CALMNESS ARISES NOT DEPENDING ON THE OBJECT, BUT ON THE ATTITUDE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 10 (50:15-55:55)

Yogis think that the mind can only calm down if it observes only one object. But the more objects, the calmer the mind becomes. Why?

Calmness arises not depending on the object, but on the mind’s attitude.

The mind can be calm when we eat or do things fast. Even when we jog, if we are aware of our steps continuously, the mind will also calm down. The body can be running fast, but the mind is very calm.

Calmness comes from continuous awareness and right attitude, no matter how busy you are.

Swimmers are very aware of their body movement. The body is moving fast, but the mind is very calm and mindful, particularly in competition. That’s how they can pace themselves to set new records.

If the mind has no defilement, the mind is never tired – it becomes more and more relaxed, light and comfortable during practice. The mind is tired because of defilement.

WHEN YOGIS NOTICE THAT THE AWARENESS IS ALSO ‘ME’

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 12 (1:35:15-1:36:34)

Just recognize that the ‘I’ is still there. Later, when wisdom matures, the mind realizes that the idea of self is also not ‘me’.

Now, the idea of self is in the awareness. Now, you notice that the awareness still has the idea of self. Later, when the wisdom becomes more mature, you’ll notice that there is no self in the awareness. Much later.

Now, the mind says there is still ‘Me’, right? Later, later, when wisdom is stronger, it can see that there’s no ‘Me’. So, keep going.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE WAY – HOW TO PRACTICE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (31:00-32:05)

Don’t try to be aware of the calm mind; try to be aware of the awareness (just ask ‘Is the mind aware?’).

The yogi likes calmness, that’s why she is checking often; like checking her money if it’s still there. Worry and anxiety are already present.

The yogi’s duty is to recognize that the mind is calm if the mind is calm; recognize that the mind is not calm if it is not calm. That’s all.

Pay more attention to the way to practice – how to practice so as to result in the calmness.

If you know how to get it, there is no need to be attached to the calmness.

Calmness is not our goal, understanding is our goal.

ADVICE FOR QIGONG PRACTITIONERS AND THOSE SENSITIVE TO QI ENERGY

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 9 (1:00:42-1:01:08)

Don’t follow the energy during the sit because direction is a concept. 

[Yogi’s note: Stay with the awareness.]

The energy will go this way and that way; slowly, the body follows and starts to rotate.

[Yogi’s note: Sayadaw, however, also encourages qigong/yoga/aerobic exercise to develop a sense of whole-body awareness, just not follow the qi during the sit. (SUT Spirit Rock Retreat 2015 - Group A Session 1 Q&A (39:38-42:17)]

WHEN DEFILEMENTS ARE STRONG, BE AWARE OF FEELINGS OR BODY SENSATIONS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:11:33-1:12:35)

When the mind panics (or is overly anxious) and doesn’t know what to be aware of, come back to your body sensations and feelings. When defilements are strong, you should not be aware of your thoughts. You should be aware of feelings or body sensations; no story anymore.

If defilements are strong, feelings are strong too. It is easier to be aware of feelings then. At that time, you shouldn’t be aware of your thoughts. If you pay attention to thoughts, it is easy for the mind to be more lost in thoughts. So come back to your feelings or body sensations.

If you panic, you can be aware of the panic feeling – it is easier to know the panic then, ‘Oh, the mind is panicking, the mind is panicking.’ Just recognize that the mind is panicking, that’s all. And when the mind calms down, you can choose any object easily. When the mind panics, you don’t know how to choose, right? It’s better to be aware of the panic first.

AWARENESS THAT HAS BECOME A HABIT WILL ARISE AT THE TIME OF DEATH

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:41:32-1:42:31)

If you continue to practice until you die, you don’t have to worry about going to a woeful state at the time of death because awareness will continue to do its job then.

Now you are training the mind to make awareness become a habit – every time defilement comes, the mind tries to be aware. Later, naturally, when defilement comes at the time of death, awareness also arises.

Don’t worry; just continue to practice.

If your awareness becomes automatic, becomes a habit, then you can be assured of a good rebirth because awareness will do its job at the time of death. (Q&A 14 (9:17-10:05)

SAYADAW’S APPROACH TO METTA PRACTICE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:19:05-1:19:50)

If there is no anger, metta mind happens automatically. 

[Yogi’s note: you can actually try it out yourself.]

You are not trying to have metta, yet metta arises suddenly, right?

Earlier in the day, there was some anger in the mind. You were watching anger, anger, anger – and when the anger disappeared, suddenly the mind changed. Then, metta mind arose; when that happens, you used the metta mind as an object and continued to be aware.

The metta mind continued to happen because awareness, a wholesome mind, supports the metta mind.

Later, during lunch, when lobha and dosa arose, the metta mind disappeared.

So, if you’re watching anger – when anger disappears, metta automatically comes. 

[Yogi’s note: Instead of generating metta, try dissolving the anger.]

HOW TO HANDLE THE NEGATIVE MIND

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 9 (49:55-52:33)

When you’re tired and the mind is complaining, don’t let the mind continue to think and complain. Change the direction because when right thought comes in, the meditating mind also comes in. Otherwise, it’s a dead end.

[Yogi’s note: Ask ‘beneficial or not?’]

Better not to complain about what is happening, rather think what to do. It’s the same in life. What people habitually do is to complain – why is this happening and why me – but it is not beneficial; better to think what to do about it.

