51. CHECKING ATTITUDE REPEATEDLY
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/18 (1:26:57-1:27:42)
Regardless of the suffering and its qualifications, it is the object; it is not important. What is important is to check the attitude – what is the mind’s attitude towards this suffering and what is the quality of the awareness.
These are the 2 important things. You only need to take care of the attitude; take care as in know what the attitude is and know what the quality of the awareness is. That is all that you need to take care of; you don’t need to take care of the suffering.
52. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REALITY & CONCEPT
Kalaw 2016 Retreat - 2016-03/31 Day 4 Dhamma Group Discussion Group D (07:19-10:35)
You need to know what is concept and what is nature/reality. When you watch your hand, you cannot be aware of your hand; you can only think about it. Hand has shape, form and colour. The mind can only think about these; they are concepts. You can directly experience hardness and softness, movement, warmth and cold; these are nature. Concept means the mind starts to think about distance, direction – up and down, left and right, form, shape, colour, name and time. We call these concepts.
If your mind pays attention only to the concept, it is easier for reaction – liking and disliking – to arise. Liking and disliking, anger, craving and delusion mind always pay attention to concepts. From habit, ordinary mind always pays attention to concepts; for example, when we try to be aware of seeing, immediately we think about seeing things – man, woman, tree, cars – these are all concepts. Seeing is nature; able to see something is nature. Upon seeing, we think and we give meaning to what we see. This is perception, what we call concept. From this concept, we pay more attention to the concepts.
Concepts are not real; reality or nature is the direct experience. So we cannot know our leg; we can know the pain, or hardness and softness, the touching sensation. That’s the difference between concept and nature.
For example, thinking – the story line is concept; we’re thinking of whom, where or when. But the thinking mind that is happening or working is nature. Now, we’re trying to understand this physical and mental process. We try to be aware of the mind state, not the story line. If you pay attention to the story line, immediately happiness, sadness or anger arises. For example, when someone we dislike comes, immediately we get angry.
53. COPING WITH LONG-TERM EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
China Retreat 2014 Q&A (3 March 2014 PM; 59:09-1:03:08)
Now you know that your mind cannot watch objectively. First, you must acknowledge this situation. Then continue to be aware of this process (thinking and emotion) again and again until wisdom arises. It takes time. Because the old habit is strong, attachment to the idea is already there. You cannot change in a short time. We don’t know when the change can happen; but depending on your level of practice, wisdom can grow.
In my battle with depression, it took 2-3 years to truly understand why the mind suffered so much.
Now you try to think that the emotional problem is nature, it doesn’t belong to you. But this is not your understanding. It is second hand knowledge – you use other people’s understanding first. It is not your understanding yet; that’s why the mind still believes that this mind is ‘me’, feeling is ‘me’, body is ‘me’. Then you notice ‘Oh, the mind is still attached’. That’s it; just recognizing what is happening.
You must recognize that there is ‘I’, there is ‘I’. But when the ‘I’ disappears, at that time it is very obvious in the mind. Then only it becomes your own understanding.
54. NO RIGHT VIEW, NO VIPASSANA
2014 USA Retreat Introduction Talk (14:58-19:40)
When I’m aware of objects, is that enough? Am I meditating? That’s not enough because we have to know what is it we are knowing.
We need to know how to regard the objects; how to have the right view of the objects and know how to think about them in the right way.
We can do either one of these. We can remember that the objects are just nature; or that the objects are just that – they are things that are being known by us. The experiences, the phenomena, anything that is being known because of its position as that which is being known, it becomes an object.
Whenever we experience something, we have to remind ourselves that this is an object; I’m knowing this; it’s not ‘This is a bad experience, or this is a good experience’. This experience is being known, this experience is an object.
You hear a sound, is that good or bad? Hearing is just hearing. So, we want to see things as they are; we want to regard things as they are.
So, what is being known is just to be known, not to be loved or hated; not to be desired or pushed away.
It is only when we remind ourselves that what is happening – what we’re experiencing, the things that we’re observing; the objects – are nature, that we’re meditating. They are their nature; they’re doing what they’re doing, they’re being experienced. We have to remind ourselves because if we don’t do that, then the mind goes into desiring and resisting; and then that lens of desiring and resisting distorts the view.
The difference between one who is meditating and one who is not: for the one who is not meditating, every experience is accompanied by desiring or resisting, or delusion; whereas for a meditator, the effort is being made to regard all this with the right view so that every moment there is not greed, anger and delusion growing but awareness and wisdom growing.
If you just look around ordinarily, don’t you notice that everybody is constantly pulling and pushing, loving and hating, desiring and resisting.
But if we recognize that there is hearing, we have heard something, and hearing is hearing; then, there is all there is; there is not the push or pull; liking and disliking - then, it is just an experience.
