Sloth & Torture & Four Aspects of Clear Knowing | Ayya Suvijjānā & Ayya Niyyānika

Ara
sasa
bag
arhat
sama sambasa
namasa Excuse
me. So, um, thank you venerables for
inviting us. It's a real pleasure to be
here and um having this sense of
comradeship
in amongst monastics and then also this
uh community is so beautiful here. I
felt like the the Sahati has made that
request originally of the the Buddha to
teach but I felt like I had a a choir of
davas
requesting uh a teaching. So wonderful.
Um
when I when we were invited to uh speak
I what came to me was to talk about uh
sati saga
and um I don't know if a few or many may
know that that term and um and it's a
compound word and that sati is uh
usually translated
as mindfulness
And uh then it's so I think that as far
as it's interesting I was asked what was
my favorite of the the balas of the five
spiritual powers but I think uh
mindfulness is the most famous of a of
these different mental factors that the
Buddha has encouraged
uh us to uh develop. This is a skill, a
mental f faculty, a quality
uh sati is uh
one of the um factors in the noble
eightful path.
So um it it's very central in the
Buddhist teaching and of course it it's
not all it's it's one of the factors and
it has supportive elements and this is
where the saga comes in and that's
uh translated quite a number of ways but
let me talk about sati first.
uh sati is uh usually translated as
mindfulness
or uh tentedness. There's also presence.
In the time of the Buddha, it was also
uh understood as recollection,
recollectedness.
And then you find this in the sutas too.
There's a anusati that when you reflect
on something like
or would be reflecting on death. Uh and
uh so there's uh different uh anusatis
in the um
sutas the dhanaati or chaga nusati is
that reflecting on our own
uh generosity. So this is a recollecting
remembering and uh I like to think of it
as uh when you're thinking about
presence and mindfulness and awareness
when you think about recollection is uh
being here now remember be here now I
know some people might know of that book
that Baba Randasa had written quite some
time ago in the 1970s or something like
that. uh but uh to be present to be
aware in the present. Um
and then uh there's a sense uh that
mindfulness is like bare awareness. I've
heard that expression
uh used for mindfulness, but it's not
about being barely aware.
It's about being very aware.
So uh we might be aware of
uh sights just being the scene just
being the seeing, the herd just being
the herd, the sense just being the sense
and the cognized just being the
cognized. And this is a description of
the bear actually a bear awareness and
it is a form of being mindful of just
being present just being aware of the
contact at the sense stores.
Um but uh we need to to have
intelligence along with it. It's not the
the mindfulness of a cat stalking a bird
or something like that. And they're
would be aware of each footstep as they
get closer to the bird. And so the
intention of the cat isn't particularly
wholesome.
So for for us or the or a thief, you
know, a thief would be very carefully
moving in the dark and
you know breaking into somebody's home
as quietly and mindfully as possible and
yeah that again is not wholesome
activity. So um so we bring in uh
intelligence. So the saga
is um the s
uh I think it's more like with or um
fully
and the there's a uh verb panity which
is knowing.
So we know what we're doing.
And this knowing is uh really wisdom.
It's not just uh I know I'm going to the
kitchen and I know I'm opening up the
cupboard and I know I'm
eating but I'm not supposed to be eating
at that time or something like that.
This is not the knowing as as with
wisdom is this appropriate or not. So
the saga um saga is often translated as
clear knowing
uh or uh and it's also translated as
like full awareness
um in some
some situations some translations
uh it's a situational awareness. So this
is a um in the sutas it there appears a
um a practice where uh it's it's
described as um knowing um
what we're doing. It's a knowing with
with awareness. We're doing things with
awareness. The description is a the the
word is actually
sana
kari and that's
uh as we're acting we know what we're
doing. So it's described as with
awareness. I I'm moving with awareness.
I'm walking with awareness.
I'm speaking with awareness. I'm I'm
remaining silent
with awareness or with the with
uh knowing knowing what we're doing.
So I wanted to um talk a little bit
about there's four saganas
and um this is a um
usually saga is is considered that we we
know the the actual experience we feel
if I'm taking a broom in my hand and I'm
sweeping I really know clearly with the
body what I'm doing and I can feel it.
