FIRST MEETING
                         Sunday, 9th June, 1974

                         Questions and Answers


  Q1 W1: [*]
  In establishing mindfulness of breathing, should one fix one's
  attention at the nose or in the stomach region?

        [*] The letters and numbers in the margins opposite the
            questions have the following meanings. "Q" = question,
            numbered Q1, Q2, etc.; "A" = answer. "W" means that a woman
            asked the question, and "M" means that a man asked the
            question. The numbers W1, W2, etc., and M1, M2, etc., refer
            to the first, second, or third, etc., woman or man to ask a
            question.


  A:
  In establishing mindfulness of breathing, one should fix one's Sati
  (mindfulness) on and contemplate the point of contact of the breath.
  One should not go up and down with it, but keep the Citta (mind) fixed
  on the point of contact. If the breath seems to become fainter and
  fainter, it is nothing to be afraid of or to worry about; the breath
  has not ceased -- it is still there. The kind of meditation which one
  practices depends on the character of each individual practitioner,
  but the development of the mindfulness of breathing is a practice
  suitable for the majority of people. The important factor in any
  method of mind-development is mindfulness (Sati). Forgetting
  mindfulness means failing in one's task, and one will not get results.
  One should therefore take care of one's mindfulness and keep it
  present in any method of mind-development.


  Q2 W1:
  When sitting in meditation, why is it I get the feeling that there is
  something pulling my forehead backwards? The muscles in my forehead
  become tight and I get a headache. Is there any way to remedy this?

  A:
  You will have to lessen the intenseness which brings this about. Let
  the Citta be absorbed only in the breathing. If you are too intense,
  you will get a headache. The flow [*] of the Citta is very important.
  You can concentrate strongly or mildly, and what you concentrate on
  will give you results, much or little accordingly.

        [*] "Flow of the Citta" refers to the dynamic way in which the
            Citta flows from one thing to another at great speed and how
            when the interest or will are strong or weak, the
            concentration of the Citta also becomes strong or weak.


  Q3 M1:
  My being a Buddhist has caused my friends to talk about me. They say
  that at one time I used to be a person full of fun and high spirits,
  and that now I am the exact opposite. I have lost a lot of friends and
  even my wife misunderstands me and disagrees with me. How can I solve
  this problem?

  A:
  Being a Buddhist does not mean that one must be quiet or look solemn.
  If friends try to get you to go in a way which is unwholesome, and you
  are observing the moral precepts (sila) you should not follow them.
  You might lose your friends but you will not lose yourself. If you are
  satisfied that you have gone the way of wholesomeness, you should
  consider the Buddha as an example. He was a prince who had a large
  retinue and many friends. He renounced the world, gave up those
  friends, and went to dwell alone for many years. After he had attained
  Enlightenment, he was surrounded by friends and had many disciples who
  were Arahants (pure ones), monks as well as nuns, laymen and laywomen,
  until the number of Buddhists was more than the population of the
  world. [*]

        [*] Meaning perhaps past and present Buddhists, or human and
            deva.


  We all believe in the teachings of the Buddha, which unites the hearts
  and minds of all Buddhists. We therefore should not be afraid of
  having no friends.

  We should think, first of all, that our friends do not yet understand
  us, and so they drift away and no longer associate with us. Our way of
  practice in the way of wholesomeness still remains, however. One
  should see this -- and that there are still good people in the world!
  Good people eventually meet and become friends with other good people,
  and these good people will be our friends. If there are no good people
  in the world, and if there is nobody interested in associating with
  us, then we should associate with the Dhamma -- with Buddho, Dhammo,
  and Sangho in our hearts, which is better than friends who are not
  interested in goodness at all. Buddho, Dhammo, and Sangho are friends
  which are truly excellent.

  Ordinarily, those good friends of yours will come back to you. You
  should therefore rest assured that if your heart is satisfied that you
  are going in a wholesome direction, then that is enough. You should
  not be concerned with or worry about others more than yourself. You
  should be responsible for yourself in the present and in the future,
  for there is nobody but yourself who can raise you up to a higher
  level.


  Q4 W1:
  I also had that same experience. My mother knows that I have become a
  Buddhist, and she is so upset that she prays to God for my return to
  Christianity once again. She is very concerned about me. How should I
  help her?

