101. HOW TO PROCEED WHEN THE MIND QUIETS DOWN
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (30:50-33:19)
Often, we observe something and then the mind becomes quiet and we don’t know what to do with that. We don’t investigate how the quietness came about, what was the process that led to this quietness. We take the quietness for granted.
And then we slip into the zone where we start to feel good because it’s quiet. It feels good, we think it’s good and then we slide under. At that point, we lose the objective of meditation – why are we being aware? It’s not to be quiet; but then we’ve lost the plot. We sink into the quietness. We don’t remain alert; we don’t remember that the point is to be aware.
But if we are constantly curious about how the mind works, “so it’s quiet now, how did it become quiet”? Can we remember what we were doing, the process we went through, that led to this quietness, now? Does it come to us that this is how the mind works? And if the mind does this, it brings about quietness. And is that always true? Do we investigate it a second time? The next time it becomes quiet, does it still hold true? Do we have this curiosity about how our mind works, and how it correlates with our body?
And when the mind is actually quieter, we can see more of what is functioning behind the scenes because the noise in front has quiet down – there is more happening in the background that is running the show. And we have an opportunity to see all that if we would be curious.
It’s great to be relaxed, but we also need to be interested.
102. WHY WE FALL ASLEEP WHILE SITTING MEDITATION
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (29:40-30:39)
When we fall asleep while sitting meditation, we can be sure that the mind wasn’t very interested in what it was watching, right?
The purpose of awareness is to discover. And when we discover something, it becomes more interesting; so then we want to keep observing.
When we’re being aware, if behind our awareness there is a healthy interest in understanding the mind and the body then that will feed the motivation to be mindful quite naturally.
103. MAKING THE DHAMMA OUR WAY OF LIFE
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/25 Last Instructions (16:16 -17:28)
If we are grateful for the practice, for the Dhamma in our lives, grateful for the Buddha’s teachings and my sharing, please continue to make the Dhamma your life.
When you look after the Dhamma, the Dhamma will look after you. Dhamma is the good qualities of your life. If you cultivate, nurture, look after the good qualities in our mind, the good qualities will give good results for this mind.
Our life is a reflection of our state of mind. Our level of being is a reflection of the state of our mind.
104. THE MEANING OF EFFORT AND EFFORTLESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/21 Q&A (10:04-13:04)
The only amount of effort you need is the effort required to ask yourself the question ‘What is being noticed in this moment?’
Having asked the question, there is no compulsion to actually see the moment as new, or fresh, or just this moment because that doesn’t readily come to us. But if you’re trying to see that every moment as new, yes, that takes a lot of energy.
Although I always give the ideal situation like ‘every moment is actually new’, that doesn’t have to be so; just see whatever is happening as it is.
Sometimes we might come across situations where we feel like they are fresh, new and so on, that’s when the mind is in a state of realization of the presentness of the moment. There’s some kind of wisdom that helps the mind to see the freshness of each moment; but that may not always be available to us.
So, what is always available to us is just awareness; whether that’s good awareness or not so good awareness but it is still awareness. And that’s what we can rely on – the rest of it is changing; sometimes we can see it as being fresh and sometimes not. All we have to do is be relaxed about it.
I give you information not for you to try to be that information or experience that information; it’s just for us to know that if we do come across such an experience that we have some reference, ‘Alright, this is possible’ and not ‘I’m doing something weird!’
Sometimes somebody’s mind is on the brink of it and it helps them to see that more clearly or have the words to understand what they’re experiencing. But if that’s not how we experience it, we should stay with our experience as it is.
105. STAY WITH AWARENESS AND NOT WITH EXPERIENCE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
We should not stay with the object/experience. We should stay with the awareness; we know the knowing mind or awareness mind through the object (that's the function of the object).
106. AWARENESS ALIKE OUR SPECTACLES
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (47:54-49:12)
[Awareness is like our spectacles – once in while we notice them]
Whenever you can, be with your awareness if you remember that you’re being aware. When you can’t, go back to being aware of your 6 senses. Whenever you notice that you’re being aware, appreciate and acknowledge that awareness is the one that is doing the work that is helping you to be in touch with your 6 senses.
When you’re not able to tune into that, it’s fine because it’s still working; it has become like our glasses which we can’t see – usually we see what we see through the glasses. So, when we’re seeing through the glasses, that’s fine; and once in a while we notice the glasses, that’s good too.
