THE Excerpts: 1601—1650

Collected from the talks and discussions of Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Compiled by Chiu Sheng Bin.

Yogi: When I sit and pain arises, I watch the aversion mind and the pain reduces.

Sayadaw: Now you understand the relationship between the mind and the sensation.

If the dosa becomes less and less, the pain also decreases. It means that the pain is not real; it is strong because the mind exaggerates the pain.

When our awareness has momentum, sometimes our bodily form disappears – this is not a problem.

Some yogis get frightened, asking: Where is my hand and where is my body?

Normal minds continuously think about the body, “Where is my head, where is my hand, where is my leg and where is my body?” This is sanna working.

When the mind calms down with samadhi, and because you close your eyes, the information to the mind changes; the mind cannot think about the form, leaving only the object and the knowing mind.

At that time, the yogi says the form disappears. You’ll get a fright if you don’t have this information. This is actually not a problem; it is a natural phenomenon for the yogi.

[sañña : recognition, memory, perception]

Yogi: When I sat and I felt hot, the painful feeling arose; I watched it and it disappeared quickly.

I was aware of the unpleasant feeling and when it disappeared, there was an emptiness, a space.

Sayadaw: There is no emptiness – when there is no feeling of suffering, it means that the feeling is neutral. There are pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings.

I heard my teacher, Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw, interviewing a monk. He asked the monk: Do you see your thoughts when you meditate? The monk said that he didn’t think as his samadhi was very strong.

On the second day, my teacher asked him the same question. He replied the same way: My samadhi is very good; there is no thinking.

On the third day, the monk replied: My samadhi is totally gone because there is a lot of thinking.

This means his awareness has improved, so he can see his thoughts. Previously, he couldn’t see his thoughts; therefore, he said he didn’t think.

[samadhi : calmness, stillness or stability of mind]

For normal people, whenever there is pain, anger arises.

When there is no anger, how do we see the pain? It changes to an interesting object.

When the mind is without anger, but with equanimity, we won’t see the pain as before. It is no longer gross or solid. It becomes subtle and changing.

When we’re angry, the pain is ‘me’; this idea is already present.

When the mind is equanimous, we can understand that the pain doesn’t belong to us; we can understand something about the pain.

A yogi reported that he was mindfully taking the pen with his right hand to write a letter; he knew every step. But he didn’t notice that his left hand had already picked up a piece of paper. He was shocked that he didn’t realize that because he was very mindful.

If you concentrate too much, the mind cannot see the complete picture; you can only know one thing at a time.

The mind is heavy and awareness cannot be sharp when you focus and use too much energy.

In the room, in the shower, and when you brush your teeth, what do you know?

Are you aware? If you’re aware, what do you know?

Yogi: When writers and artists do their job, they are totally immersed in it; is that okay?

Sayadaw: It is not okay. You can do whatever you want and still know your mind if you can use the mind as an object.

Mindfulness meditation is also an art.

Yogi: When I paint and the mind is totally absorbed in it, it feels like meditation too.

Sayadaw: Now, you practice watching yourself while you paint – the mind goes there, but another mind watches that mind. You can do it if your awareness is good; if not, the mind will be totally involved in painting and the awareness is lost.

The only difference is whether the knowing is present or absent.

Yogi: How do we apply mindfulness to studying?

Sayadaw: You can watch your feelings; you can look at your feelings and pay attention to studying, back and forth. And slowly you will become more skillful.

Normal people always do things with anxiousness, but you can study in a relaxed way if you know how to watch your mind.

The mind is difficult to be aware of because it is very fast. So, how do we learn to be aware of the mind?

The physical object is easy to observe because it arises with the concept of location; so, it is obvious.

But not so with the mind – it is fast and subtle and yogis are not used to observing the mind.

When you’re hungry, the mind wants to eat. You can know where the hungry feeling is. The stomach becomes empty and you can know the hunger. Where’s the intention or wanting to eat?

Everyone knows the wanting to eat, but where is the wanting?

If you want to observe the mind, don’t look for the location because the mind has no location.

Humans have the capacity to know their mind; animals don’t have. Animals are born with moha, not wisdom, so they cannot understand their mind.

Humans have this quality but it needs to be developed through practice.

The quality of mind of long-time meditators is very different from that of a normal person because the level of being is increased. To transform, our awareness needs to be better.

[moha: delusion, ignorance, not understanding, not seeing reality (synonym for avijja)]

Sayadaw: Every action is like this. Movement is due to the air element, but it is cittaja rupa – it means that because of the mind, the air element (a type of rupa) happens.

The intention mind and action are working together. Every action is like this.

Yogi: Is every action the air element?

Sayadaw: No; movement is the effect of the air element.

[cittaja rupa: physical forms generated by consciousness]

[rupa: physical processes, corporeality]

Yogi: Home practice is difficult; what can help me know if I’m practicing right or wrong?

Sayadaw: You can check how you feel when you practice at home. The mind is unstable and agitated if the practice is wrong; if it is right, the mind settles down.

And also wisdom slowly grows whenever awareness is present. First, you need to be aware in the present moment – knowing, knowing, and knowing. After a long time, who understands right or wrong is wisdom. When wisdom grows, it can decide what is right or wrong.

Sayadaw: Believing that the mind comes here and goes there is wrong view – the mind has become permanent.

Actually, the thinking mind arises and disappears here, in an instant – and this is the right view.

When you keep seeing that, you can later understand that thinking mind is impermanent; the mind is impermanent.

Yogi: People say that when they sit, they see their family in Vietnam; the mind actually goes there.

Sayadaw: This is because the memory mind appears; there are images, sounds, and voices in the thinking. The mind can create these concepts.

You need to know this right information; otherwise, you’ll be fooled by your mind.

Real understanding cannot arise if you have the wrong idea and you practice the wrong way.

When my teacher went to the Dhamma hall, he always reminded the yogis: Don’t create anything, don’t resist anything, and don’t forget what is happening and passing away.

He would remind the yogis repeatedly.

Sayadaw: When you want to know if the mind is relaxed, you can feel your solar plexus.

If the mind is tense, the chest will be tight and the breath will be short.

When the mind is relaxed, the breath is free moving. If the mind is agitated, the chest area becomes tight and the breath is short.

Yogi: Sometimes my chest is so tight that I cannot breathe.

Sayadaw: Yes, the breath becomes very short and tight. That is why you need to be aware of your breath, say, 5-6 times to relax the mind. Awareness makes the mind more relaxed.

If you know that the mind is relaxed, it becomes more relaxed. If you don’t know, the relaxed mind becomes tense. If you don’t know that the mind is tense, it becomes more tense.

Knowing is very important because if you know that the mind is tense, it can relax.

So, constantly check your mind to know how you feel. Sometimes, I use the chest area as the main object; then, slowly I understand why the mind is relaxed or tense.

You can experience the relationship between thinking and relaxation.

You can practice this in your life – at home and at work.

We’re aware to learn about reality.

When you practice anapana and pay attention to your nose, you cannot actually know the nose. You can feel the air touching; the warmth and coolness. This is reality.

A meditation teacher used to say that when we eat we don’t eat what is not real but rather to eat what is real.

If you eat the banana, for example, do you know the banana? Can you know the banana?

You can think about the form of the banana; you cannot experience it directly. You can hold the banana – hard or soft. Don’t eat the banana, sense the sweetness or the hardness and softness.

Vipassana meditation object is reality. If you have this knowledge, you can know the difference between reality and concept when you practice.

Beginners don’t understand what reality is; now you have the information, you can pay more attention to the warmth and coolness, hardness and softness, and slowly you understand more about the nature of reality.

[anapana : breath or breathing]

[vipassana : insight, insight meditation]

Sanna is memory or concept. Although it happens all the time in our ordinary life, but many people have problems recognizing sanna.

Every day, the mind does it. If you see a stranger today, how do you remember him the next day?

When you see him, the mind already marks the person – whether fat or thin, tall or short, the face, etc…

That is why when you see him again the next day, you can remember him. You remember him because of sanna.

When you place something, the mind already remembers and marks it – that is why you can remember where you put it.

Remembering your childhood experiences is also sanna.

[sanna: recognition, memory, perception]

Yogi: I don’t have the right view when I think. For example, when thoughts arise, it is hard for me to accept that they are nature.

My idea is that I think because I intend to think.

Sayadaw: Because of the intention to think, so thinking happens. The intention is a different mind; it is nature.

Don’t think about it; let it be if you cannot accept it. Just noticing is enough.

You won't be able to get rid of your idea right away; you need to practice.

People’s idea is that intention is me; so when there is the intention to think, we think it is ‘I’m thinking’.

Yogi: I want to live in reality. When I see a yellow flower and realize that it is a concept, I stop.

Sayadaw: No, you cannot; it is impossible.

But you need to try to understand what concept is and what reality is.

If you try to get rid of concept, it is wrong view.

We should not try to get rid of concept totally. We need to know the difference between concept and reality – that is wisdom.

Yogi: Sayadaw says to pay more attention to reality when we eat. But it is hard to get rid of my liking and disliking when I eat.

Sayadaw: No, we’re not trying to get rid of liking and disliking. Meditation is not getting rid of anything.

Every time liking and disliking arise, just be aware. It is very easy.

It is very difficult if we try to get rid of liking and disliking, but it is not difficult to try to be aware. Ok?

So, every time liking and disliking arise, if you’re aware, you should be happy. ‘Oh! I can be aware. I can be aware!’

If you want to get rid of liking and disliking every time they arise, you’ll be upset. That is why I advise not to complain about what is happening, but rather to appreciate that the awareness is present. You need to make this stick in your mind.

Yogi: How do I get rid of this ‘I’?

Sayadaw: You cannot. Only when understanding arises, can it do this job. You cannot get rid of ‘I’.

The duty of awareness is to recognize what is happening in the mind. It is wisdom’s duty to get rid of defilements.

Yogi: I have difficulty practicing in normal life because I constantly think I should have a better job, do more for my family, and get married after some time.

Sayadaw: You can do whatever you want to do; all that I ask is for you to bring in the awareness.

It is difficult in the beginning because old habits die hard. We have always followed our defilements; whatever lobha asks, we follow. That is why the defilements are very powerful.

Even when we’re walking to do something, we don’t know that we’re walking because we are busy thinking of what we will do next.

At first, it is difficult to be aware because our habit is very strong, but we need to try again and again.

We’ll be more interested in the practice when panna arises more often; so, in the beginning, you need to try regularly.

Your mind will be more stable and calm, and life is more meaningful if you practice; if you don’t practice, your life will be messy and not peaceful.

[lobha: greed, any kind of craving or liking (synonym for tanha)]

[pañña: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, insight (synonym for nana)]

We’re aware to grow the wisdom; so, we don’t want to stop the thinking because if we realize that the thinking is no good, it stops automatically.

Our purpose of meditation is to understand something about this experience; we’re not trying to control the experience.

Do you know if anger is good or bad? How much do you understand that anger is bad?

If we really understand that anger is not good, it cannot grow big.

People know that anger is not good, yet, they get angry every day. This means that the understanding is not enough.

Yogi: What do I do with worry and anxiety?

Sayadaw: This is due to defilement. The first thing to do is not to push them away when worry and anxiety arise. Then think that this is a mental state and use it as a meditation object; watch repeatedly every time it occurs.

Yogi: When I watch should I ask why I have this problem?

Sayadaw: Sure, but later. First, you learn to watch your mental state as an object. Later, investigating arises on its own.

Yogi: I’m saying if I should understand the storyline of my worry and anxiety.

Sayadaw: When we ask why, it means we try to see the mind process – what happens that brings about the worry mind? You need to see the process of mind, not the storyline because you'll worry more if you think more of the story.

Why does anger continue for a long time?

Yogi: The mind keeps on thinking about what makes us angry.

Sayadaw: When the mind is aware of the object repeatedly, the mind calms down because the feeling cannot increase.

If you think about what makes you angry the whole day, you’ll be angry the whole day.

When wisdom grows, the mind pays more attention to reality or nature. The mind cannot understand what reality is without wisdom.

The normal mind has a lot of delusion and craving; it always pays attention to concepts.

We must check what the mind pays attention to: concept or the mind?

When the mind really understands reality, the nature of reality is always changing.

In the beginning, when we’re aware of pain, it is strong, gross, and solid because the defilement resists the pain; but when the disliking mind subsides and the mind becomes neutral, wisdom can grow. When wisdom grows, the pain is no longer the same; it becomes changing and moving.

I advise yogis not to watch the pain when the mind resists it because the object of defilement is always a concept.

We take care of the dosa mind first and when the mind settles down, we can watch the pain again. The experience will be different.

[dosa: hatred, anger, any kind of aversion or disliking (including sadness, fear, resistance, etc.)]

People think that if they try really hard, they’ll get it, but any result that happens is not due to wanting but because the conditions are complete.

If we understand this nature, lobha will decrease; otherwise, lobha is the biggest problem when we practice.

When we expect to get something, the mind and body become tense and tired from striving to get the result. But lobha will subside if we understand conditioning.

