Yogi: I’m used to a strict walking and sitting meditation routine – this no-schedule practice makes me doubt if it’s enough to learn more and learn fast.
Sayadaw: Some people like to do their own way and some people like to follow instructions.
When told to follow your own instructions, some people find it confusing. You know you have to be mindful, but you want the teacher to tell you what, when and for how long.
It’s hard but you need to put in the effort to figure out a structure for yourself. I don’t give you a schedule so that you can find your own schedule. It might be what worked before.
When not given a schedule, we need to use more of our wisdom so that the mind will find a structure to be mindful.
There was a yogi rushing to the Dhamma hall. I asked him: Why? He replied he was going to meditate. I again asked: Why do you meditate? He replied: Because of the gong.
We do something because it’s important not because someone tells us to do it. We’re mindful because we know that it’s beneficial, not because somebody tells us to be mindful.