experience more troubles than they had previously. This is
  firstly, because they never before really looked into their mind to
  know the state it has always been in; and secondly, because having
  taken up a discipline of the mind, it is as though one stirs up with a
  stick a stagnant pond, or pokes with a stick a fire smoldering under
  ashes.  The wild elephant of the mind, long accustomed to roam in the
  jungle of desires, does not take readily to taming, or to being tied
  to the post of practice with the thongs of mindfulness.  However,
  diligence and heedfulness will eventually win for one the fruits of
  tranquility.
  
  	All these forty subjects are of this second type in which the
  calm gained from practice is then used for the arousing of wisdom.
  They are for this reason called "calm-leading-to-wisdom" methods, and
  are very important in the present distracted age.  For their full
  explanation one should consult the //Path of Purification//
  (//Visuddhi-magga//, translation), although even the great learning in
  that book cannot replace the personal contact with a teacher.
  

  
  
                                 * * *
  

                    PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR MEDITATORS
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  
  Turning from the psychological to the practical aspect, meditation for
  laypeople may be divided into two categories:  that which is done
  intensively, and that which one practices while going about one's
  daily life.  The meditation practiced intensively is also of two
  sorts:  regular daily sitting, and occasional retreat practice.
  
  	
  
  Regular Daily Sitting
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  We shall first discuss the regular daily period of intensive sitting
  which should, where possible, be made every day at the same time.  One
  should guard against its becoming a ritual by earnestness and by being
  intensely aware of why one had undertaken it.  The following
  suggestions may be found helpful as well.
  
  	As to material considerations, the place for meditation should
  be fairly quiet.  If one has a small room which can be used for this
  purpose, so much the better, and in any case, it is better to meditate
  alone, unless other members of the household also practice.  Where
  this latter is the case one should make sure that one's mind is pure
  also in relation to others, for otherwise greed, hatred, and the rest
  of the robber gang are sure to steal away the fruits of meditation.
  
  	Quietness is best obtained by getting up early before others
  rise; and this is also the time when the mind is clear and the body
  untired.  The sincere meditator therefore keeps regular hours, for he
  knows how much depends on having just enough sleep to feel refreshed.
  
        After rising and washing one should sit down in clean loose
  clothing in the meditation place.  One may have a small shrine with
  Buddhist symbols, but this is not essential.  Some people find it
  useful to begin by making the offerings of flowers, incense, and
  light, carefully reflecting while doing so. It is very common in
  Buddhist countries to preface one's silent meditation by chanting
  softly to oneself, "Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa,"
  with the Refuges and Precepts.  If one knows the Pali passages in
  praise of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, these may also be used at
  this time. [*]
  
     * [See //The Mirror of the Dhamma//, WHEEL No. 54 a/b.]
  
  
        Another useful preliminary is a reflection, a discursive
  recitation, of some truths of the Dhamma, such as the passage
  suggested below:
  
  	"Having this precious opportunity of human birth, I have two
        responsibilities in the Dhamma:  the benefit of myself and the
        benefit of others.  All other beings, whether they be human or
        non-human, visible or invisible, great or small, far or near,
        all these beings I shall treat with gentleness and wish that
        they may dwell in peace.  May they be happy . . . May they be
        happy . . . May they be happy . . . !  I shall help them when
        they experience suffering, and be glad with them when they are
        happy.  May I develop as well the incomparable equanimity, the
        mind in perfect balance that can never be upset!
  
  	"In looking to the welfare of others, I shall not forget my own
        progress on the path of Dhamma.  May I indeed come to know how,
        driven here and there by the winds of kamma, I have suffered an
        infinity of lives in all the realms of existence!  I must also
        turn my mind to consider how short and fleeting is this life.
        How mind and body are ever changing, arising and declining from
        moment to moment.  How neither mind nor body belongs to me,
        neither of them is mine.  I must also turn this mind to consider
        how beset by troubles is this brief life.  Having been sired by
        craving and born out of ignorance, I must realize that death is
        inescapable, that old age and disease are natural to my
        condition.  I must make efforts to realize for my own good and
        the good of others that this person called 'myself' is a complex
        of mentality and materiality wherein no abiding entity such as
        a soul or self is found.
  
        "May I through this practice experience insight into
        impermanence, ill and no-self!  May I be one who dwells in the
        Void!  And having realized this sublime truth may I show the way
        to others!"
  

        When sitting, care should be taken that the body is kept erect,
  yet relaxed.  There should be no strain, but neither should the head
  droop, nor the lumbar region sag.  The body should feel poised and
  balanced upright.  Although the cross-legged positions (such as the
  lotus posture) are best when the meditator is seated on a fairly soft
  mat, a chair may be used by those unaccustomed to the lotus posture or
  else unable to train themselves to sit in that way.  Sitting in lotus
  posture  or half-lotus posture will be found much easier if a rather
  hard cushion is placed so as to raise the buttocks.  The knees will
  then tend to touch the ground and a firm three pointed sitting (two
  knees and buttocks) is then attained.
  
  	One should sit for the same length of time every day until, as
  one becomes more proficient in collecting the mind, automatically one
  will feel like extending the practice.  One widely used method for
  measuring the meditation period is sitting for the length of time
  taken for a stick of incense to burn down.  Having placed the hands in
  meditation posture relaxed in the lap, the eyes may be closed or left
  slightly open according to which is found most comfortable.
  
  	Methods used for helping to concentrate the mind are many, and
  the two main streams in classical meditation have been briefly
  reviewed in the section above.  Other helpful methods include the
  repetition of a word or phrase and perhaps with it the use of a
  rosary.  If one practices mindfulness of breathing, one may find the
  use of a word such as "Buddho," or "Araham" good for quietening the
  mind.  The first syllable is silently repeated when breathing in, and
  one concentrates on the second during the out-breathing.  Also the
  counting of breath (up to ten, but generally not over this number to
  prevent the mind wandering) is used as an aid for concentration.  But
  any such aids should be dropped when concentration improves.  When the
  meditation is on a phrase only, a rosary may be used in conjunction,
  each repetition being marked by one bead.
  
