Note from the Translator
I am simply a practitioner who wishes only to preserve the teachings of Thailand’s noble monks. I have chosen a literal translation so that international readers receive the same essence and full content of every sentence as Thai readers do, without summarizing or adding personal interpretations. Regardless of whether the doctrines herein are "right" or "wrong" in your view, I kindly ask you to use your own wisdom and judgment to reflect upon them.
If you have any suggestions or find any errors where the translation does not match the original Thai text, please let me know. I would be most grateful for your feedback and will update the text to be as accurate as possible. Thank you.
A Spanish version of this article is available here: ESPAÑOL
The Relationship between Concentration and Life
Concentration (Samādhi) is the name of a type of Dhamma, which translates as firmness or steadfastness of intent; being steadfast in walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking. When one has steadfastness at all times, or is firmly intent—namely, determining to know the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking at every moment of the mind and every breath—it is said that one has already practiced Concentration.
Everyone living in this world has a necessity to be involved with Concentration. Concentration is a matter of daily life, not something far away. The practice of Concentration is a necessity for human beings because human life proceeds by the power of Concentration, which is steadfastness. Concentration is steadfastness or firm intention. Whether it be education or any kind of work, if one lacks confidence or lacks firm intention, one will become a half-hearted person, doing things without sincerity, picking things up and putting them down. Such a person is one who lacks Concentration, lacks confidence in themselves, and lacks belief in their own capabilities. When it is such, one meets only with failure or ruin. Therefore, having been born human, one must have sincerity. A person who does things seriously, putting their heart into it, is said to have Sincerity (Sacca) within the heart. They are sincere in speech and sincere in action, and once they take something up, they do not put it down; if it is not successful, they do not let go. Such a person has Concentration by instinct.
Every one of us is born relying on Concentration as the foundation of the mind. A person who does everything with sincerity—being a child of parents with sincerity, being a student of teachers with sincerity, whatever one is, whatever one does, whatever one thinks, proceeding with sincerity—is named as one who has Truthfulness and Sincerity. When there is steadfast Truthfulness and Sincerity, the life of everyone is thus involved with Concentration from birth until the day of death. A person without Concentration tends to have a fickle habit, doing things with only half a heart, never being serious.
Everything we have achieved has come through the power of Concentration. Without Concentration, how could one graduate with a degree? Without Concentration, how could one teach students? Without Concentration, how could one succeed in great works? Without Concentration, how could one govern a country?
We began training in Concentration since the time our nannies and parents taught us. They taught us how to eat, how to sleep, how to read, and how to recognize this person and that person. The starting point began there. Now, upon entering educational institutions, we have begun to study Concentration more seriously. However, when we meet venerable monks, the Luang Pors and Luang Phis, they will ask, "Have you ever practiced Concentration?" This makes us all understand that we have never done Concentration, never practiced Concentration before, because they have drawn a limit that the practice of Concentration refers only to sitting with eyes closed.
The Universality of Concentration
The matter of Concentration does not exist only in our country. The matter of Concentration is not only about sitting with eyes closed or listening to the Dhamma in a temple. The matter of Concentration is a universal matter. Concentration does not belong to any specific religion; no religion has a monopoly on it. Concentration belongs both to those who have a religion and to those who have no religion. Ultimately, even animals must rely on Concentration; if they had no Concentration, they could not survive. Concentration is a neutral Dhamma principle. For anyone to say that the matter of Concentration is the matter of my religion alone, such a feeling is a type of understanding that is cheating, because concentration is a Dhamma principle that inherently exists. It is not affiliated with any sect or religion. It is a universal and public Dhamma principle. Everyone can practice it, and once practiced, it does not conflict with the divine will of any God. If one reaches the Ultimate Truth (Saccadhamma), one will fulfill the purpose of every God that exists in this universe.
People of the Buddhist, Christian, or Islamic faiths, or those with no religion at all, can practice Concentration. But the difference between religions lies in the commandments of God. Buddhism has five commandments, which are the Five Precepts (Pañca-sīla). Christianity also has ten commandments. The difference lies here.
Cultivate a sense in one’s own mind of knowing right and wrong. Let the mind have Mindfulness to be knowing, awake, and joyful at all times. Maintain such a sense, and always incline the mind with the Volition (Cetanā) that we will abandon evil, practice good, and make the mind pure and clean. This sense of right and wrong, this state where we have a knowing, awake, and joyful mind, or the Volition to intend to refrain from evil, practice good, and make the mind pure and clean, is an expression of virtue—it is making our mind into God.