When we are able to see the glasses, when we know the awareness, it means that we have the full picture – we know what we’re in touch with; we know whether we’re seeing, hearing or touching or feeling or thinking, and we also know that we’re aware of it.
107. LET MEDITATION OBJECT BE NATURAL PROCESS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Opening Talk and Q&A
[Meditation object must be natural; and we allow the mind to receive more than 1 objects]
Yogi: Most beginners start with anapanasati. At which point should we let go of anapanasati and explore other objects?
Sayadaw: We start with anapana and touching sensation. If you continue and the mind settles down, naturally the mind knows the anapana and also other objects. We allow the mind to know the other objects.
Some yogis try to focus on only one object and not allow other objects to arise; we’re not trying to focus on only one object.
We use anapana; and slowly when the mind becomes more calm and peaceful, we allow the mind to receive or recognize more objects.
Yogi: Is it good for beginners to start with awareness of the breath?
Sayadaw: Not for all yogis. Some yogis cannot observe the natural breath. Meditation object must be natural process.
If you’re creating the object, it is not a good meditation object. Some people cannot know their natural breath because awareness is not strong yet; they try to make the breath more obvious by breathing hard; creating an artificial object is not a good meditation object.
If you can be aware of your natural breath, then it’s okay to watch your breath. I notice that many yogis cannot because they focus and use too much effort; then they cannot breathe naturally. Then, they cannot use anapana.
108. KNOW THAT YOU ARE AWARE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
If you know you’re aware, or paying attention, or knowing, you know the mind.
If you know your feeling is happening, then you know the mind.
If you know your thoughts, it means you know the mind.
If you know you have intention, the intention is the mind.
Then you can watch them happening; just know, just be aware that the process is happening.
You need a lot of practice and experience to understand how to watch your mind.
109. AWARENESS NATURALLY RECEIVES MORE OBJECTS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Opening Talk and Q&A
[We start by being aware of one or two objects – when awareness becomes better and better, it can naturally receive more objects]
In the beginning, we start by being aware of an obvious object – one object, two objects – that’s enough. You can use anapana or rising and falling; any object, not all six objects.
When the mind is sharp and fast, then it can naturally know several objects. In the beginning, one by one is enough.
You start by being aware of some object; and slowly when the mind becomes stronger – awareness becomes better and better – it can naturally receive more objects: you can be aware of breathing and thinking at the same time. It comes naturally.
110. CHANGING TO NEUTRAL OBJECT IN SUSTENANCE OF AWARENESS
Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/20 Q&A (48:00-48:25)
If ever you find the mind getting worn down by what it is observing, you can stop observing that; go to something neutral, something that will relieve the mind.
All that matters is that the awareness carries on.
111. HOW WOULD A YOGI AWARE?
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (21:40-23:13)
If you notice a car passing by, are you aware? If we consider ourselves to be yogis, would we say we’re aware?
How did we know that the car passed by?
When we recognize how we know the experience – we heard, we saw, we felt – when we recognize the conduits through which we recognize what we know, then, we’re aware.
How do we connect with our world? We connect to the world through our senses; all six of them, including the mind. Without these senses, we wouldn’t be connected to the outside world.
So, all these information we get through our 6 sense doors, we then interpret (thinking is happening) and make sense of the things around us.
112. EXPERIMENTING WITH THE DELIBERATE KIND OF AWARENESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/20 Q&A (49:30-51:17)
I kept my mind occupied with awareness all the time. When I was working (in the market), I had open awareness as much as I could. The moment I was sitting still, I would do something focusing.
I would put my 5 fingers in both hands together and pay attention to the set of thumbs touching. I would keep focusing until I couldn’t see the other fingers anymore. At that point, I would stop paying attention to the thumbs and go on with the next set of fingers. I would focus on this set of fingers until they were the only thing I could know and the others faded, then I would switch to the 3rd set of fingers.
I would do these exercises in all these different ways to keep the mindfulness working because when I was sitting still and left it to open awareness, I could drift into thinking. So, I made it a very deliberate kind of awareness.
Because of these exercises done on focusing, when it gained momentum maybe 9 months or a year later, it got to the point that whenever I did have defilements I started doing the focusing exercises. Say, I was anxious about something and I had a break – I would stop the thoughts and just watched the feelings, they would just disappear because of the power of the focusing I had developed; not by focusing hard, but just because of the months of continuous practice that I had put in.
