CHECK FOR EAGERNESS IN WHATEVER YOU DO – THAT’S MEDITATION

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 4 (57:25-58:20)

Yogi: I arrived late for the retreat – the body is tired but the mind is eager to meditate. Even during eating, the mind wants to recover quickly to meditate.

Sayadaw: There is no need to hurry to practice; you need to take the time to relax. Whatever you do, if you hurry (or are eager), craving comes and the practice becomes difficult.

Whenever lobha arises during eating, don’t try to change anything; just recognize that greed is present.

LEARN AND BUILD UP WISDOM WHILE THE PROBLEMS ARE NOT SERIOUS

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 4 (47:50-48:18)

You need to learn the skill now that the problems are not serious. Before serious problems arise, you need to learn how to be aware of any good or bad experience with equanimity (the understanding that an experience is just an object – something that is being known).

You need to learn before the big problems happen so that you can apply the understanding. If you don’t have the wisdom, it is difficult to face these serious problems.

UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF AWARENESS, NOT THE VALUE OF THE EXPERIENCE

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180527 Q&A 1 (1:10:11-1:11:40)

Yogis need to understand the value of awareness, not the value of the experience. Appreciate that there is awareness; don’t complain about the experience, about what is happening.

Every time you notice a small defilement arising, what happens? If you notice, the defilement stops.

(But because what we often notice in the mind is unpleasant and suffering, the mind resists the experience, forgetting that it’s the awareness that we are developing, not the experience.)

The first thing to keep in mind when meditating is that we’re not trying to make the defilement disappear. The first thing is that the defilement is not 'me', that the defilement is nature (a natural process – whatever is practiced again and again shows itself naturally). This information must come first.

Good quality of mind and bad quality of mind is nobody. It is nature. When you think the defilement is you that is why you don’t want to see.

(After setting the idea right, we can watch this natural phenomenon.)

DIRECT THE MIND TO WATCH WITH WISDOM

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 4 (51:10-52:48)

Yogis need to know this. Naturally, the mind reacts to all objects – pleasant objects come, the mind likes, and unpleasant objects come, the mind dislikes. We do this our whole life long.

As meditators, we try to change this wrong idea that if the mind thinks something is good, it likes; and if it thinks it is bad, it dislikes. Now, we don’t think that the experience is either good or bad. How?

We need to understand the meaning of object – ‘being known’. Being known is neither good nor bad because, whether good or bad experience, it is being known.

If we understand the meaning of an object, neither liking nor disliking can arise.

Yogis need to practice a long time to understand this.

Every time a pleasant or unpleasant object arises, we try to change our idea that it is just being known, neither good nor bad. If we understand the object is something being known, is nature, it is then easier for the mind to be aware and learn.

HOW CAN WISDOM GROW FROM JUST BEING AWARE?

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 4 (1:48:04-1:50:03)

Yogi: How can wisdom grow from being aware, aware, aware?

Sayadaw: Awareness is information gathering; when there is sufficient information, then wisdom can make a decision. 

The duty of awareness is to get information from any experience all day long, and we begin to know more things about the nature of the mind. 

When information is complete, the mind can decide what it is, or how it is happening, or why it is happening. 

For example, how do you feel when you’re alone, with a friend, or with the family? 

The mind quality changes all the time – the nature of the mind is different under different situations and we need to know what is happening in the mind under any situation.

We learn from our direct present experience, not intellectual understanding. Awareness notices our direct experience.

Another example, we all know that anger is not good, but we still get angry. It means that our understanding is no match for the defilement because if we really understand that anger is not good, anger cannot arise anymore. (So, we need to watch and learn more.)

WE WATCH THE DEFILEMENT TO LEARN, NOT TO STOP IT

|China 2018 Retreat File: 20180527 Q&A 2 (25:10-28:30)

Yogi: I’m worried about the safety of my children and there is anxiety when making decisions.

Sayadaw: The mind is like this: every time any experience happens through the 6 senses, liking and disliking always arise. This is the nature of the mind; what the yogi needs to do is to be aware of the liking and disliking first.

