[영문 오디오북][앎과 봄]21-25

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21. THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

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22. HOW YOU DEVELOP CONCENTRATION

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23. HOW YOU DEVELOP MINDFULNESS-OF-BREATHING

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24. HOW YOU DEVELOP MINDFULNESS-OF-BREATHING_2

8.47MB

25. THE NIMITTA_1

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21. THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

Now, let us look a little bit more at each of the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path.

The first factor is Right View. What is Right View? Right View consists of four kinds of knowledge:

1)        Vipassanà knowledge of the Noble Truth of Suffering, which is the five clinging-aggregates.

2)        Vipassanà knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, which discerns the causes for the five clinging-aggregates, in other words, it is the vipassanà knowledge of dependent origination.

3)        Realization and knowledge of the Cessation of Suffering, which is the cessation of the five clinging-aggregates, Nibbàna.

4)        Knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, which is the way of practice leading to realization of Nibbàna, the Noble Eightfold Path.

The second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Thought . Right Thought too is four-fold:

1)        Application to the object of the Noble Truth of Suffering, which is the five clinging-aggregates.

2)        Application to the object of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, which is the causes for the five clinging-aggregates.

3)        Application to the object of the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, which is Nibbàna.

4)        Application to the object of the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, which is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Thus, Right Thought applies the mind to the object of the Truth of Suffering, the five clinging-aggregates, and Right View understands it as it really is. These two factors work together to apply the mind to each of the Four Noble Truths, and to understand them. Since they work together in this way, they are called the training of wisdom .

The third factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Speech  . Right Speech is to abstain from lying, slander, harsh speech, and useless talk.

The fourth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Action

. Right Action is to abstain from killing, from theft, from sexual misconduct, and from taking beer and wine liquor and other intoxicants.

The fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Livelihood . Right Livelihood is to abstain from obtaining a living by wrong speech or wrong actions, such as killing, stealing, or lying. For laypeople it includes to abstain from the five types of wrong trade: trade in weapons, humans, animals for slaughter, liquor and other intoxicants, and poisons.

The three factors of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood are called the training of morality.

The sixth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Effort. Right Effort is also of four kinds:

1)        The effort to prevent the arising of unwholesome states that have not yet arisen;

2)        The effort to remove unwholesome states that have already arisen;

3)        The effort to arouse the arising of wholesome states that have not yet arisen;

4)        The effort to increase wholesome states that have already arisen.

In order to develop these four types of Right Effort, we must practise and develop the three trainings of morality, concentration, and wisdom. The seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Mindfulness . Right Mindfulness is also of four kinds, the four foundations of mindfulness         :

1)        Body-contemplation      

2)        Feelings-contemplation

3)        Consciousness-contemplation

4)        Dhammas-contemplation

Here, dhammas are the fifty-one associated mental factors excluding feeling, or the five clinging-aggregates, or the twelve internal and external sense bases, or the eighteen elements, or the seven enlightenment-factors, or the Four Noble Truths, etc. But the four types of mindfulness can in fact be reduced to just two, mindfulness of materiality and mindfulness of mentality.

The eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Concentration . Right Concentration is the first jhàna , second jhàna, third jhàna, and fourth jhàna. These are called Right Concentration according to the Maha-Sati-Patthana sutta, The Great Mindfulness- Foundation Sutta'.  In the Visuddhi-Magga, Right Concentration is explained further as the four jhànas, the four immaterial jhànas and access concentration.

Some people have a great accumulation of pàramã, and can attain Nibbàna by simply listening to a brief or detailed talk on the Dhamma. Most people, however, do not have such pàramã, and must practise the Noble Eightfold Path in its gradual order. They are called person-to-be- led, and must develop the Noble Eightfold Path step by step, in the order of morality, concentration, and wisdom. After purifying their morality they must train in concentration, and after purifying their mind by way of concentration practice, they must train in wisdom.

22. HOW YOU DEVELOP CONCENTRATION

How should you develop concentration? There are forty subjects of samatha meditation, and a person can develop any of these to attain concentration.