55. THOUGHT IS MIND HAPPENING
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/17 (49:34-52:16)
You’re associating the inner babble with not calm; but inner babble has nothing to do with not calm or calm. You could be very calm and knowing inner babble. And the key is a shift in attitude, but the real breakthrough is when you see that the mind is just the mind.
Because now the inner babble has a lot of content. But when you see that all this is mind happening – when you see that thoughts are just thoughts; when the mind finally realizes that – then all is just a flow in that.
Now the mind’s attention is quickly recognizing the content of the thought because that’s its habit. It’s caught up with the content and so it feels pulled by the content.
If you would use a word to tell yourself like ‘this is happening’; what is important is the happening, the content is happening. This is happening and that’s all it is.
Listen carefully to this definition: that nature that thinks, that is the mind; so, if something is thinking, that is the mind. But we don’t see the thinking mind; we see the thoughts.
But if you see this as mind, then it’s not a problem; it is just an object.
56. RECOGNIZING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/16 (1:11:27-1:12:17)
Just keep recognizing it; don’t judge it – it is just a thought. Just keep stepping away from it – ‘Oh, this is happening now; this thought is happening now’. Don’t feed it.
Vipassana practitioners remember this formula: whatever arises, step back and recognize it - ‘Oh, I know you now’. And when the next thing comes up, recognize it and step back from it.
And, appreciate the awareness.
57. UNDERSTANDING DEATH THROUGH PASSING PROCESSES
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0010 (1:05:30-1:06:17)
When you see object and mind, what is ‘you’? You think object and mind is you. When you see object and mind passing away, you’re dying already. Every time you see passing away is dying.
Dying is nature; but we think this object and mind is ‘me’. Now, we see object and mind disappearing again and again; we’re dying all the time. ‘Small, small’ dying and ‘big’ dying.
When you can understand the small dying, you can accept the big dying. If we can understand the small dying very well, big dying is no problem. This is a natural process.
58. WISDOM DOES NOT FEAR DEATH
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Winter 2016 Malaysian and Chinese Group Interviews 170114 (1:47:43-1:48:37)
[What wisdom is not afraid to die?]
If you realize impermanence and cause and effect very strongly, there is no problem as dying is nature.
Passing away is dying, right? If you really understand impermanence, there is no problem about dying. Understanding impermanence means understanding dying.
You are always dying moment to moment, right?
Only through understanding rupa & nama and cause & effect, you are not afraid. If you really understand what is rupa and what is nama, right?
It depends on the level of understanding. The 2 levels (the first 2 insight knowledges) are enough if you really understand them.
59. APPRECIATING AWARENESS AND IT GROWS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/16 (47:58-48:36)
It doesn’t matter what boring thing we are aware of, it’s like the awareness is there and that’s great. If we keep appreciating that, it grows and grows.
This knowing, knowing – when we know, and know, and know, and it seems like everything is quite boring – what it is doing is actually gathering information for the mind and when all this information completes itself and we don’t even realize that it is completing itself, BANG, something gets realized.
60. HOW TO PREPARE FOR DEATH
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/17 (1:10:00-1:12:48)
The practice is our preparation for death. And if you want to check how prepared you are, check what your practice is like now.
Every day, how emotional do you get? Do little things bother you? Do bigger things bother you? How big a thing bothers you?
If quite a big thing bothers you, is death that bigger thing or bigger? This is how you check.
If something falls and breaks, how do you feel? Depending on how attached you are to the thing, right?
If you can’t stand something small breaking, then when our life is breaking – this life we have to let it go – how will we face that? Can we put that into perspective?
Day after day, how much are we able to maintain our composure, our steadiness of mind?
61. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN METTA AND EQUANIMITY
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2014 Vassa Q&A File: R05_0006 (65:29-66:01)
Loving kindness and equanimity are different; equanimity is more peaceful, more open.
If metta arises naturally, you can watch this mind state. Awareness knows the metta – metta is a little agitated, but awareness is equanimous.
62. FACE DEFILEMENTS WITH REAL WISDOM
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat – Guided Meditation 13-06-23 (28:18-31:21)
When I practiced in the centre – long retreats of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years – but did not continue when I returned to daily life, then defilements would overwhelm me. When I practiced in daily life, day by day, I would have to struggle. I would use every potential – awareness, effort, wisdom – to apply in daily life and slowly the mind became stronger because of struggling.
And in daily life practice, deeper understanding arises because of real situations, real experiences. Because of real situations, real defilements arise in daily life. So you must face this real defilement with real awareness, real samadhi and real wisdom. If your understanding, awareness and samadhi are not real, defilements are not afraid of you.
