Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I have practiced using the parikamma or meditation word “buddho” of and on for years but have often given up out of frustration that I’m not experiencing altered states or jhana during daily life. Let’s put aside for a moment how unrealistic such an idea is and just take that conception at face value. That said, I short question and answer session that Ajahn Achalo recorded gave me a whole new perspective. In other words, I’ve been doing it wrong.

Rather than view buddho during daily life as a concentrating technique, it’s much more skillful and useful to see it as a way to seed the mind with wholesome potential. This way, when dearth comes, the probability of it being in a better state is much higher. Plus, by keeping buddho in mind even a little bit it may be that I’ll be less easily deluded.