Those who cannot decide which meditation subject to develop should start with anapanasati (mindfulness-of-breathing). Most people succeed in meditation by using either anapanasati or four-elements meditation. Therefore, let us now look briefly at how to practise anapanasati.

23. HOW YOU DEVELOP MINDFULNESS-OF-BREATHING_1

The development of anapanasati   (mindfulness-of-breathing) is taught by The Buddha in the Maha-Sati-Patthana sutta He begins:

And how then, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide contemplating the body as a body?

Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu (gone to the forest, or gone to the foot of a tree, or gone to a secluded place) sits down, having crossed his legs, set his body straight, having mindfulness established before him [established upon his meditation subject].

Then The Buddha explains mindfulness-of-breathing

He mindfully breathes in; mindfully breathes out. Breathing in long, he understands: I breathe in long;' breathing out long, he understands: I breathe out long.' Breathing in short, he understands: I breathe in short;' breathing out short, he understands: I breathe out short.'

Experiencing the whole [breath] body, I shall breathe in': thus he trains;

experiencing the whole [breath] body, I shall breathe out': thus he trains.

Tranquillizing the body-formation, I shall breathe in': thus he trains;

tranquillizing the body-formation, I shall breathe out': thus he trains.

To begin meditating, sit in a comfortable position and try to be aware of the breath as it enters and leaves the body through the nostrils. You should be able to feel it either just below the nose or somewhere around the nostrils: that is called the touching-point. Do not follow the breath into the body or out of the body, because then you will not be able to perfect your concentration. Just be aware of the breath at the most obvious place it brushes against or touches, either the top of the upper lip or around the nostrils. Then you will be able to develop and perfect your concentration.

Do not pay attention to the natural characteristics, general characteristics, or colour of the nimitta (sign of concentration). The natural characteristics are the characteristics of the four elements in the breath: hardness, roughness, flowing, heat, supporting, pushing, etc. The general characteristics are the impermanent , suffering , and non-self characteristics of the breath. This means, do not note in-out-impermanent', or in-out-suffering', or in- out-non-self'. Simply be aware of the in&out breath as a concept.

The concept of the breath is the object of anapanasati. It is this object you must concentrate on to develop concentration. As you concentrate on the concept of the breath in this way, and if you practised this meditation in a previous life, and developed some pàramã, you will easily be able to concentrate on the in&out breath.

If not, the Visuddhi-Magga suggests counting the breaths. You should count after the end of each breath: In-out-one, in-out-two,' etc.

Count up to at least five, but to no more than ten. We suggest you count to eight, because that reminds you of the Noble Eightfold Path, which you are trying to develop. So you should count, as you like, up to any number between five and ten, and determine that during that time you will not let your mind drift, or go elsewhere, but be only calmly aware of the breath. When you count like this, you find that you are able to concentrate your mind, and make it calmly aware of only the breath.

After concentrating your mind like this for at least half an hour, you should proceed to the first and second stage of the meditation:

[1]        Breathing in long, he understands: I breathe in long ;' breathing out long, he understands: I breathe out long .'

[2]        Breathing in short, he understands: I breathe in short ;' breathing out short, he understands: I breathe out short .'

At this stage, you have to develop awareness of whether the in&out breaths are long or short. Long' or short' here do not refer to length in feet and inches, but length in time, the duration. You should decide for yourself what length of time you will call long', and what length of time you will call short'. Be aware of the duration of each in and out breath. You will notice that the breath is sometimes long in time, and sometimes short. Just knowing this is all you have to do at this stage. Do not note,

In-out-long, In-out-short', just In-out', and be aware of whether the breaths are long or short. You should know this by being just aware of the length of time that the breath brushes against and touches the upper lip, or around the nostrils, as it enters and leaves the body. Sometimes the breath may be long throughout the sitting, and sometimes short, but do not purposely try to make it long or short.

24. HOW YOU DEVELOP MINDFULNESS-OF-BREATHING_2

At this stage the nimitta may appear, but if you are able to do this calmly for about one hour, and no nimitta appears, you should move on to the third stage:

[1]        Experiencing the whole [breath] body        , I shall breathe in

:' thus he trains.

