Went to meet Ajahn Ratt north of Chiang Mai in Thailand. He was kind, generous, and delightful, with an easy smile and bright eyes. Through a translator, he gave the following useful advice:
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Keep attention in the center of the body.
There are points on either side of the head, the middle back, the lower back, the abdomen, the heart, and the nose on either side. A mind that is going from one side to the other of these points will always be out of balance, but a mind that stays centered in the middle of them will be in balance, appropriate, free, stable, clear, and free from suffering.
This can be practiced in all postures.
When practicing this way, there are only really two precepts: don’t cause trouble for yourself, and don’t cause trouble for others. Simple.
The defilements are our teachers, so learn from them. This body is the teacher, so see what leads to suffering and wisely avoid that. You don’t need external teachers, as the defilements and the body will teach you the Dharma and so you will know directly for yourself.
Stay moderate, not too little, not too much. Avoid excess in both directions.
If you stay in the center, then your samadhi will be strong, and really you don’t even enter or leave samadhi, you just stay in balance.
Do not go out, do not go in. Do not fixate on self or other. Instead, stay in the center at ease.
When bowing, do not go out or in. It is not a magical act, just a time to stay in the middle at ease.
Balancing this way and that creates irritation, but staying centered leads to peace.
If there is desire, look to the mid lower abdomen, and contemplate, “Dying, dying.” There you will dissolve desire. Similarly, the heart, upper back, head, lower back, and nose: all places to contemplate, “Dying, dying.” In this way, you might see a vision of your death but you won’t fear it, and one day it will just happen, and that’s ok.
Desire for sensuous desire leads to wives, wealth, and children, all of which are suffering, so stay calm and at ease, not chasing those.
One who eats moderately, stopping when the heart says to, will curb desire. One who eats immoderately will reinforce desiring desire itself, and the excess will get stored in the body and cause disease: avoid this.
In this way, there is no birth and death, no coming and going, no time but this moment, no doer apart from the knowing, no knower apart from the knowledge, and one is victorious.
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Obviously, his take on life is from a monastic, renunciate point of view, but also a demonstrable free one.
May you find ease and wisdom in his advice.
Best wishes,
Daniel
