RESET – LET WISDOM GUIDE OUR ACTIONS

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (01:35-3:28) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: I often don’t want to talk and isolate myself. What advice can Sayadaw give?

Sayadaw: Talking or not talking is not important. If we should talk, we talk and if we should not talk, we don’t talk. This means that wisdom is leading.

We shouldn’t talk because of liking or disliking. Defilement is leading if we talk because of liking or disliking.

For example, I ask yogis during sitting meditation if it is okay for them to move or not. Some say ‘yes’ and some say ‘no’.

If there is a reason to move, then move. This is important – but meditators don’t know this. When wisdom leads, then it knows should or not, necessary or not.

If wisdom is leading, then you can decide if you should move or not.

PAST LIVES DISTURB THE MIND DURING MEDITATION

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (1:01:34-1:04:40) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: I could see my past lives during meditation. This obstructs me from sitting longer.

Sayadaw: The problem arises because you pay attention to concept.

Don’t go to the storyline; be aware that image is happening. Don’t pay too much attention to the image. We’re learning about nature, not concept.

Nature is the object for the vipassana meditator. If you pay attention to concept it is easy for emotion to come; then, it becomes a hindrance.

The memory is not a hindrance. You cannot erase your memory, but if wisdom is present, craving or aversion does not arise because of the memory.

We have a lot of bad memories – for example, whenever I passed by Chinatown in Yangon, I would have a lot of regret because I used to do plenty of bad things there as a youth. The mind would be very agitated arising from the memories.

One day, I checked my memories as they appeared repeatedly and discovered that they were merely images and not me. Previously, I would think that I was bad whenever the memories arose, but now the memories are just memories.

Memories cannot disappear till we die, but if we have wisdom, aversion doesn’t appear with the memories.

APPLYING INVESTIGATION WHEN WE PRACTICE

Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (44:45-47:52) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: Sayadaw, how do I apply dhamma vicaya or investigation when I practice?

Sayadaw: Be aware first and experience many times and slowly when wisdom comes, the questions will arise naturally. This is the natural way.

Actually you’re already applying in daily life – whatever you do, wisdom is already there. Intelligent people, naturally they want to know what is happening.

Most yogis only know how to concentrate; they try to concentrate to calm down and forget to practice dhamma vicaya. If you really practice vipassana meditation with a good teacher, they will explain how to apply dhamma vicaya wisdom in the training.

Most yogis don’t know how to apply wisdom in the practice; they only know how to use effort and concentration. That is why I explain a lot about this during discussions and interviews. When yogis listen more about it repeatedly, with more information, they realize that wisdom can be applied this way when they practice.

DON’T OVERTHINK WHAT THE MIND STILL DOESN’T UNDERSTAND

Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (39:40-42:48) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: How do we apply knowledge we read in a book to our practice? For example, I read that things are always changing, but personally I have fear of change and losing things.

Sayadaw: Impermanent, right? I met 2 Western yogis who had read about impermanence, suffering and non-self. After contemplating anicca, dukkha and anatta, they became depressed and they asked me why?

It is because wisdom and defilement don’t match. They’re only thinking about impermanence, but defilement is still strong in their mind. Although they think about impermanence, the mind wants to exist, and because defilement is stronger than wisdom, slowly the mind becomes depressed.

Craving wants existence, but you think it is impermanent; so, there is conflict. When the mind cannot get what it wants, it becomes angry and depressed.

And also thinking about dukkha, do you like dukkha? They only know that dukkha is suffering feeling and the mind is not happy about dukkha. They don’t really understand dukkha; craving wants to be happy and if you think too much about suffering and subconsciously the mind doesn’t like it, it becomes depressed.

And anatta, you say the mind cannot control, but craving wants to control; so, later you become depressed.

That was why my teacher told me not to contemplate too much about anicca, dukkha and anatta. If you meditate and wisdom arises, we let the understanding of anicca, dukkha and anatta arise in the mind. This is better.

We shouldn’t think too much about what the mind still doesn’t understand.

LEARN TO BE AWARE OF BAD SITUATIONS

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (6:25-10:50) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: I was down with Covid and lost my taste and smell. I was very scared because I was attached to the taste and smell.

I looked at the fear and it became even stronger. I didn’t know what to do.

Sayadaw: This was a bad situation. Learn to face bad situations; don’t run away every time you have a bad experience. You can learn how to be aware with equanimity.

