11/05/2025
"两种正确的禅定"
"Two Kinds of right samÄdhi."
SamÄdhi is the proximate cause for wisdom. However, SamÄdhi is of two kinds and only the second one is conducive to wisdom.
The first kind of samÄdhi is called object examination. This is when there is just one object of attention and the mind sticks to this object and it is rendered still. The mind is very focused and peaceful in this state.
An example is meditation on breathing.
The mind moves down into the breath and clings to it. Another choice for this type of meditation is the rising and falling of the abdomen.The meditator will let his mind sink down into the movement of the abdomen and rest there peacefully. In walking meditation, those who hold their focus on the feet are also exhibiting this first type of samÄdhi.
It is also accomplished if we use our hands as our object of meditation,
moving them in prescribed ways and focusing on them intently.
This first type of samÄdhi - object examinationis accomplished during calmness meditation. Otherwise known as samatha meditation.
Even using the mind itself as the object of meditation can bring us into this type of samÄdhi.
Watching the mind isn't always vipassanÄ. If we watch the mind incorrectly and hold it still, we are just doing samatha.It is the same as intently keeping our mindfulness on the breath.
The mind is of the nature to know an object. The object is that which is of the nature to be known.
So if we watch the breath, the breath is the object. The breath is what is known.
If we watch the body standing, walking,
sitting and lying down, the body is the object.The body is what is known.
Greed, anger and delusion are things that are known. The mind is what knows these things. The mind itself can be both known and that which knows. But it is not both at the same time. Everything happens in succession. The process can only be described as a succession of minds or mental moments.
At one mental moment, The mind is angry in the next moment. The mind knows this.The mind that is angry is gone and replaced by the mind that knows. The mind is the one that knows all five of the khandhÄs are aggregates.
When the mind itself is known, it is functioning as the object,no matter what the object of meditation may be.
If we are focusing in on it, we are practicing samatha and will achieve the first kind of samÄdhi.
If we are looking to practice vipassanÄ meditation, then we need to learn about the second kind of samÄdhi.
It is called characteristic examination.
This samÄdhi is one that is stable in the sense that it remains separate from phenomena.
It allows us to see the true characteristics of body and mind, of mental and physical phenomena or Nāmarūpa.
We may see the body is not us, but just matter or the workings of elements
or just processes of sensory input and interpretation.
In the second type of samÄdhi, the mind is the stable and unattached watcher or knower. The term the knower was a very common one in the Thai Forest monk tradition for many years.
And this is the samÄdhi I am speaking about here. 20 or 30 years ago there was an abundance of great masters in the Northeast using this term the knower.
We could travel from temple to temple and pay our respects to these wise elderly teachers.
But as the number of genuine masters decreased, the comprehension of the knower also followed suit.
The kind of samÄdhi with a knower
arises is essential for seeing the truth.
Seeing the three characteristics.
The knower is the colloquial term for the concentration of the characteristic examination variety.
It is the place from where we can practice vipassanÄ.
In a few moments, I will describe how we can practice ,so that the knower can arise.
When we practice meditation, it is important to know which kind of samÄdhi is appropriate for us at any given time.If the mind is very restless and needs to be in a more peaceful
and restful state, we can practice samatha to achieve object examination.
The mind in this state is attaching
to an object of meditation and not wandering elsewhere.
It is peaceful and staying with the object without force.
If we are still forcing, then it is not genuine concentration of this kind. The mind is not happy when we are forcing it.We need the mind to be relaxed and happy with its object of meditation.
We can choose any object of meditation within the body and mind: breathing the abdomen , A mantra like BuddhÅ, hand movements or foot movements when walking.
But we must pick something that we are happy to be with.If the mind is happy while being with the object, then it won't run off looking to do something else.
It doesn't need to be forced because it is happy where it is.
If the mind is restlessly thinking and we try to force it still it will become even more restless.
Notice that when we try to be peaceful and the mind won't oblige, we get even more agitated and stressed than we were at the start.