(Elsewhere, Sayadaw: Somebody shows you a foot … and you can see a mile of possibilities from it.)
113. DIRECTING THE MIND TO KNOWING THE AWARENESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/21 Q&A (6:45-7:18)
When you ask yourself ‘What is the mind knowing?’ you have already directed the mind to knowing the awareness. You might, if it is more helpful, ask ‘What do you know now?’ or ‘What is being known now?’ instead of ‘What is the mind knowing?’
Whatever you know is already the object. The knowing is also an object.
114. MAINTAINING MINDFULNESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/21 Q&A (02:39-4:40)
If we rely on a series of things that we should be observing, it can feel like it’s taking a long time – like you have to move your attention to your body when you move, to your feet, legs and hands; it can be stilted.
But if you can just know that you’re aware, if you can stay with your awareness, you will not only know one thing after another, it will actually feel more continuous. Try it out.
When you’re planning to change from doing one thing to another, one of the first things you’ll notice is the mind making the decision, the wanting to do things. If you notice that, you already notice the awareness; that’s how you know what’s happening.
Just ask the mind “What is the mind knowing now?” And you can keep asking.
115. PRIORITIZE MINDFULNESS WHEN SPEAKING
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (1:03:55-1:04:37)
Whether you speak or not, I want you to be mindful. And it takes remembering to not speak. And it also takes a lot more remembering to be aware when you speak. So, whatever you do, if you’re going to lose your mindfulness, prioritize mindfulness please.
This is to build habits for ourselves so that even in life, we can use the same habits, do the same thing so that we can remain mindful at home.
116. THE CHECK BEFORE SPEAKING
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/21 Q&A (33:24-34:01)
Whenever we speak, we have some intentions, motivations for the reason we speak and we have some ideas for which we’re speaking; and then you can detect in your mind whether it feels comfortable or uncomfortable.
That provided me the opportunity to not speak if it was not going to be skillful because I could feel the discomfort already; and it greatly reduced the amount of regret and remorse I had because that was a huge part of my depression.
117. RIGHT INFORMATION FACILITATES RIGHT IDEAS ABOUT MEDITATION
Singapore Retreat 2014 141101 Discussion Group 2A (21:13-22:24)
I don’t have a one-hour sitting, one-hour walking schedule.
When we think about time and how long we should sit, it gives us stress, and it also gives us judgment “I’m a good yogi, I’m a bad yogi; long sitting yogi, short sitting yogi”. But it’s not important; what is important is the awareness, awareness all the time. I’m interested in your mind, not your posture.
When we meditate, the thing that makes us meditate is our ideas; our ideas are making us meditate the way we meditate.
So, the more right information we have, the smoother we find the practice because we have the right attitude and ideas about the practice.
(Elsewhere, Sayadaw: Sitting a long time is not important; being aware a long time is important.)
118. CULTIVATION IS THE NATURE OF MEDITATION
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Last Instructions (00:04-01:49)
Meditating is something that we can’t stop doing; we must do it always. This is the nature of meditation, cultivation.
And we might think that we can meditate part time, but since this is a practice to grow, to cultivate the good qualities of the mind, it is something we have to do all the time. Because something is happening in the mind all the time, we want to make sure that what is being cultivated is good.
And if you want the good qualities that you cultivate to not only be good, but be strong and good, then we have to do it all the time. We really have to do it all the time.
119. ATTITUDE DETERMINES THE PERSPECTIVE SEEN
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2008 Opening Instructions (41:21-42:51)
[The difference between right attitude and wrong attitude]
I’m not interested in the results, the experiences. I’m interested in the work – what were you doing that led to this? That’s called wisdom. When you understand the cause-effect process – understanding how something is done – that is the wisdom; the experiences are really not important.
There was a yogi who sat and watched pain for an hour – he reported that pain increased, pain decreased, pain increased, pain decreased; and that his meditation was going in circles.
What I saw was this yogi had been meditating for an hour; he was aware for one whole hour. He has had one hour of awareness.
That’s the difference between wrong attitude and right attitude – it’s a different perspective of the same situation. Wisdom sees the work that has been done; the defilement looks for the result.
The yogi sat there the whole hour hoping for the result that the pain would go away. He thought that meditation was if the pain went away. But that was wrong attitude and wrong view.
When the greed cannot get what it wants, then the mind is disappointed. But when there is right view and right attitude, then the person sees it from the right perspective – work has been done, awareness has been continuously there.