  A:
  My mother was also worried about my coming to England. She was afraid
  that I might die or that something serious might happen. But I saw
  that there were good reasons for coming to which she could hardly
  object, so even though she did not want me to come, she had to accept
  those reasons -- and I came.

  Please understand that Buddhism does not teach people to draw away
  from each other. Buddhism and Christianity both teach people to be
  good so that they will be happy and go to heaven. If we compare the
  city of London to heaven, we could tell people that there are many
  ways to enter the city. When they have chosen a way and made use of
  it, all of them will reach London. Whatever religion one has, one
  should practise it accordingly. They will meet in heaven.

  Buddhism, however, besides having a way to reach heaven, also has the
  way to reach Nibbana. If one understands and practises according to
  the teachings and wants to reach Nibbana, there are ways for going
  beyond. Nibbana means the complete absence of Dukkha
  (unsatisfactoriness, suffering, dis-ease). The Buddha and his Arahant
  disciples, being completely free from all defilements (Kilesas), have
  all attained to Nibbana. One therefore should not be worried about
  anyone who follows them. You should explain this to your mother so
  that she will not worry about you, for what Buddhism teaches will be
  for the stability and prosperity of society. It encourages people to
  be good, so tell your mother not to worry, that Buddhism is not hell,
  and that it does not bring disaster or ruin to those who practise its
  teachings.


  Q5 W1:
  My husband is the same. He does not understand what it is that I am
  doing and he is not at all satisfied with me. It took me twenty years
  of asking him to let me sit in meditation before he would allow me to
  do so. I've been sitting in meditation for five years now. (My husband
  does not understand about spiritual needs, and so whenever I met
  someone whose interest was the same as mine, someone to turn to and be
  friends with, my husband would become suspicious.)

  A:
  When your husband saw that what you were doing was good, that you were
  not doing anything which was wrong, he consented of his own accord.
  This is what usually happens in the practice of virtue, which is a
  difficult thing to have done. Even in one's own heart one hesitates to
  do good things. When one thinks of doing something good, another
  thought arises to prevent one from doing it. Such conflicting thoughts
  are bound to struggle with each other before one can turn to the way
  of virtue.

  Other people interfering with us is a normal obstacle, but people
  cannot vie with oneself in the hindrances one makes for oneself. This
  is probably the case with everyone. When one wants to do something
  which is good, which is useful, a state of mind is liable to arise as
  a hindrance, thus preventing it and one then wastes a lot of time.
  Beyond that, it can lead one to do evil things which are also harmful,
  and generally speaking lead to harm.



  Q6 W2:
  If one knows that something is not good, one can restrain oneself,
  keeping oneself from doing it. Or, if the desire to do something is so
  strong that one will end up doing it, one can go ahead and do it until
  one gets the bad results -- then one will dread it. For example, one
  knows that one will get a stomachache from eating too many sweets. One
  can go ahead and eat until one gets the stomachache, then one will
  automatically stop. Which one of these two methods is better?


  A:
  Knowing what is not good, training the heart, restraining oneself, not
  allowing oneself to do something is better because no harm is done. If
  one makes use of the method of giving free rein to the heart, of
  indulging one's desires until one experiences their bad results and
  one then stops by oneself, how does one know that one will not die
  before one can bring oneself around? And it is just possible that one
  will not know the way to get back. (This is the ruining of one's own
  life.)


  Q7 M2:
  I use the method of being aware of the rising -- falling of the
  stomach region, and it seems as if there is something rubbing my
  stomach. What is this?

  A
  Are you satisfied with that sensation or not? When you practise
  meditation and the Citta is quiet, and cool, this is good. Then you
  get the feeling that there is something hard rubbing your stomach. But
  when the Citta is quiet, you are satisfied, this is what matters.

  When you get a feeling that there is something rubbing against your
  stomach, you should understand that this is only a state of mind
  manifesting itself, that it is not anything real or anything that is
  useful to the Citta. You should then make the Citta be aware of the
  rising -- falling. Do not let the mind dwell on the sensation of
  rubbing. That sensation will subside and pass away by itself.


  Q8 W3:
  When I sit in meditation and my mind is near to being one-pointed,
  near to being calm, it usually withdraws from this state. It goes in
  and out, in and out, as if it was about to go through a door but then
  will not go through. How can I correct this?

