Questions on Intermediate Meditation

 

1. How long does it take to see the crystal ball or Pathama-magga?

It depends upon each person’s capability. There are many factors. First, is former kusala kamma (meritorious deeds); second, present kusala kamma from trying to follow the Master’s teachings. For example, meditators have to accept the precepts and try to keep mindful of the sphere by repeating the words “Samma Arahang.” Practice it often. Don’t let wrong emotions such as losing your temper develop in the mind. Try to calm the mind. Be mindful all the time and practice often, using the right method.

2. So, if you attend the fifteen-day retreat in Rajburi, what is the possibility of being successful in seeing the crystal ball?

I would say a third of the participants are successful, if they complete the fifteen days. At least you can more or less see the sphere.

3. Can we say that a longer time, say a month, would increase the success rate to 50%?

No, I cannot say that. It may be 40% or even less, because usually fifteen days is the maximum for a person to continue exerting his or her whole effort. Longer than that and the meditator might become bored. You need a rest.

4. It cannot be like three months?

Seriously, it doesn’t help much. It should be about fifteen days. After that, relax a little bit, then proceed again. In that way you’ll have progress.

5. When I am meditating, my attention seems to be concentrated mostly on all the arising spheres and bodies. When will I have the possibility to contemplate and when can I develop that all important wisdom?

Any time the mind is free from the Five Hindrances, you can go on contemplating. For example, when you see the sphere clearly, you can enlarge it at will, which would then mean that your Sphere of Vision, Sphere of Memory, Sphere of Thoughts, and Sphere of Awareness would be larger too. Just go on until it is about the size of your whole body.

In that state, supernatural vision will be developed, enabling you to observe all angles of your body simultaneously. In other words, you do not have to move your vision from place to place to see at all.

You can now contemplate on every organ of your body until you fully realize that not one single part is attractive, but all organs are in fact impure. This is also a very effective way to calm down your mind from sexual desire. I will give you an example.

When I was still a layman I took a com-muter pickup bus (song taew) home. I was lucky to get a seat, but as the bus filled there was standing room only and people stood very close. A young lady stood right in front of me, facing me, and her bosom was at times touching my face as the bus swayed. I was concentrated all the time, and in my mind I intended to see what she looked like. During the ride I saw every part of her body that I wished to see, and I then realized that it was in fact very dirty. She had her period and a rather unpleasant odor hit my mind at that point.

So, that was contemplation of the human body (Kayagatasati), and I have used that technique ever since, both on my own body and those of others. It also helped me in staying away from my spouse for ten years prior to my ordination as a monk.

When you get a sexual feeling, be mindful right away. Use your wisdom, and start contemplating as soon as you get rid of the hindrances. Purify yourself from the crude mind up to more and more refined minds. When you reach the purest, the most calm, contemplate! You will calm down any sexual desire by seeing the reality of all organs. Be mindful all the time!

6. Would I ever be able to look into the future during meditation?

Whenever you see the sphere and concentrate at the center of the center, you will see a small space, about the size of the hole of a needle or even smaller, depending on your level of concentration. The higher the level, the smaller the space. At the center of that space there exists an extremely thin thread or string — very thin indeed and transparent. It leads from your birth into the future. Stop still at the center so that your mind becomes neutral. Don’t create any pictures, be neutral and make it your intention to follow the course of the string. When the center expands itself you will see your own life during the coming five to ten years. Become that older body and go to the center of the center and you can go on advancing your age until you see your own dead body.

I am sure that anyone who has a pure and neutral mind or Dhammakaya will know when they are going to die and how. When seeing the dead body of themselves, they can use the experience for recollection of death (Marananusati).

Even though we know the exact day we are going to die and in which position, we still do not get attached to it. In our wisdom we see our body and mind (Five Aggregates) as impermanent, suffering, and non-self.

As long as you have cravings you will have that string. In other words, strings exist within the four worldly bodies (Human, Celestial, Brahman and Formless Brahman). But, the Dhammakaya doesn’t have any string.

I will, however, advise you that when you reach this level you should not talk to anyone about it. That would be violating Lord Buddha’s Precepts. A monk only does it for the wisdom involved. I would also like to emphasize that as long as we are not saints or Arahants these things we are seeing are, of course, impermanent. So, doing this kind of contemplation requires mindfulness at all times.

7. What about looking back into previous lives?

Focus your attention at the center of the Crude Human Body’s sphere. Make your mind neutral and observe again that very small space where the thin transparent sting will appear. You then make it your intention to see your own life in the past, let us say ten years back in time. Stop still at the center of the center until your mind is perfectly concentrated. Then the center will expand itself and you will see yourself when you were ten years younger. Then concentrate your mind and let it stand still at the center of that body and keep on going further and further back in time until you see yourself at birth. You can then go even further back to when you were in your mother’s womb. Now go to the center of the baby and aim to see your life previous to this one. When you see it, observe where you are and who you are, generation after generation, further and further back in time.

Whenever you see these past lives you may contemplate on all the Five Aggregates of compound matter. Living compound things are subject to change according to the factors of good deeds (caused by merit) or bad deeds (caused by passion or craving). This will cause a person to be reborn in either a happy or a suffering world. Anyone who is attached to these compound things with craving and illusion, bad speech, bad action, and bad thoughts, will be reborn in a suffering world. Living a meritorious life of good deeds will lead to bliss and happiness in the next existence. The effect of suffering and happiness might even be experienced in the present lifetime. You will finally realize that each life you observe is in fact non-self and no permanent refuge to anyone.

Then, contemplate the Three Characteristics of all compound things, before making it your intention to return to the present. Purify yourself by standing still at the center of the more and more refined bodies, by now probably even brighter and purer than before, until you reach the purest Dhammakaya. This will result in detachment from all aggregates. You should have a neutral mind free from any feelings, happy or unhappy, to obtain a peaceful mind of high absorption.

The purest Dhammakaya will then appear in Nirvana (the Supra-mundane plane) where the Enlightened Dhammakaya of Lord Buddha and the Saints whose Five Aggregates have passed away will exist. You will see Lord Buddha (the enlightened Dhammakaya) sitting on his throne with his enlightened disciples gathered around him in a half circle. But not only that, you will also see the countless Buddhas of the past, both the Subbaññu Buddhas (surrounded by disciples) and the Pacceka Buddhas (sitting alone).

---