Present Moment Awareness

0:00 Okay, so yes, so the general idea of coming to the Thursday night meditation classes is to meditate together and we try to give a few instructions on how one can meditate in a way where they can gain some peace in their minds. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:29 So the one thing that is useful for a person to gain peace in their meditation practice is to have a consistent practice. Is to do it, not do it once or twice, but to do it many times. Because one can kind of see it as almost like... If you're trying to learn a new language or trying to learn something new at school, it always takes a lot of effort and a lot of time for a person to go through that course or learn the language until they can understand it. Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

1:16 And especially with languages, it does take time to become fluent in it. So you can see, you can see The amount of effort that our brains need to be able to accomplish something. And in the same way, with a meditation practice, the mind needs a lot of time to be able to achieve the peace that it's looking for. Report an error in the passage at 1:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16

1:47 But then what is this peace? What is this peace that we talk about? and the piece is This is something that lives in this present moment. So, as humans, we understand what this present moment is. We are always, we're kind of always in it throughout the day. And sometimes we see our minds just, we just drift off. Report an error in the passage at 1:47 Highlight the passage at 1:47

2:19 You know, we drive in the car, and our minds will just drift off. or We're at work and we're doing what we're meant to do at work, but our mind drifts off. But for the most part, our minds are in the present moment. So meditation is giving yourself a different experience of the present moment. And that experience is being able to sit like these people here. Report an error in the passage at 2:19 Highlight the passage at 2:19

2:52 They're sitting on the ground. The eyes are closed. What are the benefits of meditation? now and and and that's meditation and and the result of that the result of that doing it time and time again is one starts to gain a peaceful mind Report an error in the passage at 2:52 Highlight the passage at 2:52

3:19 And so it's sort of like, what are the... What are the hallmarks of a peaceful mind? So one of the hallmarks of a peaceful mind is when you're sitting in meditation is that you have a sense of silence or you experience silence in the mind. Report an error in the passage at 3:19 Highlight the passage at 3:19

3:46 So you may be here and things are quiet. Things are quiet physically and things are quiet mentally as well. Report an error in the passage at 3:46 Highlight the passage at 3:46

4:00 So, when we're meditating, that is what we see. And we ask ourselves, as meditators, what are we meant to do? What are we meant to do when we're sitting with our eyes closed? Are we meant to think about the universe? Are we meant to think about our future? Are we meant to think about our past? And you may ask yourself this question. Report an error in the passage at 4:00 Highlight the passage at 4:00

4:29 What am I meant to do or what am I meant to think about? So one of the things about the meditation practice is to understand the reason why we are sitting down with our eyes closed. Report an error in the passage at 4:29 Highlight the passage at 4:29

4:47 And this is, in meditation, we call this mindfulness. There's mindfulness and there's two parts of mindfulness. There's mindfulness of being in the present moment and there's mindfulness of what we're meant to do, of the instructions basically. And the instructions that one can try to remember is to try to bring one's mind back into this present moment. Report an error in the passage at 4:47 Highlight the passage at 4:47

5:23 So we can be in this present moment long enough so we can start to experience. The silence of the mind and and that is that is pretty much that is all we have to do and we all know meditating for a long long time that the mind has this difficulty to be in the present moment the mind has a difficulty to be to be silent and and that's I think so And that's one of the hardest things I think meditators have and they find it really hard to understand is how do I make my mind silent? Report an error in the passage at 5:23 Highlight the passage at 5:23

6:15 It's one of the simplest ideas that we can think about. We know what it is. We know what this silence is. We've heard all these teachings. We've meditated many, many times but my mind doesn't want to become quiet. Have you experienced that? That's true. It's one of the hardest things that meditators have difficulty accomplishing when they're meditating. Report an error in the passage at 6:15 Highlight the passage at 6:15

6:56 So then it's sort of like what type of approach or what kind of methods or what kind of tools I can use to experience more peace in this moment and in my meditation. And sometimes we can kind of use, like what comes to mind is to try to use past experiences. experiences and we And we all have experiences in our lives where we felt peaceful. And I remember my teacher, Ajahn Brahm, when he would give talks, he would teach the people listening to him this idea of trying to remember a peaceful moment in their lives. Report an error in the passage at 6:56 Highlight the passage at 6:56

