You Can't Do The Letting Go

0:04 This is what should be done by one who is skilled in goodness and who knows the path of peace. Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in speech, humble and not conceited. Contented and easily satisfied, unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways, peaceful and calm and wise and skillful, not proud and demanding in nature, let them not do the slightest thing. Report an error in the passage at 0:04 Highlight the passage at 0:04

1:00 That the wise would later reprove Wishing in gladness and in safety May all beings be happy, whatever living beings there may be, whether they are weak or strong or meeting none. Report an error in the passage at 1:00 Highlight the passage at 1:00

1:30 The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, the seen and the unseen, those living near and far away, those born and to be born, may all beings be happy. Let none deceive another. Report an error in the passage at 1:30 Highlight the passage at 1:30

2:00 or despise any being in any state let none through anger or ill will wish harm upon another even as the mother protects with her life her child, her only child so with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings, radiating kindness over the entire world, spreading upwards to the skies, downwards Report an error in the passage at 2:00 Highlight the passage at 2:00

2:49 to the depths, outwards and unbounded, free from hatred and ill will, whether standing or walking, Seated or lying down, free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection. This is said to be the sublime abiding by not holding still fixed views, the pure-hearted one. Report an error in the passage at 2:49 Highlight the passage at 2:49

3:34 Having clarity of vision, being free from all sense desires, is not born again into this world. Report an error in the passage at 3:34 Highlight the passage at 3:34

3:54 Sadhu. Sadhu. Sadhu. Talk Report an error in the passage at 3:54 Highlight the passage at 3:54

4:07 about meditations. Report an error in the passage at 4:07 Highlight the passage at 4:07

4:11 You don't talk about meditation, you do it basically. You can't do the letting go, because if you do letting go, you're still doing something. Report an error in the passage at 4:11 Highlight the passage at 4:11

4:26 You're still stuck within the loop, you know. So a lot of times we are asked, how do we do the letting go then? This turns back to the Four Noble Truths again. It's basically through understanding that... Report an error in the passage at 4:26 Highlight the passage at 4:26

4:50 You will let go because you need to understand why first you're suffering because you're holding on something else, holding on the thought or on the body. Report an error in the passage at 4:50 Highlight the passage at 4:50

5:06 That's basically just suffer. Our expectation, I always follow hope and expectation is the main killer of meditation. And when you don't have that much hope, Or when you success on certain meditation, you see that there's no hope there. You don't hope that your mind to be peaceful or you don't hope that you're a holy person. Report an error in the passage at 5:06 Highlight the passage at 5:06

5:42 And you can see that actually expectation of one thing is the main killer. And Report an error in the passage at 5:42 Highlight the passage at 5:42

5:57 it's just once you understand that, definitely you give it up. It's just like the second noble truth. You give up the origin of the suffering. And once you give up the origin of suffering, definitely you experience the cessation of it. And the cessation of suffering is basically, yay, happiness! And then if you do it so much, then you understand the path. Report an error in the passage at 5:57 Highlight the passage at 5:57

6:28 That's why you come to this path. You come to the Amadeo group, brainwashed by each other, so that... You can be peaceful. And then it's such an interesting path, you can say, that this path. It's just like you're on an experiment journey, that you experiment how you make yourself peaceful and how it triggers you. Report an error in the passage at 6:28 Highlight the passage at 6:28

6:57 And that you can see that this meditation also helps you on your daily life. That's why how you behave in your daily life. You can't treat yourself to meditate. It's just like a habit, how you be with other people. That's how you will treat your mind also. So it's a very interesting path, you can say, that this whole path of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 6:57 Highlight the passage at 6:57

7:32 You just always interlink and interconnect within each other. And the more you do the meditation also, You can see that more peaceful you are on your daily life. It's just interlinked. That's why there's no trick and there's no like bargain system on this meditation. It's not like, oh yeah, I put this money on the donation box today so make sure I buy some peace. It doesn't work that way. Report an error in the passage at 7:32 Highlight the passage at 7:32

8:08 But you can notice that also when you do like, you put money on the donation box. Or you do some charity or help out some people, you straight away can feel this boost of energy, this happiness within you. And then this happiness, if you bring to your meditation, it just gives you a good lift up. And the easier you are to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 8:08 Highlight the passage at 8:08

8:34 Just like I keep on encouraging my mother because these earlier years, on this Chinese New Year, he feels a little bit depressed. Because I didn't go back to see her. And my elder sister also at Singapore didn't go back because of busy teaching the kids for the exam. Report an error in the passage at 8:34 Highlight the passage at 8:34

8:58 And I tell my mom, you need to go and do some charity work. So now he's joining all these charity work and helping out people, doing some phone counseling at Mitraline at Penang, basically. That's where she stay. And she told me, it's like if you work without money, you can feel that happiness compared to work for money. Report an error in the passage at 8:58 Highlight the passage at 8:58

9:27 And I said, that's really true because once you give something, didn't expect anything back, you instantly feel this joy and happiness. It's just like letting go. It's a part of letting go, but it's more active. And you bring this quality to your meditation. That just gives you a boost, basically. And then you can sit down. Because you're relaxed, you have this good energy, that's why you can relax with your mind also. Report an error in the passage at 9:27 Highlight the passage at 9:27

10:00 Because you feel, it's weird, you can say, you feel you're worthily to be happy. But I can tell you today, since you're joining to this Amadeo group, all love you. The whole day of your work has been done. So now is the time to relax yourself. Report an error in the passage at 10:00 Highlight the passage at 10:00

10:33 So that's the perfect. You can say that it's like not putting more information or entertain yourself with some TV program. Report an error in the passage at 10:33 Highlight the passage at 10:33

