Q&AMaui Retreat17 Nov 2016
Questions and answers — Wisdom Supervising Mindfulness, Delusion, and Preparation for Death
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 15 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:15:08
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
The Q&A clarifies how wisdom supervises mindfulness and explains the nature of delusion (moha). Sayadaw distinguishes between seeing and looking, and discusses internal babble when closing the eyes. Yogis are also guided to evaluate their readiness for death through their current daily practice.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Maui Retreat · 18 talks
- 11 hr 5 minMorning instructions — Continuity of Awareness and Right View16 Nov 2016
- 21 hr 18 minQuestions and answers — Expectation in Generosity and Continuity in Daily Life16 Nov 2016
- 335 minMorning instructions — Checking Attitude and Knowing Awareness17 Nov 2016
- Viewing41 hr 15 minQuestions and answers — Wisdom Supervising Mindfulness, Delusion, and Preparation for Death17 Nov 2016
- 514 minMorning instructions — Personal Effort, Natural Effort and Continuous Awareness18 Nov 2016
- 61 hr 32 minQuestions and answers — Concept vs Reality and Noticing the Attitude Towards Suffering18 Nov 2016
- 724 minMorning instructions — The Object, the Knowing, and Awareness19 Nov 2016
- 81 hr 34 minQuestions and answers — Choice-Less Awareness and Physical vs Mental Sensations19 Nov 2016
- 942 minMorning instructions — Being Aware in the Present Moment20 Nov 2016
- 101 hr 35 minQuestions and answers — Working with Greed, Fear, and Pain20 Nov 2016
Transcript
EnglishAll right, okay, so this is the second session of Sayadaw U Tejaniya checking students at the Vipassanā Meta Foundation of Maui on November 17, 2016.
EnglishUh, I thought it was the 17th. Oh, thank you.
EnglishYes. Um, I was wondering if you could please clarify an instruction from the sitting this morning. Um, there was a comment about "right thought" being thinking about your meditation while you're sitting. Mm-hmm. Um, and so my experience in meditation so far, and the instructions I've heard, haven't left that much room for, like, analytical thought or, um, having sort of, uh, reflecting with a purpose.
EnglishYes. While you're sitting. So I was wondering if that could be explained a little bit more.
English Yeah, he says it's an. It's an essence, um, using our own thoughts to, um, bring about curiosity about our own practice.
EnglishEither the present moment practice or the process of the practice, right? Um, so, so he gave a couple of examples. Like, uh, present moment practice you could be interested in, you know, the examples he gave, like if you're interested in your breath, you know, and, um, is it long or short or deep or etc., and, you know, why you're breathing, etc.
EnglishSo that's in the moment. Or you could be interested in a process of your practice, right? Like, um, why is it like this now? And, but the, the thinking must come from your observation. So it can be but not just, um, what's the word, pa-paññā, not just ruminating.
EnglishMm-hmm. Give me that filter out. Yeah. Not something that just, sort of just your imagination. Or maybe it's because of this maid know. But it has to be from your observation, you know. And. This is what I noticed, and maybe that's it. And, and then you have to check again in your next experience, is it does that hold true? So that gives some interest in your own practice.
[Burmese segment]
English So, um, so he'd like to explain a little bit about when you should, or maybe whether you shouldn't, because, you know, the instructions to sometimes just know is quite can be valid. So when we're just beginning, like even just beginning again, um, sometimes we don't have enough steadiness of mind.
EnglishThe mind just isn't settled enough. At times like that, it can be more helpful instead of thinking about how to practice, to just practice. Just, just do it. You know? Bring the attention, bring the attention, until the mind is more settled. You know, just checking whether there is a right attitude and so on, until the mind settles. When the mind has some, um, semblance of settlement, when the mind has, um, more than a semblance, uh, when the mind has some steadiness, um, statuses, that's when it starts making a difference.
EnglishSome people's minds are naturally curious. When their mind settles down, their minds come alive. Their natural, innate curiosity, or of the moment, or of processes, their powers of observation are keener. They notice details in what they have been watching, and all this information becomes interesting for them.
