[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The touching point is also a nimitta.Here nimittameans the object of concentration.The Commentary mentionsthat the nostril sign (nasika-nimitta), and upper lip sign (mukha-nimitta) are the parikamma-nimitta for beginners.When con-centration is a little stronger a grey or smoky colour usually ap-pears around the nostrils.This grey or smoky colour is calledthe parikamma-nimitta.The concentration is called preparatoryconcentration, and the meditation too is called preparatorymeditation.All meditation and concentration up to this stage, iscalled preparatory meditation and preparatory concentration.Atthis stage, the nimitta may be not only smoky grey, but also othercolours.(2) The uggaha-nimitta: When the previous concentration in-creases in strength and power, the smoky grey usually changes towhite, like cotton wool.But it may become another colour, ow-ing to a change in perception.When the perception changes, thecolour and shape of the nimitta may also change.If the colourand shape change very often, the concentration will fall downgradually.This is because the meditator s perception changes.Whenever it changes, his object thereby also changes.He thenhas different objects.So the meditator should not pay attentionto the colour and shape of the nimitta.He should pay attentionto it as only an anapana-nimitta.This is the second nimitta.This concentration on the uggaha-nimitta is also called pre-paratory concentration, and the meditation too is called prepara-tory meditation.(3) The patibhaga-nimitta: When the concentration has be-come even stronger and powerful, the uggaha-nimitta changes tothe patibhaga-nimitta.Usually the patibhaga-nimitta is clear,bright and radiant, like the morning star.In this case too, if theperception changes, the nimitta may also change.If, when theconcentration is strong and powerful, the meditator wants the78Questions and Answers (3)nimitta to be long it will become long; if the meditator wants itto be short it will become short; if the meditator wants it to be-come ruby red it will become ruby red.This is because themeditator changes his perception, and this the Visuddhimaggasays one should not do.If one does so, then even though theconcentration is deep, it will gradually decrease.This is becauseone has different perceptions, and thereby different objects.So ameditator should not play with the nimitta.If he plays with it hecannot attain jhana.The beginning stage of concentration on the patibhaga-nimittais also called preparatory concentration, and the meditation alsopreparatory meditation.But concentration on the patibhaga-nimitta close to jhana is called access concentration.Thatmeditation is called access meditation.The nimitta is the patib-haga-nimitta.When absorption arises, the nimitta is still the pa-tibhaga-nimitta, but the concentration is absorption concentra-tion.That meditation is absorption meditation.Question 3.2: What is the difference between access concentra-tion and absorption concentration?Answer 3.2: When the patibhaga-nimitta appears, concentrationis powerful.At this stage, the stage of access concentration, thejhana factors are not fully developed.For this reason, duringaccess concentration, bhavavga mind states (life-continuum con-sciousness) still occur, and one can fall into bhavavga.Themeditator experiences this, and will say that everything stopped,or may think that it is Nibbana and say:  I knew nothing then.If he practises in this way, he can stay in bhavavga for a longtime.In any kind of practice, be it good or bad, one can achieveone s aim if one tries again and again. Practice makes perfect.In this case too, if he tries again and again, in the same way, hemay fall into bhavavga for a long time.Why does he say heknows nothing? Because the bhavavga takes as object the object79Knowing and Seeingat the time of near death in the past life.That object may bekamma, kamma sign (kamma-nimitta) or rebirth sign (gati-nimitta).But a meditator cannot see that the bhavavga takes oneof these objects, because he has not yet discerned dependent-origination.It is only when they have discerned dependent-origination that meditators see that the bhavavga takes one ofthese objects.If a meditator thinks it is Nibbana, this belief is a very big rock blocking the way to Nibbana.If he cannot remove thisbig  rock he cannot attain real Nibbana.Why does this beliefoccur? Many meditators think that a disciple (savaka) cannotknow mentality-materiality as taught by the Buddha.Because ofthis belief, they do not try to discern mentality-and-materiality,and their causes, as taught by the Buddha, and do not think it isnecessary to develop sufficiently deep concentration.In thatcase, when the concentration is only weak, bhavavga mind statesstill occur, because the jhana factors too are weak.Concentra-tion cannot be maintained for a long time.If one purposelypractises to fall into bhavavga, one may also achieve one s aim,but it is not Nibbana.To attain Nibbana we must practise theseven stages of purification step by step.Without knowing ulti-mate mentality, ultimate materiality, and their causes, one cannotattain real Nibbana.In the same way, when the anapana patibhaga-nimitta appears,the meditator s mind may fall into bhavavga because the jhanafactors are not yet strong enough.Just like, when learning towalk, a small child who is too weak to stand by himself, will falldown again and again.In the same way, at the access concen-tration stage, the jhana factors are not yet fully developed, andfor that reason during the access concentration stage, bhavavgamind states still occur, and one may fall into bhavavga.In real-ity it is not Nibbana.To avoid falling into bhavavga, and develop concentrationfurther, you need the help of the five controlling faculties of faith(saddha), effort (viriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration80Questions and Answers (3)(samadhi), and wisdom (pabba), to push the mind, and fix it onthe patibhaga-nimitta.It takes effort to make the mind know thepatibhaga-nimitta again and again, mindfulness not to forget thepatibhaga-nimitta, and wisdom to know the patibhaga-nimitta.At the absorption-jhana stage, the jhana factors are fully de-veloped.Just like a strong and powerful man can stand upstraight the whole day, a meditator can, taking the patibhaga-nimitta as object, stay in absorption jhana for a long time, with-out falling into bhavavga.At this stage, complete absorptionoccurs without interruption for one hour, or two hours, or threehours, etc.At that time he cannot hear a sound.His mind doesnot go to other objects.Apart from the patibhaga-nimitta, heknows nothing.Question 3.3: Under what conditions, or state, can we say that ameditation experience is access concentration or absorption con-centration?Answer 3.3: If many bhavavga states occur during concentra-tion, one can say that it is access concentration.But then thenimitta must be the patibhaga-nimitta.Only if one is able to stayin complete absorption for a long time, without interruption,taking the same patibhaga-nimitta as object, can one say that it isabsorption jhana.How can a meditator know that his mind is falling into bha-vavga? He may notice that he was very often unaware of thepatibhaga-nimitta.That is how he knows that it is bhavavga [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]