My Dear Daughter,

Today, by a stroke of fortunate karma, Dad will continue sharing with you my experiences on the journey home. Along that journey, I am certain I have slumbered through many lifetimes and wandered off course countless times. This present life has offered me a fresh beginning—to continue the path or to awaken from that deep slumber. I deeply cherish this chance and have earnestly sought answers to the questions: “Who am I?”, “What is this ‘self’?”, “Why am I here?” Thanks to favorable causes and blessings, I encountered a few people, heard stories of their spiritual practice, and learned several methods of cultivation. After a period of personal practice and experiencing certain states of mind firsthand, I came to recognize a path—a way (perhaps one that is only suited for me)—to ‘go home’. To me, ‘home’ means the True Nature, the innate essence, the unborn and undying, the natural outflow of the Dhamma, the serene and gentle stillness of the mind.

This path is colored with many hues. Each color symbolizes a stage of realization, an effort to overcome, and ultimately, the letting go of all things. There are six colors in total: black, green, red, blue, white, and yellow. I will explain the meaning of each color below.

1. Black

Black symbolizes Ignorance—the root of samsara (the cycle of rebirth) and suffering. Perhaps all of us have, at some point, heard of the Four Noble Truths (FNT). There are so many video clips, Dhamma talks, and books that go into great depth about the FNT. I don’t want to get lost in lengthy repetitions of scriptures or overly abstract explanations that don’t clearly illuminate the path. So instead, I’ll summarize these truths briefly:

(1) The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha): The reality of suffering, stemming from the impermanent nature of all things—that is, all conditioned phenomena (things and events) arise, persist, decay, and cease.[1]

(2) The Truth of the Origin of Suffering: Suffering is caused by the fundamental ignorance within sentient beings—i.e., clinging to craving (greed), aversion (hatred), and delusion, without seeing the truth of impermanence.

(3) The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering: The end of suffering is possible—by eliminating ignorance and attaining Liberating Insight, ultimately entering Nibbāna.[2]

(4) The Truth of the Path: How do we remove ignorance? There are just eight steps—the Noble Eightfold Path—which must be practiced diligently and precisely to reach Liberating Insight.

2. Green

Green symbolizes Hope—hope in the path of liberation. Once we’ve grasped the Four Noble Truths of life, we focus our practice on the eight factors that form the path out of suffering. I’ve previously written down some insights that arose in meditation regarding the Eightfold Path—feel free to revisit the piece “Aunt Eight”[3] for more detailed reflections. Here, I’ll just outline the main points:

(1) Right View: Choosing carefully what we allow into our senses—selecting what we see, hear, and take in.

(2) Right Thought: Using the information we've absorbed to think clearly, sequentially, and correctly.

(3) Right Speech: Speaking truthfully, without bias, and avoiding vagueness or deceit.

(4) Right Action: Acting gently, calmly, and with balance.

(5) Right Livelihood: Living simply and lightly, without showiness, steering clear of noise, conflict, and groupthink.

(6) Right Effort: Maintaining a regular meditation practice and not giving up.

(7) Right Mindfulness: Regulating thoughts, letting go of restless mental chatter, contemplating liberation, and observing the mind to understand oneself.

(8) Right Concentration: Practicing meditation using a correct and effective method.

Within the Noble Eightfold Path are three domains of ethical discipline: (1) and (2) belong to the Mental Domain, (3) relates to the Verbal Domain, and (4) to the Physical Domain.

3. Red

Red represents Diligence—the effort one puts into spiritual practice. This effort MUST be continuous, both in worldly life and on the path of Dhamma. In daily life, the core practice can be encapsulated in these words: "Letting Go of Contact", or more fully, ‘Observing the mind, letting go of thoughts’ (QTXT). At different stages of practice, we might apply different techniques or skillful means, but they all share one essential aim: to relinquish the unrestrained running of consciousness and thoughts.[4] Imagine your mind as a still, calm lake. The faint ripples are the Bhavanga flows (the subconscious mental stream), while the waves represent the surging thoughts and perceptions triggered when external phenomena (like boats, wind, rain, or birds) disturb the flow. 