In your life you cannot cheat yourself; the situation will show you. Your quality of mind will show you; you cannot lie to yourself – it is real. You can see the real defilements in your life.
If your wisdom cannot handle defilement; defilement will handle you.
63. WHAT’S DANA
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/16 (3:13-5:15)
Dana is essentially the practice of non-grasping, non-greed or letting go. The problem comes in the practice of generosity when we have expectations.
In the practice of giving, it is just to give; our part is just to give; and if we have expectations of where it will go, how it will be used or how it would be received, the expectation is another form of greed. It interferes with the spirit of non-greed; and that’s why it starts to feel difficult.
Generosity is a great practice for watching our minds, for seeing what is in our minds because we look in our minds and see the wish to give and it has to be given freely. If you start noticing thoughts that wander what’s happening to what we give, then we can see why it is getting difficult to practice generosity.
Generosity is only about the side of giving, but we’re starting to think about expectations.
64. INTENTIONS
USA Spirit Rock 2015 Retreat Morning Instructions Day 12 – 2015-05/07 (1:45-8:48)
You can know the mind has intentions. Especially in our daily activities if we know our intentions, it helps in the transition with our awareness; it is easier to keep being mindful. It’s not only when we move that there are intentions. When we’re not moving, there are also intentions.
Where your hands are placed now, why are they there? It’s because the intention to remain there is operating. Intentions are there throughout our body.
From the position of stillness and we want to make a movement, the movement begins with the mind. The mind knows what it wants to move first, a limb or a part of the body.
When the mindfulness is good and when you can see the intentions, it brings the feeling of a great sense of continuity of awareness. This is because intentions are always helping the mind in the transition of the body from one posture to another, from one activity to another. So if you notice the intentions, there is a great feeling of continuity throughout the transitions.
When we are paying attention only to the body, then we often lose mindfulness when we move the body. During the change of movement, there is a slight break in awareness.
All day long, we’re intending to look, intending to listen, intending to go, intending to do. Staying still, there is the intention to be still. There are the continuous intentions to stay still; with your eyes closed there are the intentions to keep the eyes closed.
65. FACING SUFFERING DIRECTLY TO LEARN
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0009 (1:03:02-1:04:45)
Yogi: Continuing to watch aversion and craving brings a lot of suffering
Sayadaw: Important thing about vipassana is that you have right view and watch – the object can be suffering but the watching mind is equanimous. This is vipassana.
Face the experience; longer and longer, you become more skillful. People don’t want to face their suffering experience, that’s why the practice cannot mature.
Only if you cannot face the experience, then you can use a neutral object like anapana. If you can face, better to face the experience.
Vipassana is facing the experience and learning something from it. Face the situation; stay with it, not running away, and learn something – like a toll gate, you get money from any car passing through. Mind state is like this – let whatever happens and you get the benefit.
66. WISDOM IS WITH AWARENESS; NOT INTO EXPERIENCING
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0009 1:35:16-1:36:12)
Wisdom can know what it is; can see what it is. Wisdom is on the awareness side; not the experience side. Only wisdom can understand what is right and what is wrong; what is wholesome and what is unwholesome.
Awareness just recognizes what is happening. Awareness only knows the experience. When awareness is obvious, it is just obvious; you cannot say that it is wisdom.
(Elsewhere) TS: The object can be suffering but the watching mind is equanimous. This is vipassana.
67. WHY ARE SEASONED YOGIS STUCK
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/17 (10:40-12:11)
I have seen many yogis who have practiced a long time, but they have not changed very much because they don’t use their wisdom – they have dichotomized their practice between what’s on the cushion and what’s life. They have not expanded their awareness and understanding of things into their whole life – they have not made the connection.
And most often, they are looking for meditation experiences – they read about special meditation experiences and they think that that’s what they need to get. They have not heard of the concept that meditation is about growing our wisdom or understanding truths. They are looking for these experiences and sometimes unconsciously they try to create these experiences in their practice.
And that’s why they are stuck.
68. CHECKING GREED
USA Spirit Rock 2015 Retreat Morning Instructions Day 8 (00:13-02:10)
There is no way we can rush progress in meditation. We can only proceed steadily; but we don’t stop either.
How much you have done, how skillful you are, how much you are able to do, the benefits are already present. When you understand this, then the greed to get more, to do better will not arise.
69. WATCH AND LEARN ABOUT CRAVING
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0009 (12:45-14:10)
Why do you like ice cream so much? Because of idea – if it is no good, how do you feel? You don’t know yet but you already like it because of old idea; because of memory, you already like past experience. Memory is working, but you don’t know and you think it must be good, so you like it.
What do you like about ice cream? Sweet? Cold? Every time you eat ice cream – ask: what does craving like about this food? You have some idea – taste, color or something – already the mind likes something. You can check; taste, is it really good?