  	One's meditation goes well if one finds the mind increasingly
  absorbed on the chosen meditation subject, but one should not assume
  that meditation is useless just because for a period, longer or
  shorter, not much more than sleepiness or distraction is experienced.
  These hindrances have to be faced; and if they are met, not by
  irritation or despair, but by quietly observant mindfulness, they can
  and will be overcome.  For success, great persistence and evenness of
  effort are necessary.
  
  	The meditation period may close with some chanting, the usual
  subject being the well being of others and the distribution of merits
  to them.  A translation, or the original Pali, of the Metta Sutta
  (//Discourse on Lovingkindness// [*]) may be chanted at this time and,
  as it is not long, can be easily memorized.  As methods of chanting
  vary, it is very helpful if one can obtain recordings, perhaps on
  tape, of the passages one wishes to learn, recorded by bhikkhus.
  
     * [See //The Practice of Lovingkindness (Metta))//, trans.
        Nanamoli, WHEEL No. 7.]
  
  
  	While on the subject of chanting, it is very useful to know a
  few discourses of Lord Buddha in one of the Buddhist classical
  languages, and to use these for collecting the mind if there should be
  an occasion when no concentration at all can be obtained. At such a
  time a meditator should not feel depressed but should continue sitting
  and chant softly to himself.  This is what Buddhist monks do twice a
  day as part of their mental development, and it is useful as well for
  fostering a more devotional approach necessary as balance with
  intellectual characters. Another useful method for the overcoming of
  distraction is walking-practice, which may be done in any passage of
  the house or in a secluded walk in the garden.  A length of twenty or
  thirty paces will be sufficient, for if longer the mind tends to
  wander, and if shorter, distraction may be increased.  One should walk
  at the speed one feels to be natural, with the hands clasped the left
  in the right, and arms relaxed in front of the body.  At the ends of
  the walk one should turn in a clockwise direction. [*]
  
     * [The tradition of "keeping the right side towards" respected
       persons and objects has a psychological basis.  Also note in
       English right (for side) and right (good, correct).]
  
  
  	Perhaps a few words on devotion would not be out of place here,
  for this is very important in meditation practice.  No one who is not
  a devoted Buddhist takes up //Buddhist// meditation, for the simple
  reason that he does not have the Buddhist ideals in his heart.  The
  taking to heart of the Triple Refuge and the understanding of the
  Triple Gem are closely linked with Buddhist meditation. A really
  devoted Buddhist, who puts his whole life into the Dhamma, will have
  no insurmountable difficulties in meditation practice. Whatever
  obstacles he comes to, those he leaps over, sustained by devotion.  He
  is prepared for the way to be long and hard because he realizes that
  he has made it like that.  If he finds his way blocked, his meditation
  failing to progress and he himself without a teacher, he does not
  waver or falter on the way. He thinks, "I am now experiencing the
  results of intentional actions (kamma) made by me in the past."  And
  he remembers Lord Buddha's last words:  "Subject to breaking-up are
   all compounded things.  With mindfulness strive on."  All
   difficulties are compounded things and will eventually change;
   meanwhile much may be done with mindfulness, vigor and devotion.
  
  	If one is not too tired after work and if there is opportunity
  in the evening, another period of sitting can be undertaken then. In
  any case, before sleep, it is a wise practice to sit, if only for a
  few minutes, so as to purify the mind before lying down. One may
  consider thus:  "When I lie down there is no certainty that I shall
  awake."  One may, therefore, be lying down to die, and this is a good
  reflection to rouse skillful states of mind and banish sensual
  unskillful ones.  If one practices this, "the lying-down to die," it
  will be a very good preparation for the real event, which is bound to
  take place at some time in the unknown future.  It may even generate
  the right conditions for the arising of insight allowing one "to die,"
  giving up the grasping at what does not belong to one, that is, the
  mind and body.  At this time also, a Dhamma phrase or word may be
  used, repeating which one eventually falls to sleep.  In this way one
  ends and begins the day with practice of Buddhist teachings.  And
  apart from devotion of one's whole day to them, what could be better?
  
  	
  
  Retreats
  ~~~~~~~~
  Regarding the second division of intensive practice, that is, when
  undertaken in retreat, much will depend upon what facilities are
  available to the earnest student.  There are now a few places in the
  West where meditation instruction can be sought.  The most important
  thing is to have direct contact with an able meditation master (books
  serve at the beginning, while even a teacher is later found deficient
  in some way).  After satisfying this one condition, only one other is
  necessary:  one must strive with diligence to practice and realize his
  teachings.  If these two conditions are fulfilled, then one is the
  most fortunate among human beings.
  
  	Many will be without access to a teacher and some may like to
  try a period of solitary meditation in some quiet part of the
  country.  This should only be attempted if one has already developed a
  good power of mindfulness. Otherwise what was meant to foster
  meditation may become a very unprofitable time, perhaps accompanied by
  the seeming intensification of the mental defilements.


  Daily Life
  ~~~~~~~~~~
  As to the other sort of meditation practice, which is performed in
  daily life, though much may be written, the following few words may
  serve as a guide. First, one should not deceive oneself regarding
  concentration of the mind. It is of no use pretending to oneself or to
  others that one's daily life //is// meditation -- unless of course one
  has already great powers of concentration. Only the real adept, often
  one who has sat for many years keeping the monastic discipline, can
  really perceive ordinary life as meditation; and such a one would be
  most unlikely to tell others of this fact. Refusing to allow pride an
  opportunity to distort the real state of mental affairs, one should
  take stock with fairness and admit one's limitations. This is already
  a great step forward. The layman who thinks of himself as an Arahat
  already, has blocked off very effectively all real progress; while the
  honest man has at least the wisdom to be humble.
  
        Much may be accomplished with mindfulness, while without it
  there is no hope for meditation in daily life.  How are quite ordinary
  events capable of being made into meditation?  By mindfulness, which
  to begin with, may be defined as, //awareness of the present work in
  hand//.  At first great effort has to be made in order to remain
  mindful of what one is supposed to be doing, nor can one pretend that
  such mindfulness is pleasant always.  To escape from dull and unliked
  work and situations, we tend to turn either to fantasy worlds, hopes,
  or else to memories, which are respectively the delusive escapes into
  the present, future or past.  But for one really interested in
  understanding himself, none of these courses is very rewarding, since
  they are compounded of delusion with various ingredients, such as
  fear, craving or ignorance. While in the practice of strict
  meditation, mindfulness may follow all the wanderings of the mind; in
  daily life it is better that the mind should be constantly returned to
  the job in hand.  One should not "send" one's mind anywhere, neither
  to a dream-world nor to the past, nor to the future.  Lord Buddha
  compared these periods of time thus:
  
  	"The past is like a dream,
  	The future as a mirage, 
  	While the present is like clouds."
  