Think about the cause (what to do) and don’t complain about the effect (what has already happened).

If the reaction in the mind is too strong, stop thinking and watch the reaction until the mind calms down. Then, think about how to do better.

YOGI ASKING ABOUT BEING DISTURBED BY GHOSTS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (2:22:01-2:28:00)

Now we are practising satipatthana meditation, we are watching ourselves (mind and body processes). If you can watch and handle your defilements, then external things like ghosts will not be a problem.

If your awareness, samadhi and wisdom are increasing, the wholesome quality will do their job. Because of the wholesome quality, the mind is peaceful and there is understanding; the mind can accept anything – so, there’s no problem anymore.

External things are not the problems; defilements are the problems.

Yogi: But when the ghost attacks, the mind is interrupted / disturbed and cannot practice.

Sayadaw: The mind nature has its own process – only happening and gone. Nobody can interrupt the mind. The mind process is happening; it is a natural process.

Whatever you see or feel, use it as an object and try to be aware. Don’t pay attention to the external concept – pay attention to your six sense doors and use feeling and sensation as objects.

IS DEFILEMENT GOOD OR BAD?

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (36:15-38:35)

Yogi: If the mind continues to be aware of craving and aversion, can the defilements stop?

Sayadaw: If just by continuing to be aware, the defilements cannot stop yet. It is only when wisdom comes that they stop immediately.

Our objective is not to make them stop, but to learn from them. If they disappear, we cannot learn any more. 

[Yogi’s note: The mind needs to experience the defilements repeatedly for understanding to arise.]

Are defilements good or bad? You need to know how bad they are. If you understand more and more how much suffering they cause, because of understanding, they get weaker and weaker.

People say anger is no good; everybody understands that anger is no good, but they get angry every day because they don’t really understand how much anger makes the mind suffer. If you really understand how bad anger is, the mind will not allow anger to arise in the mind.

KNOWING IS NOT NOTHING BECAUSE IT IS GATHERING DATA

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (41:45-44:10)

In daily life, sometimes when awareness is not good and defilement is very strong, you give in to the defilement. Still, continue to be aware so that the mind can learn something.

Sometimes I follow the anger, but with awareness behind trying to know, trying to learn.

If defilement is weak, it comes, shows its nature, and disappears. But sometimes it is powerful and overwhelms the mind. I still try to be aware and follow the process.

Sometimes, I get angry and keep yelling; however, the mind still tries to know whatever is happening. This is learning; the mind understands deeply when it learns many times over.

We cannot control defilements every time; sometimes we lose, but we try to be aware. Knowing is not nothing. Knowing is something – it is gathering information. The mind does not win, but it learns.

When enough is learned, wisdom can then see that anger is totally not good.

WISDOM IS WEAK WHEN AWARENESS IS ACCOMPANIED BY FOCUSING

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 1 (1:11:301:11:52)

Yogi: Do we just be aware, aware, aware, and then wisdom will surely arise, right?

Sayadaw: Naturally, if awareness is present, wisdom must be present too. But for some yogis, they focus too much – as a result, wisdom is weak.

[Yogi’s notes: Awareness has to be light and relaxed for wisdom to arise, not an awareness accompanied by focusing which freezes the object. When that happens, the mind is paying attention to concept object hence liking/disliking or confusion comes and wisdom cannot arise.]

THE OBJECT APPEARS OBVIOUS WHEN THERE’S AWARENESS WITH SAMADHI

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:01:16-1:01:52)

Yogi: If the mind is mindful, the food is more delicious.

Sayadaw: The taste is more obvious, not that the food is more delicious. ‘Delicious’ means that there is already liking. When you’re aware and samadhi is there, the object becomes obvious. You can even hear subtle sounds because the sense door is clear. You can say that the object is more obvious. But if you think the object is good, then liking comes.

RECOGNIZE MENTAL IMAGES WHICH APPEAR DURING A SIT

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:00:34-1:03:22)

I don’t encourage yogis to watch mental images because they are concepts. You should recognize that it is the mind thinking because a mental image is the thinking mind working.

We shouldn’t pay too much attention to the concept. (Elsewhere: When the mind pays attention to concepts, liking and disliking arise. Just continue to be aware.)

Beginners shouldn’t pay attention to mental images because defilements will arise.

EXAMPLES OF NATURAL AWARENESS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:00:34-1:03:22)

First example: A yogi was waiting for the train to pass by before meditating. He was aware of the train sound and knew that his mind was anxious as he waited. The yogi didn’t know that natural awareness was already happening; he only thought that if he observed a certain object, then he was meditating. But that would be personal awareness.

Natural awareness already sees the mental process, what is really happening; but the yogi tries to meditate only on the object he has chosen.

Trying to meditate is extra; meditation is already happening.

Second example: For example, a yogi chose to observe the breath – he was targeting this object to be aware. While he was aware of the in-breath and out-breath, suddenly the mind naturally goes to a sensation in the hand.

Check these two objects – the breath object carries the idea ‘I am aware; I choose this object and I’m trying to be aware of it’. In this process, ‘I’ is already there. But for the sensation in the hand, the mind is aware of it naturally; there’s no ‘I’ there. Different idea.

| (1:31:31-1:31:59)

Wisdom can arise with natural awareness. If I can control personal awareness, the wrong view is already there. That’s why wisdom cannot arise with personal awareness.