Then if the person sees that this is meditation, the person is encouraged. When there is right view, it is encouraging to the mind.
120. HELPFUL TO RECOGNIZE WRONG ATTITUDE
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/20 Q&A (36:27-37:24)
[Recognizing wrong attitude is right attitude; it’s also awareness and wisdom]
Sometimes we don’t recognize we have wrong attitude and so we continue; and then at some point we recognize we have wrong attitude ‘Oh, yeah, wrong attitude; that’s why it’s not working! Well, okay; now I see wrong attitude, wrong attitude, wrong attitude.’
Sometimes, it seems to go away. ‘Oh, no wrong attitude; it feels fine now!’ And sometimes, it comes back and we don’t realize; and we recognize it again. That’s part of the process.
The helpful thing about knowing wrong attitude is that it’s not sneakily disturbing us. It’s still there functioning, but it’s better to know what is happening now than to not know and seem to be struggling with something.
121. DISCERNING THE MENTAL APART FROM THE PHYSICAL
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/19 (1:05:22-1:07:02)
When there is hunger – hunger and wanting to eat – where do you feel the hunger? And where does the wanting to eat happen? The difference is very clear. Where does the wanting to eat happen – is there a place for it? No, right? Do you see the difference between what is the body and what is the mind?
It’s the same with other feelings. If you take sadness or happiness, and you think you feel it in the body, what’s it that you feel in the body? Sensations, right?
And then if you take the quality of sadness, can you know the quality of sadness without the body?
In the same way as for hunger and wanting to eat, you will be able to see the difference between the sensations of the body that reflect the sadness, which are manifestations of the sadness, and the quality of sadness itself which is mental.
122. THE MIND CANNOT ‘WANDER’
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2008 Opening Instructions (59:05-1:00:00)
We use this term wandering mind. Does the mind wander away? Does it actually wander away? Has the mind really gone far away?
If you think this mind has gone somewhere else, that is wrong understanding. The mind’s nature is only to arise and pass away; the mind is not able to wander anywhere.
The mind arises here and disappears right away, right here. If you have this right view, do we need to think that we need to bring our mind back from somewhere? No.
When we have the wrong idea – we think the mind can wander away – then we do the wrong practice; we try to bring it back using unnecessary energy.
All we have to do is recognize, recognize that the mind is thinking; that’s all.
123. WISDOM STAYS A DISTANCE FROM EXPERIENCE
Singapore Retreat 2014 141102 Discussion Group 4A (52:55-53:20)
When there are awareness and the object/experience, always the object is not so much ‘I’; awareness is more ‘I’.
So, the closer we are to the object, the more we identify with the object. The more distance we can have, the more detached we are from the object, the less we identify with the object.
124. UNDERSTANDING NATURE MEANS NOT INVOLVED WITH THE EXPERIENCE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
Understanding nature watches far away, not involved with the experience. When the mind is involved with the experience, emotions can arise.
Just recognize that every experience is just happening; very simple. Experience is very simple – everything is just happening.
(Elsewhere: Object is something being known by the mind, its function is to be known by the mind.)
125. RIGHT VIEW STABILIZES THE MIND
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (35:10-36:59)
When we bring in these modes of right view – basically thinking about the fundamental nature of something, when we think about this truth and it rings true for us – at that moment it settles the mind.
And when it settles the mind, the aversion, delusion and greed we might have towards the moment will fall away because we can feel the truth in the right view, the intellectual idea that we have brought in.
And the right view I would like yogis to have is that these bodily and mental processes are the processes of nature – they have their own nature, they’re manifesting their own nature and they’re showing their nature to us; and that is something for us to learn from or learn about instead of taking it personally.
If we can tap into that truth, we can think ‘Oh, it is just nature! The mind thinks like this!’ and not buy into the story ‘Why is this happening to me? Why am I thinking like this?’
If we can accept that, in that moment we can find our mind not struggling so much with what we’re observing.
126. ANY OBJECT CAN BE USED TO CULTIVATE QUALITY OF MIND
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
Quality of mind is more important.
We use the object to grow our quality of mind. We can use whatever object; the object is helping you to grow your awareness, wisdom and samadhi.
So, you can use any object, any of the six sense doors; not only one object is the Dhamma. Dhamma is everywhere; everything is Dhamma.
