301. ONLY A PURIFIED MIND CAN RECOGNIZE THE NIBBANA OBJECT
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Guided Meditation Part 1 (6:50-7:45)
Nibbana is an object – we don’t know this kind of object, but we can know our mind.
When the mind has lobha, we can know; when the mind has defilement, we can know. Also, when the mind has no defilement, we can know – we can understand, we can experience with the mind.
When the mind is purified, when it has no more defilement, then it chooses its object. Mind and object must match.
Only a purified mind can catch the nibbana object.
302. LIFE AND DHAMMA MUST GROW TOGETHER
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 English Interviews 180220 (20:05-20:34)
Life must be dhamma – dhamma and life must be together.
Life means happening – happenings in the mind are life. Every mind happening moment to moment, we call life.
So, life and dhamma must be together. If life and dhamma are different, then life is adhamma. If life is not dhamma, then life is sure to be adhamma; it already has defilements.
So, our life must grow together with the dhamma.
303. LIFE MEANS HAPPENING – NEW, ARISING
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation Part 2 (28:50-30:53)
When the mind is peaceful, know that peacefulness is just a state of mind; it is a kind of object that is neither good nor bad. Calmness is calmness; peaceful is peaceful.
If you think that peaceful is good, understanding cannot arise because you cannot understand anicca, dukha and anatta.
We need to think as it is. For most yogis, when the mind becomes peaceful, effort slowly becomes less and less and craving enjoys the peacefulness. That’s why sleepiness arises because we think peacefulness is good.
Experience is just experience; just an object that is subject to change. Knowing mind or awareness mind also changes – any experience is new, arising, new, arising. Everything is new – happening, new, happening.
This is life – life means happening.
304. LET WISDOM WORK BEHIND THE AWARENESS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Guided Mediation 2 (36:33 onwards)
When there is wisdom, the quality of awareness (the meditating mind) becomes better and better.
Wisdom must be working behind the awareness.
305. IF WE DON’T NOTICE, DEFILEMENTS CONTINUE TO GROW
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Guided Meditation Part 2 (38:15-39:10)
If we don’t notice, defilements continue to grow and grow.
If awareness is not present, defilements can grow slowly and exaggerate the intensity of defilements.
If you’re aware and wisdom is present, defilements cannot overwhelm you, they cannot grow. It is a lot of relief.
306. OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS RIGHT THINKING: AWARENESS AND INTEREST
China Retreat 2014 Opening Instructions (17:50-18:28)
We try to know what is happening in the mind.
When there is craving or aversion and you recognize that there is craving or aversion, this is right view, this is meditation.
What are you trying to do when you sit? We are trying to know, to be aware. What is happening in the body and mind let it be. This is not your responsibility. It is the effect of past kamma.
Your responsibility is right thinking, awareness and interest, and maintaining the awareness.
307. DEFILEMENT WANTS TO KNOW WHAT’S OUTSIDE; WISDOM WANTS TO KNOW WHAT’S INSIDE
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 English Interviews 180220 (42:28-43:28)
Defilement wants to know what is outside; wisdom wants to know what is inside. So, you need to be curious about what’s happening inside, in the mind.
(Yogi: How to cut off from the outside world to stay inside the mind because we have to go to work and meet people?)
You need to be more interested in the mind process – what the mind is thinking and doing. We face the world outside together with the mind, and we’re knowing the mind as we interact with the outside world.
So, you need to be more skillful in how to watch the mind; and practice all the time, asking what the mind is doing. What is the mind knowing? What is the mind practicing?
Always check the mind all the time because the mind is also happening all the time in daily life.
308. LET AWARENESS AND WISDOM BE CONSISTENTLY PRESENT
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2016 Morning English Q&A 201802-06 (48:53-49:00)
You cannot let the mind be free – no way; awareness and wisdom must be present all the time.
If you let loose the mind, then defilements will overwhelm the mind.
309. MEDITATION IS NOT CONFINED TO CERTAIN TIME; MEDITATION IS FOR LIFE
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 170908 (47:26-49:05)
When you’re on retreat, defilement doesn’t come to disturb you. But when you’re nearing the end, then it’s their turn.
This is nature – that’s why you should never stop meditating. You don’t meditate only in the center; meditation is for life.
If you want to maintain this quality of mind, you should meditate like in the center. You cannot avoid this.
In the center, you’re observing body and mind; at home, you’re also observing body and mind. What’s the difference?