        Such a simile may be useful as the mind darts about between
  dreams, mirages and clouds, all insubstantial, though the
  ever-changing present, so like the clouds in the sky, is the only
  aspect of time compared to things of greater reality.  One may also
  consider meditation as the exercise of mindfulness which keeps the
  mind "inside" this body, that is, always focused upon some aspect of
  it.  Of course only the most sincere meditator, who sees the advantage
  in this to be greater than any pleasure offered by the world, is
  likely to practice in this way, since this cuts off not only interest
  in outer objects but also the toying with pleasant or intriguing
  ideas.
  
        Indeed, with work that is really interesting, the way of
  mindfulness is the only way to convert one's day into something
  worthwhile. Days pass and bring us nearer to death and an unknown
  rebirth, while it is //now// that one has the chance to practice
  Dhamma. Instead of reacting with aversion or deluded fantasies towards
  what one does not like (or in other situations indulging one's greed),
  the Way of Mindfulness constitutes the Middle Practice-Path
  transcending these ancient patterns of reaction.  There is no need to
  be ruled either by greed or by hatred, nor to be dominated by
  delusion; but only mindfulness shows the way beyond these.
  
        Constantly bringing the mind back and disengaging it from
  tangles is the basic practice in everyday life.  It is also wise to
  take advantage of those odd times during work when one waits for
  something to do, to meet someone, for a bus or train, or any time when
  one is alone for a few minutes.  Instead of turning to a newspaper for
  distraction, to the wireless, or to another person for gossip, it is
  more profitable to "retire inside" oneself.  Disengaging attention
  from exterior objects, take up mindfulness of breathing, or the
  repetition of some phrase of Dhamma, or significant word such as
  "Buddho" or "Arahant," doing this until one has again to attend to
  work.  Going inwards as often as possible will be found very useful,
  strengthening one's sitting practice just as the latter in turn
  strengthens the ability to turn within.
  
  	Mindfulness of breathing is especially good as a concentration
  method for use during travel and during the times when one is
  restlessly expecting a bus or a train.  Why be agitated or impatient?
  A little mindful breathing is just the practice for these moments,
  since it calms the feverish workings of the mind and the restless
  movements of the body.  One does not have to aimlessly stare out of
  windows while traveling!  Why be a slave of the "eye-dominant" when a
  little useful practice could take its place?  One does not have to
  listen to the idle chatter of others, so why be a slave to the
  "ear-dominant"?  One cannot shut one's ears, but everyone can withdraw
  attention to some extent while practicing mindfulness.
  
        It is mindfulness also which helps to bring into focus
  counteractive contemplations.  Lust, for instance, is soon dissipated
  by thoughts of a decaying corpse.  The looks which are bestowed on
  pretty girls (or handsome man) seem ridiculous when it is thought that
  old ladies and equally ancient men never attract such desire-filled
  attention.  Only when one sees how lust burns up the one who indulges
  in it, only then does it seem worth relinquishing.
  
  	Similarly gluttony, even in a mild form, can be demolished by
  contemplating the bodily processes connected with food.  Chewed food
  looks a good deal less palatable then when the same stuff before
  mixing with spittle was nicely laid out on plates.  Vomit is just the
  same substances in the process of change but does not readily arouse
  greed.  Excrement even if placed on the finest gold plate fails to
  become attractive -- yet this is the remnants of the food so eagerly
  gorged!  By the time that one has contemplated food in these three
  stages, greed has quite disappeared, and one may take food just as a
  medicine to preserve the body.
  
  	Mindfulness is also responsible for becoming sufficiently aware
  in a moment of anger to turn the mind to other subjects or persons. It
  is mindfulness that warns one of an approaching situation where anger
  may arise, and makes it possible to turn aside and dwell in
  equanimity, or where the Divine Abidings are well developed, in
  friendliness.
  
        When envy rears its ugly head, mindfulness gives one presence of
  mind to know "envy has arisen," and if efforts to arouse gladness with
  others' joy fail, it is mindfulness that helps one dwell in
  equanimity, or if all else fails, helps turn attention to other
  objects.
  
  	Lord Buddha has truly said, "Mindfulness, I declare, is helpful
  everywhere."
  
        The social implications of meditation should be obvious from the
  above.  Those who have the strange delusion that Buddhism is a
  religion of meditative isolation, offering society no social benefits,
  should understand that a Buddhist believes society can only be changed
  for the better, and with some degree of permanence, by starting work
  on himself.  Buddhist ideals of society are expressed in a number of
  important discourses addressed by Lord Buddha to lay people, and in
  them the developments of the individual is always stressed as a very
  necessary factor.  The advantages of a society in which there are a
  large number of those dwelling at peace with themselves need hardly be
  stressed.  The development of wisdom and compassion by one man has its
  effect in leavening the materialistic dough around him.  The Buddhist
  call is therefore //first// to gain peace in one's own heart, when
  will //follow//, quite naturally, peace in the world.  Trying to
  obtain peace the other way round will never be practical nor produce a
  lasting peace, for the roots of greed, hatred, and delusion have still
  a firm grip on the hearts of people. Impractical?  Only for those who
  do not practice.  Those who take up the cultivation of mindfulness
  find out for themselves how it helps to solve life's problems.
  
  	Although many journeys to remote and attractive places are now
  performed with ease, the way leading to Nibbana still needs effort.
  But if the way is sometimes drear, with mindfulness the only guiding
  light, at least from reflection one knows that the goal is glorious
  and of great worth, not only for oneself but for others as well.
  