Take care of your mental state first – when the reaction subsides, go back to the object again, your view or idea will then change. You can then learn something about the mind.

We must have this attitude towards the defilement – we’re watching the defilement not to stop it (so that we can be calm and comfortable), but to understand the nature of the defilement. Because of understanding, the defilement can subside.

Our aim of watching objects is to understand something about the experience; we’re not trying to change the experience, we’re trying to learn.

DON’T TRY TO FIX DEFILEMENTS – JUST DO THE 3 YOGI’S JOBS

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (20:08-23:48)

Whenever yogis face defilements, they try to fix the defilements so that the mind calms down. Then they forget about it; and the next time the problem surfaces, the defilement becomes stronger. Every time defilements recur, depression included, they gain strength.

Sometimes defilements come and go away; but when they return, they become more powerful. That is the nature of defilements. It is best to practice continuously; then, they cannot grow and when understanding arises, they subside.

This is a good reminder for yogis to practice non-stop.

So, don’t try to fight with the defilement; if you do so, they become even more powerful. Trying to get rid of the defilement is also a defilement. 

Try to understand the mind – what is the mind and how does it work. It is only through understanding that defilements cannot grow.

Awareness has to gain strength to notice initial subtle thoughts and defilements; the earlier it is the easier for the defilement to subside. So, awareness is very important. 

It is beneficial to maintain continuous practice. 

WHEN DEFILEMENTS ARISE, WATCH THINKING MIND AND FEELINGS

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180527 Q&A 2 (28:13-29:20)

Yogi: What should I be aware of when eating?

Sayadaw: In the beginning, you try to be aware of any object when eating. 

You can use chewing as the main object, and as you continue to be aware, naturally, you can also know other objects if you don’t just focus on chewing. For example, you can also know the taste, bodily action like the hand moving, and you can also know the feeling. 

How do you feel as you eat? When you’re aware of taste, the mind can either like or dislike it. All the time when we eat, we eat with craving. 

If craving is strong, we wait and watch the craving first before continuing to eat. Eagerness to eat, intention to eat – i.e. craving – is very obvious. 

You have to take care of the eagerness – when it is too strong, awareness is lost. When eagerness comes down, awareness comes back.

When eagerness subsides, you can be aware of chewing or any other object such as seeing and looking.

When we eat, our 6 senses are working; so, we can use any object – sometimes chewing, looking, seeing, hearing, tasting and also thinking. You can be aware of any of these objects one at a time.

You need to also know that the mind is thinking (e.g. planning what to eat next). You need to recognize that the mind is thinking and go back to a physical object.

EATING MEDITATION AT HOME

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (1:00-4:11)

Yogi: What should I be aware of when eating?

Sayadaw: In the beginning, you try to be aware of any object when eating. 

You can use chewing as the main object, and as you continue to be aware, naturally, you can also know other objects if you don’t just focus on chewing. For example, you can also know the taste, bodily action like the hand moving, and you can also know the feeling. 

How do you feel as you eat? When you’re aware of taste, the mind can either like or dislike it. All the time when we eat, we eat with craving. 

If craving is strong, we wait and watch the craving first before continuing to eat. Eagerness to eat, intention to eat – i.e. craving – is very obvious. 

You have to take care of the eagerness – when it is too strong, awareness is lost. When eagerness comes down, awareness comes back.

When eagerness subsides, you can be aware of chewing or any other object such as seeing and looking.

When we eat, our 6 senses are working; so, we can use any object – sometimes chewing, looking, seeing, hearing, tasting and also thinking. You can be aware of any of these objects one at a time.

You need to also know that the mind is thinking (e.g. planning what to eat next). You need to recognize that the mind is thinking and go back to a physical object.

WAKING UP WITH NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180527 Q&A 2 (21:54-22:33)

If we wake up with negative thoughts every morning, it is a sign of slight depression.

Everybody has some depression; it’s only that we cover it up. So, negative thoughts appear when we wake up in the morning, ‘Boom, boom, boom!’ But we can use these thoughts as an object, something that’s being known by the mind.

