17 December 2012

QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 04


Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara
Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion with
Overseas Disciple
3rd September 2012
Part - Four

In the case of understanding 'dana' as doing actions such as working, earning money and doing good deeds and 'sila' as ability of taking precepts as well as doing whatever you can do and saying whichever you can say, the mind power of 'doing' does not equal to 'abandoning'.
In the case of meditation, practicing meditation by applying all kinds of conventional knowledge and methods can be considered as merely 'doing' actions without abandoning the habit of the mind.

In reality, you always have to remember the truth, 'abandoning', in your mind while carrying out the activities of the body (kaya kamma), oral (vaci kamma) and mind (mano kamma).  This is called trying to abandon those activities in your mind while physically doing them.

Your power of abandoning will eventually be improved if you keep on doing 'abandoning' all the time in your mind.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing' or 'not-doing'.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing created actions' or 'not-doing created actions'.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing meditation' or 'not-doing meditation'.

 
Placing central emphasis on the following actions can merely be called as 'habitual way of placing central emphasis on actions'.  They are ... must do meditation, must do routine actions, must seek for medical treatments, must depend on yourself, must depend on doctors, must depend on parents, must depend on teachers, must depend on Buddha, Dhamma and Sanga (Triple Gems), etc ...

The above mentioned examples are the glaring evidences that you are still unable do 'abandoning' in your mind.  You are merely 'doing actions' in your mind. By carrying out 'doing actions', your power of 'doing' will eventually be increased.  You can merely 'do actions' but unable to 'abandon actions' in your mind.

Mental disorder in human beings is one of the evidences that those people are incapable of doing 'abandoning' in their mind.  If people start to do whatever they wish to do and say whatever they wish to say according to their wish and will, regardless of the situation, they will eventually become mental patients.

Only when you can practice 'abandoning' in your mind, you will gradually be able to stop using life as if you are the owner and master of your own life, stop grasping life as if it is your own and stop referring to life as yours.

('abandoning' = abandoning physical actions, oral actions, mental actions, grasping of living and non-living beings as well as stop using things for grasping purpose, start using things for abandoning purpose, using life for abandoning purpose, etc). 
 
The essence is to 'abandon' your habit of using life in a wrong way.  As a result of the power of abandoning, you will gradually know how to use things, life, all other actions in a right way of 'using only, doing only, etc'.

Abandon the central emphasis on "happening or not", "doing or not", and "understanding or not" as reality or real importance.

You need to abandon your habitual understandings.  Started from the leader, your 'mind', you need to learn to abandon all the actions of 'doing'.  If not, your mind will always be busy with 'doing this and that', 'saying this and that', 'contemplating this and that', 'concentrating this and that', 'doing this and that good deeds', 'taking this and that precepts', etc.

If your mind only understand the action of 'doing', your power of 'doing' will be increased.  Your ability in doing kamma actions will also be increased.  But they are not the genuine mind power of 'abandoning'.

Your power of true 'abandoning' will be increased only when you have the right understanding and faith in 'abandoning'.  Hence, you need to start changing the actions of the leader, your 'mind'.

You will always be remained as ordinary yogi (meditator) as long as you practice meditation with the understanding of 'doing' and 'practicing'. You will also be contemplating on and practicing meditation like other traditional yogis.

 
If you observe 'sila' with conventional understanding in mind, you will only become one of those who take Uposatha in conventional ways.

If you do good deeds with conventional understanding in mind, you will only become one of those who do good deeds in conventional ways but will not know how to do good deeds to achieve perfection (parami).

Starting from the leader, your 'mind', you need to learn to do the right actions such as using living and non-living beings for abandoning purpose. 

Change must be started from the leader, your 'mind'. Only then, you will learn to use physical (kamma) and oral (vaci) actions for abandoning purpose ... do actions with the power of abandoning in mind, say things with the power of abandoning in mind, etc.

Started from the leader, your 'mind', you must try to abandon all your physical actions.  By doing so, you will gradually be able to 'abandon' all the created actions such as worries, anticipations, suspicions, 'I', me, place, possessions, life, death, health, well beings as well as placing central emphasis on those created actions in your mind.