10:46 Once you tune into this peaceful and letting go, you can find you're much more addicted. To this peace compared to all this information outside that kingdom pushing you, demand you to understand that. And meditation or letting go is you don't need to understand much. So for me, when I started to learn meditation, I always found it's just so, I'm so analytical because I'm trained as an engineer. Report an error in the passage at 10:46 Highlight the passage at 10:46

11:22 I work at Intel. As a programmer, so you analyze a lot of stuff. And then how I trick myself to get out of this analyzing is basically instead of analyze what is physically happening inside here, you feel it. You use your feeling more. Because this feeling for me is so alien that time. That you can't put a label on it. Because you can't put a label on it, you're much more to easily accept whichever is happening now. Report an error in the passage at 11:22 Highlight the passage at 11:22

12:08 So try it out. Use your feeling to feel what is currently happening instead of try to analyze it. And you found out once you started to analyze anything happened currently. It's very interesting. You're analyzing the past. It's not what is happening now. And you just miss what is happening now. And you can find out, once you analyze it, you can feel that also your body tends up. Report an error in the passage at 12:08 Highlight the passage at 12:08

12:42 And that indicates that there's so much stress on you when you try to analyze or interpret stuff. You're not relaxed with whichever is currently what you're feeling. And the more you relax, You can find also more information or more feelings you feel on which is currently happening. You Report an error in the passage at 12:42 Highlight the passage at 12:42

13:11 need a lot of courage also just to accept what is happening now and you learn from it basically. It's just like you can accept whoever you are. It's alright to be this way or that way. And then you can see that all these feelings or currently what you thought is also I'm very interconnected to which previously what is happening. Just give an example. If you're really like previously you've done something angry, it's really weird. Report an error in the passage at 13:11 Highlight the passage at 13:11

13:52 So you can feel that sometimes this anger gives you a boost of energy instantly. And then after that, with this boost of energy, then after that you feel this drainage of it. You feel this guilty. And also you can feel that this mind is shrinking also. And then if you see this cause and effect, the next time when this trick of energy coming up, this anger, you can say, I'm not going to react with it. Report an error in the passage at 13:52 Highlight the passage at 13:52

14:26 I'm not going to get angry. Because you can see that it's not going to be helpful. And that's how, through the understanding, you let go of this anger. It's just back to the Four Noble Truths again. Report an error in the passage at 14:26 Highlight the passage at 14:26

14:42 So we can say that Buddhism is just a discovery of this world. It's not really Buddhist on this Four Noble Truth, but it's just describing this nature, what is happening out there, and how can you flow much more easily with this life and let go, basically. Report an error in the passage at 14:42 Highlight the passage at 14:42

15:06 And it's an interpretation just like the Law of Newton. That's gravity. It's not like... Before Newton discovered gravity, there's no gravity. Everyone floats around. Everyone still stands on the ground. So dharma, or the Four Noble Truths, is just the same thing. It's just describing how this world works, how this interaction, how letting go can be happy on your life, can be peaceful, not just demanding. Report an error in the passage at 15:06 Highlight the passage at 15:06

15:43 So it's just another way. Of seeing what religion is, especially for Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 15:43 Highlight the passage at 15:43

15:53 Back to meditation. Talk about meditation. Why meditation is so stressed in Buddhism? Because you can see that. If you have clearer mind, you can see better. You can understand your interaction better also. So why letting go is part of it is because sometimes our knowledge is always in front of us. We try to tweak our knowledge to fit the truth. No, sorry, another way around. We try to, whatever the truth in front, we try to use our knowledge and box it in so it fits whichever we are expecting. Report an error in the passage at 15:53 Highlight the passage at 15:53

16:39 But this letting go of this boundary, you understand what is the truth. It's just like when I first hear this information, it really shocked me. In the Buddhism it says that if you want to destroy rebirth, actually that's the cause of rebirth also. Because you're expecting something to be destroyed, that's why you create yourself and you want to destroy it. And another thing, how you can understand much more simply is actually if you want peace, Report an error in the passage at 16:39 Highlight the passage at 16:39

17:19 That you create something, tension, so that you can let go. And I found out so many times in my meditation I did that. Because you want to feel peace or relax, you tense up certain part of the body unintentionally so that you can let go of it. It's not really there, but you make it so that you can relax. It's such a, you can say, The mind is tricking itself to let go, but it's not really there. But when you went through that process more, you can recognize it. Report an error in the passage at 17:19 Highlight the passage at 17:19

17:59 It's already peaceful, but your mind wants to pick up something to get more peaceful. It doesn't work that way. So that's why Ajahn Brahm likes to say that the peace is within the peace also. It's just like the beautiful breath is within this normal breath. Don't go and search for it. Because once you search for it, you create something to do it, basically. So it's quite interesting anyway. Report an error in the passage at 17:59 Highlight the passage at 17:59

18:30 So that's why when you observe this mind, it's just like, it's such fun, you can say, how much stuff you can do. So now we will do some guided meditation. Since I say so much, now we start the laboratory work. Report an error in the passage at 18:30 Highlight the passage at 18:30

18:51 So... Make sure you sit yourself comfortably. And let's have fun. Report an error in the passage at 18:51 Highlight the passage at 18:51

19:02 Don't feel like there's another duty to be done. You already finished all your duties. Already finished your dinner. You Report an error in the passage at 19:02 Highlight the passage at 19:02

19:20 can relax this body basically. Report an error in the passage at 19:20 Highlight the passage at 19:20

19:26 Because it's a Zoom meeting, if you wish to, you can tune down your light or just lie down on your bed. I don't mind. Report an error in the passage at 19:26 Highlight the passage at 19:26

19:44 Just make sure your body is reasonably comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 19:44 Highlight the passage at 19:44

