Q&ABangkok Retreat11 Nov 2015
Dhamma discussion group D2 — Concept and Nature, and Watching the Mind
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 18 min
Original audio: English
0:00−1:18:16
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
In this group interview, the teacher clarifies how to recognize awareness and treat thoughts as objects. He discusses distinguishing nature from concepts, acknowledging defilements like craving and aversion, and understanding bodily sensations and form as mental perceptions.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Bangkok Retreat · 22 talks
- 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
- 111 hr 45 minDhamma discussion group C2 — Cause and Effect Process and Being Aware in Life10 Nov 2015
- 1221 minDay 5 guided 20 min meditation — Continuity of Awareness and Being Aware in the Present Moment11 Nov 2015
- Viewing131 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
- 172 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
Transcript
EnglishSayadaw, I shall just share, um, I shall just report my practice, and hopefully Sayadaw can tell me if I'm doing it correctly or not. Okay. Um,
Englishlately I've been, um, familiarizing myself with awareness. Because all the time I thought, uh, I know awareness. And lately I have kind of find a difference in the, uh, observing of awareness. What do you mean, different awareness? Because I always thought that awareness means I do the awareness.
EnglishOh, okay. And now I realize that awareness is actually just aware the mind activities and all that. So I realize, ah, so that is awareness. Yeah. Okay. Awareness become better. Yes. And, um, I realize that, um— No need to try too much. Yeah. Yeah. Correct. So what happens is I notice two situations every day in my practice.
EnglishIf I am in the experience, I'm not aware. Because I'm in the experience. Yeah, definitely that is not awareness. Right. Yeah. And when I am, um,
Englishaware of the mind activities, I know that is awareness. Right. So usually little awareness only. Okay. Yeah. But I'm practicing to recognize the awareness. So you need to only checking that your awareness is present or not. Yes. That's enough. Yeah. If your awareness is present, the mind knows already the experience. Yes. Right.
EnglishOkay. Um, my challenge is, um— Because long time meditator is, they know, they already understand a lot. The mind understand already that. So you need to do is, awareness present or not. If awareness is present, the mind automatic know the experience already. Because of their long time experience, long time understanding, it's collect already.
EnglishA little bit practice, then they come back. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So sometimes when I realize that I'm in the experience, if I catch the thought, I'm able to stop and realize that— What did the mind and you doing? I'm rolling with the thought. That means I'm just playing with the stories in my mind. Then I know that awareness gone and I stop.
EnglishSo my question is, when I do that, am I interfering with the mind activity? When you are what? Doing something. Or when I'm meditating. Sometimes I try to meditate through the mind door. Just now you said you are in the experience, mean what? When I am, when I'm meditating— Awareness there. Uh-huh. Awareness know the experience, but you don't know the awareness present.
EnglishYes. Oh. So? So when I am able to stop, so I'm able to check, oh, so the mind has gone into the story. I can— Catch the thoughts in the. Follow the thoughts. Yes. So then you stop what? I, I— Stop thinking. Yes. So I'm wondering whether is that, um, interfering with the mind activity.
EnglishNo, no, no, no, no, no. No. This is, you should do this because you are interfere the thoughts. You need to back up. Uh-huh. Right? Okay, okay. If you allow this happening, then you lost all the time. Yes. Right? Yes, I notice that. That's why we need to bring back to the awareness. Okay. So when I want— That is not interfere. This is what you should do. Okay.
EnglishAll right. So if I were to, uh, I use my sensing the body to bring the thought back. Yes. Yes. Yes. Easy, easy way to do the body sensation is ground it. Okay. Thank you. Then check the awareness. Okay. Uh, yes. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Um,
Englishso sometimes I have gone into the story for too long, and I've, I'm in the experience for a long time. That means already gone through the story line, everything. And I try to find awareness, and find that very hard to find awareness. Just reminding, are you aware or not? Yeah.
EnglishBut then the, the, the, the, the, the, the sense felt like that. You need to remind yourself, are you aware or are you thinking? Okay. Right? Reminding, then you wake up. Reminding come, awareness come. Automatic.
EnglishAre you aware or are you thinking? Sometimes I— If you are aware, the mind cannot think too much. Okay. If you are thinking, you are not aware. How do I sense that difference of the thinking? Huh? You can know the awareness and thinking. Thinking become object. Awareness, mind is aware the thinking. Then your awareness there.
EnglishBut you, there is a thinking, but you are not aware. So then you are lost. Yeah. I find that sometimes when I do that, I say, oh, I'm in delusion. You do what? Is, I mean, when I, uh, when I stop myself and say, uh, whether I'm, I'm aware or not. Yeah. Check. When I check, okay. Check. When I check and see, is this, uh, is— Check is awareness come back.
