AWARE OF AWARENESS
SUT: Are you aware of your awareness? Do you always recognize that awareness is present?
Yogi: Yes, but I have to make a conscious effort to check that it is there.
SUT: Good, first check whether the awareness is stable, whether you are always aware and present. Once you feel that you are aware and present, try to recognize that awareness. Then try to see whether you recognize the attitudes that are present in that awareness.
Yogi: OK. Now I feel like the awareness is looking through a microscope.
SUT: How much does your awareness actually know? Does it only know your body sensations, or does the awareness also notice your thoughts and your feelings?
Yogi: If it is good, the awareness is sort of panoramic.
SUT: When you are aware of body sensations, thoughts, feelings, and other activities of the mind, can you also see how they are interrelated, how they influence each other? When the mind is thinking something, how does that affect your feelings and your body sensations? When you have certain body sensations, how does that change or influence the feelings and the thoughts?
When you ask yourself any of these questions, your mind is introducing wisdom into the situation. You don’t need to find answers; simply asking such questions awakens the wisdom. You are introducing new software so to speak. Have you noticed the difference in quality of your mind when you are aware and when you are not aware?
Yogi: Yes.
SUT: It is very important that you recognize these things for yourself. Noticing these differences for yourself helps you to recognize and appreciate the value of awareness. When you can appreciate the value of awareness, you will also slowly start appreciating the value of understanding, of wisdom. You need to see clearly what difference the quality of awareness makes in your life, and you also need to be able to appreciate the benefits you get from wisdom. Once you understand all this, you will practise wholeheartedly.
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Yogi: It seems to me that when I am observing awareness, clarity of mind is the result. Then that becomes the object. I think that is why I was having trouble distinguishing between the observing and the clarity of mind.
SUT: Yes, the clarity of mind and the practising itself are different things.
Yogi: I noticed two different experiences of observing. One where the observing feels like there is a distance between the observing and the object, the other one feels like there is no separation, there is simply observation of what there is.
SUT: These are just two perspectives of the same experience. In the first one you notice the fundamentally different natures of the object and the observing. Because they function in different ways you notice their difference. In the second perspective you see that in fact these different functions are happening together. The second perspective is more natural. With the first one, i.e. when we see a separation, there is a degree of conceptualisation of our experience.
Yogi: Yes, that makes sense. I noticed that the second one is happening when the mind is quiet and balanced.
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Yogi: What’s the best thing to do when the mind becomes really quiet?
SUT: Don’t try to look into the quietness but stay with the mind that is aware.
Yogi: The mind tends to get attached to and somehow entangled with the quietness.
SUT: When that happens you are not meditating anymore. You are enjoying a mind state. Your attention needs to be on the awareness and not on the object. You need to check whether there is still awareness of what’s happening and — equally important — whether there is right view.
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Yogi: Who or what is aware of all my experiences; the seeing, hearing, etc.? I have a sense of something that is receiving all this, of something that is aware of what is happening. Is that true?
SUT: Isn’t it? Who do you think it is? You know that there is awareness and that this is aware of what is happening, don’t you?
Yogi: I don’t know. When I am seeing or feeling things I feel a sense of awareness of self. It is just part of my experience, moment to moment.
SUT: OK, that’s fine.
Yogi: So, is there somewhere to look? Is there a place of awareness?
SUT: It is already seen; you don’t need to do anything deliberately. If you try to do something deliberately, this quality will disappear. Awareness is one of many qualities or functions of the mind. Just keep observing mental activities, and your understanding of all these processes will grow.
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Yogi: I occasionally experience a state of clear, pure awareness. When that happens, other objects are a little more in the background. The observing mind too is a little in the background. The observing mind is a bit confused whether to pay attention to this clarity, to just rest in it or to pay attention to objects.
SUT: The most important thing to do is to keep recognizing the observing mind and to understand that everything else is there with it — whether in the background or not.
Yogi: It seems that there is nothing happening except pure experience.
SUT: That’s it, just know that. Who is it happening to? What is pure experience?
Yogi: Experiencing body sensations primarily and then thoughts come in…
SUT: You can continue recognizing that these things are happening and that all of them are being known by the mind. Are they constant or are they in flux?
Yogi: They are continuously there and they are constantly changing.
SUT: OK, can you see which part of your experience is physical and which part is mental?
Yogi: It seems that it is all physical and the mental is just that clarity.
SUT: And the observing?!
