Buddhist Hour
Script No. 431
Broadcast live on 3MDR 97.1 FM
11.00 pm to 12 midnight
On Friday 9 June 2006 CE 2550 Buddhist Era

This script is entitled:
"Applying the Buddha's Teachings to Everyday Life"
Part 9 - Right Concentration

Welcome to our series "Applying the Buddha's Teachings to Everyday Life". Tonight is Part 9 and the theme we will be talking about is Right Concentration, first presented on the 17th of January 2006 at the Dandenong Ranges Community Cultural Centre in Upwey as part of our weekly discussion group.

Tonight's talk is in two parts. First we will give an introduction to the fourth Perfection, the Perfection of Wisdom (panna), and secondly Right Concentration (samma-samadhi), the eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Why practice meditation? - An introduction to the Perfection of Wisdom (panna-parami).

Consider a view of how your mind behaves which you may have never considered before. It is the view of what your mind is doing second by second, microsecond by microsecond.

At the micro level, second by second, our mind is always doing something, it is always in action and it is always in movement. Where is it moving to? It has six things it can move to.

It can move to each of the five senses, sound, sight, smell, touch or taste and it can move to mental objects, ideas, feelings, memories and so on, which are arising moment by moment. The mind moves from one of these to any other - but always one at a time.

The Buddha described that the way the mind moves to each different object is like a person who has been yoked or tied to six different animals. For a little while one animal is stronger, so we are pulled in the direction of that animal, then as that animal tires another animal who is the strongest takes over and pulls us in its direction, and so on. So long as we are yoked to these six animals the process goes on endlessly.

In a similar way our mind habitually goes towards any of the six objects according to which has the strongest sensation at any given instant. If we hear a loud noise outside, for example, our mind averts to it for a moment. Then a thought enters in our mind about the sound. The mind's attention runs to the thought. Next, a feeling triggered by the thought follows and our mind's attention runs to that feeling. Next a sensation may arise on our leg, numbness or itchiness for example, because we are getting uncomfortable in our seating position in our chair - our mind runs to the sensation in our leg, a thought comes making us scratch or rub the place where the sensation is arising.

The mind moves its attention to the next event, another sensation, maybe taste, maybe sight, another mental event or another feeling. The mind chases them all down, one after the other, many times in each second, moving unceasingly from one to the other merely because one sensation becomes stronger at any particular moment. That is the only reason.

This process can be described as the mind grabbing or grasping onto sense objects, and mental objects, grabbing each new sensation. The mind cannot hold two of these objects at one time. Therefore it moves from one to the next.

What is the mind running around like this for? Why is it chasing down each sensation? What would happen if the mind didn't move to each sensation but just stopped? If that happened the mind would finally be in peace. We would be truly happy.

This is why Buddhism, or Buddha Dhamma, teaches us that we can never get lasting happiness through grabbing and grasping. Our mind needs to let go to find real and lasting peace.

What causes the grabbing and grasping to happen in our minds is greed, hate and ignorance, the defilements that arise in our minds. The greed causes our mind to thirst for sensations so our mind chases and grabs the continual flow of sensation. Hate causes our mind to have aversion for sensations so our mind grabs sensations it doesn't like and tries to either stop them or push them away. This is a compulsive reaction. The ignorance prevents us from understanding what we are really doing.

It really is ridiculous when you think about it because our mind is attempting to grab things to satisfy its desire and craving and to make the desire or craving go away, but craving doesn't go away, it doesn't stop.

The mind's motive is to be happy, the method it is using is to grab. The first part of this is OK, we all want to be happy, the second part is the ridiculous bit. Buddha Dhamma shows us that the method we are using, this grabbing or craving, not only can it not make us happy but that it is the root cause of our suffering. The very method we are using to get happy is causing us to be unhappy, a conundrum.

Something like an alcoholic who compulsively drinks more to overcome the suffering caused by the ongoing consumption of alcohol.

So now we get to meditation. What is the role of meditation in helping us overcome this conundrum? If you have practiced meditation in the past you may have already experienced in meditation how by developing one pointed concentration on the breath you are restricting the habit of the mind to run after sensations. In meditation we are training the mind to not chase and grab each of the sensations or mental objects that arise.

