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MINDFULNESS MEDITATION MADE EASY

Venerable Dhammasami
1999

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CHAPTER NINE

MEDITATION ON DEATH (MARANASSATI)
EXPLANATION AND INSTRUCTION

         THIS EVENING WE are going to reflect on death. It is another type of reflective meditation practised with mindfulness meditation.

         ILL-OMENED?

         Death is a subject, which many people prefer not to talk about, especially in other cultures and religions. Many regard discussion about death as ill-omened, unpleasant and luckless. Death as the darkest side of life is considered an inappropriate subject for conversation. People tend to cover their awareness of the reality of death with enormous abstract imaginings and theories. They actually try to suppress that reality in their conscious mind. The mind is thus deceived by intellect. Deception gradually becomes perception. This perception of death, however, seems to have achieved general acceptance.

         The Buddha's way of thinking is different and in this case even against the mainstream. He said, "death is another object for meditation." We should recognize, accept and try to understand it. The Buddha taught his disciples that in order to uproot mental defilement and thereby achieve peace, one should stay vigilant and develop a sharp mindfulness of death'12. Can we run away from death? Certainly not. It is an inevitable process we all have to go through.


12 Pathama Maranassati Sutta, Anguttara-nikaya. Chatta-sangayana edition. Rangoon, 1955, Vol. 1, pp. 135-8,Vol. II, pp. 268-270


         People do not like to talk about it because they fear death. This is true of anybody. Some people also think that talking about death may bring ill fate and could destine them for ruin. The Buddha, however, said that the fear of death arises when there is no insight into it. If you do not talk about it, you will not understand it. That is why this meditation on death is meaningful and worthwhile, however fearful it may sound.

         FEAR OF DEATH

         Imagine this room with no light in silent darkness. If you come across a wire in the dark, you may think that it is a snake, and you will be very frightened; that is because you cannot see what it is really there. If you come across a cat, you may think that it is a ghost, as you cannot see what is exactly there. You just speculate on the sound of the cat's movements and create fear within your self. Not seeing things as they are makes you scared. It is oppressive to be in the dark because darkness prevents us from seeing many things. Fear, however, is automatically expelled when the light comes. What we need is light that helps us to see a wire as a wire, and to make sure that it is not a snake. Even when it comes to matters like death, what we have to do is to understand it, to know what it is like and what fear of death is like. Understanding is likened to light.

         Many religions, throughout the ages, have tried to solve the mystery of death and of the fear that is necessarily linked to it. They come up with various philosophies as to what death is in order to dispel fear of death in the minds of people. There is always, consciously or unconsciously a threat of death. No matter how you ignore it, this is a fact of life. The Buddha said that we have to have courage to analyze it and reflect upon it. That courage comes through mindfulness. Many religions try to come up with what they think are solutions to solve this psychological problem facing people who live in fear of death. In pre-Buddhist times in India, people said that when someone died it was just like someone changing clothes, as they did every day. In the same way, the permanent soul was said to keep changing its body, from one to another. They believed in rebirth. The idea of rebirth existed even before the Buddha's time. This is emphasized in the early scriptures li ke the Upanishads. They said that when someone dies and the soul goes to another body, the cycle of birth (samsara) goes on. So again, the idea of samsara was already there. They said the liberation or moksha comes about when that individual soul (each and everybody is considered to have an individual soul) is reunited with the universal soul, which is called Atman, the everlasting soul. When these two souls merge together there is no longer an individual soul or a universal soul. There is only one. When you see two, you are under an illusion. It is like that. This is a part of their effort to dispel the fear of death. You have nothing to fear because you are one step closer to becoming reunited with the universal soul which is everlasting. People, are afraid of impermanence, of cessation, of disappearance, of going away. Therefore, they try to come up with an idea of something that is everlasting. Although people are taught these ideas, still fear does not go away.

         In all the Abrahamic religions, like in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, there is one rebirth after death, which is supposed to be after the Day of Judgement — where one will be reunited with the Lord or God, the Creator who will welcome the dead into an immortal state. I see this again as an attempt to dispel fear of death. Fear is real. Fear in you, fear in me, fear in everyone in the street regarding death, is real. All these philosophies are formulated with one aim; that is to lessen the fear of the experience of death. All the theories, unfortunately, could do very little to help one in the face of death. I think the actual problem is not death itself but fear of death. What we are going to do is discuss the fear of death rather than death itself. Imagine, if we have to live under the shadow of the fear of death throughout our life, how can we enjoy life? Can there be real peace of mind? Before death actually comes, one is already defeated by fear of it.

         Fear of death is a fear of future that results in our not being able to live fully at the present moment. We fear and are worried that we are going to lose what we have, unable to accept that things are impermanent. It hurts and discourages one to think that we have to leave all hard-earned wealth and reputation, and go. The future always seems something uncertain for human beings. Uncertainty is the whole mark of life after death. Buddhism says that without fully accepting the uncertainties associated with death, life never feels secure. Life is, of course, naturally insecure. However, it is possible to feel secure amid the insecure provided we develop our mind.

         THE BUDDHIST APPROACH TO DEATH

         As well as various techniques of meditation including vipassana, there are teachings in Buddhism that help to lessen fear of death such as Kamma and rebirth. Here, however, we are approaching the problem of fear of death from vipassana meditation point of view. In the vipassana meditation, one of the principles is to start looking at things from the best known point and to progress to the less known. What is best known here is fear. It exists in you, in me, in every one of us. Therefore, we have to start tackling this fear. We do not start from the unknown, which is life after death and all the mystery connected to it. If it is unknown, how can we start with it? What I am trying to say is that despite all these theological concepts, including those in Buddhism — the idea of heaven, the idea of Brahma Loka, the idea of being born as a human being, which presuppose that there will be at least, in theory life after death — fear sti ll surrounds death. So, instead of contemplating the less known such as rebirth, we will start from the best known, that is fear of death. When we understand or comprehend what it is fear, we will not then be fearful of death anymore; as long as we live, we will live happily. That is why we reflect on death.