It's a med kind of meditation.
Uh but the uh the sa the four sagenas
they bring a uh they're commentarial
and the you you have to know the purpose
a clear comprehension is another
translation clearly comprehending
the purpose of what we're doing. So if I
have a broom in my hand and I'm
sweeping, I know it's to clean the
floor, right? And but it's also to be is
this is this in alignment with our
practice
the purpose is this in alignment with
the purpose of developing on the path.
So um if I'm in a community and I'm
sweeping I'm I'm you know this is a
mutual support and it's a certainly it's
appropriate to be doing uh in a
community or in your household to be
sweeping and it's supporting you to have
a clean environment. Maybe also if you
leave the dirt on the floor the the ants
will come and then that's a problem. You
might harm living beings. So this is a
support
uh for the practice my sweeping I'm
doing it at appropriate time uh nobody
else is in the kitchen I'm not getting
in the way because other people are
cooking and using sharp knives or
something like that so the the purpose
and the appropriateness the u the second
one the first is the purpose and the
second one is whether it's appropriate
or not or suitable that's the second
saga
and the third One is goa and this is a
pasture. The go is a cow or a bull. And
so this is staying in the domain of your
meditation.
So um if I'm doing the sweeping
mindfully,
carefully
thoroughly I'm staying in this uh kind
of some mode of mindfulness. So I'm
bringing them mindfulness throughout the
day. Uh so that's a goer the domain
or pasture
and the last one is asam moa which is uh
non-confusion or non-delusion and so if
you have sati sana
with this uh the fourth one is um
non-confusion
this is non-confusion about the three
characteristics the nature of reality
So um
throughout the day I might be aware of
impermanence
or I might be aware of uh a desire that
comes up and it's causing uh dooka. This
is a
second characteristic.
And then the the last one is nonself. So
seeing even the non-self in my sweeping
you know this is a just a condition
uh that's occurring at this time.
So this is where the wisdom comes in.
It's a uh all these uh um practices and
mindfulness um and clear comprehension
is supposed to help us understand
reality. It's a support for that. So
when the mind is uh un um unburdened
with thought and worry and uh
distraction
then we're able to to see clearly and
this is where the uh clearly
comprehending comes in with this
practice is and also seeing what's
arising in the mind seeing
uh
how the mind works. So there's a
mindfulness of the body and then there's
also the mindfulness of the mind. But
the saga also works there as well
because the there's that knowing uh the
awareness u paired with the wisdom the
the the clear knowing.
So um
I'm going to allow for time. I could I'm
kind of uh
I'm gonna allow for time for a Neonica
who has would like to also speak and
would love to hear from you.
ish.
>> All right. Well, ish.
Uh, so continuing on this exploration of
Sati Sagana,
I
of course had heard the terms before I
went out to a monastery to practice and
to support. Uh, but you know, really,
how do you work with them?
And I was lucky enough to uh venerable
Kachayana who's also now a Pikuni and I
were aspirants at the same time out at
Aranabodi and we were reading through uh
dignitaya number two on the gradual
training and the commentary.
Um, I'm not sure that was the commentary
that I assume Vajana was just citing
from, but that's where I first came
across this idea of of clearly
comprehending this this awareness that
was um steady and embodied.
Uh, but I asked DA Soa then uh what what
this Sati Sagana was and she asked me a
question in return that I'll ask you.
Do you remember which shoe you put on
first this morning? The first time you
put your shoes on?
Yeah. Okay. I'm seeing some head nods
and some
not so shurers. So that recollection
part is the sati.
And I I was really lucky that morning
cuz I was able to reply, "Uh, well
actually first I put my slippers on and
it was the right slipper that I put on
first."
And she said, "Well, is that because you
always put it on the right slipper on
first? It's just habit." And I said, 'N
no, I was sitting in meditation and I
had my right leg over the left and so
the right leg came forward and I had the
slippers just off to this side and I was
able to put the right slipper on first.
Now, not always the case. I was, like I
said, I was lucky that morning. And she
says, "That's the the clearly knowing.
