Q&AMaui Retreat24 Nov 2016
Questions and answers — Suicide, Anicca-Dukkha-Anatta and Practicing at Home
Sayadaw U Tejaniya · 1 hr 11 min
Original audio: Burmese · English interpretation
0:00−1:11:27
Uses compressed audio.
AI-written summary
The Q&A addresses flexible objects of awareness, Buddhist views on suicide, and understanding impermanence, suffering, and not-self without forcing belief. The teacher emphasizes learning through mental defilements and sustaining genuine practice amid daily life at home.
Topics
Talks in this retreat
Maui Retreat · 18 talks
- 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
- 1112 minMorning instructions — Right View and Awareness Throughout the Day21 Nov 2016
- 121 hr 27 minQuestions and answers — Effortless Awareness, Right Speech, and Working with Anxiety21 Nov 2016
- 134 minMorning instructions — Maintaining Continuity and Momentum22 Nov 2016
- 141 hr 21 minQuestions and answers — Awareness While Speaking and in Sleep22 Nov 2016
- 151 hr 37 minQuestions and answers — Speech, Relationships, and Wholesome Mind23 Nov 2016
- 1620 minMorning instructions — Being Aware of Thoughts and Restlessness24 Nov 2016
- Viewing171 hr 11 minQuestions and answers — Suicide, Anicca-Dukkha-Anatta and Practicing at Home24 Nov 2016
- 1831 minLast morning instructions — Continuing Practice and Bringing Dhamma into Life25 Nov 2016
Transcript
EnglishSo this is the last, uh, session of questions and discussion with Sayadaw U Tejaniya and the yogis at
Englishthe Vipassanā Meta-Foundation of Maui on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016.
Englishสวัสดีครับ สวัสดีนะครับ พี่วอ มาสร้างกําลังใจให้พี่นะ มาลี่ มาลี่นะ He says, "Whatever we begin, yeah, once we've begun it, then it concludes quite easily, quite quickly. But before we begin, it seems to take so long. It's like, we haven't arrived yet, we're still packing." I rather—where is everybody?
EnglishStart and already end. Yes.
EnglishLife is like this.
EnglishI can start. Okay. Was there someone else?
EnglishYou can start.
EnglishSo I had a—I wanted to know about Sayadaw's thoughts on awareness of movement, and so it could be while walking.
EnglishThis week I've been focused mainly on seeing and hearing, but I'm thinking about back in everyday life that I might be in the kitchen and, you know, bending and lifting my arms. Is that—how—what are your thoughts? Is that skillful—are those skillful objects as compared to, say, seeing and hearing?
EnglishAre they equivalent or— ก็เหมือนเหมือนช้าผูก ดีแต่ว่าจาอะไรมีอะไรจีรเลย แบบว่าอายุปู่อยู่นิดแหละ แต่ดีกว่าถ่านแหละ ไอ้มาซื้อของมา เห็นฉันนี่แหละสวย เอ่อ แต่คู่หูอยู่ไหม และหลานแม่ และพี่น้องแม่ เอ่อ เยอะนิดนึง อายุยืนทุกๆ เวลาแหละ เอ่อ มีหน้าที่ร้านแม่ ร้านที่ร้านแม่ ทุกๆ เวลา อายุเอ่อ อายุเอ่อ อายุมั้ย ไม่ ทีละจริง เอ่อ ทําหมดทุกๆ เวลา แต่ครัวของเขาเนี่ย เราอยู่มาหลายโผล่ เอ่อ อายุที่อะไร ดีกว่าอายุที่เดียว เอ่อ แล้ว เอ่อ ใส่เอาได้นะ ติ้งเดียว
Englishเอาดิ เอาดิ ใส่หัวติ้ว เอาดิ ใส่ติ้งตัวลูกหู โลๆ ติ้งนี่แหละ อายุนิดๆ นี่แหละ He says, "Whatever your mind goes to and is aware of, that's fine." So, you know, if you know your mind has, you know, is being aware of something, that's fine. Whatever it might be.
EnglishSo the important thing is, what is the mind aware of?
[Burmese segment]
Englishแอททิชชูอะร้องมาไร่นาจ้าละ แอททิชชูอายุที่ไหน อีกรอบนะ แอททิชชูอะมันในตัวมาจังนะ อายุนี่ได้กี่ร้อยย่า เอ่อ อายุที่ไหน อายุที่ได้อ่านมันนะ ไปหาปู่ยิติได้นะ It's really only when, you know, we're in distress or, um,
Englishwell, out of our balanced state of mind, that then you have what's called a more important object. Like, you know, if you're distressed or very happy, you need to check whether you're aware, whether the mind is aware with the right attitude, you know. That—then that becomes important. But if you're sort of settled, then whatever.
Englishเอาอีมูชินคิดนี่แหละ เฉยมาเลย เอามือยาเช็ดอีมูชิน อีมูชินบ่อยู่ดี If we are feeling emotional then and we are able to be aware of our emotion in a balanced way, it's more helpful to be aware of the emotion than, say, to be aware of something else. ถ้าหากเดี๋ยวนี้เดี๋ยว แต่เดี๋ยวขออะไรดีวะ หมูดีเลย แต่เดี๋ยวอามากองเห็นว่าตะกรุดฉันมันอยู่ร้อยย่า แต่เดี๋ยวอาก้องอาจจะดูจังว่ามันยังอยู่ไหนนะ ยังๆ อยู่ไหนนะ And it depends on what our awareness feels like that day, you know, or in general.
EnglishSometimes we feel like we cannot be aware of more than one thing at a time. There are times you feel like that and you have to accept that. Other times you might feel more generally aware
Englishof, you know, like shifting awareness and it's fine. So whatever is working at that time, if you know more or less, that's what you work with.
Englishแล้วอย่าที่แดดว่ามีอัมพูตเชียวเหรอเว้ย มีอัมพูตพูดเชียวเหรอ The— อายุไม่ๆ ที่แดดรู้จักเหรอ The thing to notice is that
Englishin a state when your mind is able to be more encompassing in what it knows, you'll notice that you also feel a greater sense of connectedness, of really knowing what's going on. Right? Because there is a broader view, there is a better understanding because it knows more.
EnglishOn the good days.
Englishอย่างเงี้ย อย่างเงี้ย แต่ว่าแบบว่าออฟฟิศชื่อแบบนั้นนะ ติ๊ก แต่คู่ติ๊กคือแบบออฟฟิศชื่อแบบข้าวเด็ดหัวเป่า เนี่ยอาก้องอะไรข้าวเด็ด When the wisdom is stronger, you will always notice that whatever the wisdom understands, it will also see what it was blind to before and now understands.
EnglishYes.
EnglishUh, hold on. I had a— One second. Yes.
EnglishIs that—was that all you wanted to ask?
EnglishWas that all you wanted to ask? Thank you.
EnglishUm, so I—I have a question, um, and
EnglishI spoke to my aunt this morning before coming, um, because I knew it would be a challenging day for her. Um, my cousin committed suicide last year, or in the last five months, and, um, so—and I've been—this was the last thing my cousin gave me, so I brought it with me to remind me.
EnglishAnd I wanted to
Englishjust honor that. I haven't—it's kind of like come up and down, but, um, I told my aunt what I was doing and she said, "What do the Buddhists say about death?" And I—I didn't respond because I thought, I don't want—it's not—didn't feel like my place, but I wanted to
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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.…