1251. TO PRACTICE AT HOME, MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM OF AWARENESS
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 (09:42-10:28) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Sayadaw’s teaching is aware, aware and aware. The mind gets bored after a while and I’ll stop practicing at home.
Sayadaw: At home, you need the continuity of practice – that makes the mind settle down. When you don’t have enough practice, when the mind is so messy, how can the mind settle down?
If you practice more continuously at home, it is easier for the mind to calm down; otherwise if the mind is too complicated, it is difficult to meditate because the agitated mind already has a lot of momentum.
If your awareness is weak, how can the mind settle down?
1252. SKILLFUL AT PRACTICING
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 with Sayadaw U Tejaniya (36:30-37:42)
If the watching mind can be equanimous when observing unpleasant objects or unpleasant situations, it means that the mind is skillful at practice.
For the unskillful mind, when the experience is pleasant, the mind enjoys the experience and when the experience is unpleasant, it resists the experience. In both instances, the mind cannot be detached from the object.
If someone knows how to practice well, the mind can step back and watch regardless of whether the experience is pleasant or unpleasant.
1253. IS IT NECESSARY TO MOVE WHILE SITTING?
Swiss Retreat 2019 Interviews 2 (24:45-27:28) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: When I sit meditate, I start to move a bit. I don’t know if it’s because I want to move. I cannot figure it out and wonder if it’s better to stop it or just leave it.
Sayadaw: Is it necessary to move while you’re sitting?
There are many reasons why people move in sitting and often the motivations are subtle enough for us not to realize that we’re generating them.
People can move when they are bored in sitting. People also move when they have pain.
Whatever it is, if it is not necessary to move, don’t develop the habit of moving involuntarily or voluntarily while sitting.
There are people who develop these habits that just won’t go away. There are yogis who believe that if they have certain movements, it’s a sign of something. They’ll just keep having that over and over because of a belief.
Yogi: So, next time I start moving, is it better that I stop it?
Sayadaw: When you stop it, you’ll also discover why it wants to move.
1254. A LITTLE AT A TIME
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 with Sayadaw U Tejaniya (38:00-38:16)
Too much teaching is not good – trying to remember one or two advices is enough. When there is too much information, we tend to forget everything.
1255. TRAIN TO OPEN UP THE AWARENESS IN DAILY LIFE
Swiss Retreat 2019 Interviews 2 (0:50 -3:31) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I’m used to walking slowly to be aware and find it hard to walk normally, enjoy the view and still be aware.
Sayadaw: Once there is a beautiful view, it is hard to keep your attention at your feet, but it is not about keeping your attention at your feet, it is about being mindful.
So, if you want to look at the view, look, but be aware that you’re looking at the view. Then, you can put some attention at the feet and then back to the view – aware of looking and aware of movement repeatedly.
This is how you will practice if you’re walking to work or anywhere in life – you have to look at the road sign, people on the street and where you’re going and you still want to be mindful. You just have to be aware of looking and be aware of movement repeatedly.
When we’re only aware of our feet and walking, we’ll never get used to how much more mindful we can be in a freer form – it just takes practice. So, please try.
1256. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
Swiss Retreat 2016 Q&A Group B4 (00:36-4:15) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: In my practice, I was taught that I could always choose what I wanted to do, but Sayadaw says that it is the mind which decides what to do – the mind thinks and feels.
Do I have the freedom to decide or does the decision happen because of some mental quality? It seems that I can decide to go with thinking or to be aware of the body.
Sayadaw: Since the ‘I’ is an illusion in the first place, what we’re calling ‘I’ is either defilement deciding or wisdom deciding. When defilement decides, we think that we make an unskillful choice; when wisdom decides, we think that we make the right decision. That’s all.
The sense of freedom comes from the wholesome. When it is the unwholesome that is in charge, we’re almost without choice because they have such a strong hold on us. Unwholesome choices are usually automatic.
1257. IT HELPS IF WE SEE WHICH IS THE CAUSE AND WHICH IS THE EFFECT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Interviews 3 (11:15-14:01) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Sayadaw: Touch your fingers – are the touching and the knowing of the touching separate?
Yogi: Yes.
Sayadaw: So, you know the touching and you also know the knowing of the touching.
Yogi: I should try to stay on the knowing side?
Sayadaw: Ok. But if you know the knowing, you already know what it knows; so, knowing the knowing doesn’t mean you don’t know the touching.
When you know the knowing, touching is already known.
Touching is very clear – all of you can feel the touching sensation, right? First, you pay attention to the touching – now you don’t pay attention to the touching and do you know the knowing?
When there is touching, there is knowing of the touching; when there is no touching, there is no knowing of the touching, right?
1258. USE REMINDING TO PRACTICE IN DAILY LIFE
Singapore Q&A 20 November 2022 (40:30-40:55) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
In our daily activities, often check if our awareness is present or not – doing this is enough.
Check: Is the mind aware? What is the mind aware of? Just reminding in daily life and slowly the nature of awareness will become clearer to you.
1259. LET AWARENESS BE A PRIORITY IN LIFE
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 (08:00-09:25) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Sayadaw’s teaching is aware, aware and aware. After we’re aware, what should we do next?
Sayadaw: Through awareness, information comes and wisdom can grow slowly.
Yogi: Is there anything that we’ve to do after being aware?
Sayadaw: There is nothing else to do – just recognizing, recognizing and recognizing the mind working. We’re aware and learning about the mind.
Yogi: When I feel bored with the practice, I’ll stop.
Sayadaw: You need to change your attitude first. You now realize that it is easy to be bored when we want something and we cannot get it.
You should just practice being aware and not focus on getting what the mind wants.
1260. TRAINING THE MIND TO WATCH RESISTANCE AND ATTACHMENT
Swiss Retreat 2019 Interviews 1 (47:10-48:48) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Before we watch the emotions, first we need to know if we’re equanimous to what we’re watching. Are we resisting it – are we afraid of the emotion? Or, are we hoping that it’ll go away?
We need to notice and watch those motivations and feelings first before we actually try to watch the emotions directly. We need to train the mind by watching the wrong attitudes and resistance until the mind feels accepting. And, that’s when we’re ready to watch the emotions.
It is the nature of the mind that when it feels something pleasant, it will attach to it and when it feels something unpleasant, it’ll resist it and our job is to train the mind to watch the resistance and attachment so that we learn how the mind comes to equanimity.
1261. ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE MIND CAN’T BEAR WITH THE EXPERIENCE
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 (31:13-32:10) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
I had a long test at the hospital yesterday – it was difficult.
I only watched that the mind couldn’t bear with it – the reality was that the mind had a tough time bearing with it. When that was seen, the mind could bear with it.
At first, the mind kept going back to thinking when it would end, the expectation for the test to finish.
When I saw that the mind was not peaceful because it didn’t like this situation, I began to be aware of the feeling – then, the mind settled down.
1262. AN INSIGHT INTO KOAN PRACTICE
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 with Sayadaw U Tejaniya (26:00-28:10)
The difficulty with Zen practice is that there is not enough information – it is just thinking. Awareness is getting information and when the question arises, the answer comes with experience.
I talked to the Korean yogis – they think about ‘who am I or who is angry?’ There are many koans.
I said ‘you need awareness’ – first, you need to be aware of your body and mind all the time and only then use the question.
When we only practice the koan, we think too much and get a lot of headache. Think, think, think and the head also becomes very tense.
Awareness is information. If you have enough information, when the koan question comes, they match – they work together and it is finished. If they ask the koan when they don’t have the information yet, then the wisdom answer does not arise.
1263. THE OBSTACLE TO HOME PRACTICE – EXPECTING CERTAIN EXPERIENCES
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 (03:36-07:08) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: When someone feels bored and uninterested with meditation, what should we do?
Sayadaw: They need to understand more about meditation, that the mind has some expectation. Because they cannot get what they want, they become bored.
It depends on your understanding – if you understand the value of the practice, the mind becomes interested. Without enough understanding, it is easy for people to lose interest.
In the beginning, people are interested in meditation because they can get a calm and peaceful mind.
Yogi: When we stop a while and try to restart the practice, it becomes very difficult.
Sayadaw: Because you’re attached to the calmness; so, the next time you meditate with the expectation and you cannot get the calmness, the mind becomes bored. This is nature.
Yogi: So, I have to try and try again.
Sayadaw: It is not to try but to understand the process. People start to meditate because of the good feeling from a calm and concentrated state. That’s when the craving comes. But when you know this process – that boredom and frustration arise from attachment – you’ll not get too attached.
1264. WATCH THE FEELING AND NOT THINK OF WHAT AGITATES THE MIND
Singapore Q&A 19 November 2022 (28:46-31:13) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I tried many ways to treat myself when I was sick, but I got more agitated instead.
Sayadaw: It is not easy to calm the mind for beginners because the wanting and not wanting are strong like a pendulum swinging wildly.
It is easier for the experienced yogi to calm the mind when they are sick. Normally people resist very strongly because they want a good state – the more they dislike the present situation, the more agitated the mind gets.
It is also an understanding when we realize that all the trying causes agitation. This is also one truth, but you don’t know any other way of settling the mind – you only know this way and you try again and again.
Next time when you’re sick, watch that the mind is not happy. That’s better. Be aware of the unpleasant feeling first because when the agitation subsides the mind calms down.
1265. INSIGHT IS THE REALITY OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TELLING OURSELVES
Swiss Retreat 2019 Interviews 2 (6:25-7:51) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I have been having lots of unpleasant bodily sensations and I keep telling myself that pain is not bad; it is not my pain and that the solution is in the mind and the problem is not the pain. The pain is still there but I’m quite relaxed today.
Sayadaw: This is how we practice – first we keep introducing the right thought to help us. Eventually when we have an insight, every time we have an insight, we see the reality of what we have been telling ourselves.
1266. AWARENESS REVEALS THE DEFILEMENT; IT DOES NOT INTENSIFY THE REACTION
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Malaysian Group Interviews 8 Jan 2020 (02:09-3:12) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Sayadaw says when there is mindfulness, the mind is relieved and the quality of mind improves. But sometimes the agitation increases when I’m aware of a strong defilement – e.g. when I’m aware of the sensation while taking a cold shower, the agitation increases.
Sayadaw: Your agitation is not from awareness; the agitation is from the reaction, the resistance to the experience. It is only that you know what is happening when you’re aware.
1267. PITI JOY IS THE RESULT OF WHOLESOME MINDS NOT AKUSALA MINDS
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Malaysian Group Interviews 8 Jan 2020 (00:00-01:40) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I really like to eat fatty pork; now that I talk about it, the mind has piti, very happy and very light. How can a greed object produce piti?
Sayadaw: This liking produces happiness – it is akusala happiness because piti is different.
Yogi: It feels very light.
Sayadaw: Lobha also produces lightness – that is why greedy people are very fast. Lobha also has a lot of energy; likewise for anger. They are bad energy, not good energy.
Piti has wholesome quality; it is not rough. Piti is the joy arising from wholesome minds. When wholesome minds like samadhi and saddha increase, naturally piti arises.
1268. AN ADVICE FOR HOME PRACTICE
Singapore Q&A 20 November 2022 (43:12-44:04) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
At home, when people try to be aware, all their activities stop to be aware. For me, I just remind myself if I’m aware while doing what I do, just checking if awareness is present. As such, my activities don’t stop, only the mind changes.
When you get to the point where you become more conscious of the awareness, then you can keep reminding yourself if awareness is still there while doing things, just checking if it is still there.
We’re not asking the awareness to specifically pay attention to anything. We’re just checking if awareness is still around.
1269. BALANCING CONCENTRATION WITH AWARENESS
Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (19:35 -24:00) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: How do we balance concentration with awareness?
Sayadaw: Concentration is stability of mind. I don’t say concentration because concentration uses a lot of energy.
Samadhi is stable and calm mind, not concentration. However much samadhi you have, there is no problem. There is no problem having as much awareness and right samadhi; the problem comes when the samadhi is wrong samadhi.
When there is wrong idea or micchā-ditthi, the concentration becomes too heavy.
Balancing is checking if awareness, stability of mind and wisdom are present.
If the mind is too quiet, the mind cannot think, then you need to balance the mind. If awareness is present, you should think if you need to think. But thinking all the time is also not right – the mind wanders and becomes agitated.
Awareness is more important – it observes and knows how to adjust the mind. Is stability of mind there? Is the mind awake and alert? Are wisdom, calmness and effort working?
You can know if something is too much.
Yogi: It is the attachment to the bliss.
Sayadaw: Attachment to the peaceful mind is a big problem to yogis.
Peacefulness is not the aim of meditation; it is a by-product or side effect of meditation. It is not our aim.
We need to be interested in bad situations too because when we’re near death, the mind will not be calm, not like during sitting meditation.
Now, during meditation, you’re very happy and feeling nice, but when we’re dying, it will not be like this.
Actually, calmness is not a problem; it is helping you to understand; samadhi helps wisdom to arise because it provides the stable mind for wisdom to come. The problem is attachment to calmness.
So, we take care of the attachment, not the calmness.
If we’re doing right, calmness arises; this is cause and effect process. The problem arises only when there is attachment because no understanding arises when we’re attached.
1270. GOOD INTENTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOOD ACTION
SOM Q&A 29 July 2019 (00:00-00:58) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SV79q_r8s&t=10s
Yogi: If I do something that can benefit somebody, but the intention is not pure, should I do it?
Sayadaw: Good intention is more important than good action because it is only with good intention that we can say that the action is good.
If the defilement decreases, you can go ahead, but if the defilement increases you should not do it. Practicing that is meditation.