REALITY OBJECTS ARE NOT AS OBVIOUS AS CONCEPTUAL OBJECTS

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (1:46:43-1:47:40)

Yogi: The 6 senses as the object are too subtle for the awareness to be continuous

Sayadaw: Yes, because of concepts, the object is obvious. Reality (Paramatha) is not very obvious. (Between the contents of thoughts and knowing that thinking is happening, which is more obvious? The contents of thoughts are concepts; the thinking mind happening is reality.)

Only understanding can know reality; you need more wisdom to be aware of reality.

The Paramatha object is subtle; that’s why you cannot know it clearly.

So, whatever you notice is enough. When the awareness and wisdom become stronger, then the subtle reality objects will become clearer.

WHEN WE LEARN TO WATCH REALITIES INSTEAD OF CONCEPTS, THERE’S LESS SUFFERING

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (14:14-19:31)

Yogi: I have been facing a recurring problem every day for the last 10 year. 2 years ago the problem stopped with some thinking. But it recurred more strongly 6 months ago and overwhelms me now.

Sayadaw: It’s the defilement arising. Now, we try to be aware of thinking and feeling as an object; but first, you learn how to be aware of mental states/emotions as an object.

You need to have the right attitude towards the defilement. Before, you tried to suppress the defilement; but it became even more powerful when it reappeared.

Now, we change the attitude – we try to understand the defilement, not suppress it or make it go away.

The practice is to view it as an object, as nature. Be aware of thinking as thinking, not the story of the thoughts but just mental activity – that thinking is the mind and feeling is the mind (practice to watch reality instead of concepts). 

We try to understand the nature of the mind; and because of the understanding, the defilement can decrease.

Defilement nature is like this – if we pay attention to it the wrong way, then it increases; but if we face the defilement with right thinking, it decreases.

Everybody knows every time the defilement arises. But we can use either water or gasoline to control a fire. If we use water, it decreases, but if we use gasoline, it increases.

The biggest problem is when we take the defilement to be ‘me’, that it is ‘my mind’ and the idea that the defilement is ‘me’. This exaggerates the defilement and later on, it overwhelms the mind. 

That is why we need to have right attitude (‘this is nature’) and learn to be aware. You practice to be skillful in being aware of the mind state/emotion before facing it.

WHEN AWARENESS GAINS MOMENTUM, IT IS PRESENT WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (05:00-05:45)

Yogi: When I practice on my own, how do I know that the awareness is increasing day by day?

Sayadaw: If you practice being aware continuously – you try and try to be aware moment to moment – sometimes awareness is present even without you trying to be aware. This means that awareness has gained momentum.

Now you try to be aware, try to be aware. Later, even without trying, awareness becomes present, awareness is already there. That means that awareness has become a habit.

You just need to check if awareness is present.

START BY KNOWING ONE OBJECT AND LET THE AWARENESS EXPAND NATURALLY

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 4 (1:45:06-1:46:12)

Yogi: I feel that my mind is busy catching 2 or more objects at the same time.

Sayadaw: Don’t try to get the object; don’t follow the object. It is better to know it in a natural way. 

You can start by knowing 1 object and you try to maintain the awareness; when the awareness gains strength, it can naturally receive more objects. For example, you know your breath; after a while, you may know sound at the same time.

Slowly, the mind receives more objects; don’t try to follow 2 or more objects. Let the mind naturally receive more objects when awareness improves.

If you try to follow 2 or more objects, the mind becomes too busy and gets tired easily. 

WE NEED NOT FIX A PARTICULAR OBJECT TO BE AWARE; AN OBVIOUS OBJECT WILL DO

| China 2018 Retreat File: 20180528 Q&A 3 (25:10-26:32)

Yogi: I’m a first-time meditator. I can only notice the rising of the abdomen, but not the falling. Should I use deep breathing to make the movement clearer?

Sayadaw: There’s no need to do this; choose a more obvious object to be aware. Don’t try to make something happen – it’s very tiring.

A natural way is better – so, try to be aware of something naturally, for example, body sensations. It is not necessary to only be aware of rising and falling of the abdomen, or breathing in and breathing out.

You can use any other object, a natural object. You can also be aware of any obvious physical object – the whole body, or touching, or sound.