Glen Svensson: Cultivating the wisdom of selflessness (part 2)

0:07 So what I'd like to do now before lunch is two things. First, have a look at how ignorance sort of leads to the disturbing emotions, how that's driving our behaviour. Report an error in the passage at 0:07 Highlight the passage at 0:07

0:20 Basically how a mistaken view of how we exist and the world around us exist really is the underlying source of all our problems and sufferings. Then I'd like to look at a couple of techniques that we can use now. In a practical way to reduce the impact of this process. Because remember the long term solution is we need to overcome this ignorance but there's things we can do in the short term, effective things that we can sort of keep the lid on the disturbing emotions. Report an error in the passage at 0:20 Highlight the passage at 0:20

0:53 One of them of course I already mentioned a little bit about is this idea of cognitive fusion to avoid this. This can be helpful. But there are a number of other things which we'll look at now. But first the process. Report an error in the passage at 0:53 Highlight the passage at 0:53

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2:12 And here... Again, ignorance, we're talking about the deepest level of misunderstanding. This belief that there is an independent me and an independent objective world out there. Report an error in the passage at 2:12 Highlight the passage at 2:12

2:29 And so seed of ignorance here means effectively the habit of believing that. So we have the habit of believing that there is an independent me, independent world. We've had that since we were born and according to Buddhism way before that. Report an error in the passage at 2:29 Highlight the passage at 2:29

2:46 Then, of course, when we look out on the world, as soon as we look out on the world, things appear to us to exist completely independent of us as soon as we look out on the world. For instance, you know, these flowers here, you know, walking that door, it really does appear to us that there's these flowers existing here before we walk in the door. Report an error in the passage at 2:46 Highlight the passage at 2:46

3:13 We simply walk in the door and we're confirming, yes, there's some flowers there. So it seems to us, or it appears to us, That these flowers are existing completely independent of our perception or conception of them. That they're existing out there on their own. That's how they appear to us. So, when we look out on the world, we receive this appearance. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:38 That everything we see appears to exist independent of us. According to this view of emptiness or selflessness, which we're going to look at this afternoon, This appearance that we receive is deceiving us. Things do not exist in the way they appear to us. So it's what's called mistaken appearance. Report an error in the passage at 3:38 Highlight the passage at 3:38

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4:51 Every time we see things around us, things always appear in that way. Why they appear in that way, we'll look at a little bit after. But because we have that appearance and we have the habit of believing in an independent world, we never question these appearances, we simply accept them. Which leads to step two. Report an error in the passage at 4:51 Highlight the passage at 4:51

5:20 We simply accept appearances on face value. We never question them. We simply believe that things exist the way they appear to us. That they do in fact exist independently. So that's ignorance. So we just automatically accept. We never question. We go to step number two. So step two is believing in these appearances. Believing that things do in fact exist independent of us. Report an error in the passage at 5:20 Highlight the passage at 5:20

5:47 Now in every one of our experiences we have what's called a mental factor of feeling. A Report an error in the passage at 5:47 Highlight the passage at 5:47

6:00 word in Buddhism we have to be a little bit careful with. In our English language when I say the word feeling what do we normally think about? Emotions. In Buddhism it doesn't mean emotions. This word feeling is coming from a Sanskrit word. There Report an error in the passage at 6:00 Highlight the passage at 6:00

6:23 are only three types of Vedanā. Pleasant, unpleasant, neutral. Report an error in the passage at 6:23 Highlight the passage at 6:23

6:32 We have an experience. That experience is either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Neutral just means neither pleasant or unpleasant. So for instance, we look at these flowers, we either have a pleasant experience looking at them, an unpleasant experience or neutral. Probably for most of us when we look there, maybe neutral, maybe a little bit pleasant if we like them. There you go, we've got a pleasant experience. Report an error in the passage at 6:32 Highlight the passage at 6:32

6:57 So sometimes this word veneno is translated not as feeling but as sensation. So sometimes you'll see the word sensation. But anyway, with each experience we have this mental factor of feeling which is either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Report an error in the passage at 6:57 Highlight the passage at 6:57

7:30 Well, it Report an error in the passage at 7:30 Highlight the passage at 7:30

