HOW TO NURTURE THE DHAMMA IN DAILY LIFE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (1:40:51-1:45:05)

Yogi: How can we practice without the momentum and seclusion of retreats?

Sayadaw: It depends on how much the person prioritizes or values the dhamma – they then create their own mental seclusion. Depending on how much the person understands the dhamma, that wisdom will then prioritize the dhamma. It’s only when we practice that much that we can understand the value of it.

For a lot of people, it’s only when they are in continuous difficulty like depression or something that is pervasive in the mind that they have to be pervasively aware to be relieved of it. How hard do we make effort when we’re really down?

Ultimately it’s about wisdom – understanding how valuable the practice is to have, whether or not we’re in a good state.

In the beginning we have to take care of the dhamma, we have to nurture it – we have to practice, grow and cultivate it in our lives. When it has matured enough, it will take care of us.

Till then, you have to make an effort. Vipassana is not a short-term project; it’s a practice that you have to take to your deathbed.

LET DEFILEMENTS DO THEIR JOB AND YOU DO YOUR JOB

20200209 We also use some (skillful) thoughts for practice // Sayadaw U Tejaniya‘s Dhamma Interview (7:15-7:49) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv66wwnQF2Y&feature=share...

Yogi: The thinking is so continuous; they keep on coming.

Sayadaw: Thinking is not a problem; let the thoughts be.

They do their job; you set the thoughts aside and just do your job, like leaving a babbling friend alone.

You keep on doing your job – when they are tired, they will naturally stop.

CHECKING ENERGY LEVEL AND USING WHAT IS BENEFICIAL TO PRACTICE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (1:10:38-1:12:02)

Sayadaw: There was a monk who reported that he was crashing at the end of the day now and again. I asked him to watch the energy he was using because when you watch your energy, you’ll be mindful as well.

Just check now and again whether you’re getting tense or are still relaxed.

I have come across yogis who don’t know how to relax – they carry so much tension that they don’t know any other states.

Yogi: Does it help to combine vipassana with samatha practice when we get to this point?

Sayadaw: Certainly, if it’s a skillful means – you can alternate and use it skillfully as you see fit. You can judge your own circumstance and see what’s more beneficial in the moment and use what’s best for that time.

AWARENESS FEELS MORE EFFORTLESS AS MOMENTUM GROWS

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (1:00:15-1:06:35)

Yogi: When I’m absorbed in either work or play, it feels like the mind is getting a break; it’s a way of zoning out. When I’m aware, it’s the opposite and it feels like we need to take a break from awareness.

Sayadaw: The tendency in life for the mind to get absorbed in things is generally motivated by defilement – to indulge and to be fully distracted from the world.

In life, we habitually get absorbed through defilement such as greed in entertainment or we get lost in a game from delusion.

When we meditate, we then tend to focus and that brings defilement into the practice because focusing gets us to be absorbed in something. That is why we should not focus when we meditate.

The nature of wisdom is a more backed-up view which sees the different interactions – it sees a bigger and complete picture.

Yogi: I’m not sure that helps.

Sayadaw: Initially, having to be aware feels tiring; it is easier to just let the mind do its own thing and not have to watch the experience. But, when awareness builds momentum, yogis start to notice that the mind is less chaotic and freer, and the opposite is true when awareness slackens.

HOW MUCH ENERGY DO YOU USE TO BE AWARE?

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (1:06:50-1:10:23)

Yogi: I feel like I’m in the middle – neither totally unaware nor continuously aware. I will be aware for a period of time and then the mind says that I need a rest. Should I take a rest or push ahead?

Sayadaw: You must stop if you feel tired. Right practice builds gently, and it’s just a steady increase of awareness and doesn’t feel tiring. The longer you remain aware, the more strengthening it feels – you feel light and more energized. If you feel deflated, you’re exerting too much energy – there’s some wrong practice happening.

A common thing is that, in the beginning, we don’t know how much energy is just enough to be aware. If we even use a little more energy, it will lead to some tiredness at some point.

We need to learn to recognize how much energy we are putting in and tune it to see what will keep us going without hitting a wall at some point. We need to gauge how much energy we’re putting into our practice and every yogi has to learn that.

In a retreat, when a yogi tries to be mindful throughout the day and night and if they put in too much effort, they start to tire towards the evening. They can recharge their battery by doing lying down meditation.

GET TO KNOW THE PROCESS

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (19:28-21:19)

When there is any sense experience, the mind already says something.

This is true all the time, and from that one thought about the sense experience, there is a chain of thought processes that leads to something else; and often we’re not aware of this.

Usually, our level of awareness is such that when we see a person and the next thing you know is that you’re angry. So, this person makes me angry.

But what we don’t see is the chain of little things that happens in our own mind – so, there is this object and what does the mind say of this object. And, what is the interaction, the feeling, the chain of events in the mind, that leads to the angry thinking.

When we don’t see that, it is just 2 things for us – seeing a person and getting angry. So, we make a wrong judgment – we believe that this person makes us angry whereas there is a process that leads to anger. And, that process is not that person.

ATTEND TO THE THOUGHT PROCESS RATHER THAN THE STORYLINE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (12:55-14:16)

Yogi: Can the storyline of our defilements such as greed or aversion be ever important?

