A MIXED BAG OF MINDS HAPPENING AT ANY ONE TIME

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (26:33-34:48)

Yogi: Sometimes when I’m aware of aversion, I don’t feel contented. That awareness has wrong attitude in it; it is a mixture of being able to recognize it and yet being unhappy about it.

It’s like a multiple-moment kind of experience.

Sayadaw: Imagine our mind to be like a river and there are many droplets of water in it; any moment there could be a mixture of good and bad happenings and that’s what is happening in our mind. That’s why it feels like that.

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE HELPS TO BRING IN MORE MINDFULNESS

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (06:05-09:52)

Yogi: How do I make the practice more consistent? One day I feel successful in meditation and the next day I forget or cannot find the momentum. If I try too hard, the mind will resist and when there’s not enough effort, I can’t find the momentum.

Sayadaw: The mind has to like and value awareness. For that to happen, you actually have to be happy every time the awareness arises, and not think that it’s not good enough.

When you’re happy whenever you notice the awareness even if it’s a little bit, it makes the mind feel successful and encourages the mind to want to do it again.

When you understand this, you’ll always want to congratulate yourself even if you’re a little mindful. Your mind will always feel successful and happy doing it and the awareness will come more and more often because the mind is encouraged whenever the awareness appears.

Whereas if you’re mindful and you think that it’s not enough, it discourages the mind from being mindful because you think it’s not good enough.

You want to be happy that you’re a little mindful so that your mind will want to be mindful more often.

ATTITUDE IS ALSO CONDITIONED

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 12 January 2023 (1:06:25-1:12:16)

Yogi: I’ve been noticing a basic craving for comfort that appears all the time.

I had to adjust to the tropical heat for the first 3-4 days, but it was okay because there was much mindfulness and joy in the practice. Although I sweated a lot, there was no aversion while normally I would react with aversion.

When I climbed up to the meditation hall, I saw a fan and my attitude completely changed. All the equanimity was gone – I realized that the right attitude was so conditioned, and not to be taken for granted.

Sayadaw: You’re right that attitude is also conditioned and deep in our minds everybody has a desire for comfort.

It’s conditioned – when the mind can’t find comfort, then the mind says ‘It’s okay, I’m fine’ until it can find comfort. That’s when the attitude changes and it says ‘I can do without the right attitude because I have found comfort’.

So, don’t look down on the defilements, they’re tricky and greed is the trickiest of them all.

MEDITATING TO REDUCE ANXIETY

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Groups A+B 14 January 2023 (17:17-22:20)

Yogi: I faint when I’m anxious because I suffer from epilepsy. I’m using meditation to reduce my anxiety. How may I solve this problem more effectively?

Sayadaw: When you’re content with however you’re practicing, it brings ease of mind. You don’t want your practice to be another cause of anxiety or striving.

The key is to appreciate that you’re practicing so that it helps the mind to want to keep practicing.

If I appreciate that doing A is enough, then A will lead to B, and B is enough. If the practice falls back to A, A is still enough.

It is always enough and that brings ease in practicing because the mind is not thinking it should be something else.

You want to become okay with the anxiety so that you’re not trying to get rid of the anxiety. Once the mind thinks that becoming okay means that you won’t have anxiety, then you’ll be afraid that anxiety will come. Instead, think that you can be okay even if it arises because you can be aware of it.

Remember that this is an exercise that you’re doing; even if there is fear of the anxiety coming, recognize that also.

Be happy that you recognize something; that’s important.

HANDLING GRIEF

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Groups A+B 14 January 2023 (22:37-31:27)

Yogi: I have lost my father and still grieve over it – how do I deal with my emotions when they arise?

Sayadaw: The more you understand what your grief is about by being willing to be aware, the less the emotions will arise. The most important thing is to watch it objectively, and if it is getting overwhelming, stop watching and only face it another time when the mind is more settled.

Be patient because it’ll take time to discover more about grief.

Yogi: When I watch the grief, it’s so strong like it is eating me.

Sayadaw: Do not look at the thoughts but watch the associated feelings.

In our thoughts there are the story, our identification, emotions, and attachment – all are bundled together by our thoughts and we’ll get completely sucked in. We want to be distant from the thoughts – we don’t need to figure out the thoughts and think our way through them.