7:52 And for him, one of the peaceful moments Ajahn Santutthi was a young teenager. He would go to school and when school finished, I think he would go to a park. And where the park was, there was a nice river. And it was after school, he had homework to do. So what he would do, he would do his homework, he would use his brain, do his homework, get everything done. Report an error in the passage at 7:52 Highlight the passage at 7:52

8:23 And then when his homework is finished, He just sat there in the park and watched the river. And he remembered because he finished all his tasks, he didn't have anything to think about, he didn't have any more problems to solve, then his mind was able to be at peace in the situation that he was in. So in our lives, we can use memory. Report an error in the passage at 8:23 Highlight the passage at 8:23

8:57 To kind of bring up these experiences of peace and being in the present moment. And that's the one trick that I found out that worked for me over the years. And it kind of seems like very simple but it works. And the simple trick is to just have that intention. intention, that intention or that instruction, remind yourself. Report an error in the passage at 8:57 Highlight the passage at 8:57

9:31 If you think about it, if you put your mind in this moment right now, there isn't any thinking. And sometimes when you immerse yourself in doing something, you know, usually people like, you know, people like to do yoga and they say that that helps keep their minds in the present moment. You know, they do their stretches and all that kind of stuff and they're able to keep their minds in the present moment. And also, we like to work with our hands when we're just being mindful of whatever we're doing. Report an error in the passage at 9:31 Highlight the passage at 9:31

10:26 We can see our minds just getting into that present moment, and when it's in that present moment, it doesn't think. So that's what we're trying to apply to our minds when we're meditating. Report an error in the passage at 10:26 Highlight the passage at 10:26

10:39 And that's all we do. That's all we do. And through time, we can start to see the results of putting our minds in this present moment, what it does for us. And in the same way, Report an error in the passage at 10:39 Highlight the passage at 10:39

10:54 It's like meditation also brings a sense of calm into our lives. Like, just, yeah, it's just calm, like peacefulness into our lives. It's almost like an emotion, almost like a feeling. And I think one of the reasons why it does that for us is because of the basic act of just sitting down. Sitting down with our eyes closed, not moving our bodies. Report an error in the passage at 10:54 Highlight the passage at 10:54

11:23 And just allowing just the peace or the feelings of peace to arise because essentially what we're doing is a very, very peaceful activity. Report an error in the passage at 11:23 Highlight the passage at 11:23

11:38 It's something which peace can be kind of grow from it. And these are the things that you kind of experience and you learn through time. Report an error in the passage at 11:38 Highlight the passage at 11:38

11:53 And then you start to understand that this peace or being in the present moment is something which is good for you. It's helpful to your life. And that's one of the things I've been thinking about recently is because we talk to people who try different things to overcome certain problems in their life. Report an error in the passage at 11:53 Highlight the passage at 11:53

12:19 life and You know, if they're going through depression or going through some sort of recovery of some sort of trauma and just using like psychology and therapy to talk about things which, you know, have troubled them or whatever stuff that they're going through and they use this kind of method to solve the problem. Report an error in the passage at 12:19 Highlight the passage at 12:19

12:50 What does meditation give us in our lives? What meditation gives us into our lives is this peace, peacefulness. Peacefulness, this calmness. And this ability to be in the present moment, to not worry about too many things. And then I always think, and I've experienced this as well, that whatever irritation that we may have in our lives, whatever, we might get into a fight with somebody, or I'm feeling a little bit irritable today because of the rose garden. Report an error in the passage at 12:50 Highlight the passage at 12:50

13:46 I'm feeling a bit irritated. The parrots are eating the new growth, so it's actually, you know, I'm a bit irritated. But then it's okay. It's okay because throughout my life I've been doing a lot of meditation and I've developed this peace, this peacefulness. And then for some reason this peacefulness that you develop in your life, it just carries through. Report an error in the passage at 13:46 Highlight the passage at 13:46

14:16 It carries through your day, it carries into the night, and it's just something there that's with you all the time. So you kind of use what you have that you develop over time to help you deal with irritable days, basically. And then you understand that the irritation, it doesn't last. www .Ajahn Santutthi.com to help you overcome problems in your life then you understand what I'm talking about yeah but but but if you don't understand what I'm talking about we can I give you the opportunity Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