Sayadaw: Any attention given to the story always only feeds the defilement that the story is about. If there is attention given to the story about attachment or aversion, that defilement will be fed.

In any thought process, the story is always part of the thought process; that is what the thought process is doing – it is generating the story.

And, what you want to do is to pay attention to the thought process rather than the story that it is generating.

INSIGHT ARISES FROM REPEATED OBSERVATIONS

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (11:15-12:48)

Yogi: Gaining insight into thinking – that it is an object, nature or simply the mind – is it an investigation through experience and questioning?

Sayadaw: The insight is a realization through observation.

You just have to observe a lot to gain more experience until the mind is ready to understand it.

Knowing if something is skilful or not, or if it is right or wrong, just understanding this is a level of wisdom or insight.

WHY WE NEED BORROWED RIGHT VIEW TO REMIND THAT IT IS NATURE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (33:05-35:21)

Yogi: At times, the sticky thoughts that are charged with emotions get in the way of being present.

Sayadaw: That is why, with those sticky thoughts, to always remind ourselves that they are a process of nature.

Recognize that the more identified we are with that process, the harder it is to unstick and remain present.

You need some help from that borrowed right view, reminding yourself that this is an object; this is a process of nature. This interaction – that the thoughts become stickier when there is emotion – is nature.

The more identified we are, the stickier the thoughts are.

THERE ARE LAYERS OF THINKING

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (05:16-09:40)

Yogi: I can be aware of physical objects as they progress but with thoughts, as soon as I’m aware of them, they stop. It’s as if the mind cannot think and be aware of thoughts at the same time.

Sayadaw: This happens with gross thoughts – there are layers of thinking; at the subtler levels, there are thoughts that are working continuously. You might be planning something important which can go on in the background of your mind all the time.

There are thoughts that direct everything we do. Even in awareness, you’re thinking about being aware and therefore you’re aware. And the mind thinks about what to do next, and you do the next thing.

The mind might be commenting about experiences; and that’s another layer of subtle thoughts.

Naming your experience and deciding what to do next are non-stop subtle thoughts.

Yogi: Yes, these are different thoughts. When I’m aware of specific thoughts, am I supposed to continue to be aware of them without them stopping?

Sayadaw: There are 2 possibilities. The thoughts are not important and when you notice them, they stop; and, if they are important, they will continue even when you’re aware of them.

Second, there is too much energy or focus on the thoughts – when you zoom in on them, they get blocked out.

RECOGNIZE HOW THE PRESENCE OF PRACTICE MADE A DIFFERENCE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (29:20-30:54)

The emotion does not always stay the same when you watch a difficult sadness. Recognize what happens when you’re aware.

It is an insight into the practice if you even learn that the presence of the practice helps you go through a difficult emotion regardless of whether the emotion increases or decreases.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE THINKING MIND WHEN OBSERVING THOUGHTS

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group B#1 (00:45-04:22)

Yogi: When the mind notices that awareness is lost, what should it do before getting back to being aware?

Sayadaw: It’s important to notice that you’ve drifted off, that thinking mind is happening. Take a moment to recognize that and continue to be aware of any object.

Yogi: Do I need to label it?

Sayadaw: Labeling is not important. You already know it; do you need to name it? Whenever you notice thinking mind, it is a good practice to acknowledge thinking mind. But, you don’t stay with the thinking mind because you can get drawn into the story.

So, you acknowledge thinking and then alternate it with something more grounding like your body sensation or breath. This allows you to be familiar with thinking mind rather than the story of your thoughts.

Once you can do that, you can recognize thinking mind and not get sucked into the story.

DELUSION OR WISDOM LOOKING?

20200212 You do your job, I do my job // Sayadaw U Tejaniya‘s Dhamma Interview (11:38-12:05) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dkr35so97A...

Yogi: If you don’t look, your mind is peaceful.

Sayadaw: Not necessary so because the mind can also be peaceful when you look if you look with right thought.

When the mind looks and emotion arises, this is the delusion process.

Wisdom process is different – no emotion arises when the mind looks.

NOTHING CONTINUES IN REALITY

20200212 You do your job, I do my job // Sayadaw U Tejaniya‘s Dhamma Interview (2:40-3:20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dkr35so97A

Yogi: I had almost finished sweeping the leaves and felt very happy – but the leaves dropped again and again, and I landed up sweeping 3 times.

Sayadaw: You swept not 3 times, but only once. Reality is like this – don’t think about the past. Every time is one time.

If you think 3 or 4 times, the mind becomes impatient – when you think that it happens again, again and again, the idea changes. 

Actually, you can do only one time.

SEEING IS NOT OUT THERE

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group A#1 (1:32:50-1:34:40)

Seeing is a natural object to be aware of because it is so obvious.

The only thing that people find difficult is that when we try to recognize seeing, it has become a habit to immediately look and see objects outside of ourselves. It is difficult to recognize the process of the eyes and the mind just doing this work of seeing.

Our whole life, we have used our eyes to actually know the concepts of the world – the distance, size, shape, color, and so on of things around us. That recognition comes is really quickly.

To understand that it’s just a process of seeing and not have to go into the names of the things we see, some people find it difficult to switch to just that.

It’s practice as well – if anyone practices, they become more familiar and understand it more easily.