7:36 could be at a mental level or physical level. You know, we can have a mental pleasant feeling or we can have a physical pleasant feeling. But there, the word feeling at the physical level sounds a bit awkward so often people use the word sensation. You know, we can have a pleasant sensation in the body. Report an error in the passage at 7:36 Highlight the passage at 7:36

7:55 a pleasant feeling in the mind. But the pleasant sensation and feeling are the same as Vedanā, same word. So Vedanā can be either at the mental or the physical level. so generally in a lot of traditions that Report an error in the passage at 7:55 Highlight the passage at 7:55

8:10 focus a lot on body sensations, like in a lot of the Vipassanā techniques, talk about scanning the body for sensations. The word that they use, their sensations, is Vedeno. So, we talk about feeling and aggregates. Yes. Generally in English it sounds a bit awkward to use the word sensation at the mental level, whereas it sounds a bit awkward to use the word feeling at the physical level. Report an error in the passage at 8:10 Highlight the passage at 8:10

8:41 So quite often you'll see at the mental level we talk about a pleasant feeling and at the physical level a pleasant sensation. But it's the same word. But in English it sounds a bit strange to use feeling for body and sensation for mind. But it's the same word. then that can be this Bodily or mental. So let's say, for example, we're looking at these flowers, having a pleasant experience, we're having a pleasant feeling when we're looking at those flowers. Report an error in the passage at 8:41 Highlight the passage at 8:41

9:14 That pleasant feeling, together with the belief that these flowers are existing completely independent of me, will lead to the third step, Report an error in the passage at 9:14 Highlight the passage at 9:14

9:35 misconception. Because if we're having a pleasant feeling, I'm believing that these flowers are existing independent of me, then misconception Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:49 That there must be some attractive quality there that is causing my pleasant feeling. Because they exist completely independent of me. I'm having a pleasant feeling when I look at them. So there must be some attractive quality there that's causing my pleasant feeling. So we'll see these flowers as inherently attractive. Report an error in the passage at 9:49 Highlight the passage at 9:49

10:08 We Report an error in the passage at 10:08 Highlight the passage at 10:08

10:20 look at these flowers and have an unpleasant feeling together with the belief that these flowers exist independent of me. Then... We'll go on to think there must be some unattractive quality there which is causing my unpleasant feeling. So we'll see them as inherently unattractive. Report an error in the passage at 10:20 Highlight the passage at 10:20

10:48 If I'm having a neutral feeling when I'm looking at these flowers and these flowers existing independently, they must be inherently neutral. That's why I'm having the neutral experience. Report an error in the passage at 10:48 Highlight the passage at 10:48

11:04 But based on our feeling, pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, together with that mistaken belief, We'll see these flowers as either inherently attractive, inherently unattractive or inherently neutral. And that's going to probably lead to step four. And that is, let's say again I'm having a pleasant experience when I look at these flowers. I'm at step three, so I believe that there's some attractive quality there that's causing my pleasant feeling. Report an error in the passage at 11:04 Highlight the passage at 11:04

11:37 I like pleasant feelings. I want pleasant feelings. Those flowers seem to be causing my unpleasant feelings. I want those flowers. An Report an error in the passage at 11:37 Highlight the passage at 11:37

11:58 unpleasant feeling. Those flowers seem to be causing my unpleasant feelings. I don't want unpleasant feelings. Those flowers, again, seem to be causing my unpleasant feelings. Get rid of them. Get them out of here fast. So this is a version. Report an error in the passage at 11:58 Highlight the passage at 11:58

12:21 Alternatively, if I'm having a neutral experience, then those flowers... Seem to have that neutral quality. That of course won't lead to generally this attachment or aversion. But what it will lead to is just reinforcing the belief that these flowers are existing independent of us. This idea of ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 12:21 Highlight the passage at 12:21

12:46 And here then the word often used is confusion. Here Report an error in the passage at 12:46 Highlight the passage at 12:46

12:55 confusion doesn't mean are these flowers or are they something else. It means confused. In terms of believing them to exist independent of us. So that's what sort of the neutral feeling will do, will reinforce that belief. Of course with those states of mind then we act, Report an error in the passage at 12:55 Highlight the passage at 12:55

13:25 we say and do things based on these behaviour. Report an error in the passage at 13:25 Highlight the passage at 13:25