19:58 I usually like to start the meditation just like how I do my exercise when I'm small. Just taking in, in breath, very big, and Report an error in the passage at 19:58 Highlight the passage at 19:58

20:15 hold, and exhale. Take Report an error in the passage at 20:15 Highlight the passage at 20:15

20:25 a deep in breath, take Report an error in the passage at 20:25 Highlight the passage at 20:25

20:44 another deep, and Report an error in the passage at 20:44 Highlight the passage at 20:44

20:53 exhale. Then Report an error in the passage at 20:53 Highlight the passage at 20:53

21:07 we start with, just relax the body. Start Report an error in the passage at 21:07 Highlight the passage at 21:07

21:19 with the... This part of our body is Report an error in the passage at 21:19 Highlight the passage at 21:19

21:29 the toe. If you can feel your toe, you can wiggle it. It's Report an error in the passage at 21:29 Highlight the passage at 21:29

21:43 the toe because there's not much disease there. Never heard of a toe cancer. So Report an error in the passage at 21:43 Highlight the passage at 21:43

22:04 you can trust that it's the most healthiest part in your body. You Report an error in the passage at 22:04 Highlight the passage at 22:04

22:15 can feel all your toes just Report an error in the passage at 22:15 Highlight the passage at 22:15

22:23 relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 22:23 Highlight the passage at 22:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:00 sensation around. On the bottom of the feet. Report an error in the passage at 23:00 Highlight the passage at 23:00

23:10 Because I've been walking barefoot this afternoon. Report an error in the passage at 23:10 Highlight the passage at 23:10

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:52 the joints and then go. Report an error in the passage at 23:52 Highlight the passage at 23:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

24:26 Thank Report an error in the passage at 24:26 Highlight the passage at 24:26

24:31 you Report an error in the passage at 24:31 Highlight the passage at 24:31

24:38 for all around me today. So Report an error in the passage at 24:38 Highlight the passage at 24:38

24:47 grateful. Knees Report an error in the passage at 24:47 Highlight the passage at 24:47

24:52 can bend nicely. Now it's just comfortable there. Your Report an error in the passage at 24:52 Highlight the passage at 24:52

25:08 thigh. Report an error in the passage at 25:08 Highlight the passage at 25:08

25:23 I feel that my right hand side of the thigh is a little bit tension. Report an error in the passage at 25:23 Highlight the passage at 25:23

25:30 Allow the move to make it more comfortable. Even Report an error in the passage at 25:30 Highlight the passage at 25:30

25:50 pressure on both sides when I sit. Report an error in the passage at 25:50 Highlight the passage at 25:50

26:09 Use certain Report an error in the passage at 26:09 Highlight the passage at 26:09

26:20 soreness on the right hand side. And it's my old injury. It's alright. Just relax it further. Further Report an error in the passage at 26:20 Highlight the passage at 26:20

26:49 up the abdomen. Tension Report an error in the passage at 26:49 Highlight the passage at 26:49

27:02 is there. Report an error in the passage at 27:02 Highlight the passage at 27:02

27:27 Relax further Report an error in the passage at 27:27 Highlight the passage at 27:27

27:32 up. Report an error in the passage at 27:32 Highlight the passage at 27:32

27:36 Your chest area. Further Report an error in the passage at 27:36 Highlight the passage at 27:36

· · · silence, 1 minute

28:12 up. Your shoulder. Report an error in the passage at 28:12 Highlight the passage at 28:12

28:26 There's a little bit of tension there. Left Report an error in the passage at 28:26 Highlight the passage at 28:26

28:33 hand side of the shoulder. Do Report an error in the passage at 28:33 Highlight the passage at 28:33

28:41 this exercise. Just like tense up. Then release. Report an error in the passage at 28:41 Highlight the passage at 28:41

28:54 Let that further relax. Your tension is there. Further Report an error in the passage at 28:54 Highlight the passage at 28:54

29:16 down. Your Report an error in the passage at 29:16 Highlight the passage at 29:16

29:40 hand also. Just relaxing. Don't need to be in the lotus form or anything. Report an error in the passage at 29:40 Highlight the passage at 29:40

29:58 Just place it whichever you feel comfortable. Further Report an error in the passage at 29:58 Highlight the passage at 29:58

30:19 relax. You Report an error in the passage at 30:19 Highlight the passage at 30:19

30:33 don't need to follow whichever described in the book. Like cheek tuck in or anything. Report an error in the passage at 30:33 Highlight the passage at 30:33

30:47 Just place your head on the neck. Whichever you feel comfortable. You Report an error in the passage at 30:47 Highlight the passage at 30:47

31:00 know what to do. Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:12 Massage your body. Massage Report an error in the passage at 31:12 Highlight the passage at 31:12

31:25 your face. You Report an error in the passage at 31:25 Highlight the passage at 31:25

31:30 don't need to perform. Report an error in the passage at 31:30 Highlight the passage at 31:30

31:35 Perform up to whoever expectation. Even yourself need Report an error in the passage at 31:35 Highlight the passage at 31:35

31:51 to be better or worse. Because Report an error in the passage at 31:51 Highlight the passage at 31:51

32:01 you know that this body and mind belongs to the nature. Just Report an error in the passage at 32:01 Highlight the passage at 32:01

32:15 like what we chant in the Mettā Sutta. So proud and demanding of this nature. Around Report an error in the passage at 32:15 Highlight the passage at 32:15

32:36 the chin muscle, forehead, Report an error in the passage at 32:36 Highlight the passage at 32:36

32:47 head, Report an error in the passage at 32:47 Highlight the passage at 32:47

32:58 chin, your brain. Just like a squash punch. And now it's been released. However Report an error in the passage at 32:58 Highlight the passage at 32:58