Yogi: Well, yes, but it is more of a knowing. What I call the observing mind is the ‘little guy’ in there that’s judging, looking and making decisions and then this other greater clarity is just the seeing of all that.
SUT: Ah, I see. What you call the observing mind, I call mental activities, and what you call clarity, I call the observing mind!
Yogi: OK, the observing mind is doing nothing but observing then?
SUT: Yes, that’s right. Is there wisdom in the observing mind?
Yogi: Hopefully!
SUT: Actually, the fact that it can observe with such clarity means that there is some wisdom operating, but we fail to recognize this.
Yogi: I guess my concern here is that if I rest in that clarity of observing that I am not doing anything.
SUT: There is a well-known saying in Burma: ‘Meditation is meditating but you are not meditating.’ When we begin to practise we think ‘I am practising’ but later we realize that it is just the mind that is practising. This is a natural progression in the development of awareness. For example, in the beginning of our practice we will just notice that there are thoughts. After some time, we will begin to understand that this is the mind. Realizing this means we are at a different level of understanding; wisdom has started realizing that a thought is just a mind.
Once this level of understanding has become established, the mind will always understand that ‘this is just the mind’ and the next level of understanding can arise. This will be the realization that ‘minds are just arising’, ‘minds are just happening’. There will be the understanding of ‘arising’ or ‘becoming’ (jāti).
When you see the nature of ‘becoming’ you will start realizing that everything is always new. Every moment is new; there is nothing that’s old. Everything you perceive right now, you perceive for the first time. At this level of understanding, many things in life will cease to be a problem. Wisdom will see that there are just these minds coming and going. There will be no more identification and interference; the ‘I’ will no longer participate.
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Yogi: What should I focus my mind on when there are very few thoughts, when the mind is very spacious and still?
SUT: Become aware of the awareness. You don’t have to focus on anything. What you need to do is to recognize that you are still aware; to recognize that awareness is still present and to keep recognizing that. Acknowledge to yourself again and again that awareness is present. Also watch out for the defilements that occur in the observing mind. The defilements which arise in the observing mind affect you more significantly than the ones you see passing through your mind as your experience. The latter do not matter so much, but it is very important to watch out for the ones that infiltrate the observing mind.
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Yogi: I find it difficult to maintain awareness during certain activities, particularly during mealtimes.
SUT: If you know that you have a weakness in a certain area, during a particular activity, always take your time. Remind yourself not to hurry, and prepare yourself. Determine your priorities. Remind yourself that you want to maintain mindfulness, that you want to be fully aware of this experience. Tell yourself that you are not eating but practising. By making these autosuggestions you are telling the mind to move into a particular direction. This is right thinking.
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Yogi: I sometimes feel that there is nothing going on in the mind, I am just sitting there and the mind seems to be blank or empty.
SUT: This feeling of emptiness can come up when there are very subtle objects only. But if you are awake and alert, i.e. not sleepy, you can still be aware of the sense of awareness at such times. You know that awareness is working, and the awareness will be very clear. Just stay with that.
If you find it difficult to recognize awareness at work, you need more practice. Ask yourself often: “What is the mind aware of now?” In this way you will gradually learn to see the mind more clearly and to know what awareness feels like. At first you need to practise with very obvious mind activities such as the mind being aware of thinking, of hearing, or of directing attention to a particular object. Also remind yourself to be as continuously aware as you can; continuity of mindfulness too will help you to clearly recognize awareness. It will help you to see the mind. Eventually you will realize that awareness is happening naturally all the time.
Yogi: How can we keep up the continuity of awareness in daily life?
SUT: You need to have some wisdom, some understanding that the practice is beneficial. It is not enough to hear it from other people. A real desire to practise will only arise after you have recognized yourself what difference the practice of awareness makes to your life. You need to really understand how beneficial the practice of awareness is for you. Such an understanding will motivate you much more than any outside encouragement or support.
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Yogi: I find it easy to be aware of the body. When I do some physical work, all I need to do is focus on body sensations and stay with them. I find it much more difficult to observe the mind when I do mental work. What is the best way to do that? What exactly do I focus on?
SUT: Knowing the body is different from knowing the mind. You need to focus a little to be aware of the body, but this is not necessary to be aware of the mind. Awareness is a mental activity, it is already there, and you don’t need to do anything. Trying to focus on awareness is counter-productive. Knowing the mind simply requires a lot of practice. You need to become skilful at observing the mind in order to know that the mind is doing mental work like thinking, planning, or writing. Until you have enough practice in observing the mind, you will lose mindfulness quite often whenever you do this kind of work.
