Q&ABangkok Retreat8 Nov 2015
Dhamma discussion group B1 — Facing Emotions, Dropping Methods, and Knowing Without Labelling
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 22 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:22:50
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
This group interview clarifies how to recognize fear and unwholesome states with right view. The Sayadaw explains the difference between greed and chanda, emphasizing keeping awareness independent of objects.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Bangkok Retreat · 22 talks
- 11 hr 5 minDay 1 instructions — Right Effort, Right Attitude, and Working with Experiences7 Nov 2015
- 21 hr 27 minDhamma discussion group A1 — Meditation Is Being Aware7 Nov 2015
- 317 minDay 2 instructions — Mind as Nature, Knowing and Object8 Nov 2015
- Viewing41 hr 23 minDhamma discussion group B1 — Facing Emotions, Dropping Methods, and Knowing Without Labelling8 Nov 2015
- 52 hr 3 minDhamma discussion group C1 — Can We Really Make a Decision? / Resting in Awareness8 Nov 2015
- 612 minDay 3 instructions — Reality and Concepts in Meditation9 Nov 2015
- 71 hr 55 minDhamma discussion group D1 — Knowing with Right View and Observing Reactions9 Nov 2015
- 81 hr 58 minDhamma discussion group A2 — Observing the Mind, Working with Greed and Fear9 Nov 2015
- 915 minDay 4 instructions — Knowing the Mind and Continuity of Awareness10 Nov 2015
- 101 hr 33 minDhamma discussion group B2 — Mind as Reality and Working with Pain and Attitude10 Nov 2015
Transcript
EnglishWell, it's not an interview, it's more like a discussion. Okay, Sayadaw says, "So if you tell him—" If you tell him how you're doing in your practice, whether you're finding it easy or difficult, um, just anything else that you want to bring up to him with regards to the practice, then if he can help, he will try.
EnglishUm, during the walking and even though in the sitting, there are a lot of anxiety, and then
EnglishI use the right view, like I think that it's just the nature of the mind, something like that. Sometimes it helps, but sometimes it's hell, like I can stay with it for a while, and then the anxiety come up again, and then I say it again, and it doesn't work somehow.
EnglishYeah. And also in the sitting, I still have the a lot of anxiety, and then I keep asking myself, "Why do I have to be anxiety?" and then I get the answer that I have a lot of desire to be good in practice, something like that.
EnglishYeah.
English
EnglishAyah tuan, mak. So Sayadaw says, um, you know, the anxiety doesn't have to go away.
EnglishHe says, of course, you know, you use, you know, remind yourself that this is nature so that you can watch it. And sometimes it doesn't work, but the anxiety is still there, and that's okay. Sayadaw says, because why we are meditating is because we want to understand anxiety, right, understand the mind.
EnglishNot trying to make— not learning how to make it go away, but learning what it is like, what it is. Kalau Dhamma ni— So when you— U Tejaniya, mak. Itu jawab. So our attitude should be, we want to know anxiety. We want to get to know anxiety. Um, not that we want it to go away.
EnglishMental state low juga, And he says, remember that, um, anxiety is a state of mind, a state of mind. It's nature, right? It's the nature of the mind. It's one of the natures of the mind. And, and you learn to watch it objectively.
EnglishJawab. That's all. It doesn't have to— Jangan buat macam ni, mak. It doesn't have to go away. We're not watching it so that it will go away. Anxiety tu apa balik? What is anxiety? Itu pain. Same, mak. Aku mak belum pain lagi. When there is anxiety, what happens in the mind and in the body? How does it feel? Panjang pain ni, mak. Why does this come? And because we want to understand these things, we are watching it.
EnglishNama lain macam tu, la ni mak. And until— so long as we do not understand everything about anxiety, anxiety will still bother us from time to time.
EnglishSo I have to keep asking myself when I have anxiety or not? Or just— Semua insaf, apa tu? Periodically.
EnglishItu kau tu main niat pula, anxiety semua. No, just be interested in yourself. What is happening now? It doesn't have to be anxiety. If anxiety is there, you watch that. If it's not, you watch whatever is there. Objek. Ayuh, aku baru jawab tahap ni. Yeah, it's— anxiety is an object, but it's just another object. It could be something else as well.
Englishnak aku jawab pun made. Happy? Sayadaw says, you know, when we ask a question, it's just to make the mind interested to watch. It's not to get the answer. Just so that we keep watching.
EnglishKau mego ni, ah. Cari idea, ah. Jeja. Some questions take a long time of a long, yeah, maybe years of watching before we can get an answer. Okay. Yeah.
EnglishAnd, um, sometimes, um, I doubt,
Englishuh, between
Englishthinking or, or, um, wisdom. Because sometimes something happens and then you start to, to, to think on this or try to understand, and sometimes it's so long that then I stop thinking because
EnglishI'm thinking that I'm thinking, but then I realize that maybe it was
Englishwise, but I stop it and then I'm trying to get it again. So it's, it's like, um, hmm.
[Burmese segment]
EnglishSayadaw says, the right time to think, and when the thinking is wise, is when the mind is more clear and steady. Um, so when the mind is— Aku ni biar dia hati-hati dari kita.
EnglishWhen the mind is already agitated, Sayadaw says, mostly the thinking is not clear. Sometimes not rational, right? So that may not be the— may not be the best time to think. Usually.
EnglishSayadaw says, when you are, you know, when you're thinking, um, and you know that you're thinking, always notice how you feel while you're thinking. How you feel while you're thinking. Because, um, your feelings will give an indication of whether the thinking is right or wrong. Right? If there's wrong thinking, you will feel worse.
EnglishAnd when the think— mind is thinking in the right way or a reasonable way, it usually makes the mind feel better. So the feeling is a very good indication, can be a very good indication of whether the mind is thinking in the right way or not. Right thinking lah. Meditation mak right thinking low ni. Wrong thinking low. Low mak tak tahu. So even for meditation, we need right thinking. Right?
EnglishWe need right thinking so that we meditate in the right way. Right view and right thoughts tu penyabai mak, pak. He talks about right view and right thought, and all those are ways to think in the right way. Right? It's a way we approach something. But it's not— Tapi tuiran macam ni, mak.
EnglishNyanyi mak, mak asyik lah. So when we think, and if it agitates the mind, it's usually there is some defiled motivation. There will be something. Even if you don't see it clearly, it might be something hidden, but there will be some wrong thought there.
EnglishI asked Sayadaw, "I have a tremendous amount of fear, I fully appreciate that it's very difficult to get rid of it and it's a passing thing, but constantly it plays on my mind.
EnglishI think part of the reason is that I've just had a right eye cataract operation, and I'm constantly in fear of falling, partly because I've had two hips replaced, so I have titanium hips. I've had a very bad fracture of the left wrist, I had three pins inserted.
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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.…