33:16 the shape is. Report an error in the passage at 33:16 Highlight the passage at 33:16

33:22 I Report an error in the passage at 33:22 Highlight the passage at 33:22

33:28 invite Report an error in the passage at 33:28 Highlight the passage at 33:28

· · · silence, 1 minute

34:25 you Report an error in the passage at 34:25 Highlight the passage at 34:25

· · · silence, 1 minute

35:46 to bring up one of these memories, which is the most peaceful time. Where Report an error in the passage at 35:46 Highlight the passage at 35:46

36:08 is it? And what makes you go back to his original form Report an error in the passage at 36:08 Highlight the passage at 36:08

33:56 By its own speed. Report an error in the passage at 33:56 Highlight the passage at 33:56

· · · silence, 2 minutes

36:16 To feel that happiness. None Report an error in the passage at 36:16 Highlight the passage at 36:16

36:36 of this time. When Report an error in the passage at 36:36 Highlight the passage at 36:36

36:41 I just come out from school. There's no homework to be done that day. Feel Report an error in the passage at 36:41 Highlight the passage at 36:41

36:54 such a relief. Finish my day. Report an error in the passage at 36:54 Highlight the passage at 36:54

· · · silence, 1 minute

37:51 Sitting there. Just accepting what is happening now. I Report an error in the passage at 37:51 Highlight the passage at 37:51

38:09 will keep quiet for now. Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:14 When I start to talk later. It's about the end of the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 38:14 Highlight the passage at 38:14

38:25 Enjoy. However you feel now. Close Report an error in the passage at 38:25 Highlight the passage at 38:25

· · · silence, 17 minutes

55:59 to the end of meditation. Do Report an error in the passage at 55:59 Highlight the passage at 55:59

56:07 you feel now? What Report an error in the passage at 56:07 Highlight the passage at 56:07

56:18 is the process that brings you here? Open Report an error in the passage at 56:18 Highlight the passage at 56:18

56:37 your eyes. Report an error in the passage at 56:37 Highlight the passage at 56:37

56:41 Exit the meditation. Or Report an error in the passage at 56:41 Highlight the passage at 56:41

57:03 come back. I Report an error in the passage at 57:03 Highlight the passage at 57:03

57:12 see a lot of people coming from all over the world actually. Even saw Poland people. China. Amadeo group is not... Amadeo group... up already. It's not...Australia has been invaded. Report an error in the passage at 57:12 Highlight the passage at 57:12

57:35 We are renaming our group to Amadeo International Meditation Group. It's very good. It's very happy to see that all the people come from all over the world and practice the same thing, meditation. Report an error in the passage at 57:35 Highlight the passage at 57:35

57:59 And as you can see that Even though different nationality, different things, the mind is still the same old mind. I just reflect on, just remember Ajahn Brahm, just came out of my mind. Because I saw him on the weekend, I'm the upatak with him at Nolamara. And after the peanut butt, people usually give us the newspaper, weekend newspaper. Report an error in the passage at 57:59 Highlight the passage at 57:59

58:33 Ajahn Brahm went back to his, to the quarters, the monk quarters. The first thing he do is just take out this session which is the comic section. And he didn't flip through all the news. He just reading the comics and do some puzzle on that paper. And just remind me what he speak in one of these public talk. Report an error in the passage at 58:33 Highlight the passage at 58:33

59:01 He say that after seven or eight years. The first time when he saw a newspaper, English newspaper at Wat Pa Pong, when he read it, he just said that it's just like the people just change, but different people doing corruption or different people go to war. It's just the world is happening the same thing, just different characters doing it. And it just reminds me, it's just like because of this greed and hatred. Report an error in the passage at 59:01 Highlight the passage at 59:01

59:37 And it's just fundamental in this mind. And then that's why people are doing all this stuff. It's just repeated history. Report an error in the passage at 59:37 Highlight the passage at 59:37

59:48 No much difference. By the way, any question you all want to talk about today, can give any suggestion, anything. Yes, Sky Florida. Hi, Venerable. Hello. All Report an error in the passage at 59:48 Highlight the passage at 59:48

1:00:16 the peace, calm, and samādhi. Very nice. I have a question. I have a new relative, a cousin, met in the flesh. We share a bloodline. Lives close by. Not too close, not close enough. And she's overwhelmed with life. And she's interested in Buddhism. But I don't know how to introduce a person properly who is... Report an error in the passage at 1:00:16 Highlight the passage at 1:00:16

1:00:57 Maybe has some overwhelming suffering going on. I'm afraid to say that, oh, there's construction around here. I hear noises. Oh, we didn't hear it. It's pretty good here. Yeah. When I, I know I have to be a better listener for her. And this is a problem lifelong. I was brought up to fill the emptiness, you know, in my training. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:57 Highlight the passage at 1:00:57

1:01:32 Fill the blank spots. I love my learning. Which means, by the way, let me tell you, I love the line you said about Ajahn Brahm. He said, the beautiful breath is within the breath. In other words, don't go look for it or create it. Just find it. I just love that. But getting back to my cousin Jess. Oh, I don't know what to say. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:32 Highlight the passage at 1:01:32

1:02:07 When I say something, her answers sound like my answers 30 years ago. I know, I know, I know. I know that. How do you... I don't want to offend anybody. I don't want to make them unreceptive. I don't even know how to begin this journey, but I know it's a journey and I'm excited to be on it. I feel honored. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:07 Highlight the passage at 1:02:07

1:02:37 You know, because she has suffered as a child. We both come from whatever. That doesn't matter. But I want to say the right thing. How do you get somebody to flip them from saying, I know, I know, to, oh, that's interesting. I need a one-liner. I need to talk to Ajahn Chah. I need a one-liner. You know, it's very interesting to be empathy to someone. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:37 Highlight the passage at 1:02:37

