May all beings who hear this talk quickly make progress in their meditation practice. May the Dhamma that you now hear fill your hearts with joy and contentment, and with confidence in the Buddha who taught this Dhamma.

The Buddha is in your heart. The Dhamma is in your heart and the Sangha is in your heart. These three jewels are in your heart — therefore you no longer need to let the mind wander outward. Simply know what is happening in your mind right now. If something good arises — know it; if something bad arises — know it. You know when you think well and you know when you think poorly. The heart knows. In the heart you are alert, fresh and open. The heart knows what is going on in the mind — when the mind thinks, the heart knows it. In this way you can see and understand Dhamma. The heart knows the Dhamma — this is what we call Cittanupassana-Satipatthana — knowing what is presently occurring in the mind.

Dhammanupassana-Satipatthana is knowing the present Dhamma. It allows you to know what the Buddha taught. If you do not yet know — then practice now. Know and let go. Know what you are thinking — if you think good thoughts, know it; if you think bad thoughts — know it. Know the present moment. This is the same as knowing BUD- while breathing in and -DHO while breathing out. You know the in-breath and you know the out-breath.

When a monk is ordained, the Upajjhaya (the monk who ordains him) gives him the five Kammatthana objects during the ceremony. He tells him to contemplate head hair (Kesa), body hair (Loma), nails (Nakhā), teeth (Danta), and skin (Taco). Thus monks receive their first meditation instruction at ordination. This is meant to lead the meditator to detach from worldly things by recognizing their suffering nature. If he did not strive for this detachment, one might ask why he ordained at all. You should truly make an effort to see these five Kammatthana objects and understand their nature. Every meditator should do this. Go through these five objects again and again during meditation — from front to back and from back to front. Practicing in this way shows true respect to the Buddha. Reflect on the hair on your head, the hair growing all over your body — know and reflect upon your body. Close your eyes and try to see them as if your eyes were open. Know and reflect. Let this meditation become your mental strength.

A monk is someone who sharpens concentration and reflects on the true nature of things. If you practice in this way, you practice like a monk. Imagine your practice as if you were polishing a Buddha statue. Polish the mind until it becomes soft and pliable. A statue is first treated with cleansing agents and then wiped clean with cloths. Afterwards it shines like new. One’s own mind becomes filled with joy. While doing the work there is joy, and when the work is completed, joy and satisfaction arise.

Know your body and imagine that you are sitting here like a Buddha image. Do not let the mind wander outward. Imagine you are cleaning the Buddha statue and imagine that the Buddha is in your heart, the Dhamma is in your heart and the Sangha is in your heart. If you prepare your mind in this way, joy arises in the mind and it becomes easy to develop concentration. What you did not yet know will appear; what you have never seen, you will see.

The meditator knows whether his mind is calm or restless. He should constantly know. If the mind thinks this or that — he knows it and lets this knowing go again. If there is constant change in the mind — he only knows and lets go. You know you are sitting here to develop concentration. You are trying to cultivate the mind. Knowing that the Buddha is in your heart, the Dhamma is in your heart and the Sangha — the noble disciples of the Buddha — is in your heart. If you can know and see this, mental defilements disappear quickly. You become noble.

Even if you notice that your death is approaching, you should practice in this way. Practice in order to transcend death. Paramattha — the Absolute — is deathless. But first you must see death, see dying, so that you understand this reality.

The Buddha is the highest being, the Dhamma is the highest teaching and the Sangha, the realized disciples of the Buddha, are deeply worthy of veneration. But if the Sangha does not practice, it cannot develop. The Sangha must practice — without interruption. Just as you must eat — you eat today and you eat tomorrow. There is no day when you say, “That’s enough, I will stop eating.” In the same way, you should meditate daily. Sharpen your concentration daily. Then you can be sure you are making progress. Sitting here and meditating means you are doing something for your progress. When concentration improves, you can see this progress. What you have never seen — you will see. What you have not yet known — you will know. Thus you can recognize your own progress.

Through this, confidence arises in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, because you can experience for yourself what he taught, see for yourself what he saw. In this way you too can attain enlightenment, just as the Buddha did 2,500 years ago.

Practice as often and as much as you can. Laziness hinders your progress. Observe the breath as it enters and know it as it leaves. Rapture arises on the in-breath and rapture arises on the out-breath. When the meditator’s mind reaches this point, it becomes easy to overcome the hindrances. Mental dullness and reluctance no longer arise. That is someone who has made progress.

To practice in this way means that you can personally experience the truth of the Dhamma. You no longer need to ask anyone — you can know and see everything for yourself. May you open your mind and seriously practice what the Buddha taught, what the Dhamma declares and what the Sangha practices.