That's the that's the wise
sense of completeness of of
recollection."
And that was really I was I was kind of
pretty glad that I was like, "Okay, gold
stars for the moment." Uh but also it
gave me a real clear example, a tangible
example that I could then look at at
other mornings where it wasn't so clear,
where it wasn't wasn't so tractable of
what what did I do? Um so this morning
when we came in and Ajin Kovalo was
asking about you know favorite powers
and least favorite hindrances and I'm
like uh Ajaniso
what are the powers I can't even recall
them at the moment
not a lot of sati you know it's not that
I they're not in there you know they are
but the recollection power just low low
and the the hindrances I didn't have to
like ask for the list because it was
pretty obvious.
And so the question of what what is your
favor? Well, I answered it. What was I
favoring?
What was I favoring at that moment? I
was favoring torper.
I was favoring that. I don't even want
to go into my head and try and pull up
the powers. Just spoon feed it to me,
please.
So pretty clear that I was not favoring
mindfulness at that moment. And if I
looked at, you know, the body awareness
at that point, what am I? It's kind of a
sickly, sluggishly,
sloppily
um kind of attending.
And it's like, okay, now I need to
regground, reenter,
reopen, and bring that warmth into my
heart. Uh so I also appreciated Ajin
Kovalo handing me the mic to to chant
the the highest blessings because this
is one way we can bring oursel back
bring oursel into this present moment
doing a recollection of the Buddha's
words doing some way of touching in and
naming off these blessings that lead all
the way to nibbana.
So I uh Suvijana also talked about these
four characteristics of the sagana the
that um another she said the situational
so situational clarity
clearly apprehending mindfully attentive
and clear awareness these are all kind
of put together uh it's a difficult word
there's uh if you want to go deeper into
it uh aja nanalio
Does he he doesn't use Hajj on Bonte
Analia? Biku Analio. Um Venerable
Analio. We'll go with venerable. See
lots of ways to to name a Biku.
Um venerable Analio did the encyclopedia
entries for both Sati and Sagana. And
you can spend a long time following the
the tracks and the sutas that are listed
in there. It's really wonderful place to
um usually you're reading it on a
mimograph form that's then been
reproduced on the web but uh the text
recognition is getting so good I was
able to actually um highlight it and
have it copy it into a document which it
used to be when I would go to his
articles I'd have to just hand type them
or write them out. So, even our AI is
getting a little more clear
comprehension, but don't trust it. Don't
trust its mindfulness quite yet, but it
can be a help.
But really, these these characteristics
of its purpose, purposefulness,
its suitability,
its domain, that's the goer, one of my
favorite words.
Uh, and non-delusion or I liked
non-confusion. what when Aayasuana was
saying non-confusion
and at Padi Vihara we're talking about
developing the vajara at the pace of
practice
and I realized that that's actually
really tying into this sagana
and so for clear mountain oh let me take
one step back transitions
another great place to practice in daily
life is transitions and start with the
small ones when you walk through a
doorway or you pick up a mug to have a a
drink of something. You know, these
little transitions when you take up the
car keys, uh when you get onto the bus,
you know, find those transitions and
notice your body,
your mind, your heart, the movements,
that clear awareness. Did I step onto
the bus with the left foot or the right
foot? You know, did I reach with the
left, the right? Was I did I have a bag
over one shoulder? No. Notice those
things. And not in a tight way, in this
open, spacious, aware
way.
And so, Clear Mountain's going through a
transition, a land search. Now this uh
finding a place to have a goer a domain
for practice
and the process itself can be imbued
with these qualities this purposefulness
the purpose of the path you know when
Ajanobo was mentioning getting support
so you don't have these pale wasted away
you know beus it's like well what's the
purpose is it to wear out your beus
you know probably not. So the purpose is
to to create a vibrant growing rich
place for the dharma. Notice this in the
purpose and path of your own life as
well. And then the suitability as you
explore the properties as you explore
the shape of the community you know what
is the alignment and is what in the
commentary it says it's also graceful
you know that the alignment is how are
you manifesting is there grace is there
showing up is there you know this
clarity that moves beautifully so build
beautifully
And then the domain itself, you know, is
is is this a place that that's when
we're looking at it for our meditation
practice, it's about the sense
restraint. So as you design and develop
and structure,
are you helping each other and are you
helping your bikus to have that that
seclusion
as well as the community? Is it for the
purpose the suitability in the domain
that is supportive
and unconfused
undiluted
so you know not delusion about why and
what and where and is it in alignment
with nature it's unfolding you're seeing
oh even as vijana once when asked at the
hermitage we were at to envision the
future of the the cooties.
