Basic Thammakai Imagery
Sitting:
1. Start by finding a comfortable position for yourself in meditation. Sit in an upright position and place your right leg on your left leg, with your hands palm upwards in your lap with right index finger touching your left thumb. Or you can adopt any other loser variation of this position, such as sitting on a sofa, or your favourite chair, lying down on your bed, taking a walk in the garden or sitting in a secluded corner. It is important you feel relaxed in order to maintain a comfortable posture; as this will help you attain a feeling as if you are one with the ground that you are sat upon.
2. Close your eyes very gently and relax every part of your body beginning with the muscles in your face, neck, shoulders and arms, relax them all completely. Relax the chest, the lower body and your legs. Never forget the importance to release all the tension and stress from your body.
3. Put aside for a few moments all anxieties concerning everyday life, responsibilities, work, friends and family. It is important that you experience a sensation of sitting all alone; around you there appears a vast emptiness with nothing in it.
First Base:
Visualise a clear crystal ball roughly the size of the tip of your little finger. Position the crystal ball at the edge of your nostril (the first base), left side for women, and right side for men. Allow your mind to come to a standstill at the centre of the crystal ball, and recite the mantra to yourself, Samma-Arahang (3 times). Continue positioning your mind at the centre of the crystal ball, as it grows ever brighter.
Second Base:
Move the crystal ball to the second base at the corner of the eye socket, just below the tear duct, left side for women, and right side for men. Maintain your mind at a standstill, at the centre of the crystal ball, and recite the mantra to yourself, Samma-Arahang (3 times), continue positioning your mind at the centre of the crystal ball, as it grows ever brighter.
Third Base:
Move the crystal ball to the third base at the centre of the skull inside your head. Roll your eyes upwards inside your head, a technique which allows you to send your mind inwards similar to falling asleep, the crystal ball will rest there automatically. Maintain your mind at a standstill, at the centre of the crystal ball, and recite the mantra to yourself, Samma-Arahang (3 times), continue positioning your mind at the centre of the crystal ball, as it grows ever brighter.
Seventh Base:
Move the crystal ball to the seventh base, which is commonly referred to as the centre of the body; it is located two finger widths above the sixth base. Maintain your mind at a standstill, at the centre of the crystal ball, and recite the mantra to yourself, Samma-Arahang, continue reciting the mantra while at the same time positioning your mind at the centre of the crystal ball as it not only grows brighter but also becomes more translucent.
Encounter the crystal ball growing brighter only in your body, not at the face, not at the chest and not at the body. Maintain a relaxed mind like the heart of an innocent child and utilise your mind not your eyes only in ‘knowing’, no more, no less, while at the same time reciting the mantra to yourself Samma-Arahang until you reach the appropriate time.
We conclude this session of Samma-Arahang when the crystal ball becomes the real Thamma sphere. On seeing the Thamma sphere your mind will feel completely relaxed and filled with thoughts of happiness and joy, and spacious, enabling you to forget all concerns with your everyday life, continuously focus your attention on the Seventh Base for as long as possible until you reach the appropriate time.
The four divine bodies
The first-divine body
Envisage your mind as a needlepoint, position your needlepoint mind at the centre of the Thamma sphere and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise a tiny clear needlepoint in the centre of the Thamma sphere maintain your mind on the clear needlepoint and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise this tiny clear needlepoint expanding as it reveals the divine body as it becomes the clear white image of a divine body, who’s head is shaped like that of a lotus bud 10 metres high and 10 metres wide, sitting cross-legged and facing out into the emptiness as do we, this is the 10 metre divine body.
The second-divine body
Direct your mind to look at the nostrils of the 10 metre divine body, left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Move your mind to look at the eye socket of the divine body left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Now observe inside the head at the centre of the skull of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Advance downwards and look through the divine bodies throat at the centre of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop. See Thamma sphere.