         Another cause of fear is pride in day to day life. We are so proud of who we are, of what we have, of what we have achieved as a person or family, that we start behaving as though we are not going to die. On the other hand, knowing that we have to leave any achievement and go at death looks simply so horrifying. Pride is one of the many aspects of attachments and of not-letting go.

         Apart from fear, you can also expect tension and conflict even between brothers and sisters and between families due to pride. We follow our egoistic tendency by often saying; "I want to do this and no way will I compromise with that." Our pride! That always creates problems. Sometimes it is not about right and wrong that we keep arguing with each other, but rather about resistance from within, where we usually claim "this is my idea, this is my culture." So when you are too proud of your culture, you can never enjoy other cultures. That is pride. Young people here in this retreat like Tom, Zaw Zaw and Saw Marlar, you have the opportunity to enjoy both cultures — maybe even more than two. The best thing is to look at things from the Buddhist perspective that nothing is perfect; so no one culture, either Burmese or British, is perfect. Neither is superior to the other. Both have advantages and disadvantages. When we look at life in this way, we gain more than we lose. Otherwise, if we are too proud of the Burmese culture we will not be able to get anything from the British culture and vice versa. You stand to lose out much that way. This kind of pride is what we are going to tackle through reflection on death.

         Lack of the right attitude is another ground where fear of death is bred. Death is very much a part of life. Death has to be viewed in the context of life, and life in the context of death. We go to funerals, we see the dead. If we do not view them in the context of life, we do not get the full picture. Looking at life alone can make us forgetful and arrogant, behaving as if we are never going to die13. Focussing on death alone can bring us disappointment, negative fear and pessimism. Life and death are the two sides of the same coin.


13 Thana Sutta, Anguttara-nikaya, Chatta-sangayana edition. Rangoon. 1955. Vol. II, p.64


         It is so much relieving to know that death is common to all — no matter whether you are a billionaire or a pauper, a ruler or a ruled, a doctor or a patient, a man or a woman, a grown up or a baby. Terrifying and painful experience of death is not unique to anyone nor is it escapable.

         Contemplation of death is something that can make one a wise person and enables one to view life seriously. When Sidhartha Gotama was a prince, his father arranged everything so that he would not see old people, sick people and dead bodies. This was because his father, having consulted with his astrologers was told that his son, the prince, would one day leave home for a homeless life, and the king did not want his son to leave home but wanted him to succeed him when he died. So till the age of twenty-nine, he had never seen any of those things. But just to have seen a dead body, an old man and a sick man once was enough for him to be convinced that this was a real problem facing him as well as the rest of the world, including those nearest and dearest to him, his family. That was something that made him determined to go through all the extraordinary experiences, renouncing the princely life, following the well-known religious teachings available in India at that ti me and undergoing the hard life of an ascetic.

         Realizing that death arises at all times while we are still alive in the conventional sense is also very helpful to defeat fear of death. The old cells in the blood die and are being replaced continuously by new ones. It is said that the cells that die and are reborn momentarily are to be in their billions. The mind replaces itself in the same way but in a much quicker speed. This is the law of impermanence, something the Buddha takes it an ultimate truth. Brain cells that do not replace give a clearer explanation of impermanent nature. They only deteriorate without being replaced by new ones. Death in this sense is happening here and now. It is important to see and accept it scientifically.

         During the time of the Buddha, Kisa Gotami, a young mother, suddenly lost her only child. She could not and did not accept that her toddler son was now dead. She refused to be convinced by the appeal of common sense reality. She went on looking for a cure to bring him back to life. It was only too understandable that she as a mother would react in the way she did. The child meant everything to her.

         The same happened to Patacara, a young lady who lost her two sons, husband and parents within a matter of days so mercilessly and unbelievably. It was too much for her to take. She had a complete breakdown. She could not accept that such thing had happened to her.

         From meditation point of view, the suffering for these two young mothers increased because they did not accept what had really happened but kept rejecting it. The grief was being multiplied anytime they refused to accept it in their mind.

         Both had the good fortune of meeting the Buddha who could convince them to accept what had happened and show them to see the way things are. The Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring mustard seeds to make medicine she was looking for to bring her son back to life. The Buddha said that the seeds must be from a family which has never experienced death. She went out in search for the seeds only to find that there was no such family that had never experienced death. Kisa Gotami came back to her senses, buried her dead child and returned to the Buddha for the path to the deathless. Both, Kisa Gotami and Patacara accepted what had happened to them and became noble disciples of the Buddha not long after that. Patacara became the one who excelled most among the female disciples in the disciplines of the monastic community (Vinaya).

         Vipassana is to help us see and accept things as they are and thereby not to create more suffering out of suffering. This is what mindfulness practice is all about. With the presence of sufficient mindfulness, Patacara was able to see the ever-changing world as it was when contemplating on the river flowing where she was to wash her feet. She was now in harmony with the impermanent world, never expecting it to be otherwise than it was. The desire of wanting the world and her life to be in a certain way and not wanting them to be in a certain way ceased within her. Peace within was achieved while the world went on the way it did. The two young ladies were no longer touched by the world. They did not live beyond the world but certainly above it all just like a lotus flower above water.

         REFLECTION ON THE REALITY OF DEATH

         Reflection on death helps lessen fear of death and bring peace of mind ultimately. Mindfulness of death, if developed, can help us realize the immortal state (Nibbana) here and now. There are many causes of death such as various kinds of diseases and accidents.14 A man for some reason could just take the life of another man. An animal can harm you and become a cause of death. While sleeping, eating or working and while being in the sea or land or on air, death can happen at any time. It is not predictable nor is it certain.15


        14 Dutiya Maranassati Sutta, Anguttara-nikaya, Chatta-sangayana edition, Rangoon, 1955, Vol. 1, pp. 138-40, Vol. II. pp. 270-272.