I'm telling on her right now.
Do you want to say what you said?
>> I just imagined them tumbling down
impermanent
long range. Isn't that true?
you know, so the perspective we put on
it um when Ajan Brahma's monastery the
fire was sweeping through it was almost
definitely lost. You know, he said, you
know, well, building it was appropriate.
What would you what would you do if it
all burnt down? We'd rebuild it. You
know, it was just a simple this is the
nature of things. Things arise and they
they fall away. Now, are you getting
tied up in in this sense of my monastery
and my monastery is going to look like
this or is there a sense of nonself in
it? The sense of conditionality of going
with the flow of nature. So, we can do
this in our own lives too.
um and as we build this community. So
moving at the pace of practice, you
know, finding the characteristics of
purpose, suitability, the right domain
and a non-d delusion, non-confusion.
So I'll close with that and open it up
for questions.
>> Thank you.
I am Dharmakaya Su.
So this is a time for questions. People
have questions online. They put it in
the chat, I believe. Is that right?
>> Are we doing tag team? Is that okay?
Yeah, I did.
>> I asked for your teaching. Uh would you
give some more guideline?
>> Okay, thank you for your teachings.
Would you give more some guidelines
about um
uh addressing uh sloth and torture the
hindrance?
>> Ah yes. So um awareness is really
important. So if you're if usually it's
spoken about a hindrance while you're
sitting
um but you can also notice uh during the
day the mind getting it's also dullness
and drowsiness.
So bringing awareness to your
experience. So, um, if you can catch it
when it's just starting, it's it's
easier to to work with. And also, why
why is there this dullness, drowsiness
or sloth and torture and some some of it
is uh due to aversive aversion being
aversive.
So, um, feeling bored, I don't want to
be here. my legs are hurting and then I
just check out kind of thing. It might
might happen. That might be the reason.
Um
if uh how much have we've eaten if
you're on a meditation retreat or uh you
regularly sit time in the evening, not
having a huge meal is recommended is
watch what you're eating. It's not like
really heavy carb and yeah heavy meal
you know a lighter meal in the evening.
This is why the monastics uh fast after
12:00 noon is a to have a slightness in
the evening for meditation.
Um also just really assess are am I
tired?
Am I exhausted? Do I do I need to rest?
Is there something going on? um not to
just kind of make excuses for yourself
all the time, but just just to kind be
kind to yourself and assess what's
really going on. Um and then um if you
are struggling on the cushion and you
have the opportunity to get up and do
some walking meditation. There was a
period of my uh monastic life where I
was on retreat and every time I sat down
on the cushion I was like falling
asleep. So I ended up doing hours of
walking meditation
for a long period of time until I it was
a a health issue actually that was going
on. So um I was able to to work with I
still not that I'm entirely free of it
but uh yeah and then just being
compassionate. Don't add aversion to
aversion. Like if that's what when I was
in the in the in the really thick of it,
I I was I was a Freudian slip calling it
sloth and torture and then I thought
that's actually fitting. So So I hope
that that's helpful. Did we want to
anyone else want to?
>> Yeah, great question and just a a plug.
So, as Clear Mountain as a whole, we
have a pretty vibrant and flourishing
online community and every day, every
weekday, we've got 4 hours of online
Zoom meditation, which is just like
meditation
like a normal person except it's on Zoom
and that's morning, noon, and in the
evening. And really formal meditation is
like going to the gym for mindfulness.
You can be mindful all day long,
whatever you're you're doing, just like
you can use your muscles all day long.