For those who hold to Buddhism, their God is the Buddha. For those who hold to Christianity, when the mind is in a state of being aware, awakened, and joyous, or feels a sense of right and wrong, they have their God within their mind. Whether it be the Awakened One or God, if they are in the mind of anyone, wherever that person goes—standing, one goes with God; walking, one is with God; sitting, one is with God; sleeping, one is with God. Eating, drinking, doing, speaking, thinking—no matter what we do, we are with God. God is the "Lord"—the one who knows, the one who is awake, and the one who is joyful. (Translator's Note: "God is the Lord" is a literal translation from the Thai phrasing. However, in the context of this sentence, the translator understands that when the mind is in a state of knowing, awakened, and joyous, or feels a sense of right and wrong, we are dwelling with God in every posture as Luang Por previously explained. It is not intended to mean that God is the "Lord" in a literal or conventional sense.)
When we sit in Concentration and Mental Development (Bhāvanā) in the present, if Buddhists recite "Buddho" and Christians recite "Jesus," intending to be truly serious, when Concentration arises, the mind will be calm, still, bright, knowing, awake, and joyful in the same way.
If we truly reach the Ultimate Truth, studying the Dhamma according to its actual reality—not just studying according to texts, but bringing the truth to be proven—we will reach the same reality and Saccadhamma equally. There will be no Bias (Agati).
Concentration in the Buddhist Style
The practice of Concentration, according to the principles, can be done without having Precepts (Sīla)—for example, the concentration of those in the occult arts. Those who perform incantations for invulnerability or cast spells use the power of Concentration as well. But that science is a concentration used to harm others. Yet they can succeed by relying on the power of Concentration. But concentration without precepts can thus be used in the wrong way. Therefore, the Exalted Buddha taught that there are two kinds of Concentration:
Wrong Concentration (Micchā-samādhi) refers to incorrect concentration.
Right Concentration (Sammā-samādhi) is concentration that is correct.
For those who practice Dhamma to attain the Path (Magga) and Fruition (Phala), or to serve as a way to use concentration for benefit in a manner that is not against the law and morality, we must rely on Precepts. Only Concentration with Precepts will lead the mind’s course of the practitioner toward Right Concentration correctly.
Concentration in the style of the Awakened One involves determining to know the matters of daily life; this is a vital cause and factor. It is even more important than sitting with eyes closed in concentration. Any concentration that is not interested in the matters of daily life, but flees to stay in another part of the world, such concentration causes the world to decline and does not lead to the realization of the Path, Fruition, and Liberation (Nibbāna).
In cultivating the mind to give rise to Concentration, Mindfulness, and Wisdom (Paññā), there is a principle that should be held: make the mind have a Mind-object (Ārammaṇa) as a thing to know; let Mindfulness have something to recollect. Whatever the mind perceives, let Mindfulness be applied right there. Standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking are the Mind-objects. Train Mindfulness to be knowing at all times. No matter what anyone is doing, have this single Mindfulness. By the nature of the mind, when the mind has something to know and Mindfulness has something to recollect, it will increase its energy.
If one holds that Concentration is only sitting with eyes closed, that would agree with the view commonly expressed. But if we consider that the objects of Concentration are standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking—whatever we are doing, having Mindfulness and Self-awareness (Satisampajañña) knowing with the present, which is this very daily life—we will understand the principles of practicing Concentration extensively. And the Concentration we are doing, we will feel that, besides sitting with eyes closed or focusing the mind, upon leaving the seat, we have Mindfulness following and knowing the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking. Even if we do not sit in Concentration as taught, it is acceptable, because we are training Mindfulness at all times.
Principles for Integrating Concentration with Daily Life
The problem regarding the practice of Subjects of Meditation (Kammaṭṭhāna)* to be beneficial to daily life is something that we Buddhists have been interested in for a long time. As for studying Dhamma for knowledge and understanding according to the texts, we have studied much. If we put it into practice accordingly, it is understood that benefit will surely arise. For in the practice of Dhamma, the vital point lies in making the mind have something to know and making Mindfulness have something to recollect. It can be anything that we can know with the mind. If you are able to have Mindfulness following and knowing the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking, it would be good; it would be a marvelous Dhamma practice.