(China Retreat 2014 Opening Talk)
When we use awareness to lead, we’re growing the other good qualities. When we’re mindful, awareness, samadhi, effort, faith and wisdom are working together. Every time we’re mindful, we’re growing these five qualities of the mind.
When we practice mindfulness meditation, there are 4 foundations of mindfulness: Kaya, Vedana, Citta and Dhamma. These are objects. Object is already there; the important thing is that the meditating mind must be wholesome mind, skillful mind. The quality of the meditating mind must be good.
We should not practice with craving, aversion and delusion.
127. REALITY MIND IS ALWAYS NEW
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
[The contents of our thoughts may be about the past or future, but the thinking mind is always new]
New mind is arising all the time. Every experience is always new. We cannot experience the old experience twice.
If we think that it is old one, it has become a concept.
We think memory is the past, but thinking mind is present – story is a concept; the mind is reality.
The story – memory or planning - may be about the past or future, but the mind is always new.
Sometimes memory comes back, and we say again, and again, but actually memory mind is arising and new. But story line is the same because of concept.
Reality mind is always new.
128. WRONG VIEW IDENTIFIES WITH THOUGHTS AND BELIEFS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (41:31-44:17)
[Right view – whether we’re observing our breath, thoughts, feelings, or movement, remind yourself that it’s just the mind, just nature]
We identify with all our thoughts and our beliefs – when we want something, we think ‘I really like this’; our desire for it grows. When we don’t like something, we think ‘I really don’t like this to happen’; our aversion grows. We buy into it, right? We would see it as the mind thinking.
It’s because when we buy into this idea of self, and every time we buy into it, our defilements grow, the unwholesome qualities of our mind grow – we get more greedy, or adverse, or deluded. That’s why that way of thinking is called wrong view because it brings on more suffering.
Whenever there is wrong view, we’ll find that whatever unwholesome quality that we’re holding gets worse.
When we approach meditation, we will come across all these qualities of our mind, and if we’re going to identify with all these things that we start to notice, it can be a terrible experience – it can be very trying if we identify with what we’re observing.
Whatever we’re observing, whether we’re observing the breath, our thoughts, our feelings, or our movement, remind yourself that it’s just nature. Don’t think of it as my breath. Just try it.
129. CHECK IF CRAVING IS PRESENT
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
Craving is a big problem; because of craving every difficulty can arise. Without craving, without expectation, the mind is free; the mind has freedom or liberation.
Everybody has the habit that whatever they do, the motivation is craving. This has become a habit; so check if expectation or craving is present or not.
130. DELUSION EXPECTS GOOD MEDITATION
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation
When your meditation is good, feeling is good, we want the experience to happen again. Expecting it to happen again, it is deluded nature. That’s why we try again; but actually it is also dukkha.
Good feeling is also dukkha. So, the more you understand about dukkha, the more the mind becomes equanimous and detached. That’s why the feeling is peaceful, not agitated and more stable.
We do what we should do; we just do it. Delusion nature is: what we like, we do; what we don’t like, we stop. They are two extremes; because of liking we continue; because of disliking we stop.
But wisdom is not this. Wisdom considers should or not, need or not, necessary or not; and after understanding this, it does it.
131. TRYING NOT TO COMPLAIN IS TRYING TOO HARD
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/18 Q&A (17:47-20:25)
[A yogi complained that the mind was restless because awareness wasn’t good]
The instruction is to know what’s happening as it is – ‘Awareness is not landing, but I’m aware of it.’ What’s wrong with that? Clearly it has landed.
Restlessness, aversion, and trying too hard (trying not to complain is trying too hard) make the mind tired at the end of the day. There is no need to not complain; just need to know that you are.
It’s not to avoid the object – if we love someone, it’s not to remove the person or the experience – it’s to know the attachment. And if we understand, the attachment will go. (2016 11/18 Q&A 42:00-42:18)
The good news is when you see the mad mind, that’s the sane mind. Knowing is the antidote. (37:40…)
132. WATCH DEFILEMENT WHEN IT ARISES
Singapore Retreat 2014 141102 Discussion Group 4A (28:00-29:04)
[When there is defilement, watch the defilement first]
You do choiceless awareness when there is equanimity; not when there is dosa. When there is dosa, you deal with the dosa first.
When there is defilement, no matter how small, it is not choiceless. The defilement is pushing your mind around to whatever it is observing. The mind is going to other objects because it wants to avoid the object.