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Yogi: I have a question about awareness in social situations. If I am in a harmonious social environment, interacting positively with people, there seems to be a natural flow, a sense of ease and enjoyment. If I bring mindfulness into such a situation, it seems to interrupt this natural flow and the joy and ease seem to fade away. What is your take on this?
SUT: This is a misunderstanding of the practice. The fact that you know that you are interacting with others, that the situation is harmonious, that there is ease and enjoyment, shows that you are aware of what is going on. If you then decide to observe this, you are doing too much. You are putting in unnecessary effort to be mindful and that feels unnatural. Just let your awareness flow naturally with what is happening.
Yogi: But I often do not feel that I am being aware!
SUT: There is probably a lack of skill in watching with a natural kind of awareness. If we are used to applying a very conscious kind of awareness, if this is the only kind of awareness we know, we will bring this in when trying to observe social situations. What we need to do is to learn to practise a more natural awareness when we do formal practice and to avoid the kind of very purposeful, very intense awareness. If we can get in touch with this natural flow of awareness, when we just work with the awareness that is, we can bring this understanding into social situations and be mindful in an easy and natural way.
When we practise with a super-conscious kind of mindfulness, when we always tell ourselves that now we are going to be mindful, we will distort the picture and our experience will be kind of stultified. We need to learn to remain in an open and relaxed state of just noticing what is going on; we need to intentionally practise in a simple way. We need to keep doing this until it becomes natural, both when we are on our own and when we are with other people. For most yogis this is not easy and will take a lot of patience and perseverance.
Yogi: When I am on my own, I feel that there is a very easy and relaxed kind of awareness. But when I am in a social situation, being mindful becomes kind of artificial.
SUT: You need to remind yourself to be aware in that easy and relaxed kind of way when you are with people. You also need to be aware of where your attention is. When you are on your own, your attention will tend to be all ‘in here’. When you are with others, it will most likely be all ‘out there’. Why does it all go ‘out there’? It is because you are more interested in what is going on ‘out there’, because you are not really interested in what is going on ‘in here’. When the attention is all ‘outside’, thoughts and emotions will come unnoticed and things will build up.
Yogi: Right! This is where the conflict arises for me. I try to maintain the internal awareness but when the awareness wants to go out, it affects that awareness.
SUT: OK, the outside is important but so are you! Why not be aware of both, why not go for 50/50?
Yogi: Sounds good, sounds like a deal!
SUT: There are of course variations; in some circumstances it might be 60/40, etc. You need to experiment, learn in different situations and also remember to apply whatever you have learned on retreat.
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Yogi: I find it easy to be aware of whatever arises at the sense doors. But I find it confusing when I try to be aware of awareness itself. I am not sure where to put my awareness.
SUT: The mind cannot be found anywhere; trying to find it is a futile exercise. It would be a bit like trying to find your glasses when you are actually wearing them. The mind is not something that you can take hold of and look at. You can recognize the mind because it is doing its work. Awareness is already present; because of this you are aware of things. You are getting confused because you are looking for something other than what is there, because you think there must be ‘something’ else.
Put your hands together like this. Can you feel the sensations?
Yogi: Yes.
SUT: Do you recognize that you know the sensations?
Yogi: Yes.
SUT: That’s awareness of awareness. Don’t try hard to look for awareness; relax and see that it is already there. We find being aware of the mind difficult only because we lack practice. Experienced yogis find that being aware of the mind is just as straightforward as being aware of the body.
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Yogi: You say that vipassanā is effortless because there is no choice to be made. But it seems to me that there is always choice in practice; how long to stay with an object, which of the many objects that arise to pay attention to and so on.
SUT: Becoming aware is a gradual process. In the beginning the mind needs to learn to recognize that there is consciousness. In the beginning you should allow the mind to recognize whatever it is noticing. Once awareness is established, the mind will naturally be aware of many things. At this stage a choice can be made. You can ask yourself: “What is more important to pay attention to now?” You will, however, need to check the mind that is observing. Wisdom has to make the choice, not ‘you’. You have to check to see whether there is any greed, expectation, aversion or rejection. You might also have to remind yourself that the object is not important, that you need to look at the mind.
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Yogi: I am used to focusing on one object. Now you are telling me not to do that. How can I be aware of many objects at the same time?
SUT: You need to recognize that you are aware. Don’t observe the objects; just keep checking whether awareness is present. As your awareness becomes stronger, it will automatically be able to see more objects. It is like a good satellite dish; the better the dish and the receiver, the more channels you can receive.
