The Energy of Bodhgaya Ajahn Achalo

The Energy of Bodhgaya
Ajahn Achalo

This might sound like a strange thing to say, but through this book, I am sharing several of my greatest loves: my love of meditation and the spiritual life, my love and gratitude for the Buddha and his transformative teachings, and my love for the physical place of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment.

Bodhgaya, a holy site sacred to Buddhists from all around the world, is situated in Bihar state, northeast India. It is rich with symbolic, historical, and spiritual meaning. It is also rich in spiritual energy, which is of great interest to sincere meditators because energy can be absorbed, refined, and then utilised in the process of mental cultivation—perhaps especially so by those with a daily meditation discipline and who possess deep faith.

This energy is part of my reason for spending so many hours meditating in Bodhgaya.

It’s where the Vajra Asana, or Diamond Throne Seat of Enlightenment, is situated, where the Bodhisattva finally realised the ultimate goal of liberation from all suffering after many aeons of arduous striving. I wholeheartedly believe that some of the purity, unshakeable peace, and unceasing bliss that his mind experienced also infused the very earth element in this place.

To some, it may sound preposterous that something of ‘mind’ could stick to something of ‘earth’ for thousands of years. But if we consider for a moment that the Buddha’s mind was no ordinary mind, having been developed to the furthest extent possible and completely purified of all negative qualities as well, perhaps we can be open to the possibility that ordinary standards and assumptions are no longer an accurate gauge.

After thousands of occasions to check this perception for myself, I can sincerely testify that it does seem to be the case. Herein lies the reason for my deep appreciation of this most holy of holy sites. Perhaps it is one reason why Lord Buddha encouraged all of his followers to make a pilgrimage there if they are able.

So how does this physical place infused with the blessings from the purified minds of several Buddhas (for we are told that three previous Buddhas were also enlightened here) affect faithful devotees?

Most pilgrims feel great joy and gratitude as soon as they arrive and can feel a powerful energy radiating from the Vajra Asana and Bodhi Tree even before meditating.

Once meditating, other interesting effects can often be observed. People with busy minds sometimes find that their thoughts settle down much more quickly. Loud noise is not as disturbing as it would normally be, and it seems easier to be at peace with the physical discomfort that can arise while sitting in meditation.

These effects are not guaranteed and do not always occur but certainly occur frequently for many meditators. This helps practitioners to experience their minds with less pain and hindrances, and greater levels of tranquillity, rapture, and peace, which is naturally very encouraging.

This reflection by Ajahn Achalo is from the book, 3000 Hours of Meditation, “Bodhgaya – Opening Words .”

24 March 2023

❖ How useful is it to attend a meditation retreat? ❖ ~ by Ajahn Jayasaro ~

❖ How useful is it to attend a meditation retreat? ❖
~ by Ajahn Jayasaro ~

A meditation retreat provides meditators with the opportunity to apply themselves to meditation practices for many hours a day under the guidance of a qualified teacher, and to benefit from the support of a group of like-minded people. Having withdrawn from their usual surroundings, responsibilities and problems, for a retreat of seven or ten days meditators can build up a momentum of practice that may allow for experiences of calm and insight normally unattainable in their daily lives.

Retreats have a rejuvenating effect on long-time meditators and give self-confidence to new ones. Novice meditators can prove to themselves that meditation is not just a matter of struggling with sore knees and a restless mind, but that it does have results, and that they are capable of experiencing those results.

It is difficult for most people to establish a regular meditation practice at home. Attending a meditation retreat gives meditators a foundation on which to build, and the faith in the value of meditation that will help to sustain them through periods of doubt and discouragement.

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To read the ebook, please visit ‘Without and Within', by Ajahn Jayasaro:

http://www.withoutandwithin.net/ebook/

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For other teachings by Ajahn Jayasaro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website:

https://www.jayasaro.panyaprateep.org/

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To request the print book, please register: https://www.bia.or.th/wowi/

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Photo: ‘Without and Within’

22 March 2023

On Precepts, Faith, Wisdom and Merits By Ven Aggacitta

On Precepts, Faith, Wisdom and Merits 
By Ven Aggacitta 

Devas often came to see the Buddha at night and their presence would light up the whole place. According to Jara Sutta (SN 1:51), on one such night they came and asked the Buddha four questions: 

What is good until old age?