When there is defilement, don’t go anywhere else; take care of the defilement first.
(Only when the defilement is overwhelming, then you switch to a neutral object.)
133. BECOMING DULL AND TIRED
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (25:15-26:34)
Bodily and mentally, relax; so any time you’re finding yourself tired, rest. Don’t do anything to make yourself tired from meditating. But be careful of becoming dull and tired.
You can get tired from also not putting in enough effort; like it’s more tiring to sit than to be working sometimes. If you’re sitting for hours, that can be more tiring than running.
In that sense, if you notice you’re becoming tired, it could also be because there is not enough energy.
So, it needs to be relaxed but interested so that there’s energy and that keeps us alert.
And this energy that is interest, that’s a function of wisdom. Wisdom is also our common sense, our curiosity; all that is wisdom at work.
134. OPENING THE MIND TO OTHER OBJECTS
Singapore Retreat 2014 141108 Discussion Group 3B (1:03:39-1:04:01)
Do you know anything else? Sound, touch, temperature? If you only know your breath, there is too much focus.
If your mind is calm and knows only the breath, you need to ask: What else does the mind know? Then other objects can appear.
135. DEDICATE OURSELVES TO AWARENESS FIRST
Singapore Retreat 2014 141107 Discussion Group 1B-1A (57:10-57:33)
I keep talking about understanding, and understanding; and yogis invariably keep hoping for the understanding. But actually, all that we have to do is be faithful about maintaining the awareness. And we don’t do that that much, but we’re hoping for the understanding to come.
We need to dedicate ourselves to awareness first.
136. GROW THE AWARENESS
Singapore Retreat 2014 141108 Discussion Group 3B (43:13-43:30)
The main aim of the practice is to grow the awareness; it’s like you have a bank account full of awareness, and you want to increase the bank account of awareness.
So, every moment that you’re aware, your bank account is increasing.
137. JUST KNOW, DON’T GO TOO MUCH INTO FEELING
Singapore Retreat 2014 141105 Discussion Group 1A-1B (6:52-7:27)
For you, it’s more useful when you have thoughts, to look at the feeling associated with the thoughts. Also, don’t go too much into the feeling; and don’t name the feeling.
Just recognize that this thought and this feeling are associated, and this is just a feeling (a feeling is known). What is it like? Don’t name it; just know it.
Know it’s changing; know what happens – the arising, getting more or less. That’s what you want to do; follow its trail.
138. AWARENESS MEANS JUST KNOWING, NOT FOCUSING
Singapore Retreat 2014 141106 Discussion Group 4A-4B (24:47-26:18)
When we focus, the first concept we pay attention to is location because we target a place and we put our attention there. So, we’re already paying attention to a concept; and then we try to focus more, more and more into that area.
Don’t do one-pointed observation of the object; defocus. Just be aware.
When we know, just know, we just know things as they are; it is harder for us to manipulate the experience and give it names and all that.
Experience is passing by and you just know, you know, you know. But when you focus, you have to think of a place, the shape and all these things come on.
When you want to hear something that’s soft, you start listening and focusing; you start concentrating and you start trying to listen to the meaning and all that. It’s the same thing that the mind does when it tries to focus on an object that you observe.
But reality only has nature; that nature can only be understood – it cannot be seen by focusing.
139. HOW TO KEEP THE AWARENESS CONTINUOUS
Singapore Retreat 2014 141104 Discussion Group 4B-4A (03:15-03:46)
If you want to be aware continuously, you have to not pay so much attention to the object, and pay more attention to the awareness instead.
So, as you’re walking, just check to see what the mind is aware of. Is the mind aware? What is the mind aware of? Then, even if you should lose awareness of the footsteps, you’ll know that the mind is aware of something else.
So, it doesn’t feel like you have lost awareness; the awareness is continuous and you’ll know where the mind has gone to.
140. WHEN THE MIND CALMS DOWN, CONTINUE TO BE AWARE
Singapore Retreat 2014 141104 Discussion Group 4B-4A (1:22:18-1:24:33)
When the mind calms down, be careful. The calm mind is like a drug for the yogi; when they get it, they enjoy it.
When the mind calms down, you need to remind yourself: What is the mind aware of? What is the mind knowing? Anything else? You need to remind the mind a bit; and then the awareness wakes up.
Don’t let the awareness rest; ask: ‘Anything else?’ and continue to be aware. You’re not used to be aware all the time; that’s why the mind wants to rest after a few hours of mindfulness.