        15 Salla Sutta, Sutta-nipata translated by H. Saddhatissa


         The Buddha Gotama recounted to His disciples how Araka, one of the previous Buddhas taught His disciples on how to reflect on death. The Araka Buddha summarized that human Life is short, fleeting, fragile, full of unfulfilled desires and anxiety.

         The Araka Buddha, who became enlightened when people had a relatively longer life span than our times gave many analogies to life. Life is likened to dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass that disappears soon after the sun rises. Life is also like dust that is washed away mercilessly by heavy rain. A line drawn with a stick on the surface of water lasts but briefly, even so life is ephemeral. A stream having flowed a great distance in tranquility, may reach a precipice only to fall down very quickly without a pause. Human life is as little and swift as the stream that falls from the mountain. A strong man, having collected sputum from the floor of his mouth spits it out fleetly and naturally. Life is like a drop of sputum that is done away with by the man. A piece of meat is burnt away very quickly indeed once it is put into a saucepan that has been heated all day. Life is similar to that piece of meat. It lasts but not for long. Once an animal has been selected to be slaughtered, each step it makes helps its advance towards the slaughterhouse. Similarly, life moves forward only to death. Once born, none escapes death.16 One should also reflect that one cannot escape from death and that none in the world does."


        16 Araka Sutta. Anguttara-nikaya. Chatta-sangayana edition. Rangoon. 1955. Vol. II. pp. 501-504


        INSTRUCTIONS ON THE MEDITATION ON DEATH

        Now we are going to reflect upon the reality of life, especially death. From now on, I will start giving instructions on how to meditate on death. There will be four stages.

        STAGE ONE

        The first is to remind ourselves about the reality that death is very much a part of our life. The kings and queens, the Prime ministers, the presidents, actors, and actresses, the rich and the poor —. can you imagine that any of them would escape from the process of death? If there is no way to get out of it, why fear? Sometimes when I go to a funeral, I imagine myself to be in the coffin. For many, this would seem something terrible and even stupid. I find it terrible too. However, this is the way I have been taught and I have found that fear has lessened by doing so. You can also see what is going on in the hearts of the relatives left behind. Now, just reflect whether anyone you have come across — the ruler, the ruled, the beautiful, the ugly, men and women, the educated, the uneducated, the academic, the non-academic, the old and the young — can get away from this. It is inevitable for everyone. Death can happen at any time. Th ere is no guarantee or appointment. Death has no calendar. Because there is no guarantee, we need a lot of insurance. We rush to take insurance and we are often asked, "Are you insured?" People would say, "I'm fully insured. I have got two or even three insurance policies." We may feel we need to have even more because life has no insurance. You feel relieved to have it. Say, I have life insurance. That would not be for me. If I die what will happen to that insurance from Nationwide? It will be for those who are living.

        In the first stage, it is essential to recognize that death is very much a part of life and that it can happen any time, any day and there is no appointment. A mother cannot save her son or the son his mother.

        A few weeks ago, I went to a funeral of a prominent doctor who suddenly fell ill and passed away within a week. The wife, also a doctor, three daughters and one son were crying. However, he was lying dead and breathless. He could not appreciate their worry or tears. He could not treasure them anymore. This is the nature of death. He was very affluent but he had to leave everything and go. In such a way, death is suffering. The Buddha said in the first sermon "death is a painful experience" — "Maranam pi dukkham". It is painful to a Buddhist as well as a non-Buddhist, to a doctor and a patient, to a monk and a lay person, to an old person as well as an infant. The ruler fears it as much as a homeless person does. It is a universal experience.

        We live in fear of death only when we live in the future. When observing present pain, we do not observe the one that has not arisen, in other words, the pain in the future. Nor do we focus on the pain that is gone. We focus on the present one. If you want to learn how to live in the present, we have to focus on the present object. Train your mind with the object arising at the present. Fear of death exists at the present. We are going to observe that. The first thing, as I have just explained, is to reflect that death is very much a part of our life and nobody can escape from that. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to any body — in any form. Vipassana meditation trains one to live at the present moment and is, therefore, the path to the deathless here and now.

        STAGE TWO

        At the second stage, you are going to apply that reflection to specific people. When we do meditation on loving-kindness, we start with ourselves. But now we are not going to start with ourselves. If we do that, we may become more frightened. Death is a frightening phenomenon.

        At this stage, we are going to apply reflection on death to a neutral person. Recollect people who are neutral to you, the people towards whom you have not formed like or dislike, say, people in the street or in the station. Look at the crowd and look for someone who is not going to die, someone who can escape from this process. Is there any such?

        I think all of you know Sir James Goldsmith, the billionaire. He could write a draft worth millions or even a billion. When he died only his wife was with him and only a few people attended his funeral. His eldest daughter who was in Mexico was not even informed. She did not know. From that point, Sir James Goldsmith's signature was worth nothing. The bank would no longer accept his signature. The billions that he accumulated are nothing to him now. This is the reality of life. How fearful life is and how painful death is. For the neutral person you can also imagine someone like that. You can imagine a crowd as well as an individual.

        At any stage of this type of meditation, should you feel sad or frightened, please bring in mindfulness as practised in the vipassana meditation. When we become frightened, what we do in vipassana meditation is to look into our minds and note frightening, frightening, and frightening. When we become upset, we note upset; we feel fear we recognize fear, fear, and fear. Fear is a meditation object. Fright is a meditation object. It can bring an immediate psychological relief.