  
                                 * * *
  
  


                  DIVINE ABIDINGS AND THEIR PERFECTION
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          (//Brahma-vihara//)
  
  
  
  The way to that goal leads through what are called the Divine
  Abidings, [*] which train the deep-rooted emotions from being
  unskillful into the skillful way of the Dhamma.  As had already been
  emphasized above, the aim of oneself as of all beings, is to gain
  happiness-producing conditions.  Therefore one must act in such a way
  that happiness will result from one's actions. One should, in this
  case, treat others as they would wish to be treated, for every living
  being is dear to itself, and wishes its own welfare and happiness. One
  cannot expect to have an isolated happiness arising from no cause or
  from itself, nor can happiness be expected if one maltreats other
  beings, human or otherwise. Every being desires life and is afraid of
  death, this being as true of ourselves as of other creatures.
  
     * [See Nyanaponika, //The Four Sublime States//, WHEEL No. 6.]
  

  	Only a man who constantly leads an upright and compassionate
  life is really dear to himself, for he does actions which are of great
  profit, of great happiness.  Other people, although they think that
  they are dear to themselves, are really their own worst enemies, for
  they go about doing to themselves what only an enemy would wish for
  them.
  
  	Good conduct depends on a well-trained mind which has gradually
  been freed from the clutches of greed, hatred and delusion.  To hold
  one's neighbor as dear as one should truly hold oneself, is easily
  said but with difficulty done.  It is the particular merit of Lord
  Buddha's teachings that they always point out //how// a method is to
  be translated into experience, the method here being the mental
  training of the Divine Abidings.  When we say "mental," this word
  should be understood not in the narrow sense of the intellectual
  processes, but rather to include the full range of the mind-and-heart,
  intellect and emotions.
  
        There are four states of Divine Abidings:  friendliness,
  compassion, gladness and equanimity.  These, especially the first, are
  very popular meditations in Buddhist countries.  What follows is a
  short explanation of each.
  
        //Friendliness// (//metta//) is an unselfish love which can be
  extended to everyone.  This becomes easy once one has gained the
  meditative absorptions, when the quality of friendliness becomes an
  integral part of one's character.  In the normal way of things, people
  only "love" the few people to whom they are especially attached by
  ties of family, etc.  Such is love with sensual attachment, a limited
  love, and those outside that love are either ignored or disliked.
  Sensual love, then, is not only linked to attachment (greed), but also
  to hatred and delusion, so that the person who is content with this
  love pays a heavy price for it.  A love without attachment is scarcely
  conceivable to many people, but such love is much superior to the
  former; being without attachment it can become infinite and need not
  be confined to this or that group of beings.  As it can be made
  infinite, leaving none outside it, there is no question of the three
  roots of unskill being linked with it.
  
        Friendliness can be developed gradually in one's meditation
  period every day, //but if it is really effective// it must show in
  one's daily life.  It makes life easier by turning persons whom one
  formerly disliked or hated into, at the beginning, those whom one
  disregards, and then as one's practice becomes stronger, into objects
  for the arising of loving-kindness.   It is Lord Buddha's medicine for
  the disease of hatred and dislike.  Finally, one is warned that it has
  two enemies:  the "near" one is sensual attachment, often miscalled
  "love," while the "far" enemy to its development is hatred.  In the
  development of friendliness one must beware of these two.
  
        //Compassion// (//karuna//) is taking note of the sufferings of
  other beings in the world.  It overcomes callous indifference to the
  plight of suffering beings, human or otherwise.  Likewise, it must be
  reflected in one's life by a willingness to go out of one's way to
  give aid where possible, and to help those in distress.  It has the
  advantage of reducing one's selfishness by understanding others'
  sorrows.   It is Lord Buddha's medicine for cruelty, for how can one
  harm others when one has seen how much they have to suffer already? It
  has also two enemies:  the "near" one is mere grief; while its "far"
  enemy is cruelty.
  
  	//Gladness// (//mudita//) is to rejoice with others over their
  success, gains happiness.  It overcomes the grudging attitude to
  others, and the envy which may arise on hearing of others' joy. It
  must show in one's life as a spontaneous joy at the very time when one
  learns that other people have some gain or other, material or
  immaterial.  It has the advantage of making one open-hearted towards
  others, and does away with secretiveness.  A person who develops
  gladness attracts many friends who are devoted to him, and with them
  and others he lives in harmony. It is Lord Buddha's medicine for envy
  and jealousy, which it can inhibit completely. The two enemies of
  gladness are the merely personal happiness of reflecting on one's own
  gains -- this is the "near" enemy; while the "far" one is aversion to,
  or boredom with, this gladness.
  
  	//Equanimity// (//upekkha//) is to be developed to deal with
  situations where one should admit that it is beyond one's powers to
  change them.  It overcomes worry and useless distraction over affairs
  which either do not concern one or else cannot be changed by oneself.
  It is reflected in one's life by an ability to meet difficult
  situations with tranquility and undisturbed peace of mind.  The
  advantage to be seen in its development is that it makes one's life
  more simple by disengaging from useless activity. It is Lord Buddha's
  medicine for distraction and worry, and its enemies are mere
  indifference, which is the "near" one; while greed, and its partner
  resentment, which involve one unskillfully in so many affairs, are its
  "far" enemies.
  
        The mind well-practiced in these four virtues, and then
  well-trained by their use in daily life, has already gained very much.
  
        Three of the perfections (//parami//), or qualities, practiced
  by many Buddhists who aspire to enlightenment may also be outlined
  here, as they too have an intimate bearing on the practice of
  meditation.
  
                                 * * *
  



                      PATIENCE AND ITS PERFECTION
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          (//Khanti-Parami//)
  
  Patience is an excellent quality much praised in Buddhist scriptures.
  It can be developed easily only if restlessness and hatred have
  already been subdued in the mind, as is done by meditation practice.
  Impermanence, which has the tendency to make one rush around and thus
  miss many good chances, results from the inability to sit still and
  let things sort themselves out -- which sometimes they may do without
  one's meddling.  The patient man has many a fruit fall into his lap
  which the go-getter misses.  One of them is a quiet mind, for
  impatience churns the mind up and brings with it the familiar
  anxiety-diseases of the modern business world. Patience quietly
  endures -- it is this quality which makes it so valuable in mental
  training and particularly in meditation. It is no good expecting
  instant enlightenment after five minutes practice.  Coffee may be
  instant, but meditation is not, and only harm will come of trying to
  hurry it up.  For ages the rubbish has accumulated, an enormous pile
  of mental refuse, and so when one comes along at first with a very
  tiny teaspoon and starts removing it, how fast can one expect it to
  disappear?  Patience is the answer, and determined energy to go with
  it.  The patient meditator really gets results of lasting value; the
  seeker after "quick methods" or "sudden enlightenment" is doomed by
  his own attitude to long disappointment.
  