When you can do this, it means that you know how to meditate very well.

Otherwise, when pleasant situation arises, the mind gets attached; and when bad situation comes, the mind resists all the time. It is like the craving and aversion are the far ends of the swing of a pendulum.

For a meditator, whether a pleasant or unpleasant experience arises, you can still be aware and understand that they are also objects.

So, sickness and no sickness are the same.

Why do people get upset when the body is sick? It is because of attachment to the good experience.

Every time I wake up, I check my mind and when I see that both body and mind are very nice, peaceful and relaxed, what does the mind say at that time? Nice, good. This is delusion because there is no nice or good situation.

If you think it’s good, you get attached and samsara keeps going.

When the mind says it is good and nice, wisdom doesn’t allow the thought to continue. It is just an experience or object and there is no need to be attached to it.

MEDITATION IS NOT CONTROLLING TO GET WHAT WE WANT

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (32:28-34:26) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: When I meditate, the quality of awareness is dull and unclear. Should I just accept it, or how do I energize it to make it better?

Sayadaw: What do you want to do? You want to change, right? That’s the problem.

You said you want to accept, but already you want to change.

I said to check the quality of the awareness, that’s it. Just checking and not trying to change.

You notice that the experience is not good and the mind wants it to be good. The big problem with the meditator is that they don’t like bad situations.

If we don’t understand bad situations, then we’ll never overcome them.

Quality is no good, it is okay because it is also an object; just an experience. So, check your attitude first; what does the mind want to do? This is wanting to control and get what we want.

WHAT YOU KNOW NOW IS THE BEST MEDITATION OBJECT

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (1:43:00-1:45:00)

Yogi: Observing thinking, either I’m lost in the thoughts or I notice it from the feeling itself or when I notice the thinking, it has already stopped. It is like I can’t catch the thoughts and objectify the thinking.

Sayadaw: Know what is happening and don’t hurry. Don’t try to get something that you think is better meditation. There’s nothing better than what you know now.

WHEN THOUGHTS DISTURB THE MIND, DIRECT ATTENTION TO THE THINKING PROCESS

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (28:00-30:10) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: Whenever I practice, I’m always disturbed by the thinking mind.

Sayadaw: When you practice vipassana meditation, there’s no disturbing object. Why do you say that thoughts disturb you?

This is already wrong idea and wrong attitude because you don’t have the right information.

The thinking process doesn’t disturb you; it is the storyline, the concept that disturbs.

We call something that can think the mind - this is the definition of the mind. So, thinking is not disturbing; thinking is the mind. We’re learning about the mind process, not the storyline.

When thinking arises and if we pay attention to the storyline, who and what are happening, then agitation arises. That is why you say thinking disturbs you – the mind is paying more attention to the concept.

We’re not interested in the concept; we’re interested in the process of mind, that thinking mind is happening.

A clearer example is when we’re aware of hearing, we’re not paying attention to the sound, we’re aware that hearing process is happening. Don’t pay attention to the sound because if you do, it is easy for liking and disliking to arise as we’re easily drawn to the concept.

The object of defilement is a concept, but the object of vipassana-wisdom is nature.

APPLYING WHAT WE HAVE READ IN THE PRACTICE

Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (39:40-44:38) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: How do we apply knowledge we read in books to our practice? For example, I read that things are always changing, but personally I have fear of change and losing things.

Sayadaw: How do we apply the book information to our practice? When we don’t have enough direct understanding, we cannot apply. We read a lot about Buddha’s teaching, but we cannot apply in daily life. We have to balance theory and practice.

Previously, I also couldn’t apply in daily life except for mindfulness. With mindfulness practice, understanding grows slowly, then you can apply in daily life. We don’t try to push – if defilement is stronger, we don’t try to push to overcome it. If the mind cannot accept it, we need to know that the mind cannot understand yet.

For example, we know that patience or khanti is good. If we try to be patient all the time, a lot of problems arise, right?

ARE WE CONTROLLING OR APPLYING WHEN WE PRACTICE?

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (15:51-16:58) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: Sometimes we don’t have the understanding yet and we hear Sayadaw say this and that. With the information, we try to control and get into the wrong practice.

Sayadaw: If we don’t have the wisdom, but we have the right knowledge, we can apply what we have read or an idea. We recall and change our mind as much as we can.

