CHECKING HOW THE MIND IS BEING AWARE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A+B 14 January 2023 (1:36:50-1:40:55)

Yogi: How do I cultivate the light but persistent awareness?

Sayadaw: Be aware with an eye on your mind, the state of your mind – whether your mind is at ease, comfortable and contented, whether it is moving forward in that way. You will then notice if the state of the mind is getting more stable and bright. That is good enough; it shows the work is getting done. And, even if the mind is not stable and bright, the work is also getting done when awareness is present. Recognize your own effort.

WATCH THE DEFILEMENT AND NOT TRY TO IMPROVE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Groups A+B 14 January 2023 (1:44:43-1:44:53)

If there is doubt, you’ll notice that your mind will start to feel like you’re not good enough. Then, you need to watch the doubt, not believe it and think that you need to improve.

You need to watch the doubt and not try to improve.

HOW TO TELL IF WE’RE SUCCESSFUL IN MEDITATION?

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (01:00-05:50)

Yogi: Once I watched anger and it disappeared, is this considered successful meditation and is it the right way of meditating?

Sayadaw: Anger can disappear because of any of these reasons.

One is that in trying to be aware, it doesn’t allow your mind to think of the things that make you angry; that makes the anger become less.

Trying to be aware is wholesome work; it can change the quality of the mind and make the anger go away.

You could have actually thought of something in a different way or realized something that makes the anger stop or become less.

But in any case, when you try to be aware of your anger, you have already succeeded in being mindful. You are already successful as far as being mindful is concerned. The result is not important; it is the work that is important.

You want to congratulate yourself for making the effort and recognizing that effort is present and more importantly, the awareness is present.

THE PRACTICE GETS COMPLICATED WHEN WE ATTEND TO THE EXPERIENCE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 16 January 2023 (41:10-44:03)

Yogi: When I’m doing walking meditation, the mind is aware of the walking and the good feeling that the mind is light and wholesome, but then the mind also thinks it is not doing a proper job because it is not watching properly.

The mind is pleased with the light and pleasant feelings and cannot be aware of any other thing. Should I look for other objects or is that enough?

Sayadaw: This is enough. You just keep going with that. Your main job is to be content.

Yogi: The mind thinks that this is attachment and should look for another object.

Sayadaw: Remember that the objects are not important. Knowing that you’re knowing is enough and you can be content.

NOT DOING ANYTHING BUT SEEING IT AS IT IS

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 12 January 2023 (39:56-43:52)

Yogi: There are times when the mind is interested but it doesn’t know how to find out more.

It is joyful and vibrant, but it doesn’t know how to start the observation.

Sayadaw: When the 5 Spiritual Faculties are not balanced, that’s when we feel like something is off. Having interest but not knowing what to do is when the faculties are not balanced.

Not knowing what to do is doubt; that is moha. Wisdom comes in one form and moha comes in another.

There’s nothing to do about it except to recognize this is what is happening; recognize there is doubt and the mind doesn’t know what to do, this is what it feels like and continue to be aware of that.

WHEN TO WATCH AN OBJECT AND WHEN TO SWITCH

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group B 12 January 2023 (1:01:45-1:03:24)

Yogi: Sayadaw once recommended I don’t watch the painful object directly but to watch it together with a neutral object like sound. In this way, it makes the suffering softer.

Sayadaw: At that time, when you had panic attack and the mind was overwhelmed, I said not to look at it, and if you were interested, to use an anchor so that you’d not be sucked into it.

But when the mind is in a good state and it can see the nature of the object, that it is doing this and it is doing that and it is not sucked into the suffering and not involved with it, then you can observe it.

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.