DEVELOPING THE UNDERSTANDING OF AN OBJECT

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (28:34-31:48)

Yogi: In the real world, there must be good and bad.

Sayadaw: Very quick, the mind already judges everything.

When we watch our feeling reactions and they come down to neutral, this state of mind can be understood as it is.

Whatever happens, the mind already judges; so, we can start by watching our feelings. When the mind settles down, come back to the object – there is a relationship between mind and object. Pain, for example, we watch the feeling first and when the feeling becomes neutral, come back to the pain. The neutral mind then can understand the nature of the pain.

I used to have knee pain – when I went on alms round and was walking, there would be feelings of pain and no pain. I would watch pain and no pain and suddenly I realized that pain and no pain were both objects. I understood the meaning of an object.

Both pain and no pain are known; when this understanding comes, there is no unpleasant feeling when pain comes, and the mind is not happy when there is no pain.

Pain and no pain are only objects; they are the same. Because of this understanding, the mind does not react.

RIGHT EFFORT, FAITH AND WISDOM GIVE MOMENTUM TO THE PRACTICE

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (1:16:05-1:17:12)

Yogi: Sometimes it is hard to practice; where do I get the strength to continue to practice?

Sayadaw: Strength comes from effort, faith and wisdom. These three qualities make you continue to practice – faith, understanding and effort.

Some yogis have faith-based personality, and they will try to practice very hard, again and again. They practice patiently with the right effort and saddha.

For others, confidence in the practice arises because of understanding. If you know the benefit of the practice, confidence increases, and effort follows.

You need to appreciate how much you have already benefited from the practice.

WHEN SOMETHING UPSETS US, COME BACK TO THE MIND

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (22:30-24:02)

The right attitude is holding the idea that the suffering feeling is nature, that there is nobody there.

Because of the right attitude, the watching mind can be equanimous towards a suffering object.

We learn by watching it again and again. So, every time anger arises, we need to watch the anger not from the pain only but from every suffering object – be it a person or situation. Whenever the reaction arises, we try to practice how to watch suffering feeling with equanimity again and again.

We need to practice watching suffering feeling with equanimity and without expecting the feeling to go away.

WE DON’T HAVE TO ACCEPT THE RIGHT INFORMATION

Singapore Q&A 4.7.2023 (00:20-03:43)

Yogi: My negative emotions have been growing stronger and stronger over the past few weeks, especially anger. Sometimes the anger is so strong I want to scream and pull my hair and I end up crying.

My teachers always say to be open and to accept it but every time I notice this anger I cannot accept – I’ll run away and suppress it.

Sayadaw: First, you need to think that anger is not yours, anger is anger, and everybody can experience anger. Put in this right view before watching anger.

You do not try to accept; you try to think the right way that anger is nature. And try to be aware of the feeling – the burning sensation – and not follow the storyline. Keep coming back to watching the feeling every time the mind follows the storyline.

Don’t try to accept; it is not necessary to accept. You only need to think that anger is nature. We’re not trying to make the anger go away; we’re trying to know and understand the nature of anger.

Can you do this?

WATCHING THE BODY OR THE MIND?

Singapore Q&A 14.7.2023 (01:16-02:20)

Sayadaw: What object are you more aware of? Body or mind?

Yogi: Body.

Sayadaw: Why?

Yogi: I prefer the body.

Sayadaw: But the mind is more important.

Yogi: I know.

Sayadaw: If you’re aware of the awareness, you can also know the body.

That is why I remind yogis: What is the mind aware of? This is also attention to the mind.

I also ask: Do you recognize that awareness is present? That is also the mind. That is enough because the body sensation is already with the awareness.

CHECK THE OBJECT AND THE KNOWING MIND

Singapore Q&A 7.7.2023 (2:19-4:50)

Sayadaw: Sometimes we check if the awareness is present; then, we check again if we have realized something. Basically, you need to know what the object is and what the mind is.

Tell me what you’re aware of in the 30-minute sit.

Yogi: I know my breath and then the sound of the door and then the breath again. Then I go to thinking.

Sayadaw: Only aware? At that time, do you know what the object is and what is the awareness?

Yogi: Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

WHEN WE ASK ‘WHY’, WE WANT TO SEE MORE OF THE PROCESS

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (1:05:40-1:06:21)

Yogi: If we keep asking ‘Why, why, why’, won’t we get into thinking and not being aware?

Sayadaw: When we ask ‘Why’, we want to see more of the process, and not think more, just like a detective who asks ‘Why’ and then observes carefully.

We try to be aware of the experience and not think all the time.

HOME PRACTICE IS REAL

Singapore Q&A 4.7.2023 (42:12-42:30)

I’m more interested in daily life practice. In the center, there is not much suffering.

A HOME-LIFE PRACTICE

Singapore Q&A 14.7.2023 (03:14-04:14)

Just recognize the intention and action together throughout the day; that is enough. Then, you already recognize the process. If you’re aware of the intention and action, then you will know that there is nobody there.

You can see the intention and action process the whole day – and if you’re more aware of this, you’ll understand anatta, i.e., there’s nobody there.

