Q&AShwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat4 Apr 2016
Day 8 Dhamma discussion group C — Not Aiming for Awareness and Knowing the Mind Door
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 25 min
Original audio: English
0:00−1:25:41
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
This group interview clarifies that peace is not the goal of practice, emphasizing combining awareness with wisdom through inquiry. The teacher explains the five aggregates, how to observe the mind at the mind door, and how to recognize layers of craving and intention underlying actions.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat · 25 talks
- 1459 minDay 6 Dhamma discussion group D — Knowing Mind, Object, and Continuous Practice in Daily Life2 Apr 2016
- 1538 minDay 7 morning guided — Aim of Practice: Understanding Rather Than Peaceful Experiences3 Apr 2016
- 161 hr 26 minDay 7 Dhamma discussion group A — Wrong View, Aversion, and Natural Speed3 Apr 2016
- 171 hr 40 minDay 7 Dhamma discussion group B — Craving, the Sense of Self, and Awareness3 Apr 2016
- Viewing181 hr 26 minDay 8 Dhamma discussion group C — Not Aiming for Awareness and Knowing the Mind Door4 Apr 2016
- 191 hr 11 minDay 8 Dhamma discussion group D — Taking Care of Emotions First and Practicing in Daily Life4 Apr 2016
- 2040 minDay 9 morning guided — Knowing the Awareness and the Object5 Apr 2016
- 211 hr 17 minDay 9 Dhamma discussion group A — Pain and Mind's Attitude, Seeing Versus Looking5 Apr 2016
- 221 hr 16 minDay 9 Dhamma discussion group B — Handling Sleepiness and Investigating Aversion5 Apr 2016
- 231 hr 11 minDay 10 Dhamma discussion group C — Sound As Object and Knowing Mind6 Apr 2016
Transcript
EnglishOkay. Um, you were talking in the Dhamma hall about making— not making— awareness your end goal, and I didn't realize that I had thought that. I want to ask you, not, not making aware— You said— you said that awareness isn't the answer, as in it's not what you're aiming for.
EnglishYou're not aiming for awareness. Not aiming for awareness meaning, uh, peacefulness, happiness. Yeah. Is not for my meditation object. Yeah. Objective. Yeah. This is just a side effect, or by product, it's already there. Yeah. But people sometimes they try to aim for this happiness, peacefulness, then they enjoy this.
EnglishHappiness, then they enjoy. So we're not learning. That's why I'm reminding this. Yeah. Right. And I saw that yesterday. Right. How I'd just made— because awareness is such a— for me it feels like such a peaceful state. Yes. A very strong, peaceful. Right. State. And I didn't realize that I was trying to hold that as my aim.
EnglishOh. And so, um, it's been— it's been so interesting starting to question. Yes. So starting to add wisdom. Right. Into awareness. Right. And the difference, the, the practice, it feels so open again. Yes. And totally different.
EnglishTotally different. That is true. Yeah. Awareness alone not enough means. That, that, that meaning. Yeah. Just aware, aware, aware continuously, the mind becomes peaceful, right? Yeah. Then we use the question. Yeah. This is a— for an intelligent person, they use the question because wisdom is the wake-up. Yeah. So the view is different. Yeah. Right? Without question, just watching, it's only— it's not awake.
EnglishYeah. Right? Because of wisdom, the question comes. The accredits are not because of questioning. But beyond the question, there's some energy. Yeah. The interest. Because of we don't know many things yet from the experience. Experience we know, but we're not understanding about this experience yet. So this question leading to wisdom is involved.
EnglishIf your wisdom is involved, then the, the, the view is becoming very different. Mm-hmm. Very awake. This is— that is learning process. Mm-hmm. That's leading your question, and question is leading you the way.
EnglishYeah. For example, what question is the answer? Maybe you can get the answer different. Why it's different, right? Yeah. The, the direction is different.
