Q&AShwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat8 Mar 2017
Day 8 Discussion group C — Samādhi, Quality of Awareness and Attitude
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 57 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:57:25
AI-written summary
This group interview clarifies recognizing thoughts without attachment and the supportive role of samādhi in insight. The teacher explains varying levels of stability, the importance of right attitude, and maintaining momentum in everyday life rather than relying solely on intensive retreats.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat · 18 talks
- 91 hr 47 minDay 5 Discussion group D — Natural Effort and Not Personalizing Experiences5 Mar 2017
- 101 hr 15 minDay 6 Discussion group A — Free Will, Knowing the Mind and Anchor Objects6 Mar 2017
- 111 hr 19 minDay 6 Discussion group C — Working with Six Sense Doors and Reactions6 Mar 2017
- 121 hr 36 minDay 7 Discussion group B — Being Aware of Thinking and Noticing Judging Mind7 Mar 2017
- 132 hr 16 minDay 7 Discussion group D — Observing Defilements and Looking for Cause7 Mar 2017
- 141 hr 10 minDay 8 Discussion group A — Cause and Effect, Anatta, and Role of Samatha8 Mar 2017
- Viewing151 hr 57 minDay 8 Discussion group C — Samādhi, Quality of Awareness and Attitude8 Mar 2017
- 1620 minDay 9 closing — Carrying Practice into Daily Life9 Mar 2017
- 171 hr 16 minDay 9 Discussion group B — Reality, Stability of Mind, and Wisdom9 Mar 2017
- 181 hr 46 minDay 9 Discussion group D — Talking Meditation, Dealing with Defilements, and Uncovering Subtler Layers9 Mar 2017
Transcript
English
8 March 2017, in Kallong, evening group 6, PM group C. I want to share some experience today, which happened also in the past already. It's about the thoughts. There are times when thoughts arise, automatic there will be a
English
labeling, "Oh, thoughts." And immediately after that, the particular thought you see. And I noticed that when I compare with the other type, where I notice the thought running, but I'm just taking a step back and not following the story, the thought will also cease. So when I compare these two, I notice that the first instance, unknown to me, there was
English
an urge that I distract the thought. Now the second one, it's just, "It's okay.
English
Let it be there." And I just step back and just notice it. So this happened before, and today it got observed again. And another thing about thought is, of course, it's very random. There's no sequence to that. It's very random, the story. The other thing is, if I'm interested in a particular thought, I follow it, and it proliferates.
MY
That's when, uh, I lost. That's when I don't remind myself of being aware.
[Burmese segment]
MY
No more. Yes. Uh, sometime, uh, this morning, so your mind was
English
relatively stable. There's a certain familiar sensation of the mind is going to quiet down and
English
a kind of brightening of the mind is about to happen. That happens sometimes. And then the excitement comes. It's like, "Ooh, I want that experience again." And I know when I make that kind of
English
thought, it won't happen. And then I pull back, observe, and I knew I was cheating myself because the one thing is still there. And of course, it doesn't happen.
[Burmese segment]
English
This is good. Good to see this. Because the one thing of that experience,
English
it's pleasant, and I want it to come back. And. So I learned just to observe. Yeah. He said, you know, the whole sequence of stuff, that just happens, right, whether you know it or not. What's interesting is that you knew it all.
English
Yeah. It's interesting that you were aware throughout. Yeah. That was a consolation for me because this is already day number eight.
English
Consolation? Because. . Yeah. It's one of my so-called. How many do you know? I don't care. So I don't know, I'm such a never mind. I'm not in stories. I'm noticing my own stories. Many people don't know this much on day eight, so.
English
Take care. And I have a question not related to my experience, but it's more of a technical question.
English
Can I ask now? Yeah. Okay.
English
Is the attainment of jhana, let's say the first jhana,
English
useful for the practice of satipatthana? Useful in the sense that is it complementary? Is it what? Supportive? Complementary and supportive of the practice of satipatthana. I ask this because I'm just curious, is it going to help in terms of realization of realities?
MY
Example realization of the true characteristics of life. Yeah. He doesn't want to talk about
English
samādhi . Yeah. It doesn't have to be. samādhi, samādhi . So it's really not complaining at all. Ever talking about the samatha jhanas? Then he says, you know, he won't say that it's necessary. That any samādhi is what is supportive to the practice of satipatthana.
English
So you don't have to achieve first jhana in that sense, in that definition of jhana. Yeah. So because even in the way we practice, it's possible to have some stability of mind. Yes. And. That is good enough
English
Of course, he won't say that it's not supportive. Right? Of course it will be supportive. Any strengthening of any of the faculties support the, you know, when wisdom arises, the varying strengths of the faculties.
English
Yeah. You know, when we have an insight, depending on the strength of the faculties in the various this thing, that will support the, you know, how deep the understanding and all that may be.
English
But he says he wouldn't say that first jhana is necessary because it's not. You can see yogis across the board all gaining insights in varying degrees with the amount of samādhi they have. So there's many lessons to be learned without, yeah. No, because I'm curious because some I heard some news, verbal news.
English
. Yeah, yeah. He says of course it's interesting to discuss.
English
Because somebody was suggesting that having the first jhana and then you come up from it and then you have what they call upachara samādhi or something, if I pronounce it correctly, is going to help in the investigation of the Dhamma and therefore it's. Upachara samādhi is just when you. So I really don't understand, so I need to ask about this. samādhi .
English
Yeah. samādhi is momentary samādhi. Is the samādhi necessary to place your attention on an object? Okay. That's momentary samādhi. Upachara samādhi is when you place your object on an object over and over again and then it become, that's the upachara samādhi. Because when it becomes sustained, it's the next level of samādhi in the five factors of the jhana.
English
So we do that even in our ordinary mindfulness. We keep placing our attention again and again. And if you feel steady through that, that's upachara samādhi. That's khanika samādhi, right? No. Because. Once it, if you keep applying your attention again and again and you feel stable doing that, that's upachara samādhi.
English
Also meaning khanika samādhi will become upachara samādhi. khanika samādhi upachara samādhi . Okay. Thank you. . Yeah. That's already here. That's part of what the yogis do anyway. Thank you.
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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.…