THE BUDDHA BODY
WITHIN
AURA
is at the rim of the nostril, on the right side for men and on the left side for women.
The second base
is at the bridge of the nose at the corner of the eye � on the right side for men and on the left side for women.
The third base is at the center of the head.
The fourth base is at the roof of the mouth.
The fifth base is at the center of the throat above the Adam�s apple.
The sixth base is at a point in the center of the body at the meeting point of an imaginary line between the navel through the back and the line between the two sides.
The seventh base of the mind is two fingers� breadths above the sixth base. This base is the most important point in the body. It is the very center of the body and the point where the mind can come to a standstill.
In 1916 (B.E. 2459), Luang Phor Sodh Candasaro (Chao Khun Phra Mongkol-Thepmuni) rediscovered the Vijja Dhammakaya Approach to meditation which had been lost sometime during the first five hundred years following the passing away of Lord Buddha. The technique leads the meditator directly along the path to enlightenment and emancipation by combining concentration (samatha) and insight (vipassana) meditation techniques. It is, thus, extremely focused and effective.
Vijja Dhammakaya practice has become popular and widespread in Thailand. This web site is intended to make the method more widely available to English speakers.
BASIC VIJJA DHAMMAKAYA MEDITATION
1. The sitting posture, which has been found to be the most conducive for meditation, is the half-lotus position. Sit upright with your back and spine straight � cross-legged with your right leg over the left one.
You can sit on a cushion or pillow to make your position more comfortable. Nothing should impede your breathing or circulation. Your hands should rest palms-up on your lap, and the tip of your right index finger should touch your left thumb. Feel as if you are one with the ground on which you sit. Feel that you could sit happily for as long as you like.
2. Softly close your eyes as if you were falling asleep. Relax every part of your body, beginning the muscles of your face, then relax your face, neck shoulders, arms, chest, trunk and legs. Make sure there are no signs of tension on your forehead or across your shoulders.
3. Close your eyes and stop thinking about the things of the world. Feel as if you are sitting alone � around you is nothing and no-one. Create a feeling of happiness and spaciousness in your mind. Before starting, it is necessary to acquaint yourself with the various resting points or bases of the mind inside the body
4. Feel that your body is empty space, without organs, muscles or tissues. Gently and contentedly rest you attention at a point near to the seventh base of the mind � at the center of the body. Whatever experience arises in the mind, simply observe without attempting to interfere. In this way your mind will become gradually purer and inner experience will unfold
5. If you find that you cannot dissuade the mind from wandering, then your mind needs an inner object as a focus for attention. Gently imagine that a bright, clear, crystal ball, the size of the tip of your little finger, is located inside at the center of the body. Maybe you�ll find you can imagine nothing, but later you�ll be able to see a crystal ball of increasing clarity. Allow your mind to come to rest at the very center of the crystal ball. Use the subtlest of effort and you�ll find that the crystal ball becomes brighter and clearer. If you see too much effort you will find that it gives you a headache.
6. If you find that your mind still wanders from the crystal ball, you can bring the mind back to a standstill by repeating the mantra, �Samma-araham� silently, as if the sound of the mantra is coming from the center of the crystal ball. Repeat the mantra over and over again without counting
7. Don�t entertain thoughts in your mind. Don�t analyze what�s going on in the meditation. Allow the mind to come to the standstill � that�s all you need to do. If you find that you can imagine nothing, then repeat the mantra, �Samma-araham� silently and continuously in the mind. If you find that you�re not sure about the location of the center of the body, anywhere in the area of the stomach will do. Persevere because today�s day-dream is tomorrow�s still mind, today�s darkness is tomorrow�s inner brightness, today�s perseverance is tomorrow�s fulfillment.
Don�t be disappointed if you find your mind wandering. It is only natural for beginners. Make effort continuously, keep your mind bright, clear and pure, and in the end, you will achieve your goal.
8. Keep repeating the mantra and eventually the sound of the words will die away. At that point a new bright, clear, crystal ball will arise in the mind of its own accord. The crystal ball will sparkle like a diamond.
This stage is called pathama magga (primary path). At this stage the shining crystal ball is connected firmly to the mind, and is seated at the center of the body. You will experience happiness, With continuous observation at the center of this crystal ball, it will give way to a succession of increasingly purer bodily sheaths until it reaches the ultimate one called �Dhammakaya�, the highest level of attainment of supreme happiness.
MORE DETAILS
Firstly you must learn to find the all-important place, the center of the body. The easiest way is to imagine a transparent line, starting an inch above your navel and straight through your body to your back. Then another line, still an inch above your navel level, from the middle of the right side of your body and then over to the left. The crossing-point of the 2 lines, is the place, we are looking for. It is sometimes called the heart base, the void center, the diaphragm pit, in Pali Haddaya vatthu, but we will refer to it as �The Center of the Body�. This is the place, where your mind should rest during meditation. As an aid we will use a so-called kasina, an object to fix our mind on. Luang Phor Sodh chose a crystal ball, or sphere. Any size will do, but 3 cm. in diameter has proved to be the most common.
Try to imagine a small, transparent spot at the very center of the sphere.
Then in your mind move the sphere right inside your body, so that the transparent center-spot of the sphere is located at the center-point of your body. In the beginning it might be difficult to make your mind obey you when asked to enter the body. If you think of The Statue of Liberty instead, your mind will travel to New York in a split second. But trying to lure it the very short distance to the center of your body might take ages, for some people years. It is only natural, because since we were born, our mind activities have almost entirely been centered outside the body.
To help your concentration so that your mind will rest and stop still at one point, namely the centre of the sphere at the center of your body, a so-called parikamma or mantra might be useful. It is, of course, a mental recital. Don't speak it out loud.
The school of Wat Paknam uses "Samma Arahang" . Samma means the Buddha�s Supreme Right Wisdom, and Arahang stands for his Perfect Purity.
This word-formula is also a sort of signal to those higher spiritual beings in Nibbana, by whom supernatural aid may be transmitted down.
And since your mind is concentrated at the centre of the sphere, your mental voice should �speak� from that point, too. If the mind starts wandering, just acknowledge the fact. By no means be upset or disappointed, blaming yourself for being no good. It is only natural. Just gently bring your mind back to your body�s center by reciting �Samma Arahang� continuously.
The moment your mind is 100 % concentrated, standing still at one point, you will see your own personal nucleus, very bright and entirely clear, brighter than daylight, and as vivid as if seen by the physical eye. You can now stop reciting the mantra, because from this point and onward it is no longer imagination, but the �real thing�. Try to stay calm at this point. Don�t be overexcited, since this might cause the nucleus to disappear again. Just be mindful at the center of the sphere, until you reach maximum concentration, and you will then see the center expand itself, growing into a bigger and brighter sphere than the previous one. Each time a new sphere emerges, go straight to its center and rest your mind in one-pointedness, until the sphere is ready to expand.
At some point your own refined human body (or astral-body) will manifest itself, sitting in the same position as you are. The details of the astral-body are somehow more refined than those of the crude body and it appears transparent. Now let your mind move to the center of the refined body, become that body, and forget about
Vijja Dhammakaya Meditation Practice:
