1101. THE MIND CAN BE CHANGED WHEN THERE IS WISDOM
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (1:14:32-1:17:11)
Yogi: When I’m tired, the tendency is to think that I can’t be mindful because I’m too tired or sleepy to make that extra effort.
But actually being aware that I’m sleepy doesn’t increase the problem; it makes me better. I don’t feel as sleepy when I’m aware that I’m sleepy.
Sayadaw: It just depends on the attitude of the mind that is watching. When you’re sleepy and you know it continuously, the mind can become more alert, but if you think ‘I don’t want it and the sleepiness is not very helpful’, then the mind can feel sleepier.
Yogi: I notice that if I follow the thought, then I get more sleepy; but if I’m aware, from the point of awareness, there is no sleepiness.
Sayadaw: When it is like that, then you can be aware and start feeling better.
When we know how, we can change the mind.
1102. WHAT DOES SKILLFUL MEAN IN DAILY LIFE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (22:35-25:50)
Yogi: There are times when the meditation is good and the mind feels confident, and I seem to learn a lot and am eager to try it out at home. But soon after, the mind is destabilized and upset.
I learn to be careful when things go well with my meditation and in everyday life, that I don’t get attached and have expectations that life will be smooth.
Sayadaw: To be able to maintain wholesome states of mind for longer takes skill.
It doesn’t mean that we cannot fall off – things in life can destabilize the mind and we can be triggered.
Skillful means when the mind has difficulty, it bounces back more and more quickly.
1103. THOUGH THE EXPERIENCES DIFFER, THE WORKINGS ARE THE SAME PATH
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (13:38-14:27)
Yogi: The day and a half has been a roller coaster – many, many things, including confusion, some clarity and some painful sensations.
Sayadaw: That’s okay. You may have pleasant experiences and unpleasant experiences, but the path is the same. We will observe and we will learn and realize things.
1104. DIFFERENT MINDS HAVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (39:00-43:22)
Yogi: Can aversion trigger discriminating wisdom?
Sayadaw: Understand that by the definition of the unwholesome minds, aversion does not know the difference between good and bad, it does not understand the difference between cause and effect, it does not understand what is beneficial and not.
By its own definition, unwholesome minds don’t have the capacity to have discernment. There is no way that an unwholesome mind becomes a wholesome mind.
There is not a transformation, but what we don’t realize is that there are many qualities of minds in the mind. Wholesome minds that arise can be mixed with aversion – we can have aversion together with intelligence, wisdom and compassion. And, compassion has goodwill towards others and the desire to help others. That’s the work of compassion.
But we don’t see the difference between the minds and we mix it up. We have to learn to recognize that the quality of mind that is unwholesome, that doesn’t like what is happening, is just the aversion. The one that wants to help is the compassion. The one that understands what to do is wisdom.
So, we have to differentiate each one for the function that is their job instead of thinking of it in layman terms like ‘I got angry and decided to do something about it’, but we don’t realize that ‘I got angry’ is just the aversion, but wanting to do something about it, that’s the wisdom. They are each doing their jobs.
If it’s only aversion, it only wants to destroy.
1105. MIND STATES THAT CORRELATE TO DECISION MAKING
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (54:50-58:04)
Yogi: My mind was stormy when I remembered a big decision I have to make in my life.
I asked if I could solve this problem just by sitting and following this practice.
I was struggling a bit because the normal reaction is to act, but this approach is passive. Perhaps I should just decide and be done with it.
Sayadaw: The best way to make big decisions in life is to make them wisely. And to make the decisions wisely, the mind has to be collected, centered and clear. We need to be mindful to do that.
When the mind is collected, centered and clear, then you can think clearly. You can see what is relevant and important; that will help you to make the right decision.
When the mind is happy, when it feels free, in those states, it is clearer. And if mindfulness is your practice all the while, then wisdom can arise.
When the mind is feeling confused, that is not a good state to make a decision.
Yogi: It means that I have to develop the wisdom to make my decision. Maybe, I’ll need more time.
Sayadaw: Sometimes we have to make the decision whether we’re ready or not. The wisdom might not be enough, but at least we can keep the mind as clear as possible with the practice.
1106. LEARNING NOT TO SIMPLY BELIEVE THE UNWHOLESOME MIND
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (1:25:50-1:28:52)
Yogi: I have been seeing the process of perception. In the quiet state, I could see it clearer. As an example, there was a sound, and my mind thought that it was a big bird or a helicopter. As it turned out, it was an old truck.
That reminds me not to trust what my mind says or thinks.