Yogis often start off by concentrating on one object, and when they start becoming aware of many things they think that the mind is being distracted. This is a problem for samatha meditation, but for vipassanā meditation it means that the mind has become more receptive, that there is more awareness.
In our practice of awareness we begin by paying attention to an object, so there is knowing of the object. The next step is becoming aware that we know this object. Then we will also learn to become aware of the attitude behind the awareness. With practice you will be able to see all of this at the same time.
Yogi: That might be relatively easy if I just observe hearing or sensations, but what do I do when I am confronted by strong feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear? How do I observe them?
SUT: Observe how such emotions make you feel. Do they make you feel hot, tense, tight, etc.? Also pay attention to the thoughts that you are having and how the thoughts and the way you feel affect each other. Don’t get lost in the story or get carried away by how you are feeling. Look at how the mind is working. You will learn how thoughts influence your feelings and how feelings influence your thoughts. You will recognize certain harmful patterns, and this will enable the mind to let go. You will for example stop indulging in certain ways of thinking when you realize that this just makes the mind feel miserable.
You need of course a relatively cool mind to be able to watch and learn. It is also very important to know why you are watching. If you are watching because you are really interested in understanding what is going on, wisdom can arise. But if you are just looking at what is happening with the hope that this will make the unpleasant emotion go away, it will not work.
Yogi: How will I know when wisdom arises?
SUT: You will see that very clearly. You will have an experience of ‘ah, now I understand’. This is real understanding, not just intellectual understanding. You won’t have to ask anyone, you will know.
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Yogi: Is kamma being created when we are working with awareness, when we are aware of awareness?
SUT: You could say so, good kamma.
Yogi: Good kamma means good rebirth or the end of rebirth!?
SUT: Good rebirth, good character, good mind. This awareness is just kamma, it is an action. Only if the action results in wisdom, in the kind of wisdom that leads to the end of rebirth, then that kamma is going to give good results in that way. Rebirth cannot be ended by kamma; rebirth is ended by paññā, by wisdom.
EFFORTLESS AWARENESS
Yogi: Yesterday I felt very surprised when I recognized a strengthening of awareness. I could actually see that awareness was getting stronger, and this felt like a miracle. What came with it was a feeling of confidence which felt new. It seemed like this process of awareness leading to more awareness was just a process which was happening and had nothing to do with me. It seems to me that I don’t have to be striving for anything because the process is taking care of itself.
SUT: We call this state effortless. Effortless in the sense that you are not putting in any personal effort, the process itself is putting in the effort, nature is doing the job.
Yogi: Sometimes it seems that way and other times it doesn’t at all; it’s back and forth, back and forth.
SUT: If you think of the times when you were striving and the times when you experienced this non-striving, didn’t the non-striving come at a time when you did not expect it at all and when you were not striving?
Yogi: Yes!
SUT: That’s why it felt so amazing, because you were not expecting it. But the moment we are working towards it, when we are expecting it, it does not come! We always need to remember the difference between personal exertion and Dhamma taking over. As long as we are striving, as long as we are trying, we believe that ‘we’ are the ones that produce the input that creates the result. But when Dhamma takes over, there is no trying to get anywhere, there is just a doing of what is necessary.
If you are personally very involved in trying to do the practice, you cannot see what is going on naturally. Only when you step back are you able to see that the process of awareness is actually happening naturally. That’s why I sometimes ask yogis: “Have you noticed that you can hear even though you are not listening, that seeing is happening even though you are not trying to look at anything, and that even though you are not paying attention, your mind already knows things?”
I would like yogis to get to the point where they realize that without focusing or paying attention, the nature of knowing is happening. I would like yogis, especially people who have been practising for years, to just recognize that this is going on. They are too busy thinking they are practising. But after many years of meditating their practice must have gained momentum and they need to step back in order to see that this happening. They need to switch from doing to recognizing.
Of course it is not possible to just switch, to immediately change the paradigm. But it is good to have this information because this will enable you to sometimes switch into this new mode. This way you will slowly understand what is actually happening and this will enable you to let go of the old paradigm. Only when we don’t do anything, can we see the non-doing, the non-self. That’s why momentum is so important, when things continue under their own steam and you can really see that you are not involved. But there is no need to try to understand this! If you just practise continuously, the understanding will come. Once you gain some understanding that this process is just happening, the mind will start seeing things more and more from this perspective.