Once the mind has been calmed by this practice and we have developed one pointed concentration or in Pali samatha bhavana, then we can use our bright clear mind to deal with the real problem - craving. This is insight meditation or in Pali vipassana bhavana. To stop the craving we have to see things as they really are. It's important to understand that only when the mind can see the five senses and the mental objects as they actually are will it stop blindly thirsting for them.

Following his enlightenment the Buddha taught in his very first sermon, the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta - the Discourse on the Turning of the Wheel of Truth, that all conditioned mental and physical phenomena have three characteristics. Every type of being, including humans in the human world and all beings in other worlds or places of birth have these same three characteristics. They are impermanence (anicca in Pali language), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and not self (anatta).

Just like the Buddha, we can undertake the training to develop our minds so they become clear and bright enough to see all things are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self - anicca, dukkha and anatta.

When the mind sees all things are impermanent it stops grabbing, because it knows grabbing something that only lasts for a second or so, is futile and can never be satisfying.

When the mind sees all things are unsatisfactory or dukkha it stops grabbing. Through vipassana meditation the mind sees that we are comprised of five parts, groups or aggregates. Then the mind knows these five as they really are.

The five parts of a person, or the five aggregates are:

Our body (in Pali rupa) will die and rot:

Our feelings (in Pali vedana) can't be relied upon, they can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. There is no such thing as a permanent feeling;

Our memories and perceptions (in Pali sanna) are unreliable, and cause us to lose our clarity of the present moment if we dwell on them;

Our thoughts and self-images (in Pali sankhara) are just arising and passing away. We have thousands of thoughts each day. They are just thoughts, some wholesome, some unwholesome. They can't be relied upon as always being the correct view. If we hold onto thoughts how will we develop wisdom, which comes from not grabbing.

The various types of consciousness (in Pali vinnanum) which we may experience are unreliable and come and go according to past causes.

Finally, when the mind sees things as not-self, or anatta in Pali, it stops grabbing because it knows none of the phenomenal components which we think of and call "me" are an everlasting self.

There is no everlasting part of us that is an unchanging self or a soul. Every part of us and all types of consciousness we can develop are impermanent. There is no single part of us that remains unchanged from when we were a child. We are constantly changing with nothing remaining immune to change. In other words there is no component of us outside of the law of cause and effect that has independent existence.

There is one particular mind the Buddha found, and he was the first person in this age to discover this mind, a mind that knows anicca, dukkha and anatta of all things at one time. It is called Nibbana (Nirvana in Sanskrit). It is the object of the Buddhist Eightfold Path. The stage of the training during which a person develops their minds so they can see Nibbana for themselves is called Right Concentration.

So having introduced you to the Perfection of Wisdom now we’ll move onto part two of tonight’s talk, Right Concentration. Right Concentration, or samma-samadhi in Pali, is the eighth factor in the Noble-Eightfold Path. It is the practice of calming the mind and developing sharp, clear one-pointed focus. This is achieved by concentrating the mind on a single object, such as one's breath.

Venerable Piyadassi writes:

"The perfectly concentrated mind is not distracted by sense objects, for it sees things as they really are." (Piyadassi, 1991)1.

He explains that:

"Meditation in Buddhism is divided into two systems, concentration of mind or calm (samadhi, samatha) and insight (vipassana)". (Piyadassi) 1.

We will discuss samatha or samadhi meditation first as it is the preliminary that leads and prepares the mind for vipassana, or insight meditation.

First we will examine what the pre-requisites are for achieving "good" meditation. Venerable Narada Thera says:

"Securing a firm footing on the ground of morality, the aspirant then embarks upon the higher practice of Samadhi…" (Narada 1988, p.519) 2.

Concentration, sometimes called meditative absorption, cannot be achieved by a mind that is disturbed by the effects of an immoral life, just as a tree cannot grow in barren earth. For example, if you are in the habit of lying to people your mind will be disturbed by restless thoughts, "What if they find out the truth? What will they think of me then?" and so on. Because of your lying you become restless and unable to develop concentration.

Also, a mind that lies creates the kamma to be unable to recognise truth or see things as they really are. You should then, make efforts to keep the precepts purely.

