Ajahn Brahmavamso’s advice for meditation

Ven Mettavihari who resides in the Narada Bauddha Dharmayatanaya, formerly the Narada Buddhist Research and Information Centre at Sarana Road, Colombo 7, is the advisor to the Brahm Society of Sri Lanka. They are preparing for a visit from Ajahn Brahm to Sri Lanka in May 2025.

Ven Mettavihari sent me a verbatim transcription of a talk given by Ven Brahmavamso. Impressed and finding it useful in my attempts to meditate, I decided to redo the article and share it with others in this season of Unduvap Poya, so important to Sri Lanka and women since it marks the arrival of Theri Sanghamitta and the inauguration of the Mehinisassna in the island. I will give Ajahn Brahm’s actual words within speech punctuation, attempting to retain the ‘flavour’ of his style of preaching. I may not succeed in this but his messages will be conveyed.

“Meditation is learning how to just simply relax the mind but sometimes people misunderstand what meditation is. They try very hard; they try to achieve something; get rid of things and that very trying is the opposite of meditation. When you try to direct your body to do something, you cannot let it do things on its own. You cannot be running around or even walking when you are trying to relax your body. When I teach meditation today, emphasizing on how to relax the body and using exactly the same methods to relax your mind, that is Buddhist mediation. It’s not about concentration. That is a very unfortunate translation or rather, mistranslation of the Buddhist term Samadi. It is about stillness, relaxation, and peace that we aim at.”

I now listen to Ajahn Brahmali’s talks on YouTube; he being a devoted pupil of Ajahn Brahm. Ajahn Brahmali gives the same advice. He says that when you are prepared for meditation with correct posture on a cushion or chair and in a suitable place, you relax your body and mind, while of course being fully awake and straight. He says the body will take over and if all is correct, you will get absorbed in your in-and-out breathing or other object you decide to focus your attention on. Ajahn Brahm gives the same advice about posture etc and adds: “You do not get extra points for sitting on the floor.” Ease, comfort, relaxation are all important

Ven Brahm goes a step further. “Now able to take that relaxation deeper, you do need to be very aware of your body. Simple mindfulness. At the beginning that awareness of your body is just very superficial. When it gets strong enough by itself, you actually start to perceive tensions and tight spots in your body. You learn to relax those spots. It’s like looking at your speed gauge when driving. This gauge of mindfulness will indicate to you whether you are tensing more or getting relaxed. With the feedback given, you relax more and more until you feel really relaxed. You then start to experience what I call delight in relaxation.”

Then comes one of his real life similes. “You may think this a mere technique but as your relaxed meditation increases you recognize the happiness, the delight, the sheer joy of these states of relaxation. People spend thousands of dollars going to Bali to sit on a chair near the ocean and get relaxed. But you achieve this with no hassle of airports, flight delays, losing baggage and great spending.

“This is what I want you to start perceiving, noticing your body relaxing. If you notice delight in it, a strange thing happens: the relaxing goes deeper. Experiencing delight the mind wants more, so you relax to the max until your body feels continuous delight. The duration of your delight varies, depending on situation, time of year, day, your well-being. So no fixed rules; you adapt. That’s what mindfulness does; gives you feedback and you relax.”

He then deals with obstacles like an unfortunate incident that morning, or someone being nasty to you. “You find it difficult to get the ache out of our body, just saying ‘get out’ will not help. You have to deal with this, tend it, care for your mind and with kindness, induce relaxation. The body will relax, the mind will follow. Awareness is not enough, we need to add these other wonderful qualities: compassion, kindness, softness.”

“When you are kind to something, you find there is a softening. If it is a memory of the past, kindness will soften your mind and the hurt or pain or resentment will vanish. In the same way you may be worried about the future. Maybe your biopsy result will be given you the next day or your kid is facing a tough exam which affects his future. You cannot force the thought out of your mind nor not take notice. Accept it and like an ache in the body, loosen it. Be kind to your mind dwelling on the future, soften it and the pain too will disappear.”

We all who try to meditate know how thoughts come to the mind and upset our relaxation and one-pointedness. Ajahn Brahm advices getting away from past and present by relaxing, relax with the now – dwell on the present moment. “As I say, be a friend to the present moment. Don’t be an owner, controller, boss. Don’t be a mind control freak. Be a friend, have a relationship of friendliness with your mental world, you’ve lived with it your whole life.”

He then touches on the Buddhist concept of rebirth and suggests we have gone through many lives with this same mind. So we are stuck with our minds. Thus we’d better learn to be kind to it, no escape from the mind. This was a concept that came to me worded simply by Ajahn Brahmali who says when we die we take our minds with us to the next birth. We’ve been told we take the chuthi sitha, which Sampath the three wheeler driver who spins me around explains as – chuthi means leaves. Using the term ‘mind departing’ explains rebirth in a friendlier manner to me.

Ajahn Brahm brings in a personal anecdote here. He says that when teaching meditation if he was boring, the minds of the people listening would wander. If he were kind and concerned, they sense it. It becomes obvious. He thus introduces kindness and concern and shares it with the people who he preaches to. “Treat your minds with some respect, some kindness, some care. You will become more aware, your mindfulness increases. It’s like awakening in the morning and sensing more around you. It is the awakened one from the world Pujati – to wake up.

“The stronger your mindfulness, the happier you feel. And as you remain still in the present moment a long time, wow, your happiness gets off the scale. That is the result of being mindful and kind. Here we go. So close your eyes and decide not to fight. Not fighting with our body or mind but learning to be at peace with both.”

He is considerate too about our human frailties. He advices: “If you want to adjust your body, wiggle your bottom, have a scratch, a nose blow, please do it out of respect for your bodily peace. Once that coarse relaxation of the body through bodily movement is complete, now relax the body even further. If you feel any tension or irritation be fully aware of it. Do not try to get rid of it. Like a barking dog if you try to chase it, it will come at you and bite! What is the mind attitude that sent to your body. gives relief? By watching the dial of mindfulness, you’ll find it is kindness, love, acceptance, embracing, caring which relaxed your body deeper and deeper. Just as a mother comforts her child when it is sick and takes away the pain, be aware of the delight of relaxation.”

“All the problems of the past or the future, be kind to them, soften them. See if you can do the same with your mental world, relaxing it until all that is left is this moment called now. Look at it as your best friend. Don’t try to hold this moment with force, don’t use will power, use kindness.”

I am sure you reader will agree it all sounds very easy while meditation is not easy. The crux of Ajahn Brahm’s advice is to make it as easy and pleasurable as possible and the key is relaxation of both body and mind.

NPW