[lobha : greed, any kind of craving or liking (synonym for tanha)]

You don’t have much time to sit and meditate in normal life. Perhaps you can find time to sit once in the morning and again at night. In between, you try to sit whenever you find the time; it could be 10 or 15 minutes each time. If you are alone, be more fully aware of yourself.

Even if you practice for 5 to 10 minutes each time, it will add up over the day.

When you’re busy at work, just know something about yourself; that’s enough. What are you doing? How do you feel? Make it a habit.

If you practice this way, day by day, the awareness becomes stronger and stronger

Yogi: I watch the experience and when I say that it is craving; then it’ll stop.

Sayadaw: Continue to be aware is better than saying it is craving.

Awareness is collecting information – aware, aware, and aware and you get the information first. If you ask many questions without enough information, then more questions will come.

Don’t think you must practice for a long time at home. Only think about one day. Actually, the real present moment is very short – it is only now.

If your life is with the Dhamma, your life is Dhamma life. It becomes Adhamma when your life is without the Dhamma; it’ll be messy. So, what do you want?

Do you want to suffer?

Yogi: Some very bad thoughts arise in daily life or during meditation. Will they have bad effects?

Sayadaw: Everybody has bad thoughts. Don’t worry about them; try to be aware when they arise.

If you’re aware, there won’t be any effect; if you’re not aware, there will be effects.

That is why I say not to complain about what is happening; appreciate that awareness knows it.

Yogi: I couldn’t feel anything in my body when I was sitting and meditating.

Sayadaw: The body has 4 elements, but you think there is no object when the object is subtle. Let it be and choose what the mind can know.

The body sensation is always changing: gross or subtle. Sometimes when it appears that all objects disappear, it means that the mind cannot notice the subtle level.

When you cannot feel it, you think there is no object because the mind has already decided there is no object.

You must have the knowledge that there must be some object. If you relax and try to continue to be aware, you can feel some sensation when the awareness improves.

It is impossible that there is no object.

In daily life, the mind pays more attention to the eye and ear doors, to the things outside and it follows the thinking.

The mind cannot be interested in what is happening in the mind when it is very interested in the things outside.

You can always check your feeling – whether it is tense or relaxed.

We don’t have to use many objects; checking your state of mind is enough. It is easier if you need to do only one thing.

Yogi: It is very hard to be aware of looking in daily life because I only notice the concept every time I look.

Sayadaw: Yes, try to be aware that the mind is looking – that is enough. Every time you look, you try to be aware. Try to practice however you can.

Yogi: When I feel sleepy during sitting meditation, I’ll get up and walk. But I still feel sleepy when I walk.

Sayadaw: If you know it, it is okay. Our responsibility is to know; let whatever happens be.

You can open your eyes during meditation. If you’re still sleepy, stand up. If still sleepy, do walking meditation. If still sleepy, then go and sleep.

Yogi: I forget to be aware when I’m having fun and enjoying myself.

Sayadaw: No problem; after that bring your mind back to yourself.

Don’t complain that you have lost your awareness. Every time you know that you’re lost, bring your mind back.

You should think positively. Awareness has been gone; now, I have to practice more.

Sayadaw: Whatever defilement comes, you only need to watch with the right attitude.

Yogi: That is what I’ve been practicing. I learn to see every experience as an object, good or bad.

Sayadaw: Yes. Both good and bad experiences are also objects.

Yogi: When I see a flower, I try to stop because it is a concept.

Sayadaw: No, you should not stop. You don’t understand the difference between reality and concept, between sights (the object of seeing consciousness) and the things we see.

Normally, the mind goes directly to the concept. You need to practice again and again to be aware of the seeing.

Every reality arises, stays for a very short time, and is gone.

For example, if you pay attention to your taste, how long does it last in your tongue?

You can only remember the taste – when you eat and you know, then you remember what taste. The taste comes, shows its nature a little bit and then it is gone.

Slowly, slowly, the meditator understands reality and the mind becomes more interested in it and pays more attention to reality.

The mind is more important than the object – it means that the meditating mind has to think the right way. If it thinks the wrong way, there will be lots of problems.

Sometimes, yogis become crazy because of the wrong idea about meditation, not from meditating. This is why I explain that the awareness is more important than the object.

When I discovered that breathing happens because of the intention to breathe, the mind was so happy.

Your bodily actions are all related to intentions. Now, you know that breathing is due to intention, but does the rising and falling of the abdomen also happen due to intention?