But going to the gym formally, sitting
down to practice meditation really is a
very concentrated way to practice this
meta life skill. And it's good to note
that there's doesn't have to be a
correlation that the more closed your
eyes are, the more mindful you are. It's
really good to actively divorce yourself
from that perception and to really
experiment with openeyed meditation
because it's absolutely the case that
sometimes you can be more mindful with
your eyes open than with your eyes
closed. Especially if you're feeling
even the slightest degree of sloth and
torper of tiredness, that is definitely
the time to open your eyes. And at those
times it's open eye practice which is
really the practice. So learning how to
do that. How can you actively stay with
your meditation object with the breath
with some touch feeling some part of
your body perception of light
and yeah and that that really is that
can be a practice when you're when
you're tired and you can actively train
in that. So would really encourage
people with that and join in a group.
This is a a time we've got usually
between six and 30 people uh meditating
these three times a day for four hours.
So join sometime and it's like uh yeah
we'll get meditatively sweaty together
without the sweat. Without the sweat
you talked about the koutis being
impermanent. I thought about our coming
site plans and just describe the site
plan just impermanent and seeing how
that goes. Um we uh another really
interesting thing is with mindfulness
the suitability is really important um
in that it can be difficult to know
where to put your intention and
attention in day daily life and I think
it's really good in terms of the
non-confusion to establish a very clear
tiered practice so that way when you
don't know what to focus on you have
your first go-to and for me I think
loving kindness is such a powerful
meditative object that if that's
available to you in any moment uh on the
cushion or in daily life that's just a
really good one to lean into. And so if
you can think of like Bontes Sumito was
talking about like the beings who you're
going to be walking into a room with,
may they be well, may they be happy, may
they be healthy, and you can get that
glow going. I don't know if there's a
more, you know, beautiful meditative
object you could touch. But in the many
moments where that's not available, um
then saying, "Okay, that's not working.
what's next? And maybe it is just being
with the body as it moves or just with
the breath. But a really good one is
also just noticing that the power of
when a hindrance is really present like
sloth and drowsiness or anger. Um just
the mindful act of what is chitanuasa
like uh mindfulness of mind states just
saying okay anger anger anger and this
hurts and like sometimes that's all you
have but it's actually really powerful
to keep that poise so I think it's worth
even just writing it down like what's
the taring of your practice that you can
try one out if that doesn't work then
you go to the next one and that gives a
sort of clarity for your mindfulness
throughout the day as
I think we I got it now. Lately I've
been drawn to um one of Lumpur Sumeda's
teaching and and is I if I understand it
correctly he's pointing to awareness of
awareness and also to awareness of
the things are like this quality of the
present moment
and also listening to your talk and and
trying to understand how to kind of map
those two teachings together if if they
do. Um does that make sense as a
question? Okay. Thank you.
>> Yes. That uh it's like this now that uh
uh awareness of the quality of a this
also kind of goes into that last
question
um for any of the hindrances but
particularly for the sloth and torture.
the when it's the torture part of it,
that's where the awareness is getting
clouded by gripping,
wanting
um you know it when I'm I'm I'm quite
tired right now of dealing with some
insomnia, some pain, some health things,
and I can go into
story land, which is not awareness of
awareness. It's awareness of it's it's a
a kind of a
just going into fantasies, you know,
just making things up. It's not dealing
with conditions as they are. It's like
this. Now,
when we're we take that step back and
say, "Oh, all right. The body feels this
way there. It is tired. There are causes
and conditions for it to feel tired.
pain feels like this not and I don't
want it
and not um I wonder when I can get it to
go away and not it's just like in this
moment I am aware of pain and when I
turn towards what the awareness feels
like when I when I did the quick sense
of oh okay now I grounded I centered I
opened I brought warmth into the heart.
That's my just the shorthand for uh a
sense of the body. The body is like
this. The body is in contact, you know.
So, I've I have this sense of
supportedness.
