Hor Tuck Loon
HOW WE CAN PRACTICE UNDERSTANDING NON-SELF
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RIGHT VIEW OVERTURNS WRONG VIEW
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WRONG VIEW AMPLIFIES THE DEFILEMENTS
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THE THOUGHT COMES AGAIN, BUT THE MIND IS NEW
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CAUSE AND EFFECT CAN HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY

THE PROCESS OF HOW MERITS ARE SHARED

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group D No.1 (30:02-33:42)

When we share merits with other beings, what they receive is not our good kamma because in every being’s stream of consciousness, they have a potential store of wholesome and unwholesome effects that can take place. 

When they hear and they can rejoice, that wholesome mind opens the door for their wholesome kamma to enter their stream of consciousness.

They’re not getting our good kamma; they’re allowing their good kamma to come through only if they can feel the gratitude or happiness that someone is trying to share.

It’s like you’re full and you wish another person ‘I hope that you’re not hungry’, it doesn’t make them not hungry. But if they can feed themselves – in this case feed themselves with wholesome thoughts – then, that fulfills their good kamma.

LIFE BECOMES OKAY BECAUSE THE MIND HAS CHANGED

Swiss Retreat 2019 Closing Remarks 20.05.2019 (25:04-25:35)

When things become okay in life, it is not because the situations have started changing to suit our mood or desires – that is not what happens. 

Life still does what it does, but the way we relate to life has changed, the way we view life has changed, the way we believe life should be has changed. 

This mind has become okay with the way life is; that is what has become okay.

ALL MINDS ARE MOMENTARY

Swiss Retreat 2019 Q&A 20.05.2019 (07:15-10:20)

Yogi: Is everything that appears in the mind impermanent? And is the knowing itself impermanent?

Sayadaw: It’s clear that it is impermanent – that is why we keep losing our mindfulness. We cannot be continuously mindful all the time, right? 

When the mindfulness gains momentum, and when it starts to feel like the mindfulness is doing its own work, it can really feel like the flow of mindfulness is not impermanent, but that it is always there. 

We don’t try to be mindful, but we keep knowing things. When the mindfulness is that continuous, bring the attention to the mindfulness itself. 

We can see that although mindfulness continues on its own because of the momentum, it is also arising afresh every moment.

PURE DANA IS WITHOUT EXPECTATION

20200131 What is the real morality and donation // Sayadaw U Tejaniya's Dhamma Interview Section https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YONKo1ypDjg&feature=share... (1:02-2:35)

Dana means to give; it is not limited to giving money. And why do we give?

Many people give to get something in return; it is not easy to give freely without expectation. Dana means to give without expecting anything in return.

Why can we give? It is because we’re not attached to whatever we give. The important thing is to develop the alobha mind, the non-greedy mind.

We need to practice this mind by giving repeatedly and slowly we’re not attached and lobha reduces.

Pure dana is done without expectation; just give. Building up the alobha mind is also meditation; and the mind is happy and free when alobha is present. 

REAL SILA IS LED BY WISDOM

20200131 What is the real morality and donation // Sayadaw U Tejaniya's Dhamma Interview Section https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YONKo1ypDjg&feature=share... (0:03-1:01)

Yogi: Sila and wisdom are the same thing. We know the right thing to do only when there is wisdom. Sila is not bound by any 1 law like we don’t kill and we don’t steal; it’s just the right thing to do at that point. 

Sayadaw: Yes, wisdom is very important. Actually, sila is should or should not do. If it is something that you should do, you need to do and if you shouldn't, you don’t do, right? That is sila. 

But how do we know if we should or should not do? So, some understanding has to be present to make the right decision; otherwise, we’re just following instructions. 

WHAT MOTIVATES THE THOUGHT IS IMPORTANT, NOT THE THOUGHT

20200131 What is the real morality and donation // Sayadaw U Tejaniya's Dhamma Interview Section https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YONKo1ypDjg&feature=share... (3:35-4:35)

Yogi: When we watch thoughts, do we watch the content of the thoughts or that thinking is happening?

Sayadaw: Thoughts are not very important – what motivates the thoughts is more important.

Thinking is just thinking; it is one function of the mind. Wholesome mind thinks and unwholesome mind also thinks. Thinking is neutral.

There is some motivation behind the thinking – it could be wholesome or unwholesome mind.

This motivation makes the mind tense or relaxed. We need to see this relationship.

