Notes from Awareness Meditation Retreat by Sayadaw U Tejaniya 9-23 June 2013 (2 weeks)

The retreat is for us to learn How to Meditate, not To Meditate What is meditation? Cultivating the good qualities of the mind by having right understanding. Duties of a yogi: 1. Right view/understanding 2. Be aware of all body and mind processes, of reality not concepts 3. Continue to be aware Right view Know that all reality (everything that can be known by everyone, universal to all human beings) is nature. There are only mind and the 6 sense objects what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, felt by the body and whatever is thought. Definition of objects: that which is known by the mind. The process can be the mind if the mind takes the 6 objects as objects; the process can be the object if the mind takes the process as an object (eg. The mind knows that seeing is taking place)
MIND Knowing mind Awareness/Observing mind 1 2 3 4 5 6 PROCESS Seeing Hearing Smelling Tasting Body feeling Thinking 6 TYPES OF OBJECTS What is seen - sights What is heard What is smelled - smells What is tasted - tastes What is felt - hardness/softness hot/cold, movement (water element cannot be felt) Thoughts

Objects are not important, they arise because of past kamma, they are the results of past kamma. The awareness is important, just knowing that objects have arisen; the awareness and wisdom that arise from continuous awareness are doing good kamma for future ripening. Go back to the Mind/Process when drawn too much to the Objects. E.g. when we are lost in thoughts (concepts), go back to knowing that it is only thinking taking place (reality) How to apply? Ex. In the dark, alone. If we hear funny sounds, just know that they are objects to be know by the ear, they are results of a cause. If there is sound, there must

be a cause (e.g. wind, falling fruits/leaves, insects, etc). Let them do their job. We just do our job of knowing the objects. In this way, we better understand cause/effect. Every time, ask ourselves, why we do what we do? (e.g. place slippers, choose where to walk, choose our clothes for the day, etc; why do we shift our posture when we meditate) Why choose this and that? We will grow wise fast, if we ask. In any situation, tell ourselves that it is for growing our wisdom/understanding and for seeing the truth They (what we choose and how we react) are results; therefore there must be a cause/reason why we choose?

Before defilements can be reduced, they must be understood as not me, not mine, not myself. All defilements take concepts as objects; wisdom takes reality as objects (wisdom sees reality; defilements see concepts) Dont trust your mind; ask again are you sure Craving wants something, but wants it immediately; wisdom also wants, but it can wait for the right conditions to arise (this also refers to arising of understanding which takes time to mature)

Formula for observing objects First right attitude observe to grow in wisdom and understanding Mind observes the object and knows that one of the 6 mind processes is taking place, e.g. seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, body feeling or thinking If mind resists the object (e.g. pain), then switch to another object (unpleasant feelings or aversion) Daily practice When wake up first thing in the morning, ask: do I know I have a mind (know our mind first) before looking outwards (say to myself, How do I feel) Make determination to meditate every day

At night check back what is right, what is not right in our practice Value awareness know that when we are aware with wisdom, we suffer less Notice that wisdom nature sees both sides; defilement sees only 1 side 2nd level of practice How to maintain meditation continuously (e.g. 1st level how to make $; 2nd level how to make $ and save it; 3rd level How to make, keep and make $ grow (invest)) Sankaras (mental formations) can be seeing as any happenings in the mind 4 levels of understanding (samma sampajanna; clear comprehension): 1. 2. 3. 4. Can do or not Suitable or not Understand the 3 characteristics annicca, dukha and annatta ?

In the Patthanas, the 24 conditions are causes, the first are the 6 roots (lobha, dosa and moha and alobha, adosa and amoha); they are the root causes Pointers: Continuity of awareness consistency and whole process will unfold and understanding will arise with time Effort should be little/light and prolonged, not strong/hard and for a short time (eg. Just during retreat and forgotten when out). There is no need to focus; just observe, recognize and watch. Observe if the 5 good qualities of the mind are present: awareness, effort, Samadhi (stability of mind), wisdom and faith are present. Only when there is faith or confidence (saddh), effort will arise. Only when there is effort (viriya), mindfulness will become continuous. Only when mindfulness (sati) is continuous, stability of mind will become established. Only when stability of mind is established (samdhi), you will start understanding things as they are. When you start understanding things as they are (pa), faith will grow stronger. Just be awake, aware and alert without forcing/focusing Posture is not important the mind is important: have awareness and wisdom all the time.

Dont forget dont stop Observing, Recognising and Watching Right practice should not get tired or be miserable Right view/attitude towards objects is very important the objects are only body sensations, feelings and mental activities Dont take possession/dont own and dont identify with defilements see them as nature at work; e.g. anger is a natural force everyone experiences it. Only when we dont take defilements as belonging to us (right view), then can we work on reducing defilements E.g. heat/hot as natural qualities rather than think that body, etc. is hot. Think if heat belongs to you, then when heat disappears, by right the body should also disappear since both body and heat belong to you. Awareness & Wisdom see reality as nature/anatta not ME it is a special view/ extraordinary view (Vipassanna) there is only Awareness + Object (experience) at any one time the motivation is important in whatever we do. This is only a natural process, nature happening due to cause and effect This is only an object that which is known is an object/experience Looking, seeing, thinking and listening are all the mind all have the same purpose of bringing to attention to the mind Continuity of awareness is very important it is a train of events Effort is better understood as to persevere/to sustain Interest/curiosity/questioning is an aspect of wisdom Experience/object is a process, not the result Samadhi is to be understood as stable state of mind, not concentrating. It arises due to right view, not concentration Unskillful response leads to off-balanced mind Faith in practice, in ourselves. When we see benefits of practice, faith increases Wisdom when we gain wisdom, it is feedback to insight 3 types of wisdom book knowledge/info wisdom, intelligence/intuitive wisdom, and insight wisdom

Always check quality of mind attitudes and What is my motivation? Keep precepts to reduce/fight defilements Realise the benefits of awareness + wisdom to really appreciate it A yogis duty is to grow awareness and wisdom Do you know that youre looking and listening when paying attention to someone talking to you (should have 50:50 balance, 50 to object and 50 inside) Every moment is a new mind+experience, both arise and pass away very fast; so no such thing as pain continues all experiences are new everytime, it is new, e.g. pain .. always a new experience, not a continuation Yogis job is not to stop experiences, but to understand them. Should not stop natural process whatever appears, step back and recognize e.g. defilements as they are impersonal. When we are drawn to the objects, step back and try to stay with the knowing (seeing, hearing, thinking, disliking, liking) A yogis job is to maintain awareness as continuous as possible thats all. Wisdom will naturally arise when the conditions are there, when there is momentum this is not the yogis job. Wisdom always thinks in a reasonable way you can only get as much as you can do not as much as you want Small realizations lead to bigger realizations. They lead to more faith, interest and joy Wisdom is the leader of the 5 indriyas. E.g. if father is rich, wife and children are also rich To arouse interest and joy, ask yourself questions: why is it so?, how is it so? Check how awareness comes, how awareness goes? How awareness continues? What do you want to do? Why do you do? If mind changes, objects change Dont resist pain practice and know that we do our job (awareness doing its job) and pain does its job. The whole process is such that each mind is doing its own job just like a restaurant has chefs, waiters, cashiers, receptionist, etc Each person is doing its own job in the restaurant. Wisdom, awareness, defilements, sense contacts, sense objects, attention, intention, etc. Recognise the mind reacting to pain, the object; observe the attitude towards pain (aversion, resistant and pushing away, etc..) When attitude changes, the object changes

Wisdom takes nature/reality as objects; defilements takes concepts as objects So, no problem seeing a naked woman wisdom focuses on seeing, not the object/concept. I often ask the question: How do I know theres a mind? Whenever I recognize/know anything, Im happy because I know theres a mind E.g. when I wake up blur2/stuck in the morning, I know that there is sloth and torpor and Im happy that I can recognize I have a mind, i.e. sloth and torpor Continuity of awareness in daily living From waking up to going to toilet, know the process, no need details. Build up the awareness momentum naturally, know as much as you can naturally, no need to focus Make awareness our home (look inside) What do you know when youre talking? When planning, watch anxiety when present When watching defilements, see relationship between feelings and thinking Another way to check awareness: when talking is awareness present? Sitting, eating, walking ask if awareness is present Watch thoughts just place attention to happenings (thinking, thinking), not the thoughts. We can know seeing + thinking together, likewise with other objects. We can slowly be aware of more and more objects at the same time If unpleasant objects upset/agitate us, then we will have no peace if there are many unpleasant objects arising (e.g. construction noises, sounds from vehicles in heavy traffic, heat and humidity) There are only 6 classes of concepts: colors, time, direction (north, south, east and west), name, place and forms+shapes Wisdom is reasonable thinking, fear is not reasonable thinking When we are asleep, the mind is not knowing the senses; when we wake up, mind knows the mind first If we are aware of the process, no need to think back, see better the next time around.

Be natural dont do meditation, dont try too hard If some thought comes up, if we see the process, no emotions follow. If body sensations develop into pain, then there must be some wrong view/thoughts. So What slogan when experience comes, and wisdom does its job, its like the / nike sign When we react naturally, usually it is motivated by delusion.. e.g. how we choose our clothes, shoes, where we put our things/shoes, why we choose the way we choose things. The significance of praying to the Buddha Buddha is gone actually. When we pray, we are making a wish, setting a goal and every time we pray, it reminds us to steer our lives towards that goal without attachment and expectations If there are expectations, dont overcome the feeling or follow the object , but rather be aware of them. A deluded mind always follows the object (e.g. getting lost by driving and following the car in front of us, rather than steering to our destination) When thinking changes, emotions change need to learn from the process e..g sadness, fear, anxiety When we understand the value of awareness/wisdom (reduce suffering), the mind automatically inclines towards meditation. We should be joyful when we know SADDA = ENERGY (to maintain energy/interest, listen to SUTs tapes again and again) Instead of saying Nature, ask: Do you know its nature? Rather than label: thinking, seeing, hearing, ask: Do you know you are thinking/seeing/hearing? Checking the mind from time to time is Wisdom It is important for yogis to see 2 truths: 1. Nama-rupa; 2. Cause-effect Dont trust your ideas/thoughts ask: Is that right? Are you sure? Mana pride is comparing Im better, lower or equal to you; there is the self concept; for sotapanna no wrong view but still have pride; the comparison is between this nama-rupa (nature) with that nama-rupa (nature) When idea of self/ego is strong, fear is strong too Only wisdom/understanding can let go of attachment, we cannot let go of attachment

Sankara is mental formations, 50 cetasikas (less sanna and vedana) Fear of ghosts whatever sounds we hear in the night, they are results of causes. There must be reasonable causes for the sounds. We dont have t o know. This right understanding takes care of us. Knowing the mind is important, it is important to know the location of the mind, whether the chest/heart or head/brain. Location is concept, mind is reality When the head tightens (around the eye area and sides of head), it is the eye muscles that tighten due to straining of the eyes esp. when closed. Relax the eye muscles, and the head will be lighter. Wisdom sees objects as nama-rupa happening, when wisdom energy comes, defilements go away. The mind recognizes that hearing is a process that everyone has, it is nature.. likewise for all the 6 senses that is a realization Right view of pain/itch pain is body sensation everyone can feel, it is nature If too strong, the mind resists the pain/itch, recognize the reaction is aversion, everyone has aversion too, it is nature Nature of wholesome mind mind quality is calm, happy, peaceful bcos of right view 3 types of dukha: 1. Dukha dukha dukha arising from sensual feelings (e.g. bad meditation sitting, pains from diseases of body and mind 2. Dukha due to arising viprinama dukha (e.g. dukha experienced even when in Samadhi) 3. Dukha due to sankaras (happenings in the mind) as the sankaras rises and passes away When pressed for time, eg. Making a presentation, and there is great anxiety. Priority is to calm down. Just observe the anxiety and the expectation as nature (they do their job). The understanding part can skip to when the event is over. Urge = intention + craving Wisdom approach to reducing defilements:

1. Understanding has to come first know that defilements are not ours, not personal. It is nature (everyone has defilements) 2. 2nd step reduce defilements by observing the thoughts behind the feelings View on qi of the environment Dont think outside, look inside. When we move/sway due to strong qi, it is due to intention to move. Example of woman whose body will swell with rashes whenever she attends a funeral due to strong mind intention. When she was a small girl, she heard her grandma say that if she attended a funeral, her body would swell. The thought is embedded in her mind. So it happens. In the conventional world, we have to have both wisdom + sanna working in balance to live well in the conceptual world and still practice reality Whatever the experience/object, they are effects of causes. We try to understand the causes usually the defilements/attitudes/thoughts that we hold about the object. E.g. if pain, anxiety, craving they are all effects and the causes are usually our wrong views/thoughts about the objects. When we ask the right questions, we think the right way and therefore they are the right objects. This is Right Thought/Intention (samma sankapa)