Q&ABangkok Retreat12 Nov 2015
Dhamma discussion group C3 — Working with Anger, Resistance, and Thoughts
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 2 hr 10 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−2:10:42
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
In this group interview, Sayadaw U Tejaniya clarifies the nature of thoughts and feelings, and explains how to observe anger, laziness, and intention. He emphasizes maintaining continuous awareness with right attitude in daily life to reverse reactive habits of aversion and allow wisdom to develop.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Bangkok Retreat · 22 talks
- 131 hr 18 minDhamma discussion group D2 — Concept and Nature, and Watching the Mind11 Nov 2015
- 141 hr 30 minDhamma discussion group A3 — Mind-Body Process and Right Attitude Towards Thoughts11 Nov 2015
- 157 minDay 6 guided 10 min meditation — Being Aware or Idle Thinking12 Nov 2015
- 161 hr 42 minDhamma discussion group B3 — Wrong Attitude, Defilements, and Relaxation in Practice12 Nov 2015
- Viewing172 hr 11 minDhamma discussion group C3 — Working with Anger, Resistance, and Thoughts12 Nov 2015
- 1815 minDay 7 guided 15 min meditation — Right Attitude and Practicing Vipassanā Anywhere13 Nov 2015
- 191 hr 57 minDhamma discussion group D3 — Working with Loud Noise, Thoughts, and Cause and Effect13 Nov 2015
- 201 hr 56 minDhamma discussion group A4 and B4 — Grounding Mind When Facing Challenges and Working with Emotions13 Nov 2015
- 211 hr 50 minDhamma discussion group C4 and D4 — Nature of Mind, Defilements and Wisdom14 Nov 2015
- 2254 minFinal sit and encouragement — Carrying on Practice After Retreat14 Nov 2015
Transcript
English
My question is about thoughts. I think you said that when we see, all the things that we see are concepts, right? And when we hear, all the sounds we heard are concepts. So— No. No? In the talk, don't name concepts.
English
Oh, really? No. Yeah, that's a— I won't say difference, but you know, sound is a reality. Knowing what sound it is, when you identify the sound as a this or a that, that is the conceptual bit working in the mind, or the sân-nya working.
English
But of course you can know, you will know both, and you'll be able to tease out the reality. Sight is harder than sound. Sound is easy to understand, that sound is reality. Sight is harder to understand, but it doesn't matter. But know that, you know, when you see a chair and you think it's a chair, that thought that is a chair is a concept, right?
English
But you can just know that the fact of seeing, you know, the action of seeing, the function of seeing is the reality. For now. There is the object that's being seen, which is reality. That's a bit hard to understand just by speaking about it. ? But we keep practicing knowing seeing as much as we can, and sometimes we get a glimpse into it. .
English
If you often acknowledge that seeing is happening, you can experience it. Yeah, that's my understanding from what I read and what Sayadaw has said. So my question actually is relating to thoughts in a sense that I'm wondering whether thoughts, all thoughts, are also concepts. Yeah, the storyline is the thoughts are all concepts, and they promote defilements.
English
Because they are concepts, so they promote defilements. Unless we are thinking about the Dhamma and the practice, or unless it is necessary, you know, to function in life. Sorry? Wholesome thoughts. That's my question.
English
Concept , concept concept. Concept lobha lobha diam . Yeah, concepts don't necessarily indicate defilements. Okay? Concepts are a tool that the mind uses to— .
English
Express itself or whatever, you know? But behind the thought, behind the story, is some qualities of mind that are at work. And that one you have to actually detect. Lobha Yeah, wisdom can think, can think, greed can think, aversion can think. So, yeah, thought is just a vehicle, it's just a tool.
English
Thinking . Right? The thinking itself is not a defilement. Yeah, yeah. Okay, thanks for that. Um, just, next question is about feelings. I think Vedanā, is it? My understanding is that there's only pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feelings. I just want to, uh, ask, so things like dislike or sadness or jealousy and joy, um, they are all the same feeling or they have different qualities?
English
I mean, yeah, I was drawing the analogy with different sounds, or like sound, it's just sound, right? But then we can hear different sounds. And when we look as well, looking, seeing is just seeing, like you said, but we can see different things. So is feeling like that, as in there are different types of feelings? Or is it just those three? And just pleasant, unpleasant, and different intensities?
