Many yogis, when bad quality of mind comes, the mind resists. This makes the practice difficult.
That’s why we need to use right attitude: bad quality of mind is bad quality of mind; it is not a big problem. Restlessness and sleepiness are just mental states (they have their own nature and arise due to causes and conditions).
If the yogi thinks this way, the resistance subsides and the yogi can continue to be aware.
Every time there is some pain in the body, check if the mind resists or not.
Yogi: When I sit I observe the breath but when I see the image of clouds, I think of the clouds.
Sayadaw: Don’t continue to look at the image, go back to the breath. Clouds are a concept; the mind creates the image.
If you continue to think of the image, the story continues to happen (and the mind is not present).
Go back to the body – breath, body sensations, sound, touch, or body temperature. (In this way, the mind can be present.)
Keep going – practice day by day, normally and regularly. There’s no need to try too hard – just be aware regularly, again and again.
You don’t have to be aware in detail; just be regular.
Your assignment is to be aware of the process.
Sometimes, very bad thoughts can come. Anger thinks its way – every thought is mean, never good; all are bad. For craving, everything is nice, beautiful and good. This is the nature of that mind. The unwholesome mind thinks its way.
That’s why we should not believe those thoughts. You’ll be shocked how the mind can think that way; how is that possible.
Anger thinks its way; craving thinks its way. (And ego thinks its way – how great and wonderful “I am”. Different defilements express their nature through different thoughts.)
Concentration exaggerates the thoughts and the concept becomes more real. The contents of what is seen, heard or smelled appear more real because of concentration although it is only imagination.
Heavy concentration makes the thoughts become more real.
Concentration makes the thoughts clearer; concentration happens at the mind door, and imagination also happens in the mind door. So, when there are thoughts with concentration, the thoughts appear more real.
You need a lot of practice watching the mind again, again and again to know the mind; slowly the mind understands how to watch the mind.
We are more interested in the reality process, in the nature of different minds.
The mind can directly know reality. For example, when we are aware of taste when we’re eating, the mind can directly know the taste. This is reality – sweet, sour, bitter and salty – the mind can know directly. But banana, vegetable, chicken and pork are concepts – the mind is thinking, thinking about the concepts.
You can directly experience, hot, taste (sweet, sour), hardness and softness – these are reality. So learn to know what the mind is paying attention to – concept or reality?
Don’t follow the craving; just be aware, aware, aware. Don’t follow the craving.
If you follow the craving, the mind gets agitated.
Don’t follow; just recognize that the craving is there and do what you need to do – come back to being aware of your body sensations.
Yogi: I experience pressure and discomfort in the head whenever I notice the in-breath and out-breath.
Sayadaw: Don’t focus too much whenever you’re aware or there’ll be tension in the head because you use a lot of energy.
Paying attention is directing attention to the object, not pressing onto the object. Placing the attention onto the object, that’s enough.
Yogis use too much energy to be aware; that’s why tension builds up.
If the mind becomes tense whenever you use a particular object (e.g. in-breath and out-breath), it’s better to switch to another object because old habits are hard to change.
Yogi: To stop daydreaming, I would remind myself that it’s just an object and also open my eyes. Which method is better?
Sayadaw: You can use both ways. If it’s difficult to be aware, it helps to open the eyes during the sit.
If you’re thinking too much if it is difficult to be aware and the mind gets involved easily (thinking continues), drop this object; don’t try to be aware of the thoughts. You already know that it’s happening – rather, ground your awareness with a physical object.
Yogi: I don’t have good or bad feelings, just neutral experiences when practicing.
Sayadaw: That’s common for beginners. Just try to be aware of any physical object; when the awareness gets better, you can notice some reaction to the objects.
At present, you may not notice aversion to pain as the aversion is not obvious yet. You’ll start to notice when aversion becomes obvious.
Now, just maintain the awareness moment to moment.
If you notice liking when you’re eating, then you have seen your reaction (to food). You need to notice that liking has arisen in the mind.
Yogi: When I'm not mindful, defilements overcome the mind and it suffers terribly.
Sayadaw: People who suffer a lot understand this very well. That’s why I’m interested in suffering. It wakes us up – but people are afraid of suffering.
When real suffering comes into your life, it is a very good experience because only then can you find out how to overcome this suffering.
That’s why I wish yogis not always to be happy and peaceful.
Yogis when they meet real suffering, they have no choice but to practice hard; and one day when they overcome it, they will realize the value of the practice, the value of awareness.
We have the wrong idea that I’m seeing, seeing is me and hearing is me.
When we practice this process (being aware that the 6 senses are happening) again and again, slowly the view can change because wisdom can come.
Then only we can realize that there’s nobody there; that it’s only conditioning due to its own cause and effect process.
When we’re aware and pain appears continuous or the same for say 5 or 10 minutes, it means that we’re thinking about the concept of pain, we’re not watching reality yet.
When we see the reality of pain, the mind is calm and the pain changes all the time.
Now the pain appears non-stop; later, we may see the pain changing – new, new, new.
Yogi: When I pay attention to people, my mind is more relaxed as I feel compassion for them
Sayadaw: If you pay attention to some people, compassion comes and the mind is more relaxed. For others, the mind can be tense. Why?
Before feelings arise, the mind has some idea, some thoughts. If you have positive thinking, positive feeling comes; if the mind has negative thinking, then negative feeling comes.
That’s why if the mind pays attention to the person, to the external object/concept, many emotions can arise – feeling relaxed, pleasant or unpleasant.
When the mind gives meaning to the object (who and what), reactions can arise – liking, disliking, loving kindness, hatred, and whatever, can happen. The way you think (cause), the way you feel (effect).
Now you can see the feeling (effect); later, you can be aware of the thought (cause).