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So that dislodges the mind from being in this drifty state.
And theres different ways you can do that.
Some people recommend, well, you can do that, or you can just notice youre drifting as soon as you notice it.
So that your meditation, whatever your meditation object is, you consciously bring it to the fore, making it more obvious.
So the mind can shift over to that focus, to that focus of attention.
But for a drifty dreamer, you definitely need to be active.
It may be walking helps, speaking to yourself helps.
Some teachers recommend using a word with a breath.
So you use the word budd, first syllable budd on the in breath and the syllable do on the out breath.
So its always this sense of engagement to pin attention to the breath, to the object, the breath object, if the object is breathing.
And then vichara begins to invite the chitta in.
Chitta is to do with the feeling.
How does this feel That is a little more questionable because, hmm, how is it And sometimes your mind drifts off.
So you have to find a balance between vitakka vichara.
If its too much vitakka, then you keep pointing, but you dont actually get the feeling for it.
You tend to drift into moods and feelings.
But then blending the two, does that make sense This is a theory, vitakka vichara.
So this is the first qualities or facets that need to be enhanced for jhana, steadying the mind.
Now, if the meditation theme is appropriate and your mind does settle into with certain things begin to happen, obviously first of all, it happens to the mind struggles.
You have to work with those.
Ive talked briefly this morning with the five hindrances.
You know, and so you need to name the hindrances because they dont necessarily, they generally hide under some reason or somebody else.
Im fine, but shes just a really nasty, annoying, irritating person.
But Ive been gone ill will.
Everybody knows shes a nasty, irritating, annoying person.
And she never turns up, turns on time.
She doesnt do the work and shes lazy.
And you know, but dont, Im not ill will.
So we think were talking about facts.
So youve got to get into the, what is the emotional current behind the thought This is why sometimes even your mind is thinking, you dont necessarily want to stop it so much as disengage.
And generally the advice is you disengage from it two or three times or a few times.
You probably need to investigate it.
Like why do keep thinking of this thing Whats in it
So this all sounds very logical and reasonable.
Youre sitting in a meditation tree organizing the second of January.
Thats really important, isnt it When youre sitting meditating and theres a possibility of realizing nibbana, its important to remember what shopping you need to do on the second of January.
No, no, thats called restless worry.
Or you worry about what people think of you, what you did in the past, what you can be reborn as.
So saying this morning, feeling of it, in doubt, speculation, the mind never able to settle.
So, as say, they do hide underneath good reasons, but you recognize, you know, why do keep doing it dont need to write a shopping list every time sit down and meditate, do Because its the mind wants something to play with.
So then we, ah, the thing, then whats necessary So with these hindrances, you both disengage and you access the real emotion behind it and then whats necessary with this
Perhaps we just need to firm up a bit.
You know, but theres a certain firmness, but like a parent, you know, a parent, you know, guiding a child, just put that down.
Or it could be a quality of soothing is necessary or inquiry, you know, like with craving, really need that, really want that, really got to have that.
Wait a minute, look, look at people who have whatever it is, you know, car or or something.
No. Remember two years ago when you got that new, whatever it was How long did the happiness last
So what do you think the next thing that you want is going to do It was just doing exactly the same.
You have this real, the real kind of energizing, because when youre about to get, youre really quite excited, youre about to get.
As soon as you got it, you cant want it because you have it.
You cant want what you have.
But the excitement is in wanting and being about to get it.
Once you got it, you dont want it because you got it.
Now, the really strong energy comes around reaching out to get it.
As soon as you got it, boop, bubble burst.
So this is the crazy thing about Tung Ha craving is you only get that kind of excited feeling when you havent got it, when you havent got the thing you want.
As soon as you got it, feeling stops and it goes to something else.
So you can investigate the logic of craving or the logic of ill will.
This person that you have a problem with, do you think she never did a single good thing in her life
Do you think shes dedicated to complete evil and being nasty and objectionable hours a day No.
In fact, how much of her behavior is annoying Maybe two or three things she did or didnt do.
So you want to focus on that Why dont you focus on the bad things she didnt do Like she didnt kill me.
She didnt beat me over the head.
She didnt run away with my husband.
So you start to pull apart the way that the mind clamps onto a particular object.
If everybody in the world is really sweet and nice, would you still be happy Would it make you any happier Dont think so.
You probably have ill will towards yourself then.
Im not as good as everybody else.
And the other kind of ill will is imagining other people have ill will towards us.
But we may find ourselves slightly embarrassed or when we are things we wouldnt like other people.
We are concerned other people will always dress and behave in certain ways to make sure nobody else objects to us or dislikes us or something or the other.
And if youre in a, you know, with other people, you may very well feel youre inferior.
You may feel intimidated by other people.
Well, whos doing that Whats doing that This is ill will towards yourself.
You imagine thats worth even other people.
Its probably more continual than ill will towards other people is imagining other people have ill will or look down or youre not as good as others.
But it result is the mind doesnt blossom is the defensive is contracted doesnt blossom.
You cant feel your own richness, your own abundance.
Now, its true that may not be as good a mathematician or as strong or as quick witted or as whatever, you know, but thats nothing to do with what really counts.
Jitta, you know, we all have our own jitta, our own, and there is the potential for beauty, richness, completion, fulfillment.
And this quality of self dismissiveness is a disease that hampers that.
So these hindrances have to be met.
You know, its this is what.
Oh, a lot of the dharma teaching is just about dealing with this.
If you get through these, you know, youre really on the way.
And so with your completely enlightened or whatever, these are the most obvious things to get through to start to feel confident in yourself.
And this sense of confidence and composure, you dont have to be like anybody else.
You know, either as good as anyone was, youre not good or bad.
You know, you dont have to do this measuring thing.
And you dont need to carry grudges towards others.
You dont need to defend yourself against others.
You dont need to have a lot of stuff to make you feel good.
And you dont need to figure out the future.
And you dont need to have to understand all of every Buddha teaching.
You dont need to be thinking and speculating.
So the aim of the is just to just get a weight off the mind.
You know, its to get the burden off the mind.
And when as the degree to which we do that, any time that we do that consciously, and the point is you have to meet the hindrance and turn it away.
Youve got to meet it and turn it away.
Because then the mind feels this quality of something has been lifted off.
And what happens is something called Piddi, which is a sense of uplifted.