Yogi: So, we watch what motivates the thoughts and whether it causes the mind to be tense or relaxed?

Sayadaw: Yes. That is more important – thoughts are not very important.

LET ANY CHALLENGE AT HOME BE A LEARNING PROCESS

Swiss Retreat 2019 Q&A 20.05.2019 (01:05-3:30)

Yogi: When we go back home, we have problems to face and decisions to make, and sometimes we don’t have the choice to sit and watch. We need to act. What do we do?

Sayadaw: At home, we don’t always have time to observe for an extended period of time, but we do have our innate wisdom which we have been using to do our work and so on. 

However, it is more helpful if we can bring our mind to a balanced and clear state before making decisions because that will be the best decision we can make.

Sometimes we don’t have the time or skill to bring the mind to balance; in that case, we still have to decide with the best possible means we have. If we make a mistake, we can still learn from it. It’s a learning process.

DAILY LIFE PRACTICE

Swiss Retreat 2019 Closing Remarks (28:45-30:09)

At home, the mind becomes a very important partner in practicing the dhamma. 

How skilful do we become at clearing the mind when it is confused; and when it’s clear, how long can we maintain that clarity?

When we can maintain that clarity, it means that we’re maintaining the samadhi, and maintaining the samadhi means that immediately less unwholesome qualities are surfacing or that less unwholesome qualities are able to overwhelm us; and that means that the mind is able to maintain its clarity and stability.

So, our first challenge at home is learning how to be skillful at clearing the confusion or the complications in the mind when they come up at home. 

WATCHING THOUGHTS CAN BRING STABILITY OF MIND

Swiss Retreat 2019 Closing Remarks 20.05.2019 (33:48-35:33)

Yogis can develop stability of mind while knowing their thoughts. 

If the breath can bring stability of mind and our thoughts can bring stability of mind, then we are free.

The thoughts are coming all the time; they are coming continuously. The breath takes much longer to come; the object is not so continuous.

Whatever we do, we always have to think about it before we do it. If we knew every thought, we have to think in order to work, we would be building lots and lots of samadhi.

We don’t have to come back to the breath then; we can develop stability of mind in whatever we’re doing while we’re thinking and working. It is possible.

That is when we become skilful at knowing the mind. Take heart. It is possible because once we understand the mind, it is more obvious than we think.

ARE WE AWARE OR LOST IN THOUGHT?

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group D No.1 (1:25:50-1:29:14)

Yogi: The mind was thinking about a problem from home and I became anxious and was coming up with solutions. When awareness came in, the thinking and anxiety would go away. But this popped up repeatedly during the sitting and walking; and it was tiresome. 

Sayadaw: No object bothers the mind – it is because you’re getting lost in thought. You’re aware of the initial arising of the thought and you’re supposed to use that moment to start watching the thinking and feeling, and not get lost in the story.

Be less interested in the problem and more interested in the process at work – why is the mind thinking about this and how it is feeling when it is thinking about this, and the interaction between thinking and feeling.

HOW TO WATCH AND LEARN FROM GREED RATHER THAN TRY TO STOP IT

IMS Retreat 2012 Q&A Group E No.1 (30:07-34:31)

Yogi: Should I just not follow greed when wisdom is not strong enough?

Sayadaw: Now is the time to practice. You can choose to stop a while and watch the greed and see how it goes. 

If it still tells you to follow, go with it – take that path and watch the greed. At least take the opportunity to watch and learn about greed.

This way, greed gets its way and you get your way too – you squeeze some money out of greed.

It is interesting – if you do what greed says and you watch all the consequent actions and how greed moves, you can learn something deep about greed.

We need to get to the heart of understanding how greed makes us suffer. We need to experience it to understand it. 

At home, all the time, we’re just like a mouse in greed’s paws being played about; now at least we hit it in the eye while being played about. 

Yogi: That’s more fruitful than struggling with it.

Sayadaw: You cannot stop greed from happening – just let it. 

WE PRACTICE BECAUSE OF UNDERSTANDING

Swiss Retreat 2019 Evening Q&A 11 May 2019 (41:06-41:42)

Whatever we’re doing, if we’re doing it right, it brings the mind to a wholesome state.

Even doing a practice with a single object, if we do it with the wrong view or the wrong thought, it won’t calm the mind – the mind will be more agitated, it will get more tense and it won’t relax.

So, everything comes back to doing the right practice of having the right thought and the right view while doing it.