Sacca Dhamma and Middle Way
Teaching of ThaBarWa Sayadaw U Ottamasara
at
Wat Ananda Metyarama
Thai Buddhist Temple, Singapore
Thai Buddhist Temple, Singapore
13th
March 2014 (pm)
We should try to let go of our physical, verbal and mental
actions. All these actions are to do-only, not neither to be rejected nor to be
attached.
As human beings, some have strong attachment for physical
actions. Some people love speaking and some like thinking. In order to be
doing-only we should try to abandon our own actions. Abandoning actions is ...
'not doing anything' ... neither attaching nor rejecting. If we are lazy we don’t want to meditate, this is because
of attachment for the practice of meditation. If we are not mindful we are
rejecting the right action.
If we have intelligence to understand the practice of
meditation we must be able to follow the Middle Way. If we are not interested
in the teaching of the Buddha, we are wasting our valuable time. The life of
Buddha and his teachings are very precious.
We should value Buddha and his teachings.
The practice of mindfulness on our mind and body is
necessary. Meditators should pay attention to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. We
should keep Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha in our mind.
If we can keep Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha (Triple Gems) in
our mind, we will become Noble Persons. Thinking about money, food, medicine
and family are our normal works. Most of
the beings (human beings) are thinking about themselves, food and shelter. This is the reason why most of the living
beings cannot keep this Triple Gems in their mind.
With this right understanding, let go off everything from
the mind. Many food and medicine are not essential for the meditator (yogi). If
we meditate, we do not need food for the whole week. The practice of
mindfulness with detachment, or the Middle Way is complete by itself.
Eating, sleeping, speaking, thinking with attachment is not
the right way. Most of us are following this traditional way. This is why we
never feel satisfied with ourselves and with our actions.
Our attachment is demanding eating after eating, sleeping
after sleeping, thinking after thinking, working after working. We should
meditate with this right understanding. We must use the right understanding to
meditate. If we are following the right way, our own right understanding will
arise.
We should close our eyes gently. Whenever we use our eyes,
it should be gentle. Using with grasping as 'my' or 'yours' is our habitual
mistake. Be gentle in using the mind and the body. Using with grasping or using
with the idea of someone or something is wrong. The truth is ever new
impermanent nature, no something, no someone, no 'I' no 'you', not 'mine' not 'yours'.
Relax the mind and the body. The action of relaxing is to
do-only without attachment. In order to be doing-only, we must let go of all
the tensions and then we must abandon the centering of this action.
The action of relaxing and mindfulness are important. In
order not to attach to this action, try to abandon paying attention to this
action. It is necessary to be mindful of whatever appears in our mind and body.
Keep the breath in mind. Begin the practice of mindfulness
with your natural breath. Breathing is to be using-only. In order to be
using-only, we must be mindful on the present breath and try to stop paying
attention to it. Be mindful all the time and stop paying attention to ourselves
and to our actions.
We must keep on and on doing good actions. No need to pay
attention to what we are doing and to what happens to us. The practice of
mindfulness is right action. Mindfulness need to be going on and on. Stopping
the practice of mindfulness is wrong. Thinking about the practice of
mindfulness is also wrong.
Learning or practicing Dhamma is right action. In order not
to reject, we must keep on mindfulness. In order not to attach, stop paying
attention to our present action of mindfulness and our experience. The action
of mindfulness must be free from the idea of something or someone.
Seeing from the ground or seeing from the sky might be
different. All our views or knowing are based on one place, one time and on one
person. The view of someone or something is incomplete. In order to understand
the original impermanent nature and permanent nature, we must be able to detach
from the idea of someone or something.
I am guiding how to follow the Middle Way. The Middle Way is
free from rejecting or attaching. It might be difficult to follow the Middle
Way. Knowing about the Middle Way is a great chance. We should not miss this
chance. Most of the people have no chance even to understand the Middle Way. We
all have a chance to know the Middle Way.
That is why we must follow it.
We should invest (dedicate) our intelligence, our ability
and our life to follow the Middle Way. Thinking about Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha
(Triple Gems) is very difficult for most of the people. Most of the people are
busy with normal works and normal people.
Because of the strong attachment to the modern age, modern people and
modern works, they do not pay attention to Buddha and his teaching.
We should not reject the modern world so also we should not
reject Buddha and his teaching. Although we cannot escape from the modern age
we should try to detach from it. Using with attachment is wrong. Doing with
attachment, experiencing with attachment is wrong. All the causes and effects
are to do-only, to use-only, to know-only and to experience-only, without
attachment.
We should keep our mind clean and pure all the time. We
might be old, be sick, and die. No one can escape from that process. But we can
be free from the idea of: 'I am young, I am old, I am sick, and I will die'. All the good and bad effects are to
experience-only, not to grasp as something which we own.
The truth is ever new impermanent nature. Not something, not
someone. The ability to know, to
remember, to feel, to make actions is not made by someone or something; these
are abilities of the ever new impermanent nature. No one is listening, no one
is teaching, only the ability or power of ever new impermanent nature is
happening. Try to stop the habit of thinking about someone or something. This
is the practice of detachment.
End of the teaching.