Q&ASpirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat5 May 2015
Group F · session 3 — Building Continuity and Working with Greed and Defilements
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 2 hr 15 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−2:15:43
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
A group interview addressing subtle greed, the distinction between greed and wholesome desire (chanda), and the interplay of defilements. The teacher shares his experience maintaining continuous mindfulness in daily life and guides meditators on overcoming sloth and torpor with right attitude.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat · 38 talks
- 241 hr 34 minGroup C · session 3 — Building Awareness and Managing Defilements in Daily Life4 May 2015
- 251 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
- Viewing282 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
- 3132 minMorning instructions day 12 — Knowing Intentions and Continuity of Awareness7 May 2015
- 321 hr 40 minGroup B session 4 — Defilements as Forces of Nature and Understanding the Mind7 May 2015
- 331 hr 33 minGroup C session 4 — Concept, Reality and Mind Door7 May 2015
Transcript
English
Okay, so this is the May 5
English
discussion group with Sayadaw U Tejaniya at Spirit Rock, group F, the third meeting.
English
Sorry, I'm on the first group, please. I really don't want to do this, so I thought I should just start that interview lined all day. Um,
English
I wanted just to express my appreciation to Sayadaw for the comments he made about my report from the last time.
English
They made me aware of the extent of the greed that I have, in a much bigger way.
English
Just as a background, I came into this with
English
many, many years of practice in more the Thai tradition, the Ajahn Chah's school of work, and some Burmese, and lately have been doing about several years' worth of Tibetan practice. So I came in having had Steve Armstrong at a retreat some years back, finding that his teaching, I think in this style, was just felt natural.
English
It just felt wonderful and good. So I thought, this retreat will be a bridge between this style and this style, and all will become clear.
English
That fell away right away.
English
So there are two things I want to say. One is to kind of report on what has been happening, and the other thing is Sayadaw told me that I should look at the job description of greed. So I have a job description of greed.
[Burmese segment]
English
So, um,
English
throughout these days,
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as I—actually as I began, the practice has led to some really beautiful mind states, some
English
ease that I haven't known before, and openness, release, and some not-so-beautiful mind states.
English
I would just—one—I'll just talk about one
English
sort of situation where I was sitting with—boy, I feel my face very red. I was sitting with
English
nice, open, aware-of-awareness
English
set, but noticing that through this whole period of time, there was quite a bit of I there.
English
And so I just sat with that, and I noticed, hmm, there's a lot of me here. And then all of a sudden, greed. I saw it. It was like the greed was there, and there was I. And it just—it just
English
was an amazing moment for me.
English
That was a subtle form of greed.
MY
[Burmese speech]
English
And so I've been working a lot with trying to get right effort. It feels a bit like I'm getting back on a bicycle over and over some of the time. And sometimes the bicycle goes easily. Sometimes I can even take my hands off, sometimes even take my feet off, and it seems to go by itself. But with
English
the constant striving that comes in, and the greed that that means, I lose it.
English
Anyway, that's about how it's been. Up and down, back and forth, but mostly quite wonderful. And I'd like to read you my description of greed, the job description, because I won't remember it.
English
Okay. Here's the job description. "To keep one continually off-balance, continually reaching.
English
To keep one discontent out of this moment. To disturb ease. To create a sense of I.
English
To take over where aversion drops the ball. To keep one from seeing things as they really are. To keep the thought machine churning. To be tiring.
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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.…