WISDOM DOES WHAT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE OF UNDERSTANDING

| Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 Guided Meditation Part 1 (49:27-50:20)

What we should do, need to do, just do it.

Previously, if we like it, we do; if we don’t like it, we stop. They are two extremes. Because of liking, we continue; because of disliking, we stop.

But wisdom is not like this – wisdom considers: should or not, need or not, necessary or not. Understanding this, the mind just does it.

Not attached, not resisting – because of understanding, the mind does it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ6VbFwPf04&t=909s (13:13-13:30)

The deluded mind sees equanimity as very boring; but for the wisdom eye, equanimity is freedom. The 2 minds view equanimity (the neutral mind) differently.

UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT VEDANA

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 14 (1:49:50-1:51:43)

Yogi: How to understand that pleasant feelings and pleasant thoughts are also dukkha?

Sayadaw: If you can understand that feelings are always changing – if you can understand that feeling reality in the mind is always changing – then you know that pleasant feelings are also dukkha.

Don’t pay attention to the pleasantness or unpleasantness; pay attention to just feeling. We need to understand more about vedana, about the mind, not domanassa (displeasure) or somanassa (pleasure).

Be more aware of just feeling because if you pay attention to the pleasantness, the mind becomes attached.

How long can you be happy?

A FEELING IS JUST A FEELING

| Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat 2013 - Guided Meditation Part 2 (40:26-41:30)

When the mind is peaceful, know that peacefulness is just peacefulness. It is not good, not bad – just an experience. Is the mind liking, or not? If you understand that it is only an object, the mind is not attached. You understand as it is – feeling is just feeling. If you understand like this, suffering is also the same, i.e. feeling is just feeling.

HOW TO STAY AT THE MIND DOOR

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:45:33-1:47:02)

This is an understanding that comes from habitual practice. Only wisdom can pay attention to the mind door. If you understand the mind, then you can continue to be aware at the mind door.

Because the mind is not at any place – the mind is nowhere, no shape, no place – therefore, you don’t have to focus, but you can know. If you know many times that this is happening, this is happening, this is happening, then slowly the mind understands how to observe the mind as an object.

Now you know that the mind is thinking, right? That is the mind door. Do you know your intention to do something? This is also the mind. If you know the mind, that is the mind door.

LEARN HOW CALMNESS ARISES, NOT HOLD ON TO CALMNESS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (28:29-29:34)

Trying to maintain calmness can be craving. It is better to maintain the awareness rather than the calmness. Understanding how calmness comes, understanding the cause of calmness is more important than trying to hold on to the effect. 

NOTICE THE ATTITUDE WHENEVER THERE IS SENSE CONTACT

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya English Dhamma Discussion Part 1 21-1-2018 (05:14-05:54)

Every contact between the mind and its objects brings up some attitude or stance (reaction or judgment), some way the mind is going to approach what it is contacting.

As you practice and the understanding grows, that understanding will allow wisdom to be the attitude that we bring to the moment – whatever it is we have right now, that’s what we notice.

BE OPEN; DON’T TRY TO FIX THE EXPERIENCE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 12 (38:21-38:35)

Don’t try to fix the experience – e.g. ‘I try to do this and that’.

Don’t fix the future and don’t fix the experience. Be open. See what is going on.

NOTICE THE IDEAS THAT ARE SPURRING YOU

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya 2017 Vassa English Interviews File:170811 (14:55-16:35)

Sayadaw: We have lots of ideas; they are already there whenever we do anything. If you notice, you can see what ideas push you to do whatever you do. If you can see your mind nature, then you can change your mind. If not, whatever you do, the same response pattern arises.

Yogi: All my life, I thought that it was normal to respond with stress, anxiety, and anger.

Sayadaw: If you don’t notice the subtle mind, then the defilements grow bigger and bigger. If the mind notices the beginning of the small situation, then the defilement cannot grow. It is important to be aware of our subtle thoughts. If the thoughts have become big, then it’ll take an hour or two to calm down; but if the mind notices the beginning of the thoughts – the beginning of the defilement – then when the mind notices, it subsides.

Defilement starts small – it cannot be ‘’big’’ immediately. If awareness and wisdom is sharp, the mind can see subtle levels easily.