Phenomena—or objects of mind (or dhammā)—come and go according to conditions. We can’t impose the Ego upon them to control them. That said, at the beginning of the spiritual practice, when life is still full of busyness and karmic consequences surround us, we can ‘try’ to influence our environment and reactions little by little, as I mentioned in the piece “Wellbeing”. Once things become more stable, we can enter the phase of Letting Go of Contact. You might revisit my reflection “Mental Factor of Contact” to understand why Contact is the first of the 52 mental factors. For this piece, I’ll just use a simplified diagram to describe the formation, unfolding, and resolution of a mental process in the Sensual Realm.

+ The environment of Contact is our living, working, and social space. It includes relationships with family, friends, and society, as well as interactions on the internet and social media.

+ Due to past karma resonating with present conditions, a certain event arises within this environment—this is the stimulus (S)—which manifests through the five sense doors (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body) or the mind door, and is received by the mental factor Contact. In the next brief mental moment, we choose how to respond (R) to that stimulus. There are two options: action and inaction. If we choose to act —whether the action is wholesome or unwholesome—then corresponding wholesome or unwholesome karma is generated[5] If we choose inaction—simply receiving the result of S without reacting—then a past karma is resolved and no new karma is formed. This Letting Go of Contact is that choice of inaction. Meanwhile, QTXT means observing the arising and passing of mental phenomena, especially the arising of thoughts, recognizing the urge to act or the mental projections that surge outward, and then intentionally letting them go—not following them down the rabbit hole of imagination and reaction.

 + This whole process is governed by the Law of Correspondence: a wholesome mind attracts wholesome phenomena. Even when unwholesome conditions arise due to past karma, a wholesome present mind increases the likelihood of choosing a wholesome response.

After you’ve understood this S-R process and patiently practiced QTXT for a while, you’ll begin to cultivate a deeper mindfulness. Your choices of response become clearer and easier, your thoughts wander less, and their intensity fades significantly. In the language of Abhidhamma, at some point you’ll recognize the difference between four mental states: Very Strong, Strong, Light, and Very Light. For example, when someone shouts at you (a stimulus arising from past unwholesome karma), if you respond with immediate anger, that’s a Very Strong unwholesome mind arising again. If you feel hurt but catch yourself before acting or saying something harsh, that’s a Strong unwholesome mind. If you acknowledge the shouting but choose not to act or form a reactive intention, that’s a Light mind. And if you don’t even register it as shouting—because it doesn’t enter the field of your perception—that’s a Very Light mind, one that doesn’t bring the stimulus into conscious awareness at all.[6]

4. Blue

Blue symbolizes Clarity, Confidence, and Intelligence in the practice of concentration (samādhi).

How many mental factors are involved in entering right concentration? Through studying the Abhidhamma and observing my own meditation practice, I’ve found that the number of mental factors involved varies depending on the stage of training, the depth of cultivation, and the softness or pliancy of the mind. In the early stages of practice, I’ve identified 15 key mental factors that play a role: Contact, Feeling, Perception, Volition, One-Pointedness, Life Faculty, Attention, Initial Application, Sustained Application, Decision, Effort, Joy, Desire-for-Dhamma, Faith, and Mindfulness. There are many ways to categorize these mental factors depending on their function and importance. For example, I might group them as follows:

• Support Group / Logistical Functions: Includes 8 mental factors—Contact, Feeling, Life Faculty, Decision, Energy, Joy, Desire-for-Dhamma, and Faith. These support both body and mind to be in an optimal state before beginning meditation.
• Action Group / Tactical Operations: Includes 7 mental factors—Perception, Volition, One-Pointedness, Attention, Initial Application, Sustained Application, and Mindfulness. These determine whether or not deep concentration is successfully achieved.

I can also map them onto the structure of the Noble Eightfold Path, as follows:

• Right View: Confidence—trust in the method and in the goal, grounded in correct understanding. Determination—removes doubt and clearly sets the intention for the session.
• Right Thought: Contact—selecting a suitable object aligned with one’s goal. To “contact” the object means to connect with it visually or mentally. Feeling—the affective response to the object (e.g., affection toward a visual object, or equanimity toward a number). Perception—the mental rendering or shaping of the object during practice. This process must follow a proper sequence suited to the exercise.
• Right Speech: Volition—coordinates and motivates the other mental factors. It plays a central role in the success or failure of concentration. It does not involve improper volition such as praying to deities for blessings, etc.
• Right Action: Initial Application—actively applying the mind to the object (e.g., projecting the mental image in conjunction with perception). Sustained Application—maintaining continual engagement with the object (e.g., holding the object steadily in awareness).
• Right Livelihood: Life Faculty—supports a wholesome internal environment for the other mental factors; this includes physical health and mental well-being. Joy—the happiness that arises from wholesome practice, a gentle gladness in the training itself. Desire for the Dhamma—the wholesome aspiration for liberation.
• Right Effort: Effort—steadfast commitment, resilience, and persistence.
• Right Mindfulness: Mindfulness—reminds, recollects, brings the mind back to the object, and control immersion in the object.
• Right Concentration: Attention—the steering wheel of the concentration vessel, intricately tied to Initial Application, Sustained Application, and One-Pointedness, binding all factors together and holding them on the object.

