CHECK ATTITUDE FIRST, DON’T BE TOO HASTY TO MEDITATE

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 08 September 2017 (39:30-41:30)

If you have some expectation, and you cannot get what you want, then the mind becomes bored. So, check your attitude. What idea do you have when you’re watching the defilement? If you have the right attitude and right view when watching the defilement, the defilement will slowly get weaker and weaker. But if the defilement gets stronger, then there is something wrong with the watching mind.

Actually, the most important thing is attitude. If the attitude is right, the object becomes more distant. Don’t expect the understanding to come – it only comes due to right conditions. If you have expectations, the right conditions cannot arise. When you don’t have any expectation, then wisdom can arise. If you want to understand, wisdom cannot come because they are opposites.

Just practice continuously, and be interested in the process, that’s enough. Don’t try to get something or expect something. If you know that there’s expectation, watch the expectation first.

TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS TO KEEP KNOWING THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOUR REACTIONS

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Morning English Q&A 180126 (53:42-55:16)

Don’t even look at pain; the mind already knows it. The mind is very smart; it knows the pain is there. Without paying attention, it already knows the pain is there – there is no need to give it special attention.

The most important thing is to know the attitude the mind holds and the reaction in the mind. Be clear that this is your primary goal. This is because the reaction in the mind and the attitude of the mind are mental qualities, you cannot focus. You can only know it – you can know what the attitude is, you can know what the reaction is; you continue to know it. So, there will never be too much focusing.

So, please don’t look at pain. There is no need to look at pain. Look at the mind – look at the reaction and the attitude. Or, just look at how you feel – you feel comfortable, uncomfortable? Is it confused, tense? Acknowledge all that. Keep your eye on that.

MOTIVATION DETERMINES THE CONSISTENCY OF AWARENESS

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 170914 (52:14-52:49)

[A yogi lost awareness for a long time while cleaning.]

At the time of doing whatever you do, the motivation is very important. If you do it with defilement, you will lose awareness. If you cannot maintain awareness even when cleaning your room at the meditation center, how much more difficult it will be in daily life. In all your daily activities, you need to learn to constantly check with what state of mind you do whatever you do.

KNOW THE MIND ACTIVITY WHENEVER THERE IS SENSE CONTACT

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 03 September 2017 (1:32:52-1:33:21)

Whenever there is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and the whole body sensation, any contact, check what the mind says – some idea must be there. Any object comes, the mind has some ideas – what the mind says and what the mind is doing? I call it mind activity – try to know the process.

(Whenever there is contact, a new thinking mind happens)

LOOKING IS THE PROCESS OF PAYING ATTENTION TO SIGHTS

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 08 September 2017 (1:17:29-1:18:00)

Looking is the mind paying attention or thinking about sights. It is not seeing outside things – outside things are concept objects. You need to be aware of looking; you need to know that looking is the mind paying attention or focusing. Both seeing and looking are happening inside, not outside.

THE IDEA OF VIPASSANA MEDITATION

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Morning English Q&A 180130 (12:30-13:45)

The idea in vipassana meditation is actually very simple because we don’t need to control anything. So, if there’s greed, we just need to recognize that this is greed and continue to see what greed is doing and so on. If it is calm, we know that it is calm; if it is not calm, we know that it is not calm.

If we approach meditation that way, just to recognize what is happening, then it’s very easy; but if we think meditation needs to be in a certain way, then it becomes very difficult to be mindful at home.

It is not that there won’t be defilements; there will be defilements, but we don’t take them personally. We want to observe the defilements; we take them as nature so that we can just observe them.

WATCHING DROWSINESS AMIDST BEING AWARE

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017-18 English Interviews 171229 (32:42-33:54)

Drowsiness is the object and there is awareness; so, be more aware of the awareness. If you’re aware of the awareness, you can already see the drowsiness. But if you pay attention to the drowsiness, then you won't know when the awareness becomes weaker and weaker.

The work of effort here means that you try to know the awareness moment to moment. Effort naturally grows if you can follow the awareness continuously. If you can see drowsiness and the awareness, then stay with the awareness.

DELUSION CAUSES THE MIND TO BELIEVE THOUGHTS

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Malaysian Interviews 20180109 (07:21-07:45)

This is moha. The first mind is moha, and the second and third mind are also moha.

