Q&AInsight Meditation Society Retreat4 May 2012
Group E 2 — Working with Defilements and Nature of Objects
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 59 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:59:17
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
In this group interview, yogis ask about recognizing defilements, handling pain, and checking mental attitudes. The teacher explains that all objects are equal, stressing the necessity of right view and wisdom rather than merely indulging in peaceful states of mind.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Insight Meditation Society Retreat · 28 talks
- 81 hr 47 minQ&A group F 1 — Removing Greed from Effort and Awareness1 May 2012
- 91 hr 48 minGroup A 2 — Functions of Mind and Dealing with Defilements2 May 2012
- 101 hr 55 minGroup D 2 — Investigating Strong Objects, Torpor, and Thinking Mind3 May 2012
- 1140 minDhamma everywhere — Object, Awareness, and Right View3 May 2012
- Viewing121 hr 59 minGroup E 2 — Working with Defilements and Nature of Objects4 May 2012
- 131 hr 41 minGroup F 2 — Bringing in Right View and Understanding Dukkha4 May 2012
- 142 hrGroup A 3 — Cause and Effect, Intention, and Metta5 May 2012
- 151 hr 56 minGroup B 3 — Practicing Mindful Speaking and Letting Wisdom Lead5 May 2012
- 161 hr 56 minGroup C 3 — Awareness of Mind, Sleepiness, and Rushing at Work6 May 2012
- 172 hr 3 minGroup D 3 — Continuity of Practice and Aversion6 May 2012
Transcript
English
Okay, so this is Sayadaw U Tejaniya checking group E, session number 2, on Friday, May 4, at the Insight Meditation Society 2012.
English
And would those who are speaking first raise your hand?
English
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
English
Yes. I'll go first, then. Yeah. Good morning. First of all, I'd like to thank you for your teachings, and my question was somewhat answered by Carol via Sayadaw this morning, but just to have a little clarification would be good. Um,
English
over the course of the week, I've noticed the defilement of rampant. It's like a defilement fest. Um, I noticed that because, uh, I realized I had a lot of expectation, wanting, anticipation, and of course none of that happened. A lot of suffering, attachment, greed, anger, frustration.
English
Um, and I really saw for myself that I'm very attached to pleasure. I like it. And I had the wrong view of my practice. I was looking for peaceful experiences. Hmm. Continually. And it was a great revelation, so thank you. Um, to see that clearly.
English
So once I saw that, of course, then the practice changed, and it began to do its own work, which is interesting. Um,
English
in seeing that, I notice, um, sometimes
English
when there is some awareness and collection of the mind, I notice what I perceived before as calmness and peace is really just a dreamy, snoozy state. And I was very attached to that. Um, and my practice previously was to, you know, investigate.
English
And so now I've noticed there are times when I can just be with just knowing peace or just calm, and that's okay. But there's other times when there isn't that experience, and this question comes: should I investigate? What's going on? So my question is, and underneath that I can see the aversion, the attachment, the wanting, the same stuff that's going on and on.
English
Yeah. Um, so my question is, is there a time when wisdom is asking the question, or is it fueled by the defilement, such as I'm speaking? And how do you discern the difference? Presently I've just decided just to notice questioning and just don't go with that.
English
But is there something skillful to work with that?
English
talar, men jag i och jag
English
i sin man till den time-line, eller
[Burmese segment]
English
English
It says, uh, yes, it's possible for wisdom to ask questions.
English
Um, uh, wisdom does ask them when the awareness and, and some wisdom is ready to, um, discover. It will ask the necessary questions. Uh, it's good that you see the defilements coming up with the questions that are being asked. He says, then in that case it's true. You don't, don't follow it. He says, once the mind asks a question, but then it starts trying to do something with it, you know, there's a, you know, that's not going to be helpful.
English
Um, what you're doing is just enough. Just nice. He said, just, yeah. He says, all the questions he's suggesting to people. It's for people who've never thought about practice. It's for people who've never, they just follow instructions and, you know, their mind doesn't sort of work on questioning.
English
Um, so he introduces all these things to tell them it's okay. You know, yeah. But if you've done that before, so it's, the mind is used to it. So just use that as another object, just to be known. Yes, that's right. Thank you. I hope you're good. Mm. Yes.
English
Um, I had a very helpful experience yesterday.
English
Um, I had a very intense migraine headache, and this is nothing new for me. I've had them since I was a little girl.
English
And in that long history, I have developed a very strong habitual thought pattern around them, primarily aversion, wanting them to go away, wanting, you know, anything but that to be happening.
English
Um, it occurred to me that this pain, this enormous pain, is nothing more than an object that the mind can observe.
English
And
English
in doing so, it, it helped me to break the identification with this pain. It helped me to not see it as my pain, but as just pain arising. And I ask a question, you know, what is pain? And that, that sounds ridiculous, but it actually helped, you know, because it, it totally, um,
English
separated it from me, you know, helped me to see that this pain was not personal. Um, it also helped me to
English
realize that, that as an object, it is no more important than the breath or whatever object else may be arriving. Um, it helped me to shift my perspective from participating in the pain to having more an observer's position. Um, this, this experience, while it may sound very small and insignificant, was huge for me, um, because, well, it, it just really contributed to my faith in the practice and the path.
English
Um, so my question,
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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.…