13:32 In Buddhism every action we do, whether it's verbal, physical or mental, has a consequence. All of our experiences that are the result of our actions Collectively, the Buddha described them using the word Dukkha. Our Report an error in the passage at 13:32 Highlight the passage at 13:32

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14:24 experiences, whether they're pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, is... So Report an error in the passage at 14:24 Highlight the passage at 14:24

14:33 here the Buddha is describing ourselves Report an error in the passage at 14:33 Highlight the passage at 14:33

14:41 in. He said we're in the condition of Dukkha. Most often it's translated to suffering, as in the Four Noble Truths. Truth, truth of suffering. Often you'll hear people say, according to Buddhism, all life is suffering. When we hear that we go, it Report an error in the passage at 14:41 Highlight the passage at 14:41

15:07 doesn't seem like all my life is suffering. Again, here is a translation terminology problem. Because for us, when we hear the word suffering, generally we identify suffering with painful experiences, either physical or mental painful experiences. So it seems like Buddhism is saying, our whole life is just a series of painful experiences. Buddha never said that. Report an error in the passage at 15:07 Highlight the passage at 15:07

15:31 He said, our whole life is dukkha. Dukha includes painful experiences, pleasant experiences, neutral experiences. All of those collectively is dukkha. All of those experiences collectively are the result of our actions. Harmful actions lead to painful experiences. Virtuous positive actions lead to pleasant experiences. Our neutral actions lead to neutral experiences. So that's what dukkha is. Report an error in the passage at 15:31 Highlight the passage at 15:31

16:04 And of course, in Buddhism, we're stuck in this state of dukkha, life after life after life, because we've got ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 16:04 Highlight the passage at 16:04

16:16 And that cycle, Report an error in the passage at 16:16 Highlight the passage at 16:16

16:23 Saṃsāra, is Report an error in the passage at 16:23 Highlight the passage at 16:23

16:33 not a place. This is not Saṃsāra. Saṃsāra is a state of mind. If we have ignorance and disturbing emotions in our mind, we experience this as Saṃsāra. If we manage to get rid of all of our disturbing emotions and ignorance in our mind, we experience this very same world as Nirvāṇa. So Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa are state of mind. The state of mind that still has disturbing emotions and ignorance, Saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 16:33 Highlight the passage at 16:33

17:10 State of mind that has no disturbing emotions anymore, got rid of them, ignorance got rid of it, Nirvāṇa. And we'll talk a bit more about that after lunch. Report an error in the passage at 17:10 Highlight the passage at 17:10

17:30 One more thing on this chant. Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

17:34 Back here we said when we look out on the world, things appear to us as if they're existing independently of us. Why is it that when we look out on the world, things appear to exist independent of us? Why is it that we receive this mistaken appearance to begin with? What's the cause? Every time we believe in this independent world, have the mind of ignorance, simply accepting appearances and believing, that reinforces our habit. Report an error in the passage at 17:34 Highlight the passage at 17:34

18:13 It's a bit of a tight cycle. Every time we believe, it reinforces the habit of believing. But there's another side effect. An Report an error in the passage at 18:13 Highlight the passage at 18:13

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18:53 example Report an error in the passage at 18:53 Highlight the passage at 18:53

18:58 that is used often in the text to describe what we mean by latency. You say, imagine you have a bowl, you have a clove of garlic, Report an error in the passage at 18:58 Highlight the passage at 18:58

19:12 the seed of ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 19:12 Highlight the passage at 19:12

19:19 The garlic stains the bowl with the smell, so you can still have the smell of the garlic left behind from the seed, the clove of garlic. Likewise here, every time we have ignorance imprinted in our mind, Then that stains our mind like the smell of the garlic. So that stain of ignorance, what happens is that that stain of ignorance is a little bit like a filter. Report an error in the passage at 19:19 Highlight the passage at 19:19

19:48 It means that we are looking out onto the world through this filter, through this stain in our mind. And so then when we have these stains and we come into contact with an object, that causes a mistaken appearance. Report an error in the passage at 19:48 Highlight the passage at 19:48

20:07 And the analogy I give here is a little bit like these stains are like green sunglasses. If we were wearing green sunglasses, we look out on the world through these green sunglasses, everything to us appears to be green. Report an error in the passage at 20:07 Highlight the passage at 20:07

