UNDERSTANDING GREED

| Maui Retreat 2016 Day 1 Morning Instructions (54:28-56:35)

What makes you recognize that you’re watching greed?

Most of the time, it’s because of what we’re thinking or feeling in the moment, right? And we’ve called it greed. We recognize that there are signs of greed in the thinking and feeling.

But the thought is not greed, right? Thinking is just thinking. And the feeling is not greed either; the feeling reflects greed, but the feeling is not greed. Feeling is just feeling, right?

So, what is greed?

It is through this sort of process that we can get in touch with the nature of greed because we call it greed but we’re watching our thought or our feeling, and then there is some quality that we recognize that is behind it, which is not the thinking or the feeling. Can we get in touch with that quality?

So, our thoughts and our feelings are like the gateway for us to access greed or aversion or delusion. So, we need to use thinking mind; we need to observe thinking mind so that we know what is the quality that is emanating from it – that it is hiding or displaying.

Be interested in watching thoughts

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 4 Discussion Group A (16:05-21:06)

From watching what the mind thinks, we start to understand that our thoughts create in our mind emotions and stories for ourselves; and we begin to understand the nature of wholesome thoughts and unwholesome thoughts, the nature of thoughts themselves.

When we meditate and are aware, and we notice the mind thinking, we’re so disinterested in our thoughts. We want them to go away; but actually the thoughts hold so much information, they reveal so much to us about the nature of mind.

Thinking is not a problem. But if there are defilements pushing and feeding the thoughts, then we need to understand the relationship of how when there are defilements present feeding the thoughts, how they exaggerate things in our thoughts, how they make things seem real in our thoughts, how they make us belief, how they convince us to believe something that is not true. The defilements have all these characteristics and if we would see them, we wouldn’t be tricked.

We won’t always see all the detailed workings of the mind. But just noticing thoughts as they keep passing through our mind, is interesting in itself because that is the function of the mind.

Thinking is a function of the mind. Feeling is another function of the mind. And if we notice all of these at work, it’s interesting because we’re actually seeing how the mind does its work.

When there’s thinking, who is thinking? What kind of thought is it? Did I actively think that thought; am I the thought?

Just from observing thoughts without any idea that you’re going to watch for this or that, just giving them the time for you to notice what is happening, you can begin to understand that thought is its own cause and effect process, not your doing.

Right now, we’re very much identified with our thoughts – we think ‘I’m thinking; I’m feeling’. We think that our thoughts define us, but if we observe long enough, we can pull apart these things.

Sometimes we need to think about something – after we think, we think ‘I’m thinking because I want to’, but actually, the wanting mind wants to think, so that’s an intention to think and that’s what makes the mind think. So, there’s a process of different functions of mind working to make other things happen in the mind. But we identify with every step of the process, thinking ‘I’m somewhere there’.

Each mind is just doing its job

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 4 Discussion Group A (1:19:34-1:20:36)

This is the nature of that type of mind. It’s not that the whole mind is like that, but if the worry mind is there, the mind will worry about whatever. The stories will be worry, worry, and worry.

If the fear mind is there, then the mind will be afraid of this, this, and this. Everything that comes, the mind will have something to fear.

It’s the nature of that type of mind. So, when worry mind is there, it will worry; if fear mind is there, it will be afraid. If happy mind is there, it will be happy; if sad mind is there, it will be sad.

It’s like at night, usually the mind is already scared of the dark. So, when anything happens, we don’t really know what happens, we will think that it’s a ghost.

Notice conditioning is happening

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 3 Discussion Group B (1:05:30-1:06:07)

Yogi: In certain days, the mind is totally drowned in thoughts, as if it’s the first day of retreat

Sayadaw: When the mind has conditions that settle the mind, the mind will remain settled. When the mind has conditions that unsettle the mind, the mind will start getting unsettled.

Whatever happens in the mind, there are some conditions present that have brought this effect.

It doesn’t happen out of the blue; it’s something that has to do with what has been happening in the mind in the days preceding that. You don’t notice what the mind has been thinking.

RECOGNIZING THE VARIED LEVELS OF THINKING

| Maui Retreat 2016 Day 1 Morning Instructions (56:45-58:00)

Thinking is on so many levels; we have our very gross chattering minds, we have thoughts that we think deliberately, thoughts that we think subconsciously, and then there are the monologues and dialogues in our heads that are just doing their own thing, figuring our lives for us; but that’s the thinking mind too.

It is so important to recognize the monologuing and dialoguing that sort of go unnoticed most of the time because that’s helping us live our lives, right? Those are our beliefs and value system almost. And it’s important to recognize those because otherwise they are just running our lives and we don’t realize whether they are skillful or not.

Checking is wisdom mind working

| Singapore Retreat 2014 141108 Discussion Group 4B-4A (17:25-19:38)

When mindfulness uses wisdom to try and be mindful, it’s not only trying to do mindfulness anymore; it’s actually checking – checking how mindfulness is working and if it is working. It’s not so much the doing effort, but the following up – checking for the weaknesses, the cracks in the process and filling those.

Checking is more meaningful because there is more intelligence, wisdom being used.