Now, you need to know that you have to be aware all the time. You have never done it before; therefore awareness also wants to rest.
So, don’t let the mind rest, try to continue to be aware.
141. RELAX AND LET AWARENESS TO EXPAND
Singapore Retreat 2014 141104 Discussion Group 4B-4A (10:07-11:51)
When you walk, you can do a more relaxed focus. Instead of noticing the feet, which is much more focused, aim for the lower half of the body. So, your awareness is on the lower half of the body; you’ll know a lot more things going on in the lower half of the body – sensations, footsteps, and so on.
A lady yogi, in the beginning, was so used to the old way of practicing – she couldn’t stop walking unnaturally, like doing one step and then one step. Even when she went walking in the village, she would walk in this stilted way. I told her to watch both feet at a time, not one foot at a time. Then, she started walking normally.
Initially you can watch the lower half of your body, and as you carry on, you’ll start to notice the upper half of your body; you start knowing everything. Then, you’ll start noticing hearing and seeing, thinking and feeling as well.
142. THE ADVANTAGE OF OPEN EYE MEDITATION
Singapore Retreat 2014 141103 Discussion Group 2B-2A (33:18-34:07)
Whether we open our eyes or close our eyes when we meditate is not important; what is important is that awareness gets better.
If awareness is better when you close your eyes, then close your eyes; if awareness is better when you open your eyes, then open your eyes.
Awareness needs to be better.
There are lots of problems when a yogi closes his eyes – easy to be sleepy, easy to day dream, easy for imagination to set in.
If you open your eyes, you can be more alert and aware; and also you can practice seeing. When you close your eyes, you have no chance to practice seeing.
143. TRAIN THE MIND TO RECOGNIZE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
Singapore Retreat 2014 141105 Discussion Group 2A-2B (40:20-40:50)
Always remember that a feeling is just a feeling and a thought is just a thought. This is how you train your mind to watch your mind – watch the feeling mind and thinking mind.
Whether the thoughts or the feelings are pleasant or unpleasant, you must train the mind to recognize a feeling is just a feeling and a thought is just a thought (that feeling mind and thinking mind are happening).
144. FOCUSING WILL LEAD TO PAYING ATTENTION ON CONCEPTS
Singapore Retreat 2014 141105 Discussion Group 2A-2B (30:15-31:48)
When you watch objects, don’t focus/concentrate on them because when you focus on them, you start to pay attention to the concept.
When we focus on the heartbeat, it comes with the concept that the heart is beating. So, when we are focusing, we start to follow the movement, and then we can move forward and backward, or even sideways.
The point is to step back, relax and just know. Just know, and don’t focus onto it. Left, right, up and down, all those are concepts.
When we follow the direction, it is concept; and when we follow directions too much, we lose the reality. Some people breathe and their head goes up and down because they are following the breath; but it’s not necessary. You just need to feel the breath.
This happens when the mind pays attention to the direction, when it follows the concept.
145. ONE OBJECT ONE KNOWING MIND
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Guided Meditation (18:32-19.23)
[One object, one knowing mind – not that the same mind knowing many objects]
One object, one knowing mind. If you recognize 2 objects at the same time, there are 2 knowing mind. If you know 3 objects, there are 3 knowing mind – different object, different mind; not only the same mind knowing many objects.
Many objects, many mind. Hearing consciousness and seeing consciousness are different; but you can experience at the same time.
If you don’t know what the mind is, then you cannot be aware of the mind.
(Each moment, a new mind and a new object arise; if you think that the object and mind are old, it’s just a thought, a concept, coming from a new thinking mind.)
146. RIGHT SAMADHI (SAMMA SAMADHI)
Singapore Retreat 2014 141106 Discussion Group 4A-4B (30:03-31:14)
In samatha practice, there is samma samadhi, right samadhi. Where right samadhi is concerned, the practice is the same as vipassana.
In samatha also you don’t focus. You very gently and patiently reapply your attention on the object, over and over and over again. You’re only placing your attention on the object; you’re not placing your attention and pressing it into the object. Samatha is simply placing your attention on the object, over and over and over again until it becomes more powerful.
But now yogis have a misconception that to make the concentration stronger, they have to press into the object; but there is no need.
It’s a simple placing, over and over again.