Sayadaw: Yes, the mind is stupid – it is just doing what it wants. If we believe everything the mind says, we will go mad.
Yogi: How could this help me in daily life, for example, in a difficult conversation? First, I didn’t see the value, but I heard some of you said before the value of being calm, collected and clear. I put some faith in it that it will help.
Sayadaw: A rule of thumb for perception is that when the mind is angry and thinking, or the mind is greedy and thinking, don’t believe everything that the mind is telling you because it is biased then.
When the mind is clear and stable, it is wholesome, and then you can act on it.
1107. UNDERSTANDING THE GREED MIND
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (37:10-38:55)
It is true that we have to be careful of greed because if we don’t notice it, then it’ll make us do so many things.
Every day I walk up the hill for a little bit and just at the end of this incline, under a tall tree, there’s a little chair.
Every time I walk, I see it and the mind thinks that it’ll like to sit in that chair. But I don’t go all the way up there although every time I see the chair, the mind would say ‘I would like to sit in that chair’ and the mind keeps going to that chair.
I understand greed and can see that the mind thinks that it’ll be so nice if I go and sit in that chair.
1108. AVERSION ARISES BECAUSE OF GREED OR DELUSION
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:03:10-1:07:50)
Yogi: Every time when there’s greed, is there also aversion? And, when there is aversion, is there also greed?
Sayadaw: The cause for aversion is always greed or delusion. If there is greed, delusion is already present.
Sometimes the delusion is stronger, like we believe that something shouldn’t be and we just get angry about it without having thought it through. There can be delusion that fuels aversion.
Greed is always often the cause of aversion – when the mind doesn’t want something, it means that it wants something else.
Theoretically, lobha and dosa cannot co-exist in the mind at the same time, but we cannot see that experientially because the mind works so fast. We see them together because so much has passed when we notice them, but the greed is the cause for the aversion.
Greed not only fuels aversion, it also fuels fear and anxiety.
1109. GREED IS THE CAUSE AND AVERSION IS THE EFFECT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:13:45-1:16:48)
Yogi: When I realize aversion and it becomes an object, do I just name it ‘there is aversion, there is aversion’?
Sayadaw: You already know it is aversion – there is a feeling that comes with it, observe the feeling.
You feel aversion, right? You can keep an eye on the feeling, but don’t feed it with the thoughts.
Yogi: I can also feel the greed coming out behind the aversion.
Sayadaw: If you recognize the greed, look at the greed. And when the greed is gone, see whether the aversion is still there because greed is the cause and aversion is the effect.
Sometimes we observe our aversion and the aversion goes down, right? But the cause, the greed, might still be there. And if the greed is still there, the aversion can pop up again and again.
So, when the aversion is gone, we should check and see if the greed is still present.
When you like something, the mind says it is nice, be careful and start watching that mind because, after that, it’ll find something else not nice.
If you like the quiet, and when someone makes a noise, you get angry because you like the quiet. So, watch out for that.
1110. MINDFULNESS IS NOT ONLY MINDFULNESS OF THE BREATH
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (17:20-19:17)
Yogi: I was observing the thoughts and I missed out what was happening around me. Is that okay?
Sayadaw: That’s fine. The present moment has many happenings and you can’t be aware of everything.
Sometimes, we are watching the thoughts and we forget about the physical senses.
Yogi: Isn’t it some wanting that takes me off the breath?
Sayadaw: You can look at the quality of the mind at that moment. It could be grasping or wisdom – which is it? You have to see for yourself.
Yogi: I was relaxed, but was not here.
Sayadaw: You were here, but just with some object other than your breath.
1111. KNOWING THE OBJECT THROUGH THE AWARENESS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (04:36-05:27)
Yogi: I used to do choiceless awareness – there is a sensation here and there, and the mindfulness tends to go to the object.
But now, practicing here, I’m like in a space and I know the sensation without going there.
Sayadaw: That is better – it means the mindfulness is stronger, so it can stay mindful knowing the objects. It doesn’t need to go to the objects.
1112. INVESTIGATE WHEN THE MIND IS COMPOSED
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (43:32-49:10)
Yogi: In the last days of the retreat, the mind has become calm in a simple place. The defilements are still there but they behave well.
There is not much going on and I asked myself if I should do something.
Sayadaw: Because now mindfulness is strong, wisdom is there, you can explore the specific nature of the object and the specific nature of the awareness.
When the mindfulness feels strong like this, you can use it to look at things more carefully to understand their nature.
There must be the intention to understand their nature so that when you observe it will bring in wisdom.
