Following Nature by Ajahn Puth (Thaniyo) Translated by Sumano Bhikkhu
The activity of practising meditation includes both samatha, calm, and vipassana, insight meditation. You have probably heard and read a great deal on meditation practice, but some of you may be wondering what's the best and most effective way to practise it.
Some of you have come to ask me - "Luang Por, I want to practice in a way which will produce the fastest results. Is there some skilful means which will bring fast results? How shall I practise?"
In answer to this I say, "There is no such thing. Not in this world anyway". The way to produce the quickest results in practice is to resolve to practise with the utmost persistence. We must practise in a way which goes beyond all hesitation and all doubt so that practice is sustained.
Take for example, you go study a method of meditation from one particular teacher who teaches his disciples to observe the breathing as it occurs in the abdomen. The student practises observing the sensation in the abdomen as it rises on the inhalation and falls on the exhalation. So you resolve to undertake that practice. Then you go to study with the Abbot of Wat Paknam. There they use the mantra Samma Araham. Then you resolve to practise in that way. If you went to Ajahn Sao or Ajahn Mun for instruction in meditation, they would teach the mantra Bud-dho. They instructed their disciples to practise entirely with this mantra and stick with it.
There is an important point here which needs to be clearly understood. Which way is the straight and genuine way? The answer is that any meditation object which you choose to work with can provided all the benefits, provided that you sit in samadhi wholeheartedly three or four times a day - and that each of those times you sit for a full hour. Each time you sit, you sit resolutely. From such resolute efforts benefits will automatically arise. If the benefits are not equal to our efforts it is because we have not yet been able to cut off our worries and suspicions regarding the particular technique that we are using. This undermines the practice.
Today you are here at Wat Pah Salawan and here the Ajahn (meditation teacher) instructs meditators to use the mantra Bud-dho. Tomorrow you may go and listen to Dhamma talk at Wat Mahathat and their Ajahn will demonstrate the technique of observing the rising and falling of the abdomen. The day after that you may go to Wat Paknam and they will teach Samma Araham.
After this experience your suspicions will deepen and you will ask, "How is it that all these Ajahns do not teach the same method?" If your mind falls into doubt like this, you will be unable to grasp the essence of meditation and settle on a technique. This is an obstacle to practice.
Therefore, regardless of what technique or mantra you use, I recommend that you stay with just that one skilful means. Further I suggest that you firmly take a hold of one of these tools of practice and resolutely get on with the work. All of these meditation techniques are skilful means for centering the heart on one object so as to prevent it from wandering out into all kinds of distracting thoughts and feelings. In the initial stages this is all that is required in meditation practice.
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Following Nature by Ajahn Puth (Thaniyo) Translated by Sumano Bhikkhu
https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books2/Ajahn_Puth_Thaniyo_Following_Nature.htm
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