There's a a movement of the breath that
gives me a sense of uprightness and
dignity. There's that unbounded quality
of the heart and the warming of it. And
when I turn towards what is it to be
aware from that without a a motivation
of grasping or changing or even
understanding I'm not trying to
understand trying to be in the
spaciousness the brightness of the mind
and I'm not actually even trying to I'm
just trying to be in the mind as it is.
And when I'm in the mind as it is, I
will tend to find that there can be
other qualities. The mind obscured with
anger, the mind obscured with um u
drowsiness or you know obscured with but
when I get to the purity of the
awareness itself, it tends to be bright.
It tends to be spacious. It tends to be
open. It tends to be that whatever is
it's like this now. Whatever I'm meeting
doesn't move it. It's it's unshakable.
It's spacious and unshakable.
And so there's just this soft quality of
being in that. And when I'm being in
that, I have refuge.
And so what I feel like Ajuno's teaching
is helping us to come to refuge to see
the nature of reality
and then the ultimate sense of letting
go.
It's being with and letting go and
there's a peacefulness that emerges from
that. So don't turn it into a
intellectual exercise of I'm gonna focus
on the awareness of awareness by
directing my mind from this to that.
It's a sense of settling into and being
with.
Are there others who have practiced with
this that would like to speak more?
Yeah, there's a um
this can happen um
when all when you see the obstructions
clearly and they fade away.
uh and Yianica was talking about. So
first we have to clearly see the
obstructions
um and there's what's aware of that
and the the mind settles if you're doing
a practice of anapana
u an awareness of the breath
and the mind is able to settle on the
breath and it's free from obstructions
and then there's this this natural
strength the the awareness is gaining
strength for the ordinary person. The uh
the awareness is very scattered and
distracted and you know you're you're
aware of this and this and this and
everybody has awareness but this kind of
uh unity
that arises from staying with um
something such as the breath
and the the stillness. um become
stronger and like AA was saying
brighter. There's a brightness to it,
but there's just a um really strong
presence that's unshakable,
that's uh very still and just very
there.
And it doesn't even you don't even
necessarily have to turn the awareness
to the awareness. the awareness is just
emerging. Um it's like it's kind of like
the clouds clearing and the you see
suddenly you see a the it's been raining
and windy and the the cl the sky is
immaculately clear. So it just it makes
its more like it makes its presence
known. I think maybe that's what I was
talking about. But u so yeah it's not
like a um I am going to like she
was saying
we must turn our attention now to the
awareness or something I don't know so
um but yeah so it's something that
emerges and makes itself known I is I
think a good way of describing
>> that was a beautiful description and I
might just add on like Ayanica was
saying or vijana this kind of mental
acrobatics of like okay I need to become
aware of the awareness it can get quite
confusing and convoluted and
intellectual
and I think that's one of the powers
when we ask bonte gunaratina um he's 98
now is that it
998 been in robes since about 11 years
old as well as bonte summit just
astounding man um what was the teaching
that had stuck with him the most through
his life. And he said the teaching on
impermanence, Anicha
uh change changeability. And the Buddha
said uh the perception of impermanence
illuminates the coming of the noble
eight-fold path like dawn uh precedes
the rising sun.
And I think it's such a powerful
practice because instead of having to
kind of raify awareness in itself, you
just the perception of impermanence lets
the heart and mind disentangle itself
from the conditioned realm naturally and
then it gathers in itself in a
brightness and sobriety and equinimity
and equipoise.
And I think you can really see this like
if you have a lot of disappointment or
pain, you know, that's one of the
hardest things to be take refuge in
awareness during because you want to
change it so much. And in those moments
where you feel that bruise of
disappointment or uh failure passing
down the body or embarrassment, you
know, you want to negotiate and bargain
with it to get it to go faster, but just
to be like, okay, I can't rush this
impermanence. It will pass. And in that
moment, there's a sense of just it's not
joyful, it's still painful, but you're
hovering one inch off the ground. That's
what Longor Such calls mindfulness,
hovering one inch off the ground. Or
when things are great and you kind of
get drunk on it, just being like this,
this will change too. And there's a
sobriety and it's like it's a much less
romantic way of articulating like you
know this nucleus of bright awareness,
but it's so powerful and sustaining just
impermanent. And when Lorcha was asked
about practices, he would recommend he
would say just always keep this word
like mayonna in your mind, which means
not sure in Thai. Like not sure, I'm
right, not sure. And that's sort of
impermanence embodied. So I'd say that's
one way to really practically gather the
heart and mind into its own kind of
refuge as well.