The method of training Concentration by taking the present object as the Mind-object and training Mindfulness to know that which is being known in the present relies on general principles: the method of determining to know the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking with every breath. This is a universal way of doing Concentration. When we strive to train in Concentration this way, we will not find obstacles in the practice. We do not need to choose the time or occasion, nor do we need to make excuses that we have no time to do it. We do not need to go and sit with eyes closed in Mental Development anywhere, nor enter a meditation room for 7 or 15 days, nor abandon the work and duties for which we are responsible to go to any place of Seclusion (Viveka).
For those who do not yet have the opportunity to enter a temple to sit with eyes closed in concentration as the monks invite, take the practice this way: standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking—let there be Mindfulness at all times. If we hold to this principle, we are training in Concentration at all times without any obstacles to hinder us.
Can we truly make Concentration arise by practicing just this much? This can be confirmed: yes. For in the principle of the Foundations of Mindfulness (Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna), it is taught: when stepping forward, one knows; when stepping back, one knows; when bending or stretching the arms, one knows; when blinking, one knows; when thinking of anything, one knows. Take this single awareness to follow and know (all these movements). When there is awareness through the intention of intending to follow and know, when mindfulness and self-awareness gain power, this awareness that we have fashioned will become automatic. It will be able to follow and know our own feelings, thoughts, and movements at every moment of the mind. When this awareness has matured in power, the mind can have Mindfulness following and knowing everything involved with our daily life at every moment. When it is such, the opportunity for the mind to settle into Concentration—consisting of the factors of Initial Application (Vitakka), Sustained Application (Vicāra), Rapture (Pīti), Happiness (Sukha), and One-pointedness (Ekaggatā)—can surely happen at one time or another.
While working, fix Mindfulness on the work. When thinking, fix Mindfulness on the thinking, by taking the work or the thinking as the Mind-object. By the nature of the mind, if there is something to know and Mindfulness has something to recollect, the mind will surely become calm, having Rapture, Happiness, and One-pointedness at one time or another eventually, if the practitioner intends to do it seriously.
When lying down, a knowledgeable person or a worker will naturally have thoughts. Whatever the mind thinks, let it think; do not forbid it. If the mind thinks by itself, let it think. Challenge it: "How far will you go? I will lie here and watch you." If we truly let go, the mind’s known object is the object of recollection for mindfulness. (Translator’s Note: From my perspective, this means allowing the mind to think naturally without trying to suppress it or forcing it to be still. Instead, we use those very thoughts as the "objects" for mindfulness to observe. In short, do not forbid the mind from thinking; rather, use the thoughts themselves as the anchor for your awareness.) With just a slight nudge of intent and continuous practice in every moment and breath, we can create our concentration while we are asleep. Once we are fast asleep, the mind will be still, bright, and have Rapture and Happiness. When it is such, the mind will remain in Concentration all through the night until dawn. Sometimes, for whatever is still puzzling, it will draw those objects in to contemplate and resolve the doubts completely. This is Concentration arising during sleep. If anyone can make Concentration arise during sleep, it is very good; it is most excellent. For the power of Concentration makes the body light and the mind light, makes the body tranquil and the mind tranquil. If, in addition, there is Rapture, Happiness, and tranquility within that Concentration, the body will receive full rest. The blood and breath within the body will circulate fluently because the body and mind are light through the power of Concentration. But do not be surprised and think that after doing Concentration you did not sleep all night, wondering if you have a nervous disorder. In truth, the body sleeps deeply and comfortably, but the mind refuses to sleep; it settles down and becomes the "Awakened State"—knowing, awakened, and joyful—all through the night until dawn. When we wake up, we will feel fresh and joyful, and the mind will be clear. That is the power of Concentration that arises during sleep. We are truly asleep; how can Concentration arise? Have you ever chanted the virtues of the Dhamma? Timeless (Akāliko). Dhamma is timeless; it may arise in the mind of the practitioner at any opportunity. Therefore, I take this opportunity to remind you all: while you are sitting in Concentration until dawn and the mind is not calm, do not be discouraged. Each period of practice is the accumulation of mental power. At any moment when Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom—which are the factors of the Noble Path (Ariyamagga)—do not converge and do not have equal power, the mind will not yet be calm. Even if it is calm, Wisdom will not yet arise. When Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom converge in any moment of the mind, that moment will cause calm and knowledge to arise. Even as we stand, walk, sit, sleep, eat, drink, do, speak, and think, sometimes we might not intend to fix the mind on doing Concentration, but by relying on the power we have trained continuously as a daily routine, even though we did not intend for there to be Concentration, it still arises. Sometimes it arises while we are conversing about a certain matter that is not related to Dhamma practice at all, yet the mind has a sudden dip into stillness and knows something profound. This is the power of Concentration that arises while we did not intend it, by relying on the power we have practiced continuously every day as a daily routine.
