After attending BN1 course, Ni Su taught us the 'Don't talk' technique. I have used it daily. Whenever I hear something that I don't like to hear, I say to myself 'Don't talk'; whenever I see something that I don't like to see, I say to myself 'Don't talk'; whenever I feel something that I don't like (such as something itchy, numbing, painful) to feel, I say to myself 'Don't talk'. This 'Don't talk' has two meanings - firstly do not have self-dialogue in our mind and secondly do not react to the outside world.
Since a young age we have always been taught to react. Our habit is to react. We react to the things that we like by craving. We react to the things that we dislike by aversion. Craving and aversion is the root of suffering. We want things that we cannot attain. This brings us endless suffering.
For example someone wants to become famous. Through his life he is discontent and whines about his current living status. He will never be happy. My daughter says happiness is not measured by success, fame or fortune but contentment in one’s life at that present moment.
By practising KN we don’t have craving or aversion. We are just a silent observer with full cognitive awareness. In this way we save ourselves a lot of trouble (hatred, revenge, jealousy and conflict). We are not being coward. This is to give ourselves a breathing space to understand the situation objectively. This will help us live in harmony with ourselves and others. This will keep peace among ourselves and the world around us. This will help us to stand above all situations and have a greater and wider perspective.
Last Sunday 17/7/2016 during the Fundamental Meditation course the instructor asked us by practising this will we become a log of wood? (does this mean to have no feeling?). This is not the case at all we do have feelings and much more sensitive than before but we just do not react to them. We see them as they are (yathabhutha) not as what we want them to be.
Karma, what is karma? Karma is the result of things that we have done through our actions, speech and thoughts. In another sense it also means deed. Karma can be good, bad or neither good nor bad. It is a cause and effect. For example you speed on a 50 km zone, you will get a ticket for your speeding. It is as simple as that. What you have done is what you will get. There is a Chinese idiom "you plant melons, you will get melons. You plant beans, you will get beans."
However Buddhist’s believe otherwise. They believe they can change the outcome by not creating an opportunity for the negative outcome to surface. It is all to do with conditions. For the speeding case of course we have no choice but to pay for the fine. However for example in the case of stealing, if we have committed this act and we knew this was our fault we should change our behaviour and not commit to future acts of stealing. Deep down we may have this event of stealing in our mind but Buddha said we should not dwell in the past, present or future. The act has occurred and we are not able to reverse it. We acknowledge this event and move on.
By practising KN, our past, present and future will not arise in our minds. By practising KN we will not feed or create conditions for our karma to arise. We can purify our minds or karma by dwelling in the world of wordless cognitive awareness.
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Here is my conversation from last night with my friend A:
A asked: “If Bahiya (Bahiya sutta in Udana 1.10) died while he dwelled in the Buddha mind, does this mean he has completely purified his Āsava (defilement/ lậu hoặc/漏惑).
I replied it must be as in the sutta Buddha states Bahiya was an arahant. [The Buddha describes the arahant as having transcended ‘the round of birth and death, they have destroyed the taints/Āsava, lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the ultimate goal, destroyed the fetters and become completely free, liberated through final knowledge’ (Majjhima Nikaya 1. 141)].
A asked: “If I am dwelling in the Buddha mind right now and I died, do I have Āsava?”
I replied: “No.”
A asked: “Now if I am not dwelling in the Buddha mind and I died, do I have Āsava?”
I replied: “Yes.”
A asked: “Āsava is an illusion, is it not?”
I replied: “Yes, it depends on how you look at it, at which angle you look at it. If you are dwelling in the Buddha mind, you see Āsava is an illusion. If your mind is a worldly mind then you see Āsava is real.”
A asked: “I don’t understand how can we reduce or purify our Āsava by using the KN technique?”
I couldn’t answer A’s question at the time but after I arrived home I have an answer for A.
Here is my answer: If we use the term Vāsanā (Habitual/behavioural tendency tập khí/習氣) then we can understand how. By practising KN we will change our habit of thinking and understand the world around us differently. Our old habit is non-stop thinking, judging, comparing, analysing, etc.etc… Now we train our minds to not over use it. When we need to think, we think; when we need to rest, we rest. With the technique KN we are not going to create any condition or opportunity for the defilement to surface. In other words we are not feeding our defilement to let it grow inside us. I hope this makes sense
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Here is a Chinese repentance verse with reference to mind and karma:
Repentance and Reform
往昔所造诸恶业，
Vốn Xưa Từng Tạo Bao Ác Nghiệp,
For all the evil karma that I have created in the past,
皆由无始贪嗔痴，
Đều Do Xưa Cũ Tham Hận Cuồng,
Arising from beginlessness greed, hatred, and ignorance,
从身语意之所生，
Theo Lòng, Ý Nghĩ, Lời Sinh Ra,
generated by my body action, speech, and mind,
一切罪根皆忏悔。
Tất Cả Nay Con Đều Sám Hối.
I now seek to repent and reform in front of the Buddhas.