EnglishAnd their mind, without conscious, um, active thinking, um, thinks about what they're doing and, and learns from what they're doing. So that's one type of person. Another type is that the mind starts settling down, and it just becomes quiet. And then it's like, nothing's happening. And then, what should I do?
EnglishHe says for people like that, he gives all these examples of how you could think about it, how you could question yourself. Information you get. Right? Same like that. Um, and, and encouraging us to, um, if we're in that sort of space, because any of us could come into that sort of space, um, at any time. Um, encouraging us at that time to, to allow ourselves to use our the wisdoms we already have.
EnglishTo, to be willing to question, um, um, not be afraid that we will lose our steadiness or something, you know, um, so that we can explore a bit further. Right?
English says so very very often So very, very often Sayadaw says, we he he asks ques uh, yogis, he says, "Do you know what awareness is?"
EnglishAnd yogis are fairly sure they know what their awareness is. Do you know when the mind is steady? Do you recognize your own steadiness of mind or when the mind is settled? Hmm, yes, they understand concentration or samādhi, a settled mind. Yes, they understand. Do you understand effort? Can you, can you, like, be in tune with your own effort?
EnglishHmm, yes, not so bad, yeah. They understand what their effort is. Um, your faith, yes, they know they have faith, or not, not enough faith, or whatever, more than enough faith. And what about your wisdom? And he says, very often that throws people off, because wisdom is such a big word, people think they don't have it. Um, so they forget to notice the fact that there is all these little wisdoms that we have.
EnglishI mentioned before that common sense is a type of wisdom. So we all have that. And, but we fail to recognize that it's something that's useful, and we can use it, and it's actually working, whether we detect it or not. So.
English Sayadaw says, the ideal scenario in meditation is that as we continue to be aware, this, um, quality, um, um, wisdom is called many different things in Pali.
EnglishAnd one of them is called sampājñā. Some of you may have heard of this, and it's translated as clear comprehension. It's, it's basically a factor of discernment. Right? It can dis that, that factor discerns whether something is beneficial or not, suitable or not, whether it is the right object, whether it is in the right place, that sort of thing, you know?
EnglishUm, in a very general way. Um, and Sayadaw says, generally, the ideal scenario is that we are mindful, and the presence of mindfulness brings this comp clear comprehension. It brings clear comprehension with it. So remember that meditation is the five faculties working together, and the five faculties include the awareness, right, the remembering to be aware, and it includes wisdom, right?
EnglishAnd so we're hoping that when we, you know, pull, um, awareness along, we're using awareness to lead these five faculties, wisdom is coming along. So ideally, and actually, Sayadaw says, that's what's happening. Some comp clear comprehension is supposed to come along with the awareness. But in practice, what happens is, um, sometimes it's our conditioning, um, from, from past practice or, or things we've heard, and sometimes we limit ourselves for whatever reason, um, or we're feeling dull.
EnglishFor whatever reason, sometimes it's like that wisdom is not awakening. Or some wisdom is not awakening. Some wisdom is, um, not bringing itself to bear in that moment, together with the awareness. So Sayadaw says, um,
Englishhe has seen many yogis, you know, who have practiced a long time, and they feel, or he sees, that they, um, ha um, for having practiced those many years, they don't seem to have changed very much themselves. And when he, uh, questions them a bit further, he says what he sees is very often that these people don't use their wisdom in the sense that, um,
Englishthey've sort of probably dichotomized their practice, what's on the cushion and what's life, and, and they, they haven't expanded their awareness and their understanding of things into their whole life. You know, they, they haven't made the connection. So what, and most often what these people are doing with their meditation is they're looking for meditation experiences.
EnglishTwo things. They, they look for, they read about, um, special meditation experiences, and they think that that's what we need to get from meditation. They haven't heard of the concept of the fact that meditation is about wisdom, about growing our wisdom, um, or understanding truth. And, and so they're looking for these experiences, and they some, sometimes, um, unconsciously or subconsciously try to create these experiences for themselves in their meditation.
EnglishAnd that's why they're stuck.
EnglishYes. Um,
Englishin, uh,
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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.…