        STAGE THREE

        At the third stage, you are going to focus on someone near and dear to you who has passed away. In my case, it can be my father, my great aunt, my eldest brother and my niece. If you know someone only in death but not in life, you may not choose him or her because it may not help you to see death in the right context. All my grandparents died before I was born. As I have never seen or even heard of how they lived their life, I cannot meditate on them. You are going to choose someone whom you have seen both in life and in death. Death has to be reflected in the context of life. You focus by recollecting a few points on how they lived their lives and how they died. Their bodies lie lifeless and breathless. So, the third reflection is on the people who are close to you but have passed away.

        STAGE FOUR

        The fourth stage may be a bit hard for you. It could be the hardest. It is to apply the reality to yourself. You are not going to include someone you love or someone you do not like. If you include someone you love, you will be very upset. If it is some one you do not like, you will be very happy — the kind of happiness that can be full of revenge and ill will. You may be able to include them at a later stage but not now. In the fourth stage, you reflect on yourself, on how you lead your life and one-day you will go lying breathless, lying in a coffin.

        I should make one thing special here by offering myself to be included in your meditation object. You are also going to reflect and apply that reality to me, the person giving you the meditation instructions. It is important to do that. I have seen in our country. People become so attached to their teacher that they become blind and they do not look for other teachers any more. If you go to, say, the Mogok Vipassana Meditation Centre, you learn automatically how to criticize the others such as the Sunlun, Mahasi, etc. This happens in many other centres. To me, Sunlun Sayadaw is a remarkable teacher. Mahasi Sayadaw is distinguished. Mogok Sayadaw is great. Sayagyi U Ba Khin is excellent. Ledi Sayadaw and Anagam Saya Thet Gyi are also extraordinary. Mingun Cetawun Sayadaw and Kathitwine Sayadaw are marvelous. All of them are great. They are great people. But we should not misuse their greatness to create blind faith by impairing our investigative sense and by starting to criticize others, which these great teachers did not do. Attachment or even devotion can make you blind.

        I have been talking to you like this and we have been together for a few days. One day I will go. I will have to. That is the reality of life. So you focus and apply the reality of death to yourself and then me, the person giving you the instructions.

        I will repeat the instructions again. The first is to reflect that death is a part of life. There is no escape from it and no one escapes from it. There is no appointment. It can happen at any time. Like a clay pot that can be broken at any time, we are vulnerable at any moment. We are like a fruit, which can fall to the ground at any time. The sun that has risen has only one way to go — to go down in the west. In the same way, life leads to nothing but death. That is the reality. The second instruction is to apply this to a neutral person(s) — a crowd or an individual, who is neutral to you, someone you neither like nor dislike. Try to meditate on both their life and their death. Thirdly, you will reflect upon the life and death of those who have been close to you but have now departed. Fourthly and lastly, you will be reflecting upon yourself and on me.

        PALI CANONICAL TEXTS

        There are discourses from the Pali Canonical texts dealing on the subject of reflection on death. The following is a translation of one of them. It has been translated by the late Venerable Prof. H. Saddhatissa, the founder of the World Buddhist Foundation, London. It is given here for meditative reading to cultivate insight into death.

        A RECOLLECTION ON DEATH
THE DART (SALLA SUTTA)
18

        1. Life is unpredictable and uncertain in this world. Life here is difficulty, short and bound up with suffering. (574) 19

        2. A being, once born, is going to die, and there is no way out of this. When old age arrives, or some other cause, then there is death. This is the way it is with living beings. (575)

        3. When fruits become ripe, they may fall in the early morning. In just the same way a being, once born, may die at any moment. (576)

         4. Just as the clay pots made by the potter tend to end up being shattered, so is it with the life of mortals. (577)

         5. Both the young and the old, whether they are foolish or wise, are going to be trapped by death. All beings move towards death. (578)

         6. They are overcome by death. They go to the other world. And then not even a father can save his son or a family their relatives. (579)

         7. Look: while relatives are watching, tearful and groaning, men are carried off one by one, like cattle being led to the slaughter. (580)

         8. So death and ageing are endemic to the world. Therefore the wise do not grieve seeing the nature of the world. (581)

         9. You cannot know his path as to where he has come from, or where he is going. So it makes no sense to grieve for him. (582)

         10. The man who grieves gains nothing. He is doing no more than a foolish man who is trying to hurt himself. If a wise man does it, it is the same for him. (583)

         11. Peace of mind cannot come from weeping and wailing. On the contrary, it will lead to more suffering and greater pain. (584)

         12. The mourner will become pale and thin. He is doing violence to himself, and still he cannot keep the dead alive; his mourning is pointless. (585)

         13. The man who cannot leave his sorrow behind him only travels further into pain. His mourning makes him a slave to sorrow. (586)

         14. Look at beings who are facing death, who are living out their previous deeds; people are terrified when they see that they are trapped by death. (587)

         15. What people expect to happen is always different from what actually happens. From this comes great disappointment; this is the way the world works. (588)

         16. A man may live for a hundred years, or even more, but in the end, he is separated from his relatives, and he too leaves life in this world. (589)

         17. So we can listen and learn from the noble man as he gives up his grief. When he sees that someone has passed away and lived out their life, he says, "he will not be seen by me again". (590)

         18. When a house is burning, the fire is put out by water. In the same way, the wise man, skilful, learned and self reliant, extinguishes sorrow as soon as it arises in him. It is like the wind blowing away a tuft of cotton. (591) (emphasis added)

         19. The person who is searching for his happiness should pull out the dart that he has stuck in himself, the arrowhead of grieving, of desiring, of despair. (592)

         20. The man who has taken out the dart, who has no clinging, who has obtained peace of mind, passed beyond all grief, this man, free from grief, is still. (593)


19 Salla Sutta, Sutta-nipata, translated by Ven. Dr. H. Saddhatissa. 1994, Curzon Press. England. pp.68-9.

19 The number given at the end of each stanza is the number of the Pali stanza in the original text.


CHAPTER TEN

MINDFULNESS IN DAILY LIFE

         BHAVANA

         WE HAVE COME to the last day of our six-day retreat. We have been practising mindfulness meditation. Some prefer to call this mindfulness meditation Insight Meditation, which is the translation of the Pali word Vipassana. It is important to understand another Pali word Bhavana in order to understand mindfulness meditation. Bhavana means developing mental ability.

