Look Inside

We close our eyes when we meditate because we want to look clearly at the mind. We don’t want to be distracted by things outside. After all, the source of suffering is inside. And the solution is inside. So we want to clearly see what’s going on inside and have a strong sense of when it’s going well and when it’s not going well. We don’t just accept whatever comes up.

We listen to the Dhamma. We think about it. Then we have to put it into practice in our own minds because this is where the real issue is. The issue is not out there in the books or in the talk. It’s in what our minds are doing right now. This is why the forest ajaans say that when you’re listening to a Dhamma talk, you should meditate and give most of your attention, almost all your attention, to the breath, to your meditation. That’s what the talk should be about. Otherwise, it becomes a distraction.

So think of it as a fence that keeps you from wandering out, keeps pointing you back in, back in, because this is where the real issues are: the way the mind relates to the body, the way it relates to its knowledge of the world through its sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations. That’s where the real issues are. So focus in here. Try to keep the mind as quiet as possible so that you can clearly see what’s in here. Otherwise, it’s all words. But when we actually see this is what mindfulness is—it’s a function of the mind, tt’s an activity of the mind—that’s when we’re with the real thing. Concentration, discernment: These are activities of the mind. So you want to see those activities clearly. Nurture the skillful ones. Get the unskillful ones out of the way. Then this problem of the suffering that we cause ourselves has a chance of being solved.

So the issues are right here, and the solution is right here as well. So focus your attention right here on the heart. Try to keep it there as much as you can as you go through the day, even when you’re doing other activities in the kitchen, in the orchard, around the monastery.

When you leave the monastery, still keep touch with what’s going on in your mind. After all, it’s not the case that greed, aversion, and delusion come up only when you’re meditating. They’re not polite. They don’t wait until you feel that you’re ready for them. They’ll come at any time. So you have to be prepared at any time so that they don’t take over the mind.

So keep your attention in here as much as you can, because this is where the real issues are. The media tell us that the issues are what other people are doing out there. And although their actions may impinge on what we’re going to experience, still how we deal with what we’re going to experience depends entirely on us, on our own skill. So the issues are right here. Keep your attention right here, and the issues will have a chance of being resolved.