-Karathota Dhammasiri Bhikkhu

Meditation is like germinating a seed. When a seed gets germinated a big tree does not spring from it at once. We must look after it carefully with love and affection like looking after a child. Mindfulness is also something like that. First of all we must generate mindfulness.

Then we must develop it. To generate mindfulness too we meditate. If some mindfulness is generated that is developed by meditating. For that one needs a knowledge of Dhamma.

Try to be mindful

That means for generating mindfulness as well as for developing it we need the knowledge of Dhamma. One cannot keep on improving the mindfulness if there is no knowledge of Dhamma. Why? One does not know what one is doing.

That path to Nibbana was explained by the Buddha. We do not know about it. That is why we require the Dhamma. It is in the Dhamma that one is instructed to “Do this now. Next do this” etc. That means we require the Dhamma wherein it is explained how to improve mindfulness.

The way the Dhamma has to be developed at different places is different. The same thing must not be done often. That is why it is said listening to Dhamma and conducting Dhamma discussions have to be done at the appropriate times.

At the time of practising Sila we must speak of Dhamma pertaining to Sila. We must study Dhamma related to Sila. When we practise concentration we must study and talk about Dhamma about concentration.

When we practise wisdom we must practise and study Dhamma relevant to wisdom. When we develop concentration we must study and discuss Dhamma facts relevant to developing concentration.

That is why we have to discuss Dhamma at the appropriate time. Listen to Dhamma at the appropriate time. What most of us do is to study about concentration at the beginning itself asking: “How is that? How is this? How can such and such a concentration be developed?” Such a person can never achieve a clear knowledge or understanding. Why? It is irrelevant. It does not relate to him.

These problems arise as a consequence of lack of Saddha. If one had Saddha, if he knows about listening to Dhamma at the appropriate time, discussing Dhamma at the appropriate time one knows where he stands. Can a child in the kindergarten learn Pythagoras’ theorem? Such a thing is taught to children in grade nine or ten. We must know where we are and what we have to do. That is why we should welcome the advice of worthy friends.

In search of truth

To make a success of meditation there should be two factors. First one is common sense. We should have wisdom. We should also be obedient. We must be able to listen to others. We should have both or one of them. If we have both or one of them we can succeed.

Where there is none of them, there cannot be even an iota of good results. Many people lack both of them. There is no common sense. Also they do not like to listen to others. The mind does not form for that.

If we have common sense and obedience we can form Saddha. The individual who lives in Saddha gets an opportunity to follow this Dhamma preached by the Buddha. Therefore we must make up our minds to do things at the appropriate times. It is something that has to be done in Saddha.

Therefore those who embark on meditation should not be in a hurry at the beginning. That does not mean that they should be in a hurry at the end. One who is not in a hurry at the beginning does not get hurried up at the end. What does the one who is in a hurry at the beginning do? He attempts to end the journey in a hurry. He attempts to finish the journey in the way to Nibbana in a hurry.

Therefore do not be in a hurry. If you are practising some meditation, practise it gradually. Take a short time and improve the mindfulness. Get used to carrying out with mindfulness the things necessary for the meditation. It may be even one or two minutes. Suppose it is Metta Bhavana. Try to maintain the mind on the words included in the meditation.

Try to be mindful. That is the first thing you have to do. When you do it little by little in that manner you will realize that “I can now do it with mindfulness”.

Mindfulness means not allowing the mind to go here and there. The nature of the mind is to wander here and there. It may fall asleep. Or it may get covered by the Nivaranas (hindrances). We must develop this mindfulness without allowing the mind to be overcome by the Nivaranas. If we try to do it for several hours at a stretch we will not be able to do it. Why? Our mindfulness is not developed. We try to work with an undeveloped mindfulness with the intention of finishing off the defilements soon.

It is done for hours at the beginning. But the mindfulness is not developed. We are trying to work with an undeveloped mindfulness. Then the mindfulness breaks down. Ultimately various ailments may come up.

That is why we must develop our mindfulness. Before cutting down the forest we must sharpen our tool. The war against defilements has to be done with meditation. To overcome the defilements, to perform that extremely difficult activity we must develop our mindfulness well.

That mindfulness develops in meditation. To develop mindfulness we must generate mindfulness. We have the ability to develop the mindfulness so generated.

Therefore from the beginning of practising meditation we must try to develop the mindfulness little by little. Does not matter even if it is five minutes.

Do a little and remain mindful. Then you will feel the establishment of mindfulness. The mind will not fall into sleepiness. Will not wander. You will realize that you can maintain the mindfulness. Then gradually increase the time for meditating. At present our meditating time is about half an hour. Increase the meditating time to that level.

Some may be able to achieve this in one week. Some may do it in two weeks. Some others may take one month. Some may take even longer. It does not matter. Is time important? What matters is not whether it takes a short time or a long time. What is important is the maintaining of mindfulness.

Take one year or even ten years and try to establish mindfulness. Determine to generate mindfulness and then practise it.

Some may achieve it in one or two weeks or in a day. We do not know the nature of each individual. But no one should develop the idea of doing it in a hurry. What has to be done is to form the idea to develop mindfulness. Leave aside the idea of doing it in a hurry.

Then do it little by little and generate the mindfulness. After generating mindfulness in that manner you will realize that you can maintain the object of meditation without becoming sleepy or without allowing the mind to get dispersed.

Thereafter gradually increase the duration. Then we get an opportunity after sometime to practise a meditation with mindfulness.

An individual who starts meditation after deciding to meditate for half an hour or for one hour may stay in that pose not half an hour but for even five hours. But he may have fallen asleep or his mind may have gone astray.

There is no use in being like that for one hour or for even half a day. If one could stay with mindfulness even for five minutes that is the occasion for developing the Dhamma.

That is the productive way. Staying for even five hours without mindfulness is useless. To an outsider he will appear to be meditating a lot. That is not of any use to him. We also might say “I have meditated well. I have meditated for hours.” That is not of any use.

That is good for bragging. But we have not done the correct thing. Therefore try to generate mindfulness at least little by little. Try to make a start in that manner. Then the opportunity will arise for us to gradually progress in this meditation.