         Any method that develops our mental ability enhancing our ability to cope with life, to enjoy life, to be peaceful, happy and calm, is called Bhavana There are many types of meditation. Some people meditate using various techniques that mainly emphasize acquiring concentration, which practically means not allowing your mind to wander but to focus on one chosen object; maybe a mantra, breathing, a candle, a kind of reflection, chanting, gardening or golfing. They would use anything that makes the mind concentrated. Since they develop the mind in a certain way, they may be called Bhavana

         MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

         In mindfulness meditation, the emphasis is somewhat different. It is not about acquiring concentration only for the sake of it. Concentration is not all that is required. There are many other factors that have to be developed together. It is vital that the uniqueness of mindfulness be seen in the context of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is a composition of the eight factors; right understanding, right attitude, right effort, right concentration, right mindfulness, right action, right speech and right livelihood. This Path is known as the Middle Path that transcends two extremes. The two extremes can be found in whatever unenlightened being does. They are diametrically opposed to each other such as like and dislike, have and have-not, eternalism and nihilism, self-indulgence and self-torture, indeterminism and pre-determinism. Only by seeing the two extremes and abandoning them, can the Middle Path be discovered. Mindfulness meditation is indeed a practice that is directly aimed at developing the first five factors to form the Path. Each has to form the Path for himself or herself.

         The word used by the Buddha is not merely "mindfulness" but "Right Mindfulness". Mindfulness is right only when it is developed with the other seven factors. Mindfulness becomes a part of the Path at the point it has helped develop the other seven factors. There are two kinds of mindfulness, intensive and general. The first one is developed in intensive meditation while the latter is in nor mal working life. Today we are going to discuss how to develop the general mindfulness in daily life.

         RIGHT ATTITUDE

         I have often emphasized in this course of meditation retreat that suffering is very much a part of our life and it is very important to have the right attitude towards it. Let us take pain as an example. It is important to be aware of the fact that pain is common to all living beings. Pain that is being experienced may increase or decrease. This is suggested as Anatta, the doctrine of non-self. Do not expect it to work one-way, that is to decrease. Keep the mind open to both possibilities. Be flexible with and be prepared for either of the outcomes. This is the right attitude, which is relevant to the reality of life. Otherwise, we are not prepared for the worst in good times and forget to hope for the best in bad times. The nature of non-self (anatta is the ultimate reality. This means we are not in ultimate control of pain. Things are the way they are, and are not always the way we imagine them to be. For this reason, generally the way things work for us is very unsatisfactory.

         To be unsatisfied and frustrated with things around us is called Dukkha. There are three aspects of ultimate reality; impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and non-self or no-creator (anatta). Our attitudes to life have to be based on life itself, and not on an abstract imagination of life. These three aspects make up the very characteristics of our daily world. Anything that we see when we go shopping or when we are at home including all the objects we experience during meditation has but these three characteristics. They encompass the nature of the whole universe. They are ultimate.

         REALISTIC VIEW

         When observing the pain, if we expect it to respond in a certain way, say, to go away, then our mind is not open to the other half of reality. Consequently as the pain increases, we start reacting with impatience or frustration. This is because we are not in touch with the whole of reality. Wrong attitude can make us suffer more. So to have the right attitude is very important. This kind of right attitude is what we call Sammaditthi (right understanding) — right understanding of life in the context of change, unsatisfactoriness and non-self. This basic right understanding is very important in order to develop a realistic view of life. Otherwise, you can develop a pessimistic or optimistic view, and not a realistic one.

         As a doctor, you can see that if you have a pessimistic view, you are not going to try your best to save a life. If you are too optimistic, then you are not going to be seriously taking any measures you should be taking. If someone suffers from a certain disease, to know that that person is suffering from that disease, to know it correctly, this is the realistic view. Realistic view is safer than either the pessimistic or the optimistic views. The Buddha was a realist. He had a realistic view. He was neither optimist nor pessimist.

         Intensive mindfulness is what we have been doing for the last five days, with 20, 30, 40 minutes and one-hour sessions. You were determined to practise and develop mindfulness intensively. You pay attention to even a slight sound and a mild pain intensively. You try to develop unbroken mindfulness continuously. This is intensive mindfulness. We have retreats of ten days, one week, one month or a few months. Those are all intensive retreats.

         Intensive mindfulness is mainly for training. As a soldier under training you learn how to put instruction into practice, use weapons and respond to the situation. You study how to do certain things intensively. However, some of those methods you learn may not be directly useful in battle, but they provide a basic knowledge and a good foundation based on which you act in battle. For some one who has never had any training in a camp, it would be very difficult to respond correctly in the frontline. Therefore, for us, the purpose of intensive training such as this is to learn the techniques under the close supervision of a teacher.

         In Intensive Mindfulness practice, when you walk, you try to be aware of each movement. First the physical movement and later on the intention and sensations. This is the way the mind functions. What we do is try to be aware of the functions of the mind. We have concerned ourselves with establishing mindfulness (sati) rather than concentration (samadhi) because as far as I understand it, in vipassana meditation, sati is the basic and chief factor. Only with the help of mindfulness will we be able to see what we do not have and what we have. Say when our posture slumps forward, we detect it because of awareness. Otherwise, our posture would be slumped the whole day. We would not be aware of it. We also discovered that we react to things in a certain way. When pain comes, we feel agitated and frustrated. We learn about these reactions. We also learn that we do not react sometimes. We learn about some thing, which is there, and which is not there. We will be able to apply our efforts only when we discover both the presence and absence of something. Mindfulness needs to be understood in the context of right effort — applying it when necessary.