You can watch, you can learn.
70. ADVICE FOR MONASTICS & ELDERS
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0009 (17:24-18:26)
Whatever they want, people give. Slowly, they don’t notice about this mind, they become more attached; so, monks and nuns need to know more about the mind.
In our Buddhist world, people respect monks a lot. Every time you get respect, unconsciously the mind likes it – and slowly, the mind becomes proud.
If you don’t get respect next time, you become angry. You have to be careful because people respect and give you first. If you don’t notice your mind, every time unconsciously the mind enjoys, likes it and becomes happy. And slowly, the habit becomes very strong, and later whenever you cannot get first, you become angry.
71. WORRYING OVER LOVED ONES
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Malaysian and Chinese Group Interview 2017-Jan 14 (1:46:10-1:47:40)
You cannot let go. You don’t watch him, you need to watch yourself. Then you can let go. Otherwise, you always pay attention to him, and then your anxiety and worry increase.
Later, every time you watch your husband, this anxious and worrying mind will arise; the pattern is already there. You allow this pattern to happen again and again; then you always look at your husband with a worrying mind because it has become a habit. So, next time you don’t watch his face. Whenever you see his face, you come back and pay attention to your own mind.
So, come back, come back, and come back. He can do his job; you do your job. He and you are different. He is he and you are you.
If you want to let go, you need to watch your mind. Otherwise if something happens, you’ll have more worries and no idea how to help.
If you are more relaxed then you can find a way to help your husband. You can think of a good way; so take care of yourself first.
72. DAILY LIFE PRACTICE IS MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
China 2014 Concluding Talk
I want to tell you something very important – you can practice mindfulness meditation in daily life; possible, that’s it. But many yogis cannot apply the practice in daily life. Buddha has already given his guarantee; but still many yogis cannot do it. That’s all I want to say.
73. HAVING FAITH TO CARRY ON
USA Maui Retreat 2016-11/19 Q&A (15:45-16:33)
The faith that is important for the practice is just the faith to carry on.
If we truly thought that it’s useless to be watching all this stuff going on in this body and mind, we’d just drop the whole thing and stop.
But it’s because we have experienced the value of having awareness, we have experienced some benefit from it, we have some faith in all that, that’s what makes us keep doing it.
74. THE ROLE OF RIGHT EFFORT
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (12:43-13:16)
The role of right effort is merely to keep the awareness going. It’s not to fix any problems; it’s not to get your attention on the ‘right’ object, or do the 'right' thing. The only right thing is just to be aware.
The right effort is just to maintain continuity; just to keep being aware of what is happening.
75. CHECKING DONE CORRECTLY FEELS EFFORTLESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/23 Q&A (01:18-4:40)
Yogi: Checking effort is similar to checking awareness of an experience; and sometimes it feels so easy like the practice is happening by itself.
Sayadaw: You’re doing it right when you feel that way. Whether we check on our effort or awareness, since they work as a team, when you check any of those, you’re checking the meditating mind.
If we were not in a hurry to get somewhere in the Dhamma; not trying to put in effort, not trying to work hard to get something – if we weren’t in that frame of mind, and we just work steadily in a relaxed way but just kept doing it, the practice will happen by itself.
Greed wreaks the most havoc in the yogi’s practice in all my years of teaching. Despite having the information that if a quality of the mind is allowed to arise again and again, it will just get stronger, we still think that we might be able to get more if we try harder right away.
The longer we practice, the more we need to let nature do its work. If we keep interfering with the process of nature, we keep jamming the brakes in a way.
76. THINGS MADE DIFFICULT BY TRYING
Bangkok Retreat 2016 Instructions and Q&A (55:50-1:04:20)
When you try to do something, it always makes things more difficult.
If the mind labels naturally and you recognize that the mind is labeling, that is also knowing an activity of the mind – that is the nature of the mind that is happening now; that’s fine.
(It is easier to recognize what is happening than to try and drop it, emotions and feelings included. When sati is present, sampajanna/wisdom follows)
77. HOW NOT TO FORGET BEING AWARE
China Retreat 2014 Concluding Talk.
The important thing is not to forget because the problem is forgetting – the mind totally pays attention to outside things.
Remind yourself all the time: How do you feel? What is the mind doing?
You need to think about yourself – where is the mind? What is the mind doing? This is not difficult.
If you can think this way, awareness comes back.
78. TO MAINTAIN AWARENESS, KNOW THE MIND ACTIVITY
China 2014 Concluding Talk
A good meditator, in any situation, the mind is safe. When you can maintain the peacefulness, awareness and equanimity are present.
