Q&AShwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat11 Aug 2017
Dhamma discussion — Using Wisdom to Learn from Defilements
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 20 min
Original audio: English
0:00−1:20:22
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
The Q&A clarifies recognizing liking and disliking, distinguishing physical fatigue from defilements, and redirecting interest inwardly. The teacher emphasizes using wisdom instead of forced concentration, maintaining right attitude toward thinking, and learning from fear.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Retreat · 10 talks
- 11 hr 21 minDhamma discussion — Accepting Defilements as Nature and Watching with Equanimity15 Jul 2017
- 21 hrDhamma discussion — Tuning Effort and Relaxing, Right Attitude Towards Loss20 Jul 2017
- 31 hr 24 minDhamma discussion — Recognizing Thoughts as Objects and Practicing in Daily Life26 Jul 2017
- 446 minDhamma discussion — Cause and Effect, and Maintaining Awareness31 Jul 2017
- Viewing51 hr 20 minDhamma discussion — Using Wisdom to Learn from Defilements11 Aug 2017
- 61 hr 7 minDhamma discussion — Awareness with Wisdom, Middle Way, and Right View17 Aug 2017
- 71 hr 5 minDhamma discussion — Wrong Attitude, Identification and Anger25 Aug 2017
- 833 minDhamma discussion — Observing Anger and Just Knowing3 Sept 2017
- 91 hr 31 minDhamma discussion — Cultivating Awareness and Working with Defilements8 Sept 2017
- 101 hr 49 minDhamma discussion — Right View and the Process of Mind14 Sept 2017
Transcript
EnglishOne thing. I want to have this away. I want to disappear. I want it to disappear. Get rid of this lobha dosa. In the outside world, I don't want to disappear the chair or the kadha. But in the inside world, I want the not-pleasant feelings, the lobha, I want to change, not to be there.
EnglishOkay. You want to change your mind. Yes. I want to change my mind to be good. But in the outside world, I don't want to change the chair. You're looking at the outside world, definitely, right? Yes. You're looking at the chain outside world. No. You're just changing the state inside world, right? Mm-hmm. Whatever you see, whatever you hear.
EnglishYes, and I was traveling with a wanting, and all the time I wanted to get the wanting away, and after a while— Get rid of this liking/disliking. Yeah. It was very tiring. Yes. But you need to know this one first. And in the end— This liking/disliking, every time this happening, you need to be aware, recognize this happening.
EnglishThen the mind is learning all this. Learn something, and slowly the mind understands. Because of this understanding, the mind can change. So awareness of this mental state is very important. I understood that I only wanted to have half of a world. I only wanted to have a good world, the good thoughts.
EnglishBut then I understood. Right. We cannot change our outside world. We can change our mental state. It's not important. Whatever you see, whatever you hear, we try to concentrate our good thoughts in your mind. That means it's meditation, right? Yes, but we always—I always want to have this away first.
EnglishIt's very subtle. When there is something, some feeling, I don't like it. It's very subtle. This is disliking. There's a person— Dislike/dislike is probably your mind, right? Comes up very fast. Yeah, right. You cannot avoid it. You can't aware. Every time you find liking/dislike, you can't recognize it.
EnglishSo we can try to be aware. Changing is not your job. Changing is understanding your job. Basically, I know, but
Englishit happened. And I took it as a— You cannot avoid it. I just used it as a— You want to go through the long-term experience, right? Exactly. Be patient and be aware of whatever happened in your mind.
EnglishOkay. That was hard work.
EnglishBut don't complain about what's happening. Don't complain about what's happening. But you need to have the right attitude. Everything is mental. If you are aware, this awareness is a good part of your mind already. Okay? We need to appreciate about awareness, right? Appreciate about you are aware. The mind is aware.
EnglishYou need to appreciate about this. Yeah, but I became—after a while I became aware because of the struggle. And the struggle made me alert, and then I checked the process. Right. So everything okay. Also, this is not
Englishgood. Something you need to struggle for. Something you try, something—this awareness might make you more awake, alert, right? Nature is not all the time is good, right?
EnglishSometimes good, sometimes bad. But we try to
Englishdo this, whatever happening, or good or pleasant or unpleasant, we are trying to become neutral. Try to become neutral. That is our middle way, right?
EnglishHow to do? We try to aware that the good or bad experience and learn something. Because of learning, because of understanding, the mind becomes neutral.
EnglishBut sometimes the learning starts when the process is already going on. So when I ask myself, "Something is not feeling right," then
EnglishI become more aware. When something inside is not feeling so right, then I start— Yeah. If you know the real nature, your mind nature, the mind is not good enough, right? That's why, because of understanding, the mind is more practical. Need to be tried, right? That's good. Because of right view.
EnglishWe try—we can see what's happening inside as it is. It's also right view. When we know we have—we must know about ourselves, how good our mind, how bad our mind. We must know, right?
EnglishThen we can try to understand how we should be practiced, continue or not, right? Why we need to practice? Because of our thoughts, your mind is not good enough, right? This is the nature.
EnglishIf your mind is already good, no need to meditate.
EnglishRight?
EnglishOkay.
EnglishWhat is something that can be done when you're just too tired to keep awareness or mindfulness? It could be for any reason. It could be— There's a good way to tire. It's the body tired, the mind tired, or the body tired. Body tired, you need to rest. The physical tired means you need to rest for your physical.
EnglishThe mind tired is because of defilement.
EnglishSo mind tired, you need to meditate.
EnglishBecause of meditation, the good part of your mind comes, and the bad part of your mind reduces. That means the mind becomes more relaxed, not tired. Peaceful, relaxed, open. Because of meditation.
EnglishBut you need to think about this tiredness. It's an object. Don't try to push. Okay? If you try to push, it's also another defilement.
EnglishMental tired is because of defilement.
EnglishSo sometimes the mind's craving, avoidant, is strong, and all defilement—any defilement—becomes stronger and stronger, and the mind becomes more tired. If your awareness, stability of mind, the samādhi, awareness of samādhi, every time growing, the mind never tired. More peaceful, more tranquil, equanimity, that's because of meditation.
EnglishOkay?
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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.…