What is good when established?

What is the precious gem of humans?

What is hard for thieves to steal?

There is more than one answer to each of these four questions, but the Buddha always formulated his answers according to the level of wisdom of the questioner. So his answers were as follows.

What is good until old age?

Precepts are worth keeping into old age. Most people, when they are young do not bother much with keeping precepts. It is natural that most young people do not give much thought to religion unless they have problems. Then, and then only do they look to the gods for help. 

Morally speaking, one suffers no loss by keeping precepts. Admittedly, it is a bit difficult in the business world for people to keep the fourth precept.

There is the story of a man in Sri Lanka whose sick mother was advised by the doctor to eat rabbit meat in order to get well. He found a rabbit trapped in a hedge and was about to catch it when he remembered his precepts. 

Reflecting that it was not right for him to take another life in order that his mother may recover, he let the anima go. When he reached home empty-handed, his elder brother scolded him for missing the opportunity. He then stood by his mother’s bedside and said, “I did not take another life in order to save my mother’s life. By the power of this truth may my mother be well.” 

Instantly, his mother recovered.

Another story also happened in Sri Lanka where a farmer went into the jungle to look for his lost cow. He was caught by a python which coiled itself round him. With parang in hand, he was about to kill the python and free himself. Then he remembered that he had just taken his precepts from a respected thera (elder monk) and to kill the python would be showing disrespect to the venerable. So he stopped himself. For a second time he was again about to strike at the python and again resisted the urge. 

On the third time that he was about to strike again, he threw away the parang, removing all temptation to kill the snake. Instead he said, “By the power of my precepts, may I be saved.” He was saved.

I have also personally experienced the efficacy of keeping precepts. I stayed alone in a forest kuti in Myanmar for seven years. During my first year’s stay there I used to encounter snakes around my kuti. One day, after watching the sunset, I came back to my kuti to find a cobra trying to get in. 

I tried to talk it into leaving but it refused to go, still snooping around for a way in. I then thought of using a stick to frighten it away. But then it occurred to me that such an action would mean I had no metta towards the snake. 

Instead, I recited Khandha Sutta (AN 4:67)—a protective sutta given by the Buddha for warding off animals, especially snakes. The snake then slithered off and disappeared into what I thought was a hole in the ground. When I went to check out the ‘hole’ I found none. It was the dry season and the grass was very sparse and dry and if there were a hole it could be seen. The snake had just disappeared into thin air—it had actually crossed into another dimension. That was no ordinary snake. When I told the local village monks about this, the abbot revealed that for more than ten years no one had been able to stay in the kuti for long because of snakes. From then on, I was very mindful of my precepts and practised metta regularly and frequently. No more of such incidents happened. If you keep your precepts, your precepts will protect you.

What is a good foundation to establish?

Faith is the best foundation. How is this so? 

Without faith, you will not believe the Dhamma that I’m teaching. If you do not believe in the Dhamma, you will not follow it. 

Buddha teaches us the way to happiness—how to live in order to be happy and the right approach towards a good rebirth. Faith allows us to believe. Today, morals are not important to people. In this age of science and technology, a materialistic outlook has replaced faith. This is so especially of people in the West. Their faith in the teachings of Christianity has been eroded by the culture of chasing after material gain at the expense of moral values. On the other hand, intelligence without faith will cause you to be too critical and sceptical to accept beliefs. Thus faith and intelligence have to be balanced.

What is the precious gem of humans?

Wisdom is the best treasure of humans. It does not matter whether it is worldly wisdom or supra-mundane wisdom. Faith must be balanced by wisdom. Faith without wisdom can bring you trouble. Just recently, I read a report about a number of people who were conned by a ‘monk’. In one instance, this ‘monk’ rang up a woman and told her that he had dreamt she would strike it rich if she were to believe in him and give him a few thousand dollars to gamble on a lottery. She believed him and did as he said. True enough, her buy struck a win, but she never saw the money because the ‘monk’ disappeared.

