Q&AGaia House Retreat1 Jun 2015
Interview groups E and F session 2 with priority for group f to speak — Being Aware of Thinking and Knowing Without Focusing
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 42 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:42:16
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
In this group interview, the teacher explains how to recognize thinking naturally without forced focus. He guides yogis to treat pain and defilements as objects to understand with right view. Practitioners should patiently maintain awareness of mind states until awareness functions effortlessly as a natural habit.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Gaia House Retreat · 22 talks
- 61 hr 43 minInterview groups E and F · session 1 (priority for group E) — Middle Way, Right View, and Working with Dullness31 May 2015
- 71 hr 46 minInterview groups A and B · session 2 (priority for group B) — Natural Speed, Concept and Reality, and Working with Craving31 May 2015
- 826 minMorning Guided meditation — Right View and Right Attitude Towards Experiences1 Jun 2015
- 91 hr 26 minInterview groups C and D session 2 with priority for group d to speak — Protecting the Knowing Mind and Practicing with Fear1 Jun 2015
- Viewing101 hr 42 minInterview groups E and F session 2 with priority for group f to speak — Being Aware of Thinking and Knowing Without Focusing1 Jun 2015
- 1123 minMorning Guided meditation — Recognizing the Workings of the Mind2 Jun 2015
- 121 hr 18 minQuestion and answer session in the hall — Observing Defilements with Right View and Equanimity2 Jun 2015
- 1330 minMorning Guided meditation — Cultivating the Wholesome and the Value of Sati3 Jun 2015
- 141 hr 31 minInterview groups A and B session 3 with priority for group a to speak — Working with Emotions and Thoughts with Right View3 Jun 2015
- 151 hr 48 minInterview groups C and D session 3 with priority for group c to speak — Recognizing Wrong Attitude and the Difference Between Goal and Expectation3 Jun 2015
Transcript
English
This is Guy Haas, retreat with Sayadaw U Tejaniya, 2015, Monday, June 1, group DNF session 2.
English
I have a question about thinking. Like, some days before, it was said, like, "Is there awareness, is there thought, or both?" Mm-hmm. Yeah. And the "both" is, for me, stuck. Because with the other sense doors,
English
with some exceptions, but when I'm not aware and then I bring awareness, not much change. Mm-hmm. And with thought, when I'm in it and I don't have awareness, and I bring awareness,
English
great change. Mm-hmm. Because,
English
I mean, I mean thought in the way of worry,
English
daydream, that sort of thing. Mm-hmm. I mean, reading, if it's not a thriller, or writing is okay, you know, but sort of
English
it goes away when I go from the content to the process. Mm-hmm. And then it's gone. It stops. Yes. But it's not in 50% or something like that. Two minutes later, I find myself
English
thought, no awareness, and the same sort of thought. Okay. You know? Yeah. So I wonder how I could do that, you know, both. Or is it aversion, or other people? I don't know how other people do it. Yeah.
[Burmese segment]
English
. See, I just said, "When you read, you are aware," right? You said, "You could be aware when you read." Yeah. Yeah. If it's not especially sati in, you know.
English
Yeah. Thriller or something. So what is reading? How, how? What is? What is reading? What is doing the reading? Um,
English
I'm, it's, it's reading is
English
I, I follow it, you know? I follow something and then I can decide the speed or the break, you know? Mm-hmm. But if I daydream, it's sort of, it's, I'm not, I'm more. What, what is it that's deciding how fast you go or break or whatever? What is that? Kind of that. Let's say, "Baby."
English
I don't know. I have no choice. I, what is it?
English
. Is it your eye? Is it your eyes that are reading? No. What is reading? . Okay, okay, okay. Take your time. What is reading? Um. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
English
No, it's like, it's like, it's not, it's one way and, yeah. Who is reading? Well.
English
It's, it's the mind. Yes, that's reading. It's the mind that's reading. And when you read, you read to yourself, right? In a way. When we read, the words kind of flow out and we recognize the words.
English
That's thinking too. Yes. And you know you're reading. Yes. So you're not, you're not in thinking.
English
But. Yes. Okay. But the problem is the, the daydream is so. . The other types of thoughts. Okay. .
[Burmese segment]
English
Um, Seattle says, "Generally, if we are properly being aware, we're not thinking so much," right? Mm-hmm. And then when we're lost in thought. . And when we're lost in thought, we are not aware. But he says, "We can be aware when we are thinking." Mm-hmm. Right? Um, and, and that's usually when it's thinking is more subtle.
English
At a subtle level, thinking never stops. Mm-hmm. But when we know those subtle thoughts, we can know that thinking is happening. Yeah? But those kind of daydream thoughts, they're quite gross. They're quite, like, surface thoughts. And those, if you know them, they seem to stop. That's okay. But because they're just surface thoughts.
English
Yeah. If you get into the deeper, more subtle thoughts, like the things the mind is saying to you all the time, like, "Do it like this, like this," you know, "Why am I doing this?" You know, that kind of talking never stops. Then you can know that the mind is thinking. Planning lôi ra. Planning. He says, like, when you need to plan to do something. Mm-hmm. Maybe you have a yogi job and you need to think about how to do it.
English
Planning like what? You can stop that kind of thinking. Planning like what? Right? But you can be aware that you're thinking those thoughts about how to do what you need to do. Yeah. But only possible if you're not focusing. If you focus to try to be aware, you cannot be aware and thinking at the same time.
English
The awareness needs to be a natural sort of just knowing, um, in order to know that you're thinking. If the awareness becomes too focused or you're trying too hard to be aware. Uh-huh. Then you cannot think at the same time. Because the awareness is trying too hard.
English
But thinking can be focused.
English
Can be aware. Yes. The thinking can be focused. Yeah. The thinking is lower. Because you, you say that, um, seeing you can do without looking. Yeah? So maybe thinking could be without focus, maybe.
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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.…