As you can see, the most important pre-requisite for developing concentration is being a good person, by keeping the five precepts. By avoiding blameworthy actions you will free yourself from restlessness and regret, and in their place develop peace and joy.

When you start to practice meditation at your home you will be more successful if you begin by preparing a suitable environment in which to meditate. If you try to meditate in unsuitable conditions, your meditation may be unsuccessful. Therefore, we suggest you try the five following preliminary practices.

First, find a suitable place that is free from bright lights, loud noises, cool drafts and other distractions. If you have a mobile phone, switch it off, and if you live with other people politely let them know what you are doing and ask them to remain quiet for the duration of your meditation. Also, ask them only to disturb you in the case of an emergency.

Next, if you have a Buddhist altar, mindfully make offerings of water, candles, incense, Dhamma books, and other suitable items to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. You can say it out loud or in your mind, for example, "I offer flowers to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha." Do the same with light, water and so on.

Now, sit in a comfortable position, whether it be on the floor or in a chair. The most important thing is that your back is straight and upright, and that your body is not strained. You should be naturally relaxed and without tension in your muscles.

Importantly, the next step is to prepare and clean your mind to help establish the right foundation for your meditation. Chanting the Vandana for Buddha, the Five Precepts, and the Triple Gem Refuge has this effect. Try it out and see what happens. Doing so recalls the wholesome minds that are associated with your past Buddha Dhamma practice. For example, if you have faith and admiration for the Buddha and his teachings, chanting will recall this.

Now to begin, breathe deeply three times and think, "Now I am going to practice meditation. May I develop Right Concentration so I can see things as they really are." This ensures your motive for your practice is correct. Meditation can be used for many things but in Buddhism our goal is to get to wisdom.

Samatha-bhavana, calm abiding or tranquillity meditation, can be described as a prerequisite to the practice of vipassana-bhavana, or insight meditation, accessible once the mind is prepared through the practice of calm-abiding.

The word concentration is translated as samadhi. Samatha bhavana as concentration development and vipassana bhavana as insight development.

The Venerable Maha Boowa talking about his Teacher Ajahn Mun wrote in the book Patipada the following description of the practice of samadhi meditation.

"…now we will go on to explain the method of sitting in samadhi bhavana in enough detail to act as a basis for those who are beginning to train themselves. For whatever type of work one takes up, it is bound to have a set of rules and instructions as to how it should be done, and this is also the case with the practice of [samatha] bhavana."

"It is taught that in doing the practise of samadhi bhavana, one should sit in the "samadhi" posture with ones legs crossed, as displayed in many Buddha images. The right leg should be placed on top of the left, and the hands placed in the lap, the right hand above the left-as in the samadhi posture. The body should be upright in a natural manner, neither bending forward or backwards too much-nor should one incline to the right or left beyond what is normal and natural. No part of the body should be under abnormal pressure or tense-which would be using force and creating difficulties-for it should be relaxed in parts in a normal, natural manner."

"But when you start to do the meditation practise, please keep your interest and attention on the meditation practise alone. You should not be anxious whether you are maintaining the correct samadhi [or samatha] posture that you started off with or whether it has changed in the meantime, leaning forwards or backwards, right or left too much. For all this would be concern for the body rather than for the citta and samadhi bhavana will not go smoothly. Therefore, once one has started to do the [mind or mental cultivation] bhavana one should have no further concern for the body, and one should set oneself to do the work of the [mind] from then on until one reaches the time for leaving the samadhi bhavana."

"When one first begins doing citta bhavana one should establish awareness, which means the [mind or] citta pays full attention to what one is doing, and this is what they call "being in the present" (paccupanna Dhamma). This is the way that one can come to know clearly whatever happens to the [mind or] citta and the mental objects or emotional attachment (dhammaramana) of various kinds whether good or bad when they change and alter just at that time-rather than at other times. This means establishing the [mind or] citta with full attention to what one is doing with mindfulness [sati]. Mindfulness means that the heart has a state of fully conscious knowing and this is what reminds and keeps one mindful that now is the time when one is beginning to do this work. Please be careful not to let the [mind] citta fly away towards emotional attachments (arammana) of various kinds, either past or future, good or evil, which are far away from the present work of doing the beginning or preparatory stages of bhavana [or meditation] [parikamma bhavana]." (Maha Boowa)

It is important to understand that Samatha-bhavana only temporarily inhibits emotional attachments or hindrances. After we finish meditating, we can still get angry and upset, and we still don't understand the deep and subtle principles that govern our experience. It is only through insight that we can understand the nature of hate, greed and ignorance and then work to remove them.

