| Posted on September 4, 2010 at 12:58 AM |
Letter No 50
Dear Dayika,
The Venerable Nayaka Thero is in receipt of your letter of the 19th. When I had translated it to him, he announced that at last you have reason to be happy that your endeavours are 'Fruite'-ful. That 'extraordinaty level of Peace and Rest never before experienced' in which you 'had been transformed into the quality of Peace' ....... etc. is the Fruit of Stream - winning ( Sotapattiphala) . It is the taste of Bliss of Nibbana - the true awakening ("was I awake of sleep?" you were more awake than asleep )
The fact that "Time did not seem to come into this experience" shows that it is a supermundade level. ("All other experiences I have had so far .... seemed gross and material in comparision").
While congratulating you on your success, the Venerable Nayaka Thero instructs you as to how you should re-attain that same experience in Phala samapatti. You have only to get into the same frame of mind (as far as you can recollect) which you were in, when that experience occurred and make a formal determination like "May I re-attain that sublime level of Nibbanic bliss - may I re-attain the Fruit of the First Path" He said that you should also determine the period of experience, say....... May I remain in it for one minute, (and then) for 2 mts, 5 mts and so on.
The experience will last exactly the period for which you determine it. He also encourages you to further pregress on the noble Path.
Ref. that littel point on terminology:'concentration' is the usual rendering for samadhi in the triple training sila, samadhi , panna. 'Samatha' is calm or Serenity as opposed to vipassana (insight) , a more generic term covering the trend , and tenor of samadhi. 'Sati is mindfulness the precursor of samadhi which lasts longer. I hope you could sort out the reference to concentration in the earlier letter in this context. (You may take it as the power of concentration in relation to the power of insight)
Best wishes for your further progress.
with metta
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