The way you think is different. If you’re also thinking like this in your life, you can meditate at home. But in your daily life, meditation is not important. Other things are more important – business and family are more important. Then, you lose your awareness, and later and later, the habit disappears.
Only 2 or 3 days out of the center, you start to lose awareness. So, meditation nature is such that you should not stop meditating because meditation is a long-term practice.
310. A REMINDER TO START EACH DAY
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Guided Meditation Part 3 (0:42-1:07)
Check your state of mind – is there any expectation? Just simply stay in the present moment. We are not going anywhere.
We’re not trying to get anything – just recognizing what is happening.
311. PREPARE THE MIND TO FACE THE DECAYING BODY WITH RIGHT ATTITUDE
Switzerland Retreat D4 Group Interview 20160528 (1:09:33-1:11:50)
Always remember – that when there are sensations in the body, keep an eye on how the mind is feeling towards them. Because as we get older, the body is not going to get better; it will decay, but we can keep the mind in good shape.
So, we want to prepare the mind to face this decaying body with the right attitude and prepare for death.
If we see even our bodily pains, aches and all that as nature as well, it is freeing for the mind; we will feel ready to die, to face death peacefully. Otherwise, when the mind is not prepared, we will resist death and be in turmoil.
So, it is important to learn to view that everything that happens in the mind and body in a wise perspective – to see it as a process and phenomenon and not that it is bad; it’s just a natural process.
312. WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING, THE MIND CANNOT BE NEUTRAL AND EQUANIMOUS
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa Q&A 170811 (1:02:35-1:04:25)
Don’t think that the experience must be like this. Let it be – don’t try to control the experience. If we want to understand nature, let nature happen.
That is the vipassana idea, but yogis try to control the experience – ‘this is no good, should not be like this’.
Vipassana idea is different – we want to understand nature as it is. Let nature happen and try to watch and learn about the process. We don’t try to be involved, to participate and control nature. Let liking and disliking happen; so what?
When there is liking, we try to learn from liking; when there is disliking we also try to learn from disliking.
How does neutral feeling come? It comes from understanding; without understanding, the mind cannot become neutral and equanimous. Without understanding, liking and disliking are already there.
You try to be neutral and equanimous, but the reality is that liking and disliking are present all the time. That is right view. Because you’re aware, that is why you can see liking and disliking.
313. WHY THE MIND CANNOT WATCH A DIFFICULT SITUATION WITH EQUANIMITY
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa Q&A 170817 (59:30-1:00:05)
If the mind cannot watch a difficult situation with equanimity, it means that the mind doesn’t really understand meditation yet.
Yogis when faced with a pleasant situation, they like, like, like, and resist when an unpleasant situation arises. It happens all the time.
When the meditator is skillful, he doesn’t react much when faced with pleasant or unpleasant situations. That is truly the middle way.
Sayadaw prescribes a mantra: This is nature and there is awareness of this nature now.
When there is defilement and we inject this mantra, the mind realizes that whatever is experienced is also a nature of the mind.
Then, the mind stops paying attention to the storyline or the concept and pays attention to reality instead – i.e. greed, aversion or delusion. The mind will be keen to find out more about the nature of that defilement.
314. WHEN THE MIND PAYS ATTENTION WITHOUT RIGHT VIEW, DEFILEMENT INCREASES
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa Q&A 170817 (1:40-3:24)
When the mind pays attention with defilement, it feels the defilement. Paying attention with wisdom, that is the meditating mind or awareness.
When we pay attention without right view or wisdom, the defilement is already there. If we are watching or paying attention with defilement, the defilement increases.
New yogis, when they try to be aware of unpleasant feelings, the mind resists more and more – when they watch pain, the mind becomes more and more angry. When they watch anger, the mind becomes angrier.
The mind is paying attention, but there is no wisdom.
Awareness means that you must have right view, right thought, right understanding, and right knowledge. If you have right idea and pay attention, that’s awareness. Then, the defilement comes down.
This applies to pleasant experiences too. Many yogis enjoy the calm when the mind becomes peaceful. Already there is lobha, greed.
Because there is no wisdom, the mind feels the object. In Burmese, we say ‘knowing or feeling?’ We need to check if the mind is knowing or feeling the object because the mind can pay attention in 2 ways.