        Indeed, it must soon become apparent to anyone investigating the
  Dhamma, that these teachings are not for the impatient.  A Buddhist
  views his present life as a little span perhaps of eighty years or so,
  and the latest one so far of many such lives.  Bearing this in mind,
  he determines to do as much in this life for the attainment of
  Enlightenment as possible.  But he does not overestimate his
  capabilities; he just quietly and patiently gets on with //living//
  the Dhamma from day to day.  Rushing headlong at Enlightenment (or
  what one thinks it is), like a bull in a china shop, is not likely to
  get one very far, that is unless one is a very exceptional character
  who can take such treatment, and most important, one who is devoted to
  a very skillful master of meditation.
  
  	With patience one will not bruise oneself, but will go carefully
  step by step along the way.  We learn that a Bodhisatta is well aware
  of this, and that he cultures his mind with this perfection so that it
  is not disturbed by any of the untoward occurrences common in this
  world.  He decides that he will be patient with exterior conditions --
  not to be upset when the sun is too hot or the weather too cold.  Not
  to be agitated by other beings which attack his body, such as bugs and
  mosquitoes.  Neither will he be disturbed when people utter harsh
  words, lies or abuse about him, either to his face or behind his back.
  His patience is not broken even when his body is subjected to torment,
  blows, sticks and stones, tortures, and even death itself; he will
  endure these steadily, so unflinching is his patience.  Buddhist monks
  also are advised to practice in the same way.
  
        In Buddhist tradition the perfection of patience is rather
  better known than some of the others.  This is because a quite
  outstanding Birth Story illustrates it.  The Khantivadi (Teacher of
  Patience) Birth  Story [*] should be read many times and made the
  object of deep and frequent reflections.  Only an exceptionally noble
  person, in this case Gotama in a previous life, when he was called the
  Patience-teaching Rishi, can gently exhort a raging and drunk monarch,
  who out of his  jealous anger, is slowly cutting that person's body to
  pieces.  Such nobility did the Bodhisatta have and such nobility,
  steadfast endurance, and gentleness, is required of all who would try
  to reach the goal of Enlightenment.
  
     * [Jataka No. 33, see translation issued by the Pali Text Society.]
  

                                 * * *
  



                       ENERGY AND ITS PERFECTION
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          (//Viriya-parami//)
  
  
  Just as Enlightenment is inconceivable unless a person has patience,
  so it is not attainable without effort being made.  The Dhamma never
  encourages the doctrine of fatalism, and true Buddhists never think of
  events as being rigidly predetermined.  Such fatalism is combated by
  mindfulness and by energy itself.  This perfection is the counterpart
  of the previous one, and balanced by practice, they ensure that the
  sincere Buddhist neither passively accepts what he should combat nor
  rushes around to the disturbance of himself and others when he should
  have patience. By way of warning it may be mentioned here that in the
  Buddhist world can be found a number of "methods" which seem to
  promise the riches of Dhamma all in no time.  One hears such remarks
  as, "What's the use of books and study?"  Or even, "The development of
  calm is a waste of time!  One should only develop insight."  Such
  lop-sided approaches do not reflect the wisdom of Lord Buddha, who
  taught time and again the necessity of a //balanced// development of
  mind.  Books and their study //are// useful to some people who wish to
  gain a good background of what Lord Buddha really said, before taking
  up more intensive practice. As for the other assertion, no real
  insight (only delusive ideas) will arise to the person whose mind has
  no experience of calm. Such views as these, which are usually based on
  some peculiar experience of those "teachers" who originate them, are
  apt to mislead many, since the craving for quick results coupled with
  the dislike of the necessary hard work,  are easily stirred up. There
  must be patience to accept that the conditions required for success of
  meditation (as outlined here) have to be fulfilled, and the only
  result if failing to do so, is straying off the Way. The meditator
  applies himself steadily to whatever task he has in hand and, coming
  to the end of it, does not feel tired at all but straightaway takes up
  a new objective.
  
        It is interesting in this respect that tiredness is of two
   kinds: that relating to physical exhaustion; and the other kind which
   is mentally induced and involves the unskillful factors of sloth and
   torpor.  While the former is of course unavoidable, the latter occurs
   only when the unskillful root of delusion (or dullness) becomes
   predominant in the mind.  This happens when there is a situation
   which is unpleasant to "me," unwanted, and from which "I" want to
   escape.  People complain that they become much more tired sitting in
   meditation while practicing intensively than they do when, say, they
   do a bit of heavy reading.  When the self feels threatened by a
   self-revealing event, then this self, rooted in unknowing, throws up
   a dense fog of torpor proceeding from the root of delusion.  On the
   other hand, many who have practiced much meditation remark that they
   do not have to sleep so long as they did formerly, while energy, when
   it becomes a perfection as practiced by the Bodhisatta, is quite
   natural and unforced.
  
        This perfection is illustrated by the story of the
  caravan-leader who saved the merchants, men and animals entrusted to
  his care, by vigorous action.  When others would have given themselves
  up to death since the caravan had taken a wrong course in the desert
  and all supplies were exhausted, their leader forced one of them to
  dig for water, which he found.  In this way, in a previous life did
  Gotama, as the caravan-leader, make effort not only for his own life
  but also for the welfare of others.  Monks are also referred to as
  "caravan-leaders" in several places in Pali scriptures, showing that
  it is not only Lord Buddha or a Bodhisatta who is able to guide
  others.  If we deal energetically with our own training then we too
  have energy for the advancement of others.  Many other stories like
  the above could be found in Buddhist works showing how necessary is
  energy, from which spring persistence and determination for the seeing
  of the truly real, Nibbana.
  