1:03:08 It's actually, I just noticed this empathy, this word, because I teach the Sunday school on this weekend, just past weekend, just on the Sunday, teach Sunday school at Nolamara. We talk about friendship, and then I try to split that into groups, and then they start to discuss what is friendship. And then after that, I just jot it down on top of the blackboard. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:37 And just summarize whichever group that they come up. And one of the group come up with this one word, empathy. And I don't know how to spell it. And I asked the kids. The kids held up to me. And when I spelled it out, I just noticed that empathy and empty, just one alphabet difference, a H. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:37 Highlight the passage at 1:03:37

1:04:01 And you need to be empty to be empathy. If you want to be a good listener. You need to empty yourself first. Just empty the perceive, how you perceive others, and also how you perceive yourself. That's how you can be empty and listen to other people. And I found out it's so helpful from that wording. It's good on our ancestors which create empathy, that word, which just hedge differences with empty. Good on the English. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:01 Highlight the passage at 1:04:01

1:04:37 That's brilliant. Yeah, that's a very brilliant word. Ajahn Brahm, when I just shared with him, he added on another thing. He said that if you're not empty, you become psycho then. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:37 Highlight the passage at 1:04:37

1:04:52 Because you keep on thinking about it. So, it's a very good reflection of what he gave me. And it just, it's very interesting. Also, I'm looking. I'm looking at the word, I wrote it down, and the P... Report an error in the passage at 1:04:52 Highlight the passage at 1:04:52

1:05:14 Oh, the A and the H are missing. But when I was looking, the P-A-T-H in the middle of empathy spells path. So you stay on the path. Stay empty. And then you can listen better and be a better friend. Yeah. And actually also it's like each of us, we will find out our answer ourselves. That's one thing. Very good about Buddhism is we don't force people to come to Buddhism. We always tell people just to come and see for yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:14 Highlight the passage at 1:05:14

1:05:53 Test it out. Is it true or not? And that's why I really love this simile. Ajahn Brahm just taught this, not this simile, but what happened on his life when he go and see Ajahn Tate. When Ajahn Brahm went to see Ajahn Tate, I think on his seven years or eight years as a monk, when he's still at Thailand, And he went there and said, oh, he needs to make an appointment three days ahead just to meet this famous monk, Ajahn Tate. And a lot of people truly believe that he is an Arahant. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:53 Highlight the passage at 1:05:53

1:06:28 And he just sits beside this hut, watching the Makung River, and very peacefully there. And Ajahn Brahm entered his room. This, he scooted and asked, he had a list of questions on the paper. And once he entered his... Bow to the monk Ajahn Thed. And he just didn't question the question that he have on the paper. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:28 Highlight the passage at 1:06:28

1:06:56 It just go blank. He just feel so peaceful. And then all the question on his mind just fade away. But one of the talk, this time he reminded me, but one of the talk remind me, he actually question, one question to Ajahn Thed on that session. He asked him, is it true that everyone finds their own answer is the best? And Ajahn said, yes. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:56 Highlight the passage at 1:06:56

1:07:30 It's not because we say, I think, not because the monks say that just to get out of trouble or don't have so much problem, people come and see you. It's not about that. It's actually about, really about, when you find the answer yourself, actually you can see that it changes. Compared to other people, always come and tell you what to do. And then sometimes you also find out when people come and tell you what to do, yeah, you listen a little bit, but it changes back to old behavior very fast also. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:30 Highlight the passage at 1:07:30

1:08:04 But when you, you yourself, find out the answer, it's much easier to follow also. It's quite interesting to see that. Whereas in the Buddhism also, yeah, meaningful. And also you experiment with your, Answer also, you can see that your answer keep on changing also sometimes. Sometimes on my path, when I learn this Buddhism, it's like, oh yeah, I know no four noble truth. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:04 Highlight the passage at 1:08:04

1:08:33 But now if you ask me again, you see that the four noble truth interlink together. And they also interlink with these seven enlightenment factor also. It's like everything just interlink together. It's very interesting to see that. Yeah. And especially these seven enlightenment factors, I always found out, it's like all of us actually is doing already the four, starting four, but we didn't go further. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:33 Highlight the passage at 1:08:33

1:09:03 It's just like the starting, we have this mindfulness. Is it mindfulness? Starting with what? Then investigation, then energy. First is, yeah, first must be mindfulness. Mindful. You're mindful of what you're doing. Then you explore what you're doing. Then you have energy from it. And then once you have energy, you're happy. But interestingly, our mind always, once we're happy, we find another thing to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:03 Highlight the passage at 1:09:03

1:09:33 We find another thing to explore. We didn't go further. We didn't drop it off and say that, oh yeah, it's already now. After happiness, then joy. Joy coming, joy coming, energy coming up. Then happiness coming up. Then... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:33 Highlight the passage at 1:09:33

1:09:52 At the end is equanimity. Number six is what? Number six is stillness. Number five is what? Do I skip something? Never mind. So basically, that's the seven. But I can see that on our normal life, we are doing it also. But just it's not in depth. That's why it's like the meditation, it will help. And also, how you help your... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:52 Highlight the passage at 1:09:52

1:10:25 Friends around you on this Buddhism, just being a good Buddhist, I always found that really encourage other people to be good. Yeah, because you can see that you influence each other and it's just not one way ticket, you can say. Just both ways. That's why in Buddhism, when Ananda go and ask Buddha, do you need Kalamita friend, basically Buddhist friend. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:25 Highlight the passage at 1:10:25