20:23 Someone tells us not everything's green, we'll go, you're crazy, look. Because we've been wearing these green sunglasses since we were born. We have never experienced anything else. So even if someone were to come along and say, not everything's green, we'll go, You're crazy man, look, look, it's obvious, everything's green. Likewise, we've had these stains in our mind since we were born, since before. Report an error in the passage at 20:23 Highlight the passage at 20:23

20:51 So we're always looking out on the world through these stains, through this filter. That's why everything appears to us existing independent. That's why we never question these appearances, because we've never experienced anything different. Report an error in the passage at 20:51 Highlight the passage at 20:51

21:05 That's why when we have the habit of believing in an independent world, we're always seeing... As if things exist independently, we're always believing. We never question. So that's how the process works. Report an error in the passage at 21:05 Highlight the passage at 21:05

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22:00 To achieve nirvāṇa, we have to get rid of what's called the afflictive obscurations. Afflictive obscurations is this ignorance and then also all the disturbing emotions that come out of that. But effectively, to get rid of the afflictive emotions, we have to get rid of ignorance because that's the root. So if we want to overcome saṃsāra, we have to get rid of ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 22:00 Highlight the passage at 22:00

22:23 How do we overcome ignorance? We have to develop wisdom. We have to develop the wisdom understanding the nature of reality, this wisdom of selflessness or this wisdom of emptiness, which we're going to talk about this afternoon. That's what we need to do to overcome the saduka, overcome saṃsāra, achieve a state of nirvāṇa. So this is what's called the afflictive obscurations. Report an error in the passage at 22:23 Highlight the passage at 22:23

23:00 Obcurations includes the disturbing emotions that come out of this, but this is the root. Now, to get out of saṃsāra by getting rid of all of our ignorance, we still have these stains in our mind. So even if we achieve a state of nirvāṇa and become what's called an arhat, when we look out at the world, the world will still appear to be independent of us because we still have these stains. Report an error in the passage at 23:00 Highlight the passage at 23:00

23:29 Because these stains are very difficult to get rid of. Move from nirvāṇa to enlightenment, to become fully enlightened, we need to get rid of these stains. So these stains here... And plus the mistaken appearance that they produce, Report an error in the passage at 23:29 Highlight the passage at 23:29

23:54 obscuration. Report an error in the passage at 23:54 Highlight the passage at 23:54

24:07 Cognitive obscurations, these stains in our mind, are extremely difficult to get rid of. But that's the thing that we need to get rid of towards the end of the path to really achieve enlightenment. So when we achieve enlightenment, become Buddha, we don't have these stains anymore in our mind. Which means when we look out on the world, things don't appear to exist independent of us. Report an error in the passage at 24:07 Highlight the passage at 24:07

24:30 What that experience really looks like... we couldn't really begin to imagine because we've never had that experience never so to try and explain it and try and relate to it would be difficult Report an error in the passage at 24:30 Highlight the passage at 24:30

24:43 what we need to get rid of, these stains and then the mistaken appearance that they produce, cognitive modifications, to get to achieve to go beyond, to go from nirvāṇa to enlightenment. Any questions on that? So Report an error in the passage at 24:43 Highlight the passage at 24:43

25:05 what we're going to do this afternoon is have a look at how We go about, well, what is this wisdom that we need to develop? So we're going to look at this ignorance in a little bit more detail. What do we really mean by the fact things existing independently of us? What does that really mean? And then we're going to look at what is this wisdom of selflessness or emptiness that we need to develop to overcome this ignorance? Report an error in the passage at 25:05 Highlight the passage at 25:05

25:31 What does that look like? How do we go about developing that? That's what we're going to do this afternoon. But, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 25:31 Highlight the passage at 25:31

25:41 Yes. Report an error in the passage at 25:41 Highlight the passage at 25:41

25:48 No. Report an error in the passage at 25:48 Highlight the passage at 25:48

25:54 Here, of course, when we talk about developing this wisdom of emptiness, we're talking about a direct perception of emptiness. Merely gaining some intellectual understanding of emptiness is not directly going to benefit us a lot. Report an error in the passage at 25:54 Highlight the passage at 25:54