罪从心起将心忏，
Tội Từ Tâm Khởi Đem Tâm Sám,
Karma arises from the mind; repentance is by the mind,
心若灭时罪亦亡，
Tâm Nếu Diệt Rồi Tội Cũng Tiêu,
If the mind is extinguished; karma is also ended,
心亡罪灭两俱空，
Tâm Diệt Tội Tiêu Cả Hai Không,
The mind purified, karma wiped out -- both are empty.
是则名为真忏悔。
Đó Tức Gọi Là Chân Sám Hối.
This is called true repentance and reform.
There are many types of meditation. I can find more than 23 types of meditation on the Internet. There are focused attention, open monitoring, effortless presence, zen, focusing on breath, just sitting, vipassana, mindfulness, loving kindness, mantra, transcendental, visualisation, third eye, chakra, kundalini, Kriya, sound (nada), pranayama, Qi Gong, Tao, yoga, contemplative prayer, sitting with God, self-enquirer, etc, etc. etc.
All these meditation techniques are aiming to have a tranquil and a calm mind that can lead us to inner happiness. I, myself was a vipassana meditator for nearly ten years and yet my mind was not as calm as I want it be. Well may be I was not a good meditator. My practice time may not have been long enough or maybe I am not a good student after all. In 2014 I attended a 10 days retreat. After the retreat I went around to ask some long term vipassana meditators two questions. My questions were:
1) can you keep your mind quiet during meditation?
2) do your legs get numb?
The answers from majority:
1) No, my mind is full of thoughts but I just let them go
2) you must be kidding if you are not numb sitting cross legged
For someone who has practiced much longer than myself and are still having thoughts in their mind, how can I expect myself to have a tranquil/silent mind? Is this possible? Science defines our mind as something full of mental processes, thoughts and consciousness. According to this definition, thoughts in our mind are normal. This is our habit since birth. Our habit of analysing, evaluation, judging, differentiating, comparing and questioning. In meditation we are learning a new habit of letting go of our old habits. This new habit is to master our minds. When we want to think, we think in an objective way. When we don’t need to think we let it rest in the world of wordless cognitive awareness.
Can we achieve this? Can we achieve complete silence in our minds? During the retreat in 2014 I could not say we can achieve it but now I can assure with you that we can if we practice according to TTK’s KN method it may be attainable. Although I couldn’t maintain complete silence for 24 hours most of the time I can.
When we talk about meditation we think of sitting meditation with crossed legs. To me meditation doesn’t mean just sitting crosslegged. It means we maintain a tranquil mind throughout the day not just sitting. Meditation can be siting, walking, lying down and standing meditation. With whatever we do our mind is always silent with cognitive awareness. This is meditation. Of course sitting meditation is important for the deeper level of samadhi if we want to go further to develop the wisdom within.
Here I would like to share on practicing 'Khong Noi'.
My blood sugar level was borderline for the past few years. Since 2014 it was between 6 and 9. I watched my diet closely. I've tried to avoid any food with added sugar. I did 40 mins (20 mins in the morning and 20 mins in the evening) exercise every day to keep it low. I drank the lady fingers water. I ate brown rice and various dietary changes.
After the 2015 TCB & BN1 courses, I tested TTK's techniques. I measured my blood sugar level before and after sitting meditation with the subject of KN. I recorded the differences. I saw it change dramatically. I was happy but during the day it would go back up. I did this for a while and then stopped.
I then tested this with a different technique. I used the 'Khong Noi' in 4 prostrates (walking, standing, lying and sitting + Qi Gong). Now I don't need to say the KN in my head and am aware of KN.
For three weeks my blood sugar has been between 4.2 and 5.7 no matter what I eat. I tested myself by eating lot of carbs at night, eating dessert, eating things I have avoided before and my blood sugar level is still under the threshold. It is unbelievable!
I believe having a calm and tranquil mind is very important for our body. I am very thankful to Chi Nganh & Chi Tham who insisted and told me off over a phone conversation for taking part in the 2015 courses. I am thankful for chị Hương and chị Chi who have shown me the way even before I attended the two courses. I am thankful to have meet Ni Su Triet Nhu and of course the KN technique from Venerable Thich Thong Triet.
All religions talk about their beliefs. They believe there is a creator, heaven or a better place waiting for them. In Theravada Buddhism, Chan/Zen/Thien and TTK also have their belief. Once a meditator tastes the benefit of their practice, they 'believe' they can achieve their goal of liberation from suffering based on their hardwork. They 'believe' they are the creator of their problems and happiness.
Here I have quoted my famous Kalama Sutta from Anguttara Nikaya 3.65. Here is the text:
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
A quote from Digha Nikaya, Mahaparinibbana Sutta 16, 2.26 "Therefore, Ananda, you should live as islands unto yourselves, being your own refuge, with no one else as your refuge, with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge. ..."
TTK's teachings are based on what Buddha has taught us. This is very clear and concise. We have to work for our liberation/Salvation and enlightenment. From Paticca-samuppada-vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of Dependent Co-arising SN 12.2 there is no creator/belief involved in the practise. We are the ones who create suffering for ourselves. We are also the ones who can liberate ourselves from suffering.