Ryan on Zoom, please.
>> Hi. Thanks, Venerables. Can you hear me?
>> Hello.
>> We can hear you.
>> Okay, great. Um during the Dhamma talk I
mentioned the importance of transitions
for developing sati
and I wanted to just maybe query a
little bit about the transition from
being on the cushion in meditation when
we're very focused. I mean, even before
the talk, we we went into some bodily
awareness and you get the very grounded,
relaxed state of mind. And then when you
get up off of the cushion, it can be
easy to be swept along by all of the
transient phenomena that we're dealing
with. So how can a practitioner
embody that meditative focus and
maintain it after meditation and keep
that sati sa going
to yeah um yeah just trying to maintain
the bodily awareness helps a lot when
you're getting up and really feeling
Um that movement of getting up and you
may choose some um one set sense space
and the sense of touch is really good.
You can feel like your feet on the floor
as you're walking. You can feel your
hand on the door knob. Um and then the
just bodily awareness throughout the
day. Somebody is speaking to you and
maybe you feel happy. So you can bring
the awareness to that sensation of
happiness
uh or displeasure whatever you're
experiencing within the body. Um and
then uh also the awareness of when you
are distracted. Oh, this is what being
distracted feels like and how does it
feel in the body and how what what's
going on with my mind and and then even
just tracing back a whoa that was quite
a out of punch there. We started out
here and now we're like
off on the moon somewhere. So, um yeah,
so just just bringing the awareness to
everything, the body and the mind.
Yes, definitely all of that. And um I
guess a question for you is when you get
off the cushion, do you stop breathing?
>> No. No. That's uh
>> there comes naturally.
>> So keeping some attention on that. Um,
if you've been doing meta practice, then
keeping some sense of maybe it's at the
heart center or maybe knowing that
you're walking into the world with
kindly eyes. If you've been doing
elements practice, then um, as you're
getting up, you've got the wind element
of the movement. And so pretty much most
of the meditation subjects that we have
other than like the casinas
um you can typically take that directly
from the posture of seated or walking or
lying down medit or standing meditation
and out into the movement of your of
your day. um just keeping part of the
attention with that subject of
meditation. I definitely recommend some
retreat time so that you can put this
into practice in less chaotic
situations. uh carve out some time in
your home to practice it where if you're
with family um you can't can't quite
tell the animals the same story your
pets but you can use them as part of
your your transition process your
awareness there. So start with uh
whatever it is that I've been doing on
the cushion is it does it still exist
when I get off the cushion? Well maybe I
could keep part of my attention with
that. And the same thing, notice when
you go to the cushion, what you carried
with you to the cushion.
And that will help you with the sense of
transitioning into meditation. And you
might start saying, "Hey, I'd really
like to have a sweet meditation today."
So maybe I could start some of that
mindfulness stuff. Well, I'm, you know,
walking into the building where I'm
going to sit or while I'm getting my cup
of coffee at the cafe before coming to
Clare Mountain or whatever it is. You
know, backing it up a little bit, a
little bit, a little bit. Start your
mindfulness earlier. Uh, and you'll find
that the transition to the cushion is
easier. And then when you get off the
cushion, most of the meditation objects
don't go away.
Thank you. That's great.