Among all the 15 mental factors used in the development of samādhi, I want to emphasize perhaps the most crucial one: Attention. It is the steering wheel of the vessel entering samādhi during every session. Because attention is always being hijacked by restless thoughts—what we often call “monkey mind”—we must have techniques to counteract that pull. These techniques should also help to overcome discouragement and mental habituation. Please revisit the pieces I’ve written on this, including: Samādhi – Made in Vietnam, Scientific Meditation, Samādhi – Quantum Mind, and Attention-Based Equation of Samādhi.

In this summary, I’ll just copy down the core formula, which I call the Mathditation Equation of Samadhi (MES) or Attention-Based Equation of Samadhi (AES):

    Focus = A*Dynamic_Subject + (1 – A)*Mind_Monkeys

            subject to Dynamic_Subject = {N, V, C, Q, U, t}

where:

+ Focus is the quality of mental absorption and concentration.

+ A is the proportion of Attention, ranging from 0% to 100%.

+ Mind_Monkeys represents the scattered, restless thoughts that disrupt the meditative process.

+ Dynamic_Subject is a neutral, dynamic meditation object (e.g., adding numbers, converting letters to numbers, combining letters and numbers, switching colors of letters, etc.). This object should include:

(1) N: Number or length of information units (e.g., 5, f, 23, m, 15).

(2) V: Value or meaning of each unit (e.g., number 5, the letter f, number 23, letter m, and number 15).

(3) C: Color displayed for each unit (e.g., dark blue, purple, black, red, green).

(4) Q: Method for processing the information (e.g., summing using a Fibonacci sequence).

(5) U: Uniqueness—avoid reusing the same object too often to prevent desensitization.

(6) t: Optional time requirement—use when needed.

This equation is simple, neutral, and effective. Once we understand and skillfully apply it, it will deeply support the seven “combat” mental factors mentioned earlier, significantly increasing our likelihood of entering samādhi during each session.

5. White

White represents Thanh Tịnh. When the threshold of true concentration (samādhi) has been reached—when stillness has touched the doorstep—the meditation object is no longer necessary. At this point, we let go of the object and allow the mind to rest, unwavering, in that quietude. Simultaneously, we observe—gently watching the arising and passing of mental images (saññā), the flow of the Bhavanga stream, and the play of phenomena—without disturbing the stillness of the mind. When absorption isn’t yet or pliant, the stillness is still shallow, thin, or fragile and the mind’s resting state can easily be disrupted by the surging projections of perception or by external stimuli (like sounds). In such moments, we may have the feeling that thoughts arise very near, circling inside the head. But over time, as stability deepens, the resting mind becomes more resilient and lingers longer in stillness. The arising of mental images becomes distant and faint. Those thoughts feel as though they belong to someone else—not ours, not within or outside us, but floating somewhere far away. The breath, in this stage, is sometimes present, sometimes absent, sometimes intensely overwhelming, sometimes gentle and then gradually disappears.

6. Yellow

Yellow represents the return to one’s True Nature —the Unmodified Mode. I wrestled with the sensation of breathlessness for a long time. Each time it occurred, I reflected, observed, and drew insights from the experience. When I relaxed deeply and gently, the breathlessness was mild. When I focused too forcefully, it intensified. Then, one day in October 2020, I went through a period of sustained stillness—about four to five consecutive days of calm, balanced, light, and liberated awareness. The mind was completely undisturbed. It didn’t speak, didn’t laugh, didn’t “do” anything. It was just… silent. Whenever something needed to be done, the mind attuned to the task with total presence, then gently returned to stillness. What it's like to have a body and mind that light and free… words cannot capture. Only through direct experience will you truly understand it. Perhaps this is what the Mind Beyond Arising and Ceasing feels like. The moment I realized it, the experience began to fade. But it left behind something precious: a glimpse into one’s fundamental origin, the Intrinsic Nature, the Unmodified Mode that is unborn and undying. It also helped me understand the second verse in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: ‘Yoga is to still the patterns of consciousness’.