15:28 and the platform so to speak to better develop those things and those things you know like I said earlier they grow www.Ajahn Santutthi.com But they eventually do grow and it's almost something like magical. Magical or just a different way of dealing with things that you kind of gain from this. And that's why this is how meditation can be useful for us. Okay, so what I'll do now is I'll... Report an error in the passage at 15:28 Highlight the passage at 15:28

16:15 We'll guide you in a meditation for half an hour and we will see how we go. Report an error in the passage at 16:15 Highlight the passage at 16:15

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17:09 Sometimes we need to have... Over the years I've learnt to trust the present moment because sometimes we doubt the things that we are doing in the meditation. And what I've learnt over the years is The more I put my mind into the present moment, it's always had a positive effect in my life. Even though as meditators we do not know what is actually going to happen if we put our minds in the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 17:09 Highlight the passage at 17:09

18:05 But as life goes on, you will discover Life getting better, you know, you're less irritable, you're more peaceful, you're more caring, more compassionate person. And then you think back to what you have been doing. And one of the memories that you might have is that, oh, when I'm meditating, I was putting my mind in this present moment as much as I could. Report an error in the passage at 18:05 Highlight the passage at 18:05

18:42 And because of that, I have these good results in my life or in my mind that helps me live my life in a peaceful way. So sometimes we don't know what's going to happen. We don't know what we're getting into. We don't know if it works or not. But I think it's good or Ajahn even have a bit of trust or a bit of faith. Report an error in the passage at 18:42 Highlight the passage at 18:42

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19:52 Think about it. If you put your mind in the present moment, how is it going to harm you? Is it going to hurt you? Is it going to upset you? Is it going to take away your sense of sanity? Think about it. This present moment is probably one of the most harmless things that you can put your mind on. Report an error in the passage at 19:52 Highlight the passage at 19:52

20:23 And because of that, then there isn't really a reason why you shouldn't do it. So have a little bit of trust. Have a little bit of faith. And just try to be mindful of the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 20:23 Highlight the passage at 20:23

20:44 And then hopefully, in the future, you can see the positive results it has. So Report an error in the passage at 20:44 Highlight the passage at 20:44

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21:35 this present moment is... Just being here, it Report an error in the passage at 21:35 Highlight the passage at 21:35

21:50 may seem that nothing's happening, but Report an error in the passage at 21:50 Highlight the passage at 21:50

21:58 that's the strange thing about meditation is the more that nothing happens, the better the result. And Report an error in the passage at 21:58 Highlight the passage at 21:58

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22:43 those who have meditated many, many times before, one knows that this is how we meditate. It's Report an error in the passage at 22:43 Highlight the passage at 22:43

23:02 one of the most... Simplest things that we can do. Report an error in the passage at 23:02 Highlight the passage at 23:02

23:31 It's a peaceful thing as well. There's Report an error in the passage at 23:31 Highlight the passage at 23:31

23:46 nothing more peaceful than sitting down with your eyes closed. We're Report an error in the passage at 23:46 Highlight the passage at 23:46

24:00 just being here and feeling the peacefulness. Our Report an error in the passage at 24:00 Highlight the passage at 24:00

24:15 mind's in the present moment and it's quiet. Report an error in the passage at 24:15 Highlight the passage at 24:15

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25:10 Immediately see that This is a way to overcome our problems, whatever it may be. If Report an error in the passage at 25:10 Highlight the passage at 25:10

25:25 we're right here, we're right now, in this moment where Report an error in the passage at 25:25 Highlight the passage at 25:25

25:37 our minds are quiet and Report an error in the passage at 25:37 Highlight the passage at 25:37

25:43 we're peaceful, are Report an error in the passage at 25:43 Highlight the passage at 25:43

25:47 there any problems now? There's Report an error in the passage at 25:47 Highlight the passage at 25:47

25:55 no problems. And I think this is the way how meditation fixes your problems in the present moment. You Report an error in the passage at 25:55 Highlight the passage at 25:55