26:10 For example, now, I think all of us here intellectually accept impermanence. You know, the fact that things are changing from moment by moment. Science has told us for a long time that's the case, they've proved it conclusively, we've learnt it at school, that everything's changing from moment to moment. Report an error in the passage at 26:10 Highlight the passage at 26:10

26:29 So I think none of us have a problem with that. I think we all intellectually accept that. Is that intellectual knowledge that we have, is that driving our behaviour? No. If it was, we would never grasp onto anything. Because everything's in a constant state of flux and change. In fact, if... That intellectual understanding of impermanence, if we brought that into direct experience through meditation, attachment to anything would become almost impossible. Report an error in the passage at 26:29 Highlight the passage at 26:29

27:01 Because there's nothing solid to be attached to, because everything's in a constant state of flux and change. So likewise here, when we come to develop this wisdom of emptiness, we can think about it and come to some reasonable intellectual understanding. But if we leave it at that, Again, just like the belief in impermanence, it's not going to change our life dramatically. We have to internalise that intellectual understanding through meditation. Report an error in the passage at 27:01 Highlight the passage at 27:01

27:30 We need to come to taste this experience and then come to directly perceive nature of reality. Report an error in the passage at 27:30 Highlight the passage at 27:30

27:41 So when we come to directly realise emptiness the first time, now in our spiritual path... In Buddhism there's two types of people in the spiritual path. There's what's called an ordinary person and then there's what's called an Arya being. Arya is a Sanskrit word. Report an error in the passage at 27:41 Highlight the passage at 27:41

28:06 It's someone who has had a direct realisation of emptiness. So now we think about emptiness, contemplate it, we come up with some sort of intellectual understanding, we apply that in meditation, we try to bring that intellectual understanding into experience. As a beginner, we can have a little bit of a taste of emptiness in meditation. Then we deepen that experience more and more and more and more until we finally come to a direct experience of emptiness in meditation. Report an error in the passage at 28:06 Highlight the passage at 28:06

28:39 Once we get to a direct experience of emptiness in meditation, we become an aria. Certainly at that point, we're on a one-way ticket out of saṃsāra. But one direct realization of emptiness is not enough to wipe out all the ignorance. It only wipes out the most superficial level. It's a bit like washing, the analogy is like washing clothes. You know, we've got subtle dirt in the clothes. Report an error in the passage at 28:39 Highlight the passage at 28:39

29:03 A simple rinse is not going to get rid of all those in-ground dirt in the clothes. So what we need to do is to keep realising emptiness again and again and again, wiping out deeper and deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper levels in our mind and then eventually later we can become, go beyond saṃsāra. Get rid of all ignorance and become an ahat. But then these very subtle stains are still in our mind. Then we have to keep going, wiping out these subtle stains and then eventually we become enlightened and a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 29:03 Highlight the passage at 29:03

29:37 So that's the steps. Any other questions on that? Because what I'd like to do now for the remaining half hour or so is have a look at some practical advice about what we can do now to minimize the impact of this process. It's not beyond the fact of seeing. Path of seeing is when we see emptiness directly for the first time. So what happens after that, the next stage is called path of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 29:37 Highlight the passage at 29:37

30:04 In the path of meditation, that's where we're wiping out more and more levels of ignorance. And that path of seeing and meditation together is divided up into ten, called the ten grounds or the ten boomies. So it takes us the first seven, to the end of the seventh ground, we've wiped out all ignorance. So we're in our heart. Report an error in the passage at 30:04 Highlight the passage at 30:04

30:25 At the end of the seventh ground, then the last three stages of that, eight, nine, ten, is when we get rid of these stains. And then at the end of the tenth ground, we become enlightened. So it's step by step. Report an error in the passage at 30:25 Highlight the passage at 30:25

30:44 So the long-term strategy, of course, is we need to overcome ignorance. And again, that's our topic for this afternoon. What is this ignorance? How do we overcome it? What is the wisdom to overcome it? And how to develop that. But what can we do now here? Report an error in the passage at 30:44 Highlight the passage at 30:44