In the beginning of practice, we need the time to learn how to deal with the defilements so that they’re not always trying to disturb us while we’re trying to understand the nature of things, but once we have understood them enough, that’s when you have the opportunity to move ahead and explore.
It is a good question to ask if you should be doing something now because if we’re just satisfied with the peace – if the mindfulness doesn’t keep up and we don’t move ahead – then the mindfulness starts to retreat.
This is the time for you to step up the mindfulness and watch things more carefully. The questions become important now – now is when you can investigate.
1113. FEELING BAD IS UNWHOLESOME; IT BLOCKS ONE FROM BEING SKILLFUL
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (33:40-40:14)
Yogi: I have nice neighbors, but they wouldn’t stop talking when they start. I haven’t found a good way to get out. After a while, I’m not really listening properly anymore, and I feel bad.
I can’t just walk away because it is not kind. I haven’t found a good way to end the conversation.
Sayadaw: Sometimes we are held by our beliefs. We listen to them and when we have to go, it is not rude to say ‘I need to go and do something’.
Feeling bad is also an unwholesome mind. It’s not a reasonable and logical mind.
We have to understand with a clear mind what is the right thing to do now – what is beneficial for oneself and how to do it.
Often these people talk and if you go away, fine, they’ll find someone else to talk to.
We should not be caught in our beliefs of what should be, but work with what is necessary.
When you feel bad, you can tell that it is unwholesome because it blocks you from being creative, from being open, and from trying things; so, put that aside.
1114. WHEN WE ENJOY LIFE OR BLAME OURSELVES, MINDFULNESS CEASES
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (26:35-28:03)
Yogi: When things are going well at home, when there are very nice situations with fun and everything, mindfulness goes away.
Sayadaw: Those are some of the things that derail the mindfulness. The other thing to remember that helps the mind to be skillful is – remember what I said that we can choose not to have wrong thought – when things go wrong, we stop blaming ourselves.
Thoughts of blaming ourselves don’t help you to get back to mindfulness – it takes you longer to work through the difficulty. When you see that the mind does something wrong, the first thing to do is to accept it. Okay, it has happened and just be mindful; forget about blaming ourselves.
If we just accept it and start being mindful again, we learn lessons from what has happened and we can grow mindfulness from the bad experience.
1115. BALANCE SITTING WITH WALKING AT RETREATS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (28:20-30:53)
Yogi: I was sitting very long this morning, for 2 hours, often reaching relaxed concentrated states.
I didn’t know when to leave or if I should leave. I just got up at some point. I was wondering if I should sit longer if I could have.
Sayadaw: I don’t encourage sitting so much because at home we don’t have time to sit so much.
1116. GREED DOES NOT ARISE BECAUSE OF AVERSION
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:48:45-1:52:13)
Yogi: You said that lobha is not caused through dosa, but when I’m frustrated with my work at the desk, I would go eat something from the fridge. Isn’t this greed fueled or caused by the aversion?
Sayadaw: Not at a fundamental level – say, we’re depressed and we look for a solution, we can’t say that the aversion in the depression is what makes you look for a solution.
Wisdom sees that there is aversion and says ‘I need to get out of this’, and wisdom looks for a solution.
In the same way, when the mind is busy at work and gets frustrated, and the mind wants to feel better and seeking something like food to make the mind feel better, it’s like a delusion fueling greed.
It’s often that when people are depressed, they eat as a form of comfort – that’s fueled by a delusion that they think it will give them relief.
1117. PRACTICING TOGETHER REGULARLY
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:46:40-1:48:13)
Yogi: When I return, I want to continue to practice more consistently at home.
Sayadaw: When we don’t understand the practice, yes, we don’t practice as much; the more we understand, the more we want to practice.
If it is possible, get together for group sitting if you live in the same town because you know how to practice and have a common understanding, and just sitting together to discuss practice with each other – discussing as like: are you practicing, have you been able to be mindful and how can you try to be more mindful – supports and reminds us to keep on practicing.
The yogis in China who met in Shwe Oo Min are doing that. Some of them have an online community.
1118. THOUGHTS ARE JUST A REFLECTION OF THEIR NATURE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (1:42:38-1:43:32)
Yogi: When I look at my thoughts, I find that I always take them to be a reflection of myself, and if I take away this attitude, it is often much easier.
Sayadaw: That’s right because the thoughts are just a reflection of their nature and if you take away the need to identify with them, it is much simpler.