Some people merely have Mindfulness following and knowing the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking; they have never sat in Concentration even once. But when they fall asleep, Concentration arises. The mind reaches a Spiritual State (Phūmicitta Phūmidhamma) and can know the Meditation on Foulness (Asubhakammaṭṭhāna) just the same.
There was a woman who telephoned from Bangkok and asked, "Venerable Father, I have followed your advice merely to have Mindfulness following and knowing the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking. I have never sat in Concentration or Mental Development at all. But when I fall asleep, the mind becomes Concentration and brightens up. Eventually, the mind seems as if it floats out of the body and then turns back to look at the body, seeing it as a skeleton, and then it grinds down into dust and disappears completely; nothing remains. I did not sit in Mental Development, did not contemplate; why could it happen? Why is that?"
I gave the answer: "Because of practicing Mindfulness. By the nature of the mind, the mind has something to know and Mindfulness has something to recollect. When we try to do it much and train it much, for the mind not to become Concentration would be impossible."
Training in Concentration can be done in every activity (Iriyāpatha), every breath, and every moment of the mind. No matter what we are doing, if we have a clear intention—that is, having Mindfulness and a mind that is firm and steadfast—it is all training in Concentration. Therefore, training in Concentration can be summarized in the principle that we must make the mind have a Mind-object to know, and Mindfulness have something to recollect. It can be anything. If we understand it this way, Concentration will not be an obstacle to work, and not an obstacle to creating the world to be prosperous. But if one takes Concentration aiming only for tranquility, an obstacle will arise immediately; even regarding various tasks, looking at people becomes irritating to the eyes and ears altogether. That is the concentration of the hermits.
Regarding Mental Development, if anyone knows how to practice it, and if they are a layperson and feel bored with their family and want to flee the family, that is not correct. If one is a housewife, and once knowing how to practice, becomes lazy in cooking rice for the husband to eat, that is not correct. If a householder, upon knowing how to practice, does not take interest in the family and only sits with eyes closed in Mental Development, that is not correct. In the Mental Development of the Buddha, anyone who knows how to practice must apply it to their work and all branches of knowledge. Whether one studies medicine, engineering, or agriculture, once knowing how to practice, one will apply it to those sciences. Regarding work, whoever knows how to practice Mental Development will naturally have their diligence increase manifold. In performing the work of one's duties, if after practicing one becomes lazy and good-for-nothing, it’s of no use. This is just a common observation.
For one whose mind is correctly in Concentration, suppose they have a family, they will love their family more. Eventually, that love will change; it will change from ordinary love into Loving-kindness (Mettā) and compassion. When facing busy work, previously one felt it was busy, but after practicing and gaining Concentration, the work will not be busy. As soon as a problem is encountered, the mind will revolutionize itself, considering and finding ways to solve various problems, which will happen automatically. Sometimes, as soon as we pick up a problem and bring up a textbook to read, the mind will suddenly dip and flash, and the problem we were curious about will be solved immediately. This is the Concentration that relates to daily life. Therefore, practicing Dhamma does not require sitting in Preparatory Recitation (Parikamma) and Mental Development alone. If we wish to practice Dhamma, we must try to practice Dhamma within our family, letting it proceed with order and step-by-step, without allowing anything to be deficient. Those who have parents should look after them. Those who have children should look after them completely, thinking that the service and care for parents is the highest blessing. If you are to be a practitioner of Dhamma and you let your family suffer, the practice of Dhamma may not proceed with convenience and order. Therefore, those intended on practicing Dhamma to lead to calm and peace, please consider making daily life—the duties of being a householder, the duties of being a son or daughter—how one should act toward one another, and how we should act toward society. These things are the duties that a practitioner of Dhamma must consider.
