getting acquainted

from awareness itself: the teachings of ajaan fuang jotiko

"other people can teach you only the outer skin, but as for what lies deeper inside, only you can lay down the law for yourself.  you have to draw the line, being mindful, keeping track of what you do at all times.  it's like having a teacher following you around, in public and in private, keeping watch over you, telling you what to do and what not to do, making sure that you stay in line.  if you don't have this sort of teacher inside you, the mind is bound to stray off the path and get into mischief, shoplifting all over town."

"a student came to complain to ajaan fuang that she had been meditating for years, and still hadn't gotten anything out of it.  his immediate response: 'you don't meditate to 'get' anything.  you meditate to let go.'"

"how do you use your powers of observation to get acquainted with the breath?  ask yourself: do you know the breath?  is the breath there?  if you can't see whether the breath is for real, look further in until it's clearly there.  the important thing is whether or not you're for real.  if you are, then simply keep at it.  that's all there is to it.  simply keep being real, being true in what you do, and your mediation will make progress.  it'll gradually grow stronger, and the mind will grow calm.  just be clear about what you're doing.  don't have any doubts.  if you can doubt even your own breath, then there are no two ways about it: you'll doubt everything.  no matter what happens, you'll be uncertain about it.  so be straightforward and true in whatever you do, for everything comes down to whether or not you're true."

"the breath can be a resting place for the mind, or it can be what the mind actively contemplates.  when the mind isn't willing to settle down and be still, it's a sign that it wants exercise.  so we give it work to do.  we make it scan the body and contemplate the breath sensations in the different parts to see how they're related to the in-and-out breath, to see where the energy flows smoothly and where it's blocked.  but make sure that your mind doesn't wander outside of the body.  keep it circling around inside and don't let it stop until it gets tired.  once it's tired you can find a place for it to rest, and it'll stay there without your having to force it."

"people of discernment can take anything at all and put it to good use."

"there are two kinds of people: those who like to think and those who don't.  when people who don't like to think start meditating, you have to force them to contemplate things.  if you don't force them, they'll simply get stuck like a stump in concentration, and won't get anywhere at all.  as for those who like to think, they really have to use force to get their minds to settle down.  but once they've mastered concentration, you don't have to force them to contemplate.  whatever strikes the mind, they're sure to contemplate it right away."