EnglishSo this is awakening up. Mm-hmm. Right? Yeah. Very— if you— in, in, in wisdom is a coming, the meditation becomes very interesting. Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. I was looking at breakfast this morning about the difference between
Englishtaste. Mm-hmm. And sensation. And where in the mouth can you taste? Mm-hmm. Like, is it just on the tongue, or is it. Tongue, middle, or behind, or. Yeah.
EnglishAnd you can just spend hours just looking at. Yeah. Sensation in the mouth. Right. Related to taste. It was just. So detail. Yeah. Because of question, the mind more detail view. Yeah. So that makes the mind more— because you never
Englishnotice about this much. No. Right. Definitely. So new experience have the mind more interest. Yeah.
EnglishWe don't know before. Now you notice, but this has become more mind wake-up. Yeah. More interest. Right.
EnglishRight? Yeah. Very much. Thank you. That makes the mind become interesting about knowing. This is the nature of the mind. The mind don't know before, and also you discover new experience. Yeah. It's very interesting. Mm-hmm.
EnglishI'd say that's good. Also, before— because when I was attached to, um, to the awareness, there's so much fear because you don't understand why it's there. So there was that constant feeling of, "Maybe I'm going to lose the awareness." Yes. If you have attachment, all anxiety is already there.
EnglishYeah. Yeah. Because attachment, you don't want to let go. If you— if there's a fear about your— a fear about the, this, this disappear, right? Yeah. So because of question, I mostly think. Yeah.
EnglishSo the wisdom need to be— we, we personalize right here. It's this wisdom must be very important. Yeah.
EnglishIf you're not questioning, you don't see— you're not knowing this way long time. Sometimes when we disconnect, but if you have a question, then the mind becomes more notice. Yeah. More awake. Alert.
EnglishYeah. Mm-hmm. So peacefulness. That's why I know many yogis, they enjoy the peacefulness. Mm-hmm. It's addictive. Addictive. Yeah. It's kind of— yeah. That's why many people, they practice it because of attachment. Yeah. Calmness. They— they hope they never feel this experience. They come to retreat, then they want to become dormant.
EnglishYeah. That's why they attach too much about this peacefulness. And also they make it a target. They make. Target to this. A target. Yeah. This experience get— if you cannot get it, then the more env- aversion comes. Yeah. Upset. Distress.
EnglishSo this is not our meditation object. Yeah.
EnglishWe need to learn from pleasant situations, also unpleasant situations. Yeah. Because understanding is more freedom.
EnglishWhen you understand something, the mind is more already get the peacefulness, happiness already there. Yes. Right. I think, um, I— because I've had— I've had a, a kind of a stability of awareness in my practice for a while. Mm-hmm. But I've always known that there's something missing.
EnglishIt feels like it felt to me, which is why I came for to find you. Mm-hmm. And to come and practice with you, is that there was just something unanswered. Mm-hmm. And this retreat has kind of shown me that it, it's this questioning. Mm-hmm. It's the— it's the wisdom and the understanding. Mm-hmm. That I need.
EnglishYeah. To investigate. Yeah. Wisdom, religion. Awareness and wisdom together. Yeah. Practice. Yeah. That name is the second book I put a name is "Awareness Alone Is Not Enough." Yeah. Yeah.
EnglishCan I ask just a couple of. Right? Points from here? So you, you talk about the five aggregates. So form, form as in
Englishso form as in form. Form? Form. Yeah. So like rupa, as in form, as in. Yeah, form. An object. Shape. Shape. Form. This is the mind think. Yeah. Think about this form, shape, how form, what, what's designed, right? So 3D. Yes. Image. Make this something appear.
EnglishFor the mind creating this. Yeah. Right? So. And then so feeling is emotions. Yeah. Feeling is not, not concept. Not concept. Feeling is reality. Feeling is. It's the mind, mind nature, mind impression, mind process. Okay.
EnglishSo feeling is how the whole the feeling have form. The feeling doesn't have form. Mm-hmm. Shape?
EnglishNo. Colour? No. Just feeling. Just happening. But you can feel interested in it, strong or weak. Yeah. Yeah. That's all.
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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.…