Dhamma talkOther Dhamma talks27 Jul 2013
Concentration without Wisdom is a Dangerous Thing
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 8 min
0:00−8:41
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The teacher explains the dangers of practicing concentration without wisdom. Trying to overcome pain through intense focus easily reinforces ego and anger because the mind's working activity is not seen. Powerful concentration coupled with thoughts can cause physical paralysis or loss of mental control.
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Transcript
EnglishYes. So some traditions or people say you break through the pain, or you overcome vaidanha. Is this
Englishlike— You cannot overcome the vaidanha. No way. They talk about it like this, though, some traditions— Right. Because some people, they misunderstand about vaidanha. They say the pain is vaidanha. But actually, Buddha teaching is the pain is a method, method, method, rupa. This is physical changing.
EnglishVaidhanha is feeling. Mentally feeling. If you have a mind, vaidhanha must be there. How to overcome the vaidhanha? It must be present or unpresent or neutral. One is one. One or the other, how to say? One or the other. One or the other. What? One or the other. And one or the other is all the time having.
EnglishHow to overcome the vaidhanha? But some people say they try to overcome the vaidhanha means they try to overcome the pain.
EnglishSo they try to watch the pain, pain, pain, pain, and then the pain disappears. They see, they say, "You have overcome the pain." You ask them, "Why is this pain gone?" They don't know.
EnglishBecause they never see the mind working. Because the pain, in the beginning, they watch the pain. The mind is feeling, identifying, because of grounding, the pain is there. And slowly you become familiar about the pain. You watch the patient, wow, patient, wow. Patient, I watch, watch, relax, I watch the pain. And slowly the mind changes. The mind accepts the pain.
EnglishThat time the mind is no anger anymore, the pain gone. But they don't know why the pain gone. Then what happened? I can overcome the pain.
EnglishThere is no vaidhanha coming. More attachment, more self-ideal is more stronger. I can watch the pain gone.
EnglishThis is more defilement coming. Because they don't see the whole view, wisdom cannot come. Because of you, you know you have idea I'm meditating. So I can handle this. So I is more stronger. That's why many people, they have concentration practice, they very strong.
EnglishI can do it. Is it prolonged periods of time doing anything? Right. They don't know their mind. Naturally the mind do this.
EnglishBecause of their understanding the conditioning. They think, "I can do, I can do, I can do." So ego is more stronger and stronger. That's why the concentration people are very angry.
EnglishSome are very angry.
EnglishVery strong angry. Because of the concentration also exaggerate the object. Defilement also exaggerate the object. Sometimes concentration and defilement together, they square.
EnglishSo without understanding it's difficult. Without understanding, concentration is sometimes very dangerous. Some people, they meditate, become crazy because of this concentration. Absolutely. They're really, really fearful and they're lost. Concentration very strong, and also defilement come.
EnglishFinish.
EnglishI'm very afraid about the concentration. I'm always afraid. Very responsibility. That's why I don't want to yogi concentrate.
EnglishI know many yogis. I'm talking with a yogi 70 years already.
EnglishOne time,
Englishone Vietnamese yogi, I said, "Don't control your walking, and don't label him. He's not listening." He likes this very calm, very concentration. Slowly walking.
EnglishAnd labeling also, use labeling. One time in the Dhamma talk, she walked like this and stopped. And because she can't determine one yogi is walking like this and stopped. And he can talk. Outside he can talk, but body cannot move. So I noticed there's already believing. The mind hypnotized herself already.
EnglishBecause of slowly walking, working, concentrate, and labeling. So the mind so heavy, the body also heavy. The mind starts to think, "Cannot move, cannot walk." The whole mind believe this talk.
EnglishThen body cannot move. But you can talk. And I know she noticed her leg can't move. This problem finished. So I said, "Sit down, sit down." Then she said, "Fall down, lady, fall down." Then I made the sit down. Then she can make the knee, this can move. Then he can walk.
EnglishBecause the concentration, the mind, and a little bit thought coming, the whole mind is believing this. Because of the root is believing this thought, then the whole mind becomes finished. There was one
Englishlocal yogi said, "She only know herself." The mind says very light, very weight light things. The mind says you cannot move.
EnglishThen she cannot move.
EnglishShe only know, and everybody knows, other people don't know. She know very well. This is hypnotize herself. Very easy. This lady can hypnotize very easy, I think.
EnglishThe mind believing the thoughts.
EnglishSome one yogi also, she's sitting meditation, then she concentrate too much and heavy, and the heavy, the head very heavy. So he start to think, "Like a stone up my head." So immediately after this thought, the head is sitting, slowly, slowly coming up.
EnglishAnd start to the ground. He cannot move. He cannot move.
EnglishHow to say this? Forehead. Forehead. And the ground is touch already. He's sitting like this. That time something broken, brought, then concentration gone. Then he can flip very easy.
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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.…