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26:43 know, sometimes, We worry too much as humans. We worry way too much. We think about what's happening in the world and we're thinking about our money, we're thinking about our health, we're thinking about our neighbours, we're thinking about ourselves, thinking about what we want to do, you know. Ajahn Report an error in the passage at 26:43 Highlight the passage at 26:43

27:23 And the mind just worries and thinks. Report an error in the passage at 27:23 Highlight the passage at 27:23

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27:57 Worrying about what our friends say to people at work and things we want to do tomorrow. Report an error in the passage at 27:57 Highlight the passage at 27:57

28:09 Sometimes when we can start to see that these things are tiring the mind out and we can start to see that we've been thinking about these things over and over again for years and it doesn't stop. It's going to continue. continue until we get old. Report an error in the passage at 28:09 Highlight the passage at 28:09

28:34 and it's the same and it's kind of weighs the mind down so sometimes we have this Report an error in the passage at 28:34 Highlight the passage at 28:34

28:48 We start to realize that we don't want to think about these things anymore or at least we want to let them go as best as we can and that's also Report an error in the passage at 28:48 Highlight the passage at 28:48

29:09 Another reason why we don't have peace in our minds is because we don't learn how to let go of these things. Report an error in the passage at 29:09 Highlight the passage at 29:09

29:24 We give them too much importance or even not importance and also because it's a habit of the mind. It's Report an error in the passage at 29:24 Highlight the passage at 29:24

29:38 a habit. But then we start to see that it does take away a lot of our peace. And it doesn't really help us. It doesn't help us to let go. But instead it keeps us hanging on to things which cloud our minds and take away the peacefulness. So that's one of the things or one of the reflections that we can incorporate into our meditation is Report an error in the passage at 29:38 Highlight the passage at 29:38

30:23 Why do I need to think about these things when I really don't have to? I'll do my best to let them go. I've been thinking about these things for 40, 50 years and still they are the same. They haven't made me any wiser or any smarter. It's just the mind spinning in circles. So it's about time that I learn to let them go. Report an error in the passage at 30:23 Highlight the passage at 30:23

30:54 So I can find a little peace in my mind. Report an error in the passage at 30:54 Highlight the passage at 30:54

31:01 Sometimes we've got to think about these things in this manner to help develop more peace in the meditation, to help our minds be more mindful, to allow it to be in the present moment so it can be quieter, it Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:28 can be here. You can feel the peacefulness. It gets better when Report an error in the passage at 31:28 Highlight the passage at 31:28

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37:13 we're meditating. Report an error in the passage at 37:13 Highlight the passage at 37:13

37:17 Remember, bring Report an error in the passage at 37:17 Highlight the passage at 37:17

37:21 the mind back into the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 37:21 Highlight the passage at 37:21

37:33 Sometimes we don't know what to do or what the correct way to meditate is or what kind of method one should apply. Sometimes it may get a bit too much or sometimes one has tried. Report an error in the passage at 37:33 Highlight the passage at 37:33

37:57 Many, many techniques, many ways, many methods one can rest assured and fall back on. To me, one of the easiest methods is to bring this mind into the present moment. Just Report an error in the passage at 37:57 Highlight the passage at 37:57

38:30 staying here, one would be surprised how Report an error in the passage at 38:30 Highlight the passage at 38:30

38:41 much one can develop or deepen their meditation practice. By this one simple act of bringing one's mind into the present moment. It Report an error in the passage at 38:41 Highlight the passage at 38:41

39:05 may sound mundane. It may sound unprofound. But it's one of these things that if one continues, one can start to experience the meditation deepen. One can experience the meditation deepen. growing just by this simple act of bringing one's mind into the present moment is Report an error in the passage at 39:05 Highlight the passage at 39:05

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43:29 to use as little effort be Report an error in the passage at 43:29 Highlight the passage at 43:29

43:41 as lazy as possible so to speak when one is bringing their minds into the present moment one Report an error in the passage at 43:41 Highlight the passage at 43:41

43:59 is not encouraged or instructed to forcefully forcefully bring their minds into the present moment but Report an error in the passage at 43:59 Highlight the passage at 43:59