Placing central emphasis on life and death in your mind can be called as 'placing life and death as prime importance'. 

Placing central emphasis on health in your mind can also be called 'placing health as prime importance'.

In order to abandon those actions of your mind, you need to do 'abandoning' at all times ... be it whether you are healthy or sick.  Even while listening to dhamma teachings or while practicing meditation or etc, you still need to remember and contemplate on 'abandoning' in your mind.

You need to listen to dhamma teachings and practice meditation with the understanding of 'abandoning' in your mind.

The essence of this teaching is to change the duties and actions of the mind because mind creates everything. 

Becoming this and that is also the created action of your mind. 

Feeling healthy or sick is also created by your mind. By nature, your physical body will either be healthy or sick.  Mind will automatically interpret this nature as feeling healthy or sick.  Hence, those feelings are purely the creations of your mind.

If your mind is associated with pleasant feelings, you will feel pleasant.  If your mind is associated with unpleasant feelings, you will feel unpleasant. 

Unpleasant feeling is created by your mind.  Pleasant feeling is also created by your mind.

Good or poor concentration is also created by your mind.


The real duty is to stop doing all those created actions of the mind and perform the single most important action of 'abandoning' all the time.

When the actions of the leader, your 'mind', is changed, all the actions of the followers will automatically be changed.

If the actions of the leader is not changed, the actions of the followers will never be changed.

Since the leader is your 'mind', the leader must do the action of 'abandoning' continuously at all times.  Only then, the actions of the followers, physical and oral actions, will be changed.


To be continued .....

13 December 2012

QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 03


Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara
Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion with
Overseas Disciple
3rd September 2012
Part - Three


KKL  :  I personally believe that we can make donations only when we have capacity to donate.  That is the reason why we have to work hard to earn money in order to donate. May I know your opinion please?

Sayadaw  :  In reality, you can do good deeds as long as you have strong determination.  It is immaterial whether you are carrying out your created actions (endeavours) or doing good deeds, as long as you have strong determination, you will surely be able to do them (if you have will, you have ways). 

The perception of 'one can do good deeds only when one has capacity and capabilities to do so' is not the complete perception as it pays central emphasis only on 'having or not-having'. 

In reality, you should pay central emphasis on the cause (effort), 'doing or not-doing'.

Paying central emphasis on 'having or not-having' means paying central emphasis on the 'effect' (result).

If you have good 'cause' in mind or if you place central emphasis on good 'cause', you surely can do good actions or good deeds.  It also does not matter whether you are rich or poor, you still can do good deeds if you have strong determination to do so.

In terms of studying, you study without knowing whether you will become learned (academic) one day but you keep on studying just because you have strong determination to do so. 

In terms of doing business, you hop into the business weagon without knowing whether you will be successful one day but you keep on working so hard just because you have strong determination to do so.

In terms of seeking medical treatments, you spend tons of money on the best specialists, medicines and medical treatments without knowing whether your illness or disease can be cured but you keep on seeking treatments till you have nothing left to sell (penniless) just because you are willing to do so.

Those examples show that if you have strong determination to do something, you can, you surely can do it.

Similarly, in terms of doing 'dana', if you have will, you surely can do it.  It is more important for you to have will and determination to do 'dana' or good deeds.

Because our understandings are not complete (conclusive), we tend to centre our attention on 'having' capacity and capabilities to do good deeds.  For this, we work even harder to earn more money in order to donate. Along the way, we become sickly and die without even be given any chance to do significant good deeds.  Instead, we accumulate bad kamma (akusala) as side effect.


Our conventional understanding of 'dana' is not so accurate and correct.  Hence, the 'dana' as you traditionally understand does not encourage you to abandon your desire and actions (endeavours) to earn more money.

Likewise, no matter how much you observe 'sila' in conventional way, you still unable to abandon all your physical and oral actions.  One good example is those who take precepts in traditional way.  These people tend to take pride in how many precepts they can take or how long they can take how many precepts.  It shows that these people place central emphasis on 'doing' (taking precepts) without abandoning other actions beyond the precepts that they take, e.g. saying this and that, talking about this and that, etc while taking those precepts.

