Q&AMeditationszentrum Beatenberg Retreat25 May 2016
C 3 Group interview — Natural Awareness, Checking the Attitude, and Facing Experiences
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 2 hr 29 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−2:29:13
AI-written summary
In this group interview, the teacher clarifies the difference between personal effort and natural awareness as momentum builds. Meditators are guided to check their attitude, recognizing greed and aversion rather than clinging to objects. Vipassanā is about skillfully facing experiences rather than avoiding them.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Meditationszentrum Beatenberg Retreat · 22 talks
- 1030 minMeditation instructions — Knowing the Awareness and the Quality of Awareness24 May 2016
- 111 hr 51 minD 2 Group interview — Recognizing Awareness and Understanding Dukkha24 May 2016
- 1217 minMeditation instructions — Knowing the Mind and Developing Awareness25 May 2016
- 132 hr 29 minB 3 Group interview — Simple Awareness and Observing the Mind25 May 2016
- Viewing142 hr 29 minC 3 Group interview — Natural Awareness, Checking the Attitude, and Facing Experiences25 May 2016
- 1517 minMeditation instructions — The Nature of Mind and Momentum of Awareness26 May 2016
- 162 hr 16 minD 3 Group interview — Appreciating Awareness and Watching Without Interference26 May 2016
- 1730 minMeditation instructions — Knowing the Mind and Being Mindful When Speaking27 May 2016
- 181 hr 46 minB 4 Group interview — Deciding with Defilement or Wisdom and Background Awareness27 May 2016
- 192 hr 56 minC 4 Group interview — Greed in Meditation and Understanding Strong Aversion27 May 2016
Transcript
English
I've been noticing,
English
um, about thoughts and also other,
English
um, well, stuff in the mind like desire, the difference of, um,
English
being investing in it, being identified with it, and, um,
English
disidentification. Mm-hmm. So that's, um, very fascinating for me.
English
So I would like to tell the story that, um, last—well, two days ago, when we were here and I was listening to what other people were saying, um, the thoughts that I was having, the usual stuff, like, "Oh, I want that experience too," or, "They're so much better, but I've been practicing longer," and all the, um, big emotions with that, and then, um, being able to see, "Oh, this is a thought, so I have a choice.
English
If I believe it, then, um, I suffer,
English
and if I don't believe it, then I can just, you know, be happy." So that was amazing. And then after the, um, the group, I have my job to do, so I was washing salad and seeing the mind is still calm, which was surprising for me after all this talking. Yeah. So then I go to bed, and the next morning I wake up and the mind is still reasonably calm, so I'm like, "What?
English
What's going on here?" Yeah. And then I realized that I wasn't buying into the desires that were coming up, like, "Oh, I'm calm now, I should go and do some real practice." Mm-hmm. And I was like, "No, no, I'm just—" Yeah. So when I realized that, it was like, "Wow, if I don't follow the desire, then I'm really calm."
English
And then the next thought was, "Wow, that's what the Buddha said too."
[Burmese segment]
English
ma rim . Yeah, so that's because all those, you know, those five faculties, they're working together and they've become much better, they're much stronger, all of them, the sati, the paññā, samādhi, saddhā, all of them.
English
Now you're really improving. Now, he said, "This is real improving," he said. improving . Yeah, so he says meditation isn't about, you know, having— .
English
A great sitting or something like that. It's about having the sati become better, the samādhi become better, the paññā. ma rim . He says, and when you are calm longer, he says, that means samādhi is better. And usually, samādhi can be maintained longer when the paññā is better.
English
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
English
So now when it's—oh, sorry. Yes? When it's not so calm and when I'm—I notice that I'm more getting entangled with the stuff that's happening,
English
I very much try to, um, use the advice that he's been giving, like, I check if I—I check the attitude and I check if, um, if I want a certain kind of awareness that was there before. Yeah. So. Yeah. Yeah.
English
Okay. . Yeah. He says greed is the biggest complicator. . Almost all problems are created by greed. ? So that's why it's so important to recognize thoughts. Mm-hmm. Not just be led by them.
English
Yeah.
English
So I'm finding this, um. Yeah. He says even when a thought sounds good, he says, don't just believe it. Check it out first. Yeah. Okay. I mean, one thought can ruin half a day.
English
Yeah. Or half a day. Yeah. He says words can be manipulated, they can be made to sound good. He says, but your feelings won't lie to you. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
English
So I'm finding this really helpful, the format of the retreat with the free structure and, um, and also the way that he's, um, teaching. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Be happy.
English
Um, this morning during the sitting meditation, I had a short time of very clear awareness. Mm-hmm. And I was. Moment to moment, I, uh, was, uh, very aware of every object. Mm-hmm. And so then when I suddenly I started to, to think about it and thought, "Oh, wow, that's nice."
English
Yeah. And, and, you know, and then it was gone. It's just. I started to keep it up. Yeah. And, you know, I wanted it too hard then. Yeah. To, to, to get it back, so it was gone. Yeah. And then, uh, during the walking meditation, I had some very clear moments
English
and then I lost it again and it came back. Mm-hmm. But on, on, on the, uh, in the end of the, uh, walking meditation, I realized I tried too hard. I really was exhausted. Mm-hmm. And then I realized I put too much effort in it. Yeah. So it's, um, yeah.
[Burmese segment]
English
He says so. The thing to, uh, know, he says, it's a good lesson. He says, it's the thing to know is the difference between personal effort, the effort we make, and, and then, oh, natural effort, when awareness becomes natural.
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Sayadaw U Tejaniya began his Buddhist training as a young teenager in Burma under the late Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw (1913–2002). After a career in business and life as a householder, he has become a permanent monk since 1996.…