MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE
                   Thursday morning, 13th June, 1974
  
  
  Q1 W1:
  I used to practise Zen meditation (Samadhi). I was told to count my
  breaths from one to ten, back and forward. I was then given a Koan,
  [*] the word "Mu" which means "empty." I was told to concentrate on
  the stomach region, on the blood in the stomach and to have the Citta
  spread out into the stomach. As soon as I did this a little I would
  feel tense in the face, eyes and head, and then I would get headaches.
  While sitting in meditation there was a lot of noise of the beating of
  drums and gongs. I tried to relax the body but I could not and now I
  only have to think about sitting in meditation and I get a headache. I
  would like to know why this happened.

        [*] Koan -- a word or phrase for repetition and contemplation as
            used in "Zen Buddhism."
  
  
  T.A. Questions:
  Before you began to feel tense in the face and head, was your Citta
  fixed on the noise or at the stomach?
  
  W1:
  It was fixed at the stomach because I had to meditate on "Mu" and then
  concentrate my energy to go down into the stomach.
  
  A:
  What happened concerns the physical body and it was your own reaction.
  I understand that you were too determined and so you disturbed the
  body, as if you were having a fight with it. You should ask your
  teacher, who taught you to arouse such an obstacle, how you should
  cure it.
  
  W1:
  The teacher would only help while one was staying at the monastery.
  Having left the monastery he does not contact his followers by letter.
  I have now turned to the practice of Anapanasati.
  
  A:
  You must persist in investigating and searching for the reasons why
  this occurs and change the method (of practice) to whatever is shown
  by these reasons to be suitable to keep the Citta constantly in the
  present; this may be the way to cure it.
  
  
  Q2 M1:
  What is mindfulness (Sati)?
  
  A:
  In taking hold of anything one must know that one takes hold of it.
  This is mindfulness.
  
  
  Q3 M2:
  In school the teachers ask what Buddhism teaches about the creation of
  the world?
  
  A:
  Buddhism teaches people to cure their problems and to go on reducing
  their Dukkha stage by stage. It is, for example, like when one comes
  into this house one first of all opens the door; one does not tear the
  whole house down. Or again, when children begin school they learn step
  by step, class by class, so they go higher and higher gradually. But
  if one tries to teach children who are just starting at school about
  things that are far above their heads it is no use at all. Knowing
  about the creation of the world is useless in the same way.
  
  
  Q4 M2:
  In taking the Triple Gem (Ti-Ratana) as one's refuge (Sarana), where
  it goes "I take the Buddha...the Dhamma..." I can understand this
  sufficiently well. But in connection with "Sangham Saranam Gacchami,"
  does this mean that we should take the Sangha here as our refuge? For
  England still has no Sangha, so what should we do?
  
  A:
  "Buddham Saranam Gacchami" means to take all the Buddhas to be one's
  refuge. "Dhammam Saranam Gacchami" means to take the Dhamma that every
  one of the Buddhas taught to be one's refuge. "Sangham Saranam
  Gacchami" means to take the Savaka Sangha of every one of the Buddhas
  to be one's refuge. The Savaka Sangha means those who are:
  "Supatipanno" -- who have practised well; "Ujupatipanno" -- who have
  practised correctly, in accordance with the Vinaya that each Buddha
  laid down, without evading the rules of the Vinaya; "Nayapatipanno" --
  who practised for the purpose of knowing clearly and seeing truly --
  and who let go of everything with "Samicipatipanno" -- having
  practised Dhamma in ways that are appropriate to Dhamma and having
  practised those things absolutely rightly which are the duty of a
  Bhikkhu. The Lord told us to take these as the refuge.
  
  The Sangha nowadays who practise in the way described above may be
  taken as a refuge, this being a kind of by-product, because the Sangha
  who practise properly are within the circle of the "SANGHA." This is
  the way the Lord said one could tell whether the Sangha exists which
  one can take to be a refuge, or not.
  
  
  Q5 M2:
  In England it is very difficult to find the Sangha.
  
  A:
  If one takes the Sangha as being that which has the characteristics
  mentioned above, then it is difficult to find in any country!
  
  
  Q6 M2:
  Why, when the precepts are given, must one speak in Pali?
  
  A:
  When the Lord Buddha taught Buddhism he used the Pali language and it
  has meanings accordingly, but if one considers that one understands
  these meanings one can use any language that one knows. If one agrees
  that the "language of the heart" is the important thing, the manner of
  what is socially acceptable, so if we consider Pali to be the language
  of the heart, when we speak any given word others who have differing
  native languages can understand it in accordance with their own
  language and society. This is good, isn't it?
  
  
  Q7 M3:
  The Laws of Kamma and the laws of science are opposed to each other,
  are they not?
  
  A:
  What do the laws of science say? I will speak first about Kamma. Kamma
  is what people think, say, or do, which is good or evil or between the
  two -- neither good nor evil. Having acted accordingly the result will
  follow, the result being good, evil or between the two respectively.
  
  M3:
  Science is not concerned about good or evil or the future.
  
  A:
  Having learnt science can it cure hunger? When hungry one eats and
  becomes full. The way of Buddhism aims to cure Dukkha, so if one has
  anything that is Dukkha it aims to cure that and the principles of
  Dhamma in Buddhism have various different levels, from those which are
  simple up to those which are rarely achieved.
  
  
  Q8 W1:
  I now want to learn how to do Samadhi and I want to know myself in a
  new way, but there is that obstacle of the heart which I mentioned
  before. How can I cure it?
  
  A:
  I sympathise with you, but to tell you how to cure it is difficult
  because the way of practice differs from what we do. If the teacher
  has taught a way and the pupil learns and acts in that way
  accordingly, how can one be sure that the way he taught is the right
  way? One must search for the basic principles which can make one sure
  that the goal at the end of the path is the same as the Buddha taught.
  
  A basic principle which I can give you which is common to all ways is
  as follows: //"Do not let your Citta go out externally."// When the
  Citta is outside there are things which fascinate the Citta, so one
  must then train oneself to concentrate anew (internally) and do this
  time after time. One does not know whether those things come from
  one's own heart -- or from where they come. But if they are lovable
  things and beautiful one then loves them. If they are loathsome things
  and what is more important, fearsome things, one will be afraid.
  Therefore in order to guard against fear one must look after the Citta
  and keep it inside and arouse calm internally and peace of heart.
  
  
  Q9 W1:
  Nowadays our world has nothing but confusion and deterioration and
  society is changing. How do you think it can be changed for the
  better?
  
  A:
  That the world and society are changing is natural. Society is made up
  of the people in it and the people in each society must investigate
  and find out what is good, what is undesirable in their society, and
  how it should be corrected so that it will be right and proper.
  Someone outside that society does not have enough knowledge and
  understanding to think out how it should be changed.

  
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