Habitual Created Lifestyle
and Kamma Actions
Sayadaw : These
worries and perceptions are also the created actions of your mind which can be
abandoned. You surely can stop your mind from doing those actions. Your mind grasps firmly on those created actions
just because you place your mind into that created actions and instruct your
mind to do those created actions non-stop.
As long as
the leader, your mind, is doing created actions, the followers will also be
doing the created actions of earning money, depending on yourself, etc.
Once you
change the actions of the leader and start doing the 'abandoning' actions in
your mind and start making use of the mind power of 'abandoning', you will no
longer need to grasp on to your perception such as to depend on yourself, to
work endlessly, to earn money, to support yourself and your family, to worry
for your financial situation, etc.
The mind
power of 'abandoning' is complete and exhaustive.
You are
worried over unnecessary created issues just because you do not have the power
of 'abandoning' in your mind.
So long as
you are using your created mind power, 'doing', you will never be able to do
limitless good deeds and you will never be able to experience the contentment
and happiness in life.
Due to your
hard work and created power of 'doing', you might achieve positive achievements
but they are not complete and original.
The
achievements born out of the mind power of 'abandoning' is more complete and exhaustive. Complete and exhaustive means you will no
longer need to worry over those created problems of life such as who will feed
me, where to live, how to support my family financially, etc. Those created problems will automatically be
solved.
As I always
say ... though it seems difficult, you still need to put in your best effort to
do 'abandoning' in your mind,. As long
as you can do 'abandoning' in your mind, amazingly, you will gradually achieve
positive outcomes and experience them in one way or another.
No matter
where you live, be it in Myanmar or elsewhere in the world, if you do not just
look at the people from their external physical appearance and skin colour but
try to look into their mind, all the people in the world are the same in terms
of mindset, worries, anxiety, etc.
For this
reason, if we can practice the mind action of 'abandoning' in Myanmar, you can
surely be able to practice in USA or elsewhere in the world. What I mean is that, although you are not
living in Myanmar, it will not be so difficult for you to change your mindset
and start practicing 'abandoning' even while you are living in USA.
Since you are
living in USA, naturally, you might tend to adopt and copy the mindset of the
people living in USA. If you manage to 'abandon'
your copied (adopted) mindset successfully, you might also be able to help
others who are facing the same problems and difficulties as you. Once you successfully 'abandon' your copied
mindset, you will no longer need to experience those country specific created
problems and issues anymore.
During the
initial phase, we definitely need to have the pioneer who has keen interests
and enthusiasm in learning and practicing this method. We need to start from somewhere and someone
so that later on, practicing this method will no longer be perceived as
difficult and unachievable task.
Your current
lifestyle and perception of life is not perfect and complete. That is why you always feel the exhaustion
and burnt out due to non-stop working.
Every single member of your family is also feeling the physical
exhaustion and mental stress due to various created problems.
If this
habitual created life style is complete and working fine for everyone, there is
no urgency for us to look for any alternatives.
You have everything which life can offer does not necessarily mean that
you are blessed with full and happy life.
Hence, you need to try your best to change your life direction, ambition
and lifestyle instead of simply resign to fate and accept the current situation.
If there is
no better choice and alternative, you can simply resign to your fate without
doing anything.
In contrast,
you are now given much better choice and alternative to change your mindset and
lifestyle completely.
Instead of
depending only on yourself and thinking for yourself, you should also try to
help others to solve their problems and overcome their difficulties. You need to do good deeds by helping
others. In return, others will also do
their good deeds by helping you as well as helping others too. My logic is that ... you help him so that he
will also help you in return or vice-versa.
As a result, both of you will feel the completeness.
I am trying
to establish more complete social environment here at Thabarwa Centre by using
this logic. This method is workable and
also be able to withstand the test of time.
In contrast,
the theories of the world (loka) is based only on the created logic such as you
can enjoy decent living only when you can earn decent income to maintain your
lifestyle, you can feed your mouth only when you have money to buy food, you
can have steady income only when you have permanent employment, etc. This kind
of created logic and lifestyle produce many side effects.
In reality, my
view and philosophy of life is useful and even more suitable for present
days.
By working up
to your maximum capacity, your living standard and quality of life will
definitely be improved and you will definitely become financially sound but you
are still unable to solve the problems and issues of your mind.
If every
human being has only external physical body to deal with, this way of lifestyle
might not impose any problems and side effects.
But we also need to take care of our mind. It is also necessary for our mind to be health
and free from any problems and side effects.
As long as
you can change your mindset, you can change everything. By nature, human beings do not know how to
handle issues of their mind well. This
is the reason why they only try to change physical things such as, their
outside appearance, environment and the world as well as changing job, car, house,
country, etc.
In Vipassana
Insight teachings, we place mind as prime importance. As long as you change your mind, others will
automatically follow. The most important
requirement as per Vipassana Insight teachings is 'to practice and attain right
habit of mind'.
Doing actions
by using the power of kamma actions is not complete. Learn to use the power of
'abandoning' which has the power to abandon all kamma actions.
Using the
power of kamma actions such as likes and dislikes, can do this and that, like
this and that, think this and that, say this and that, invent this and that,
etc has so many side effects. This is
the reason why you need use your mind power of 'abandoning' while you are doing
created actions such as talking, thinking, working, earning money, etc.
Due to the
reason that all created actions are related to kamma actions, if you want to
change the direction of your life, you need to oppose all the created powers
which are related to kamma actions.
As long as
you have ability in using the right power, it is immaterial whether you are
doing which created kamma actions, such as thinking, working, talking, and as
long as your actions become 'doing-only', If you reach to that level, I can
safely say that you possess the necessary power to do all your actions
correctly. This is the real and ultimate original truth.
Created truth
which I am talking about includes being healthy is good but being unhealthy is
bad, being rich is good but being poor is bad, being famous is good but being
unknown is bad, etc.
Though both
are truths, the power and strength is totally opposite.
Naturally,
human beings tend to depend on the created truths. My philosophy and teaching method is based solely
on the ultimate truth or original truth.
You might ask
'why do we need to know and understand original truth?' Just because all the created truths are not
complete and do not produce conclusive results.
Since created
actions are incomplete and non-conclusive, you still need to learn Vipassana
and practice insight meditation. As
doing this action is complete and produce conclusive results, you will no
longer need to do created actions anymore.
You can live without doing any created actions.
Even when it
is necessary for you to do created actions, you will merely be doing them for
the benefit of others. You might not
even need to know created knowledge and learn created education since they are
not complete and exhaustive.