         However, intensive mindfulness is not practicable all the time in working life. When you drive a car, you cannot be intensively noting all of your movements or thoughts. Just as the purpose of putting a soldier in the training is not to confine him to the camp but to equip him with the practical knowledge to face real battles.

         GENERAL MINDFULNESS

         Let us talk about general mindfulness, also known as daily awareness. General mindfulness is what you practise in daily life — at work, at home, when you drive, when you play golf, or when you go shopping. This is the ultimate aim of establishing intensive mindfulness. In the case of successful meditator such as an arahant, mindfulness is ever present in daily activities. For them, they do not need to sit to develop mindfulness intensively, although sometimes they do that to increase a certain ability such as concentration or a certain calmness and peace. Now people ask me, "How can you do this? If you have to note lifting, forward, placing, how will you cross the road? If you note seeing, seeing, how will you drive? If you note hearing, hearing, how can you speak to someone?" This is a practical question. To answer this question, it is necessary to know about general mindfulness. Unless and until we know this, our life is not going to really benefit from mindfulness practice.

         JUST ONE AWARENESS

         Just have one awareness when you cross the road. Develop the awareness that you are crossing the road. When you are walking, you will not be noting lifting, forward and placing in the middle of the road. Before you go into the kitchen, you bring one awareness to your mind "going to the kitchen." You do not need to do the naming exercise. However, try to produce direct awareness of what you are doing without saying anything mentally. We do naming in intensive practice only. Naming will come to an end at a certain level even in intensive practice. It is just like using a raft to cross a river. Once you are on the other side, you do not need the raft or boat anymore. Naming is just a raft. The technique is just a raft used to cross to the other side.

         When you are going to work, bring about one awareness in the mind "going to work." When you are going to drive "going to drive." In case you have to drive continuously for a few hours, often bring in an awareness that you are behind the wheel. You come to a traffic jam, there should be one awareness "traffic jam." Make yourself aware of it as soon as possible. If you do not have that awareness, you may forget that you are sharing the road with other people. If you want to go quickly, you may want other vehicles out of your way so unreasonably that you create agitation in yourself. So when you are behind the wheel — have just one awareness — you are behind the wheel. You go to the supermarket and have picked up many things. In front of you is a long queue. Retain one awareness "a long queue." This will sustain your ability to be patient. Otherwise, you will be standing in the queue feeling miserable. We spend many years of our lives in anxiety, worry, frustration and fear. How nice it would be if we could reduce these negative emotions that take away our ability to enjoy life. We will then have more good times.

         You go to work as a doctor and see so many patients in the surgery. You allow yourself to make a conscious awareness by observing "many patients." Otherwise, you will come under pressure unconsciously. This will cause you work-stress. You have to finish your work by lunchtime but more patients keep coming. The pressure keeps building up.

         Suppose, you have forty-five minutes to finish your meal and clear the kitchen. Please pay one awareness to the period time, which is likely to create pressure. Pay one attention to what you have to do such as warming up food in the microwave, taking the correct plates out, and to cleaning them up after eating. This will give you awareness of the overall situation in the kitchen and dinning room. Such awareness gives you some realistic undertaking for the 45 minutes. It prevents you from being too ambitious and helps you relieve some pressure of time. It helps you to plan and execute your daily routine.

        Otherwise, time can create a lot pressure so that you would not enjoy the meal. You would not finish washing or cleaning. Do not forget your primary object when under pressure. This suggests that you should be aware of taking some regular breaths while work pressure is mounting. The Primary Object always helps you not to be overwhelmed by Secondary Objects such as stress and agitation and helps you to maintain your calm and peace at work. Just be aware of the time and the situation in which you are.

         For example, you go into your office. Someone comes to work with a disturbed mind maybe having had some problems at home. You are not sure what he has been through for the last few hours. What you should do is to be aware of the fact that you are in the office with others, and you are not at home, where things are at your disposal. It is a different environment. This prepares you to face something uncertain. You would not take things for granted as you do at home. If you see someone speaking very impolitely or in a stressful manner, you have to observe him as "being stressful."

        INTROVERTED AND EXTROVERTED MINDFULNESS

        Here meditation can be split into two, introspective (ajjhatta) and extroverted (bahiddha) mindfulness. In introspective mindfulness, you note your own movements, emotions and feelings. It is an inner-directed attentiveness. However, in extroverted mindfulness, you note objects outside you. If you are aware that your office colleague is depressed, you are not going to take offence at what he says or how he behaves. Otherwise, you are in a vulnerable situation, taking everything on a personal level.

        We discussed yesterday that mindfulness serves as a protection. If mindful, you will be protected from the bad consequences of having problems, arguments and being upset. If you have to work with someone who has a short temper in the office, then you should go to the office with one awareness that you are with that kind of per son at work. Then you are in a better position to cope with things. Otherwise, you can get upset easily and react endlessly towards what he does and says. This is extroverted mindfulness in daily life.

         LIVE IN THE PRESENT

         When the weather is cold, if we are aware that it is winter, we can enjoy it rather than complain about it. During winter, it is supposed to be cold. It is natural. Instead of complaining about the cold, we should learn how to live with it and enjoy it. There is no point in complaining about the cold during winter in England. We cannot change it. This is the way it is. During summer, of course, it is warm. But, in summer people say, "It's too hot!!, It's terrible!" They are unable to accept things as they are, there is no end to their complaining and frustration. We tell ourselves to live in the present, but when summer comes, we long for winter. In the winter, we look forward to having summer. It is always unsatisfactory.