EnglishUh-huh. Already. I like checking. Okay. Checking all the times yourself. Even if I feel that it was like an intellectually— Checking, reminding, remembering. That's enough. Okay. So when I do that, uh, when I do that, it feels like very intellectually, like I plonk in like that. That means that I just, I say, am I aware?
EnglishIt's like not real. It's just like, like doing awareness like that. It's like, am I aware? If you know the awareness is present, you can recognize awareness present. That is very sure. Okay. If you, someone can aw, you, he where he can aware the awareness, very sure. Awareness, you know very well about in present moment.
EnglishIf you're not aware, also very obvious you are not aware. Totally. Very obvious. Okay? Yeah. Another way I try to, uh, recognize awareness is I go back to basic awareness, like seeing is happening, hearing is happening, touching is happening. Some, some awareness is not very good enough.
EnglishYou can start with some object to ground it and make awareness growing. Yeah. Just go back to basic. Yes. Okay. Okay. Depend on your awareness quality. Awareness is good, no, no need. Just watch, take care of the awareness only. Right. Thank you, Sayadaw. Sayadaw, um, I would like to ask you, um, if, uh, the way I'm comparing my mindfulness is correct, or should I just let it be?
EnglishI notice that there's a difference when I sit and do sitting meditation and when I do walking meditation. When I do walking meditation, the questions come naturally. So when I'm doing,
Englishand, and I ask, what is the mind doing?
EnglishThe mind seems to be very wide. It's nowhere. And I can see seeing happening, hearing happening. Then suddenly there's a looking. Ah, pleasant object. But no attachment. So continue to, to move. The mind is nowhere.
EnglishOkay. That's good. That's already good. Okay. But when I sit, the questions somehow come out differently. Somehow? Different question. Ah. Yes. Depend on your wisdom, the question can come.
EnglishSo. The question is, no, you are not try to ask. Naturally, the relative them come. That means the mind interest already. Okay. But I notice that when I sit down, very easy to follow the thoughts. Follow the thoughts. Yes. So the minute follow the thoughts happen, the question, the body will ground itself.
EnglishThere is awareness, but there seem to be a bit of focusing. Why you easy to follow the thought? Do you are not understanding that thought is object? Yeah. So at that moment I see, ah, thinking happening. So means your attention is, your, the mind not understanding that thought is object. That easy to involve. Or your interest to the storyline also easy, easy to involve.
EnglishYeah. So you need to check every time you aware your thoughts, you check, do you understanding thought is object. Thinking mind, right? Yes. We need to understanding the mind. Not thinking. Yes. Thinking, thinking mean is story, right? Yes. Thinking mind. Yes. We need to interest about the mind.
EnglishThe mind, the nature of the mind is function of thinking also mind. Huh? Yes. Do you clear function of the thinking? That also quality of mind. Yes. And knowing quality of the, function of the knowing, function of the thinking is also mind. No? If you more understanding the mind, you know this object and it's appear or disappear.
EnglishVery clear. Okay. Okay? So every time you are checking your thoughts, what the mind is pay attention. Nature or concept. Nature or concept. That's very clearly, oh, the mind is attention to the concept and to come back to the. Then you understanding that what is the concept, what is the nature. Then you not cop the thought.
EnglishOkay. Okay? Yeah. Okay. So I think I know what's object. In fact, I know what's object. So I then, ah, thinking mind is happening. Then there's awareness. Yes. Okay? When there's awareness, then the, I observe the quality of the mind at that point. Okay. The quality of the mind is very still.
EnglishYes. But there's no questioning anymore. Okay. So I just. Let it be. Stay with, let it be. Let it be. Because your nature is, if your mind become interest, naturally let the question come. Okay. I, I no need to think too much because you, your mind is, your nature is already interest. Okay.
Keep listening by topic
Suggestions for what to listen to next · Based on the topics of this talk. No account history needed.
- Q&A — Mind Is More Important Than ObjectSayadaw U Tejaniya1 hr 47 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Day 7 Dhamma discussion group A — Wrong View, Aversion, and Natural SpeedSayadaw U Tejaniya1 hr 26 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Questions and answers (2) — Overcoming Guilt and Seeing Thoughts as NatureSayadaw U Tejaniya47 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Q&A 09 — Using Wisdom and Working with AngerSayadaw U Tejaniya11 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Dharma Discussion group C1 — Wisdom of Knowing How to PracticeSayadaw U Tejaniya1 hr 45 min
Shares topics with this talk
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.…