For example, when there is the intention to look, we look; and when there is the intention to move, the hand moves. All actions come from intention.

HAVING THE DHAMMA IN OUR LIVES

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Concluding Talk 17 Jan 2023 (39:00-39:25)

Peace of mind is about how the mind orientates itself; it is about how we see the Dhamma in the nature of things. That is why we need the Dhamma in our lives.

WE NEED TO HAVE RIGHT VIEW BEFORE WE WATCH THE DEFILEMENTS

Vietnamese Retreat Day 3 -230910 (46:50-47:40)

If the dhamma mind is ready, dhamma is everywhere. However, in the beginning, kilesas are everywhere.

That is why we need to be able to practice using kilesas as the meditation object. They can help us grow in wisdom – we use the kilesas to help us grow the wisdom if we know how to practice.

A SIMPLE CLUE TO THE AWARENESS OF AWARENESS

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (47:50-48:45)

Do you recognize the object and the awareness?

If so, it means that you know the awareness already.

If you can see 2 objects, it means there are 3 because there is always a witness.

The beginner only knows one, the object. He doesn’t know the awareness.

But if you see the object and the awareness, it means that you are aware of the awareness already.

The witness is the awareness; so, if you see two, it means there are three.

THE RIGHT APPROACH TO HOME PRACTICE

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A+B 14 January 2023 (32:30-39:06)

Yogi: I need to find a way to balance my own life and meditation so that I can enjoy sensual pleasures as well as meditate.

Sayadaw: I don’t say that you can’t have sensual pleasure or do your work. Meditation doesn’t tell you not to do that.

Don’t try too hard to meditate; the key is just to recognize when you’re aware and to always appreciate yourself for having done that even if it’s one moment – e.g. you’re working on your computer and all of a sudden you recognize yourself.

Pat yourself on the back for recognizing that you’re aware; and the more you recognize little bits like that, the more awareness will show up.

The key is to be happy that you have done a little bit. It is the same with recognizing sensual pleasures.

That’s how you inject meditation into your life. It is not like meditation is a separate activity and sensual pleasures and work are a separate activity.

Because meditation is just being aware, you can be aware of your work or sensual pleasures without trying.

When you recognize and appreciate the awareness, it will help you to grow the awareness because you’re happy enough with it whenever it is there.

When you try to practice in daily life, you’re not trying to overcome all the defilements because we also cannot, don’t even have that idea. Your only goal is to be aware, it’s like if you’re aware, you’re happy.

Even if your awareness is scattered moments in the day – you recognize a bit here and a bit there and you’re happy, the mind will put all these moments for us and we’ll begin to understand some of our defilements more.

There will be times when we are carried away into whatever, and that’s okay because we’ve been doing that all our life. It is not a loss, but every time we recognize it a bit, that’s a gain. It doesn’t matter if we understand anything yet, that’s fine; we’re aware and that’s the way we want to go.

It is like we’re allowing the defilements to co-exist with us – we’re not pushing them away. We also do not purposely go and sink ourselves into it. Of course, there’re times we get swept away; that’s okay.

HOME PRACTICE IS DIFFERENT FROM RETREAT

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Concluding Talk 17 January 2023 (07:50-17:34)

We come on retreat to fine-tune the skills of being aware, but the real place to put these skills into action is at home.

When we try to practice at home, we’ll realize that the amount of awareness does not match the kind of unwholesome qualities that arise in the mind. We’ll feel disappointed or we’ll feel like we can’t practice at home.

On retreat, we can feel like meditation is working because we only face a restricted amount of unwholesome qualities. But when we get home, we can’t handle it because the defilements are coming faster than we can manage. We also feel like our practice is not enough.

One of the differences is that on retreat our mind is fully geared to practice meditation – it is like what we’ve come to do. But when we go home, it is no longer our first priority anymore.

On retreat, we keep reminding ourselves that everything is nature. Our business is just to meditate, but at home, everything suddenly becomes ours and then the defilements can come on strong because we’re identified with them.

It is easier to have right view on retreat, but at home, it is easier to have wrong view because identification is our view our entire lives and it comes automatically.

I’m not telling you to reject it, but to notice that identification is coming in strong and that is getting into the way of remembering to practice because we want to set things right rather than be mindful of what is in the mind.

Expect that practice at home is not going to be easy – expect that and be okay with it. Just practice without thinking what it should look like because the awareness is not going to be consistent at home. Just think about following the instructions ‘I’ll try to be aware and if I’m aware a bit, it is good enough’.

WHEN TO SWITCH OBJECTS

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat Zoom Q&A Group A+B 16 January 2023 (1:28:37-1:29:37)

Yogi: Whenever the mind touches the object and it overwhelms the mind, it means that it is not the right time to observe the object. Is that correct?

Sayadaw: If the mind is overwhelmed, yes, at that time you cannot face it directly. Do something to help the mind, to calm it down by using a different object or go for a walk. When the mind feels more grounded and stable, then you can allow the mind to explore.

Sometimes, it might even find things out by itself.