NOTICE THAT THE MIND RELAXES WHENEVER A RIGHT THOUGHT ARISES

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 12 (1:35:16-1:38:55)

Yogi: I was looking after an elderly person 24/7 who has virtually no memory. I was very aware when the mind tended to move to a place that was different from where it was. ‘Oh, this is boring, this shouldn’t and I could have.’ Whenever there is that movement, my body tenses up.

It was a lovely reminder of coming back again and again to not wanting things to be different – just very simply reminding myself not wanting it to be different. Then, it was actually very relaxing.

There is something about being reminded of not wanting things to be different, not needing things to be different.

Sayadaw: The mind has learnt to have that right attitude and it helps the mind again, and again and again.

When there is the right thought, it is so relaxing for the mind; whenever the wrong thought comes up, it can immediately see the change in the mind’s attention and so on.

CHECK OFTEN WHETHER THE MIND IS RELAXED OR TENSE

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 10 (38:00-41:09)

Yogi: I could be mindful over a longer time period and I could see things arise and falling away, but got very tired during the evening. I went to bed and a huge aversion over the tiredness came up.

I was struggling and fighting against the tiredness and the aversion for the rest of the evening.

I was very unhappy and agitated and couldn’t step back from it.

Sayadaw: That you got so tired shows that you were using too much energy when you were mindful continuously seeing things coming and going. You were probably following that.

You found it interesting and thought that you should be seeing that and maybe even looking for that. And that would make you tired.

While you were practicing during the day and it was going well, still remember to check whether the mind is relaxed or whether tension is starting to come in. Check often, not after a long time.

Whether mindfulness is going well or not well, we should consistently be checking whether the mind is relaxed or getting tense because when it is going well, greed can come in and make it tense and when it is not going well, we may try too hard.

NOT FORGETTING DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE NOT FORGIVEN

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 13 (51:26-56:02)

Yogi: I realize today that I don’t know how to forgive. I thought I have forgiven, but the stories came up again. I would like to know how forgiving works.

Sayadaw: There’s no need to try and forgive. Just see the process – there’s a trigger event and it brings up memories.

You thought that you’ve already forgiven, but just because those memories come up again doesn’t mean that you have not forgiven either. Not forgetting doesn’t mean that you have not forgiven.

There may be some residual anger when you think about it again because these memories come up afresh and the emotions might come again, but you see that as the cause and effect – this sort of event happens and the mind reacts in this way.

The main thing is not to think of this as you. It’s the mind and it has gone through a process – this happens and that happens because of this happening. The identification with it makes you feel worse.

When we see the mind, that’s great, but remember not to identify with it – when we identify with it, then more unwholesome stuff comes up. If you see it as a process, then it has nothing to do with you.

THERE IS NO NEED TO SEE THE EXPERIENCE AND YOUR REACTION SEPARATELY

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 12 (1:17:00-1:24:28)

Yogi: Sayadaw often says to separate the aversion from the object. But I don’t see the aversion when something hurts in the body or when I see a yogi that I don’t like. It’s so hard to see the aversion apart from the object, to see the aversion and not what hurts.

When I don’t see the aversion separate from the object, it creates new aversion.

Sayadaw: You don’t have to focus on them separately.

If when you’re observing the pain, you can feel the aversion, you just know both – you don’t have to focus on them separately. If you can do that – know both – that’s fine.

SEEING ALL OBJECTS ARE THE SAME IS THE RESULT OF RIGHT VIEW

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 12 (09:37-11:52)

Yogi: I had recurring strong thoughts about a dream and after a while I realized that they were only thoughts and they have the same value as hearing the birds or water. Is that right?

In the end, all objects we get have the same weight? Is this the practice?

Sayadaw: The reality is that all objects are the same because their only position is that they are being known. Because they are all objects, so the weight is the same.

But we only see that when there is that insight. When that wisdom is present, we see that all objects are the same.

When we don’t have that insight, then we think this is important and that is important.

Yogi: So, this is the right view?

Sayadaw: Yes.

WHAT IS INVESTIGATION IN THE PRACTICE?

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 10 (1:30:15-1:30:52)

Do more of the observing and less of the thinking.

Investigate doesn’t mean to think and investigate.

When you have a question like ’why is there fear’, you put aside the question after that and observe what is happening in the mind and body – just observe.

It is just like watching a movie; no more thinking.

THE CHALLENGE OF PRACTICE AT HOME

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 7 (32:20-32:54)

Yogi: I have a problem at home and will probably struggle with it when I go back.

My parents are old and frail – mom is sick in a nursing home and dad who gives me a hard time is suffering because he’s not allowed to visit her.

I feel for him, but have mixed feelings helping him. What would be a wise way to deal with this?

Sayadaw: Daily life practice is challenging but interesting because there are no fixed solutions.

You have to be creative; it’s not only mindfulness because you have to think how to approach things. You have to strategize and after that, do a postmortem of what works and what doesn’t.

ANY AWARENESS IS STILL VALUABLE

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 7 (21:44-25:11)

Yogi: I realized that it was aversion towards having to report at this Q&A that caused the hours of stress and noticing this decreased the stress by 80%; just a change of perspective helped.

Sayadaw: That insight was able to come because there was some awareness even though there was aversion and you had much difficulty. You were trying to bring some awareness to the process. At some point the conditions came together and at that moment something was seen precisely and understood and it cleared the mind.

Knowing is one of the conditions that is necessary for that insight to happen. No awareness ever goes to waste, even if you feel like you’re not putting in enough effort or you’re not trying properly or you think the awareness is discontinuous or you are struggling to bring in bits of awareness.