315. THE MORE THE MIND UNDERSTANDS, THE LESS IT REACTS TO ANY EXPERIENCE
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa Q&A 170811 (1:04:34-1:06:07)
The mind can become more neutral to the object only when understanding grows. When the mind does not judge that the experience is good or bad, the mind is neutral; otherwise liking and disliking arises all the time.
First, you need to see the mind as it is – that liking and disliking are happening all the time. Vipassana meditation object must be nature. If you try to control nature, you cannot understand nature as it is.
Slowly, after a long time, you see how the mind changes, i.e., liking and disliking become less and less because of awareness, understanding.
However much the mind reacts to the experience depends on your understanding level.
316. UNDERSTANDING ANATTA THROUGH OBSERVING INTENTION
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation Part I (24:34-24:55)
If you watch intention mind and the resulting action again and again, very obviously you can understand anatta because anatta is cause and effect process.
There is nobody there – intention mind and physical action, intention mind and physical action. There is nobody there.
317. THE NEED TO KNOW HOW DEFILEMENT WORKS
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 170908 (28:50-30:55)
When understanding comes, continue to be aware – don’t lose your awareness. When you’re happy and don’t continue to watch, then defilement can come.
For example, when some understanding arises, the idea of ‘I’ (‘I know, I know!’) or wrong view also arises because of habit.
So, you need to be smarter than the defilement – you need to know how it works.
In daily life, you need to think more about how to practice.
What you’re doing in daily activities, you already know – there is no need to force to think because the mind already knows how to do them.
You need to think more about how to maintain the awareness, how to practice. Only then, awareness can work strongly; otherwise, you think more about what you’re doing and awareness becomes weak and disappears.
318. LOBHA NATURALLY OCCUPIES EVERY SENSE DOOR
Vietnam Retreat Q&A 05/01/2014 (43:25-44:05)
Lobha naturally occupies every sense door – the yogi’s responsibility is to watch and acknowledge lobha whenever you notice lobha in any sense door.
The mind is safe when it stays with the awareness. When the mind stays with the object, liking and disliking arise.
319. THE EASY WAY TO RECOGNIZE AWARENESS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 3 (20:23-22:10)
Simply ask the mind ‘Is awareness present or not?’ is enough.
There’s no problem if you don’t see the awareness; just keep going. Don’t try to look for the awareness.
If you continue to practice this way – sometimes using the question ‘Is awareness present?’, when the mind has enough wisdom, it can recognize itself.
Trying to be aware of awareness is more difficult; it’s easier to approach that by asking ‘Is awareness present?’
If you can say that you continue to be aware, you are already aware of the awareness.
Sometimes yogis look for the answer in something extraordinary when in actual fact, they already know it.
320. AWARENESS DURING DAILY ACTIVITIES
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 3 (2:30-3:45)
Pay more attention to what is happening in the body. Yogis think that sitting and walking are meditation time – they don’t have the idea that daily activities are also meditation time. That’s why it is easy to lose mindfulness during daily activities. You need to think that every time is meditation time. Be more careful of daily activities than sitting and walking.
321. WHEN AWARENESS IS PRESENT, THE MIND SEES THE COMPLETE PICTURE
HKIMS Hong Kong Insight Meditation Society FB posting on 1 Oct 2018
Sometimes you may feel that being aware of certain objects is a waste of time.
This idea is totally wrong. The key to the practice is the awareness itself, not the object.
As long as you have awareness you are on the right track.
322. FOCUSING EXAGGERATES ANY DEFILEMENT THAT IS PRESENT
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 12 (1:10:19-1:10:50)
A yogi walked very slowly to the village because she was focusing on the movement of a foot at a time. I advised her to watch both legs at a time instead of one. Then, she could walk more relaxingly and naturally.
If we develop the focusing energy, it exaggerates any defilement that arises.
323. MEDITATE ANYWHERE REGARDLESS OF NOISE
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 7 (33:04-33:42)
You can try like this. You practice in a quiet place; also try to practice in a very noisy place. If you can meditate in a noisy place – when the mind has no problems anymore – you have already solved the problem.
If you can meditate, it means that the mind is already calm. If it’s calm, it means that you can sleep anywhere.
If you can meditate any place – quiet place or noisy place – the mind has understood about the sound (it’s an object) and doesn’t react. Then, this person can sleep anywhere.
324. WHAT IS MEANT BY FACING THE DEFILEMENT
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Q&A 16-02-2018 (10:41-10:54)
Facing means to observe. It means to use the defilement as an object (definition: being known) and then observe.