Observing 'sila' according to your understanding might not be the real and correct way of observing 'sila'.

In terms of practicing meditation according to your knowledge, no matter how much you concentrate or contemplate on or how long you have been practicing meditation, if you still cannot abandon your thoughts, worries, angers, frustrations, doubts, suspicions, greed, etc (actions of mind), your ability of practicing meditation, concentration and contemplation can still be considered as your ability of 'doing actions'.

As long as you cannot abandon the other actions of your mind, the meditation that you practice might not help you to achieve your ultimate goal of enlightenment and might not help you to attain insight wisdom.

The real and genuine 'sila' is abandoning power to all physical and oral actions and 'bhavana' is abandoning power to all mental actions ... an abandoning power to all the actions of your mind and this must always be your understanding.  One the other hand, it should also be called as abandoning traditional understanding and embracing on more complete understanding.

By doing so, your mind power of abandoning will gradually be improved and reached to the fullest.  Your ability of 'doing-only' will eventually be improved.

If you place emphasis on 'doing' actions, only your mind power of 'doing' actions will be increased.

Try to understand "what should be done" by using "what must be done."


To be continued .....

10 December 2012

QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 02


Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara
Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion with
Overseas Disciple
3rd September 2012
Part - Two

KKL  :  You always remind people to 'do Good Deeds continuously'.  In my personal point of view, Good Deeds means dana, sila and bhavana.  Out of these three, bhavana, which we traditionally understand is - to keep your body in correct posture during meditation, observe our breathing closely (concentrate on your nostril), etc.  In your point of view, what really is the action during meditation and how to contemplate on?  Kindly explain .....

Sayadaw  :  As far as practicing meditation is concerned, the traditional understanding of most of the meditators (yogis) are not so correct because they traditionally understand meditation as 'doing'.  In truth and reality, practicing meditation means 'abandoning'.  Abandoning the doings or actions and doing the action of 'abandoning' only.

Traditionally, we are taught to 'do' something during meditation.  That is the reason why most of the meditators always try to do something during meditation.  Moreover, we traditionally believe that result can be achieved by doing or working hard, so we naturally try to do something to achieve desired result. 


The real meditation is 'abandoning', doing nothing but 'abandoning', abandon placing central emphasis on living and non-living things (beings).

Traditionally we use living and non-living beings with grasping, use living beings as my relatives, my family, my race (ethnic group or nationality), etc with the mind action of centering and attachment.  In reality, the ability that can use living and non-living things as abandoning purpose is a real and genuine 'dana'. 

If you do not do 'dana', you will use living and non-living things with grasping, you will resort to all sorts of methods and approach to earn money, you will use all sorts of ways and means to widen up your circle of friends and connections, you will take living beings with the mind action of grasping, etc.  This kind of understanding is not correct.

Doing real Good Deeds means abandoning the grasping.
Traditionally we understand kaya kamma (physical actions), vaci kamma (oral actions) and mano actions (mental actions) as 'actions to do'.  Due to this understanding, even during meditation, we automatically center our attention on 'doing this, doing that', 'saying right things and trying not to say wrong things', etc.  Those actions are called observing sila in traditional way.

The real and genuine sila is 'abandoning' ..... abandoning power to all physical and oral (verbal) actions. 

We normally do not know how to make use of living and non-living beings for abandoning purpose. That is the reason why we always use them for grasping purpose.

As far as kaya kamma (physical actions) and vaci kamma (oral actions) are concerned, we tend to do all sorts of actions (activities) up to our limits, we tend to say whatever we can say or whatever we wish to say, we tend to do everything until there is nothing which we do not know how to do, we tend to learn everything until there is nothing left for us to learn .... those are the norms of human beings.
The real sila is ... to try to 'abandon' all those created physical and oral actions without placing central emphasis on doing or not-doing.  Real sila emphasises only on the power of abandoning.  As long as you carry out your actions with the power of abandoning in mind, there is no problem.  But the problem is that we tend to do things without the power of abandoning in mind.  That is the reason why we cannot live without doing anything, saying anything, etc.  By doing so, in long term, some might develop signs of mental disorders.