  
                                 * * *




                    COLLECTEDNESS AND ITS PERFECTION
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          (//Samadhi-parami//)
  
  
  
  Bearing in mind the meanings of this word together with such
  specialized terms as (mind-) development (//bhavana//), absorption
  (//jhana//), insight (//vipassana//), one-pointedness (//ekaggata//),
  and meditaton exercise (//kammatthana//), we may now examine what
  constitutes perfected collectedness.  What especially marks off the
  good Buddhist's practice, whether he be a Bodhisatta or not, from that
  of an ordinary meditator (in any religion), is that the latter will
  most likely become firmly attached to the delights occurring in the
  upper reaches of the sensual realm, or to the pure joys of the realm
  of form and, as a result, come to birth in one of these heavenly
  states.  If one gets oneself trapped in one of these bourns, where
  pleasures and joys are great and sufferings but little, then it is
  unlikely that one will be able to generate the energy necessary for
  the perfection of wisdom. Therefore, the good meditator tries to
  become proficient in the absorptions (so that he can enter them when
  he likes, and emerge when he likes), while not being attached to them.
  But one should note that this applies only to the skilled meditator
  who has already obtained the absorptions. If one has not reached to
  these levels, then ardent aspiration, not detachment, will be the
  correct attitude.
  
  	After these absorptions have been attained, they may be reviewed
  as impermanent, unsatisfactory and devoid of self or soul
  (//aniccam//, //dukkham//, //anatta//), at which time detachment from
  them will naturally arise and insight (//vipassana//) be experienced.
  The absorptions (and the powers which may arise in connection with
  them) are thus, in the Buddhist way of training, never an end in
  themselves but are always used to promote insight and wisdom, which
  arise when the collected mind is set the task of examining the mind
  and body in order to know completely their characteristics.
  
  	A story which brings out the meaning of this perfection is told
  of Kuddalamuni's life.  His name means the Mattock sage and he was
  thus called because of the difficulty he experienced in freeing
  himself from attachment to his mattock.  Several times leaving his
  house with intent to meditate in the forest, he was dragged back by
  the memory of his mattock and his old occupation of farming. One day,
  reflecting on the inconstancy with which he pursued meditation, he
  took his mattock and, whirling it round his head, sent it spinning
  into the depths of the nearby Ganges.  Having done this, he burst out
  in a great cry of joy.  The local rajah who was passing that way with
  his army, sent a man to enquire why this farmer was so joyful, to
  which the sage replied by relating his experience.  The rajah and many
  others were much impressed by his reply, and some followed him to take
  up a meditative life in the forest; after which, we are told, all
  passed away to experience life in the realm of form.  The
  Mattock-sage, who was none other than Gotama in a past life, exhibited
  even then another aspect of the perfection of meditation: the ability
  to train others in meditation after gaining proficiency in it oneself.
  
        Finally, we may add brief notes on some of the dangers to
  meditation practice.
  
                                 * * *
  



                         DANGERS TO MEDITATION
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  While the number of ways a meditator may go astray is legion, the few
  mentioned below deserve a special mention due to their common
  occurrence.  First, a danger that cannot be stressed enough is the
  lack of right motivation for the practice of meditation. When the
  Eightfold Path is described, in its "wisdom" section, standing next to
  the (at first) intellectual right understanding, comes right
  motivation, thus emphasizing that the emotional roots underlying
  practice of the Way must be skillful ones:  those connected with
  renunciation (non-greed), goodwill (non-hatred) and non-violence are
  mentioned.  If one approaches Buddhist meditation with neither right
  understanding regarding //dukkha// and its cessation, nor with right
  motives, then one's meditation is liable to seriously astray.
  
        There have, for instance, been those who took up meditation as a
  way to invest themselves with power, so that they could easily sway or
  hypnotize disciples.  Others have seen it as a quick way to gain both
  disciples and riches.  Fame may also be an unworthy motive.  All
  these, as motives for playing with meditation, may easily lead the
  unwary into illness, and sometimes mental unbalance. There is nothing
  worse in Buddhist meditation, where a person's own sure experience is
  of paramount importance, than a half-baked disciple who sets himself
  up as a master.
  
        This obviously leads on to a further danger -- that of pride, of
  which there are several forms.  One such is the pride of the person
  who has seen manifestations of light during meditation, and supposes
  this to be the sign preceding mental absorption. Then there is the
  pride of one who touches on a mental absorption if only for an instant
  and as a result assumes that he has become a Noble One, and this can
  be a very powerful factor in convincing himself if not others.  Quite
  ordinary people who take up meditation may beware of the common
  "holier-than-thou" attitudes: "I make an effort, whereas you . . .,"
  or, "//I// meditate every day, whereas you . . ."  Pride is a great
  obstacle to any progress, and while it is only a Buddha or Arahat who
  is entirely rid of it, everyone should have the mindfulness to check
  it.
  
  	Related to this is the danger for the person who always looks
  for so-called progress.  He is sure that he is making "progress"
  because in meditation he sees lights, hears sounds, or feels strange
  sensations.  He becomes more and more fascinated by these as time goes
  by, and gradually forgets that he started with the aspiration to find
  the way to Enlightenment.  His "meditation" then degenerates into
  visions and strange happenings, leading him into the realms of
  occultism and magic.  There is no surer way for a meditator to become
  entangled than this way.  Fascinating though all such manifestations
  may be, they should be rigorously cut down by resorting to bare
  attention, never permitting discursive thought regarding them, and
  thus avoiding these distractions.
  
        Among "visions" which one may see, whether they be internal
  (produced from one's own mind) or external (produced by other beings),
  there may be for some meditators an experience of the fearful, such as
  the sight of one's own body reduced to bones or inflated as a rotting
  corpse.  If such an experience occurs, or others of a similar nature,
  one should withdraw the mind from the vision immediately, supposing
  that one has no teacher.  Visions of the fearful variety which occur
  to some people may be very useful if rightly employed, but without a
  teacher's guidance they should be avoided.
  