And try to be aware of this object continuously. That means facing the defilement.
325. THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS AND THE SIX QUALITIES OF DHAMMA
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Opening Talk
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness:
Watching body sensations is kayanupassana. Watching feelings – pleasant, unpleasant, neutral – is vedananupassana. Being aware of skilful or unskilful mind, any mind, is cittanupassana. When body sensations, feelings and mind become impersonal or nature, that is dhammanupassana.
326. The Six Qualities of Dhamma as taught by the Buddha:
1. Svakkhato – The Dhamma is well explained, well expounded. It is the universal law of nature. So it is complete being excellent in the beginning (Sila), excellent in the middle (Samadhi) and excellent in the end (Panna).
2. Sanditthiko – Dhamma is in the here and Now. The Dhamma can be practised and known by direct practice.
3. Akaliko – Dhamma is timeless and never changes. We can practise anytime, anywhere. The Dhamma gives immediate results.
4. Ehipassiko – Come and Investigate. This is an invitation for one who seeks the Truth to discover for himself through direct experience.
5. Opanayiko – Leading Inwards. The Dhamma is capable of being entered upon and one has to realize for oneself.
6. Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhiti – The Dhamma may be perfectly realized only by the wise each for himself. Here the wise does not mean one with high education but rather one with little dust in their eyes.
When the meditator recollects these special qualities of the Dhamma, his mind is invaded neither by greed, nor by hate, nor by delusion. One will be uplifted by the Dhamma.
327. NOTICE THE IDEAS THAT ARE SPURRING YOU
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews File:170811 (14:55-16:35)
Sayadaw: We have lots of ideas; they are already there whenever we do anything. If you notice, you can see what ideas push you to do whatever you do. If you can see your mind nature, then you can change your mind. If not, whatever you do, the same response pattern arises.
Yogi: All my life, I thought that it was normal to respond with stress, anxiety, and anger.
Sayadaw: If you don’t notice the subtle mind, then the defilements grow bigger and bigger. If the mind notices the beginning of the small situation, then the defilement cannot grow. It is important to be aware of our subtle thoughts. If the thoughts have become big, then it’ll take an hour or two to calm down; but if the mind notices the beginning of the thoughts – the beginning of the defilement – then when the mind notices, it subsides.
Defilement starts small – it cannot be ‘’big’’ immediately. If awareness and wisdom is sharp, the mind can see subtle levels easily.
Subtle level means the beginnings of a thought. Westerners call it unconscious mind.
328. BE OPEN; DON’T TRY TO FIX THE EXPERIENCE
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 12 (38:21-38:35)
Don’t try to fix the experience – e.g. ‘I try to do this and that’.
Don’t fix the future and don’t fix the experience. Be open. See what is going on.
329. NOTICE THE ATTITUDE WHENEVER THERE IS SENSE CONTACT
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya English Dhamma Discussion Part 1 21-1-2018 (05:14-05:54)
Every contact between the mind and its objects brings up some attitude or stance (reaction or judgment), some way the mind is going to approach what it is contacting.
As you practice and the understanding grows, that understanding will allow wisdom to be the attitude that we bring to the moment – whatever it is we have right now, that’s what we notice.
330. LEARN HOW CALMNESS ARISES, NOT HOLD ON TO CALMNESS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (28:29-29:34)
Trying to maintain calmness can be craving. It is better to maintain the awareness rather than the calmness. Understanding how calmness comes, understanding the cause of calmness is more important than trying to hold on to the effect.
331. HOW TO STAY AT THE MIND DOOR
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:45:33-1:47:02)
This is an understanding that comes from habitual practice. Only wisdom can pay attention to the mind door. If you understand the mind, then you can continue to be aware at the mind door.
Because the mind is not at any place – the mind is nowhere, no shape, no place – therefore, you don’t have to focus, but you can know. If you know many times that this is happening, this is happening, this is happening, then slowly the mind understands how to observe the mind as an object.
Now you know that the mind is thinking, right? That is the mind door. Do you know your intention to do something? This is also the mind. If you know the mind, that is the mind door.
332. A FEELING IS JUST A FEELING
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 - Guided Meditation Part 2 (40:26-41:30)
When the mind is peaceful, know that peacefulness is just peacefulness. It is not good, not bad – just an experience. Is the mind liking, or not? If you understand that it is only an object, the mind is not attached. You understand as it is – feeling is just feeling. If you understand like this, suffering is also the same, i.e. feeling is just feeling.
333. UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT VEDANA
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 14 (1:49:50-1:51:43)
Yogi: How to understand that pleasant feelings and pleasant thoughts are also dukkha?
Sayadaw: If you can understand that feelings are always changing – if you can understand that feeling reality in the mind is always changing – then you know that pleasant feelings are also dukkha.
Don’t pay attention to the pleasantness or unpleasantness; pay attention to just feeling. We need to understand more about vedana, about the mind, not domanassa (displeasure) or somanassa (pleasure).
Be more aware of just feeling because if you pay attention to the pleasantness, the mind becomes attached.
How long can you be happy?
334. WISDOM DOES WHAT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE OF UNDERSTANDING
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation Part 1 (49:27-50:20)
What we should do, need to do, just do it.
Previously, if we like it, we do; if we don’t like it, we stop. They are two extremes. Because of liking, we continue; because of disliking, we stop.
But wisdom is not like this – wisdom considers: should or not, need or not, necessary or not. Understanding this, the mind just does it.
Not attached, not resisting – because of understanding, the mind does it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ6VbFwPf04&t=909s (13:13-13:30)
The deluded mind sees equanimity as very boring; but for the wisdom eye, equanimity is freedom. The 2 minds view equanimity (the neutral mind) differently.
335. WHEN LOBHA IS PRESENT, AWARENESS-WISDOM CANNOT BE PRESENT
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 14 (1:48:22-1:49:35)
Yogi: When there is good memory or good feeling, because it is not causing dukkha, the mind doesn’t want to let go of the experience and also forgets to be aware.
Sayadaw: That is because of lobha. Suffering, there is anger; if it is pleasant, lobha will come. It is because lobha is present, awareness and wisdom cannot be there.
People don’t like suffering/unpleasant objects; they like pleasant objects; but when there are pleasant objects, the mind forgets to be aware because it gets involved.
That’s why yogis get stuck with pleasant objects.
336. SLEEPING PROBLEM DURING RETREATS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 10 (43:55-45:15)
Yogi: If I practice too much I have problem sleeping during retreats.
Sayadaw: You cannot sleep not because you practice too much. It’s due to wrong practice that the mind cannot sleep. The mind used too much energy.
Another reason is that when the awareness is very sharp, the mind sleeps less. Because the mind is being aware all the time, it becomes awake; so, the mind doesn’t want to sleep too much. It sleeps a little and then it wakes up.
If you use a lot of energy, the mind gets restless and cannot sleep. That’s not good.
If the awareness is sharp and the mind is calm, and as a result, it cannot sleep, then, there’s no problem.
When you cannot sleep, you can stay on the bed and just keep checking if the mind is relaxed and peaceful. If it is tense, then it is not good.
337. NATURAL AWARENESS CAN KNOW MANY OBJECTS WITHOUT FORCING
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 4 (4:40-8:45)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHceWd8reA
I don’t encourage yogis to focus and concentrate too much energy on one object. If the mind focuses on one object, it cannot know many things. The mind cannot be fast.
So, just relax and be aware (i.e. light awareness) – make this a habit. This awareness can know many objects; only then, you can practice in daily activities.
Many yogis start with concentration practice – this has become a habit. Why do yogis use so much energy? They want to make the mind stronger. But strength comes from maintaining the awareness over a long time, not from forcing. It is the nature of the mind to grow stronger from continued application.
When the awareness becomes stronger, naturally it can receive more objects, it can know more things.
It is the nature of the mind to arise and pass away, but each mind leaves the energy to the next mind. So, if any mind is allowed to repeat – good mind or bad mind – naturally this quality increases.
So, what is important is to maintain the awareness continuously – then naturally awareness will grow slowly; no need to force. Remember that what is important is to maintain the awareness over a long time.
338. WALKING MEDITATION: LET THE OBJECT BE A NATURAL PROCESS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 1 (37:50-40:42)
Yogi: Some yogis walk fast and some walk slowly, what should I do?
Sayadaw: Stay with yourself and walk naturally. It is better to relax and practice naturally – then, as much as you can, be aware of yourself.
No need to control your action to make walking either fast or slow. Walk naturally – let nature happen and then try to be aware. If awareness is present, naturally, you cannot walk too fast. If you walk too slowly, you control too much, and your mind will be tense.
Our meditation object must be a natural process. This is the best way.
We want to understand nature, right? So let nature be.