1119. WATCH DEFILEMENT IN TANDEM WITH HOW ATTITUDE IS ADJUSTED
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (02:26-04:47)
Yogi: Did Sayadaw say that when there is an unwholesome mind, not to fuel it by being aware of it, but come away and go to the breath?
Sayadaw: Not quite like that. The instruction is to watch aversion, but to be careful when watching aversion. If it is growing, then use a neutral object instead of watching the aversion.
The first instruction is to know aversion, not to avoid it.
Yogi: I understand that, but it’s not easy to find the balance because when I’m watching something particularly unpleasant, I feel it in the body; then it is difficult to find something neutral in body. So, it’s just that I need to practice, really.
Sayadaw: Remember that it is because the mind hasn’t found the right attitude, the acceptance that it is happening right now, it is resisting it a little bit and when the mind is in that state, watching it fuels the aversion.
When the mind finds that it cannot adjust the attitude, and the aversion gets worse, that’s when we’ve to find some way to take the mind’s attention away from the aversion.
1120. WHEN WISDOM IS LACKING, JUST BE AWARE – DON’T THINK
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (1:21:20-1:25:40)
Yogi: I have a problem with obsessive thoughts. I keep on getting anxious over disappointing others. I’m quite fed up of these thoughts. I know the reasons but it doesn’t help – I thought I have to be familiar with the thoughts, give them space or treat them like noises, but it doesn’t change anything.
I can accept my anxiety and be okay with it, but I’m fed up with the pattern behind it.
Sayadaw: When the mind likes something a lot or dislikes something a lot, it will think of it obsessively. It is basically the aversion to what you have to face – and that aversion is feeding the thoughts.
Yogi: I know, I know; but it still doesn’t change anything.
Sayadaw: When anxiety is still there, we keep watching it.
When something keeps bothering us, we keep on wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Make the mindfulness stronger first before coming back to it. Until we understand it, it will keep on bothering us.
Yogi: My problem is I don’t manage to see what is behind it.
Sayadaw: Continue to watch.
Yogi: Do I watch continuously what is behind it?
Sayadaw: Don’t think about it; just be aware continuously without thinking about it.
1121. A REMINDER FOR LONG-TIME YOGIS ON MOMENTUM
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (1:29:14-1:30:50)
Practicing for many years doesn’t mean that we’ve been practicing continuously. If we have, our practice changes over the months and years.
In the beginning we’re just following instructions, then things start to shift – we don’t have to do things the same way we used to, and we have to recognize those changes and allow for them.
Sometimes, we don’t have to be trying so hard and making ourselves so tense. We learn the basic principles, but we have to start to see what is happening now and learn for ourselves.
For some of us who are not practicing continuously – we have an intensive practice for a while followed by a relaxed period and repeating that, then it progresses in a different way.
Every time we relax, there is a decreasing of the results that come with momentum; and when we restart intensive practice, it’s like we have to gather the momentum again. We have to accept that we’re almost like beginners again.
We can be more accepting of it if we understand that this is the process.
1122. RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS CULTIVATING AWARENESS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (1:27:52-1:28:40)
If the mind can maintain the right attitude – like it is always simple, just beginner’s mind all the time, it will help the mind to learn.
If we are content to be mindful and it doesn’t matter whether the moment is calm or otherwise, if we just like to be mindful continuously, even that will help the mind to learn.
If we take care of the cultivation of awareness, the rest of the mind will do its own work. But we have to be content.
1123. BITS OF WISDOM ARISE WHEN AWARENESS IS CONSISTENT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (10:02-12:30)
Yogi: Today’s sit was like a shift after an hour. Everything changed when my perception changed – the awareness and object were still there.
The pain changed – it retreated to the background, and I could sit another hour. I never could do that before and I was happy.
When I opened my eyes, the thought came that everything I saw was falling apart – only processes going on. I felt happy.
Sayadaw: We just have to gather all these little bits of wisdom – we have to always allow them to arise by being mindful.
1124. WHEN WE SEE THE VALUE OF LEARNING, WE WILL PERSIST
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (1:05:49-1:09:07)
Yogi: I’m trying to be aware now because I usually get lost during interviews and looking at the benefits of being aware, it is quite amazing. The mind feels broader and can receive more information; and I’m not so tense.
In everyday life, it can be quite fun to be mindful if I could see the benefits. I tried to be aware in daily life, but I didn’t look at the benefit and would let go of the awareness because it was a lot of work to be mindful.
I can see the benefits now: my mind is less tired and more open, and I can get more information without losing out on what others are saying. It is quite amazing.
Sayadaw: Great. Just for that, this retreat has been worth it. When we see the value of the practice, we’ll keep doing it.