  A:
  When sitting in meditation, are you not aware of the breath going in
  and out? If you are and you follow the breath in and out, this will
  happen. You should fix your mind only on the place where there is
  contact with the moving air. You will then feel the breath become
  fainter and fainter until it ceases altogether. The Citta will then
  enter the state of tranquility (Samatha), and it will not go in and
  out, in and out, as you said.


  Q9 W1:
  In meditation practice, is it better to sit by oneself or to sit in a
  group? I and four friends study meditation with the Chaokhun at Wat
  Buddhapadipa -- who has since disrobed. When I sit by myself, I feel
  that it is good, but when I sit with my four friends, I feel anxious
  and then my practice is not very good. My friends are beginners. Can
  we help each other or not?

  A:
  You've sat in meditation in a group before, how do you feel about it?
  Satisfied or not? If you feel that you are giving strength to each
  other, this is good. Even if you yourself feel anxious, yet your
  friends may gain strength to meditate from you, which is again good.
  Bhikkhus usually sit in meditation by themselves except when they go
  to listen to the instruction from their teacher. Apart from that, each
  does his own practice without worrying about anyone else. The Citta
  can become relaxed and peaceful more quickly than sitting in a group
  because there is nothing to disturb it or to make it anxious.


  Q10 W1:
  When my meditation is good there seems to be some kind of thread
  extending about one foot out of my body. Then something seems to come
  and strike it. This is very painful.

  A:
  How is it now? Is it still there or not?

  W1:
  It does not happen anymore now because I felt that pain to be Dukkha.
  I countered it and was patient and it went away by itself.

  A:
  That feeling is an emotional production -- Arammana -- of the Citta.
  Sitting in meditation does not cause it to arise. It is the Citta
  itself which causes it to arise. If you bring the Citta back to the
  heart-base in the chest and firmly hold it there, such a feeling will
  go away by itself.


  Q11 W1
  Sometimes it seems as though my Citta goes out to my friend or my
  friend's Citta comes to me.

  A:
  That is sending the Citta outside of oneself which is not good for a
  person who has just begun meditation practice. Only those who are
  skilled at practice can send their Citta inside and outside without
  difficulty because they already know the way to practice.


  Ven. Pannavaddho:
  When at first we sat down here, Tan Acharn explained that in
  practising the mindfulness of breathing, one should contemplate the
  in-breath and the out-breath until the breath is very fine. One keeps
  the Citta firmly fixed at the point of contact until there seems to be
  no more breathing. The Citta will then be peaceful. There is no need
  to be afraid of the breath stopping, it will still be there. When the
  breath has become fine, the Citta will feel cool, peaceful. Sometimes,
  as far as one can tell, breathing seems to have ceased altogether, and
  the Citta is then very subtle.


  W1:
  Please express to Tan Acharn our appreciation for his kindness in
  coming to talk with us. We are very pleased indeed.



                                 * * *



  Tan Acharn Maha Boowa said that he would give a short explanation of
  the Dhamma each day. The following is his first Dhamma explanation.


  Buddhism is derived from practice, because the Buddha himself
  practised until he himself knew and saw and was able to do it for
  himself, and only then did he begin to teach others. Buddhists
  therefore understand the importance of practising and training
  themselves according to the teachings. Learning for the purpose of
  gaining knowledge and understanding, but without putting it into
  regular practice, will not bring results as it ought to. One should
  therefore study and practice moral precepts (Sila) until it becomes
  higher morality (Adhisila), study all the different levels of wisdom
  (Panna) until one reaches the level of higher wisdom (Adhipanna), and
  study freedom (Vimutti). One must then practise until one truly
  reaches freedom, until one has truly escaped (from Samsara). Practise
  is therefore the most important part of Buddhism.

  When one who has practised has reached any particular state of
  development, he will know this for himself. For example, if he
  practices the development of mindfulness of breathing, he will know
  what the state of his breath is, and he will know to what extent the
  Citta is quiet, still and peaceful. But he must have mindfulness and
  he must not let the Citta wander outside. [*] For someone who is
  beginning to practise, the most important thing is the Citta and
  mindfulness. The Citta will improve if mindfulness is there to control
  it, and it will then be peaceful, cheerful, bright, and happiness will
  come by itself. But if the Citta is not controlled by mindfulness and
  if it is allowed free rein so that any and all thoughts can insert
  themselves, the Citta will not be peaceful and happiness will not
  arise. Therefore, the most important rule is to not let the
  imagination give rise to emotionally charged thoughts. Train the Citta
  to be truly peaceful and happiness will then follow in the wake of the
  calm which gradually develops. A high degree of calm means a high
  degree of happiness -- until it reaches an extraordinary happiness
  which comes from the more subtle levels of concentration.