         We can never be satisfied with what we have and with the situation we are in. Because of the lack of right attitude and awareness, life could always be miserable. Whenever we think of the past, it always sounds better than what we have now. Our golden past exists only in memory. This is because we forget many situations surrounding the reality of the past. We keep remembering only what we want. It is not that the past is more pleasant than the present in general. Actually in Buddhism, the past and future exist only in perception — not in reality. The future never comes and the past exists only in memory. It is only a concept. Morning and evening are concepts related to the movement of the earth. Concepts are developed based on the existence of other things. There is a concept of space in this room. But this concept exists only when depending on the existence of walls from different directions. Space does not exist alone. But the walls do and are not a concept. Time does not exist alone. Past, present, future, morning, evening and so on are relative reality. There is a concept of morning or evening because there is the movement of the earth, something real to depend on and develop a concept. Nevertheless, awareness of time is very important. To be aware of the place you are in, the environment and the people around you, the pressure and the time are all important. Without abandoning the use of conventional reality such as concept and words, we have to try to realise the objective nature, the ultimate reality.

         So just have one awareness before you do something. This means you will not take things for granted anymore and you will not follow your habitual way of doing things. You insert one awareness at a time. This is for people practising general awareness in daily life. If things are difficult, then be aware that you are going through a tough time. Do not forget to hope for the best while facing the worst. Only then will you be in a better position to cope with things.

         General mindfulness is assisted and sustained by regular practice of intensive mindfulness. It is important to adopt a regular intensive meditation practice as a way of life.


CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHY MEDITATION RETREAT

This talk was given in Burmese and translated into English by Dr. Kyaw Thinn

         A CLOSING TALK on the final day of the six-day intensive meditation retreat.

         FORMAT

         This six-day retreat is a short one but it has some unique qualities of its own. The timetable has been arranged in close consultation with devotee Dr. U Kyaw Thinn to fit within the six days you are on holiday. The set-up of the retreat is based around my experiences in London. It is not meant to be over-ambitious, but relies on gradual but regular practice. The emphasis is on being a regular meditator. The aim is to reduce anxiety at work and in daily life.

         The sitting session on the first day was only twenty minutes. Since then, you have gradually progressed to thirty and then forty-five minutes without feeling too much pressure from the duration of the session. In the majority of meditation centres, alternate sessions of sitting and walking meditation of one hour at a stretch is standard practice. Here, however, we have started with thirty minutes of sitting meditation alternating with thirty minutes of walking meditation. I have purposely made this retreat quite different from the other retreats in which I have taken part. One significant difference in this retreat is the interviews held with the meditators. These individual interviews have taken place four times a day because the main aim of taking part in a retreat is to learn the techniques of meditation.

         Completing a ten-day retreat once in your life is hardly sufficient. A ten-day or one-month retreat will not produce a miracle. Applying the techniques that you have learnt during the ten-day or one-month retreat to your daily activities is what is important.

         MEDITATION RETREATS IN BURMA

         In Burma, it was only after the Independence from Britain that the ten-day retreats gained popularity. Before that, few retreats like these were organized. It was through the encouragement of the post-independence government and managerial abilities of learned lay people like Sayagyi U Than Daing from the Mogok Meditation Centre and Sayagyi Sir U Thwin from Mahasi Meditation Centre, that these ten-day retreats came within the reach of many people. When they started, they were not very widespread. Now, even young children will attend short retreats during their school holidays. They have become rooted in our culture just like temporary ordination of boys and girls.

         We have over ten major techniques of vipassana meditation currently in practice in Burma. We should consider ourselves lucky to have been born in Burma. However, it is up to individual whether he or she travels from the light into the dark. Since we are born lucky, we have to live lucky, enjoying all the benefits of the Dhamma.

         FLEXIBILITY

         Given the number of proven vipassana meditation techniques, to get yourself affiliated to only a particular technique and to shut yourself off from the rest, is really a shame. All those techniques are excellent. They have been proven and accepted by many generations. If they were not valid, they would not have survived this long. In my opinion, we should select and adopt what is good from those techniques, and use them to our benefit, in a flexible way. It is not helpful to become attached to one particular technique and start degrading the others. It is actually harmful to look down on other techniques. If on becomes dogmatic, one begins to cause damage to all of the techniques including the one to which you are affiliated.

         Flexibility is one of the main principles in the set-up of this retreat. I did not seek to impose a single technique on anyone. Even the technique in breathing can vary and it is so in Mahasi, Mogok and Sun Lun tradition. The type of meditation, which has not been possible to be included in this six-day retreat, is the meditation on the Four Elements also known as the Kathitwine technique. To be able to practise this technique you would need in addition to time to acquire some basic knowledge of the four elements first.

         THEORETICAL & PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING

         Theoretical and practical understanding needs to be in balance as well. I have given priority to this in the set-up of the retreat. In some retreats, the individual may only have the opportunity to discuss with the instructor just once or maybe three times in a whole week or ten days. There may be some doubts requiring some discussion. Many discourses are record of the discussions, which took place between the Buddha and the meditators. Some meditators do not progress because they lack this opportunity for discussion although they may have many opportunities to listen to Dhamma talks. Listening to the Dhamma talk and experiencing what is said in the session are very important. The late Mogok Sayadaw, Venerable Aggamahapandita Vimala explained the Paticca-samuppada, the Law of Dependence Origination every single day. This is because he wanted people to gain the basic right views and attitudes.

         The four times a day interviews are based on that experience as well as my understanding of the importance of the two blessings (Mangala) in search of the true Dhamma — listening and discussing (Kalena-dhamma-savanam & kalena-dhamma-sakaccha). You have been blessed with these two crucial factors during this retreat.