Yogi: So, we can change this way?

Sayadaw: This is not controlling; this is applying.

Yogi: Okay, I see the difference between controlling and applying.

Sayadaw: This is not controlling; we’re applying our knowledge. Contemplating is part of meditation. When we think – for example, contemplate anicca, dukkha and anatta – and as much as we understand, that much we’re relieved.

HOW TO HELP NON-MEDITATORS AT THE DEATHBED

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (38:05-39:30) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Those who don’t know how to meditate, at near death, we can help to calm them by saying something good or by chanting to remind them of the Buddha or by helping them recall memory of their good dana or anything to change their quality of mind.

In this way, we can help them calm their mind using the object – the mind changes when the object changes – because they cannot change their mind directly by being aware of themselves.

NO OBJECT DISTURBS THE VIPASSASNA YOGI

Singapore Q&A 21 November 2022 (28:08-32:14) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: I’m always disturbed by the thinking mind.

Sayadaw: When we practice vipassana meditation, there is no disturbing object. We are not interested in concept; we’re interested in the process of mind, that something is happening.

We’re not interested in the sound; we’re interested in the hearing process. Don’t pay attention to the sound; if you pay attention to the sound, liking and disliking will arise.

Inside the hearing process, there are sound, knowing, thinking and feeling.

No object disturbs the mind; so, this right thought is very important. It is the same with thinking.

There is no disturbing object for the vipassana meditator, but for the samatha meditator, sound really disturbs the mind because they cannot get deep concentration when it is noisy.

Sound is totally disturbing for the jhana practitioner. It is not for the vipassana yogi – because of sound, we can understand anicca, dukkha and anatta. So, we use sound as an object.

GOOD INTENTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOOD ACTION

SOM Q&A 29 July 2019 (00:00-00:58) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SV79q_r8s&t=10s

Yogi: If I do something that can benefit somebody, but the intention is not pure, should I do it?

Sayadaw: Good intention is more important than good action because it is only with good intention that we can say that the action is good.

If the defilement decreases, you can go ahead, but if the defilement increases you should not do it. Practicing that is meditation.

BALANCING CONCENTRATION WITH AWARENESS

Singapore Q&A 21 Nov 2022 (19:35 -24:00) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Yogi: How do we balance concentration with awareness?

Sayadaw: Concentration is stability of mind. I don’t say concentration because concentration uses a lot of energy.

Samadhi is stable and calm mind, not concentration. However much samadhi you have, there is no problem. There is no problem having as much awareness and right samadhi; the problem comes when the samadhi is wrong samadhi.

When there is wrong idea or micchā-ditthi, the concentration becomes too heavy. 

Balancing is checking if awareness, stability of mind and wisdom are present. 

If the mind is too quiet, the mind cannot think, then you need to balance the mind. If awareness is present, you should think if you need to think. But thinking all the time is also not right – the mind wanders and becomes agitated.

Awareness is more important – it observes and knows how to adjust the mind. Is stability of mind there? Is the mind awake and alert? Are wisdom, calmness and effort working? 

You can know if something is too much.

Yogi: It is the attachment to the bliss.

Sayadaw: Attachment to the peaceful mind is a big problem to yogis.

Peacefulness is not the aim of meditation; it is a by-product or side effect of meditation. It is not our aim.

We need to be interested in bad situations too because when we’re near death, the mind will not be calm, not like during sitting meditation.

Now, during meditation, you’re very happy and feeling nice, but when we’re dying, it will not be like this.

Actually, calmness is not a problem; it is helping you to understand; samadhi helps wisdom to arise because it provides the stable mind for wisdom to come. The problem is attachment to calmness.

So, we take care of the attachment, not the calmness.

If we’re doing right, calmness arises; this is cause and effect process. The problem arises only when there is attachment because no understanding arises when we’re attached.

AN ADVICE FOR HOME PRACTICE

Singapore Q&A 20 November 2022 (43:12-44:04) with Sayadaw U Tejaniya

At home, when people try to be aware, all their activities stop to be aware. For me, I just remind myself if I’m aware while doing what I do, just checking if awareness is present. As such, my activities don’t stop, only the mind changes.

When you get to the point where you become more conscious of the awareness, then you can keep reminding yourself if awareness is still there while doing things, just checking if it is still there.

We’re not asking the awareness to specifically pay attention to anything. We’re just checking if awareness is still around.