difficulties practicing ānāpāna-sati (mindfulness of breathing)

A meditator had difficulties practicing ānāpāna-sati (mindfulness of breathing) and did not wish to meditate anymore. After changing to the skeleton object of meditation, she developed concentration and became keen to continue striving in meditation.

Every being has had previous lives. Due to causes from previous lives, we obtained the current life. The kinds of minds that occurred in the past lives, the deeds and speech from then, can have an effect up till the present life.

For example, if someone had been a hunter in the past, when they see animals as a young child, the wish to kill arises in the mind. The wish for the animals to die keeps arising and this is due to causes rooted in the past.

If we had developed meditation (bhāvanā) previously, the object would appear clearly to us in this life. For those who had practised asubha (repulsiveness) and skeleton meditations in the past, they would be able to see everyone in this life as repulsive, as skeletons.

For those who had practised the contemplations on the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha; in this present life, even as children, they have wholesome thoughts, speech and actions. They have faith in kamma and the causes of kamma. They are also reborn into good lives.

Life is what we have done and come across previously, about our experiences and we cling onto these due to ignorance. We then form perceptions about others based on our experiences.

For those who were born female in this life, some were born male in a previous life. Similarly for those born male in this life, many were also born female in a previous life.

When we refer to the future, it is in fact, based on the current life's causes. Whatever we do in this life through the cause and effect of our thoughts, speech and actions will arise clearly in the future life.

When I point my finger outward in accusation of another person, I have to be careful because another three fingers are at the same time, pointing back at myself.

When we have the wrong understanding about 'male' and 'female', it is called avijjā (ignorance). When we think about 'male' and 'female' lives, about desiring to have any one of these lives, then taṇhā (craving) arises. When we contemplate on dependent origination, we see those lives as boring and as causes of attachment.

The Lord Buddha himself, after experiencing numerous lives, did not desire for these repeated experiences any longer. He instructed us to practice in this way too. With every object, we should practice until we can see them as merely rūpa (materiality) and nāma (mentality). Then we should contemplate the arising and passing away of rūpa and nāma, and its true nature through the vipassanā practice. We are able to break down rūpa and nāma only when vipassanā knowledge arises. When dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) is eliminated and extinguished, then one attains to nibbāna (cessation).

May you practice the dhamma
whenever time is available;
May you be successful in the practice -
This is my sincere wish for you.

Sayalay Dipankara Theri
In Malaysia