         MINDFULNESS EMPHASISED

         I have given first priority to sati (mindfulness) and second to samadhi (concentration). Mindfulness and not concentration is emphasized in vipassana meditation. Concentration is to be acquired with unbroken and advanced mindfulness. I mentioned this in my letter to U Kyaw Thinn. If we wish to practise vipassana Meditation, we have to base it on the Satipatthana Sutta, the Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness. Of the many Discourses, this one is the most complete. In the Satipatthana Sutta, priority is given to sati, awareness because it forms the basis as well as the principle of the practice. You will know whether effort and concentration are in balance through awareness. Whether or not confidence and understanding are in balance, you will find out through awareness. That is why you require sati, mindfulness all the time. There is never a surplus of mindfulness.

         In Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation, sati is the foundation. Although using the term the Satipatthana, people often emphasize more on the development of samadhi rather than sati. In fact, this perhaps should be called of Samadhipatthana rather than Satipatthana! We may not even realise what is happening because of the lack of adequate mindfulness. In order to realise the correct path we require sati.

         The Buddha as the Ascetic Gotama studied under Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, two teachers who had developed the Sankhyayoga philosophy. The Ascetic Gotama, before becoming enlightened acquired Arupa-jhana, the third stage, with one teacher and the fourth stage with the other. These were the stages he reached through development of samadhi. These stages are very high attainments in themselves, no doubt. That was why Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, together with their followers, were quite satisfied with their attainment, which provided them with peace, tranquillity and bliss. However, the Ascetic Gotama realised that, although he had attained a high level in his meditation this was not the answer to the problem he had determined to solve. Having made this judgement, he left these two teachers and tried a different technique. He tried self mortification which was and is still practised by Jainas in India. He had a great deal of samadhi and meditated with a minimal intake of food, and later without eating at all. That also did not help him reach the goal of cessation of dukkha (suffering). Eventually he discarded this practice as well.

         The unique character of Buddhist meditation, which is different from meditation practised by other religions, is that sati (mindfulness) is given priority over everything else. The reasons for this are not only academic but also logical. That is why my intention was to emphasize sati throughout this retreat and not use a meditation practice, which directly develops samadhi. I know that at times it can be very difficult to sit and meditate without building up samadhi first. Nevertheless, as we realise the difficulties and our reactions to these, this leads us to understand that these reactions are conditioned and exist when being conditioned, and that it is possible to stop the conditioning process.

         Within these few days, I have also explained and instructed you on the other types of meditation such as Metta Meditation, Buddha-nussati Meditation, Meditation on Impersonality of the body and Meditation on Death. However, this is not all. It is merely the beginning. I have taught all these methods so that you will be able to continue with the meditation practice, in your own time. Although you will not be able to see me every now and then, you can still contact me by telephone if there is anything you wish to ask or discuss.

         MEDITATION IN DAILY LIFE

         The last aim of this short retreat was to introduce meditation into your daily life. You can meditate while leading a normal lay person's life. Some people like to meditate when in the meditation Centre or a temple, but as soon as they return home, they stop everything. This cannot be right. The temple should be regarded as the place where you study the Dhamma and your home the place where you practise it. What usually happens is just the opposite. People practise the Dhamma in the temples where they stay for only a short period. They should practise the Dhamma at home, with their family, relatives and friends and in the work place, applying the principles that have been taught.

        Another thing, which I would like to remind you about, is the Noble Eightfold Path (Atthangika-magga). The Pail word Magga means path or a way, which is the pathway of life. A businessman, a professional or a skilled worker who walks along this pathway will become successful and prosperous. The word Magga is usually translated as the Buddhist way of life and is composed of eight parts. The human body is composed of various parts such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, skull, arms, legs, etc. and just one part does not make a human. Only when all these pans combine, does it form a human being. Likewise, just one component of the eight factors does not form the Path. Only when all eight components are present does it construct the path, and become the True Path (Magga-sacca).

        This Magga-sacca (the Noble Truth of the Path) may be simply divided into dana (sharing), sila (ethical morality) and bhavana (meditation). Usually people practise dana and sila but leave out the bhavana. They tend to choose what they want to do, sometimes saying, "Oh, the time is not yet right for me to do bhavana." What happens then is that because they pick and choose, this practice no longer becomes the right path (Magga) and no longer meets the criteria of the Four Noble Truths. Unless you are on the Noble Path (Ariya magga), you are not practising Buddhism. You may be giving dana but this cannot be regarded as "Buddhist Dana." Although you may be donating something to a monk, it may not be deemed to be in accordance with the Eightfold Path. That is why it is very important for you to know and understand the Eightfold Path. So please read books on the Noble Eightfold Path and listen to sermons on that. Put into practice what you learn from the books and sermons, such as right understanding, right attitude, right effort and right mindfulness.


Buddhism and Meditation on Internet.

         IN KINGSBURY, in North West London, you can find the Sri Saddliatissa International Buddhist Centre. It is here Buddhism and Insight Meditation are taught to a wide cross section of the community by the Venerable Dhammasami.

         The Venerable Dhammasami is a Buddhist monk from Burma. In his meditation intruction he emphasises the importance of Mindfulness and Flexibility. All his reaching is imbued with a deep compassion and understanding of the human condition. If you have ever thought of learning to meditate, then maybe you will find an inspiration by visiting the homepage at website:

http://www.freeyellow.com/member4/vihara/

         Where to find us

         Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre, 309 - 311 Kingsbury Road, London NW 9 9PE, United Kingdom

        Tel: 0181 204 3301

         Nearest tube: Kingsbury, Jubilee Line

        EMail: dhamma@dircon.co.uk


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First posted on 23rd January 2000

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