To investigate the subtle dhamma or the subtle nature of the way things really are, we have now prepared our mind into a perfect tool through concentration or samadhi. Similar to how a microscope is a suitable tool to examine matter in fine detail, we can use concentrated minds to examine things as they actually are in vipassana meditation.

Venerable Piyadassi writes:

"The word vipassana means, by derivation, seeing in an extraordinary way ... seeing beyond what is ordinary, clear vision. It is not surface seeing or skimming, not seeing mere appearances, but seeing things in their proper perspective, that is in terms of the three characteristics or signs of phenomenal existence, vis: impermanence or change; suffering or unsatisfactoriness; and non-self or egolessness (anicca, dukkha, anatta). It is this insight meditation … that enables the (meditator) to purge his (or her) mind of all defilements, to remove the ego delusion and to see reality and experience nibbana." (Piyadassi 1978, p.27) 4.

The process of samatha-bhavana can be likened to cleaning thick dust off the surface of a mirror. As we scrub the surface, layer upon layer of dust falls away, gradually revealing the untainted surface of the mirror. This can be likened to our own mind. Ordinarily our mind is afflicted with many types of bad thoughts and dispositions which prevent us from developing concentration. These bad dispositions are like the dust on the mirror.

As Venerable Ambewela Pasanna Manana wrote:

"Once the Buddha said –

Yoga ve jayathi bhuri,
Ayogi bhuri sankhayo.

By meditating (developing the mind), wisdom increases
By neglecting meditation, wisdom decreases." (Pasanna) 5.

It is difficult for a person who does not meditate to see the real essence of the Buddha Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha. The Dhamma can only be understood by the wise and not by the foolish. Wisdom does not refer to ones learning, but ones' ability to ‘see’ the Dhamma.

If you are interested in learning and practising the Buddha's method for developing concentration and wisdom, we invite you to our weekly teaching program every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.00 pm at the Dandenong Ranges Cultural Community Centre in Upwey.

May you practice Buddha Dhamma meditation.

May you cultivate Right Concentration.

May you develop the Perfection of Wisdom.

May you be well and happy

May all beings be well and happy.

This script was prepared and edited by Anita Carter, Frank Carter, David Ley, Alec Sloman and Julian Bamford.

1. Carter A, Carter F, Sloman A. Applying the Buddhas Teachings to Everyday Life. Part 9 – Right Concentration. Presented at the Dandenong Ranges Community Cultural Centre, Upwey Vic 3158. 17 Jan 2006.

2. Piyadassi, Mahathera. 1991. The Spectrum of Buddhism. Published by The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 11th Floor, 55, Hang Chow S. Rd., Sec 1, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.

3. Narada, Thera. 1988. The Buddha and His Teachings. Published by The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 11th Floor, 55, Hang Chow S. Rd., Sec 1, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.

4. Dr. Mehm Tin Mon. 1995. The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma. Published by Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yadanar Min Literature (3455), 15/19 U Wisara Qr., Dagon, Yangon.

5. Piyadassi, Mahathera. 1978. Buddhist Meditation, The Way to Inner Calm and Clarity. Published by the Buddhist Publication Society (BPS), 54 Sangharaja Mawata, P.O. Box 61, Kandy, Sri Lanka. p. 27

6. Venerable Acharn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno. Patipada or The mode of practice of Venerable Acharn Mun. Wat Pa baan Taad, c/o Songserm Service, 89 Phosi Road, Udorn Thani, 41000 Thailand. 1997

7. Venerable Pasanna Manasa. What is Meditation For? Publisher Unknown. Translated by Venerable Ambewela Pasanna Manasa and Rasika Wijayaratne.

Word count: 3199

Disclaimer

As we, the Chan Academy Australia, Chan Academy being a registered business name of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or another source accessed through our website(s).

Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make print outs of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Please keep it in a clean place.
"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".

Back to Top