Q&ASasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat12 Jan 2024
Q&A group B — Appreciating Awareness and Staying on the Side of Awareness
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 2 hr 25 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−2:25:47
AI-written summary
In this group interview, the teacher advises yogis to stay with awareness and appreciate it rather than reacting to objects. Instead of projecting concepts like dukkha or impermanence, meditators should let nature show itself. Maintaining right attitude helps transform defilements naturally.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Retreat · 6 talks
- 11 hr 28 minIntroduction talk — Cultivating Wholesome Qualities and Right Attitude5 Jan 2024
- 21 hr 44 minQ&A group A — Investigation and Right Attitude Toward Unpleasant States6 Jan 2024
- 32 hr 15 minQ&A group B — Investigating Drowsiness and Practicing with Right Attitude8 Jan 2024
- 42 hr 21 minQ&A group A — Cultivating Awareness with Right Attitude10 Jan 2024
- Viewing52 hr 26 minQ&A group B — Appreciating Awareness and Staying on the Side of Awareness12 Jan 2024
- 648 minConcluding talk — Continuing Practice and Awareness at Home14 Jan 2024
Transcript
English
Today is 12 January 2024, Q&A with Sayadaw U Tejaniya and translation by at Raga Buddhist Sanctuary via Zoom. We have Group B today.
English
Thank you for your teaching, Sayadaw. I've noticed that the mind is a little bit more stable with some of your practices.
English
Recently, during the retreat, we've been doing
English
the Kharaniya chanting every morning.
English
And the last few days, I noticed that when I was doing walking meditation or sitting, I could see that
English
the sutta keeps playing in the mind. So I noticed that, and no pushing, no going, no chanting along with it. I just keep noticing. Sometimes it fades off, and then it arises again. And then there was one night, I was walking back to the dormitory after the session, about 10 something.
English
It was dark, and I remember there was a sound, and there was a fear, and I noticed that the mind
English
chanted the Kharaniya sutta. So, oh, it amazes me. Wait, how did this thing pop up? So when it pops up, I notice it. I didn't chant along with it, just noticed that it happened. There was no more fear when the noticing was there, and I was just
English
grateful that the awareness was there to notice it, so the fear wasn't there. That was the first one. Maybe Sayadaw would like to
English
share on this practice.
[Burmese segment]
English
Okay, okay. Yeah, so when we can be aware, right, whatever comes up, that's good.
English
Yeah. I also noticed there was one incident where I was sitting
English
meditation, and then there was a Kalyāṇamītra at the back. He told me, "Get up, get up. Just walk. Don't look back." So I just followed. I get up, but immediately I could see when he heard the voice, "Get up, don't look back," there was already fear. It sensed the danger there. So it also started to notice the fear, and it was walking very fast.
English
It also noticed, and it keeps saying, "Keep, keep going. Don't look back. Don't look back." So the more they said, the more the mind was in fear. But at the same time, there was also the awareness of the fear. And that time it was quite, it was quite obvious when it notices the fear, seemingly like the fear wasn't there.
English
But the minute when the voice says, "Don't look back, don't look back," oh, the fear came up again. So each time when it notices, I could see, hey, that's a relief from the fear. So that also gave me the confidence of what Sayadaw was saying, is stay with the awareness, stay with the awareness. So that was my appreciation for the teaching.
[Burmese segment]
English
[Burmese segment]
English
So Siddhartha says you're beginning to— Sorry, something is echoing in my— Hello? Okay.
English
The video backup to cut a little in. So Sayadaw said,
English
it's good to notice the reactions like that. You know, you notice when the mind is thinking, how the mind reacts when the mind is aware, how the mind reacts when you know the awareness, when you stay outside of the awareness, how the mind reacts. And then he said you can also, when you recognize the awareness, you notice the fear has gone.
English
Sayadaw says you can also
English
check to see,
English
in the darkness, what is it afraid of. When it's not afraid, you can check. Okay. Yeah. I only can notice that when there's thinking, the fear arises. When there's awareness there, you notice it. When there's no thinking, there is no fear. The contrast was quite, there was such a contrast. .
Keep listening by topic
Suggestions for what to listen to next · Based on the topics of this talk. No account history needed.
- Q&A — Right Attitude Towards Pain and Why Awareness Comes BackSayadaw U Tejaniya6 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Questions and answers (2) — Right Attitude Toward Pain and Awareness HabitSayadaw U Tejaniya6 min
Shares topics with this talk
- 06 Zoom Q&A group A and B — Being Happy with Awareness and Checking AttitudeSayadaw U Tejaniya1 hr 45 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Basic questions and answers (morning) — Watching Liking and Disliking, and the Intention to KnowSayadaw U Tejaniya52 min
Shares topics with this talk
- Day 5a interviews — Watching the Reactive Mind and Knowing the AwarenessSayadaw U Tejaniya1 hr 47 min
Shares topics with this talk
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.…