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Yogi: I am still struggling with letting go of old habits. I have been taught to be the doer, to really focus, to do mindfulness. I am finding it difficult to let go and open up.
SUT: Don’t worry about it, many people go through the same process. Usually we start off by trying to observe. Then, after we have been given — and have understood — the right information, we just wait and watch. Lastly, when mindfulness has gained momentum, ‘we’ don’t need to do anything anymore. The mind knows what to do. At this stage there is no more personal effort. You could call it effortless awareness.
When you get ‘there’, be careful not to get attached to this state. It is possible to have moments, hours, days, or even weeks of ‘effortless’ mindfulness and then lose it again. Most people will take years of practice until it becomes really natural.
Yogi: Would you say that just waiting and watching is the same as what you call ‘not going to the object but letting the object come to you’?
SUT: Yes, but even the use of the word ‘come’ is not quite correct since in fact the objects are already there; object and mind happen together.
DHAMMA AT WORK
Yogi: Can you explain the difference between what is usually called personal effort and what you call ‘Dhamma doing its job’?
SUT: I’ll give you a simple example: Let’s assume you are doing mindfulness of breathing and the mind’s attention strays elsewhere. Will you bring awareness to the breath or will you just let it go with the flow? Bringing it to the breath is personal effort, letting it go with the flow is Dhamma at work.
Yogi: That’s seems the opposite of what we usually hear.
SUT: To keep bringing one’s attention to the breath can be useful for beginners and when the mind needs calming down. But I encourage all yogis to remain aware of whatever happens, of whatever the mind naturally takes an interest in.
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Yogi: You talked about natural awareness and letting Dhamma do its job. I find it difficult to just let the mind choose its object. Could you explain this whole process of opening up, of allowing oneself to become more and more receptive to what’s happening and to understand why it’s happening?
SUT: The mind naturally takes objects and that’s Dhamma at work. Interfering with this process and deliberately focusing the mind here and there is personal effort. If you find it difficult to let the mind take whatever object it chooses, if this is confusing, you can bring it to a main object. But don’t get attached to this object; use it as a safe place to go to but also allow the mind to go elsewhere. Allow the mind to know several objects.
It is OK to start with one object to establish awareness and concentration, but then we should allow the mind to relax and open up. Yogis often feel uncomfortable when they notice that the mind is aware of several objects, and they then try to force it to be aware of their main object only. You need to remind yourself that it is natural for a mind that is stable and has some continuity of awareness to become aware of several objects. It means that awareness is getting stronger. I call this sharp awareness.
When you allow yourself to know many objects, you are moving towards vipassanā. When you keep bringing your attention to a main object, you are doing more of a samatha kind of practice. If you want your awareness and wisdom to grow, you need to allow the mind to know more things.
There is a natural progression in the growth of awareness. You might start off with just one object, say the breath. After a while you will become aware of several objects in the body. Then you will notice how you are feeling — while being aware of all these objects in the body. Later on you will become able not only to be aware of objects and feelings but also of the mind that is aware plus of the attitude that is behind this awareness. Once you are able to see this whole picture, you will begin to understand how all these objects affect each other. This is understanding, this is wisdom.
But you have to be patient; this process takes time to unfold. First you need to practise awareness in order to gather a lot of data. The mind will then put this data together into different streams of information, and eventually this process will bring about knowledge. It is therefore essential that you allow the mind to expand, to become aware of more and more objects. If it stays on one object only, it cannot gather much data and awareness and wisdom cannot grow.
BEING AWARE WHILE READING
Yogi: I have more time to read these days and I wonder what the best way is to remain aware while reading.
SUT: Who is reading? What is reading?
Yogi: The mind is reading.
SUT: Can you know that mind? The mind is reading, the mind understands, using its intelligence.
Yogi: Is it necessary to make an effort to do that?
SUT: Not deliberately during reading; you need to make an effort to recognize the mind at work whenever you practise. When we practise for a long period of time, when watching the mind has become a habit, it will be easy to see that we use the mind in all our activities, whether mental or physical.
Yogi: Sometimes I get lost in what I am reading.
SUT: Yes, that can happen. If you are very interested in what you are reading you tend to get carried away, the mind gets sucked in.
Yogi: So I need to make an effort not to get lost.
SUT: You just need to notice whenever you get lost. You can find out what the difference is between getting completely absorbed in what you are reading, and remaining relaxed and aware while you are reading. It feels different.