The more we want to be peaceful, often the less peaceful we become.
Therefore, we need to find a happy place for the mind.For this kind of samÄdhi to be achieved.
When I was young,I was very happy watching the breath,and so I would watch it each day.
The reason why the mind runs around looking for this and that is because it is incessantly looking for happiness are a decision to listen to or to read this Dharma talk is because we are looking for happiness.
After we finish listening or reading, we may look for something tasty to eat to once again be in pursuit of happiness.
Then after we eat and feel full, we think that we will be happier if we take a rest.
The mind in the body are running around
looking for objects to bring happiness constantly.
However, if the mind is happy with the object it is involved with already, then it will not go off looking for something else.
This is the secret to proper samatha meditation.
This is how we can stop the busy mind and have a restful time of peace.
Samatha has an important purpose.
We need it to rest the mind so it can have power and fortitude.
If we don't practice samatha, achieved the first kind of samÄdhi,our VipassanÄ practice will be greatly hindered.
We won't have the fortitude and momentum to keep up the practice.
Those of us that watch the mind well will see that the mind cannot walk the path of wisdom all the time.
It will need to rest.
The mind will move into samatha automatically, at times staying still in one place.
In fact, it does this even more often than vipassanÄ. Wisdom comes up just for a short while at a time, and then the mind becomes still again,a word of warning to those that prefer to watch the mind.
Make sure you keep up samatha practice as well.It is essential in order to keep the mind fresh and powerful enough to walk the path of wisdom.
Well,those without the first kind of samÄdhi will have trouble doing VipassanÄ for longer periods.
Wisdom may arise briefly and then the mind will go off on a thinking tangent.
Those that are too attached to Samatha should be careful too.
The mind may be resting well for a while, but then go off into Daisy's or dream state. I spent 22 years as a youngster practicing only samatha, and happily being with the breath. When the mind was busy,I would meditate on the breath for a while and make the mind peaceful.
I knew nothing of the knower and was just looking for peace.
Then I started going to temples and frequently heard the term "the knower" and became interested in the path of wisdom.
The knower is the mind that knows the object is that which the mind is knowing.
When we are watching an object, know
when the mind has gone off to think know the body is breathing or the body is moving, and then know when the mind has strayed from knowing the chosen object.
Keep knowing the object and then know when the mind sinks into the object or when it moves to something else.
If we watch the movement of the arm,
know the arm is moving. When the mind moves in towards the arm as in samatha, know that it is doing this when the mind moves off to think, know this too. If we continuously are able to notice on time when the mind is moving towards the object to focus in on it or away from the object to get lost in
something else, then the mind will become the knower or the watcher.
It will separate out as the one who knows the awakened and joyful one.
It is the opposite of the one who has lost infatuated or entranced.
The last one is the thinker, deluded and entranced in a fabricated reality.
We need to learn to be the watcher or the knower and rise above the thinker and the world of fabrication.
The knower, samÄdhi of the second kind ariseswhen we practice meditation, as I have described. When it arises, it does so with either happiness or equanimity.
We cannot intend for the knower to arise. It arises of its own accord when the mind has enough fortitude.
The idea about fortitude can be illustrated in the case of someone who is perpetually bad.
Such a person doesn't need to intend to do bad things because he is bad already. The badness has fortitude and momentum.
Thus, unseemly acts are committed effortlessly without prompting.
Good people do good things with ease as well. Many of us can notice that our minds naturally want to read or listen to the Dharma without any prompting.
Similarly, the knower arises unprompted,
out of the fortitude of our practice.
We must practice to wake our minds up out of the world of thought and fabrication.
The thinker opposes the knower.
When we are not knowing, we are thinking, interpreting and fabricating.
Our practice is to simply know whenever
the mind leaves the object of our attention.
Notice when it goes out to think, see, hear, smell, taste or feel.Notice when it sinks down to cling into a meditation object as well.