We just have to do the exercise of being aware and appreciating that we’re aware and making the effort. As we do the work, slowly things will unravel by themselves.

Our work is not to look at the thoughts, but rather being aware of the feelings, be positive and appreciating the exercise of mindfulness.

There is a reason to observe and watch. When we observe, what we’re growing are the positive qualities of the mind and the 5 spiritual faculties. When that happens, the negative minds reduce and understanding can arise. We don’t have to fight with the negative minds or wish that they decrease, we just have to observe.

So long as we have the intention to understand our grief, and as we do the exercises, the mind will unravel for you.

THE FEELING AGGREGATE – VEDANA KHANDA

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Groups A+B 14 January 2023 (1:02:25-1:05:20)

Yogi: How do I begin to observe feeling?

Sayadaw: You know your mind is made up of the 5 Aggregates and one of the aggregates is vedana or feeling; it’s the aggregate that does the job of feeling. But feeling is just a function and not a judgment yet.

Then you have sanna which is perception; its job is to interpret or give meaning.

So, when there is contact with something, the mind first senses it, and then the mind gives meaning to it, but it happens very quickly and you may not be able to recognize feeling and interpretation separately.

If you understand that these are two different natures that are working together in the mind, it is good enough. Feeling and perception are working together to give you the interpretation that something is a pleasant or unpleasant object.

Yogi: So, when I notice that something is pleasant or unpleasant, it is already observing the feeling?

Sayadaw: Both vedana and sanna are already there, but whether you can recognize the feeling part alone is not important. If you understand that intellectually, it is okay already.

SAMSARA AND THE NEXT LIFE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (09.55-11:00)

Yogi: Is samsara real or not?

Sayadaw: Every day is samsara; you don’t have to wait until you die.

Every day, we have to wake up and brush our teeth; and we have to do the same this and that. We probably repeat a few hundred things every day and that is samsara.

(15:50-16:24) Sayadaw: Which do you think is further away, tomorrow or the next life?

Yogi: The next life.

Sayadaw: You can think that way and you must also know that your next mind is your next life. Every moment that our mind arises is another life; so, it is the next life every moment.

A WINDOW INTO THE LOWER OR HIGHER REALM OF EXISTENCE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (11.00-14:13)

Yogi: If I don’t meditate this lifetime, does it mean I’ll be reborn in a lower realm in the next life?

Sayadaw: The formula for whether we go to the lower or upper realm is: the more unskillful qualities there are in the mind, the tendency is for the mind to go into the lower realms.

Our mind is a habit pattern. If you allow unskillful habit patterns to dominate the mind, then when we’re dying, the more likely the mind will be unskillful.

The formula for going to the upper realm is to cultivate the mind to be more skillful. When you die with a wholesome state of mind, it will lead the mind to the upper realms.

Practicing meditation, cultivating the wholesome qualities of the mind, you’re practicing the Dhamma, then it is more likely to lead you to a higher realm.

We don’t have to look to the next life because in this life, our level of being, how happy we’re in general, and how confident we feel, already tell us whether we’re cultivating more skillful states of mind or more unskillful states of mind.

When we’re unhappy, more unskillful states are actually taking place in our mind and when we’re generally feeling happy, more skillful states are taking place in our mind.

We don’t have to wait until we die to find out if we’re in a lower or higher realm. We go through it every day as well.

WE DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LATENT GREED

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 12 January 2023 (1:15:30-1:17:25)

Yogi: It seems almost impossible to see the potential greed in the background of our experiences.

Sayadaw: We don’t have to worry about the greed when it is just a potential in the mind; it is untouchable. It’s only when the object triggers greed and the greed actually arisen that we can observe it.

THE CRAZY MIND THAT CRAVES SUFFERING

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 12 January 2023 (57:40-1:00:22)

Yogi: I see that at times my mind is craving suffering. Is this nature or is my mind crazy?

Sayadaw: This is so normal; it is crazy but you’re not alone. The Buddha called us puthujjana or mad worldlings.

The mind has habit patterns and there is craving for suffering. Look at the number of people who go to watch sad or tragic movies. We want to go and experience all this suffering.