1271. NO OBJECT DISTURBS THE VIPASSASNA YOGI
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (28:08-32:14) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I’m always disturbed by the thinking mind.
Sayadaw: When we practice vipassana meditation, there is no disturbing object. We are not interested in concept; we’re interested in the process of mind, that something is happening.
We’re not interested in the sound; we’re interested in the hearing process. Don’t pay attention to the sound; if you pay attention to the sound, liking and disliking will arise.
Inside the hearing process, there are sound, knowing, thinking and feeling.
No object disturbs the mind; so, this right thought is very important. It is the same with thinking.
There is no disturbing object for the vipassana meditator, but for the samatha meditator, sound really disturbs the mind because they cannot get deep concentration when it is noisy.
Sound is totally disturbing for the jhana practitioner. It is not for the vipassana yogi – because of sound, we can understand anicca, dukkha and anatta. So, we use sound as an object.
1272. HOW TO HELP NON-MEDITATORS AT THE DEATHBED
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (38:05-39:30) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Those who don’t know how to meditate, at near death, we can help to calm them by saying something good or by chanting to remind them of the Buddha or by helping them recall memory of their good dana or anything to change their quality of mind.
In this way, we can help them calm their mind using the object – the mind changes when the object changes – because they cannot change their mind directly by being aware of themselves.
1273. ARE WE CONTROLLING OR APPLYING WHEN WE PRACTICE?
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (15:51-16:58) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Sometimes we don’t have the understanding yet and we hear Sayadaw say this and that. With the information, we try to control and get into the wrong practice.
Sayadaw: If we don’t have the wisdom, but we have the right knowledge, we can apply what we have read or an idea. We recall and change our mind as much as we can.
Yogi: So, we can change this way?
Sayadaw: This is not controlling; this is applying.
Yogi: Okay, I see the difference between controlling and applying.
Sayadaw: This is not controlling; we’re applying our knowledge. Contemplating is part of meditation. When we think – for example, contemplate anicca, dukkha and anatta – and as much as we understand, that much we’re relieved.
1274. APPLYING WHAT WE HAVE READ IN THE PRACTICE
Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (39:40-44:38) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: How do we apply knowledge we read in books to our practice? For example, I read that things are always changing, but personally I have fear of change and losing things.
Sayadaw: How do we apply the book information to our practice? When we don’t have enough direct understanding, we cannot apply. We read a lot about Buddha’s teaching, but we cannot apply in daily life. We have to balance theory and practice.
Previously, I also couldn’t apply in daily life except for mindfulness. With mindfulness practice, understanding grows slowly, then you can apply in daily life. We don’t try to push – if defilement is stronger, we don’t try to push to overcome it. If the mind cannot accept it, we need to know that the mind cannot understand yet.
For example, we know that patience or khanti is good. If we try to be patient all the time, a lot of problems arise, right?
1275. WHEN THOUGHTS DISTURB THE MIND, DIRECT ATTENTION TO THE THINKING PROCESS
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (28:00-30:10) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Whenever I practice, I’m always disturbed by the thinking mind.
Sayadaw: When you practice vipassana meditation, there’s no disturbing object. Why do you say that thoughts disturb you?
This is already wrong idea and wrong attitude because you don’t have the right information.
The thinking process doesn’t disturb you; it is the storyline, the concept that disturbs.
We call something that can think the mind - this is the definition of the mind. So, thinking is not disturbing; thinking is the mind. We’re learning about the mind process, not the storyline.
When thinking arises and if we pay attention to the storyline, who and what are happening, then agitation arises. That is why you say thinking disturbs you – the mind is paying more attention to the concept.
We’re not interested in the concept; we’re interested in the process of mind, that thinking mind is happening.
A clearer example is when we’re aware of hearing, we’re not paying attention to the sound, we’re aware that hearing process is happening. Don’t pay attention to the sound because if you do, it is easy for liking and disliking to arise as we’re easily drawn to the concept.
The object of defilement is a concept, but the object of vipassana-wisdom is nature.
1276. MEDITATION IS NOT CONTROLLING TO GET WHAT WE WANT
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (32:28-34:26) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: When I meditate, the quality of awareness is dull and unclear. Should I just accept it, or how do I energize it to make it better?
Sayadaw: What do you want to do? You want to change, right? That’s the problem.
You said you want to accept, but already you want to change.
I said to check the quality of the awareness, that’s it. Just checking and not trying to change.
You notice that the experience is not good and the mind wants it to be good. The big problem with the meditator is that they don’t like bad situations.
If we don’t understand bad situations, then we’ll never overcome them.
