Noticing Space

The spacious mind has room for everything
By Ajahn Sumedho

Part 2 of 2

With meditation, we have the opportunity to contemplate the mind. The silence of the mind is like the space in a room. Take the simple sentence “I am” and begin to notice, contemplate, and reflect on the space around those two words. Rather than looking for something else, sustain attention on the space around the words. Look at thinking itself, really examine and investigate it. Now, you can’t watch yourself habitually thinking, because as soon as you notice that you’re thinking, the thinking stops. You might be going along worrying, “I wonder if this will happen. What if that happens? Oh, I’m thinking,” and it stops.

To examine the thinking process, deliberately think something: take just one ordinary thought, such as “I am a human being,” and just look at it. If you look at the beginning of it, you can see that just before you say “I,” there is a kind of empty space. Then, if you think in your mind, “I—am—a—human—being,” you will see space between the words. We are not looking at thought to see whether we have intelligent thoughts or stupid ones. Instead, we are deliberately thinking in order to notice the space around each thought. This way, we begin to have a perspective on the impermanent nature of thinking.

That is just one way of investigating so that we can notice the emptiness when there is no thought in the mind. Try to focus on that space; see if you can concentrate on that space before and after a thought. For how long can you do it? Think, “I am a human being,” and just before you start thinking it, stay in that space just before you say it. Now that’s mindfulness, isn’t it? Your mind is empty, but there is also an intention to think a particular thought. Then think it, and at the end of the thought, try to stay in the space at the end. Does your mind stay empty?

Most of our suffering comes from habitual thinking. If we try to stop it out of aversion to thinking, we can’t; we just go on and on and on. So the important thing is not to get rid of thought, but to understand it. And we do this by concentrating on the space in the mind, rather than on the thought.

Our minds tend to get caught up with thoughts of attraction or aversion to objects, but the space around those thoughts is not attractive or repulsive. The space around an attractive thought and a repulsive thought is not different, is it? Concentrating on the space between thoughts, we become less caught up in our preferences concerning the thoughts. So if you find that an obsessive thought of guilt, self-pity, or passion keeps coming up, then work with it in this way—deliberately think it, really bring it up as a conscious state, and notice the space around it.

It’s like looking at the space in a room: you don’t go looking for the space, do you? You are simply open to it, because it is here all the time. It is not anything you are going to find in the cupboard or in the next room, or under the floor—it is here right now. So you open to its presence; you begin to notice that it is here.

“Noticing Space” was from Ajahn Sumedho’s book The Mind and the Way.

Ajahn Sumedho is a senior monk of the Thai forest tradition and was abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, UK, from its consecration in 1984 until his retirement in 2010.

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Part 1 of 2:

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Part 2 of 2:

https://news.1rj.ru/str/wordsofbuddha/4073

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11. Na pupphagandho pativatam eti
na candanam tagaramallika va
Satan ca gandho pativatam eti
sabba disa sappuriso pavati. 54.
12. Candanam tagaram va'pi
uppalam atha vassikã
Etesam gandhajatanam
silagandho anuttaro. 55.

MORAL FRAGRANCE WAFTS EVERYWHERE

11. The perfume of flowers blows not against the wind, nor does the fragrance of sandalwood, tagara 13 and jasmine but the fragrance of the virtuous blows against the wind; the virtuous man pervades every direction. 54.

12. Sandalwood, tagara, lotus, jasmine: above all these kinds of fragrance, the perfume of virtue is by far the best. 55.

Story

The Venerable Ananda wished to know whether there was any fragrance that wafted equally with and against the wind. The Buddha replied that the fragrance of virtue wafts in all directions.
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If no-one else is found
in front or behind,
it’s extremely pleasant
to be dwelling alone in a forest grove.

Come now, I’ll go alone
to the wilderness praised by the Buddha.
It’s pleasant for a mendicant
to be dwelling alone and resolute.


When will I dwell alone,
without a companion,
in the great wood, so delightful,
my task complete, free of defilements?