Send your mind motionless to the centre of Thamma sphere and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise seeing a tiny clear pinpoint, concentrate your motionless mind at the centre of this tiny clear pinpoint and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise this tiny clear pinpoint expanding as it reveals the Thamma body as it becomes the clear white image of a divine body, who’s head is in the shape of a lotus bud 20 metres high and 20 metres wide, sitting cross-legged and facing out into the emptiness as do we, this is the 20 metre divine body.
The third-divine body
Direct your mind to look at the nostrils of the 20 metre divine body, left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Move your mind to look at the eye socket of the divine body left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Now observe inside the head at the centre of the skull of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Advance downwards and look through the divine bodies throat at the centre of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop. See Thamma sphere.
Send your mind motionless to the centre of Thamma sphere and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise seeing a tiny clear pinpoint, concentrate your motionless mind at the centre of this tiny clear pinpoint and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise this tiny clear pinpoint expanding as it reveals the Thamma body as it becomes the clear white image of a divine body, who’s head is in the shape of a lotus bud 30 metres high and 30 metres wide, sitting cross-legged and facing out into the emptiness as do we, this is the 30 metre divine body.
The forth-divine body
Direct your mind to look at the nostrils of the 30 metre divine body, left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Move your mind to look at the eye socket of the divine body left side for women, and right side for men and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Now observe inside the head at the centre of the skull of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Advance downwards and look through the divine bodies throat at the centre of the divine body and recite to yourself Stop in Stop. See Thamma sphere.
Send your mind motionless to the centre of Thamma sphere and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise seeing a tiny clear pinpoint, concentrate your motionless mind at the centre of this tiny clear pinpoint and recite to yourself Stop in Stop.
Visualise this tiny clear pinpoint expanding as it reveals the Thamma body as it becomes the clear white image of a divine body, who’s head is in the shape of a lotus bud 40 metres high and 40 metres wide, sitting cross-legged and facing out into the emptiness as do we, this is the 40 metre divine body.
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Translated by Clint J. Barnard
ความเห็น (2)
สวัสดีค่ะอาจารย์ดีใจมากค่ะที่พบบันทึกของท่านแล้ว กลับจากเมืองนอกมานานหรือยังค่ะท่าน หนูกำลังแปลบันทึกท่านอย่างช้าๆ อาจารย์แปลไทยไปเลยได้หรือไม่สงสารหนูเถอะค่ะ
เรียน คุณ rinda
ยังไม่ได้กลับเมืองไทยครับ ยังอยู่ไต้หวัน
สำหรับเรื่องภาษาไทยนั้น ไม่ต้องห่วงเดี๋ยวจัดการให้
ขออธิบาย ดังนี้
ต้นฉบับของการฝึกจินตภาพแบบวิชชาธรรมกาย (Thammakai Imagery) ก็คือ ภาษาไทยของเรานี่แหละครับ
เพราะ ผมพัฒนามาจากการสอนปฏิบัติธรรมเบื้องต้น
เนื่องจากเท่าที่ไปสอนมาหลายแห่ง คนศาสนาอื่นๆ ที่เป็นผู้ใหญ่แล้ว (และเป็นคนไทย) มักจะไม่กล้าปฏิบัติตาม
แต่ถ้าเป็นคนศาสนาอื่นที่เป็นชาวต่างประเทศ กลับไม่มีท่าทีแบบคนไทย คือ สามารถปฏิบัติตามได้ทันที
ผมจึงพัฒนาให้เป็นภาษาอังกฤษด้วย และภาษาอื่นๆ เช่น ภาษาจีนกลางด้วย แต่ภาษาอื่นยังไม่สำเร็จ
ภาษาอังกฤษนี่ คุณคลิ้นซึ่งเป็นชาวอังกฤษและเป็นวิทยากรอยู่ด้วยกัน ช่วยแปลสำนวนให้เสร็จก่อน จึงนำมาเผยแพร่ก่อน