Faith without wisdom is also the reason why people give money to men dressed in monk’s robes, be they bogus monks or otherwise. 

These people are actually doing business, giving away amulets in exchange for money from gullible people. It is because they have faith without wisdom that they do dana blindly.

To give another illustration of giving without wisdom, I would like to relate an unfortunate incident that happened to the brother of a carpenter who used to work in SBS . 

His brother went to Singapore and got involved with a syndicate who roped in people to be bogus monks to earn money for the syndicate, paying them a salary. This brother used to stand in the MRT station and made easy money for himself and the syndicate. 

With this money, he indulged in drugs. 

When he heard that there was a police crackdown on the likes of him, he absconded with the money he had collected and came back to Taiping. 

One day, while sitting outside his house, he was run down by a lorry driven by a drunk. We cannot be sure that his tragic death is the direct effect of his cheating the gullible of money, but my point is that you should give with wisdom. 

Though the Buddha said that you can still get some degree of merit from such giving, beware that you may be encouraging these people to indulge in unwholesome, self-destructive activities.

What is hard for thieves to steal?

Merits cannot be stolen from you. They are spiritual investments, just like your material investments when you buy shares. They will follow you just as your shadow does. This is good kamma and when it ripens you will reap the benefits. Although the Buddha only spoke about good kamma in his answer, you can be assured that bad kamma cannot be stolen from you either. Rather, it will also follow you in the same way, giving unpleasant results instead.

Now that the noise and activities of Chinese New Year are almost over, you should have some quiet moments to reflect on the Dhamma you’ve heard today. So I hope that you will be able to practise the Dhamma and reap the resultant benefits. May all of you be well and happy.

Sadhu.............Sadhu.................Sadhu............

20 March 2023

Luang Phor Khiao

 Luang Phor Khiao 

Today I went to pay my respects to Luang Phor Khiao of Wat Phu Noi, because I had heard that he was a remarkable monk who could communicate with Tao Wessuwan. 

Reaching the temple, I only saw one other vehicle about to leave. The temple was in one of the quietest provinces of Thailand and located in quite an isolated spot so it wasn’t surprising. As we got out of the car, Luang Phor suddenly appeared out of nowhere holding some tools in his hand. 

He turned to us and asked us what our purpose for coming here was, and led us into the main hall. At first, he seemed very strict. And he told us that he was unable to “doo duang” literally “see one’s destiny” or in local talk, perform fortune-telling. 

But later as we chatted and chatted, we realised that the answer he gave was exactly the same as what Ajaan Chai had told us. But he was even more specific than Ajaan Chai by explaining his reasons behind the answer and also the length of time it would take before it would materialise.

So I realised that Luang Phor probably can doo duang after all, but maybe he was just being humble. And later on he finally revealed that he does have a special relationship with Tao Wessuwan, but he said that certain details cannot be released openly, so I can’t write about it here. 

Instead I will write about another interesting aspect of Luang Phor - his ability to remember his past life. Note that this doesn’t involve psychic powers because he was able to remember his past life even when he was a child. 

In Luang Phor’s past life, he was a very famous monk in Southern Thailand. Luang Phor told me who he was, but I’m not going to reveal that here, but suffice to say that most Thai Buddhists would have heard of his name. 

Despite being a very renowned monk, Luang Phor said that he was actually stuck as a spirit and couldn’t get reborn for around 2 years. 

This was because when he passed away, he was still holding on to donors’ monies which were meant for a good cause. 

As he couldn’t ensure that his promise to the donors were fulfilled, he was unable to let go of the obligation and thus not able to move on. Until one day Luang Pu Thuad suddenly appeared and persuaded him to go on almsround or have the morning meal with him. 

So Luang Phor got ready his monk’s bowl and the like and went to wait for the train as per the invitation. But as Luang Phor waited for the train, he started to feel sleepy and fell asleep. 

When he woke up, he found that he was reborn already, in this life as Dek (Child) Khiao. 

Despite being reborn, Luang Phor still had the same feelings he had. He still felt that he was a monk. Therefore, as a young kid, he would perform the morning and evening chanting which would astonish his parents, since he couldn’t even read yet. 