Quality is no good, it is okay because it is also an object; just an experience. So, check your attitude first; what does the mind want to do? This is wanting to control and get what we want.
1277. LEARN TO BE AWARE OF BAD SITUATIONS
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (6:25-10:50) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I was down with Covid and lost my taste and smell. I was very scared because I was attached to the taste and smell.
I looked at the fear and it became even stronger. I didn’t know what to do.
Sayadaw: This was a bad situation. Learn to face bad situations; don’t run away every time you have a bad experience. You can learn how to be aware with equanimity.
When you can do this, it means that you know how to meditate very well.
Otherwise, when pleasant situation arises, the mind gets attached; and when bad situation comes, the mind resists all the time. It is like the craving and aversion are the far ends of the swing of a pendulum.
For a meditator, whether a pleasant or unpleasant experience arises, you can still be aware and understand that they are also objects.
So, sickness and no sickness are the same.
Why do people get upset when the body is sick? It is because of attachment to the good experience.
Every time I wake up, I check my mind and when I see that both body and mind are very nice, peaceful and relaxed, what does the mind say at that time? Nice, good. This is delusion because there is no nice or good situation.
If you think it’s good, you get attached and samsara keeps going.
When the mind says it is good and nice, wisdom doesn’t allow the thought to continue. It is just an experience or object and there is no need to be attached to it.
1278. DON’T OVERTHINK WHAT THE MIND STILL DOESN’T UNDERSTAND
Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (39:40-42:48) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: How do we apply knowledge we read in a book to our practice? For example, I read that things are always changing, but personally I have fear of change and losing things.
Sayadaw: Impermanent, right? I met 2 Western yogis who had read about impermanence, suffering and non-self. After contemplating anicca, dukkha and anatta, they became depressed and they asked me why?
It is because wisdom and defilement don’t match. They’re only thinking about impermanence, but defilement is still strong in their mind. Although they think about impermanence, the mind wants to exist, and because defilement is stronger than wisdom, slowly the mind becomes depressed.
Craving wants existence, but you think it is impermanent; so, there is conflict. When the mind cannot get what it wants, it becomes angry and depressed.
And also thinking about dukkha, do you like dukkha? They only know that dukkha is suffering feeling and the mind is not happy about dukkha. They don’t really understand dukkha; craving wants to be happy and if you think too much about suffering and subconsciously the mind doesn’t like it, it becomes depressed.
And anatta, you say the mind cannot control, but craving wants to control; so, later you become depressed.
That was why my teacher told me not to contemplate too much about anicca, dukkha and anatta. If you meditate and wisdom arises, we let the understanding of anicca, dukkha and anatta arise in the mind. This is better.
We shouldn’t think too much about what the mind still doesn’t understand.
1279. APPLYING INVESTIGATION WHEN WE PRACTICE
Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (44:45-47:52) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: Sayadaw, how do I apply dhamma vicaya or investigation when I practice?
Sayadaw: Be aware first and experience many times and slowly when wisdom comes, the questions will arise naturally. This is the natural way.
Actually you’re already applying in daily life – whatever you do, wisdom is already there. Intelligent people, naturally they want to know what is happening.
Most yogis only know how to concentrate; they try to concentrate to calm down and forget to practice dhamma vicaya. If you really practice vipassana meditation with a good teacher, they will explain how to apply dhamma vicaya wisdom in the training.
Most yogis don’t know how to apply wisdom in the practice; they only know how to use effort and concentration. That is why I explain a lot about this during discussions and interviews. When yogis listen more about it repeatedly, with more information, they realize that wisdom can be applied this way when they practice.
1280. PAST LIVES DISTURB THE MIND DURING MEDITATION
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (1:01:34-1:04:40) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I could see my past lives during meditation. This obstructs me from sitting longer.
Sayadaw: The problem arises because you pay attention to concept.
Don’t go to the storyline; be aware that image is happening. Don’t pay too much attention to the image. We’re learning about nature, not concept.
Nature is the object for the vipassana meditator. If you pay attention to concept it is easy for emotion to come; then, it becomes a hindrance.
The memory is not a hindrance. You cannot erase your memory, but if wisdom is present, craving or aversion does not arise because of the memory.
We have a lot of bad memories – for example, whenever I passed by Chinatown in Yangon, I would have a lot of regret because I used to do plenty of bad things there as a youth. The mind would be very agitated arising from the memories.
One day, I checked my memories as they appeared repeatedly and discovered that they were merely images and not me. Previously, I would think that I was bad whenever the memories arose, but now the memories are just memories.
Memories cannot disappear till we die, but if we have wisdom, aversion doesn’t appear with the memories.