Experiencing the whole [breath] body        , I shall breathe out :' thus he trains.

Here The Buddha is instructing you to be aware of the whole breath from beginning to end. As you do this the nimitta may now appear. If it does, do not immediately shift your mind to it, but stay with the breath.

If you are calmly aware of the breath from beginning to end for about  an hour, and no nimitta appears, you should move on to the fourth stage:

[2]        Tranquillizing the body-formation , I shall breathe in : thus he trains.

Tranquillizing the body-formation  , I shall breathe out ': thus he trains.

To do this, you should decide to make the breath tranquil, and go on being continuously aware of the breath from beginning to end. You should do nothing else, otherwise your concentration will break and fall away.

The Visuddhi-Magga gives four factors for making the breath tranquil:

1)        Concern

2)        Reaction

3)        Attention         

4)        Reviewing        

And they are explained first with a simile:

Suppose a man stands still after running or after descending from a hill, or putting down a load from his head; then his in-breaths and out-breaths are gross, his nostrils become inadequate, and he keeps on breathing in and out through his mouth. But when he has rid himself of his fatigue and has bathed and drunk and put a wet cloth on his chest, and is lying in the cool shade, then his in-breaths and out-breaths eventually occur so subtly that he has to investigate whether they exist or not.

Likewise, says the Visuddhi-Magga, the bhikkhu's in&out-breaths are gross to begin with, become increasingly subtle, after which he has to investigate whether they exist or not.

To further explain why the bhikkhu needs to investigate the in&out- breaths, the Visuddhi-Magga           says:

Because previously, at the time when the yogi had not yet discerned the [in&out breath]

there was no concern in him, no reaction, no attention, no reviewing, to the effect that [he knew]: I am progressively tranquillizing each grosser bodily formation [the in&out breath].' But once he has discerned [the in&out breath], there is. So his bodily formation [the in&out breath] at the time when he has discerned [it] is subtle in comparison with what it was at the time when he had not [discerned it].

1)        Concern : you pay initial attention to the breath, you apprehend the breath, you advert the mind towards the breath, to the effect: I will try to make the breath tranquil.'

2)        Reaction : you continue to do so, i.e. you pay sustained attention to the breath that way, do it again and again, keep the breath in the mind, to the effect: I will try to make the breath tranquil.'

3)        Attention : literally deciding to make the breath tranquil'. Attention is the mental factor that makes the mind advert towards the object. Attention makes the mind conscious of the breath and know the breath.

4)        Reviewing : you review  the breath, make it clear to the mind, to the effect: I will try to make the breath tranquil.'

So all you need to do at this stage is to decide to tranquil the breath, and to be continuously aware of it. That way, you will find the breath becomes more tranquil, and the nimitta may appear.

Just before the nimitta appears, a lot of yogis encounter difficulties. Mostly they find that the breath becomes very subtle and unclear; they may think the breath has stopped. If this happens, you should keep your awareness where you last noticed the breath, and wait for it there.

A dead person, a foetus in the womb, a drowned person, an unconscious person, a person in the fourth jhàna, a person in the attainment of cessation, and a brahmà: only these seven types of person do not breathe. Reflect on the fact that you are not one of them, that you are in reality breathing, and that it is just your mindfulness which is not strong enough for you to be aware of the breath.

When it is subtle, you should not make the breath more obvious, as the effort will cause agitation, and your concentration will not develop. Just be aware of the breath as it is, and if it is not clear, simply wait for it where you last noticed it. You will find that, as you apply your mindfulness and wisdom in this way, the breath will reappear.

25. THE NIMITTA_1

For some yogis, there is first light before the nimitta appears, for others, the nimitta appears directly. They are not the same thing. They are different just as the sun is different from sunlight.

The nimitta of anapanasati varies according to the individual yogi. To some the nimitta is pure and fine like cotton wool, or drawn out cotton, moving air or a draught, a bright light like the morning star Venus, a bright ruby or gem, or a bright pearl. To others it is like the stem of a cot- ton plant, or a sharpened piece of wood. To yet others it is like a long rope or string, a wreath of flowers, a puff of smoke, a stretched out cob- web, a film of mist, a lotus, a chariot wheel, a moon, or a sun.