1:10:56 The whole path or the middle of it, then you drop that off. The Buddha said, no, no, no, no, no. You need your Kalamita friend. The whole path, basically, is not just halfway or quarter way. The whole path, you need your friends together. Because you can see that these friends also encourage each other and also help out each other. We remind each other which we are lack of, which we are really good at. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:56 Highlight the passage at 1:10:56

1:11:26 Just like, it's very interesting, just like the three monks which live very harmoniously together, Nandiya, Kimbala and Anaruddha, and they are so good together. One of them is very good in meditation, and then one of them is very good with talk and service, which means all the Arahants have different qualities, so you can't differentiate them. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:26 Highlight the passage at 1:11:26

1:11:57 Not say differentiate, you can't separate them, which say it's good or it's bad. And just like your nephew, you also can't say that he's suffering. Yeah, he's suffering in certain ways, but certain ways he's happy. Just like now I'm taking care of... Now I'm taking care of one of the old gentlemen, old Anagarika, and I found out it really trained my patience. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:57 Highlight the passage at 1:11:57

1:12:28 And also I can see that it's also really helpful for my meditation also, because I train as a Chinese, like you, also like you, always fill up the empty spot of my time when I'm a young person and I'm just so hyperactive. That's the first time when I'm at monastery, I still remember one of the command of another Anagarika said that, I don't know how long you'll... Report an error in the passage at 1:12:28 Highlight the passage at 1:12:28

1:12:57 Be so energetic. The coffee don't help. But they don't know I've been like that since I'm young. And he's quite surprised at me to see that I still keep on going so energetically. But now it's slowed down a lot. And also you can see that the patient is so much enjoyable. You enjoy your life. Don't need to fill up so many activities. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:57 Highlight the passage at 1:12:57

1:13:25 And you enjoy the activities. activities itself instead of the result. And that really helped me to see that you can enjoy the process instead of the result. That really helps you to slow down stuff and also appreciate stuff and you can let go of it much more easier. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:25 Highlight the passage at 1:13:25

1:13:49 Thank you Venerable, that was beautiful. I can look back, I'm coming up on I think nine years of practice. practicing as a lay person married with a needy husband and luckily I'm retired but I see the changes and I reflect I don't know if anybody else can see it, and I used to care about that, but because I see it and I feel it, I don't care what they see because I know what's happening inside me. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:49 Highlight the passage at 1:13:49

1:14:31 You know, you just said a lot of beautiful things. I'm going to look up the seven factors and write them down again. And really allow people to make mistakes. It's all right to make mistakes. Oh, yeah. And they learn from it. It's just like Ajahn Brahm didn't sit beside all the monks and say, oh, now you should let go, now you should sit, you should sit this way, you should sit that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:31 Highlight the passage at 1:14:31

1:14:56 He doesn't train the monks like that. You can see that he really let... Let us, there's a kuti, there's a place for you to train and you just go and explore and see what is suitable. And you can see that it's like the environment itself tweak you into what you be and just trust and have a lot of like, create an environment which is not so fearful. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:56 Highlight the passage at 1:14:56

1:15:30 Not say fearful, it's peaceful basically. So that people can explore. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:30 Highlight the passage at 1:15:30

1:15:42 Any more questions? Yeah. Thank you, Sky. Thank you, Venerable, for a very nice presentation. Really enjoyed that. You said a little bit about not analyzing and letting go of analyzing. And I find that interesting because... Report an error in the passage at 1:15:42 Highlight the passage at 1:15:42

1:16:06 I'm also a scientist by training, so I'm very used to analyzing all the time. And I do like about meditation stopping to analyze. At the same time, you're often also encouraged to analyze and really look at maybe even having a journal and writing down what you're experiencing when you're meditating and what the hindrances may be and how you can overcome them. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:06 Highlight the passage at 1:16:06

1:16:31 Because, you know, I... I like to just meditate, but at the same time, I don't think that I'm making progress as such. So when I'm thinking about starting to analyze, maybe I should look into it, but then I feel like I don't really want to because I'm analyzing all the time. Do you have any advice on that? If you're analyzing, also you can see that the analyzed slow down at the end of the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:31 Highlight the passage at 1:16:31

1:17:02 That's why I always really encourage people. To do at the end of your meditation, just ask how do you feel and what is the process to get you here. And always, because of that exercise, that's why you can say, that's why I didn't become brownie also. And also keep on meditating because of that advice. And it came from Ajahn Brahm, basically. And Ajahn Brahm said that it came from one of the person he met. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:02 Highlight the passage at 1:17:02

1:17:33 met Beside the train station, somehow they go to a coffee shop. Ajahn Brahm said they can't remember that person. And that time he almost said, yeah, my meditation is worse. He said, this person just gives you advice. He said, just compare at the end of your meditation. Just don't straight away get out and feel how it is. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:33 Highlight the passage at 1:17:33

1:17:59 And what's the progress to get you here? And I always found out. Even though if I do a lot of analyzing during my meditation, especially of my lay life, because I do my meditation 30 minutes before I go to work, and you can see that on top of my head I'm planning so much. But at the end of my meditation, I always found it's like I plan less. The momentum of it slows down. It's not so pressure on the head, you can feel that. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:59 Highlight the passage at 1:17:59

1:18:31 And you can see that this... Almost like a little bit clarity. The mist is not so white in front of your mind. It's much more less misty. And you can feel it's much more relaxed on your head. And then one thing you found also, once you think back about some of the questions, that on top of your head, you have much more clarity what you should do. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:31 Highlight the passage at 1:18:31

1:19:03 And that really encouraged me actually to do this meditation. And that's why after that I just switched to feeling. Because I found analyzing, especially for me, you take data to analyze. And feeling, you can feel one feeling and you can get deep into it. Basically you feel more peaceful. It's just not like just peaceful. Or even though it's like just sitting like, In your Thai currently, sitting down, you feel your bum. You can feel your bum have this certain pressure which you can't describe much about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:03 Highlight the passage at 1:19:03

1:19:44 But once you feel more, you feel, oh yeah, certain of this spot is different than that spot. But it's just you get more of that feeling out instead of just going to analyzing mode, you can say. And that feeling you can't control that much. That's one thing very relief for me. One thing. I found out. And after that, once the feeling on the body, usually you do the relaxation. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:44 Highlight the passage at 1:19:44

1:20:14 I found it so important to do the relaxation first. Because if you straightaway go to your mind, you try to relax it, the mind don't know how to do it. It's just so illusionary. But if you start with your body, You can find it's just so easy to relate to it. You can feel the muscle tense up or loosening. And that you can slowly, slowly when you do that, actually when you go back to your mind, you find, yeah, your mind is relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:14 Highlight the passage at 1:20:14

1:20:48 Because this mind and this body is very closely related. And then once it's very relaxed, because this body is relaxed, then it just fades away. It's just like when you go to a perfume shop. When you go inside there, firstly you definitely can smell the fragrance of the perfume. But after a while, you can't smell it. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:48 Highlight the passage at 1:20:48

1:21:12 You need stronger stimulation. You need to take the bottle of that perfume and put it in your nose to smell it. So it's just the same thing. That's why your body fades away. And don't feel shocked about it. It's just, that's what the mind will do. And then once you do it a few times, then you're just so eased with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:12 Highlight the passage at 1:21:12

1:21:33 And then you're so happy with not analyzing it. And because you see that you're much more happy, your mind just tends to go there. You don't need to worry that, oh, now I don't need to analyze. You don't need to tell it anymore. Once you go to this relaxation mode, it's just, yep, your mind just leaps towards this peacefulness, you can say. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:33 Highlight the passage at 1:21:33

1:21:56 So slowly, slowly, try it out. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:56 Highlight the passage at 1:21:56

1:22:03 Hopefully that answers your question. Yeah, yeah. say. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:03 Highlight the passage at 1:22:03

1:22:09 I mean, it's definitely, I guess it's a mix, right? There's always a little bit of everything needed, because at some point in time, I guess you have to look into what happened and why things happened. And there's actually another thing that you mentioned before about one thing that I found a little bit concerning, and I'm glad that Ajahn Brahm mentioned it at some point in time, is the... Report an error in the passage at 1:22:09 Highlight the passage at 1:22:09

1:22:39 Anxiety you can get from starting to let go in terms of, you know, losing yourself. Because it is pretty scary, right? If you're suddenly coming to a point where you're, you know, you're losing stuff. Like you said, you're starting not to feel your body and things like that. I mean, that's pretty scary. So I think it's good to be aware of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:39 Highlight the passage at 1:22:39

1:23:01 So I'm happy that Ajahn Brahm mentioned that and you just brought it up as well. But one thing you need to remember, anything you lose, yes, it challenges you, basically, because you feel that you own it. But I can tell you the truth, once you really let go of it, you say, what a relief. What a relief. And then it's safe. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:01 Highlight the passage at 1:23:01

1:23:25 It's safe to let go of all that stuff. And then you know that it will be there when you come out from the meditation. So don't need to worry about it. So sometimes I feel that this meditation, another word is, you're rehearsing your death, actually. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:25 Highlight the passage at 1:23:25

1:23:48 It's just, it's all right. See how much you can lose. But that's pretty scary, right? That's pretty scary when you're thinking about it. I mean, you know, when you're, yeah, as a kind of normal lay person, embarrassing your death, that's pretty scary. Doing it is not that scary. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:48 Highlight the passage at 1:23:48

1:24:09 It's thinking about it. It's always scary. Just like when you're thinking the first day you want to go to work. You don't know the environment. That's why you're scared, definitely. But after you go there and work for a while, it's just like, yeah, it's just normal. Just normal. Just like, same like the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:09 Highlight the passage at 1:24:09

1:24:27 Just politics. Outside politics about the world. But when you go to office, still office politics. Just the same thing. Once you interact with humans, it's the same thing. So when you do meditation, you say, oh yeah, something fades away. Yeah, just normal. Get used to it. Not so looking forward to it, actually, you can say. You just be with it. It's just like another signpost you reach. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:27 Highlight the passage at 1:24:27

1:24:58 Oh yeah, this, what it is. It's all right. You're safe. And maybe... It could be the last two or three minutes I just talked about last time I have a question which I didn't answer. Actually, I don't know how to answer also the previous Amadeo group which people asked about space element and how does it relate back to these five khandhas. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:58 Highlight the passage at 1:24:58

1:25:25 I found out a sutta actually, it's about space element. It's Majjhima Nikaya 140. And it's based on Sujato's translation. He called it, the title is Analyzing of All Elements, if I'm not mistaken. That's the title. And it's basically went through all these six elements and six senses, 18 mind preoccupation, and then because of that 18 mind preoccupation, preoccupation that you understand this. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25:25

1:26:09 For wisdom? No. For foundation. And the for foundation is basically the wisdom, the truth, and generosity. And at the end is what? Peacefulness. And these six elements is actually the first four. I know the first four, which is the water, fire, earth, I think, for wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:09 Highlight the passage at 1:26:09

1:26:37 And then the fifth one is the space element. It's pretty interesting. And the sixth one is the consciousness element. And when the Buddha talked about all these six elements, it's actually just integration within this internal element and outer element. It's the same. It's just like this earth element. You feel this physical earth element. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:37 Highlight the passage at 1:26:37

1:27:07 And this outside element, which is the earth, the soil, is the same. It's just like, in modern terms, it's basically the atom. Whichever atom inside here you have, they have iron atom, because you know that you're hemoglobin, you need some iron atom to carry oxygen. And then the iron atom is just the same as whichever we found on the ground. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:07 Highlight the passage at 1:27:07

