AWARENESS THAT HAS BECOME A HABIT WILL ARISE AT THE TIME OF DEATH

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:41:32-1:42:31)

If you continue to practice until you die, you don’t have to worry about going to a woeful state at the time of death because awareness will continue to do its job then.

Now you are training the mind to make awareness become a habit – every time defilement comes, the mind tries to be aware. Later, naturally, when defilement comes at the time of death, awareness also arises.

Don’t worry; just continue to practice.

If your awareness becomes automatic, becomes a habit, then you can be assured of a good rebirth because awareness will do its job at the time of death. (Q&A 14 (9:17-10:05)

SAYADAW’S APPROACH TO METTA PRACTICE

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:19:05-1:19:50)

If there is no anger, metta mind happens automatically. 

[Yogi’s note: you can actually try it out yourself.]

You are not trying to have metta, yet metta arises suddenly, right?

Earlier in the day, there was some anger in the mind. You were watching anger, anger, anger – and when the anger disappeared, suddenly the mind changed. Then, metta mind arose; when that happens, you used the metta mind as an object and continued to be aware.

The metta mind continued to happen because awareness, a wholesome mind, supports the metta mind.

Later, during lunch, when lobha and dosa arose, the metta mind disappeared.

So, if you’re watching anger – when anger disappears, metta automatically comes. 

[Yogi’s note: Instead of generating metta, try dissolving the anger.]

HOW TO HANDLE THE NEGATIVE MIND

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 9 (49:55-52:33)

When you’re tired and the mind is complaining, don’t let the mind continue to think and complain. Change the direction because when right thought comes in, the meditating mind also comes in. Otherwise, it’s a dead end.

[Yogi’s note: Ask ‘beneficial or not?’]

Better not to complain about what is happening, rather think what to do. It’s the same in life. What people habitually do is to complain – why is this happening and why me – but it is not beneficial; better to think what to do about it.

Think about the cause (what to do) and don’t complain about the effect (what has already happened).

If the reaction in the mind is too strong, stop thinking and watch the reaction until the mind calms down. Then, think about how to do better.

YOGI ASKING ABOUT BEING DISTURBED BY GHOSTS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (2:22:01-2:28:00)

Now we are practising satipatthana meditation, we are watching ourselves (mind and body processes). If you can watch and handle your defilements, then external things like ghosts will not be a problem.

If your awareness, samadhi and wisdom are increasing, the wholesome quality will do their job. Because of the wholesome quality, the mind is peaceful and there is understanding; the mind can accept anything – so, there’s no problem anymore.

External things are not the problems; defilements are the problems.

Yogi: But when the ghost attacks, the mind is interrupted / disturbed and cannot practice.

Sayadaw: The mind nature has its own process – only happening and gone. Nobody can interrupt the mind. The mind process is happening; it is a natural process.

Whatever you see or feel, use it as an object and try to be aware. Don’t pay attention to the external concept – pay attention to your six sense doors and use feeling and sensation as objects.

IS DEFILEMENT GOOD OR BAD?

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (36:15-38:35)

Yogi: If the mind continues to be aware of craving and aversion, can the defilements stop?

Sayadaw: If just by continuing to be aware, the defilements cannot stop yet. It is only when wisdom comes that they stop immediately.

Our objective is not to make them stop, but to learn from them. If they disappear, we cannot learn any more. 

[Yogi’s note: The mind needs to experience the defilements repeatedly for understanding to arise.]

Are defilements good or bad? You need to know how bad they are. If you understand more and more how much suffering they cause, because of understanding, they get weaker and weaker.

People say anger is no good; everybody understands that anger is no good, but they get angry every day because they don’t really understand how much anger makes the mind suffer. If you really understand how bad anger is, the mind will not allow anger to arise in the mind.

KNOWING IS NOT NOTHING BECAUSE IT IS GATHERING DATA

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (41:45-44:10)

In daily life, sometimes when awareness is not good and defilement is very strong, you give in to the defilement. Still, continue to be aware so that the mind can learn something.

Sometimes I follow the anger, but with awareness behind trying to know, trying to learn.

If defilement is weak, it comes, shows its nature, and disappears. But sometimes it is powerful and overwhelms the mind. I still try to be aware and follow the process.

Sometimes, I get angry and keep yelling; however, the mind still tries to know whatever is happening. This is learning; the mind understands deeply when it learns many times over.

We cannot control defilements every time; sometimes we lose, but we try to be aware. Knowing is not nothing. Knowing is something – it is gathering information. The mind does not win, but it learns.

When enough is learned, wisdom can then see that anger is totally not good.

WISDOM IS WEAK WHEN AWARENESS IS ACCOMPANIED BY FOCUSING

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 1 (1:11:301:11:52)

Yogi: Do we just be aware, aware, aware, and then wisdom will surely arise, right?

Sayadaw: Naturally, if awareness is present, wisdom must be present too. But for some yogis, they focus too much – as a result, wisdom is weak.

[Yogi’s notes: Awareness has to be light and relaxed for wisdom to arise, not an awareness accompanied by focusing which freezes the object. When that happens, the mind is paying attention to concept object hence liking/disliking or confusion comes and wisdom cannot arise.]

THE OBJECT APPEARS OBVIOUS WHEN THERE’S AWARENESS WITH SAMADHI

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 13 (1:01:16-1:01:52)

Yogi: If the mind is mindful, the food is more delicious.

