Q&ASpirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat29 Apr 2015
Group F · session 1 — Working with Defilements and Right Effort
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 2 hr 20 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−2:20:04
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
A group interview addressing defilements, identification with a sense of self, and excessive efforting. The teacher advises against identifying with unpleasant feelings, suggests using neutral objects when overwhelmed, and explains how to cultivate wisdom through right attitude.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat · 38 talks
- 61 hr 32 minGroup C · session 1 — Investigating Aversion, Observing Objectively, and the Role of Wisdom28 Apr 2015
- 738 minMorning instructions day 4 — Differentiating Object and Knowing29 Apr 2015
- 81 hr 54 minGroup D · session 1 — Working with Delusion and Understanding the Mind29 Apr 2015
- 91 hr 27 minGroup E · session 1 — Investigation, Stillness, and Subtle Intentions29 Apr 2015
- Viewing102 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
- 131 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
Transcript
English
Yes. This is Professor Drew Taft at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the 29th of April, first group meeting.
English
So those in the— people in the group that need to speak first, any order, please just— Right.
English
You can tell him about how you're practicing, how you're experiencing them, and then he can be more helpful.
English
Okay, I guess I'll go first. Um,
English
overall, I think the practice is going pretty well. I see improvements in my ability to, um, recognize when
English
mostly green aversions show up. The delusion, every once in a while I'll get a quick glimmer through, and, uh,
English
it's usually
English
whenever I can let go of this sense of self, then I can see
English
progress. I'm not sure that's the right word. Um,
English
so far this retreat, I have been dealing with a lot of aversion that actually came with me into retreat after illness. Um,
English
trying to keep it concise, I have really bad allergies, and I was concerned about coming and being here. And after yesterday, um, I was just
English
weirding out if somebody opened the windows in the meditation hall, because that seemed like the only place I could go that I would not have to worry about not being able to breathe. And just, um, it was mostly fear. I was afraid to go out and walk around, which I usually love to do, because there's so much pollen in the air. Um, and ultimately it began to be clearer and clearer to me that the fear was just
English
creating a prison. Um, and I could see it, and I was trying to work with it, but— and often day three is a hard one for me anyway— I sort of got caught yesterday in just, "Ah!" And, um,
English
what came up is I was sort of pacing my room, figuring that was the last place since the windows were open in the meditation hall. Um, the color mood, do you trust the Dhamma? And the answer was, "Of course." And things started to loosen up a little bit. Um, it didn't go away completely, but gradually the aversion— I went out and I walked around, I was still breathing.
English
I went into— and gradually I went into the hall and I actually saw someone who makes me smile, and it all settled back down. Um,
English
I still have to take my medication, but I'm no longer caught in that. But I've seen that if it's, um, if I'm really caught in a sense of self, that's when I lose it. If it's self-preservation, if it's, you know, being in sort of a group setting in which I have to be somebody, because I have to be somebody to somebody else, you know, that kind of stuff.
English
Um,
English
but I was really grateful that, um,
English
the Dhamma stepped in and said, "Hey, remember what we're doing here." And, um, it worked out okay. So far.
[Burmese segment]
English
Anh
[Burmese segment]
English
Yeah. Tetus is great if when the defilements are there, when there's a strong sense of self, the— of course, a strong sense of self goes with defilements. And then the defilements, they make it unhealthy in the mind and the body. It feels unhealthy in the mind and the body. And he says, so the first thing to take care of is the mind.
English
He says, if the mind feels healthy, um, you know, if you can deal with, uh, the agitation in the mind, when the mind feels healthy, it's easier to help the body feel healthy.
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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.…