In daily life, we need to pay more attention to the outside world because we cannot pay attention to ourselves all the time. It is not easy; but if you know your mind, even when it pays attention to the outside, you know it is the mind working. Then, it can maintain the awareness because looking is also mind, listening is also mind.
So, if you know the mind activity, you can be aware and look at the same time.
79. RELAXATION ENABLES AWARENESS TO EXPAND
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (10:46-11:59)
[If you relax when you’re aware, you’ll notice the fact that you’re observing; you’ll notice the awareness]
I want you to relax, really relax and be aware. One of the wonderful things that happened when you’re relaxed is that you not only notice the things that you’re observing, you notice the fact that you’re observing. We notice the awareness itself that’s working to help us be aware.
You need to be aware of yourselves all day long; and if you’re not relaxed, you’ll be really tired.
It’s okay to relax because the nature of it is that if you keep doing something continuously, it’s going to get stronger; it’s like if you work your muscles continuously, it’s going to get stronger. It’s the same with the mind and its qualities. So you can relax and just keep being aware, awareness will get stronger.
80. THE OBJECT OF AWARENESS IS OUR SIX SENSES
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (23:30-25:05)
When I use the word ‘object’, I mean our senses. For example, it’s not the floor; it’s the seeing. It’s not the birds; it’s the hearing – that we can hear. Sound is an object, but when we interpret it as the bird, it becomes the next step that we can know. To remember that it’s through hearing and thinking that we can know the bird.
So, don’t forget that the object is our direct senses.
That’s why we don’t need a lot of energy to know the object because the object is our senses; and that’s so close to us that all we need to do is recognize it. And these objects/our senses are always available to us.
We’re constantly hearing, sensing, feeling, thinking and so on; the objects are always there, but what’s not so easily available to us is our recognition of it, our awareness of it, and the continuity of our awareness.
81. BEING AWARE OF THE RELEVANT OBJECT
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/24 Q&A (01:52-4:32)
Yogi: When I go back to everyday life, I might be in the kitchen bending and lifting my arm, are they skillful objects to be aware of as compared to seeing and hearing?
Sayadaw: Whatever your mind goes to and is aware of, that’s fine. If you know that your mind is being aware of something, that’s fine; whatever it might be.
The important thing is: ‘What is the mind aware of?’
It’s really only when we’re in distress or very happy – out of our balanced state of mind – that’s when you have a more important object; that’s when we need to check if we’re aware, whether the mind is aware with the right attitude – then that becomes important. But if you’re settled, then whatever object is fine.
If we’re feeling emotional and we’re able to be aware of our emotion in a balanced way, it’s more helpful to be aware of the emotion than, say, to be aware of something else.
82. AN EASY CHECK IF WE’RE STILL MINDFUL
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (19:56-21:10)
When we know our 6 senses – which are seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, tasting – these 5, and our mental activities – what is going on in our mind; our thinking and our feeling – that’s when we’re aware. When we can recognize our body-and-mind‘s activities, that’s when we are aware.
This is because what we can truly experience is only ourselves, only our senses. We can’t experience the sunlight or the grass – we can experience the process of seeing, thinking and feeling; that seeing, thinking and feeling are happening.
83. BE INTERESTED IN THINKING PROCESS RATHER THAN THOUGHT CONTENT
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (51:50-52:48)
[When there is thinking, recognize that thinking mind is happening; recognize the process rather than the content]
When there is thinking mind, be less interested in the content of the thought and more interested in the fact that thinking mind is happening; that there’s something going on – for example, that there are interpretations, beliefs, ideas and all sorts of fears going on – the process rather than the content.
Being aware of thinking mind is very similar to trying to be aware of seeing because the mind instantly goes into the story or the content. It’s so easy to forget we’re seeing because we see the grass.
84. HOW TO WATCH WITHOUT GREED, AVERSION AND DELUSION
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/16 Opening Instructions (34:10-37:00)
One of the ways is to bring in right view. What is right view? Right view is a way of thinking. And if we bring in this way of thinking, sometimes it can make our greed, aversion and delusion fall away momentarily so that we can watch objectively.
When we bring in these modes of right view – thinking about the fundamental nature of something – when we think about these truths and it rings true for us, it settles the mind at that moment. When it settles the mind, the aversion, delusion and greed that we might have towards the moment will fall away because we can feel the truth in the idea that we have brought in.
The right view that I would like yogis to use is the idea that these mental and bodily processes are processes of nature – they have their own nature; they’re manifesting their own nature and they’re showing their nature to us, and that’s something for us to learn from instead of taking it personally.
If we can tap into that truth and accept it, then we won’t be struggling so much with what we’re observing. We won’t be buying into the story “Why is this happening to me? Why am I thinking this way?”