1125. LETTING THE PRACTICE HAPPEN BY ITSELF
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (22:34-27:40)
Yogi: During working meditation, I panicked a little from doubt, greed and aversion. And I recalled Sayadaw telling a yogi to just leave it to the Dhamma.
You don’t get involved with the defilements but just do your job of being aware. This was a big release and joy arose when I realized that I didn’t have to overcome the defilement.
Sayadaw: In the beginning, it’s all about me – we suffer is ‘me’, the practice is ‘me’ and all we know is ‘me’. Then, we practice and we see that what we’re observing is not ‘me’ and eventually we’ll see that the practicing is not ‘me’ also – everything is just processes.
When there is momentum, we see this more and more clearly – everything has its own momentum. Then, there’s a real understanding of anatta, that everything is just cause and effect.
When you feel there is a good momentum, just stop observing and then you will see observing is still happening by itself.
When we’re very involved in being mindful, the practice can get very strong, but we’re still involved in the practice. We don’t see that the practice is happening.
Sometimes, when there is that much momentum, it helps to stop observing; and then you see that it is doing it. Then, you see that there is a cause and effect that brings that momentum.
1126. WHEN THE DEFILEMENTS ARE SUBTLE AND THE MIND GETS BORED
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (1:26:45-1:27:41)
Yogi: It is like a stagnation when the defilements are subtle and the mind gets a little bored. How can I investigate when there are no strong inputs to observing?
Sayadaw: Even when we continue to be mindful and the mindfulness gains momentum, we’ll still have moments when we go up and we go down; and every time we go up and down, there is a chance for the mind to investigate why it goes up, why it goes down.
From that learning, and when all those other insights about our practice become steadier, that’s when the practice starts to feed itself and we keep progressing.
But before that, we have to make some effort to explore and learn.
1127. NO OBSERVATION IS EVER WASTED
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (51:53-53:48)
Yogi: The mind goes back so often to my childhood and adolescence, especially on retreat, for hours and hours. I recall memories and make them up again and again, all the people, relatives and things.
This goes on and on and on – it’s like the mind is chewing on it, especially before sleeping, like a lullaby. I can’t make out what is behind it, why my mind is so interested in these old stories.
Sayadaw: You will find it. It is not for nothing – there is something the mind is attached to; that is why it comes back over and over again.
As you observe, you’ll see.
1128. RECOGNIZE THAT OLD HABITS TAKE TIME TO CHANGE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (08:00-12:03)
Yogi: I took a long hike yesterday – I was feeling really joyful, sometimes with grasping. When I returned, thoughts were going wild and I realized that it was self-doubt and all about the self, like if I was a good yogi.
Sayadaw: There are some qualities of the mind, some activities of the mind, which are such a habit of the mind that it takes time to understand them and to become free of them.
Yogi: It will still take a lot of time.
Sayadaw: Only practice one day at a time.
Whether you’re a good or a bad yogi, it is fine just as long as you’re a yogi.
1129. BE CONTENT TO BE MINDFUL AND THE LEARNING WILL HAPPEN
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (1:21:20-1:28:35)
Yogi: When there is no strong greed or aversion, I’m still attentive, but I notice the energy getting lower and I’m not so content with that, but I don’t have any real useful means to investigate.
Sayadaw: If the mind always has the right attitude, like it is always simple, just beginner’s mind all the time, it is content to just be mindful and it doesn’t matter if the moment is calm or otherwise, if it just likes to be mindful continuously, even that will help the mind to learn.
If you’re mindful continuously, if it has momentum and we take care of the cultivation of awareness, the rest of the mind will do its own work. But the mind has to be content.
1130. BE SIMPLE AND OPEN WHEN WE’RE AWARE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (56:25-1:02:37)
Yogi: In the evening, I was calmly doing walking meditation and investigated the unpleasant energy field in my shoulder. The unpleasantness in the body got stronger and stronger, but I couldn’t see any reaction in the mind.
Finally, I stopped watching the mind and noticed that the tension in the shoulder went back to normal.
I was surprised that I couldn’t see the reaction in the mind; it was like the doors were closed.
Sayadaw: It is okay. You’re already seeing quite a lot.
When you check the mind, check if the mind has an idea of how it thinks aversion will represent itself. So, do not to have an idea what you think you will find when you look for the reaction to the unpleasantness.
Theoretically, the logic is when it is getting more unpleasant, there must be more reaction in the mind. But if the mind thinks that the reaction must be seen in a certain way, it might be off focused – the reaction might be there but you’re not seeing what is there because you’re expecting to see something else.