Yogis learn in many ways, and some walk very slowly, but I don’t encourage slowing down. Walk naturally, and when the mind becomes stronger and stronger, the mind becomes faster. If you slow down to practice, because of habit, the mind cannot be fast.
If you practice walking slowly – and you don’t walk slowly in daily life – then, you cannot maintain your awareness in daily life.
339. SEEING MEDITATION
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (1:01:12-1:03:44)
Yogi: Seeing meditation – what to be aware of? Should I fix attention on one point, or can I look around?
Sayadaw: Open the eyes and see naturally; don’t purposely look around. Be more aware of body sensations with the eyes open. Naturally, the mind will look, but you bring your attention back to the body. Don’t pay particular attention to the things seen – pay attention inside.
Know what is nature and concept – be more aware of bodily process because bodily process is nature. If you see things, it is a concept – if the mind goes out and pays attention to concepts, defilements will arise.
If the mind knows that it’s paying attention (to outside things), it is still reality. Paying attention is the mind.
340. KEEPING IT SIMPLE WITHOUT PROLIFERATING CONCEPTS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:36:25-1:37:53)
Yogi: It appears that thoughts are from the brain and hearing is coming from outside to inside.
Sayadaw: Just happening. Hearing is happening. That’s enough – finished. Direction and place are concepts, they are not real. Hearing is real.
[Yogi’s note: Simply being known is defined as an object. One shouldn’t focus - without focusing one can know. When we focus, the mind is paying attention to the concept. When the mind pays attention to concepts, liking and disliking arise.]
341. EXAMPLES OF NATURAL AWARENESS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:00:34-1:03:22)
First example: A yogi was waiting for the train to pass by before meditating. He was aware of the train sound and knew that his mind was anxious as he waited. The yogi didn’t know that natural awareness was already happening; he only thought that if he observed a certain object, then he was meditating. But that would be personal awareness.
Natural awareness already sees the mental process, what is really happening; but the yogi tries to meditate only on the object he has chosen.
Trying to meditate is extra; meditation is already happening.
Second example: For example, a yogi chose to observe the breath – he was targeting this object to be aware. While he was aware of the in-breath and out-breath, suddenly the mind naturally goes to a sensation in the hand.
Check these two objects – the breath object carries the idea ‘I am aware; I choose this object and I’m trying to be aware of it’. In this process, ‘I’ is already there. But for the sensation in the hand, the mind is aware of it naturally; there’s no ‘I’ there. Different idea.
Wisdom can arise with natural awareness. If I can control personal awareness, the wrong view is already there. That’s why wisdom cannot arise with personal awareness.
(1:31:31-1:31:59)
342. RECOGNIZE MENTAL IMAGES WHICH APPEAR DURING A SIT
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 7 (1:24:50-1:25:55)
I don’t encourage yogis to watch mental images because they are concepts. You should recognize that it is the mind thinking because a mental image is the thinking mind working.
We shouldn’t pay too much attention to the concept. (Elsewhere: When the mind pays attention to concepts, liking and disliking arise. Just continue to be aware.)
Beginners shouldn’t pay attention to mental images because defilements will arise.
343. THE OBJECT APPEARS OBVIOUS WHEN THERE’S AWARENESS WITH SAMADHI
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:01:16-1:01:52)
Yogi: If the mind is mindful, the food is more delicious.
Sayadaw: The taste is more obvious, not that the food is more delicious. ‘Delicious’ means that there is already liking. When you’re aware and samadhi is there, the object becomes obvious. You can even hear subtle sounds because the sense door is clear. You can say that the object is more obvious. But if you think the object is good, then liking comes.
344. WISDOM IS WEAK WHEN AWARENESS IS ACCOMPANIED BY FOCUSING
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 1 (1:11:301:11:52)
Yogi: Do we just be aware, aware, aware, and then wisdom will surely arise, right?
Sayadaw: Naturally, if awareness is present, wisdom must be present too. But for some yogis, they focus too much – as a result, wisdom is weak.
[Yogi’s notes: Awareness has to be light and relaxed for wisdom to arise, not an awareness accompanied by focusing which freezes the object. When that happens, the mind is paying attention to concept object hence liking/disliking or confusion comes and wisdom cannot arise.]
345. KNOWING IS NOT NOTHING BECAUSE IT IS GATHERING DATA
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (41:45-44:10)
In daily life, sometimes when awareness is not good and defilement is very strong, you give in to the defilement. Still, continue to be aware so that the mind can learn something.
