Words
of the most venerable Luang Por
Sim Bhikkhu
Up-Dated Translation by
Ajahn Sumano
Bhikkhu
N.E.
The Buddha uttered, "turittunitam singhasingham"---Rush,
hurry, it's urgent! Meditate on every inhalation and exhalation. Determine to
practice right at this moment. If we don't the demons of thought and defilement
will lead us away into old age and death. Even on your day of death you still
won't have time!
The Buddha encouraged us to meditate. He
directed us not to reach out towards the past or future. The past and future
tend to captivate us. We don't get anywhere at all. But if we ground the mind
in the present we can testify to the inner knowing that lies within us all. It
exists and it is right in that knowing that lies
virtue and accumulated purity. We meditate in order to condense the energies of
the mind into this inner knowing. We put down thoughts and sense-consciousness,
the defiled mind that goes out in search of distractions. We are obliged to
contest the out-flowing stream of the mind. We give up thinking of friends and
families, money, work, and all the relationships that lies outside of the
present moment. It's all a flight of fancy. That which is
helpful, that which leads us to Buddha-Wisdom is that which the Buddha called
"tattha" or "in that place".
"In that place" or "just there" refers to the knowing that
lies within our mind.
Generate clear knowing in the mind. The
mind can both know truly and the mind can be beguiled. That is, the mind can
"know" while under the influence of dark factors. When we just allow
it to blindly follow forms, sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects and ideas
it is deceived day and night. This is a process that begins from birth and
carries on into old age. And from old age until death.
We can be fascinated by those things for innumerable lifetimes.
When we come to meditate, we put effort
into eradicating the defilements in our hearts so that diminish and finally
come to an end. Thus our effort is concentrated on this mind of ours. We keep
reminding ourselves that apart from this knowing that is established in the
present moment, everything be it past or present, good or bad, is all
impermanent and therefore, unreal. There is nothing lasting to be found in the
world of past and its comrade, the future. Everything outside of the
mindfulness-awareness faculty is unsatisfactory and impersonal. Even the sacred
knowing itself is impaired when the masses of defilement stampede and trample
over us. Don't be bemused and betrayed by discursive thought. Don't be fooled
into believing in conditions.
In the ultimate sense there is no real
happiness. What people call happiness is just a delusion of the worldly. The Enlighten ones say that it's all just
melodramas of Dukkha and unknowing. In order to enable
oneself the Buddha's and their disciples practice calm
insight meditation in every posture.
Whenever we are deluded or intoxicated
with something, then we lose our self-awareness and thus there is pitch-black
darkness. There is no path that will take us into such utter darkness as that
of delusion. The deluded mind puts no effort into eradicating defilement in the
present moment. It is engrossed in the pleasure derived from forms, sounds,
odors, flavors, physical sensations and mental states, taking them to be the
source of happiness. But that happiness is bound up with materiality. It is
hopeless. It is not true happiness. True happiness is in freedom...Nibbana.
"turittunitam singhasingham"-