85. NATURE IS ALWAYS NEW
Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2014 Vassa Interviews R05_003 (00:12-00:57)
Nature is always arising – new, new, new.
Pain, for example – before 5 minutes pain and until now still pain, that is not nature; that is not reality, it is a concept.
Actually, the nature of pain is always changing. We need to think this way; only then we become interested – ah, new mind comes, aware; new mind and new object. Thinking is nature, thinking is the object; so, you don’t need to complain.
Now you resist this thinking; why this thinking comes back again and again, right?
86. FEELINGS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/21 (45:12-45:50)
[What Sayadaw means when he says feelings]
Feelings are what you feel – emotions – the emotion or sometimes it’s just the feeling of stress or discomfort or tension.
It could just be any of all that – whether you can detect it in the mind or body – so long as it is the feeling that is associated with that current unwholesome mind or defilement.
87. PRACTICE THROUGH SIMPLE HONESTY
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/24 Q&A (37:42-38:01)
It’s really important to be very honest in our practice. When we don’t understand something, there is no need to have to understand it. We start from where we are – okay, we don’t understand this yet; let’s just keep exploring, that’s fine.
88. BEING REAL MEANS NO NEED TO FIX ANYTHING
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/24 Q&A (1:06:00-1:08:13)
Yogi: How to rejoice in a good deed we have done without identifying with it?
Sayadaw: I didn’t say that you should not think the ‘I’; rather, notice that the mind is doing the ‘I’.
It is just about being real; there is no need to fix anything. There’s no need to become a good yogi. It’s about seeing what is in the mind as it is. That’s what will help the mind to grow.
So recognize the mind when it says: ‘Ah, I’m rejoicing in this – I feel that I have donated it. Oh, there is this sort of thinking going on in the mind.’
And, yes, in a mundane sense if somebody came and ask you ‘Who donated the chair?’ You’d say ‘I did’. Just to notice that – that’s all; it is not good or bad – there’s no blame or praise; just to notice.
I have pointed something about how the mind thinks in this situation. When you go home, you can continue to notice what the mind thinks, especially it’s easier to reflect back when you get frustrated with something and think ‘What’s the wrong thinking in the mind that has led to this?’
When you see it more and more, you can notice it sooner. It is a way to practice.
89. CHECKING ON HOW THE MIND IS BEING MINDFUL
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/16 Morning Instructions (6:20-10:05)
[It is important to notice how we’re being mindful; just check often]
We need to remind ourselves that the mind that we bring to meditation – the mind that is being aware – is not deluded, not greedy and not averse.
And all we need to do is check – we don’t have to correct it. We need to check to see how the mind that is being aware is doing its work. And it depends on whether we see what’s happening in our mind – sometimes we don’t notice and sometimes we do.
If we check often, we will begin to notice more and perhaps more often, if there are any spies in our mindfulness.
And it depends on where we are at any moment – our minds go from skillful to unskillful in various modes during the day; and in moments of skillfulness we might find it quite easy to detect these defilements in our minds; and just detecting it might correct it. But sometimes we can be in a state where we’re so zoned in to what we’re trying to observe that we don’t notice how we’re observing it – anything is possible.
This noticing of how we’re being mindful is important because when we start becoming blinkered, we’re becoming too invested in what we’re trying to observe – that’s greed; or we become averse or judgmental about our experience. We can become so blinkered because we think that we need to fix it. And when we don’t notice that that’s how we’re doing it, we keep on doing it; and we can go a whole day, sometimes days, just in that mode. So, please check.
And the other thing that can happen in these modes is that we use too much effort; so, just check whether we’re efforting and that will help us relax; relaxing the powers of those greed and aversion.
Not just greed and aversion, but delusion as well. When we don’t know something, and we start trying too hard to find out what’s going on, when we want something too much, we keep thinking we should be doing something. All these are signs that we’re beginning to try too hard; and the trying too hard means that greed, aversion or delusion is in there.
90. EXPERIENCE IS AN IMPERSONAL PROCESS
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 (16.6.13) Guided Meditation
[Whatever happens, you must think as nature – there is nobody there; just cause and effect process]
Don’t forget a yogi’s job, a yogi’s responsibility: only 3 things. Whatever happens, you must have the right view – right view means whatever happens, you must think as nature.
Seeing process is nature, seeing is happening. Hearing is happening. Seeing process, hearing process; this is a process. They are happening – cause and effect. Cause and effect process is just nature.
Without sound, you cannot hear. Because there is a mind, we can know the sound. This is a conditioning. Seeing consciousness, hearing consciousness is happening because of conditioning. There must be object, light, attention and also the eye must be good, then these 4 causes happening, because of these 4 causes then 1 eye consciousness can happen.