Sometimes I follow the anger, but with awareness behind trying to know, trying to learn.
If defilement is weak, it comes, shows its nature, and disappears. But sometimes it is powerful and overwhelms the mind. I still try to be aware and follow the process.
Sometimes, I get angry and keep yelling; however, the mind still tries to know whatever is happening. This is learning; the mind understands deeply when it learns many times over.
We cannot control defilements every time; sometimes we lose, but we try to be aware. Knowing is not nothing. Knowing is something – it is gathering information. The mind does not win, but it learns.
When enough is learned, wisdom can then see that anger is totally not good.
346. IS DEFILEMENT GOOD OR BAD?
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (36:15-38:35)
Yogi: If the mind continues to be aware of craving and aversion, can the defilements stop?
Sayadaw: If just by continuing to be aware, the defilements cannot stop yet. It is only when wisdom comes that they stop immediately.
Our objective is not to make them stop, but to learn from them. If they disappear, we cannot learn any more.
[Yogi’s note: The mind needs to experience the defilements repeatedly for understanding to arise.]
Are defilements good or bad? You need to know how bad they are. If you understand more and more how much suffering they cause, because of understanding, they get weaker and weaker.
People say anger is no good; everybody understands that anger is no good, but they get angry every day because they don’t really understand how much anger makes the mind suffer. If you really understand how bad anger is, the mind will not allow anger to arise in the mind.
347. YOGI ASKING ABOUT BEING DISTURBED BY GHOSTS
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (2:22:01-2:28:00)
Now we are practising satipatthana meditation, we are watching ourselves (mind and body processes). If you can watch and handle your defilements, then external things like ghosts will not be a problem.
If your awareness, samadhi and wisdom are increasing, the wholesome quality will do their job. Because of the wholesome quality, the mind is peaceful and there is understanding; the mind can accept anything – so, there’s no problem anymore.
External things are not the problems; defilements are the problems.
Yogi: But when the ghost attacks, the mind is interrupted / disturbed and cannot practice.
Sayadaw: The mind nature has its own process – only happening and gone. Nobody can interrupt the mind. The mind process is happening; it is a natural process.
Whatever you see or feel, use it as an object and try to be aware. Don’t pay attention to the external concept – pay attention to your six sense doors and use feeling and sensation as objects.
348. HOW TO HANDLE THE NEGATIVE MIND
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 9 (49:55-52:33)
When you’re tired and the mind is complaining, don’t let the mind continue to think and complain. Change the direction because when right thought comes in, the meditating mind also comes in. Otherwise, it’s a dead end.
[Yogi’s note: Ask ‘beneficial or not?’]
Better not to complain about what is happening, rather think what to do. It’s the same in life. What people habitually do is to complain – why is this happening and why me – but it is not beneficial; better to think what to do about it.
Think about the cause (what to do) and don’t complain about the effect (what has already happened).
If the reaction in the mind is too strong, stop thinking and watch the reaction until the mind calms down. Then, think about how to do better.
349. AWARENESS THAT HAS BECOME A HABIT WILL ARISE AT THE TIME OF DEATH
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:41:32-1:42:31)
If you continue to practice until you die, you don’t have to worry about going to a woeful state at the time of death because awareness will continue to do its job then.
Now you are training the mind to make awareness become a habit – every time defilement comes, the mind tries to be aware. Later, naturally, when defilement comes at the time of death, awareness also arises.
Don’t worry; just continue to practice.
If your awareness becomes automatic, becomes a habit, then you can be assured of a good rebirth because awareness will do its job at the time of death. (Q&A 14 (9:17-10:05)
350. SAYADAW’S APPROACH TO METTA PRACTICE
Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:19:05-1:19:50)
If there is no anger, metta mind happens automatically.
[Yogi’s note: you can actually try it out yourself.]
You are not trying to have metta, yet metta arises suddenly, right?
Earlier in the day, there was some anger in the mind. You were watching anger, anger, anger – and when the anger disappeared, suddenly the mind changed. Then, metta mind arose; when that happens, you used the metta mind as an object and continued to be aware.
The metta mind continued to happen because awareness, a wholesome mind, supports the metta mind.
Later, during lunch, when lobha and dosa arose, the metta mind disappeared.
So, if you’re watching anger – when anger disappears, metta automatically comes.
[Yogi’s note: Instead of generating metta, try dissolving the anger.]