        Another danger is trying to meditate while one is still too
  emotionally insecure, unbalanced or immature.  An understanding of the
  value of meritorious deeds or skillfulness will come in useful here. As
  merit purifies the mind, it will be an excellent basis for
  mind-development, and both the ease with which absorptions are gained
  and the ease with which insight arises are to some extent dependent
  upon merit.  Meritorious deeds are not difficult to find in life. They
  are the core of a good Buddhist life:  giving and generosity,
  undertaking the precepts, help and service to others, reverence,
  listening whole-heartedly to Dhamma, setting upright one's
  understanding of Dhamma -- all these and more are meritorious deeds
  which bring happiness and emotional maturity. //Merit//, one should
  always remember, //opens doors everywhere//. It makes possible, it
  makes opportunities.  To have a mind at all times set upon making
  merit, is to have a mind that may be trained to develop absorptions
  and insight.
  
        Obviously it follows that to try to practice meditation while
  all the time retaining one's old cravings, likes and dislikes is, to
  say the least, making one's path difficult if not dangerous.
  Meditation implies renunciation, and no practice will be successful
  unless one is at least prepared to make efforts to restrain greed and
  hatred, check lust, and understand when delusion is clouding the
  heart.  How far one carries renunciation and whether this involves
  outward changes (such as becoming a monk or nun), depends much on a
  person and his circumstances, but one thing is sure: inward
  renunciation, an attitude of giving-up with regard to both unskillful
  mental events and bodily indulgence, is absolutely essential.
  
        Often connected with the above dangers is another, to be seen in
  cases where a man suddenly has an opportunity to undertake a longer
  period of meditation practice.  He sits down with the firm resolve,
  "Now I shall meditate,"  but though his energy is ever so great and
  though he sits and sits and walks and walks, still his mind is
  disturbed and without peace.  It may well be that his own strong
  effort has much to do with his distractions. Moreover, he has to learn
  that it is necessary to meditate knowing the imitations of his
  character.  Just as any other worker who knows the limits of his
  strength and is careful not to exhaust himself, so is the able
  meditator careful.  With mindfulness one should know what are the
  extremes, of laziness and of strain, to be avoided.
  
  	It is through straining or forcing meditation practice that many
  emotionally disturbed states arise.  Sudden bursts of intense anger
  all over insignificant trifles, fierce cravings and lusts, strange
  delusions and even more peculiar fantasies can all be produced from
  unwisely arduous practice.
  
        With all these dangers it is a skilled teacher who is most
  necessary to give advice, so that these and other wrong turnings are
  avoided and one keeps straight along the way to Nibbana.  Those who
  are without a teacher should proceed with utmost caution, making sure
  that their development of mindfulness is very good indeed.  If they
  are mindful and see that despite their efforts, their meditation
  practice is making no real difference to their lives in terms of
  greater internal peace, or externally in relation to others, then it
  should be apparent that something is wrong.  Meditation may be laid
  aside for some time while making efforts to contact a genuine source
  of information, preferably a living meditation master, in the meantime
  giving due attention to unsolved moral problems, which until sorted
  out will not permit the mind to develop; and making a great effort to
  live one's life according to Buddhist standards.  When quite basic
  matters of this sort are neglected, one cannot hope to make much
  progress upon the Middle Practice-Path.
  
                                 * * *
  
  

                                APPENDIX
                                ~~~~~~~~
  
  
  
                        40 MEDITATION EXERCISES
               as listed in the //Path of Purification//
  
  
  
  If one has no meditation teacher from whom one may request a
  meditation subject, then one has to rely upon one's knowledge of one's
  character in order to prescribe for oneself a suitable meditation.
  There are forty meditation exercises (//kammatthana//) noted by the
  great teacher Buddhaghosa as being suited to certain types of
  character.  For the purposes of meditation, he considers six
  characters:  faithful, intelligent, and speculative (in which the
  skillful roots of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion are variously
  dominant); and greedy, hating, and deluded (in which greed, hatred and
  delusion, the unskillful roots, are dominant). The trouble here is
  twofold:  firstly, very few "pure" types can be found, most people
  being mixtures of two or more of them -- and moreover ever-changing
  mixtures; and secondly, it is rather difficult to judge which class
  one's character belongs to since one's own delusion and pride are apt
  to blur one's judgements. This is but one small matter in which the
  value of the meditation teacher may be discerned very easily.  One may
  learn much about oneself, however, by being mindful //at the time when
  some unexpected event takes place//.  //At that time// one can spot
  one's reaction and the stains which are present in the mind.  Later
  judgements are not worth very much, since by that time the mind has
  got round to self-justifications, and other kinds of distortions of
  the original event.
  
  	Below is given the list of the forty meditation exercises with
  some notes upon their practice, the characters which are benefited,
  and the types of stains combated by them.  The most widely used
  meditation exercises are starred (*).
  

