Cattāri Brahmavihārā

When you meditate on buddho, be patient. Don’t be in a hurry. Be confident in your meditation word and use mindfulness to keep the mind with its buddho. Your confidence is what will make the mind firm and unwavering, able to let go of all its doubts and uncertainties. The mind will gather in on its meditation word, and mindfulness will keep it solely with buddho at all times. Whether you sit, stand, walk, lie down, or whatever work you do, mindfulness will be alert to nothing but buddho. If your mindfulness is still weak, and your techniques still few, you have to hold on to buddho as your foundation. Otherwise your meditation won’t progress; or even if it does progress, it won’t have any foundation.

For concentration to be strong, the mind has to be resolute. When mindfulness is strong and the mind resolute, you decide that this is what you want: “If I can’t catch hold ofbuddho, or see buddho in my heart, or get the mind to stay put solely with buddho, I won’t get up from my meditation. Even if my life will end, I don’t care.” When you do this, the mind will gather into one faster than you realize it. The meditation wordbuddho, or whatever it is that may have been bothering or perplexing you, will vanish in the flash of an eye. Even your body, which you’ve been attached to for so long, won’t appear to you. All that remains is the heart — simple awareness — cool, calm, and at ease.

Phra Ajaan Thate Desaransi