1281. SUSTAINING PEACEFULNESS
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (17:03-19:27) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: With a right thought, the agitation disappeared and the mind became calm. The problem is I cannot sustain that calm state.
Sayadaw: Wisdom is weak because it is only intellectual level and the defilement is more powerful.
Yogi: Sayadaw, which object of meditation can I use to sustain the calmness?
Sayadaw: You can change your mind by being aware, right? You can also think the right way and try to be aware; this, you can do.
Actually, we try to change our state of mind because we cannot move physically (undergoing MRI).
If we’re not aware, the mind reacts – so, try to be aware and the reaction will be less.
Depending on how skillful your mind is, you can use a mental or physical object. If you can watch your reaction directly, it is easier to change. If not, use a physical object.
The important thing is that the mind is thinking the right way and tries to be aware.
If you don’t try to be aware, the mind is already doing the opposite.
Yogi: Can I switch objects from time to time.
Sayadaw: Can. Use any object that you are familiar with.
Yogi: Just to interrupt the emotion?
Sayadaw: Yes. Don’t allow the emotion to increase. Try.
1282. RESET – LET WISDOM GUIDE OUR ACTIONS
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (01:35-3:28) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I often don’t want to talk and isolate myself. What advice can Sayadaw give?
Sayadaw: Talking or not talking is not important. If we should talk, we talk and if we should not talk, we don’t talk. This means that wisdom is leading.
We shouldn’t talk because of liking or disliking. Defilement is leading if we talk because of liking or disliking.
For example, I ask yogis during sitting meditation if it is okay for them to move or not. Some say ‘yes’ and some say ‘no’.
If there is a reason to move, then move. This is important – but meditators don’t know this. When wisdom leads, then it knows should or not, necessary or not.
If wisdom is leading, then you can decide if you should move or not.
1283. ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY MUSIC
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (57:14-59:44) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Yogi: I heard some music and was enjoying it. When I applied the awareness, it was no longer enjoyable- there was just sound and hearing.
The mind said it was not enjoyable at all to be aware of the sound and chose to go back to enjoying the music. When I try to practice in that environment, should I just place the awareness on the sound or let it be?
Sayadaw: Let it be and go to your mental state – just be aware of your liking and enjoying. This is better.
When the mind calms down, then you can hear the music as it is. Watch the liking and disliking first; when right view comes, then it will choose the hearing.
Otherwise, you concentrate on the hearing, but the mind still wants to enjoy the music. Then, you won’t understand very well. It is better to come to your mental state first – if there’s liking, honestly watch the liking mind as the object.
When liking has gone and craving is not in the mind, the view changes and you can watch hearing as it is. This is more important.
1284. ENCOURAGING FAITH IN THE PRACTICE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 06 January 2023 (00:32-04:56)
Yogi: How do I increase or cultivate the faith in the practice?
Sayadaw: When you know the benefit or when you have experienced the benefit of the practice, it helps to establish your faith.
Yogi: Sometimes we lose faith; how to make the faith more continuous?
Sayadaw: None of the 5 Faculties in the practice – awareness, faith, effort, stability of mind and wisdom – is continuous in the practice; all of them go up and down. So, you cannot expect faith to be continuous either.
When there is faith, be aware; and check if the faith is strong or weak. If you lose faith and there is doubt, be aware as such.
Sometimes thinking about how the practice has benefited you helps to overcome doubt.
If you’re practicing continuously, you have more continuous awareness and samadhi; that will definitely increase your faith. When there is wisdom or when an insight arises, there’ll be more faith too.
The job of the yogi is to practice more continuously, and when the awareness and samadhi grow, your faith will also be strong at that time. What is important is to be as mindful as possible.
1285. AWARENESS IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE EXPERIENCE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 8 January 2023 (56:10-58:38)
Yogi: I was observing the intention to eating and always noticed that greed was motivating the eating every time I chose and ate. Mealtime is the biggest lesson for me.
Sayadaw: You’re aware, very aware. It doesn’t matter if you’re aware of greed all the time. The point is just to be aware.
Next meal, try to just be aware and it doesn’t matter what you’re aware of. You can be aware of anything.
Next meal, be aware and appreciate that you’re aware and see what happens.
Yogi: The greed says ‘I want to taste all the tasty food’.
Sayadaw: And you say: ‘I see you again; I see you again’.
1286. BEING AWARE OF THE AWARENESS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (00:26-01:56)
Yogi: I’m not sure if I’m aware of the awareness; is it just by being aware of what is going on in the mind or by being aware that seeing or hearing or thinking is happening?
Sayadaw: When you’re thinking and you can recognize that you’re aware of thinking, that is awareness of awareness.
