Q&AShwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat4 Apr 2016
Day 8 Dhamma discussion group D — Taking Care of Emotions First and Practicing in Daily Life
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 10 min
Original audio: English
0:00−1:10:56
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
This group interview covers handling emotions before engaging in thinking and the vital role of right attitude. The teacher explains how Vipassanā differs from concentration practices by developing wisdom. Yogis also discuss observing smells, sweet cravings, and sustaining mindfulness throughout daily life.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat · 25 talks
- 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
- 181 hr 26 minDay 8 Dhamma discussion group C — Not Aiming for Awareness and Knowing the Mind Door4 Apr 2016
- Viewing191 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
- 2456 minDay 10 Dhamma discussion group D — Watching Emotions, Maintaining Awareness and Facing Strong Traumas6 Apr 2016
Transcript
EnglishYes.
EnglishUh, recently not— not too good, because I've been quite distracted. I got, like, some news. It's not, like, nothing major, nothing serious, but it's causing me to think about it a lot. So I'm really, like, distracted recently. And, um, whenever I'm thinking and I try to get back to the practice, okay, thinking is happening, but very quickly, like, thinking, "I'm in the story."
EnglishSo at one point I just, okay, stop. Maybe I track my emotions. Yes. And the strong emotions— Yeah, emotion is strong. You take care of emotion first. Yeah, so. When the mind— agitation or emotion— come, first you need to take care of emotion first. So I was watching the emotion, but— but the thinking still comes.
EnglishSo that time, you continue watching the emotion. Don't— Keep that. Don't follow the thinking. After calm down, then you can try to think. But that time you can know different way. Yeah. Before you're not calm down, the thinking continue. The way the thinking is not peaceful. Also not reasonable. Many ways.
EnglishBut when you're calm down, think again. A little bit different. Which then is fully involved. So when the mind agitate, don't try with thinking first. Watch your emotion first. Yeah. When the mind calm down, then try to focus the problem. Then the— the way to think is different.
EnglishMaybe. Which time is it coming? When I'm watching the emotion, like, I still get stuck on the story. No. Because you're not skillful yet. This is the nature. This is— if I may come and push, it will be you to overwhelm the mind. It is already before happening. Now you need to change.
EnglishWhen the emotion come, don't try to follow. Stop thinking. But don't try to follow the thinking. Try to aware the emotion first. Okay. Then after the mind calm down, try again. All again. And I'm not sure, like, which one comes first, you know? Is it the emotion first or the thinking first, you know?
EnglishYeah, both. Beginning is thinking first. Without thinking, no emotion anymore. Okay. One idea: when you hear the vibe, you hear the news, then the mind starts to think, then emotion comes. This emotion will support the more thinking. If the more thinking will support the emotion, like this, constant and constant, then it's thinking. Then naturally your mind will become more passive.
EnglishYeah.
EnglishIt is a process. So later you learn from this. The story, when the mind is not stable, you should not think. Wait.
EnglishJust watch. Because at that time, the wisdom is not involved. Right? Yeah. Like anxiety, more anxiety, thinking, wanting, thinking, upset thinking, they are overwhelmed the problem.
EnglishIn the daily life, there's you need to— you must to face this problem many. It is only come one. In the daily life, many information come to you. Yeah. We don't know what is coming.
EnglishIt's one time, two times, three times, four times. It's— and I'm, I'm, uh, not okay. Some— many situations is not okay. Yeah. Then one, two, three, four, then you become— then become very angry or upset or depressed and finish. It's a good time to practice this practice. Yes. It is a training.
EnglishNow training. One by one. This is one time, one by one. In the daily life, a lot of things, where they come from, we don't know. Yeah. Where— when we don't know. Where we don't know who. We don't know.
EnglishWe are there waiting. Getting lost. You must ready. Then you come one by one face. One by one.
EnglishSo your advice is to just watch the emotion coming back. Emotion first. Then emotion. Stop thinking. Wait. Okay. I'll be back. Right? Thank you.
EnglishAlso, a point on that is that I find the three conditions sensitize me quite a lot. So for me— But what do you mean sensitize? I become more sensitive. Oh. So in a retreat, if I drop a pencil, it's kind of like an earthquake in a sense, right? So just that one intrusion during the retreat feels
Englishsort of more powerful. Which one more powerful? Just like— Which one is more powerful? Sorry. In retreat conditions, because of the— Emotion. The lack of— Emotion is more powerful? Yes. Oh. Yes, because your mind calm already. Your mind is— when your mind calm, the small emotions become very obvious.
EnglishWhen in daily life, all the time emotion is so small, emotions don't care. Right? Is that because of a stabler, calmer mind, or is it just because of less stimulation
Englishor some other factor that— For example, your paper is more white. So a little bit dark is more obvious, right? Like this. When the center is the mind is more calm, more peaceful, some agitation become very obvious. Wow, it looks like repeat.
EnglishAnd this is a good time to practice. Watch the feeling and calm down your thinking. How to— how to use your— actually, we try to change our mind first. We're not— before this, we are trying to force to solve the problem with the anger, grieving, anxiety, push something. The defilement is leading.
EnglishNow we try to change the mindset first. Just calm down, samādhi and wisdom, and face the problem. Right? This is the— I will try to change the mind and face the problem. Our life also the same like this. We must face the problem with the wisdom. This is the best one to face the problem.
EnglishBut we are— many times we face a lot of defilement. So sometimes okay, sometimes not okay. Worse and worse, right?
EnglishSometimes we hurry, sometimes we less. We should do, we shouldn't do, we should not thought, should thought. No, not stable. Many things messy. When the mind calm down, then you know how to do. Slowly the planning come, and
Englishjust do. You know the point. What is the point? Time to finish.
EnglishWho need to talk, when need to talk. The mind can see and can think. Right? Reasonable thinking can come when the mind calm down.
EnglishSo where your life problem is, when you need to think, better to remain mind calm down first. Then focus and wisdom is present, samādhi present, awareness present. That time try to focus slowly. Think. That time you can see more reasonable way. Or beneficial way. Better way, right? Yes.
EnglishOkay? So this is coming is the most challenging and also more exciting, more interesting. When the mind calm down, all the time is not interesting.
EnglishBut we try to welcome distractions and feel like care. Sometimes the mind calm down, but you really problem, you need to face the problem. A lot of agitation, right? Which is a good thing that's happening.
EnglishIf you realize some people practice in daily life, they must face this again and again and again, day by day. Because you are doing what? A lot of challenging. Everywhere, every day, every time. So this— if you more practice like this, more skillful. Yeah. Because now you are not skillful yet. One by one. Slowly.
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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.…