Whenever he wanted to eat, he had to have his father offer food to him first before he would eat. This is because monks cannot eat food unless it is offered. As for his mom, he would make her place it on a cloth before offering it to him (as monks cannot touch women, offerings need to be placed on a cloth). 

After eating, Luang Phor (still a child then) would chant the after-meal blessings for his father and mother. If something like this happened, we would probably be amazed, but Luang Phor’s mom couldn’t stand the strange behaviour of her son. Why didn’t he behave like a normal kid? 

Luang Phor was born to a family of farmers. 

Farmers lead a tough life in Thailand, they have a lot of farm work to be done. Therefore one day, Luang Phor’s mom had enough of him. She had to go do her farming duties and yet here her son was, ready to chant the meal blessings. She couldn’t take it anymore, anger rushed into her head and she slapped him. 

This caused the rice Luang Phor had already chewed to fly out of his mouth and hit the floor, and probably the trauma of it caused Luang Phor (then a child) to lose the memory of his past life for a long period of time, until he started practising meditation after ordination as a novice and his past life memory returned.

The story of Luang Phor is a little long, so I will continue it later, with more emphasis on Tao Wessuwan and Luang Phor's powers, or more accurately how Luang Phor can help those in need.

19 March 2023

Caring for the Sick (Mv.8.26) By Ven Kumara

Caring for the Sick (Mv.8.26)
By Ven Kumara

During the Buddha’s time, there was a bhikkhu who suffered a severe case of dysentery. He was so weak that he was lying fouled in his own urine and excrement. When the Buddha saw this, he asked why no one cared for him. The bhikkhu replied that because he did not help others, they too do not care to help him. 

The Buddha himself and Ven Ananda then cleaned him up and put him on a bed.

The Buddha then had the monks assembled and questioned them about the matter. When they admitted to not caring for the sick monk though being aware of him being ill, the Buddha admonished them, saying that since all of them have no parents to look after them, they should look after one another. He further stressed that anyone who would care for the Tathagata (i.e., the Buddha himself) should care for the sick. 

[Note: The popular words “He who serves the sick, serves me.” do not come from this story. Its origin is unknown.]

He then sets out precise instruction as to who should take care of a sick monk. If one's preceptor (upajjhaya) is present, he should care for one as long as life lasts or till one recovers. 

Otherwise, one's teacher (acariya) should do it, or one's student (saddhiviharika) or apprentice (antevasika), or fellow student or apprentice. If not, the monastic community (Sangha) should do it. Otherwise, there is a monastic offence for being negligent.

The Buddha then spoke on what makes a sick person difficult or easy to care for and also what makes a caregiver fit or unfit to care for the sick.

A sick person having 5 attributes is difficult to care for or treat. What are they?

He does what is not beneficial. An example would be staying up late. Being awake around the hours of midnight affects the health of any person, not to mention one who is already sick.

He knows not moderation in what is beneficial. For example, a person may take wild pepper to stimulate his digestive system. However, if he takes a big handful of it, thinking that the more he takes the better it is, he may end up being mildly poisoned.

He does not consume the medicine. This is like the saying, “You can bring a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink.” That makes him a difficult patient. However, if he is not taking the medicine because he knows it is bad or not suitable for him, then that is of course a different matter.

He does not make known his health problems as they really are to his caregiver or physician who is concerned for his welfare. Unless his healer is psychic and very patient, it would be rather difficult to help him.

He is the kind who cannot bear painful bodily feelings. When one is sick, discomfort is to be expected. 

Furthermore, the healing process may involve even more discomfort. So, if he is unwilling to bear with that patiently, he makes things more difficult for himself and his caregiver.

A sick person can be difficult to care for, even if he has only one of such attributes, let alone if he has all five of them. It can be rather trying to the caregiver.

However, if he was to be the opposite of all these, he becomes easy to care for. That is to say he does what is beneficial, knows moderation in what is beneficial, takes his medicine, makes known his health problems as they really are, and endures the painful bodily feelings.

Now, as for a caregiver, the Buddha listed 5 attributes that make him unfit to care for the sick: 

He is incompetent at preparing and mixing the medicine. While a certain herbal medicine can cure a sick person, it may have a certain property that needs to be neutralised with something else to suit the patient, or it may have to be prepared in a certain way to optimise its effect on the patient.