Subtle level means the beginnings of a thought. Westerners call it unconscious mind.

THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS AND THE SIX QUALITIES OF DHAMMA

| Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary 2013 Retreat Opening Talk

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness:

Watching body sensations is kayanupassana. Watching feelings – pleasant, unpleasant, neutral – is vedananupassana. Being aware of skilful or unskilful mind, any mind, is cittanupassana. When body sensations, feelings and mind become impersonal or nature, that is dhammanupassana.

The Six Qualities of Dhamma as taught by the Buddha:

1. Svakkhato – The Dhamma is well explained, well expounded. It is the universal law of nature. So it is complete being excellent in the beginning (Sila), excellent in the middle (Samadhi) and excellent in the end (Panna).

2. Sanditthiko – Dhamma is in the here and Now. The Dhamma can be practised and known by direct practice.
3. Akaliko – Dhamma is timeless and never changes. We can practise anytime, anywhere. The Dhamma gives immediate results.

4. Ehipassiko – Come and Investigate. This is an invitation for one who seeks the Truth to discover for himself through direct experience.

5. Opanayiko – Leading Inwards. The Dhamma is capable of being entered upon and one has to realize for oneself.

6. Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhiti – The Dhamma may be perfectly realized only by the wise each for himself. Here the wise does not mean one with high education but rather one with little dust in their eyes.

When the meditator recollects these special qualities of the Dhamma, his mind is invaded neither by greed, nor by hate, nor by delusion. One will be uplifted by the Dhamma.

WHAT IS MEANT BY FACING THE DEFILEMENT

| Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya Q&A 16-02-2018 (10:41-10:54)

Facing means to observe. It means to use the defilement as an object (definition: being known) and then observe.

And try to be aware of this object continuously. That means facing the defilement.

[Yogi’s note: Remember the 3 yogi job – have right view, observe and continue to observe.]

MEDITATE ANYWHERE REGARDLESS OF NOISE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 7 (33:04-33:42)

You can try like this. You practice in a quiet place; also try to practice in a very noisy place. If you can meditate in a noisy place – when the mind has no problems anymore – you have already solved the problem.
If you can meditate, it means that the mind is already calm.  If it’s calm, it means that you can sleep anywhere. 
If you can meditate any place – quiet place or noisy place – the mind has understood about the sound (it’s an object) and doesn’t react. Then, this person can sleep anywhere.

FOCUSING EXAGGERATES ANY DEFILEMENT THAT IS PRESENT

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 12 (1:10:19-1:10:50)

[Sayadaw emphasizes de-focusing – he says strong concentration without understanding is very dangerous.]

A yogi walked very slowly to the village because she was focusing on the movement of a foot at a time. I advised her to watch both legs at a time instead of one. Then, she could walk more relaxingly and naturally.

If we develop the focusing energy, it exaggerates any defilement that arises.

WHEN AWARENESS IS PRESENT, THE MIND SEES THE COMPLETE PICTURE

| HKIMS Hong Kong Insight Meditation Society FB posting on 1 Oct 2018

Sometimes you may feel that being aware of certain objects is a waste of time. This idea is totally wrong. The key to the practice is the awareness itself, not the object. As long as you have awareness you are on the right track.

AWARENESS DURING DAILY ACTIVITIES

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 3 (2:30-3:45)

Pay more attention to what is happening in the body. Yogis think that sitting and walking are meditation time – they don’t have the idea that daily activities are also meditation time. That’s why it is easy to lose mindfulness during daily activities. You need to think that every time is meditation time. Be more careful of daily activities than sitting and walking.

THE EASY WAY TO RECOGNIZE AWARENESS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 3 (20:23-22:10)

Simply ask the mind ‘Is awareness present or not?’ is enough.

There’s no problem if you don’t see the awareness; just keep going. Don’t try to look for the awareness.

If you continue to practice this way – sometimes using the question ‘Is awareness present?’, when the mind has enough wisdom, it can recognize itself.

Trying to be aware of awareness is more difficult; it’s easier to approach that by asking ‘Is awareness present?’

If you can say that you continue to be aware, you are already aware of the awareness.

Sometimes yogis look for the answer in something extraordinary when in actual fact, they already know it.