Once upon a time, gold contained impurities: dirty sand, gravel, and grit. The dirt-washer or his apprentice placed the gold in a vat and washed it repeatedly until all the impurities were removed.
With the gross impurities gone, moderate impurities remained: coarse sand and fine grit. The dirt-washer continued washing until these were also eliminated.
Next, fine impurities lingered: fine sand and black dust. The dirt-washer washed the gold again and again until these, too, were gone.
Finally, only gold dust remained. The goldsmith or his apprentice placed it in a crucible and blew on it continuously to remove the dross. Once thoroughly refined, the gold became pliant, malleable, and luminous, ready to be shaped into any ornament the goldsmith desired.
Similarly, a monk striving for a heightened mind begins by removing gross impurities: misconduct in body, speech, and mind. With awareness and effort, the monk abandons these.
With these gone, moderate impurities remain: thoughts of sensuality, ill will, and harmfulness. The monk works to eliminate these as well.
When these are gone, fine impurities persist: thoughts of caste, home district, and concerns about being despised. The monk continues to dispel these.
Finally, only thoughts of the Dharma remain. Initially, his concentration is not yet peaceful or refined. But over time, his mind settles and becomes unified and concentrated, attaining calm and unification.
With his mind purified, the monk can attain higher knowledge and extraordinary abilities whenever there is an opportunity.
He can wield supranormal powers: appearing and vanishing at will, passing through walls, diving into the earth, walking on water, flying, touching the sun and moon, and influencing great distances. He can hear divine and human sounds, discern the minds of others, recall past lives, see beings’ fates based on karma, and enter a state of effluent-free awareness and discernment.
Whenever there is an opening, he can witness these abilities directly.
Wisdom Tea 