[Burmese segment]
English
The different qualities that you expressed just now, they denote different functions, different sort of qualities in the mind, right?
English
Like jealousy has a different way of working than anger, which has a different way of working from , which has a different way of working from whatever. And because of the different quality, perceptionally, we experience it differently because they are different qualities. But Sayadaw says, as far as using the word Vedanā, although they may feel different, but on a general classification, the unwholesome will feel unpleasant, the wholesome will feel pleasant, and so on.
English
That makes things clearer for me. Because, um, as I was watching all my dislike of heat and all that, I realized that the dislike actually started already without the unpleasant feeling. And so the unpleasant, the intensity, uh, of the dislike increased, then the unpleasant feeling will increase, will be more clear, I mean, will become clearer.
MY
So yeah that's why I cannot always spot it when it was small unless I noticed all along and then I can see the dislike already coming in other ways.
MY
Yeah that's right
English
Um, Sayadaw, yesterday I was, uh, checking on pain. Because sitting down there I feel painful. So I tried to look at pain. I tried to look at the feeling. Because of pain, I, I, I check the mind whether or not there is resistance. Of course there is resistance. But at the same time, I also, um, want to sit for a while and see how it feels.
English
Um, after some time I realized that the pain gets more and more intense, and that's because I do not like the resistance. So there is resistance, and then I actually, I don't like this resistance. I want, instead of wanting the pain to go away, I want the resistance to go away. Yeah. Um, that's the correct way?
English
Just want to check the practice, is that the correct way to do it? I mean, watch the resistance against resistance. Just continue to know all that. Forget about the pain for now. You've got to deal with the resistance. So basically, we watch until the resistance to this resistance no more.
English
Is that the correct way? Yeah, only when there's no resistance then you can watch pain. Okay, so basically there's a lot more work to do. Another one is about the stray thoughts. Yesterday I noticed I have a lot of stray thoughts. Random thoughts. So with these stray thoughts, um, they keep bombarding me.
English
And I realized that partly also because I like them. That's why they come and visit me. And also partly because I think I feel a bit lazy to be aware. And they come. But when they come, I— Anh, anh, anh tin , entertain . Entertaining huh. Okay. And also I know I start to become lazy.
English
So I want to ask how to overcome laziness. Huh? How to overcome laziness? , laziness . The antidote to laziness is energy. So you have to decide to put in energy. So, yeah. lazy, laziness .
English
Or you can keep acknowledging laziness. , laziness blo qua blo . So now laziness becomes your object. . What is laziness like? Does it feel good? Is it good to feel lazy? Laziness qua blo What is the nature of laziness? Does it make you feel good or bad? Is it a good quality of mind or bad? , laziness .
English
Yeah, and if we watch laziness and understand laziness, then it will go away. And then you can carry on. pin . Actually, laziness doesn't feel so good, does it? No. . When you look at it, laziness has poor quality.
English
I also feel resistance towards laziness. So yesterday, a lot of resistance. , resistance , resistance . Watch the resistance a lot, Sayadaw says, because resistance always gets in the way of effective practice. , resistance , right attitude .
English
And to help yourself with resistance, you can bring up right attitude. Like, think of right attitude. If it doesn't help, you watch resistance. Um, just to go back to the pain just now, that means every time I feel the pain and I want to change posture, that means there is basically resistance. Yes, okay. Okay. But why you want to move?
English
I mean, sometimes there is pain. . There is pain. I know there is pain. I want to move, but I also want to sit through and look. So is that half-half resistance, half-half okay? ? Xu xu , xu xu pin .
English
. So maybe then you— , xu . Make a decision, you know? You tell yourself, okay, you watch for a while, and then you will move. . Try for a little while. Not for a long time. You'll try a little while and then you will move. , you know, xu . Yeah? If you cannot, then you move la. Okay.
English
I also try to do lying down meditation, but I think I fail.
English
When I lie down, I want to do meditation, notice this, notice that. I become semi-conscious. And I couldn't notice much already. Like consciousness too Just want to ask how to do it properly. Don't do long. Do five, ten minutes. You set an alarm and do five minutes. Yeah, ten minutes.
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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.…