A Meditation Guide
by Phratepyanmahamuni
Start by sitting in a relaxed half-lotus position by placing your right leg on your left leg, your right hand on your left hand. The index finger of your right hand should touch the tip of your left thumb. Place your hands palms up gently on your lap. Sit with your body and head straight.
If you cannot sit in this position, you may sit in a chair or on a sofa. Adjust your position so you feel comfortable, until you feel your breath and circulation are flowing freely. Close your eyes gently, just like you are about to fall asleep. Then take 2-3 deep breaths. Inhale deeply, so you feel the air in your stomach. Exhale slowly. When you are inhaling, let yourself feel as though every cell in your body attains the fullest happiness and joy. When you are exhaling, release every one of your worries and stresses. Take a moment to let go of these various concerns. Then breathe normally.
When you have relieved your mind, you can start to relax your body. Relax every muscle in your body, from your head to the tips of your toes. Relax your entire body at all points. No part should be tense, pulled, or stressed. You should feel clear, light, and at ease. Then make your mind cheerful, fresh, clean, pure, and bright. Empty your mind, free it from all thoughts. Make it seem as though you are sitting alone in a clear and wide-open space, a place full of freedom and peace. Imagine that your body is free of internal organs, that it is clear and hollow. You might feel that your body is lighter, that you have become part of the atmosphere around you. Then bring your mind to rest at the centre of the body, in the middle of your stomach, at a level located two finger widths above the navel. It is not necessary to find the exact point at the centre of the body.
Simply continuously rest your mind gently and softly in the area at the centre of your body. Do this while releasing the tension from your body and your mind. When you have relaxed your body and mind, start gently envisioning an internal image, visualizing a clear, perfectly round and unblemished crystal ball. It can be any size but should be bright as the midday sun or lucid as a full moon. Visualize it easily and calmly, without forcing the image to arise, without compelling its appearance. If it is not clear, do not be concerned.
Whatever appears simply let it occur. And keep your mind continuously calm, at rest and still. If your mind wanders, support yourself with a mantra. Let the sound of the mantra slowly emerge from the middle of the clear crystal ball at the centre of your body. The mantra is “Samma Arahang”, which means to make the mind pure and detached from all forms of suffering. Or you can use the words “Clear and Bright”, Recite the mantra continuously while observing the crystal ball calmly until your mind becomes still. Then you will stop reciting or naturally forget to recite the mantra.
All that will remain is the image of the crystal ball appearing clearly in the centre of your body. Calmly and serenely maintain your concentration to sustain the image, with a mind that is still and soft at all times. If you have an internal experience that differs from what you normally experience, do not become agitated or happy. Keep your mind unperturbed, just observe dispassionately. Do not be pleased or displeased with what you see. In the end, your mind will become more refined and settle at the centre of your body. Your mind will enter the centre of your body, the point of purity, brightness, true happiness, and awareness. This awareness is profound internal wisdom, which grows deeper with continued meditation.
You will reach the purity that is within all of us naturally from our origins. This purity is something universal to people across the world. When your mind is still, there is happiness in your meditation. Before stopping your meditation, perform loving-kindness meditation, send good wishes to others, and share your happiness with the rest of the world.
Start by unifying your mind so that it is still and at the centre of your body. Feel that you love and send good wishes to everyone in the world. Let your mind coalesce into a clear, bright crystal ball that embodies the power of love and good wishes for all living beings. Let this crystal ball expand beyond your body in every direction: right, left, front, back, above, below. Let it spread out in every direction. Let it be a mind that wishes all beings free of suffering and able to attain ever greater happiness.
Wish that all beings will discover the greatest thing: to attain the utmost happiness which arises from meditation, meditation which takes you to the original purity that resides in all of us. You can bring this purity into your daily lives. It will make your lives wholesome, fulfilling, and replete with goodness. It will benefit you and others. Let the crystal ball of your mind expand beyond your body until it surrounds you and others who are both near to and far from you. Let it expand to encompass your present location. Let it grow ever larger until it reaches the sky.
Do this until you feel that your mind is boundless and has love and good wishes for your fellow human beings on every continent and in every corner of the world. Let your mind connect with all beings. Let them only have happiness. Let all countries in the world prosper and be full of good people who work for true happiness and peace for all persons. Let the power from the purity of your still mind at the centre of your body spread to those people who are suffering because of war. Let their suffering turn into happiness. And let this happiness be lasting. Let it be the case that the peoples of the world stop exploiting and harming one another.
Let people’s minds change from darkness to become rich in love and compassion. The energy of purity that comes from meditation is a pure power. This power spreads quietly into the atmosphere. It dispels flaws and darkness in our human minds so they will return to brightness. Let us conduct our lives correctly in happiness with good minds, and change the world to achieve true world peace.