We need to know what the precepts are in Buddhism before we can talk about them. These precepts indicate the basic norms of human behaviour to which all people naturally aspire. The five basic precepts in Buddhism are:
1. Abstain from killing
2. Abstain from stealing
3. Abstain from adultery
4. Abstain from lying
5. Abstain from intoxicants
These precepts protect us and help us to lead peaceful and happy lives. Let's say we are committed to lying. When we lie we always have to find a way to cover ourselves. We will make up stories or excuses. Today we make up this story and tomorrow we might forget. We then make up further stories to cover the first story we had. Our mind is like a storm which we brew because we don't want the truth to come out. This will repeatedly appear in our minds until one day the truth comes out and we regret what we have done.
In most of the Buddhist's sects, precepts play a big part in their practice. If we observe these precepts strictly then we will not commit to killing, stealing, adultery, lying and intoxicants.
People question why Thien Tanh Khong (TTK) does not place importance in precepts. The most traditional way of practice is morality, samadhi/concentration and wisdom. In Nikaya Buddha mentioned "Morality, Samadhi and Wisdom" throughout his teachings in Nikaya. There are two good examples: Subha Sutta (Digha Nikaya 10) and Mahaparinibbana Sutta (Digha Nikaya 16).
As a practitioner of KN, I understand why TTK does not talk much in morality. This can be explained. If we practice KN correctly our minds should be in a state of wordless cognitive awareness. This implies we don't have inner self dialogue.
Now let us talk about each precept while we practice KN:
1) when we want to kill someone, we must have anger, hatred, jealousy or some sort of negative feelings towards the target. Our minds are toying how to commit this action. This means we have inner self dialogue. If we have practice KN then how can we have these negative feelings in our mind let alone form the idea of killing.
2) when we want to steal something, our minds are controlled with thoughts of desire and want. If we practice KN then our minds will not react when we see the object. We should not have the thoughts of want, the thought of owning and the thought of stealing. Thus we will not have the action of stealing. This applies to 3), 4) and 5) precepts.
By practicing KN our mind will become an objective mind when we contact outer and inner phenomenon. We will no longer have a judgemental, subjective and differential mind. In a higher level of practice KN, we will see the truth of nature, the emptiness of nature, the illusory nature and the interconnection of inter-beings. With these understandings of phenomenon, how can we break these precepts? By practicing KN it is morality itself. We cannot separate from morality because we are morality.
Do you know our true nature is not evil nor good, not dirty nor clean? Therefore the true nature needs no precepts to observe.
My son gave me a hand-painted silk painting when he was 15 years old. The painting has a mother tortoise leading her son to a moon. He said the moon means our spiritual path. I didn't think much at that time he presented this painting to me.
Today when I was vacuuming the carpets I look at the painting. I have such deep feeling about it. To my son I am the one who leads him to the right path. I am his sun and moon.
One thing he doesn't know is he leads me to my spiritual path instead of I lead him. He helps me to see myself and learn about acceptance, toleration, loving kindness and compassion. He teaches me to love without judgement, to love without expectation, to love within the present moment, to love tenderly (not harsh - attach) and to love for the sake of loving.
As a Buddhist we need to know our goal. What do we want to achieve? We know Prince Siddhartha Gautama sat under the Bodhi tree and attained enlightenment. What does it mean to reach enlightenment? Why do we want to reach the goal as prince Siddhartha had reached?
Here are two definitions from the Internet that I have found:
Enlightenment is a state of perfection wisdom and entails insight into Sunyata. (www.amtfweb.org/english/understandhtml/english-wisdomintro.htm )
The person who has perfected this insight and abandoned all defilements is an arhat, one who is liberated from the cycle of samsara. While alive he enters a sort of conditional nirvana, and at death he enjoys the peace of complete nirvana. (http://buddhism.about.com/od/enlightenmentandnirvana/a/What-Is-Enlightenment.htm)
A state of perfection wisdom can lead us to liberation from suffering. So this is our goal as a Buddhist. Thien Tanh Khong (TTK) has techniques which can help us travel from this shore (our worldly mind= intellect, mind-base and consciousness) to another shore (enlightened mind=Precuneus). From the most basic techniques such as listening to a bell, being objective by using our natural awareness through to the most advanced techniques such as seeing the phenomenon as such (The truth of nature), attaining the understanding of sunyata (non-self) or seeing the phenomenon as an illusion. The 'Don't Talk' is the most unique technique from TTK and uses science to explain how meditation can affect the human body. The founder of TTK Venerable Thich Thong Triet used his own meditation experience and his brain to prove we can enlighten as Buddha if we practise the RIGHT way. All his hard work and effort has proved the Buddhist goal is achievable through scientific research done at the University of Tuebingen in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013 using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
Someone said to me once we have experienced the suchness/thusness mind that we requite to search for more, ie Theravada Buddhism. Now we understand what we want to achieve and the value of our goal – the perfection wisdom. Once we have attained this stage of perfection of wisdom, do we want to search on for more? Should we even need to ask this question? To me once we have attained this stage, we see as Buddha sees, we hear as Budhha hears and we feel as Buddha feels. By attaining this stage all the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana suttas should ultimately be clear and understood for that person. What more do we want? If a person asks this question after s/he has attained this stage, should we ponder if this person has reached this particular stage?