Right now, are you aware that you’re talking to us? And you recognize that you’re aware?
Yogi: Yes.
Sayadaw: That’s the awareness of the awareness.
Yogi: If I recognize that I’m aware of something; that is the awareness of awareness?
Sayadaw: Yes.
1287. RECOGNIZING GREED IS ALSO SOMETHING YOGIS NEED TO APPRECIATE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 8 January 2023 (00:16-01:00)
What we should appreciate is the work we’re doing, and not the results we’re hoping for.
Greed can come in as in the form of the questions yogis ask: Why am I not progressing?
Notice and appreciate that because it is also part of knowing the mind and how it is working.
Recognizing greed is also something yogis need to appreciate because when we notice greed or any of the hindrances it is like having an insight into our own practice.
1288. USE ALL EXPERIENCES TO GROW THE AWARENESS-WISDOM
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 Guided Meditation (07:00-08:45)
If you want to be relaxed, peaceful and happy, you must know the nature of the mind. You must know why the mind suffers and why it is happy and peaceful.
We watch the mind because we want to know every mind, good mind and bad mind also. We want to know the nature of physical and mental processes; that is why we watch the body and mind all the time.
Don’t judge the experience – for an awareness yogi, the object never disturbs the mind. An object is an object, meaning, it is neither good nor bad. We use the object to grow the understanding.
For normal people, craving and aversion arise because of the experience; for the meditator, awareness and wisdom arise and wholesome mind increases because of the object.
1289. ENCOURAGING OURSELVES TO PRACTICE AT HOME
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 8 January 2023 (1:57:28-1:58:00)
A big part of practicing at home is contentment and appreciation. If we go home and we want to practice like we practice at the retreat, we’re always going to be disappointed.
But if we’re happy for every second we’re mindful, if we’re happy for one out of ten days we’re mindful, if we’re happy for one moment we’re mindful and appreciate it, we’re going to grow the awareness.
If we don’t appreciate the awareness, we won’t grow it.
1290. WE CAN PRACTICE SEEING AND STILL TALK AND THINK
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (55:00-55:40)
Yogi: When I practice seeing and when someone talks to me, I cannot respond; I cannot think.
Sayadaw: You concentrate too much, that’s why.
When you’re learning, it is difficult to respond because you’re busy learning. It’s not a problem when you have practiced many times.
1291. DON’T TRY TOO HARD TO SEE THE OBJECT
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (41:54-44:04)
Yogi: I notice thinking happens all the time; how do I directly observe thinking?
Even when I notice thinking is happening, that itself is also a thought.
Sayadaw: You already noticed it, that’s why you thought about it. And the thought about it, that thinking is happening, you also noticed that, right?
Just recognize that it has been observed already. We don’t try too hard to see the object.
If you’re sitting and watching your breath, and you notice thinking is happening, that means that your awareness is matched with knowing thinking and breath at the same time.
It is actually knowing both – it is not necessary then to see the thought and see breath individually.
1292. WHAT YOU KNOW NOW IS THE BEST MEDITATION OBJECT
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (1:43:00-1:45:00)
Yogi: Observing thinking, either I’m lost in the thoughts or I notice it from the feeling itself or when I notice the thinking, it has already stopped. It is like I can’t catch the thoughts and objectify the thinking.
Sayadaw: Know what is happening and don’t hurry. Don’t try to get something that you think is better meditation. There’s nothing better than what you know now.
1293. BUILDING RIGHT ATTITUDE WITH RIGHT INFORMATION
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (21:30-26:10)
Yogi: I know all the right information and yet the suffering is there. I believe my attitude is not right. When I’m really in it, I still don’t have the right attitude. What am I missing?
Sayadaw: The practice is like a game. The more you play, the more you get it right and the more you become skilful.
You have all the right information like wrong attitude is when you don’t want something and you want something else, and right attitude is when the mind is accepting and welcoming.
Whether we can recognize it or not in the moment, that’s the game; what attitude are we operating from.
Every time you recognize your attitude whether it’s right or wrong, that’s an insight into your own practice and it’s a skill that you build. Each time you spot it, it helps you to see it more often. The more often you spot it, the less it will get in your way.
1294. SAYADAW’S ADVICE TO AWARENESS-WISDOM YOGIS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (1:55:42-1:56:45)
Remind yourself not to fight with your experience or to complain or judge it. Every experience that we know is a sign that we’re aware. We’re supposed to celebrate the fact that we’re aware.
Every object that we know is supporting our awareness because we’re already aware due to the object. Every object is a supporting condition for our awareness. If we see it that way, whatever the experience, it is never an obstacle.
