Acknowledgements

My special gratitude goes to my teacher, the late Venerable Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw Bhaddanta Kosalla Mahā Thera, who taught me Dhamma and the right attitude for my spiritual development and meditation practice.

I want to express my appreciation to all yogis. Their questions and difficulties have once again inspired many of the explanations and answers given in this book. I really hope that this second book too will help yogis to better understand mindfulness meditation and to deepen their practice. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the completion of this book.

Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Myanmar

 We Practise Because We Want To Understand

Most people don’t seem to really appreciate the value of the work of awareness. They tend to think that the importance of meditation is in the things that they observe. But the objects do not really matter. People also spend a lot of time thinking about the results. They want to experience peaceful states; they want to ‘bliss out’. Then they get attached to these states and to the objects they focus on.

The real value of meditation is not in getting such results, however enjoyable they may be. The real value of meditation is the actual process of being aware and understanding what is happening. The process is important, not the result!

Instead of complaining about what is or is not happening, you should appreciate that you are aware – regardless of what you are aware of – and learn from it.

Awareness alone is not enough! Having a desire to really understand what is going on is much more important than just trying to be aware. We practise mindfulness meditation because we want to understand.

Questions about Practice,  15

  • Developing an Interest In Dhamma,  15

  • Information–Intelligence–Wisdom,  17

  • Only Wisdom Understands,  23

  • Directing the Mind,  29

  • Consistent Practice deepens Understanding,  29

  • Joy in the Practice,  33

  • No Interest in the Practice,  33

  • Cultivating Right Effort,  36

  • Practising like a Sick Person,  38

  • Making a Decision,  39

  • Sitting,  39

  • Walking,  41

  • Lying Down,  42

  • Nothing to Do,  42

  • Tense or Relaxed,  43

  • Feeling Restless,  44

  • Feeling Stuck,  44

  • Not enough Energy–Feeling Sleepy
    or Tired,  49

  • Depression,  56

  • Sleep,  57

  • Dreams,  61

  • Aware of Awareness,  63

  • Effortless Awareness,  82

  • Dhamma at Work,  86

  • Being Aware while Reading,  88

  • Wrong Attitude–Right Attitude,  89

  • Expectations and Patience,  96

  • Praying and Meditation,  101

  • Heaven and Hell,  102

  • Attached to Mindfulness,  103

  • Wanting to Be Better,  103

  • Attachment to ‘I’,  106

  • Greed and Wisdom,  106

  • Wisdom neither Likes nor Dislikes,  108

  • Watching Mental Processes,  110

  • Seeing the difference between
    Mind and Object,  113

  • Observing Feelings and Emotions,  114

  • Seeing and Hearing – Looking and Listening,  121

  • Thoughts,  126

  • Using Phrases,  136

  • Labelling,  137

  • Sort out your Anger first,  138

  • Daily Life,  139

  • The Hidden Kilesas,  150

  • Subtle Defilements,  154

  • Defilements are Burning,  156

  • Understanding Impermanence,  159

  • Effortless Awareness and Impermanence,  160

  • Developing Right View,  161

  • Delusion is Lack of Wisdom,  162

  • Experiencing Mettā and Karuṇā,  163

  • Doubt or no Doubt,  166

  • Samatha or Vipassanā,  167

  • The Mind that Knows,  171

  • With Open Eyes,  176

  • When Things are Going Well,  177

  • Developing Intuition,  179

  • Nibbāna is Hard Work,  180

  • Letting Things Unfold Naturally,  181

  • The Benefits of the Practice,  183

  • Real Happiness,  183

Questions on Terminology,  185

  • Saddhā,  185

  • Kāyānupassanā,  187

  • Sati and Micchā-Diṭṭhi,  188

  • Samādhi,  189

  • Dhamma-Vicaya (Investigation
    of Phenomena), Bojjhaṅga (Factor
    of Enlightenment), and Sampajañña,  192

  • Observing and Overcoming
    Kilesas,  200

  • Mettā-Bhāvanā,  204

  • Pāramī,  209

  • Self Nature,  211

  • Anatta,  211

  • Dukkha,  212

  • Insight or Wisdom?,  217

Food for Thought,  219