Dhamma talkOther Dhamma talks9 Feb 2020
Not let it think, let it know
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 18 min
0:00−18:07
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
The teacher explains that when thinking arises, yogis should simply be aware of it rather than stopping or controlling it. Every experience must be viewed as a natural object to maintain equanimity. When facing physical pain, having the right view and recognizing fear in the mind should take priority.
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Transcript
EnglishYes. Sayada, you recommend, before we sit, to relax the muscles and the body and expectations. And sometimes when I meditate, the mind gets stiff. There's a feel of stiffness.
EnglishShould I, when I try to relax the body, relax the feeling of stiffness? That's why if you cannot try to relax, you cannot relax anything, right? Just relax.
EnglishJust relax the muscle and the mind and body relax. It's not trying to get rid of this, right? I can relax a little bit. Or feel the relaxation. Yeah, a little bit enough. Not even try to go.
EnglishNo, okay. So there is possibility that I have to relax the muscle. If you do not relax, then slowly the mind goes away. Yeah, the concentration is getting lost. Okay, if you're aware, it's okay. Aware and relaxed and aware together, what it is, okay. Second question: curiosity is a way to get energy.
EnglishYes. More interest. To interest energy. Yeah. To create energy. Just energy. Investigation is a. This energy is. For the wisdom. Yes. It must be good quality, no? Not fancy. Curiosity. Yeah, right. Right, right. Okay. Okay, then. No, that's just to
Englishdifferentiate it. Yeah. Yeah, good energy is okay. The mind interests. The mind have energy come. So no need to effort. Naturally, if you're interested, the mind already have effort. And investigation is energy for wisdom. If you investigate, the wisdom is stronger. Right. Right, right, right.
EnglishThat's why we use some question.
EnglishYes. Just one more question I'm thinking. Is it possible that
Englishaware of the walking step, or even aware of the body sensation? Yeah, ask him, yeah. And thinking at the same time. Yes, both together. Very good awareness.
EnglishI thought I was very aware but. Don't concentrate only. Thinking. Yeah, don't concentrate only the walking. Your awareness becomes sharp. That's why he can know when pay attention to the walking, but same time, the mind can know the thinking. So that means your walker is walking.
EnglishYour walker is walking. He walk a lot. So he is a good walker.
EnglishBut you don't like him. Problem of this. Why you know the dog.
EnglishOkay. So what should we do when we're thinking? Let them know. Let them know. Let him think. Not let him think. Let him know. No, let him think. Thinking happen, but you just more awareness. Try to know, know all these things. Yeah. You are not trying to think, right? Just hum.
EnglishYeah, just hum. This is not your duty. Not your responsibility. This is the moment that they do their job. Your responsibility, your intentionally, is try to awake. Try to notice. That's all. Right? Your awareness now walking. The mind and body together. He can know the mind and body together same time. So awareness is sharper now.
EnglishOkay? Don't like thinking.
EnglishYes?
EnglishYeah, I've been using an anchor lately. What? I've been using an anchor to kind of help keep me in the present moment, like breathing when I'm sitting, you know? And then I notice if I'm thinking or hearing or whatever. And my body, you know, when I'm walking. And sometimes I'm able to open up, so I'm walking and I notice how I feel there, and I can notice I'm thinking, and I notice I'm hearing, and I notice I'm seeing, like all at the same time.
EnglishBut then when I try to be aware, kind of more of the awareness, you know? It's usually like a thought, like, "Oh, I'm aware of all this." And that kind of contracts my awareness. Yeah, but how do you try? How do you try?
EnglishYou know the many experiences already, right? Yeah. So just asking yourself, are you awareness present or not? Just asking. Then the mind more noticeable that awareness is present. Yeah. But when I try to recognize the fact, when I try to sort of know the known, I feel like that sort of interrupts my awareness.
EnglishDon't try too much. So what happen if you try? Then I just start thinking. Some thought pops up, like, "Oh, I'm now in the," you know? No, no, don't try. Don't try to be. Naturally, the mind can see, can know. Now your situation is awareness better and better. Just reminding yourself, just some question. If awareness present or not, that's enough.
EnglishOkay?
EnglishOkay.
EnglishSo I'm not to report. This morning, I had breakfast and I noticed my mind was very, very agitated. And normally, I became really agitated with somebody. Normally, I don't. And I was really interested to see why my mind was so agitated. And then I saw that
Englishbecause when I woke up, I already had some devoutment this morning. I was already feeling unpleasant. And so the mind started tracking. And then the mind noticed, because last night when I went to sleep, I had some fear came up. So I was sleeping with the fear. And so the mind could see that the devoutment was carrying from last night all the way to this morning.
EnglishWake up, yeah. Yeah, and then but it didn't at the beginning, I didn't realize it. So when I saw how it was coming from that place, the agitation slowly calmed down. And I stopped feeling really agitated for the people and the mind about it. But it's interesting that I always forget sometimes that the devoutment.
EnglishWhatever happen, your responsibility is to write you, write it out and be aware. Yeah.
EnglishOkay. Agitated. So what?
EnglishThis is the nature, our nature, all the time agitated. It's just interesting how sometimes you carry it for so long and you don't realize the devoutment stayed there for so long. When you notice this happening, then you can start to practice and more understand about this.
EnglishIf you judging this some bad experience, immediately the mind resists. That's a problem. Now we try to immediate change the right thinking, right? For meditation, prepare for meditation. Okay. This is the nature. Then start to practice.
EnglishRight.
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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.…