Yogi: I was down with Covid and lost my taste and smell. I was very scared because I was attached to the taste and smell.

I looked at the fear and it became even stronger. I didn’t know what to do.

Sayadaw: This was a bad situation. Learn to face bad situations; don’t run away every time you have a bad experience. You can learn how to be aware with equanimity.

When you can do this, it means that you know how to meditate very well.

Otherwise, when pleasant situation arises, the mind gets attached; and when bad situation comes, the mind resists all the time. It is like the craving and aversion are the far ends of the swing of a pendulum.

For a meditator, whether a pleasant or unpleasant experience arises, you can still be aware and understand that they are also objects.

So, sickness and no sickness are the same.

Why do people get upset when the body is sick? It is because of attachment to the good experience.

Every time I wake up, I check my mind and when I see that both body and mind are very nice, peaceful and relaxed, what does the mind say at that time? Nice, good. This is delusion because there is no nice or good situation.

If you think it’s good, you get attached and samsara keeps going.

When the mind says it is good and nice, wisdom doesn’t allow the thought to continue. It is just an experience or object and there is no need to be attached to it.