This is what I want to do:
may my wish succeed!
I’ll make it happen myself,
for no-one can do another’s duty.

Fastening my armor,
I’ll enter the forest.
I won’t leave
without attaining the end of defilements.

As the cool breeze blows
with fragrant scent,
I’ll split ignorance apart,
sitting on the mountain-peak.

In a forest grove covered with blossoms,
in a cave so very cool,
I take pleasure in the Mountainfold,
happy with the happiness of freedom.

I’ve got all I wished for
like the moon on the fifteenth day.
With the utter ending of all defilements,
now there’ll be no more future lives.

Partially excerpted from Thag 10.2 Ekavihāriyattheragāthā

13. Appamatto ayam gandho
ya'yam tagaracandani
Yo ca silavatam gandho
vati devesu uttamo. 56.

THE SCENT OF VIRTUE IS BY FAR THE BEST

13. Of little account is the fragrance of tagara or sandal; the fragrance of the virtuous, which blows even amongst the gods, is supreme. 56.

Story

Sakka king of the gods, disguised as a poor weaver offered alms to the Venerable Kassapa, who had been looking for a poor person to whom he might give the privilege of giving him alms. The Buddha stated that Sakka, attracted by the perfume of virtue of the Venerable Kassapa, gave him alms.
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With Robes and Bowl
A Glimpse of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life
By Bhikkhu Khantipalo

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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

With Robes and Bowl
A Glimpse of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life
By Bhikkhu Khantipalo

In the English language, there are now a number of books describing the life of the last Buddha, Gotama, also many explaining what is meant by the ideal of Buddhahood. Likewise, we have an ever-growing flood of literature, translations, commentaries and so forth, to help us understand what is Dhamma. Much less information, however is to be found on the Sangha, especially upon the bhikkhu-life of the present day. Of course those living in the Buddhist countries where the Sangha is established, will know more about it than will those who follow the Buddha's Path in other lands. It is to give the latter a picture of bhikkhu-life that this book is written, besides keeping before the eyes of those living in Buddhists lands, the best traditions of the Sangha.

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Dragon stairs leading to the three doors Candi Bentar temple, Lempuyang temple complex, East Bali, Indonesia.

14. Tesam sampannasãlanam
appamadaviharinam
Sammadannavimuttanam
maro maggam na vindati. 57.

REBIRTH-CONSCIOUSNESS OF ARAHANTS CANNOT BE TRACED

14. Mara 14 finds not the path of those who are virtuous, careful in living, and freed by right knowledge. 57.

Story

The Venerable Godhika, impeded by a certain disease, cut his throat with a razor; but immediately before his death cultivated insight and realized Nibbana. The Evil One was searching for his rebirth- consciousness. The Buddha remarked that the Evil One cannot trace the rebirth-consciousness of an Arahant.
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It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and establishes mindfulness in their presence. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ When breathing in lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the whole body.’They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in stilling the physical process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out stilling the physical process.’ As they meditate like this—diligent, keen, and resolute—memories and thoughts tied to domestic life are given up. That’s how a mendicant develops mindfulness of the body.

Partial excepts from MN 119 : Kāyagatāsatisutta

Laykyun Sekkya Big Buddhas, Khatakan Taung, near Monywa, Myanmar is one of the tallest statue in the world depicting Siddhartha Gautama in standing and parinirvana position.

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A Reminiscence Transcribed from a Talk by Phra Ajaan Phut Thaniyo

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A Reminiscence Transcribed from a Talk by Phra Ajaan Phut Thaniyo

In our day and age, the practice of going into the forest to meditate and follow the ascetic dhutaṅga practices began with Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasīlo, the teacher of Phra Ajaan Mun and, by extension, Phra Ajaan Singh and Phra Ajaan Lee. Phra Ajaan Sao was inclined to be, not a preacher or a speaker, but a doer. When he taught his students, he said very little. And those who studied directly under him are now elders who speak very little, who rarely preach, having picked up the habit from their teacher. Thus, as Phra Ajaan Sao was not a preacher, I would like to tell you a little of the way in which he taught meditation.

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