Dana, which we traditionally understand is also 'doing something' ... human beings possess ability to do donations but unable to abandon the mind action of grasping on living and non-living beings along the way.  That is the reason why we always need to work so hard to earn money in order to make donations.

Dana
Ability that can use living and non-living things as abandoning purpose.
Sila
Abandoning power to all physical and oral actions.
Bhavana
Abandoning power to all mental actions.
Panna
Abandoning power to any attachment concerning with physical, oral and mental actions.


To be continued ...



4 December 2012

Q&A and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 01


Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara
Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion with
Overseas Disciple
3rd September 2012
Part - One
KKL  :  Vererable sir, how should we contemplate if we experience pain during meditation?  Should we contemplate the pain as to be 'experienced-only'?
Sayadaw  :  The pain is to be experienced-only and not to take it as reality...you need to understand and contemplate in this way.  If not, you will be suffering from the pain and take the pain as if it is meant for feeling (suffering).  If the sensation is good, you will feel good but if the sensation is bad, you will feel frustrated.  In order to avoid this, you have to keep on understanding the truth of just to be experienced only and not to take the pain as reality.
Human mind can only do only one thing at a time or human mind can only focus on one thing at a time.  By trying to understand and contemplate on the truth and consider the pain as just to be experienced-only, you will be able to abandon placing central emphasis on pain as reality. By nature, the degree of physical pain could either go up or down, severe or weak, etc as it is beyond one's control.  In order not to place central emphasis on this nature, it is important for you to remember and contemplate on the truth of 'to be experience-only and not to centre you attention on them'.
You need to train your mind to do non-routine tasks or works.  In this way, your mind will stop working on usual and routine tasks or works.
KKL  :  If this is the case, should we contemplate as 'things got destroyed just because their time is up and things got created just because their time is up'?
Sayadaw  :  Contemplating on this way is not complete and conclusive but weak in truth as the content percentage of truth in this statement is small.  Superficially, the statement seems correct but it is not a complete and conclusive understanding. 'Just to experience only' is an ultimate truth.  The pain is to be experienced only and not to pay central attention on it as the truth.
'To be experienced only' is non-rejection.
'Not to pay central attention on it' is non-attachment.
Not only the pain that you experience during meditation, but also for all sorts of pains, sufferings and happenings due to kamma actions (kammic efforts), you always need to understand the truth of 'experience-only and not to take them as reality'.
As long as you understand and contemplate on the truth, your actions can be considered as 'you are using the truth in a correct or right way' and 'experiencing and enduring all the pains and sufferings in a right way'.  It is called 'changing the direction or actions of your mind).

Traditionally people tend to associate with all the good and bad feelings with 'I' ... this is good, this is bad, pain, ache, suffering, increasing, decreasing, etc.  Mind is always working along those traditional believes because it has been trained to do so over the years.  Hence, in order to abandon mind from doing traditional actions and dissociate mind from those actions, you have to try not to forget the truth of 'experiencing only and not to take those actions as reality'. 
 



Human mind has the ability to do multiple tasks.  Your duty is to try to abandon multi-tasking of your mind but keep on doing only one task of 'abandoning' those multi-tasking of your mind.
Depending on the severity of the pain, your mind will automatically be focusing on the pain and enduring the pain.  In order to abandon the habit of your mind, e.g. automatically focusing and enduring the pain, you have to keep on remembering the truth of 'experiencing-only and not to take the pain as reality'. 
In other words, you have to try your best not to forget but remember the truth of 'abandoning and not to take the pain as reality' in your mind.
'Abandoning' means to abandon all kinds of created actions and tasks which we always place central emphasis and attention on, e.g. pain, noise (sound), sight, taste, etc.  Your duty is to abandon placing central emphasis on those habitual actions and tasks by keep on doing non-habitual action of 'abandoning' continuously.


To be continued ...