WRONG ATTITUDE — RIGHT ATTITUDE
Yogi: Today I found myself getting really frustrated, feeling that I don’t understand, that I don’t know what to do, and that I don’t know how I am supposed to meditate.
SUT: In such situations don’t try to meditate but check to see what attitude you are meditating with. You need to recognize that you are trying to meditate with a wrong attitude. You are frustrated because you have a wrong attitude.
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Yogi: I often find it very difficult to name my attitude or my emotions. I can feel whether they are positive or negative though. Is it sufficient to be aware of that?
SUT: Yes, it is. It is not so important whether you can name your attitude or not. Most yogis are so focused on the object that they are not at all aware of the mind. By repeatedly checking your attitude, you build up a habit which will allow you to be aware of the state of mind you are practising with. When you get used to observing the mind, you will be able to see the whole picture: the attitudes, the objects, the emotions and feelings as well as any changes taking place.
Yogi: I think I don’t really understand what attitude means. Do you mean mood or whether or not I have aversion in my mind?
SUT: You can call it mood or attitude. It is the negative or positive commentary in your mind that judges or evaluates whatever you are relating to. Say, you see some food on the table and your automatic reaction is ‘ooohhh’. What is the attitude behind this reaction? It’s obvious, isn’t it? In such moments you actually express your attitude. Our attitudes will always express themselves in some way.
Yogi: OK, so thoughts are different from attitudes?
SUT: Yes, but they can betray your attitude; they can be an expression of your attitude. In the same way, images, feelings, choices, decisions and some physical and verbal expressions can also indicate your attitude.
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Yogi: Usually I find it quite straightforward to see my negative attitudes, to relax and let them go. But sometimes my mind feels very confused and I don’t know what to do.
SUT: Just watch the confusion. Whenever my mind is confused, I stop doing things, keep to myself and wait for the mind to calm down. There cannot be any wisdom as long as you are confused. If you try to think of solutions when in a confused state of mind, you will only get confused answers. Don’t try to do anything, don’t even try to meditate.
The same principles apply when you are in a negative mood. Don’t do anything. Anything you do, say, or think will be negative in some way. Just watch the bad mood until it subsides. If you have the right attitude, this will be easy. Once the mind has calmed down, you are in a position to make a wise decision.
So just watch that confusion. Don’t try to push it away or ignore it but make it a habit to watch it in an uninvolved way. Whenever I am confused about something, I stop thinking about it. The reason why there is confusion is because there is no clarity, no wisdom about the topic. Trying to think in such a state will create more confusion. Looking at the sensations and feelings that are present will help the mind to calm down. When the mind has become calmer, it can investigate the situation.
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Yogi: There are times when the mind feels very blurred, so blurred that I cannot concentrate on anything. No matter what I try to do, I cannot focus on anything.
SUT: Don’t try to do anything about it — and certainly never try to focus! Check how the mind feels about being blurred. It is very likely that when things are not going the way we think they should, the mind thinks that we should do something about it, that we should improve things. If such a wrong attitude is present, it becomes more difficult to work with the present situation. If you do not see the wrong attitude, it will keep motivating your actions or reactions.
If you find yourself in a difficult situation like this, instead of trying to do something about it, stop for a while and think. Look at the situation, reflect on what might be the appropriate thing to do, and then take another look at what is happening. Carefully thinking about your plan of action is much more important than doing something about the situation.
Yogi: But when the mind is so blurred it is difficult to think even...
SUT: Just accept it as it is! This is really essential. If you cannot accept the situation, the difficulty, you cannot look at it. Just accept that feeling blurred is one of the qualities of the mind, a way that the mind happens to be functioning right now.
Yogi: But when the mind is blurred it is in such a foggy state...
SUT: Your attitude towards this state of mind is really fundamental. If you feel negative about it, you cannot do anything about it and you cannot learn anything from it. Tell yourself that feeling blurred is a state of mind. Then tell yourself that you want to understand what this state of mind is like and how it works. This way the blurriness becomes your object. Observe what happens to it. Does it become more blurred or less blurred? Now you know what to do — try it out next time the mind becomes blurred.
You see once again how important information is. Recently I told my Burmese yogis: Whenever you are experiencing an emotion, ask yourself the question: “Am I going to feel the emotion or be aware of the emotion?” In other words: “Are you going to watch it as an uninvolved observer or are you going to participate in the emotion?” It has made a big difference to a lot of the yogis. Just thinking of that question, just asking the question has made a big difference to how their mind reacted. You need to have the right information in order to think in the right way and in order to have the right attitude.