Q&ASpirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat30 Apr 2015
Group B · session 2 — Balancing Effort and Observing with Right View
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 30 min
Original audio: English
0:00−1:30:25
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
In this group interview, the teacher explains how to maintain awareness during daily activities and work with depression. He distinguishes greed from chanda and emphasizes observing objects with right view rather than personalizing experiences as a self.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat · 38 talks
- 91 hr 27 minGroup E · session 1 — Investigation, Stillness, and Subtle Intentions29 Apr 2015
- 102 hr 20 minGroup F · session 1 — Working with Defilements and Right Effort29 Apr 2015
- 1130 minMorning instructions day 5 — Working with the Observing Mind and Right View30 Apr 2015
- 122 hr 7 minGroup A · session 2 — Nature of Thoughts and Feelings, Mindful Communication and Hidden Defilements30 Apr 2015
- Viewing131 hr 30 minGroup B · session 2 — Balancing Effort and Observing with Right View30 Apr 2015
- 1433 minMorning instructions day 6 — Concept and Reality1 May 2015
- 151 hr 28 minGroup C session 2 — Awareness and Wisdom with Everyday Activities1 May 2015
- 161 hr 45 minGroup D · session 2 — Reality and Concepts, Investigating with Right Attitude1 May 2015
- 1740 minMorning instructions day 7 — Interest, Pure Mind, and Understanding2 May 2015
- 181 hr 43 minGroup E session 2 — Greed, Aversion, and Stabilizing the Mind with Right View2 May 2015
Transcript
EnglishOkay, so this is Thursday, April 30, discussion of Sadhana Tejaniya at Spirit Rock, group B, the second meeting.
EnglishUm, I have two questions, and the first one is about effort, and I, um, what I've noticed is there have been times when I've been pretty balanced, but more often than not I haven't. I've either been had low energy and had dullness with it, and just by nature dullness, I've found it hard to get out of it.
EnglishAnd, um, on the other side,
EnglishI've had too much energy, and then what I find is that I get pretty, um, busy with the process, and I re-recognize that's not helpful. Mm-hmm. Um, so if we could talk a little bit more about just how to balance that.
EnglishHmm.
EnglishWoriya. Woriya, do. Article. The cuddly lesson, do you need it? I meant to talk to you about the disarming lesson. So woriya, nyanya, men, nein, men, men. Nein, time mine, time mine not, time mine never bawa time to adiyani. We are in central Gokhet. The cuddly woriya alone, alone at home, aani nyanyi. Nyani okay, man, I can't be busy with her.
Englishyeah. I think I missed out. I think we are on Yeah. I don't do a balance for the low. Balance I could not do.
[Burmese segment]
Englishthe, um, what should guide the effort is wisdom. So rather than just try to put in awareness, um, try to, like, in a backhanded way, use wisdom to bring on the awareness. So for example, asking questions, you know, when you ask a question, the mind directs itself to that.
EnglishUm, reminding yourself. Um, anything to make the mind more interested.
EnglishHmm.
Englishate yote sasa
EnglishAnd as for
Englishwhat you have now, he says, you know the two extremes. You know when there's too little effort, and you know when there's too much. He says, when there's too little effort, the mind isn't putting in enough work to be aware. It's too relaxed. When there is, um, too much energy, it's because the mind isn't relaxing enough.
EnglishIt's putting in too much effort to be aware. So instead of, like, just going, like, too much or too little, he says, sort of notice the kind how much energy it is. If you're feeling, you know, like you said, like you're doing too much, see if you can relax it a little. And as you relax it a little at a time, do it mindfully to see what the effect is on the balance of the, on the, the cuddly awareness.
EnglishSo you have to tune. You have to find the balance yourself. Yeah, there's no, like, yeah, there's no easy way to leave. I cannot talk. Yeah.
EnglishExperience up, if you think, mama. Experience the audio. So in a way, your. Same with our wedding. Will teach you. It's quite interesting to, to learn. Yeah. Yes.
EnglishAnd the other question I had was, um,
Englishwhen I'm in, in a quiet situation, in the hall, or even in chanting, walking meditation, I'm, I'm a lot more successful. Mm-hmm. Um, but as soon as I get involved with what I'll call daily activities, um,
Englishthen I just lose it. You lose mindfulness. I lose mindfulness. Or reasoning. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Pretty consistently I lose it. And, um. When you say consistently, would it be like you lose it throughout, like, the activity of going to the toilet? Or is it just, like, off on, off on?
EnglishNo, it's pretty much lost.
EnglishAnd I usually realize it after I'm done doing, doing whatever I've done. Yeah. Okay. I go a little look. Mani ah, hapyo nido. Tadi pia o. Iong mapya on tali the dine. The dine mapya on tali the dine. End of group, same yaana. So Iong lifestyle nene, Iong lain-lain the dine time pay money. Yeah. The dine shini rao te wido, ma.
EnglishLook. Yeah. Check that. The kufa change. Check ama take ama the dine shina. okay. I also bala. Yeah. Wizen tee no A size size witua the dine shine? Lobby is the No, lobby. No, lobby is the So he said, um.
EnglishSay ka the dine shina. Shini lobe. Shini lobe. Shini lobe. Yeah. He says the, uh, sorry. I'm just trying to find the beginning of the thread.
EnglishUm. Hmm?
EnglishIong mapya on tali the dine.
EnglishUm, so he says there's two kinds of awareness. One where we're trying to be aware of the object, so we're trying not to lose the object, and one where we are just trying not to lose awareness. He says when we are targeting the object, we sort of have to know ahead of what object we want to pay attention to, right?
EnglishAlmost choosing the object. Um, but the other one, he says you, you sort of, you're more concerned that you're aware first, before you do something, and you're bringing that awareness into it. So when you
Englishare doing things like sitting and walking, he says, you know, you have no problem, but in daily activities, even though you're not in a hurry, you lose it, right? He says it's because when we do daily activities, we have to think about what to do before we do it. And. Yeah, miawa too. Have a miawa. And, and that's why he says. Tokalo. Tokalo. Yeah. Yeah. In a sense, the mind is quite, like, gripped by it.
EnglishAnd so then it loses its grip on awareness. So what Sayadaw wants you to do is not do the thing. He wants you to bring in a, he wants you to remember to, um, bring in awarenesses. It's like, um, say you know you've got to walk to the toilet. You know, it's like, am I aware? Okay, so you're walking.
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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.…