He does not know what is beneficial or not beneficial to the patient. He may even remove what is beneficial and bring what is not beneficial. This of course would make the patient even worse than before.

He treats the sick with material gain in his mind and not with thoughts of goodwill. It seems that more and more doctors in private hospitals or medical centres are rather eager in recommending expensive treatments and medicines. Some even scare the patient into following their suggestions. This not only puts unnecessary financial burden on patients, it also puts them in a situation that is probably even more dangerous than their illness.

He gets disgusted at taking away excrement, urine, saliva or vomit. When caring for a very sick person, such as in the case of the monk mentioned earlier, the caregiver must not be too disgusted to remove such bodily discharge. Otherwise, he is unfit to do the job.

He is incompetent at instructing, urging, rousing, encouraging the sick person at timely occasions with a talk on the Dhamma. [From here, we can infer that the Buddha was probably speaking in the context of his ordained disciples—for both the patient and the caregiver. 

The Nonetheless, it can apply to lay people too if the caregiver is competent enough in the Dhamma and the patient is also interested in it.]

So, a caregiver having these 5 attributes is said by the Buddha to be incompetent. If he has the first 3, he can even be a danger to the patient.

However, if he was to be the opposite of all these, he makes an excellent caregiver, particularly in the context of monastics. That is to say he is competent at preparing and mixing the medicine, knows enough to bring what is beneficial and remove what is not beneficial, treats the sick with thoughts of goodwill, is not disgusted at taking away bodily discharge which can be rather repulsive, and is competent at inspiring the sick person with the Dhamma.

I'd like to add something to the final point. When a person is very sick, he can be somewhat depressed, which of course would make him even sicker. For a faithful Buddhist, the talk on Dhamma can be a powerful way to uplift his spirits and bring about healing. There are quite a few examples in the suttas where people, including the Buddha himself, recover from their illness by listening to and being gladdened by the Dhamma. Even if one does not recover fully, the joy of Dhamma can certainly help in the healing.

So, I hope today’s Dhamma talk helps us to understand what makes a good caregiver and a good patient. 

Sadhu ...... Sadhu ........ Sadhu ........

Footnote : 
From Buddhism A to Z
by : Ven. S Dhammika

GOD AND GODS

God (issara) is a supernatural being believed by some people to have created the universe and who should be feared and worshipped. This being is usually said to be all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful. The Jewish and Christian god is named Yahweh, that of Sikhism, Sat Nām, and of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazdah. Hindus worship many gods but the supreme god for many Hindus is either Śiva or Viṣṇu.

Buddhism denies the existence of a supreme God for three reasons. 

(1) God’s supposed attributes contradict each other. If God is all-loving and all-powerful, Buddhists ask, why is humankind so often afflicted by disease, disaster and depravation? 

(2) Belief in God is not necessary. Buddhism teaches that morality can be sound, that life can be meaningful and that the origins of the universe can be satisfactorily explained without having to introduce the notion of God. 

(3) All the evidence used to prove God’s existence could easily be interpreted in other ways. For example, miracles could be caused by psychic powers, being saved from an impending danger could be due to coincidence and rising from the dead might mean that the raised person was not really dead in the first place.

However, while there is no room in the Buddhist understanding of reality for a single supreme God, Buddhism does accept the existence of other divine beings which we can call gods (deva). These beings may be more powerful and glorious than humans but they are not necessarily as spiritually developed and thus have no significant role in our spiritual life. 

Buddhism and the God Idea,Nyanaponika,1981.

21 March 2023

Luang Phor Jaran Thittadhammo

Luang Phor Jaran Thittadhammo

When Khun Sakchai first came to Wat Amphawan, he was penniless. I looked at his face using "perceiving" and saw that he would become extremely rich in the future. 

Just go and enter a meditation retreat for 7 days and 7 nights, then Luang Phor will help you. 

After practising the kammathan, wisdom is born and a weapon is obtained. 

Now he has opened 5 restaurants in Australia and is going to Brunei for business as well. He has assets worth 100 million baht. 

