Our energetic teacher

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya: Malaysian and Chinese Group Interview 2017-Jan 08 (1:17:57-1:19:26)

When I first started to teach, I wanted very much to help the yogis. I talked a lot; I had a lot of energy. In the old Shwe Oo Min Centre, I would interview yogis from 4pm till sometimes 10pm, 6 hours non stop, continuously sitting there. Yogis kept changing – they would come and go, and I would continue to talk for a long time; I had so much energy.

Sometimes, I would talk and talk, take a shower in between interviews and return fresh again.

Once I was explaining to some yogis when suddenly one mind said ‘Sometimes people cannot accept as there are many conditionings’, so wisdom said ‘You cannot do what you want’. Then I would immediately exert much less energy.

It was like this in the beginning as I was not skilful in communicating with the yogis. The yogis were very different with many minds. Sometimes they would be angry with me when they expected me to praise them and I didn’t.

Mindful when using your computer and hand phone

| Gaia House Retreat 2015 – Interview Groups C & D, Session 1 2015-05/30 (53:25-55:40)

We all have weak points in our lives - like we’re able to be skillful in some situations and not in other situations. Whichever situation is our weakness has to become our special focus. How do I become mindful in that situation? We have to think about it, we have to practice; we have to try and try again. That has to become our project.

At work, it’s so real; there are things we really need to get done; the urgency grips us. So, we get lost very easily. So, if you want to become skillful at being mindful when you use the computer, you have to practice using the computer with mindfulness specially. That’s like a special skill set; how to have awareness at that time because that’s your weakness and also your need.

At home, whenever using the computer, you make it a special effort to be aware while using the computer so that you begin to learn your own lessons how to be aware when using the computer at work.

When you use the computer, it’s all thinking. The understanding of how to know that the mind is the mind becomes critical. When you can know the mind is doing all this, when you bring in awareness, you then do it.

You make it a habit that every time you look at your phone, every time you look at your tablet, you look at your computer, you’re aware. It must become a habit then it comes into when you’re working. So, then it becomes you touch the computer and awareness comes, that’s the trigger for awareness to be there. So, you’re building a different skill set.

We all need that.

How to open up to the senses

| Introduction Talk - Malaysia SBS Retreat 2013

Yogi: A yogi has meditated on the breath for many years and is very attached to it, very difficult to open up to the senses.

Sayadaw: Tell him to be aware of the mind that knows the breath. If he can see the knowing mind or awareness, naturally he’ll be open to the senses. There’s no need to change the object.

We cannot experience the world outside directly

| Spirit Rock 2015 Retreat – Morning instructions Day 8 2015-5/03 (13:49-14:08)

We might say that we know something that is happening outside of ourselves, but the process that is actually happening is that the mind has directed its attention towards that concept outward.

[Yogi's note: Perception creates concepts and everything is happening in the mind. We cannot directly experience the world outside, we can only think about it.]

Something for metta meditation practitioners

| SOM 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.

Relaxing is also part of meditation

| SOM Vassa 2014 File: R5_0001 (11:41-13:10)

Relax, don’t hurry. You let go of craving - letting go of craving is also part of meditation.

Right effort is perseverance, moment to moment, not hard effort. Patience and perseverance; don’t give up – gently, gently, not forcing or using a lot of energy.

You don’t do too much in meditation – just using mental energy to be present.

Feeling good is very important in meditation; you must feel good about meditation. If you don’t, then nobody wants to meditate; if it’s so tiring, who wants to meditate? Right?

Wisdom can arise when you bring back awareness

| Kalaw 2016 Retreat Closing Guided Meditation (24:07-26:24)

Because awareness mental state is present, wisdom mental state can arise. Without awareness, wisdom cannot come. So, we try to be aware all the time, recognising the object again and again, and slowly wisdom can come. Sometimes, we try to bring back awareness, simple awareness, as much as we can and when the 5 Indriyas are balanced, some understanding can come deeply. So, bare awareness is we try to be aware, that’s all, but understanding arises.

If awareness is present, sometimes wisdom comes although we’re not thinking too much about meditation at that time; just simply bringing back awareness continually. Sometimes this situation becomes balanced, very strange. At times I’m not trying to meditate, just being aware, that’s it.

Any situation, any posture, any job, reminding Are you aware? If awareness is present, wisdom comes and naturally it does its job.

I need to remind yogis about this bare awareness; reminding to bring the mind back to the present moment. Any situation, any time, remember to bring back awareness. So try as much as you can; it is for life.

Have right view before watching defilements

| USA Spirit Rock 2015 Retreat Morning Instructions Day 8 (09:20-11:23)

Whenever we’re going to be aware of defilements, right view and right thought about the defilements and how you observe the defilements is very important. (Remember the mantra: This is nature and there’s awareness of this nature.)

The objective of the observing is not to make defilements go away; we are observing to understand its nature, not to fix it or solve it. We’re studying the nature and habits of these different qualities of mind, their functions and the way they work. We’re not observing the story that they are perpetuating.

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.

Get up from the cushion

| SBS 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.

Stay within your 6 sense doors

| SBS 2013 Retreat – Guided Meditation 2013-06-18 (45:25-46:09)

Meditation time is all the time – wholeheartedly and with interest. Stay in the present moment within your 6 sense doors. Outside the door is concept; we are not interested in the concept, we don’t pay too much attention to the concept, we learn more from real nature, from direct experience.

Don’t try to see the object clearly

| SOM Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0001 (13:41-14:45)

There is no need to see the object clearly, not necessary. You’ll use a lot of effort to focus; when you focus, the object is very close and becomes clear; but how long can you maintain this? It is very tiring because this is not natural energy. This is artificial; cannot stay for long. We need natural energy.

So, we do not try to see clearly, but we try to maintain the awareness continuously. That becomes natural energy and when the energy becomes better and better, it can focus itself. The object naturally appears; there is no need to force because the energy grows naturally.

Less energy means that you can maintain for a long time; and after a long time, this energy becomes stronger and stronger.

Yogis try too hard to see clearly because of craving, but it can only be maintained for a short time. You cannot maintain for a long time.

Meditation cannot hurry, should not hurry

| SOM Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0001 (15:20-15:49)

Meditation cannot hurry; should not hurry because meditation is for life – you should practice in your life, not only during the retreat. You come to the centre to learn how to practice, but meditation should continue for life, not for a short time. So, no need to hurry.

Notice reality first before paying attention to the concept

| SOM Vassa 2014 Interviews File: R05_0010 (42:28-43:14)

When you understand that seeing is happening and then you look, defilements don’t arise. When you know that seeing is happening and then look, the mind pays attention to the concept but defilements don’t have a chance to come because understanding is present.

After you know that you’re seeing, you look; after you know that you’re hearing, you listen. After you know that there is an object and the mind, then you pay attention to the concept. It’s not a big problem.

Without concepts, we also cannot do anything, right?

Tejaniya Sayadaw prescribes a mantra

| Switzerland Retreat 2016 – 2016-05/21 B1 Group Interview (49:49-50:13)

I will give you one structure – everything that you know, you say ‘This is nature and there’s awareness' (of this nature). That’s the only analysis that you need.

You need to acknowledge this: ‘This is nature and there’s awareness’; and the next moment ‘This is nature and there’s awareness’. It doesn’t matter where the defilement is coming at you. Just follow that structure.