full run, corners its prey, and it is only a matter of time before the
prey is torn to shreds in the jaws of the chasing hound. There
could be no other ending, for the citta was armed with mahã-
sati and mahãpaññã – supreme-mindfulness and supreme-wisdom.
They never lapse for a single moment, even when one has no
intent to be vigilant. At this level, mindfulness and wisdom are
fully present, reacting automatically to all matters arising within
oneself. As soon as their cause is known and their true nature is
clearly understood, one simply lets go of them. It is not necessary
then to be in command, giving orders, as is the case in the ini-
tial stages of practice. When equipped with habitual mindfulness
and wisdom, there is no need for specific directions and calcu-
lated decisions to practice this or to investigate that, while having
to simultaneously guard against lapses in attention. “Reason and
result” are integrated into the nature of automatic mindfulness
and automatic wisdom; so, it is unnecessary to search on one’s
own for reasons and skillful methods to encourage their operation.
With the exception of sleep, all daily activities are the working
arenas for this level of mahãsati and mahãpaññã. Just like spring
water which flows steadily out of the ground all year round, they
work ceaselessly.
The thinking process is taken as the focal point of the inves-
tigation, in order to find the true source of these thoughts. The
four nãma khandhas – vedanã, saññã, sankhãra, and viññãõa – are
the appropriate battleground for this superior degree of mindful-
ness and wisdom. As for the rýpa khandha – the physical body
- it ceased to be a problem when one achieved the intermediate
level of wisdom. This form of wisdom performs the tasks neces-
sary for realizing the Anãgãmï stage of the Nobel Path. To attain