44:19 instead one uses little effort and one uses memory you know a lot of times one of the reasons why we can't stay in the present moment or we don't stay in the present moment for long periods of time Report an error in the passage at 44:19 Highlight the passage at 44:19

44:50 It's because we forget the instructions. What usually happens is our minds may go on a tangent thinking about, I don't know, whatever it wants to think about. One thought leads to another and then that thought leads to another thought and the mind gets carried away. Report an error in the passage at 44:50 Highlight the passage at 44:50

45:22 And before you know it, you've been thinking about it. For like 15 minutes and one of the reasons why the mind carries on thinking about these things is because it has forgotten what to do. So in a sense as we develop our meditation, as we sit more, as we practice more, as we Dedicate more time to it. Our memory of instructing the mind to come back to the present moment becomes better. Report an error in the passage at 45:22 Highlight the passage at 45:22

46:23 So instead of getting carried away with our thoughts for about 15 minutes, it shortens over time. In maybe 10 minutes. seven, five Report an error in the passage at 46:23 Highlight the passage at 46:23

46:47 And it just gets shorter and shorter because one knows what to do when one is meditating. And that's one of the ways that we can improve our meditation practice. And Report an error in the passage at 46:47 Highlight the passage at 46:47

47:30 then what happens is one starts to develop peaceful feelings. Report an error in the passage at 47:30 Highlight the passage at 47:30

47:43 One has peace in one's heart. One has peace in one's mind. And the peace becomes almost like it becomes a present moment. It is your new present moment. And it's almost like an object that you can watch or you can be with or that you can have a A present moment which is peaceful and that peacefulness is one of the ingredients or you can even in one of the ingredients or one of the things that Report an error in the passage at 47:43 Highlight the passage at 47:43

48:44 help your mind stay in this present moment. Report an error in the passage at 48:44 Highlight the passage at 48:44

48:51 You want to be here because it's peaceful and because it's peaceful It's easier to be here. And Report an error in the passage at 48:51 Highlight the passage at 48:51

49:24 that's the magic of meditation. Being able to find peace or develop peace. One Report an error in the passage at 49:24 Highlight the passage at 49:24

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50:26 of the things that I learned is that peaceful people don't have too many problems. Report an error in the passage at 50:26 Highlight the passage at 50:26

50:41 Just let that idea sink in. So Report an error in the passage at 50:41 Highlight the passage at 50:41

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51:32 hopefully, hope that you can all become peaceful people so you'll have less problems in your life. So what I'll do now is I'll hit the gong three times. And we can come out to meditation. Report an error in the passage at 51:32 Highlight the passage at 51:32

51:56 If you have any questions, you can ask comments Report an error in the passage at 51:56 Highlight the passage at 51:56

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53:12 or questions. Otherwise Report an error in the passage at 53:12 Highlight the passage at 53:12

53:20 we finish. No comments, no questions. How was it for you? Second time? Second time. Second time, okay. Very good. You live in Rollystone? Yes. Lovely place. Lovely place. Okay. and, uh... I don't really have anything to say. I just encourage you to just have a go, really, and see what happens. Because usually people, when they reach out to learn how to meditate, they have some sort of difficulty in life, whether their life's a little bit stressful or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 53:20 Highlight the passage at 53:20

54:00 And I think it's kind of... I've kind of proven that meditation does help with whatever problem or issue that one wants to overcome. And I've heard, I've experienced many stories, many people just using it in their lives and it helping them immensely. Report an error in the passage at 54:00 Highlight the passage at 54:00

54:30 It's hard at the beginning because the mind is a bit restless and it's not used to it. immensely, yeah. So, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 54:30 Highlight the passage at 54:30

55:10 in the present moment. The present moment is not like a god, or some sort of doctrine, or idea, or belief. The present moment is the present moment, it's the pure moment, there's nothing staining it really, this present moment, so have a bit of faith in that and just put the mind in the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 55:10 Highlight the passage at 55:10

55:36 And then over time you just started seeing See, just see the wonders that can come out of it. And like I said, you know, peaceful people don't have many problems. And that's, I think that's very true. You think so? You think so? Alright, never mind. Okay. Alright, we'll finish there. Report an error in the passage at 55:36 Highlight the passage at 55:36