It could also be possible that the mind is not reacting because you describe the sensation as an energy field, which represents that the mind doesn’t see it as a solid block of unending pain. It sees its nature more, then it could be body-based without the mind reacting, not something that is influenced by the mind.
1131. ADJUST THE ATTITUDE TO SEE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NATURE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (12:31-13:20)
Yogi: When I watch aversion, I often feel that it is my aversion. It is very difficult to feel that it is aversion not around this person who is bad.
Sayadaw: Remind yourself to try and adjust your attitude that this is nature.
Adjust the attitude and observe, adjust the attitude and observe – do that often.
1132. BE WILLING TO FACE THE CHALLENGING SCENARIO
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:30:34-1:35:00)
Yogi: I was calm and watching thoughts come and go; suddenly there was a negative thought about my daily life. I felt and saw the aversion and nothing special happened – I was happy about that.
Then the mind said that the thought would come again and again and the calm would go down.
I would like to rehearse and prepare for this repeating negative thought. Whenever I’m in that situation, I lose the calm and wise way of seeing it – I don’t want to have it and get impatient with it.
Is it possible to rehearse going through it again and again and discover all layers of what is going on?
Sayadaw: It will keep coming until you understand it. Welcome it so that you can understand it.
You won’t lose, you will profit from it. Let it come and you’ll learn something from it.
Just even being aware of it is a profit. Whether we’re aware of it or not, it’ll come.
Yogi: Can I rehearse it because I’m afraid of falling in the old patterns because I’m so used to reacting that way?
Sayadaw: Yes, you can rehearse but you’ll still find yourself getting carried away, but it is okay. Don’t be afraid – we’ve already got carried away so many times.
Now, you’ve set up an intention – you’ll remember to come out of it faster. You lose yourself and you’ll remember faster and you’ll remember faster and faster. And then, you’ll understand more and more.
Be willing to face it and then it’ll get better.
1133. PRACTICE LONG, PRACTICE PERSISTENTLY AND THE WHOLESOME WILL GROW
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:26:50-1:28:35)
Yogi: Walking out by the creek this foggy morning, I had a quick moment of happiness just to be in the moment and everything was okay.
It makes me realize that the practice works despite all the difficult times – there are moments which give me faith.
Sayadaw: Practice long, practice persistently and the wholesome will grow.
1134. REALITY IS NEVER BORING – THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS INTERESTING
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (56:40-59:11)
Yogi: I was lost in thought and there was a lot of anger; it started when I became angry with someone at home. I realized that this mood attracted everything that would make me angry.
I also realized how much all the anger is related to selfing, all the time.
Sayadaw: That’s right. It’s very interesting, once the aversion is there, it finds its object and finds things to be averse about.
When you see the truth of what aversion does, it is not personal. The truth is always interesting.
When you see reality like that, when you see the nature of things, no matter how many times you see it, it is always fresh and interesting because it is so real and fascinating.
1135. SELF CONSCIOUSNESS CREATES TENSION
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (16:22-17:50)
Yogi: When walking, I could feel some stiffness in my lower back; it was particularly stiff when I crossed path with Sayadaw along the corridor.
Sayadaw: The selfing creates tension. When we’re alone, it is not so obvious; when somebody passes us, it becomes more obvious because once there is another, there has to be a self.
1136. TRY NOT TO IDENTIFY WITH THE UNWHOLESOME QUALITIES
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 17 (23:45-26:42)
Yogi: Yesterday, I was angry at something. I chose to ignore it and got into a state of confusion, doubt, being overwhelmed and aversion.
So, this morning I decided to stick to a neutral object for a while. When I remembered the anger from yesterday and sat with it, the mind grasped onto something else of the past, and the mind made such a huge deal of the whole thing.
Sayadaw: When we observe the unwholesome minds – when we acknowledge and recognize them – it is very important to have the right view of not identifying with them.
You see the unwholesome quality comes up and you do not think: This is me. If you notice that the mind thinks ‘This is me’, you recognize that the mind thinks ‘This is me’ – when you recognize the selfing, you’ll be less involved.
1137. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLIED THOUGHT AND INSIGHT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 16 (14:35-17:45)
Yogi: I have always been thinking about fixing the future and a thought came up that nothing is certain and the only sure thing is death – and I said that’s not true. The only sure thing is now – the next moment I don’t know and I don’t have to do anything.
And with the past, I don’t have to do anything either because I can’t do anything. This realization was extremely relaxing, but it didn’t last long.