Some people don't come to practice, they are lazy and just want to be rich. Or they just come and sit and talk throughout the programme. 

If you want to be rich, take the example of Mr. Sakchai. He told me that the people who came to work with him were all honest.

If we practice the kammathan and extend loving-kindness to others, they will turn from evil to good. 

There were farang who came to eat with one another, after saving money for some time, money flowed in, gold flowed in. 

Meditation makes people rich. Just saying this, no one believes. But you will become rich in wisdom, rich in problem solving.

Today, Mr. Sakchai came to tell me that he obtained good things from this temple. "I was able to earn enough money because of what Luang Phor taught. Meditation helps a lot. Mindfulness tells me what I should do or what I shouldn't do. 

There are people who apply for jobs, some of them have bad habits. Like to lie, but I see it and feel pity for them. I pae metta to them. He quit lying. Quit being a thief. Extend my loving-kindness towards them." 

This is called being rich. 

This is the meditation practice. Chanting the Buddhaguna, Dhammaguna, Sanghaguna, Chanting Pahung Mahaka. Then can we have sati panya. 

If the mind is kind, the mind is comfortable, you will be rich. If the mind becomes narrow, the money runs away, everything shrinks. 

Luang Phor Jaran Thittadhammo

Wat Amphawan, Singburi Province

18 March 2023 

From 'Concentration Work' in Meditations 6 by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

From 'Concentration Work' in Meditations 6 by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. 

Ajaan Lee would always recommend starting out with three to seven good, long, deep in-and-out breaths to highlight the process of breathing in the body and to give the body some energy. As the mind settles down, there’s a tendency for the breath to get very subtle and quiet, and sometimes it’s not really enough for the body’s energy needs. 

Ajaan Fuang had a student one time who really liked the quiet breath. She would always go there in her meditation. I remember him criticizing her one night for that. He said, “You really have to read the body to see what it needs right now. If you go just for the quiet breath all the time, it saps your strength.”

An essential skill in meditation is learning how to read what your body needs. Give it more energy when it needs more, even though that may not seem as quiet and refined as you’d like. You’ve got to take care of both the body and the mind. 

Consider the issue of directed thought and evaluation. Ajaan Lee recommended that you go through the body in quite a lot of detail to settle things down and to clear things up to create a good place where you can feel at home. People complain that it’s not quieting to think about the breath and work with the breath energy in different parts of the body. 

Well, it’s part of the work needed in order to get things ready to settle down in a way that will be solid and lasting.

Be willing to do the work that’s needed for a good, solid concentration. Don’t just go hiding out in a little quiet corner. Allowing your awareness to spread and fill the whole body is what gives you the proper foundation for your meditation. 

In doing this work, you exercise your faculties of mindfulness, alertness, and discernment. 

There’s a tendency in some circles to encourage students talented in concentration to direct their energies in the direction of concentration. If they’re more talented in the area of analyzing the mind, they’re encouraged in the direction of discernment. 

Ajaan Fuang, though, would turn tables on people. If they were already talented in concentration, he’d have them work more in learning how to think about and analyze the movements of the mind. If they were already talented in analyzing things, he’d have them learn how to be quiet: just sit with things for a while without predetermining all the time. This way, you learn how to detect when things are out of balance and to bring them back into balance when needed.

There’s work to be done. Ajaan Lee called it your concentration work: the directed thought and the evaluation. 

When you start out with these things, they can be rather coarse; but by exercising them, you learn how to bring them to refinement. 

Sometimes you find that refined breath is too weak. You’re drifting off. 

You’ve got to strengthen things again, to get in touch with the body and to gain a sense of how to listen to it and respond to its needs. This is especially difficult for people who have body issues, who basically want to run away and block out their awareness of the body. 

Learn how to trust the different sensations in the body and trust your ability to handle them. 

In the beginning, you may want to start with just one little, familiar spot in the body or a spot that seems okay, and be willing to hang out there for a while. It may not seem impressive, it may not seem all that quiet yet, but you’re working on potentials here. You’re also working on patience, learning how to allow potentials to develop in a positive direction.

~~~~~~~

From 'Concentration Work' in Meditations 6 by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. 

https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/Meditations6/Section0014.html

16 March 2023