The good news is that when we know it is crazy to crave suffering, that is already one step out of it.

PERSISTENT AWARENESS MEANS BEING CONSISTENT

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Groups A+B 14 January 2023 (1:36:52-1:40:07)

Yogi: How do I cultivate the persistent light awareness? I find that I put too much energy into being aware because I feel tired.

Sayadaw: We tend to think of persistence as something very continuous; so, when we make that kind of effort, it becomes very tight.

It is rather doing something consistently – there may be gaps, but if you’re consistent, it is okay. Do it at a pace that doesn’t make you tense.

We don’t have to aim for any kind of continuity.

WHAT TO DO WHEN WE KEEP FALLING ASLEEP DURING THE SIT

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 10 January 2023 (1:33:23-1:38:00)

Yogi: I keep falling asleep when I sit meditate, in almost every sitting. I don’t eat heavy meals; probably I don’t know how to watch.

Sayadaw: It’s going to keep happening because you’ve developed the habit of falling asleep during the sit.

Firstly, you must keep the mind awake. You can ask questions – e.g. Am I still aware?

You can also sit up straighter, put something on your head so that you wake up when it falls off, and keep your eyes open.

Talk to yourself; actively use your thinking to keep you awake. You can name what you’re aware of: I’m aware of this now and I’m aware of that now.

If after 10 minutes you still keep on falling asleep, get up and walk. Just don’t keep allowing the mind to sleep when you sit.

Secondly, it helps if you make your mindfulness in daily activities more continuous. Again, if you lose your mindfulness often in daily life, name your awareness – I’m aware of walking now, I’m aware of heat now, I’m aware of touching sensation now.

THE BROAD DEFINITION OF AN INSIGHT

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 6 January 2023 (1:00:35-1:01:58)

If you’re aware and your mind is fairly free of greed, anger and delusion, when the mind faces a difficult situation and the mind recognizes what needs to be done, that’s an insight, that’s wisdom.

When the mind has less greed, anger and delusion and it knows what to do in a given situation, that’s wisdom at work. That’s the general definition of insight at work.

WORLDLY INSIGHTS AND SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A 6 January 2023 (1:02:00-1:05:12)

Yogi: I feel that some of my insights are worldly insights like there is a problem and some thoughts come to relieve the suffering. I look at it more like solving worldly problems. It is not the kind of wisdom that understands reality, the more spiritual type of insight.

Sayadaw: If you understand that something is cause and effect, if you understand that the mind works this way, if you understand that the body works this way, if you understand that the mind and body work this way and therefore are interacting this way together, therefore there are these causes and effects, therefore this is the way things are, that’s a spiritual insight, a lokuttara nana because it is about mind-matter cause and effect.

Those insights can come in very ordinary ways, for example, in seeing, there is a nature that can see, and there is not a person that sees. You can either understand this in a very isolated spiritual insight way or you can understand that this is how it is. If you see some affliction and can see that this nature is at work, and you’re not caught up in the grief of it, that is also an insight into that nature.

Because we glorify these ‘wow’ moments, we undermine all the ways that our ordinary insights are important.

WE DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF AN OBJECT WITH EXPERIENCE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 8 January 2023 (1:15:40-1:21:16)

Yogi: I broke parts of my vertebrae in an accident and was hospitalized for 3 months. During that time, I was totally mindful and happy to be alive.

When I had recovered, I tried to meditate, but because of the trauma, it was chaotic whenever I tried to watch the mind. How do I deal with the chaotic mind?

Sayadaw: The chaotic mind is just the mind; it is no different from any other mind.

We just do our yogi’s jobs and try watch it without blaming ourselves. Be happy that there is awareness; then, that’s fine.

One thing to remember – you were very mindful before that and were very happy that you were alive. We like it when we’re happy and we’re not so mindful of the happiness itself although we could be mindful of other things.

We let ourselves be happy heedlessly although we are mindful of other things. We then suffer more when chaos come because of the contrast. We suffer more because we weren’t in a state of awareness of happiness, investigating happiness and understanding its nature. When we lose it, we suffer more.

But as far as being aware, chaotic mind is the same. Everything is still an object – happy mind is an object and a chaotic mind is also an object.