“Look at Buddha picture and from now on we will concentrate our attention to prostrate with our best and pay homage to respected ones. Prostrate slowly and gently with our greatest hearts.”
Start our first prostrate slowly and gently with our best. When your forehead touch the ground then stay still as we are prostrating at the Lord Buddha’s feet. Feels like he is now standing right in front of you. Let us pray “Whatever and whenever I apologize for what I have done anything wrong or mistakes intentionally or unintentionally with my manner, words or in my mind to the Triple Gem; the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, parents, teachers, Bodhisattva and teachable ones. All my wronged I ask for forgiveness and whatever, whenever, whoever that I have done wrong to in every world, please forgive me. May my prayer and goodness share with all of you, please rejoice in this merit and may you be happy.”
Slowly raise your head…
Second prostrate; Slowly…Gently…Start with our faithful heart and when your forehead touch the ground then let us pray “May I understand thoroughly in the truth knowledge of the Lord Buddha, leading me to attain enlightenment easily with stable mind and then I would also bring people to understand thoroughly in the truth knowledge of the Lord Buddha with stable mind.”
Slowly raise your head with our gentleness and tenderness…
Third prostrate (last prostrate); Start with our best…Slowly…Gently…Tenderly and when your forehead touch the ground then let us pray ’”May peace and happiness be with you all, to those who follow and practice the Dhamma. May this happiness radiate to all residences, workplace, community, nation, worldwide, continents in countless universe. May this merit also radiate to The 31 Planes of Existence, 3 Worlds, all human and beings. May they be free from exploiting each other. May they all live in peace and happily with pure loving-kindness and leading them all to attain enlightenment easily with stable mind. Finally may they be free from enmity and always be good friend for each other.”
Slowly raise your head…
On Saturday, July 9, 2016, Venerable Ajarn Kitiched, monks and nuns had visited Specseal Company to teach Vipassana course ‘Four Sublime States of Mind build happiness at heart’ and wisdom for Specseal’s employees, clients and general public by invitation of Mr. Pongsak and Mrs. Uraiwan Chirawatpongsa, the managing directors of Specseal Company. This company activity has received good feedback from all practitioners.
This course taught the practitioners how to prostrate the Buddha with consciousness, observation of the Five Precepts and meditation in the Buddhist manner. After that, V.A. Kittiched gave a sermon and opening speech of the course with leading the practitioners to recollect the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, parents and all supporters. There were several activities such as walking meditation, recognition of loving-kindness and recollection of the Buddha practice. Most of practitioners have received delight of inner peace and the well-practiced ones’ minds have become more refined, humble to develop their practice. Finally they could get thoroughly the core teachings of the Buddha.
We have some parts of V.A. Kittiched’s teaching in this course as following;
The most important ‘Precept’ of all is at our mind…’Pure and Kind Heart.’
What if the metal could become rusty; likewise, our mind could also be defiled.…
When we are aware of our mind’s speculating, it’s like we protect the metal from rusty due to we always take care and avoid getting oxygen and water together, it would not to get rusty.
Awareness of “Thinking”, the thought is gone then the mind would be peaceful.
Keep ourselves be conscious in everything we do. If you are new learner in practicing, just aware of ‘Seeing’, ‘Smelling’, ‘Tasting’. When the thoughts come then just be aware and mindful immediately, for instance; ‘Being Angry’, if we have mindfulness, it would not cause any problem. As like we study in kindergarten then primary and then secondary school, we would be good at it finally!
‘Pawatanha’ means craving for existence; craving for rebirth; craving for sensual pleasures connected with the view of eternalism.
‘Vipawatanha’ means craving for self-annihilation; craving for (or attachment to) sensual pleasures connected with the view of nihilism; craving for non-existence. It is generated by ‘Kammatanha’ (sensual craving; craving for sensual pleasures) It make us attach to physical apperance, taste and smell.
Therefore, three types of Tanha lead us to the cycle of birth and death in many lives. Just understand how to release ourselves from desires and craving, our minds will be clear and relieved.
Stay in present with awaken mind but in the beginning of practice, you must be aware and observe your mind. Mind at ‘Heart-base’ is to perceive what we feel, what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we taste, and what we touch but we should not imagine things ourselves. When we are mindful and aware of the present experience in your mind momentarily and we will avoid thinking or doing bad thing at all time.
If you practice walking and sitting meditation, it would really help you a lot. Experiencing the movement within the body such as having a meal, taking a bath, sleeping at night; these are called ‘Practicing the Dhamma’.
Talking about ‘Four Sublime States of Mind’, one of practitioners got emotion recognition test from V.A. Kittiched.
Then she explained;
“Firstly, I’d been never interested in Four Sublime States of Mind that much due to I used to think that I was quite good at practicing the Dhamma. But after I practice Four Sublime States of Mind from V.A. Kittiched, it seems that my ego was gone. This is like a short-cut practice. Loving-kindness upon equanimity has much more stability and capacity.”
Before finishing the course, V.A.Kittiched gave a sermon to guide the practitioners about Four Sublime States of Mind practice;
“Practice until your mind has fully loving-kindness and tenderness, then your ego or attaching ‘My own’ would be gone easily. Some people think that Four Sublime States of Mind maybe not quite important, but if you start practicing, you will understand that Four Sublime States of Mind is also one of meditation method and the defilements will gradually disappear. In the other hand, some people have seriously practiced The Dhamma until now, they have seen and experienced various phenomenon works and the process of the mind works accordingly but their minds have never changed or developed and the defilements still remain the same. This is my clarification of practicing to lead you all to the right direction.”
May the merit of this course ‘Four Sublime States of Mind build happiness at Heart’ share to you all.
Please rejoice in this merit with V.A. Kittiched, monks, nuns, hosts, volunteers and all practitioners.
Sa-thu…