        [*] Outside the body -- thinking about or surveying external
            things.


  For myself, I feel that today is a fortunate occasion in that I have
  been able to meet you English Buddhists. I'm sorry that I can't speak
  to you in English and must depend on Ven. Pannavaddho to help
  translate. On this auspicious occasion, let us all sit in meditation
  together, each practising according to his ability. Some of you can
  perhaps sit for a long time and some of you may tire quickly. Let each
  of you decide for how long you can sit before you get bodily
  discomfort and pain arising so that you gradually withdraw from
  Samadhi. You should, however, try to put up with the pain and
  discomfort for a while because you really want happiness of heart. You
  have already experienced and know enough about other kinds of
  happiness and you have no doubts about them, enough not to be
  attracted to them.

  When I was able to sit in meditation for twelve or thirteen hours and
  it became painful, I contemplated the place where the pain was and
  asked, "What is it that's painful? One finger? One bone? If they are
  painful, why are they not painful after one is dead? Why is it that
  they are painful? If the Citta is where the pain is, then if one does
  not have a body does that mean that the Citta dies too, or not?" and
  so on until I reached the truth (Saccadhamma). But if one is going to
  contemplate painful feeling, one must be brave enough to find the
  truth. One's desire to know the truth must be stronger than the pain
  and death. Mindfulness and wisdom must be continually traversing
  throughout oneself like a wheel which is turning; then one can know.


                                 * * *


                          Questions Continued

  Q12 M2:
  What is the good of sitting in Samadhi for a long time?

  A:
  Only sitting for a long time is not good. One must get results from
  one's sitting. Then, being engrossed in one's contemplation, a long
  time will pass by itself. The final result will be that one becomes
  happy and free from pain and this is good. If one arouses wisdom, when
  it has arisen the Citta will be bright and cheerful and it will gain
  in strength, and in the future it will not give up when strong pain
  arises while sitting in meditation for a long time.


  Q13 M2:
  Should one then only know that the pain in one's bones or fingers is
  Dukkha?

  A:
  Only knowing that it is Dukkha is not enough. One must contemplate it,
  examining it with wisdom until one completely understands it. For
  example, one should contemplate where the exact location of this
  Dukkha is, and why those who have died do not feel pain. The dead do
  not know anything; take a corpse and burn it and it does not feel the
  heat. "Knowing that something is painful;" what is this? Is it the
  Citta? When the body has died, does the Citta not die as well?

  When one searches for the basis of truth and one meets truth
  (Saccadhamma), one understands clearly, one truly knows and
  understands all the time and the heart is freed from attachment. If
  one does not know truly, the heart is still attached. The more one
  wants to be rid of Dukkha, the more the Dukkha and the origin of
  Dukkha (Samudaya) will increase in one's heart. Instead of getting rid
  of the origin of Dukkha, one succeeds only in increasing it more than
  ever.


  Q14 M2:
  If one knows nature clearly and thoroughly, one would then see Dukkha
  as natural, normal; is that not right?

  A:
  Know Dukkha, know the nature of the body, know that having a body is
  Dukkha, that the body is its own Dukkha; know the nature of the Citta,
  and knowing the Citta's natural state, know that the Citta by itself
  has no Dukkha. Why does the Citta have Dukkha at all? If one truly
  knows all this, Saccadhamma will help to free one from Dukkha. There
  is no Dukkha which can affect the heart if both these aspects are
  truly known in their relationship to each other.

  Comment:
  I was very glad to hear how the pain and suffering which one gets
  arises and passes away, and how to train the Citta to get rid of it
  until one has reached freedom.

  A:
  In practising Dhamma, each person has various experiences and when we
  ask questions about these experiences and people hear about each
  other's experiences, we gradually widen our understanding. This
  encourages us and gives us all heart.


                                 * * *


  The Venerable Acharn then invited those present to sit in meditation
  and he himself sat in meditation for a time before returning to his
  quarters, leaving the lay people there each to sit in meditation as
  long as they liked.


                            * * * * * * * *