Yogi: Mindfulness hinders me from doing what I have to do.

Sayadaw: Yes, it feels like that in the beginning when we’re trying to be mindful – there is a lot of personal me trying to be aware.

We’re waiting for spontaneous awareness to come in where we try so much to be mindful at other times, not when you’re in a hurry, when you have time and you try so much to be mindful, eventually that translates by itself and it comes back to you. That is what will come.

There is a limitation to the mindfulness that we practice – when you’re in a hurry, you can’t use that when you try to be mindful because you almost can’t do your job. So, then it is not helpful.

It is only limited if we don’t do it enough when we’re free. When we’re free and we do enough mindfulness, it’s a doorway to a spontaneous mindfulness that works by itself when we’re not trying.

When we’re very busy, there’s an awareness of yourself that you don’t have to try to put in and that’s what you’re waiting to come.

But that only comes when you do the applied awareness at the other times when you’re not busy.