Sayadaw: Sometimes, an insight just pops up like that and some don’t last long. Sometimes, as we watch thoughts, we see their nature – some are right and some are wrong.
We will learn, when there are wrong thoughts in the mind, not to accept them, not to believe them and get involved with them.
1138. WE REST THE MIND BY BEING AWARE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (00:30-01:22)
Yogi: I notice that the mind is very active and thinks a lot – sometimes it is useful to me and sometimes it makes me tired.
Sayadaw: It is tiring when the mind has lots of activities – it is less tiring to just be aware.
MEDITATION IS HAPPENING SO LONG AS THERE IS MINDFULNESS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (31:50-33:41)
Sayadaw: We have to find out for ourselves what helps the mind to be mindful throughout the day.
I used to sit in a coffee shop very often in Burma when I was working – to just gather my mind in between work.
Yogi: I’m thinking of a longer retreat and am considering bringing my guitar along because it will help me to relax.
Sayadaw: Sure, play the guitar mindfully. A yogi came to Burma for a retreat with me with a guitar.
So long as there is mindfulness, meditation is happening. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. It could be toilet meditation, eating meditation, swimming meditation or jogging meditation.
Yogi: That’s good to hear.
1139. DHAMMANUPASSANA – CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (1:20:45-1:22:40)
Yogi: How can I wish compassion for myself or somebody else if there is no ‘I’ experiencing that there is consciousness knowing that there is pain? Who do I wish for then?
Sayadaw: There is nobody, just on the conditions.
There is no need for a self to be there – in fact the self intensifies the suffering. It is just compassion on the conditions.
When the mind is in that state, we can also contemplate the dhammas that are present. The dhammas that are present then are sensation, object, awareness, vedana/feeling.
Contemplate the nature of the dhammas that are present.
That will be dhammanupassana, contemplation of nature.
1140. WE OUGHT TO PRACTICE BECAUSE IT IS BENEFICIAL
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 18 (1:22:00-1:23:11)
Yogi: When is Sayadaw coming again to Europe?
Sayadaw: I have not thought about it.
The practice is a very beneficial work – we ought to do it and it is worth doing.
1141. ENJOYING DOES ITS WORK AND AWARENESS DOES ITS WORK TOO
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (39:05-40:15)
Yogi: I was sitting on a bench behind the center and was hearing all the surrounding sounds. I enjoyed them. It was like listening to a concert.
I asked myself if I could be lost in hearing like I can be lost in thought.
I don’t know if I was lost in hearing, but I enjoyed it very much.
Sayadaw: You knew that you enjoyed it, but did you know whether you were aware? This is what you have to ask yourself.
You can enjoy but you need to ask yourself if you’re still aware.
You can still enjoy and be aware of enjoying and be aware of all those sounds.
So long as you check if you’re aware, then you won’t be totally lost.
1142. WITH AWARENESS, THE PROCESS OF THE EXPERIENCE IS RECOGNIZED
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (18:35-21:28)
Yogi: I’m concerned about self-criticism – whenever there is should and shouldn’t be like this or why am I not like this, I recognize the thoughts and discomfort.
Aren’t these thoughts of self-criticism already the mind wearing the glasses of self-criticism?
Sayadaw: Yes, but you have to differentiate 2 processes – there is a process that is being seen and the seeing process.
And the process that is being seen right now is the process of the mind having self-criticism glasses on and doing self-criticizing and the feeling of being self-criticized.
And there is a process that is seeing this process – and that process may not have the glasses on. You can see for yourself. This type might be seeing with wisdom.
The seeing what is happening is not self-criticizing, it is seeing the process of self-criticizing happening.
1143. NOT FIXING THE FUTURE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (01:46-03:47)
Yogi: I have less problems with my pain these days – I don’t fight it so much although it’s still there. I recognize that it’s better to move rather than to stay with it.
Before, I would say to myself that I would want to sit 45 minutes without moving. That was too focused on the pain and I realize that.
Sayadaw: Saying that I won’t move for 45 minutes can cause too much tension for the mind.
It is not necessary to fix something for ourselves and not be flexible with the situation.
We always need to make plans and have goals, but we mustn’t expect them to turn out exactly as we want them to be.
Let the mind be free.
1144. LEARNING OPPORTUNITY WHEN THE UNWHOLESOME PLAYS OUT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (10:15-14:03)
Yogi: I have had 2 difficult days and realize that meditation is not being happy or calm or have good samadhi – it is to allow seeing and feeling what is when it is painful or suffering.
