Q&ASpirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat4 May 2015
Group D · session 3 — Working with Defilements and Practice at Home
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 45 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:45:56
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
This group interview clarifies facing defilements with right attitude rather than judging or pushing them away. The Sayadaw explains maintaining continuous awareness, seeing thoughts as mere thoughts, and training the mind in daily life.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat · 38 talks
- 211 hr 39 minGroup A · session 3 — Wrong View, Stories, and the Sense of Self3 May 2015
- 221 hr 46 minGroup B · session 3 — Working with Defilements and Nature of Mind3 May 2015
- 2329 minMorning instructions day 9 — Wisdom, Concepts, and Ultimate Realities4 May 2015
- 241 hr 34 minGroup C · session 3 — Building Awareness and Managing Defilements in Daily Life4 May 2015
- Viewing251 hr 46 minGroup D · session 3 — Working with Defilements and Practice at Home4 May 2015
- 2636 minMorning instructions day 10 — Bringing Dhamma into Daily Life and Continuous Mindfulness5 May 2015
- 271 hr 24 minGroup E session 3 — Energy of Defilements and Mindfulness in Daily Situations5 May 2015
- 282 hr 16 minGroup F · session 3 — Building Continuity and Working with Greed and Defilements5 May 2015
- 2942 minMorning instructions day 11 — Practicing Mindfulness While Speaking6 May 2015
- 301 hr 40 minGroup A session 4 — Defilements as Nature and Right Attitude Towards Them6 May 2015
Transcript
English
So this is Monday,
English
the 4th of May. Um, it's a discussion group with Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Spirit Rock Group D, the third time. Uh,
English
whoever's in the first group, welcome to the third group. Uh, last time I talked about supporting right view, and this time I'd like Sayadaw's help, uh, refuting wrong view.
English
I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about, uh, while I was sitting a couple hours ago, and, um, tried a couple ideas out, and thought about, well, suppose I just spoke to what was likely to be true in the moment.
English
For, for years, uh, I've been agitated before, during, and after interviews, especially group interviews. So I imagined, what if I spoke
English
to that agitation? So what I'm feeling right now in my chest and my skin temperature beginning to go up. And, uh, as I was sitting there with that, I thought, well, what's the attitude right now, and could I express that while I'm talking? And the attitude was real clear: I wanted it to go away.
English
And, um, I thought, well, what's the possibility of, uh,
English
a more wholesome attitude? And, um, I really worked on that. It wasn't immediately available. I kept falling back into
English
a-actually, my body right now feels less agitated than it did this afternoon thinking about saying this. Um,
English
so, but it was such a clear reality, both, both the agitation and wanting it to go away, that it, it became easier to just see, yes, that's truly what it is right now. I remember Carol the night before remarking on, uh, how much we go through is, is wrong view.
English
And I thought, oh, well, what's the wrong view here? Um, well, there's wanting to be a good yogi, there's comparing yourself to other yogis, um, there's wanting people to like me. Plenty to work with. Um, and then I thought about what Sayadaw said last week about, uh, delusion.
English
Uh, some years ago, I understand that he liked boxing. It's kind of this one-two punch of, of, uh, delusion. It first, uh, in my words, not his, it obscures what's actually true and then sells the mind another version.
English
Um, a coup. So you feel like there's a boxing match going on in there? Uh, no, just the one-two punch was with the boxing match. We can leave that out. Okay. In rehearsing this, I thought I would leave that out, but it, it came in anyway.
English
Uh, so a couple of days ago, I, uh, noticed a tom turkey, um, by the, uh, contemplation of the Buddha bench down by the dining hall. And he had all his feathers unfurled, and, and he looked, uh, oh, about four feet wide. And if I think about what he really is, it's kind of an oversized rugby ball.
English
Um, so
English
this seems like this, this whole wrong view and delusion has sold me this package
English
that, um, I don't want. I don't want anymore. You need the turkey. So I'd be glad to have Sayadaw's help. You need you were saying it's a turkey that you don't want? Yes.
English
It's this is a tom turkey, a puffed-up turkey
English
that I don't want to believe in. Oh, really?
English
Did that help? I don't know what did he say. No, he doesn't say anything. Did that help? Oh. Oh, yes. I was so grateful to the Dhamma after, after getting there. It just seemed wonderful. Did what help? Does it the fact that you felt you didn't want the, this the defilement of the Dhamma?
English
Yeah. You did, you did help. Yeah. What happened?
English
Um, I, I realized that I could say this aloud to the group and to my mind, and that I would believe it less in the future. But I'm also getting to talk to Sayadaw, so I figure he can elaborate on how to be free of this wrong view.
English
So I've got to
[Burmese segment]
MY
Just do exactly what you did. That's right. That's how you do it.
English
. You, um, you, you know, you keep company with the defilement when it comes. You observe it, you, um, study it, you learn about it. I don't try. I don't try. And then you use, uh, what you've learned about the defilement.
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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.…