Concentration that does not relate to current work is also dangerous. For example, a person driving a car who sits reciting "Buddho"—when the mind is calm and stays with the single word "Buddho" and does not take interest in the driving, in a moment they will drive the car into the back of a ten-wheel truck and die. That is good-for-nothing; it cannot be used. This is just a common observation.
The person who is best at Concentration in the present, as far as we know in our lifetime, is the foreigner who first thought of building a rocket to go to the moon. Those who create wonders in this world must rely on intense power of Concentration. They must have research, they must have various tests and trials. Some people experiment with science until science plays tricks on them and their faces are scarred. But the one who built the rocket to go to the moon is still not as clever as the one who could calculate the time and speed of the small rocket and the mother ship orbiting the earth, to slow down the time so the small rocket from the moon could jump to catch the mother ship and return to earth. If that person calculated wrongly even by a fraction of a second, the small rocket would have to float aimlessly in space. That person is one who is most excellent at Concentration. Therefore, let us not think that concentration is not a necessity for our lives, because all things are successful through the power of Concentration alone.
There was a woman who came to see the Luang Por and said, "Venerable Father, I want to train in Concentration, but I do not know how to sit in Concentration."
I told her, "If you cannot sit, you do not have to sit. Just train Mindfulness to know with the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking."
Later, when Concentration arose because of this practice, she felt that whatever she did, spoke, or thought, it was all Concentration. It became harmonized. She saw the work that used to be busy; when she had good Concentration and faced such busyness, the mind felt it was not busy. It could solve its own problems.
Even regarding the matter of work, it is the same. We are stuck on the idea that we should not think about the world, but only about the Dhamma. But in reality, the world is the Mind-object. When this mind knows the truth of the world, it will withdraw itself to float prominently above the world. And it relies on that world as a ladder, stepping toward the point that is above the world. All these worlds are Mind-objects. Our body and mind are also the world. Situations and the environment that we encounter in daily life are also the world. When we come to train Mindfulness to know in time with this world, the mind will know clearly and see truly the reality of the world; then it lets go. Even though it stays with the world, it only touches it lightly, seeing everything as merely a duty. Then it will organize itself as to what our duties are and how we should be responsible. It will practice according to those duties in a straightforward manner.
Not long ago, a wealthy man took the trouble to drive from Bangkok. Upon arriving, he told me,
"I have come for formal meditation initiation (Kammaṭṭhāna-gahana). I heard that you are excellent at teaching meditation."
I asked, "What is your profession?"
He answered, "My profession is inventing things for sale."
"Well, try to tell me, while you are inventing things for sale—as you are there thinking and inventing—what all happens?"
He then told me, giving an example: "Suppose I am going to create a doll. I think that I will make the face like this, the hair like that. I think according to what I can think. Thinking back and forth, I feel a bit drifting, as if about to fall asleep, and then suddenly drop off. I feel as if I have slept for a moment. While I feel I have slept for a moment, the mind becomes bright and sees the image of the doll I intended to create floating in front of me. Then the mind watches it until it
is certain, and then it withdraws; I wake up from that state (Bhavaṅga)."
During that sudden drop, he had fallen asleep and then dreamed, dreaming of the doll floating in front of him. He then went to create the doll according to what he had seen in the dream. When it was finished and sent for sale in the market, it was popular with customers.
I told him, "You are already excellent at Concentration. You do not need to come and be a student of Subjects of Meditation with me. Let you continue to do Concentration through the inventing of your dolls. That is the Concentration you want to learn from me. If you want your Concentration to be even better, then undertake the Five Precepts, and your Concentration will lead toward abandoning evil, practicing good, and making the mind pure and clean."
The practice of Concentration, if one tries to make it relate to the situations and environment of daily life, will be best. This is because everything is a Natural Reality (Sabhāvadhamma)—an object for the mind to know and an object for mindfulness to recollect. In practicing with these things, we just do mindfulness knowing; there is no ceremony involved. We should make Concentration relate to our daily life in the closest way possible; do not let them be far apart. In the Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha also had one determine the standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking, doing, speaking, and thinking—doing only mindfulness. This is the practice of Concentration to give rise to mental power, relating to daily life and the work we do, by taking the matters of daily life as an object for the mind to know and an object for mindfulness to recollect.