Sayadaw: Not to avoid or run away – just to be with it and you can get a profit from it.
Yogi: Sometimes I feel that I have to be unwholesome to get wiser.
Sayadaw: It is true that when the unwholesome comes up, sometimes they are stronger than we can restrain them. If possible, stay aware of what is happening.
So, the unwholesome does its own work and the awareness does its own work.
In the retreat, the unwholesome is contained, but out there in the world, the mind will do a lot more, but you must keep being aware of it.
In our life, the unwholesome stuff really acts up and the awareness when it works, it can also become very real.
Knowing is not wasted; it is always learning something.
1145. MEDITATION IS A GENTLE ART
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (54:00-56:50)
Yogi: I have created a concept of strict and serious mindfulness and I try to let go of it.
I see a tendency of the mind to find the faults and defilements. I’m grateful for Sayadaw’s teaching that when I check my attitude to see what is there, not to search for something – and I used to do that quite often.
For a change, it is good to recognize something good or see the absence of the defilement.
Sayadaw: Yes, you have to also acknowledge everything – the good too.
Meditation is an art, something gentle and creative. It is not like chopping a tree.
In meditation, we don’t have to punch an ant with our fist – swiping it with a finger is enough.
1146. HOW TO REDUCE SELFING
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (06:05-09:20)
Yogi: I feel that there is a lot of identification with all my thinking and experiences, and sometimes there is a glimpse of when it is not like this – when there is space and calmness.
Last few days, there wasn’t so much clinging to the ‘I’; otherwise there was so much stickiness. It’s my wish for some suggestions now.
Sayadaw: You’re not the only one identified with the thinking and experiences.
Be more mindful.
The mindfulness allows the wisdom that understands the nature of things to be present so that the selfing doesn’t feel so sticky. Mindfulness is the only thing that will allow the wisdom to be present.
So, we have to continue to be mindful.
1147. SEEING THE WAY THE MIND WORKS
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 15 (49:15-50:45)
Yogi: Sometimes, I cannot find out the reason why I’m angry.
Sayadaw: It is in the thinking or talking mind in the head, but not the story.
It is a process that is making the mind angry. You want to understand the process that is making the mind angry. So, what is it that you know about the mind that is making the mind angry; that’s what you’re looking at.
What is it that you know that is making the mind angry? It is not what you’re thinking about that is making the mind angry. You think about the person, but it is not what you’re thinking about. It is what you know that is happening in the mind that is making the mind angry.
Before you get angry, do you know what is the mind doing?
If we watch and the mindfulness is continuous, we’ll see the way the mind works.
1148. MINDFULNESS IS MAGICAL WHEN WISDOM IS PRESENT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (1:30:12-1:34:05)
Yogi: I wanted to take a shower but all bathrooms were occupied and I was angry; then, each person I met caused anger to arise.
I tried to look at the anger, not at the person; and soon the anger came down. It was a bit magical.
My perception and how I felt about the person I saw an hour ago was totally different. It was a calm and warm feeling.
Sayadaw: We have to have the experience of aversion in order to be able to watch it and experience the magic of mindfulness and learn something about aversion.
Not just aversion, of course, but any object. If we don’t have those experiences, we cannot learn.
In Vipassana practice, we use the experience as the object in order to learn and gain wisdom.
1149. CONFIDENCE GROWS WHEN WE RELY ON OURSELVES TO PRACTICE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (1:13:14-1:17:15)
Yogi: It is helpful that I can move and just walk because it helps me with my bodily pain.
What you said that we would really experience confidence in ourselves if we practice seriously was really helpful. That is exactly what I learn now.
I experience lots of self-confidence and ease in my practice because there’s like a guardian in my mind.
Sayadaw: It’s true that when we are really responsible for our own practice, the confidence that we’re doing it is incredible.
When we have to use our own will, strength and motivation to do something, because we use them, they’re stronger; they get exercised. They really get stronger; so, that’s why it feels so confident.
When we have to rely on an outside structure or somebody else to make everything nice for us so that we can feel like we’re meditating then we’re never sure that we are.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
1150. IT’S OKAY SO LONG AS WE KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING
Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 13 (1:00:20-1:01:28)
Yogi: Is it possible to know several objects at the same time?
My awareness jumps from object to object – sometimes rapidly and sometimes in a smooth rhythm. And I have the expectation to know everything at the same time.
Sayadaw: There is no need to expect it. We just accept the present moment awareness as it is.
The way you know it is fine. Just stay with that; it is okay.
So long as you’re with the knowing, that is fine.