“You won't be able to see and recognise your own mind if you haven't reached that level of onepointedness.”

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Question: How do I train myself to focus on and control my mind while being aware of my breathing in all postures? 

Than Ajahn: Before getting to the level of the mind, you have to first get through the levels of your body and your sensations. That is, you first have to be able to let go of your body. You have to fully understand the nature of your physical body first: being born, you're bound to get old and die. You have to fully understand the nature of your feelings and sensations (vedan›) that they come and go.

For instance, illnesses are expected and so your mind needs to remain equanimous with changes in your body and feelings. That is, you're not affected by ageing and death. When an illness arises, you're not bothered or troubled by it.

If you still cannot get through these two stages, you won't be able to reach the mental stage because that level is much subtler. You have yet to develop enough mindfulness and insights to penetrate such a subtle level of the mind. You ought to cultivate your mindfulness and develop your insights in order to surpass your body and feelings first. You have to penetrate all the bodily matters, be they ageing, sickness, death, and physical appearance. You have to let go of all these matters before reaching that mental stage.

To observe your mind at the moment is somewhat premature and will not do you any good. You won't be able to control your mind anyway; even if you could, it would just be through your mindfulness. You're not fully capable of observing, controlling, and calming your mind as you wish. You won't be able to handle it when your mind acts out because you simply lack mindfulness and wisdom. Your absorption (samadhi) is not at the level that will allow you to control your mind. Just don't focus on the mind.

Don't concern yourself with observing the mind just yet if you still lack mindfulness. Instead, focus on developing mindfulness first. Focus on concentrating your mind first if you have yet to gain samadhi. Channel it into onepointedness first. You won't be able to see and recognise your own mind if you haven't reached that level of onepointedness.

The mind is simply the perceiver—the one who acknowledges. It is the one that remains equanimous (upekkha); that is the mind. But once you leave your samadhi, your mental proliferation will turn its equanimity around—pulling it away from being cognisant and perceptive to being misguided and deluded. You won't be able to maintain that mental state—to simply be aware and remain equanimous—unless you're able to eliminate your physical desires and emotional craving. Putting an end to these two types of craving and desire will allow you to gain access to and control your own mind, thus taking care of its waywardness.

It's like a toddler who cannot fully stand on his own two feet; he needs to be trained to stand properly first before learning to walk and to run. Don't let him walk or run just yet. The Buddha taught us to cultivate wisdom from a very coarse level to a very subtle one. The body is much coarser than the feelings, which are again coarser than the mind. You have to take one step at a time. Don't rush or skip as it won't do you any good.

“Essential Teachings.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com
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