We always have these judgments about our not perfect awareness, but really it is okay because as long as there is some awareness, it will bear fruit.

BELIEVING A THOUGHT THAT WE’RE NOT GOOD YOGIS

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 12 (1:24:45-1:27:07)

Yogi: Sometimes I try too hard to be a good yogi and I get so tired that sitting was nearly impossible and I get really frustrated.

Sayadaw: You can see how much the wanting to be a good yogi messes up the mind.

It’s just a thought that messes up the mind – it’s not even a fact or reality. It is not that you’re not a good yogi that upsets the mind; it’s just a thought.

The expectation is so high – what it does is that it keeps repeating the thought and it keeps giving you different ways of telling the same story. It just spins out of control because you won’t stop thinking.

Remember that this is just a story about you – know it but don’t believe it.

It is a good thing that it comes up because it is something the mind really holds about itself and you need to know it without getting lost in it enough times before the mind finally gets it.

When the medicine is good, it exposes the hidden disease so that it can be cured. It is good that it comes up because you have a chance to learn about it.

In your case, the unwholesome quality is about a belief that you have of yourself and your ability to practice.

WHEN THE MIND GETS DISTRACTED INTO THINKING INSTEAD OF MEDITATING

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 10 (57:15-58:18)

A yogi had really good samadhi – really deep, still silences – when he sat.

Often during sitting, some image would flash in front of his eyes – it would be a person or a place.

Once the image of a person appeared and the yogi couldn’t remember his name. He started chewing after the person’s name until he lost all his samadhi.

It’s not even important to know the person’s name – he has lost all his samadhi. He has good samadhi but terrible paññā.

KNOWING THE UNPLEASANT FEELING IS AWARENESS

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 12 (26:00-30:07)

Yogi: This interview setting is kind of traumatic for me.

And, the whole afternoon, I was in a pre-panic mood. I made it here finally, but the awareness gets lost totally because it is too unpleasant.

Sayadaw: You don’t have to look at it; you already know that you’re in that state.

You only think it is difficult to be aware because you believe that if you’re aware of it, it’ll go away. You assume that if it doesn’t go away, then you’re not aware.

But in fact, awareness doesn’t make things go away. Awareness just makes you aware that something is present – and you were aware it was present.

So, it was not difficult to be aware; in fact, you were too aware. But if you thought that it was going to make it disappear, then, yes, that will be hard to achieve.

Neutral objects, it is easy for us to think ‘yes, there is awareness of this’, but with unpleasant objects it is very hard to feel that there is awareness because there is already a pushing of it.

That’s why we have to learn to face it and to maybe acknowledge intellectually that this is awareness. At first it is so unpleasant to know and experience it

If we do it often enough, the mind gets it that this is awareness, knowing that it is unpleasant and this is how it is.

AWARENESS BECOMES THE OBJECT WHEN THERE’S MOMENTUM

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 13 (11:50-12:56)

Yogi: Yesterday, I experienced a lot of tension and confusion because there were so many things to be aware of and I felt that I was bombarded and the awareness was scattered like flickering lights. And the mind started to think instead.

Sayadaw: When the awareness gets better, we know more objects. If we follow the objects, it becomes confusing.

So, stay with the knowing – just know that you’re aware – then it’s just one object.

The mind already knows what it knows – you don’t have to know the objects separately.

LEARNING FROM THE WORRYING MIND

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (16:00-21:43)

Yogi: I feel very nervous to speak in English and I could feel my heart beating all day long and the thought ‘what would I say’ repeating. I hate it because I can’t be calm.

So, there’s strong aversion towards the excitement and the shame to share it. The effect is that I hide it and I don’t explore the nervousness.

Is this worrying only another object because it feels like a big hindrance? And, how do I practice?

Sayadaw: Yes, the excitement is just another object.

A lot of the times in our lives, we worry ahead about things but the worrying won’t get the things done. But we can’t help it because worrying just comes up in the mind.

We have to see this connection again and again that we worry about something, but in the end we have to do what we have to do and the worrying doesn’t have any connection to our success in doing it.

When we see this many, many times, we’ll start to see that the worrying is just an extra burden – it is just an activity of the mind now because the mind has not enough wisdom and no control over.

When we see that connection long enough, then the mind will drop the worrying and not do it anymore.

That’s a principle that is very useful in life because it’s everywhere.

WISDOM CHOOSES TO DO SAMATHA PRACTICE TO STOP THE EXCESSIVE THOUGHTS

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 13 (32:57-34:26)

Yogi: When I come back from work and I have a heavy mind because I have many difficult things happening, what do I do?

Sayadaw: If we do have the wrong attitude, particularly when we’re confused, sometimes it is the thinking that makes us crazy. Then, it is helpful to take a simple object and watch it continuously and don’t allow the mind to think – just being aware continuously – and that helps to calm those excessive thoughts. It is just like a concentration exercise.

When we do a concentration exercise, because we do it simply, it works.

SUSTAINING THE PRACTICE POST-RETREAT

Swiss Retreat 2019 Group Interviews 14 (4:00-7:27)

Yogi: After a retreat, the practice kept on for 3 to 4 weeks, but after that, it couldn’t be sustained.

Sayadaw said the other day that if you want to do it, you have to simplify your life. I asked myself what I had to do, but realized that I couldn’t prepare for it and have to trust in the conditions.

Sayadaw: You do try to be mindful at home, but you’re saying that you can’t sustain it in the same manner as in the center beyond 3 to 4 weeks.

We know our lives best – we have to find a way that is suitable for us to sustain the practice ourselves and what works for us.