Delusion works this way. The first mind thinks what it wants to think; it makes an assumption. The second mind believes this mind, and the third mind exaggerates the belief. But if awareness is present, delusion either stops or cannot grow.

(Elsewhere: So, if a thought agitates the mind and makes the mind suffer, don’t believe the thought and also don’t follow the thought.)

IDENTIFICATION IS STRENGTHENED WHEN SOMETHING FEELS PERMANENT

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 English Interviews 18-01-17 (25:44-26:19)

When something is not permanent, it is easier to see that it is impersonal. When it starts to feel permanent, gel together, we start to identify with it. When we’re still trying to be aware, when we keep losing awareness, it doesn’t feel like ours. When it starts to gain momentum, it gels together and is always around, then, we start to identify with it: ‘Oh, I’m always mindful; this is my awareness’.

YOGI ASKING WHETHER TO SIT OR NOT

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Morning English Q&A 18-01-16 (43:53-44:27)

The advantage of a retreat is the ability to really dedicate ourselves to the continuity of practice, continuity of awareness. We sit because it’s the easiest way to keep the mindfulness continuous. We also sit because it seems to make us calm; but it is not the sitting that makes us calm. It is the continuity of awareness and right attitude that makes the mind calm. I’m not saying ‘Sit’ and I’m not saying ‘Don’t sit’ – I’m saying ‘Do whatever that serves the continuity of awareness’.

DELUSION JUDGES THE PRACTICE AS GOOD OR BAD

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Morning English Q&A 180116 (23:09-24:00)

Moha, it judges – it judges things as good, bad, advanced, slow and fast. That’s moha, but the practice is just the practice – one object is no different from the other. It’s only when judgment comes in that the mind starts to compare; it starts to give it a value like a grade (‘this is excellent grade and this is not’) and that is moha.

Once that judging comes in, then the greed and the aversion can set in. When it judges that this is preferable or better, that’s greed; if not good, then that’s aversion.

MEDITATION AND LIFE MUST BE TOGETHER

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews 170914 (41:26-42:41)

You need to practice in daily life – try to know your state of mind in whatever you do. You need to practice in your life because you don’t do them here in the center. Try to practice in any situation. The new yogi tries to maintain the awareness in every action, every moment and every posture. He learns how to be aware of the mind, how to be aware of the body moment to moment, trying, trying... making it into a habit.

You need to practice in the same way in your daily life. Then you can maintain your awareness in the job you’re doing. So, meditation and life must be together. Now, the practice is not in real life yet – you should practice there. Now you learn how to practice, now you know how to practice; then, you apply in your life.

HOW TO OBSERVE WANDERING MIND WITHOUT FOCUSING

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017/18 English Interviews 171229 (24:20-24:51)

If there is too much wandering mind, there is no need to watch the wandering mind; but you can still know that wandering mind is there. So, don’t focus on the wandering mind, but ground yourself on a physical object. If you know there is wandering mind, that’s enough; no need to focus on it. So, you’re busy watching the physical object – then wandering mind does its job and you do your job. Try to be aware of the physical object and also know that thoughts are already there. That’s better.

YOGI ASKING WHICH OBJECT TO BE AWARE

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2018 Morning English Q&A 180117 (32:49-35:03)

You don’t have to choose an object; just know that you know all these objects. You don’t have to know any of them clearly; you just have to know that you do know all of them. Don’t know the object; know that you know.

Why are you able to know that you’re eating, drinking, looking, thinking and a lot of other things? You know because you’re aware. So, keep the awareness; recognize that it’s through the knowing that all this is known. Just try. All the objects that you notice are known by the mind. Actually, the mind already knows all the objects; you just have to notice that the mind is doing that work.

REMINDER: ‘WHAT IS THE MIND AWARE OF?’

|Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Group Interviews 170903 (51:50-52:57)

Nobody teaches like this – if you remind yourself ‘What is the mind aware of?’ awareness becomes present. Everywhere you go, they only teach you to be mindful or to try to be aware.

If you remind yourself, awareness is already there. I too practice like this in daily life – I just think ‘What is the mind aware of?’ instead of try to be mindful. If you think the right way, awareness is already there. It is faster and better than trying to be mindful. It comes naturally; just reminding: What is the mind aware of? Already, awareness is present, naturally. That’s why I recommend to yogis to think about how to practice; just reminding themselves. That’s lighter and better.