This is conditioning. Seeing process is happening; hearing process is happening. If any one of these 4 causes is not happening, then seeing consciousness or hearing consciousness cannot happen. It is cause and effect process.
When we hear and see, we think that hearing is me and seeing is me. We believe it is me. This is wrong view. Actually it is conditioning – just that seeing process is happening and hearing process is happening. You should think that it’s nature; so, you must have right view.
Everything is experience or object, there is nobody there. It is impersonal. It is because we think it is “I” and take what is impersonal as personal, then defilement can arise – liking and disliking, fear, anxiety, worry – because of concept or wrong view. So, you must have right view. This is understanding.
91. WHEN DEFILEMENT IS ALSO NATURE
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 – Guided Meditation 16.6.13
[Dhammanupassana – when wholesome and unwholesome minds become nature/impersonal]
Sayadaw: Cittanupassana and Dhammanupassana practice are very close. Rupa also dhamma, nama also dhamma. Because of dhamma, we can see that it’s impersonal. There is nobody there. Another way of saying is: dhamma is right, adhamma is wrong. Dhamma and adhamma: right and wrong or wholesome and unwholesome.
We are cultivating wholesome qualities of mind, it is dhamma. If we practice with defilements, this we call adhamma. When nature is happening, we call it dhamma. If personal effort is too much to control the experience, this is not dhamma. It is adhamma. We try to change, we try to control nature, it is adhamma.
Because of defilement, we are judging, we are controlling. If defilement motivates, it is adhamma. If wholesome mind motivates, it is called dhamma.
But actually defilement is also nature. When we think that defilement is also nature –that is dhamma. Wholesome mind and unwholesome mind are both dhamma – kusala dhamma and akusala dhamma.
Kusala is also dhamma. Akusala is also dhamma. That time dhamma becomes nature.
92. OVER TIME THE PRACTICE NATURALLY ATTUNED TO AWARENESS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/22 Q&A (17:42-19:45)
There’s no need to look for awareness of awareness; no need to look for the awareness, basically. It doesn’t get in the way of our understanding and all that.
As we practice over the years, and the awareness becomes more continuous and strong enough, you will naturally get attuned to it; you will notice what it is.
Some people see it sooner; some people see it later. And you may not see it all the time – you might get glimpses into it and then not, it’s okay; just different states of mind and sometimes you might clue into it.
Do you know that you’re paying attention? That’s enough.
93. CORRELATION OF MENTAL FEELINGS AND BODILY SENSATIONS
USA Maui Retreat 2016
Negative emotions are always reflected more strongly in the body; and for the positive emotions, we can realize the mental part more easily. (2016-11/20 Q&A (11:40-12:22))
Every time you experience physical sensations that reflect mental feelings, if you would remember this distinction and explore it, slowly the mind will become familiar with it; and when it really understands it, it will always be different. You will always see that the mental feeling is not the physical sensation.
We can’t force it; the mind will come to its own understanding.
We physically suffer so much when we have negative emotions that the mix-up is greater; but if you think of enjoying something, is that in the mind or the body? We more readily recognize the mental part of it, right? There’s the happiness, the mental enjoyment.
When the view is beautiful, what is feeling great? It’s the mind; that’s so clear. (2016-11/19 Q&A (1:11:49…))
94. DISCERNING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MIND AND MATTER
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/21 Q&A (51:25-52:13)
[By watching physical and mental feelings repeatedly, we start to see the difference between mind and matter]
We don’t have to get too technical – we don’t have to get it right; whatever you feel, put the thinking aside and look at the feeling. It doesn’t matter whether it is physical or mental feeling.
And through these exercises, you’ll start to discern the difference (between physical and mental feelings) by watching what is there. We’ll start to see the difference between mind and matter, the difference between what is in the body and what is in the mind.
95. WISDOM UNDERSTANDS IN MANY WAYS
USA Maui Retreat 2016
The beauty of panna – insight or realization or understanding – is that when it sees what is wrong, in that moment it sees what is right. (11/21 Q&A (57:08-57:21)
Any kind of insight is wonderful because it frees you from the suffering that you cause yourself. All our insights free us from the suffering we cause ourselves to the degree that the insight understands. (1:25:13-1:25:31)
The good news is that when you see the mad mind, it is the sane mind which sees the mad mind. (11/19 Q&A (37:39-37:42))
When wisdom is stronger, you will always notice that whatever the wisdom understands, it will also see what it was blind to before and understands now. (11/24 Q&A (6:05-6:15)
96. WHY THERE IS DIFFICULTY IN OBSERVING HABITUAL OBJECTS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/20 Q&A (1:28:34-1:34:51)
[Why certain objects – sexual energy, anger and greed for food, for example – are difficult to step back and observe objectively although they cause us much suffering.]