In most cases, a pure white nimitta like cotton wool is the uggaha-nimitta (taken-up sign or learning sign), and is usually dull and opaque. When the nimitta becomes bright like the morning star, brilliant and clear, it is the pañibhàga-nimitta (counterpart sign). When like a dull ruby or gem, it is the uggaha-nimitta, but when bright and sparkling, it is the pañibhàga- nimitta. The other images should be understood in this way too.

So, even though anapanasati is a single meditation subject, it produces various types of nimitta: the nimitta appears differently to different people.

The Visuddhi-Magga explains that this is because the nimitta is produ- ced by perception.And the sub-commentary of the Visuddhi-Magga explains that it is the different perceptions which the different yogis had before the nimitta arose.

Thus, the nimittas are different because of perception. But perception does not arise alone. It is a mental formation that arises always together with the individual consciousness and other mental formations: these mental formations associated with the individual consciousness are called associated mental factors (cetasika). So, for example, if a yogi concentrates on the an-apana nimitta with a happy mind, the mental factors are not only the one perception, but are altogether thirty-three, such as, contact, volition, one-pointedness, attention, application, sustainment, decision, effort, and desire: not only perception differs, but also all the other mental factors differ.

This is in fact explained elsewhere in the Visuddhi-Magga, in its explanation of the attainment of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, the fourth immaterial jhàna.

There, the Visuddhi-Magga         explains that the perception in that jhàna is very subtle, which is why we call it the attainment of neither perception nor non-perception. But it is not only the perception that is very subtle. The feelings, the consciousness, the contact and all the other mental formations are also very subtle. Thus, says the Visuddhi-Magga, in the attainment of neither perception nor non-perception there is also neither feeling nor non-feeling, neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, neither contact nor non-contact, etc.

So, when the commentaries say the nimittas are different because of perception, they are merely explaining the an-apana -nimitta from the single point-of-view of perception, in terms of perception, using perception as their example.

But, whatever the shape or colour of your nimitta, whatever your perception of the in&out breath, it is important not to play with your nimitta. Do not let it go away, and do not intentionally change its shape or appearance. If you do, your concentration will not develop any further and your progress will stop. Your nimitta will probably disappear. So when your nimitta first appears, do not move your mind from the breath to the nimitta. If you do, you will find it disappears.

If you find that the nimitta is stable, and your mind by itself has become fixed on it, then just leave your mind there. If you force your mind to come away from it, you will probably lose your concentration.

If your nimitta appears far away in front of you, ignore it, as it will probably disappear. If you ignore it, and simply concentrate on the breath at the place where the breath touches, the nimitta will come and stay there.

When your nimitta appears at the touching point and is stable; when it appears as the breath itself, and the breath as the nimitta, you should even so continue to concentrate on the breath. You should not pay attention to the nimitta. As you concentrate continuously on the breath, the breath and nimitta will eventually become one, and then your mind will automatically fix itself onto the nimitta. Then and only then should you concentrate on the nimitta. As you concentrate continuously on the nimitta, it will  become whiter and whiter. When it is white like cotton wool, it is the uggaha-nimitta.

You should determine to keep your mind calmly concentrated on the white uggaha-nimitta for one, two, three hours, or more. If you can keep your mind fixed on the uggaha-nimitta for one or two hours, it should become clear, bright, and brilliant. This is then the pañibhàga-nimitta (counterpart sign). Determine and practise to keep your mind on the pañi- bhàga-nimitta for one, two, or three hours. Practise until you succeed.

At this stage you will reach either access or absorption concentration. It is called access concentration because it is close to and precedes jhàna. Absorption concentration is jhàna.

Both types of concentration have the pañibhàga-nimitta as their object. The only difference between them is that in access concentration the jhàna factors are not fully developed. For this reason bhavaïgas still occur, and one can fall into bhavaïga (life-continuum consciousness). The yogi will say that everything stopped, and may even think it is Nibbàna. In reality the consciousness has not stopped, but the yogi is just not sufficiently skilled to discern this, because the bhavaïgas are very subtle.

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