That experience completely transformed my understanding of the spiritual path and the goal to be reached. For me, the aim is simple: to end the movements of consciousness and perception. When consciousness (Viññāṇa) and mental imaging (Saññā) come to rest, the Unmodified Mode re-emerges. It's like holding a balloon in our hand; if we squeeze one end, the other end bulges out. Only when we don't squeeze it does it return to its original round shape. From then on, I focused intently on Mindful Awareness, using it to observe the mind and release mental projections (QTXT)—not only in meditation but in everyday life. I made it my way of being. Over time, this practice of QTXT became more natural—shifting from something I had to do, to something I just did, and eventually, to something that simply was. Awareness became more continuous. The intention to let go no longer needed to be summoned; it arose lightly, or not at all. I have not yet fully abided in the home of my True Nature, but I now see the path and the light clearly. My mind no longer worries about Cessation of Feeling and Perception, or about Form and Formless Realms. All of these, after all, are born and die—they are only segments of the journey back to the Non-Self. All roads lead to Rome. Only you can understand yourself. Listen deeply. Learn from those who point the way. Reflect on your own experience. And find your own path home. Awareness will be the oar that rows us to complete letting go. And perhaps this is my own way back.

Now, I also understand the saying: “Seeing mountains and rivers as they are.” A few years ago, I remember walking down the road and seeing a worm wriggling across it. I picked it up to move it to safety. But my mind hesitated—What if someone sees me and thinks I’m odd? If someone was nearby, I wouldn’t pick it up, and I’d feel guilty instead. After much practice, that inner conflict—the tug between self-consciousness and kindness—has softened. Now, I just pick the worm up without a second thought. It no longer matters who sees or who doesn’t. This is the journey: From clinging to forms, to seeing forms, to letting forms go. “Phenomena come and go. Depending on the Self one clings to, suffering arises in different ways. Only when we are one with phenomena can the unborn and undying reveal themselves.” The Middle Way is simply about maintaining a Balanced Mind.

The power of awakening is the Buddha. 

The path to that awakening is the Dhamma. 

The one who lives it with integrity and mindfulness is the Sangha.[7]

That's all, my dear.

nbt

17/06/2021

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[1] https://thuvienhoasen.org/a12725/32-kho-de. The eight sufferings are: birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, unfulfilled desires, association with those one dislikes, and the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha). The first four relate to the body (rūpa). The next three relate to the mind (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and viññāṇa). The five aggregates encompass both body and mind..

[2] Manual of Abhidhamma (Phạm Kim Khánh) p.61: The Ten Fetters are: (1) Identity view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), (2) Doubt (vicikicchā), (3) Clinging to rites and rituals (sīlabbata-parāmāsa), (4) Sensual craving (kāma-rāga), (5) Ill-will (vyāpāda), (6) Craving for form existence (rūpa-rāga), (7) Craving for formless existence (arūpa-rāga), (8) Conceit (māna), (9) Restlessness (uddhacca), (10) Ignorance (avijjā). Stream-Enterer (Sotāpanna): eliminates (1), (2), and (3); Once-Returner (Sakadāgāmī): weakens (4) and (5); Non-Returner (Anāgāmī): eliminates (4) and (5); and Arahant: eliminates (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10).

[3] Besides, the articles “Outer Adjustments: 'Sip the Hot Porridge Around the Edge'” and “Kitchen Story” also provide helpful insights for this section.

[4] Remember: QTXT is not about blocking all thought. Rather, it is about paying full attention to the present moment, the task at hand, and the actual reality unfolding—without letting stray thoughts arise and carry the mind away.

[5] Twelve unwholesome mental states consist of: 8 rooted in greed (V01–V08), 2 rooted in hatred (V09 and V10), and 2 rooted in delusion (V11 and V12). The 8 beautiful wholesome mental states are V31–V38.

[6] When an object arises through the Mind Door (manodvāra), the mental response can be either Dim (subtle) or Bright (strong), depending on the state of the mind.

[7] This monologue appears in a film about the life of the Buddha. https://www.niemphat.vn/cuoc-doi-duc-phat-thich-ca/.