Sayadaw: The taste is more obvious, not that the food is more delicious. ‘Delicious’ means that there is already liking. When you’re aware and samadhi is there, the object becomes obvious. You can even hear subtle sounds because the sense door is clear. You can say that the object is more obvious. But if you think the object is good, then liking comes.

RECOGNIZE MENTAL IMAGES WHICH APPEAR DURING A SIT

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:00:34-1:03:22)

I don’t encourage yogis to watch mental images because they are concepts. You should recognize that it is the mind thinking because a mental image is the thinking mind working.

We shouldn’t pay too much attention to the concept. (Elsewhere: When the mind pays attention to concepts, liking and disliking arise. Just continue to be aware.)

Beginners shouldn’t pay attention to mental images because defilements will arise.

EXAMPLES OF NATURAL AWARENESS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:00:34-1:03:22)

First example: A yogi was waiting for the train to pass by before meditating. He was aware of the train sound and knew that his mind was anxious as he waited. The yogi didn’t know that natural awareness was already happening; he only thought that if he observed a certain object, then he was meditating. But that would be personal awareness.

Natural awareness already sees the mental process, what is really happening; but the yogi tries to meditate only on the object he has chosen.

Trying to meditate is extra; meditation is already happening.

Second example: For example, a yogi chose to observe the breath – he was targeting this object to be aware. While he was aware of the in-breath and out-breath, suddenly the mind naturally goes to a sensation in the hand.

Check these two objects – the breath object carries the idea ‘I am aware; I choose this object and I’m trying to be aware of it’. In this process, ‘I’ is already there. But for the sensation in the hand, the mind is aware of it naturally; there’s no ‘I’ there. Different idea.

| (1:31:31-1:31:59)

Wisdom can arise with natural awareness. If I can control personal awareness, the wrong view is already there. That’s why wisdom cannot arise with personal awareness. 



KEEPING IT SIMPLE WITHOUT PROLIFERATING CONCEPTS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 8 (1:36:25-1:37:53)

Yogi: It appears that thoughts are from the brain and hearing is coming from outside to inside.

Sayadaw: Just happening. Hearing is happening. That’s enough – finished. Direction and place are concepts, they are not real. Hearing is real.

[Yogi’s note: Simply being known is defined as an object. One shouldn’t focus - without focusing one can know. When we focus, the mind is paying attention to the concept. When the mind pays attention to concepts, liking and disliking arise.]

SEEING MEDITATION

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 11 (1:01:12-1:03:44)

Yogi: Seeing meditation – what to be aware of? Should I fix attention on one point, or can I look around?

Sayadaw: Open the eyes and see naturally; don’t purposely look around. Be more aware of body sensations with the eyes open. Naturally, the mind will look, but you bring your attention back to the body. Don’t pay particular attention to the things seen – pay attention inside.

Know what is nature and concept – be more aware of bodily process because bodily process is nature. If you see things, it is a concept – if the mind goes out and pays attention to concepts, defilements will arise.

If the mind knows that it’s paying attention (to outside things), it is still reality. Paying attention is the mind.

NATURAL AWARENESS CAN KNOW MANY OBJECTS WITHOUT FORCING

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 4 (4:40-8:45)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHceWd8reA

I don’t encourage yogis to focus and concentrate too much energy on one object. If the mind focuses on one object, it cannot know many things. The mind cannot be fast.

So, just relax and be aware (i.e. light awareness) – make this a habit. This awareness can know many objects; only then, you can practice in daily activities.

Many yogis start with concentration practice – this has become a habit. Why do yogis use so much energy? They want to make the mind stronger. But strength comes from maintaining the awareness over a long time, not from forcing. It is the nature of the mind to grow stronger from continued application.

When the awareness becomes stronger, naturally it can receive more objects, it can know more things.

It is the nature of the mind to arise and pass away, but each mind leaves the energy to the next mind. So, if any mind is allowed to repeat – good mind or bad mind – naturally this quality increases.

So, what is important is to maintain the awareness continuously – then naturally awareness will grow slowly; no need to force. Remember that what is important is to maintain the awareness over a long time.

SLEEPING PROBLEM DURING RETREATS

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 10 (43:55-45:15)

Yogi: If I practice too much I have problem sleeping during retreats.

Sayadaw: You cannot sleep not because you practice too much. It’s due to wrong practice that the mind cannot sleep. The mind used too much energy.

Another reason is that when the awareness is very sharp, the mind sleeps less. Because the mind is being aware all the time, it becomes awake; so, the mind doesn’t want to sleep too much. It sleeps a little and then it wakes up.

If you use a lot of energy, the mind gets restless and cannot sleep. That’s not good.

If the awareness is sharp and the mind is calm, and as a result, it cannot sleep, then, there’s no problem.

When you cannot sleep, you can stay on the bed and just keep checking if the mind is relaxed and peaceful. If it is tense, then it is not good.

WHEN LOBHA IS PRESENT, AWARENESS-WISDOM CANNOT BE PRESENT

| Taiwan Retreat 2018 Q&A 14 (1:48:22-1:49:35)

Yogi: When there is good memory or good feeling, because it is not causing dukkha, the mind doesn’t want to let go of the experience and also forgets to be aware.

Sayadaw: That is because of lobha. Suffering, there is anger; if it is pleasant, lobha will come. It is because lobha is present, awareness and wisdom cannot be there.

People don’t like suffering/unpleasant objects; they like pleasant objects; but when there are pleasant objects, the mind forgets to be aware because it gets involved.

That’s why yogis get stuck with pleasant objects.