If you’re doing right samatha practice, you don’t feel heavy; you feel light and clear, samma samadhi. If you are feeling heavy, it is already wrong Samadhi.
147. HOW SAYADAW STARTS MEDITATING
Singapore Retreat 2014 141107 Discussion Group 1B-1A (59:00-1:01:21)
I started practicing to be free from depression, not to get understanding. If I had some relief, that was enough.
Before that, I had already tried many techniques, many ways to be free from depression – but no way. I did this, did that, but couldn’t be peaceful. Then, I started to meditate. I knew how to practice very well; but I needed to apply the practice. This was my last chance. I had no way out; so, I started to meditate.
I didn’t believe yet, not much saddha. I tried for many days; then, after 3, 4 months of day-by-day and hard practice, I realized that whenever awareness was present, I had some relief.
After I had practiced continuously for 4 to 5 months, one day, I experienced a short, short period when the suffering was totally gone. It was short but very obvious. Then the mind said ‘This is the only way.’ This short experience totally changed my life; it was a most powerful experience, and there was no looking back since.
148. NOTICING REACTION AND ATTENTION SKILLFULLY
Singapore Retreat 2014 141103 Discussion Group 2B-2A (1:21-2:01)
Yogi: The mind was watching the pain; when it watched the awareness, the mind appeared to shift somewhere else
Sayadaw: Where the mind is located is not important. The mind thinks it is here; but actually it is not here. It is nowhere, no place; but you can know that awareness is present. That’s enough.
It is easier to notice the senses when there is a strong reaction to them.
When the sun shines at the eyes – there is a reaction – the mind notices that seeing is happening. When there is a strong disliking or liking to a thought, the mind notices that thinking and feelings are happening; likewise when there’s a loud noise, a bitter taste, a bad odor, or a strong bodily sensation.
It is easier to notice the senses when there’s a strong reaction to them.
When the body is sick, the mind identifies with the experience. When it is more sick, it identifies even more.
It is hard to inject awareness of the experience at that time. But if we persist and we struggle, the mind may notice the identification ‘I’m sick; I’m suffering’ – identification is happening, it is still happening, it is still happening.
One way of stepping back from the experience is reducing the focus and not staring.
When I’m aware of the object, where possible, the mind also notices that attention is directed to the object; that the mind is paying attention to the object.
I’d start with ordinary daily activities; move on to manageable likes and dislikes, and then when the mind is strong enough, bigger defilements.
When the mind also notices that attention is directed to the object, it has a sense of stepping back from the experience, reducing the focus and not staring.
149. LEARNING TO PRACTISE SKILLFULLY IS A KIND OF WISDOM
Singapore Retreat 2014 141103 Discussion Group 2B-2A (1:38:08-1:39:20)
First, you need to learn how to practice properly. That in itself is a kind of understanding.
Now, we have all these questions, right? We have confusion and we ask: ‘Sayadaw, at this time, what should I do; at that time what should I do?’ I give you some answers, but you have to practice. When you practice, you start getting your own answers. ‘Oh, at this time the mind will do this; when I practice like this, this happens.’ ‘When this happens, I should do this.’ You start to know how to practice correctly.
You’re doing something, ‘Oh, I’m getting tense’. Then you check: ‘Oh I have the wrong attitude’. You realized the tension goes away; then, you can continue to practice. This is when you’re becoming more skillful in your own practice.
Sayadaw’s teaching is mostly about pointing us to how to practice skillfully; that’s his main teaching. When we understand how to practice skillfully; because we’re practicing skillfully, that skillful practice will bring on other understanding. The main understanding that Sayadaw is trying to get us to have is the understanding of what skillful practice is.
150. SAYADAW’S TAKE ON REBIRTH
Singapore Retreat 2014 141104 Discussion Group 3B-3A (52:10-53:22)
Whether there is rebirth or not, just think of it simply; the birth of anger and we get angry again and again. That’s rebirth, that’s samsara.
Birth is becoming; existence again and again, something comes into being, over and over again.
The experiences in our lives are coming into being again and again; on a simple scale we can understand it’s happening again and again.
Now, we have pleasant experience; we want to have that pleasant experience again and again, we want that rebirth. We want samsara to go on, but we don’t realize that it’s suffering because when we don’t have it, we’re going to be upset.
So many of us, we come to meditate because we want to feel good while we’re meditating. Again, the greed.
We want good rebirth again and again. Again, we’re hoping for samsara, but we don’t realize that.