1295. THE YOGI’S JOB IS TO KEEP BEING AWARE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 6 January 2023 (1:07:47-1:14:10)
Yogi: When there is understanding, the issue dissolves; but when there is clinging, although the mind releases the grip, the issue comes back regularly.
Do I stay with the unpleasant feeling?
Sayadaw: Your job is only to recognize and there is no timeline. Keep doing it over and over again. Keep it up.
Yogi: But there is no learning from that.
Sayadaw: Just keep knowing and also recognize the thought that says ‘I still haven’t learned anything’, and bring that into your field of awareness. That is also what is happening.
We really miss the fact that in our quest for meditation, we’re expecting a result; so, recognize the thought that says ‘I still haven’t learned anything’.
1296. NOTHING BLOCKS THE PRACTICE EXCEPT OUR EXPECTATIONS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 6 January 2023 (30:55-34:25)
Yogi: I can feel that my practice is blocked and it cannot move forward.
Sayadaw: Nothing blocks you except your own beliefs. When we expect the practice to be like this and that to mean we’re improving, we’ll feel like our practice is not improving when we don’t get what we expect.
We’re not supposed to be thinking about where our practice is going; we’re only supposed to be practicing.
There is no block except our expectations. As long as we’re practicing, the practice is moving forward. We only have to check if we’re practicing.
Watch out for those expectations.
1297. HOW TO BRING IN RIGHT ATTITUDE TO THE PRACTICE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (26:53-30:48)
Yogi: What conditions can I introduce to have the right attitude for practice?
Sayadaw: It is basically recognizing wrong attitude.
There are those that release immediately as soon as you notice them.
Some wrong attitudes stay longer. You have to watch these and also be on the lookout for resistance towards the wrong attitude because you might not want the wrong attitude to be there – you want it to go away quickly.
We can’t rush through meditation. Take your time; don’t be in a hurry to achieve things.
1298. WHEN THE MIND BECOMES DISINTERESTED IN THE TEACHINGS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 8 January 2023 (17:55-31:00)
Yogi: Sometimes when I listen to a talk and I realize that it’s information which I already know, I jump to the conclusion and my mind skips the talk. How do I adjust the mind on this matter?
Sayadaw: For 6 months you were thrilled with all the new information. But then, it hasn’t sunk into more experiential insight.
When these thoughts of déjà vu come up, recognize them. We don’t know everything yet; if we’re mindful, if we apply ourselves, we’ll discover more things happening in our own experience.
Also, recognize the things you’re discovering, whether through seeing, hearing, thinking, or attitudes. We need to be sensitive to all the things we’re experiencing.
If you’re practicing in your daily life, during your ordinary moments and difficult moments, the more you’re aware, the more learning unfolds. When you have experiences that give you little insights into what happens every day – you’re able to deal with things in a more skillful way – when we’ve learned it doesn’t mean that it is done, it is never for good.
If we continue to be mindful every time we learn something, there’ll be more new learning.
It gives us confidence when we notice that we’ve learned something when we practice – how it has influenced the way we see things, the way we speak or act or think of things, it gives us that faith, that the mindfulness is working. It becomes practical and real in our lives.
1299. SEEING AND THINKING ARE OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT
Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (55:52-56:40)
It is good to learn the seeing and thinking process. Whenever we see something, the mind thinks about it.
Seeing and thinking are totally different.
I look at the flower bouquet in the Dhamma Hall and seeing the flowers, the mind thinks that they are beautiful.
That shocked me because the flowers are not beautiful; it’s just the mind thinking that the flowers are beautiful.
It’s funny because the flowers are not beautiful but the mind says that they are beautiful. These two processes are totally different, but people combine the two and say that the flowers are beautiful.
1300. OPEN AWARENESS EXPLAINED
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 6 January 2023 (5:07-10:20)
Yogi: I’ve been practicing rising and falling for a long, long time and now I find it difficult to change from focusing to open awareness. I can be aware and suddenly get lost in a dull dream state repeatedly. Why?
Sayadaw: There’s some misunderstanding about open awareness. It is a state that you’ll get to, not something that you practice. To get to open awareness, you have to start by being aware of an object.
Open awareness is not something that you decide to do. You don’t decide that you’re going to open your awareness and you’re going to know all these objects. Your mind is starting to pick up one or two other objects.
The goal of the yogi is simply to keep the awareness continuous on whatever objects that you know and keep that going.
Because the awareness is not continuous and the mind doesn’t have the capacity and the insight that understand what is the knowing and watching mind, then you’re going to be like this, losing your awareness repeatedly from trying to be aware of everything.
Yogis should do their job – know your object and start with one object before you get there.