Yogi: There was repeated sadness, but when I checked the quality of the mind and the knowing, the mind was bright, calm, strong and peaceful, and the sadness disappeared.
Sayadaw: Your awareness and samadhi are quite good – you just needed to use some wisdom by checking the condition of the rest of the mind and it made the view much clearer.
When the wholesome minds become stronger, unwholesome minds will become weaker.
Bhavana is meditation – bhavana is cultivation of all those wholesome minds. That is why we keep the wholesome minds always ready and strong so when the unwholesome minds come, they have no chance.
Just look after the wholesome minds with mindfulness.
Sayadaw: Because your mind understands what the object is – it knows how what is being seen as an object – that’s why you can use thoughts and develop samadhi.
In that case, you can use any object – for you, the thought is the same as the breath as an object.
Both options are fine.