Forest Path - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

what it takes to reach the goal 175
TC: Have you ever met or heard of anyone who has attained
magga/phala by only contemplating and not practising samàdhi?
TAP: No — if you want a straight answer. Samàdhi is essential for
the mind to have enough power to thoroughly cut through kilesa.
However, if one is practising vipassanà with the understanding and
intention that it will lead to the development of samàdhi at a later
stage, this is a valid way to go about it.
Almost all meditation monks — both Thais and those born in western
countries — have a character such that they need to use a lot of
pa¤¤à right from the very beginning in order to gradually make
their mind peaceful enough that they can develop samàdhi. Only a
very small percentage of Thais, and possibly no westerners, are the
type to fully develop samàdhi before beginning vipassanà.
TC: Can it be said how deep and strong samàdhi must be in
order to attain magga/phala?
TAP: It must be strong enough to be still and unified as one,
without any thinking whatsoever. There will still be awareness
— knowing what one is experiencing.
TC: According to whether one is in a remote location or in a busy
monastery, should one’s Dhamma practice change or remain the
same?
TAP: Dhamma practice takes on a different character if you are in
the city or are busy with duties in a monastery. In the forest there are
few external distractions and it is easy to make the mind peaceful. If
you have much sense contact and dealings with other people, it is
essential to figure out how not to pick up other people’s emotional
vibes (arom). Otherwise what happens is that the people around us
feel lighter while we feel heavier and heavier. It’s necessary to be
able to completely drop the mental engagement as soon as the
interactions with other people are finished. Otherwise when one
goes to sit meditation one has all the conversations and emotions of
the day floating around in the citta.
It’s easy to say, “just be mindful,” and “don’t pick up other people’s
baggage,” but it is very difficult to do. Luang Por Cha could take on
the problems and sufferings of others without picking up any of it