1:27:33 So whichever you have it here internally and externally is the same basically. So you can't call it this is you, this is me. And you can't say that outside that atom, iron atom is mine. Because it's just, that's not you. And then when you talk about space one, it's basically very interesting. You say that this nostril inside here have this space. And this ear inside here have this space. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:33 Highlight the passage at 1:27:33

1:28:01 space, and it's not much different compared to the space being on this screen. It's just the same space. You can't differentiate them. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:01 Highlight the passage at 1:28:01

1:28:13 Mind Preoccupation Mind Preoccupation preoccupation, mind preoccupation. It's just basically saying that all these six elements will create three different stages. Not say stages. These three different. You're happy about it, or you're sad about it, or you feel neutral about it. Based on these six senses. When you touch something, just like me, I touch myself, just feel neutral feeling. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:13 Highlight the passage at 1:28:13

1:28:56 Not much differences. And then if I touch, let's say this bowl here, and then I just feel happy. Because it's the meditation singing bowl. And if you touch something tawny, it pokes you, you feel pain. And then based on these six senses, all of them, what you see, what you touch, what you taste. So basically you will create these three different stages of feeling. But once the object, basically whichever you sense, and the consciousness together, only you have this feeling. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:56 Highlight the passage at 1:28:56

1:29:35 But one of it is cut off, which means the consciousness stays by itself. It's just like when you have this fire that touches you, then you feel the fire, you feel the pain. But once there's no fire, this just collapses. It just leaves the consciousness of the mind. And that's why, at the end, why the Buddha didn't analyze, I think he didn't analyze this because... Report an error in the passage at 1:29:35 Highlight the passage at 1:29:35

1:30:06 Once all these five elements fade away, just left this consciousness element. Once only have this consciousness element, it's just you're feeling the mind basically. It's just pure and happy. What it's describing inside there is just pure, radiating and powerful. And because based on this, am I progressing correctly? Report an error in the passage at 1:30:06 Highlight the passage at 1:30:06

1:30:30 Yes, I'm progressing correctly. And then based on this, because you're radiating, And you have this equanimity, you experience the infinite consciousness. Actually, what it describes in there is the arupajanas. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:30 Highlight the passage at 1:30:30

1:30:48 And if you know there's four jhānas, then after that it leads to another four, which is the arupajana, which is actually you're experiencing the collapsing, I call it the collapsing of the mind, basically. It's very, how to say, very undescribable. Not say undescribable, very sound like, very Zen. It says in the text, it just says that you experience, you feel the infinity of the space. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:48 Highlight the passage at 1:30:48

1:31:21 You say, what do you mean infinity of the space? Space is infinity in the first place. But I couldn't understand that also. But you can see that it's basically the core. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:21 Highlight the passage at 1:31:21

1:31:32 What I understand from it is basically it's the mind, the consciousness is slowly fading away. And it says there, it's also been conditioned. The condition is because you have equanimity, that's why you enter that stages. And then because you see that, that's why you see, oh yeah, all of this is have condition. And then if you want to die away, inside the passage says that if you don't have the craving or the intention to birth or end birth, Because you don't have that intention, that's why you don't have that anxiety to exist or not exist. And then because you don't have that anxious, that's why you fade away, ceases at the end. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:32 Highlight the passage at 1:31:32

1:32:29 And that's the first wisdom that you get from basically how to end all this suffering. And then the truth, you definitely will protect this truth because that's what you learn from it. And then the third one, why your generosity? Because all this greed is fading away, just describing in that sutta, it's just basically describing what's the quality of an arahant. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:29 Highlight the passage at 1:32:29

1:32:56 Because you don't have greed, that's why you don't hunt for stuff, you don't keep stuff. You can give away stuff so easily. That's why Ajahn Brahm said that when he go and visit Ajahn Chah's kuti, it's just so simple, just a wooden pillow. And the mattress there in his bag, that's it. Nothing else is there. So you can understand why Arahant don't accumulate stuff because there's no point anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:56 Highlight the passage at 1:32:56

1:33:23 Why do I keep all this stuff? And then because of that also you don't have ill will and you don't have malicious thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:23 Highlight the passage at 1:33:23

1:33:34 That's why you're peaceful. I always feel that in my meditation, one thing and ill will is actually the same hand. It's just like you want peace, it's actually you don't want to be irritated. At the back you see that, at the back of here, you see that you don't want irritation, that's why you want something. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:34 Highlight the passage at 1:33:34

1:33:56 So once you have greed, you definitely have ill will. But if you don't have greed, you definitely don't have ill will also. So it just comes hand in hand. That's why you can say Ajahn Brahm sometimes describes these five hindrances, especially just two hindrances, the one thing and don't want. Because once you solve that two, other three, not much problem. They just fade away. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:56 Highlight the passage at 1:33:56

1:34:28 Oh, I dragged overtime. Sorry about that. Organizer, seven minutes. You need to charge me overtime. We'll give you our happiness and contentment from the session as your overtime salary for today. Is that enough? Report an error in the passage at 1:34:28 Highlight the passage at 1:34:28

1:34:50 I hope that is enough. Okay, so thank you so much, Venerable, for joining us. We have come to the ending time, obviously, so I think we can just leave now. Do you do a sharing merit before we end this? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can. Okay, let's do this one. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:50 Highlight the passage at 1:34:50

1:35:41 sādhu sādhu sādhu Thank you very much for listening. So, good night. And good morning, whichever time they are. Good afternoon. Thank you. And you join your day. Bye. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you. Nice to see you, everyone. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:41 Highlight the passage at 1:35:41