I'll just add a little bit because this
is so important, you know, to debox your
Buddhism or debox your practice from
just being a little, you know, 15minute
chunk of a day Buddha
Buddhist lens or the whole scope of a
dharmic life is all day. It's every
waking moment. one doesn't stop making
karma or only make karma only do what's
significant and exercise intention while
you're on the cushion. It's it's all
day. So figuring out a way to take that
that energy that that strength that
you've been cultivating on the cushion
into the rest of your day. And here I'll
just make a plug for mantra practice. So
having a mantra does not make you a
gullible religious lunatic. It just it
just doesn't. It's just a a smart
technology using the capacity to think
to say a word internally and you don't
take you don't have to take one of our
you know uh Buddhist words we do have a
lot of Buddhist mantras in the Thai
forest tradition buddo is the mantra
which Ajan man and ajancha long mahabua
lump sumo lump paso they've all used
this we've all used this and it just
means awake it just means aware
So that's one you can use guan pusa that
means homage to the embodiment of
compassion or just whatever you want to
remember through the course of your day
because hopefully what you're doing in
those 5 minutes or 15 minutes or 45
minutes of meditation is exercising
something and you're having some clarity
as you start the day with that that
actually I do want to be a kind person
just kindness kindness Kindness can be
your your mantra. Just kind kind.
And you can yoga a mantra with the
breath. Kindness
kindness or just whatever it is. This is
just a a smart way to use your your
brain and to remember your higher
principles. So pick one and experiment
with it. And if somebody else, you know,
if you if it moves from your brain down
to your lips and your significant other
or your friend sees you going like
and they accuse you of being a religious
lunatic, then uh you know, accuse them
of being a non-religious lunatic who's
just totally just following whatever
mood and thought just comes up to their
mind. You're just being more intentional
with your brain. So yeah, figure find
something that that works for you and
take it off the cushion.
There's uh something that came to my
mind was uh may I be contented and
easily satisfied
and uh um also um Ajin Brah says none of
my business not my problem and when when
I start thinking about uh other people's
business and problems I want to fix it
but may I be contented and easily
satisfied
It comes from the uh
metasuta cornea metauta.
So we can take that little phrases like
that that's meaningful for you. So thank
you. That's that's great to bring that
up and all you religious uh lunatics I
salute you.
>> On that note actually um I was that's
perfect. I because my what I was curious
is about is Ajin Kobilo brings up such
an important practice here and I'm
curious for all the religious and
non-religious lunatics out there. Um and
uh would people be willing just to share
any mantras whether they be single words
or small phrases that they found
meaningful before in their life and if
you just raise your hand and we can
repeat it. And Ajin you're the mantra
man so
mine's pretty long these days. Budang
sernangachami damangachami sanangachami
with the breath.
Suz.
>> Mine is
may I trust in the natural unfolding of
life and may I receive that unfolding
with wisdom and understanding.
>> May I trust in the natural unfolding of
life and may I receive that with
compassion and wisdom. Beautiful. Wow.
Please.
All conditions are impermanent. Thanks
India. Yeah, Mary.
>> May my practice be for the benefit of
all beings. Alex,
>> give away.
Sole
blessing blessing blessing sadu
Ananda
gentle
please
>> just give up
held correctly a really good mantra I
like that please in the back uh behind
Peter who's very tall yeah you Oh, it's
Hayden, please.
>> Things are like this. This very long for
tomato.
>> Peace.
>> Might be lie. No problem. It's okay. No
worries.
>> And And this too.
Be here now.
>> Be here now.
Trenton.
>> Amfu.
Chia. Oh. Uh, please.
Okay, I'm not going to remember all of
those, but but I think there's a really
important point there, which is that it
can be spontaneous and from the heart
and really yours. I trust you. I love
you. Look at vow to look at all beings
with kindly eyes and a lot more good
stuff. That was wonderful.
>> This is what's real.
>> I would
Oh, please. There's someone in the back.
I can't see whoever you are.
>> Not me. Not mine. Not I.
We have to circle in. But actually, can
I pass the mic back over to you to share
any mantras that you found particularly
touching or have heard that you've loved
>> this too?
>> Well, um sometimes I think about the
simile of the saw. My mind will remain
unaffected. I will utter no evil words.
Um I will have compassion for the other
person's welfare. And starting with
them, I'll pervade
the allencompassing world with a heart
imbued with loving kindness, abundant,
exalted, immeasurable, without
hostility, and without ill will.
>> I don't it's a it's a teaching and that
this is I think this is a
recollectedness is you can just have the
phrases a longer phrase like that or or
just a few words. Uh but um
like that's it.