Rising and falling of the abdomen doesn’t happen because of intention. It is just like blowing a balloon. Does the balloon expand due to intention?

Sayadaw: Sometimes, yogis want to stand up after meditation, but they cannot. Why?

Yogi: It is because of numbness or they don’t want to.

Sayadaw: People only notice the intention to move, but sometimes the intention to sit is stronger. Two intentions are happening and the stronger one prevails.

The intention to move is more active and is easier to notice. The intention to not move and remain sitting is rather subtle. So, nobody notices the presence of this intention.

Is taste good or not? A taste is just a taste – it’s nature, as it is, is neither good nor bad.

If you like it, it is good; if you don’t like it, it is not good.

Does the sweet taste good or not?

Yogi: You teach that when there is disliking for the object, we shouldn't observe the object.

Sayadaw: Yes, you should not because the mind is not ready yet.

Yogi: But at university, we like some subjects, and we don’t like others, but we still have to learn to pass the examinations.

Sayadaw: If you have disliking, the learning becomes tiring and more difficult because it agitates the mind.

At that time, whatever you do, the quality is not good.

Look at your feelings while you pay attention to your studies; do it back and forth and slowly you become more skillful.

You need to practice talking meditation to maintain your peaceful mind.

If you are not mindful when you’re talking, a lot of agitation arises from talking. It is easy to be agitated, anxious, worried, or angry – a lot of defilement comes from talking.

People are full of defilement; they give you defilements when they come to you, even your family members.

The people you meet stay with delusion; nobody stays with awareness, samadhi, and wisdom.

If you’re not ready and awake, it is easy for the mind to get burned.

[samadhi : calmness, stillness or stability of mind]

Yogi: Sometimes, I’m not interested to learn when practicing.

Sayadaw: When you’re not interested, continue to maintain the awareness.

Yogi: I watch that the disinterested mind is also the object.

Sayadaw: Our mind quality is not always the same; it is changing. Sometimes faith increases and sometimes it decreases. Sometimes wisdom is involved and other times not. Sometimes effort increases and other times less.

The mind quality is always changing.

Try to maintain the practice and check the quality of the awareness.

Sayadaw: Every time you’re aware, wisdom is already present. Awareness and wisdom naturally arise together. If we’re aware consistently, wisdom will slowly grow.

Yogi: I notice that my awareness is present, but not my wisdom.

Sayadaw: When you’re watching, you already have the knowledge of what the object and mind are. This is already wisdom; just be interested and cultivate it.

Yogi: But that day I said I couldn’t watch the fear even though I had the knowledge that it was the object.

Sayadaw: The understanding is not enough; that is why you need to practice repeatedly with all defilements, not only fear.

We don’t pay too much attention to the object because it changes according to the quality of our mind.

Take pain as an example: when the mind is angry, the pain is very painful. If it is not angry, the pain becomes interesting and is no longer painful.

If there is a lot of moha, this object is totally concept. If there is wisdom, the object becomes reality. If we pay full attention to the object, we cannot see it ‘as it is’ (nature happening).

So, the mind quality is more important than the object.

[moha : delusion, ignorance, not understanding, not seeing reality (synonym for avijja)]

Yogi: When the object is static and not changing, I switch to another object.

Sayadaw: The important thing is the watching mind is simple.

Whether you see or don’t see the object change is not important. Don’t be in a hurry to see the object changing. The experience is not important.

The meditating mind is more important – is it simple and relaxed?

If you keep thinking about the experience, something is wrong with your practice.

Yogi: The mind must be present to experience the object and the object changes depending on the quality of the mind?

Sayadaw: Yes, I don’t trust the object because depending on the quality of mind, the object changes.

Take pain for example – when the mind is angry, it is very painful; if the mind is not angry, it is interesting and not painful.

Yogi: I set the intention to practice in my room. I would check the difference between practicing in the room and in the meditation hall.

I noticed that the momentum dropped when I walked out of the hall. Out of the hall, the mind said to go back and rest. When I realized that it was just a thought, the mind stabilized again.

Sayadaw: When awareness sees the process, the thought cannot overwhelm the mind because some understanding is present.

Every time you’re alone, try to practice consistently. Make it a habit. Later, whenever you’re alone, awareness naturally comes back.

Yogi: I should condition bringing in awareness whenever I’m alone?

Sayadaw: Yes. Every time I’m in the toilet, awareness immediately comes back because of conditioning. It is very freeing and relaxing.