  Ten Kasinas (spheres, lit: totalities)
  ~~~~~~~~~~~ 
  
        1.  earth
        2.  water
        3.  fire
        4.  air
        5.  blue
        6.  yellow
        7.  red
        8.  white
        9.  light *
        10. limited space
  
  5-8 recommended for the practice of //hate// characters because of
  their pure, pleasing colors.
  
        Apart from the possible exception of 5-8, no special moral stain
  is counteracted by these ten kasinas.  As they are to be developed
  through the eye, they will not be very suitable for anyone with weak
  sight (according to Buddhaghosa).
  
        The only one of the ten kasinas which seems to be practiced much
  these days is that of light, which some people find arises quite
  naturally when they begin to concentrate the mind.  While Acariya
  Buddhaghosa's explanations in //Path of Purification// tend to stress
  the importance of using exterior supports for practice (the making of
  the earth kasina is very minutely described), whenever the writer has
  heard of them being employed (in Thailand), they are always in the
  nature of visions (//nimitta//) arising internally and being developed
  from this basis.  It appears that contemplations of an exterior earth,
  etc. kasina is unknown in Thailand.
  
  
  Ten Kinds of Foulness (//asubha//)
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        11.  the bloated (corpse) counteracting delight in
                        beauty of proportions
        12.  the livid ... beauty of complexion
        13.  the festering ... scents and perfumes
        14.  the cut-up ... wholeness or compactness
        15.  the gnawed ... well-fleshed body
        16.  the scattered ... grace of limbs
        17.  the hacked and scattered ... grace of body as a whole
        18.  the bleeding ... ornaments and jewelry
        19.  the worm-infested ... ownership of the body
        20.  the skeleton ... having fine bones and teeth
  
  11-20 recommended for //greed// characters.
  
  	These and similar lists in the Satipatthana Sutta reflect the
  time when disposal of corpses upon charnel-grounds was common. Now,
  however, even in Buddhist lands they are difficult to find, let alone
  in Western countries.  Teachers in Thailand at the present time stress
  that //one's own body// is to be seen in these ways as a vision
  (//nimitta//) arising in the course of mind-development. As these can
  be fearful, one should have the instruction of a skilled teacher for
  dealing with such visions, when they can be of great advantage.  It
  may be stressed here that there is nothing morbid in contemplating
  such sights, interior or exterior, as these.  The body's decay is just
  something natural, but normally it is not seen because people do not
  like to admit this.  Instead of facing bodily decay and bringing it
  out into the open, dead bodies are even made to look attractive by
  embalmers and cosmeticians; and where this cannot be done, they are
  stowed away in beautiful coffins with bright flowers, etc.  Buddhist
  training makes one look squarely at those aspects of life which
  normally (that is, with craving) are not considered "nice," and makes
  one calmly face them in respect of one's own mind and body.
  
  
  Ten Reflections (//anussati//)
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  					Stains (///kilesa//) counteracted
        21.  upon the Buddha *                  -
        22.    "   "  Dhamma                    -
        23.    "   "  Sangha                    -
        24.    "   virtue (//sila//)    bad conduct (//duccarita//)
        25.    "   generosity           meanness (//macchariya//)
        26.    "   celestials           scepticism (//vicikiccha//)
        27.    "   death                laziness
        28.    "   body *               lust & sensuality (//kama-raga//)
        29.    "   breathing *          delusion, worry
        30.    "   peace                disturbance
  

        21-26 recommended for //faith// characters
        27      "         "   //intelligent// characters
        28      "         "   //greedy// characters
        29      "         "   //deluded/speculative// characters
        30      "         "   //intelligent// characters
  
  
  
  This group of ten has a more miscellaneous character than the previous
  two groups.  In practicing the first three recollections (21-230 one
  recited the lists of qualities of each one of these [*].  Or if the
  mind does not become concentrated in this way, one chooses one
  particular quality and recites that silently and continuously (such as
  "Buddho" or "Araham").  Rosaries are used in some places in connection
  with practice of this sort.  The recollections on virtue and
  generosity are specially good to cultivate in one's old age.  One
  reviews all the meritorious deeds (//punna//) made by one in the
  course of life, and recollecting them the mind becomes tranquil and
  happy, and having such a mental state at the time of death, one is
  sure to be reborn in very favorable surroundings.  One cannot
  recollect the celestials (//deva//) except by hearsay unless one has
  seen them.  This practice is suitable for those who have increased the
  range of their minds and so have made contact with other more subtle
  beings.  Death may be recollected by //intelligent// characters since
  they will not be frightened at the prospects which this practice opens
  up.  It is a great incentive to practice //now// when one does not
  know whether even one second from hence, one will be alive.  The
  twenty-eighth recollection -- on the body -- is for //greedy//
  characters, who need to develop dispassion regarding the body.  This
  is achieved by the analysis of the body into thirty-two unbeautiful
  parts, and then by selecting one or more of these and examining it.
  However, this practice comes to perfection when with insight the body
  is illuminated and its various components are clearly seen and their
  nature understood. The mindfulness of breathing is recommended for
  calming and clearing the mind, and a person of almost any temperament
  may practice it with benefit, though great care is needed in the
  subtler ranges of this exercise.  The breathing is never forced but
  observed constantly with mindfulness, the point of concentration being
   usually the nose-tip or nostrils. However, teachers vary in their
   practice of it.  The recollection of peace, says the great Acariya,
   is only of certain benefit to those who have already experienced
   Nibbana, such as stream-enterers; but others can gain some calm from
   contemplation of peacefulness. The peace spoken of here is really
   Nibbana, and as one cannot recollect what one has not known, if a
   worldling (//puthujjana//), this is a practice for the Noble Ones
   (//ariya//).
  
     * [See //The Mirror of the Dhamma//, WHEEL No. 54 a/b.]
  

   4 Divine Abidings (//Brahma-vihara//)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                          Stains counteracted

        31.  friendliness *                   hatred, dislike
        32.  compassion                       callous indifference
        33.  gladness (with others)           envy
        34.  equanimity                       worry
  
       * recommended for //hate// characters
  
  
  4 States of Formlessness (//arupa-bhava//)
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        35.  sphere of infinite space
        36.   "     "  infinite consciousness
        37.   "     "  nothingness
        38.   "     "  neither-perception-nor-non-perception
  
  These formless absorptions cannot be developed unless one has already
  perfected the four ordinary absorptions of form.  It is said that this
  group of four may be explored on the basis of the fourth absorption
  (//jhana//).  As few people are likely to have experienced this, we
  pass on to:
  
  
  
  Perception of the Loathsomeness of Food
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  39.  While it is essential for the bhikkhu who has to rely upon
  collected food (which is sometimes good and sometimes not), lay people
  can also benefit from this practice, which Acariya Buddhaghosa notes
  is for //intelligent// characters, and is designed to lessen, and lead
  to the destruction of, greed and gluttony.
  
  
  
  One Defining of the Four Great Elements
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  40.  These are earth (solidity), water (cohesion), fire (temperature),
  and air (movement), all of which characterize our physical bodies.
  These elements may be perceived by an analysis based upon the use of
  mindfulness. [*]  This practice is also said to be particularly fitted
  for the //intelligent// character.
  
     * [See //The Foundations of Mindfulness//, trans. Nyanasatta, WHEEL
        No. 19, p. 15; and Ledi Sayadaw, //A Manual of Insight//, WHEEL
        No. 31/32, pp. 25, 78.]
  
  
  Those practices not mentioned in connection with character are suited
  to anyone.  As all of these practices are aimed at the lessening and
  eventual destruction of the stains (//kilesa//), one may appreciate
  how important they are thought in Buddhist training.  Where the stains
  are present, there the darkness of unknowing holds sway; but where
  they are not found, there shines forth the wisdom and compassion of
  Enlightenment.
  
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 TITLE OF WORK: Practical Advice for Meditators (Wheel Publication No.
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