When you’re checking, you not only see more detail, you also discover more because you’re checking what you might have missed. You notice other things.

Checking is similar to investigating. Also it is not looking for something, it’s checking for what’s happening right now. It’s a kind of awareness.

I like checking. And sometimes it’s not only checking, but double checking.

When The practice appears to have regressed

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 4 Discussion Group C (18:30-20:10)

There is no magic pill; there’s only the sincere desire to practice, which is to be aware.

No matter how difficult it is, I will try to be aware as much as I can. That’s all.

No matter how difficult it is in a day, if I can remember to be aware in the toilet only, that’s okay. Rather than throw it away completely out of the window, ‘Oh, I can’t do it; I’m so busy’, do whatever you can. If you do it a little bit, at least you have that little bit, but you must do it every day.

So that the next time you come back for retreat, at least you have that little bit; otherwise, you’ll start from zero.

With what attitude do we undertake precepts?

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 2 Discussion Group A (19:03-20:38)

The precepts, although a monk recites to us and we repeat, seems as though we go to take the precepts, as if somebody is giving us the precepts, but actually nobody needs to give us the precepts. Precepts are what we practice, precepts are what we undertake.

The wording is ‘I undertake the training precepts’. When we want to maintain the precepts and actually practice them in our lives, then that is our training. It’s ours, not for anyone to give us.

I wouldn’t say that getting up early in the morning to go and take the precepts is necessarily getting merit because if we felt grumpy about it then it’s not kusala. Kusala is what is in the mind, not the bodily action.

There are actions that can lead to kusala, but is your mind having kusala? If the mind is not happy about doing it, then you’re not getting the kusala.

RIGHT ATTITUDE IS Wisdom

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 3 Discussion Group B (40:47-42:29)

Practicing at home takes more right effort, more sati, more samadhi; mostly it requires more right attitude, more right thinking, because we have to be more patient – the results may not be so immediate. Right attitude becomes the most important so that we can keep going and not give up.

I encourage yogis to practice at home because at retreats, there are so many supporting conditions – we rely on the supporting conditions, we don’t rely on ourselves.

When we go home we don’t have crutches; we have to rely on ourselves. And when we have to use our own strength, we will become stronger. Having to bring out the 5 spiritual faculties from ourselves, they become qualities that we can rely on.

Remember: When you notice defilement, it loses its power

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 3 Discussion Group D (1:48:58-1:49:30)

Don’t believe the thought and keep noticing that the thought is coming up. So, it becomes: This thought is coming up again, this thought is arising again.

The more you see the thought rather than believe the thought, the more it loses its feel to the mind, the more it loses its power in the mind.

Rather than try to stop RANDOM THOUGHTS, acknowledge what happens

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 5 Discussion Group B (1:00:41-1:02:06)

You don’t need to ask the mind to stop talking. You just need to pay attention and then that will fade away. So, do this work – check what’s happening in the present moment.

Think about how to practice; think about the practice. Then, the mind will practice; it won’t think about random things.

It’s very easy – for example, if we don’t want to be lost in negative thinking, do some positive thinking. If you don’t want to be lost in thoughts, then pay attention to the present moment. Do the positive, rather than try to stop the negative.

Right thought directs the mind to the right object; so, we need to combine sati with right thought. Right thought supports sati to be in the present.

Know that the mind is talking – no need to do anything – just know, know, know.

What is right thought

| Singapore Retreat 2014 141107 Discussion Group 2B (16:58-18:52)

Spontaneous thought, reasonable thinking is a kind of realization; that’s why the mind calms down.

But if you try to fix it by thinking about it, then there will be a conflict – the real mind still doesn’t want to let go and you’re trying to impose a ‘right’ thought.

It is better to be aware and watch craving and wholesome mind argue. If you’re aware, slowly wholesome mind can win.

Awareness always supports wholesome minds, wholesome states. When you continue to be aware, slowly wholesome mind replaces defilements; but if you lose awareness, then unwholesome mind increases.

never forget The purpose of meditation

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 1 Instructions (13:10-14:06)

When we meditate, we must not forget that the purpose of meditation is to observe.

Our purpose is two-fold: observe and learn. We’re being present in the moment; and the first thing that happens is observation. And if we allow this observation to continue, learning happens.

That’s the purpose of observation.

notice the qualities we bring to our meditation

| Maui Retreat 2016 - Opening Instructions (5:30-5:52)

Generally, in our lives, there is so much frustration, greed, delusion, and it is very normal for these qualities to come into our meditation. We’ll find these qualities manifesting themselves as we try to meditate.

Going on retreat should be an extension of our practice

| Kalaw Retreat Mar 2017 - Day 2 Discussion Group C (23:35-24:45)

This retreat concept that gets us going, we think: We got to do it properly! And that damns us all.

The mind already knows its intentions and purpose in coming; there’s no need to pop in extra energy.

It’s as though we’ve come on retreat and we’re going to start again, so we start to put in the effort. But if we’re practicing continuously or trying to, then it should be an extension of our practice and where we are.

But then we seem to think we need to put in something afresh. That gets us off balance.