If we do this repeatedly, we will reach the second kind of samÄdhi - characteristic examination
and the mind will be in the appropriate state to practice VipassanÄ. For both kinds of samÄdhi;
The principles are quite easy. In the first kind,Choose an object in the body or mind that we are happy with.
When the mind is happy, it will stay concentrated and have no need to look for happiness elsewhere.
In the second kind, we watch a meditation object and notice
whenever the mind goes away from or towards it,instead of just knowing it.
Let's take the example of the mantra BuddhÅ as our meditation object.
We could just as easily choose the breath, the body, or a part thereof.
For the first kind of samÄdhi we practice samatha,We happily keep our attention on the repeated word: BuddhÅ. BuddhÅ.
The mind eventually stays with and clings to BuddhÅ. It becomes still and peaceful.
If we are practicing the second kind of samÄdhi, we keep the mind on BuddhÅ just the same: But our perspective is different. Instead of saying BuddhÅ to become calm and still, our objective is to recognize each time the mind has left BuddhÅ. And recognize each time the mind over focuses on it, the knower will arise and can walk the path of VipassanÄ wisdom.
It will watch mental and physical phenomena passing by from a distance, and it will do so with impartiality.
It is as if we are standing on the riverbank and watching the water
flow downstream.
I often like to summarize the correct practice in the following way: Have mindfulness and know bodily and mental phenomena as they really are with a mind that is stable and impartial.
Firstly, we need to have mindfulness recognizing what arises in the body and mind, then to know bodily and mental phenomena as they really are means that wisdom sees their true three characteristics.
In order to have the wisdom that sees the three characteristics.
The mind must be stable and impartial to phenomena.
The knower, the awakened one that I spoke of is the one that is stable.
By stability I mean the mind remains rooted in awareness. It is not attached to phenomena and doesn't slip down into them.
It also doesn't get lost in liking or disliking what arises.
It is impartial, unbiased, equanimous.
Keep practicing to develop mindfulness, develop samÄdhi and develop wisdom.
If any of us find what I say difficult to understand, then read and listen to what I say again and again.
Many people have seen how much their lives have changed for the better.
Once they correctly understand the principles of meditation, can we notice that the mind prefers to think than to know? And when it wants to know, it then sinks down and over focuses. Keep watching.
In the ways I described and our practice will flourish. We will become very sharp at distinguishing what kind of samÄdhi to practice at any given time.
We will know when our mind should be made peaceful and when it is suitable for walking the path of wisdom.
This is all not as hard as we may think.
I have explained Dharma practices in great detail.
Now let's put the teachings to work.
----------------------------
Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo
Wat Suan Santidham, Chonburi province, Thailand ,
隆波帕默尊者
泰国·春武里府·解脱园寺
March 16, 2008
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解脱园 Jie Tuo Yuan
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Recommended Dhamma teachings via the youtube for the newcomers ; full clip
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6Q9N6dIWVTV36zOgmAXKGTf&si=foa1e5XJtRhVjZDa
A Collection of Dhamma Principles for Beginners ; Short clip
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6RSu6pI0eAWiDCadU_T1MRV&si=8edVRbmdySub9kQM
Compilation of Dhamma talks from Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo for newcomers, available in both dubbed and English subtitled versions via the youtube. You can listen in sequence ,at the following link:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6RcMKtSSKqy-zoUzLUwSx18
Dhamma talks with English-dubbed teaching at the following link:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLth1DquOKn1Licm--Pmhx-JPJ23bQS8So
Dhamma talks with English subtitles at the following link:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLth1DquOKn1L66Ck8V7TJMBJotMK147JB
(For newcomers, it's recommended to start listening from the last clip at the bottom of the playlist and proceed upwards in order.)
You can read the English version of the Dhamma teachings at
https://www.dhamma.com/download/luangpor-dhamma-books/
A page in English dedicated to the teachings of Luangpor Pramote Pamojjo:
https://www.facebook.com/luangporpramotepamojjo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
