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Mae Chee Kaew
her. Knowing intuitively that she possessed uncommon spiritual potential and deep devotion, he began encouraging her to do meditation. He explained to her the same basic technique that Ajaan Sao had taught: silent repetition of the meditation-word ‘buddho’,
practiced repeatedly and continuously until it became the sole object of her awareness. He emphasized that mindfulness — being mindful and aware only of the moment-to-moment recitation of each syllable, bud-dho, bud-dho — must be present to direct her efforts: it would make her alert and fully attentive to the rise and fall of each repetition. A simple method, she thought; but, due to instinctive modesty, she hesitated taking it up at first. As Ajaan Mun repeatedly insisted that she try meditation practice, Tapai began to suspect that she must possess some inherent ability. She thought to herself: “I am just an ordinary village girl, but, I must have some inherent virtue. Why else would he show such an interest in me? From now on, I should take his advice and try to practice meditation in the way he has so kindly taught me.” One evening, after dinner, Tapai readied herself and went to her bedroom early. All day, she had felt a willful determination welling up inside her heart: today was the day to focus her full attention on the repetition of buddho, just as Ajaan Mun had taught her. With de-
votion and a serious sense of purpose, Tapai began to mentally repeat the meditation-word buddho. After about fifteen minutes of steady, deliberate recitation, her conscious mind suddenly dropped down to the heart and converged into a profound state of quiet stillness. It was as though she had instantly fallen to the bottom of a well, where her body and mind vanished into silence. The experience was so new, and so extraordinary, that she had no idea what had happened to her.