Stay for a long time with that suffering because that’s how the mind will learn. The reason the habit is so strong is because when we had been able to engage in it, indulge in it, we have practiced it wholeheartedly and we have thrown ourselves in it.
When we engage in the activity or thoughts of it, we abandon ourselves to it so totally. Even with anger, we allow the energy of anger to completely overcome us, just as when we are joyful about something we sort of let go. And the same with this sort of energy and so it is not going to be easy to just de-condition it because of how it has been conditioned so wholeheartedly. So, stay with the suffering – there is not enough suffering for the mind to realize that it is not worth this amount of suffering.
The wisdom and the unwholesome are not matched in power – wisdom is little and the unwholesome is still strong.
The more we allow the wholesome or unwholesome to take place in our mind, the stronger it will get.
Even simple types of greed like food, it’s hard to resist the temptation of things we feed our craving for, over and over. Every time we eat, we feed the craving – and how much do we feed it.
So, we stay with the suffering and we also remind ourselves that feeling is just feeling and thoughts are just thoughts; and the mind is caught in the content, the concepts of this energy. The content is attractive and it feeds the feelings – so, we have to observe all of these.
97. WHOLESOME OR UNWHOLESOME ACTIONS DEPEND ON THE QUALITY OF MIND
USA Maui Retreat 2016 11/23 Q&A (55:43-56:55)
From the Buddha’s teachings if you do kusala, you get the results of the kusala now. Where is it? And how do you show the result of kusala? It is in the quality of the mind; when we do kusala, the reflection of whether it is kusala is in the quality of the mind.
Now we are peaceful or we have insights because we develop sati, we develop samadhi, and it makes the mind feel well. There is a sense of wellness in the mind; there is growing confidence in the mind, so you know that kusala is received, is there.
Kusala or akusala refers to the quality of the mind – is it wholesome or unwholesome; that’s our measure.
98. TWO WAYS OF WATCHING DEFILEMENTS
USA Maui Retreat 2016 Q&A 2016-11/21 (38:01-44:29)
[Dealing with chronic anxiety – 2 ways of watching defilements]
When it comes to watching any unwholesome mental state or activity, any defilement, there are 2 ways you can deal with it.
One is that you know what is happening in the thoughts and the feelings; and you’re just watching them. This works when the state of the 5 aggregates is strong and balanced; then even just watching what’s happening in the thoughts and the feelings, the mind can still learn lessons because it knows the content but is uninvolved enough to be able to learn lessons.
The other way is when you’re not strong enough to do that and learn lessons; and in that stage, you zoom into just the feeling and watch the feeling continuously. There comes a time when the thinking stops and you are just watching the feeling and the feelings are totally gone, the state of mind changes from that slight negative uncomfortable feeling to being really comfortable. No sign of the distress anymore.
When the feelings change completely, the thinking is different – not because you have understood anything, but simply because you did not let the mind dwell on the unwholesome. Thinking feeds emotions. Because you have kept the thinking at bay and have fed that time with awareness of the feeling, and when the feeling is completely gone, you’ll notice that the thinking is different.
When the negativity is totally absent, the way the mind thinks about the same thing is different. And building from that, we do it over and over again for everything that we couldn’t handle. That was the way of working with it.
(When there's not enough understanding to watch both the thoughts and feelings, then zero in on watching just the feelings continuously and learn.)
99. FOUR OBJECTS IN THE SATIPATTHANA
Czech Retreat 2013 Introduction Talk
In Satipattana Sutta, they explain about the 4 objects – kaya, vedana, citta and dhamma. If you watch the body sensations only, we call kayanupassana. If you only watch the feeling – pleasant, unpleasant and neutral – we call vedananupassana. If you watch the mind only, good mind, bad mind, any mind, we try to watch all the time to learn about the mind, we call cittanupassana. If you understand that these 3 kinds of objects are impersonal (there is nobody there), nature; and we watch the relationship of this nature, we call dhammanupassana.
100. USING METTA TO STRENGTHEN THE MIND
USA Maui Retreat 2016 2016-11/21 Q&A (59:12-1:00:20)
You can still be mindful when you’re doing metta, and it is similar to watching pain. I call it strategy. When you can’t really face it, you make yourself more comfortable to face it another day.
When we find ourselves overwhelmed by a difficult emotion that we can’t handle, for some people, they can make that a metta practice. You could also do reflections of the Buddha or any of the other Brahmaviharas. I had relied on a neutral object – my breath, music and so on.
The goal in mind should be that this practice is to strengthen the mind so that it can come back and face the real problem another day. Keeping that in mind then we won’t just be spiritual bypassing but using it as a tool, a stepping stone, to come back to the problem so that we can really deal with it more effectively.