The Teachings of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta

The Principles of the Practice are Ever-Present

Concerning the principles of our practice, there is no real problem. Opanayiko: Bring the mind inward to investigate body, speech, and mind — things that are akaliko,ever-present; aloko, blatantly clear both by day and by night; paccattam veditabbo viññuhi, to be known by the wise for themselves — just as the sages of the past, such as the Buddha and the Noble Disciples, knew clearly for themselves after bringing their minds inward to contemplate what was already there.

It's not the case that these things exist at some times and not at others. They exist at all times, in every era. This is something we as meditators can know for ourselves. In others words, when we make a mistake, we know it. When we do things correctly, we know it within ourselves. How good or bad we are, we are bound to know better than anyone else — as long as we are persistent in our contemplation and don't let ourselves grow complacent or heedless.

An example from the past is that of the sixteen young students of the Brahman teacher, Bavari. They had practiced jhana to the point where they were stuck on rupa jhana and arupa jhana. The Buddha thus taught them to contemplate what was already inside them so as to see it clearly with discernment — to see the level of sensuality as lying below, the level of formlessness as lying above, and the level of form as in the middle; to see the past as below, the future as above, and the present as in the middle. Then he taught them to look inside themselves — from the feet below, to the tips of the hair above, and all around in between.

Once they had contemplated in this way, they came to know clearly for themselves. This ended their doubts about how to practice, and they no longer had to go to the trouble of looking anywhere else.