31:01 There's a short term strategy to minimise the impact of this process. At least minimise the impact of having some sort of painful suffering experience at the end here. Let's have a look at the various stages and see what we can do in a practical way now to improve our situation at the moment. Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:28 say we're at step number one. So step number one, we're... The habit of believing in an independent world. We're receiving some sort of mistaken appearance. We're seeing things as independent of us. How do we avoid going to step two, which is just automatically believing these appearances? Can we do anything now in a practical way or not? Report an error in the passage at 31:28 Highlight the passage at 31:28

32:03 So for instance, example, we're looking at these flowers. They appear to exist completely independent of us. Can we do something at this stage to stop us just accepting that and believing that they exist independent of us? Can we do something as a beginner or not? Report an error in the passage at 32:03 Highlight the passage at 32:03

32:31 As a beginner, again, it's automatic. But when we start to investigate this idea of emptiness, then what we can start doing in our daily life is that when we encounter things, is to consciously understand that Even though these things are appearing completely independent of me, I know from my investigation that that's not really how they exist. Report an error in the passage at 32:31 Highlight the passage at 32:31

33:01 So I think even as a beginner we can start to entertain these ideas, particularly when we start to encounter things that are starting to feel like going to give some emotional response, either the attachment and the aversion. Particularly in those situations, when we first encounter these objects, to really start to question these appearances. It really does seem like these flowers exist independently, but they're not really existing like that. Report an error in the passage at 33:01 Highlight the passage at 33:01

33:33 I've understood that through my investigation. So we can start to do that. But to do that well, of course we need to do a lot of reflection on what emptiness is. We need to meditate on it and come to some real taste of it. Because then we have the confidence to know that this is the way things are, exist. So even as a beginner though we can start to do that. And that's a little bit called what's called illusory-like emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 33:33 Highlight the passage at 33:33

34:00 That in our daily life we should start to try to see things as like an illusion. Meaning that an illusion is not something that exists in the way it appears to us. So likewise we can in our daily life... Start to see things like an illusion, meaning understanding that things are not really existing in the way they appear to us. Even though things appear to exist completely independent of me, I sort of understand that they're not like that. Report an error in the passage at 34:00 Highlight the passage at 34:00

34:28 So we can start to do that, but that will increase. But Report an error in the passage at 34:28 Highlight the passage at 34:28

34:37 here at step 2, 3 and 4, I think we have a better chance as a beginner to interrupt the process. Particularly at Step 2, particularly in the Theravāda traditions, they really put a lot of emphasis at this stage here. Report an error in the passage at 34:37 Highlight the passage at 34:37

34:59 Step 2 is, for example, we're seeing the flowers and I'm having a pleasant feeling. How can we stop going to Step 3 and 4, seeing them as inherently attractive and then developing attachment? What can we do simply at Step 2? Report an error in the passage at 34:59 Highlight the passage at 34:59

35:21 Many areas, Report an error in the passage at 35:21 Highlight the passage at 35:21

35:27 many Theravāda traditions. Report an error in the passage at 35:27 Highlight the passage at 35:27

35:50 there's a little bit of confusion with the word mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 35:50 Highlight the passage at 35:50

36:14 Mindfulness is the Report an error in the passage at 36:14 Highlight the passage at 36:14

36:19 ability to remember something without forgetting it. So mindfulness, in fact, is the ability to focus on an object without forgetting it, without becoming distracted. This is what mindfulness means. These days, that word mindfulness is used in many traditions, not just Buddhists, in other traditions, because mindfulness now is a bit of a flavour of the month. Report an error in the passage at 36:19 Highlight the passage at 36:19

36:43 So to speak in many traditions, particularly sort of new age traditions because they understand the benefit of it. But here in many of these traditions the word mindfulness has sort of morphed into a slightly different meaning. In that mindfulness here means a sort of non-judgmental awareness of whatever is arising in the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 36:43 Highlight the passage at 36:43

37:07 But strictly speaking mindfulness is simply the ability to focus on an object without becoming... So we have to strengthen our mindfulness because our mindfulness now is very weak, which means when a thought or an emotion comes in our mind, what do we do? We simply follow it. We get caught up with it. We cognitively fuse with it. We identify with the contents of our mind. Report an error in the passage at 37:07 Highlight the passage at 37:07

37:35 So here comes cognitive fusion again. We have a thought or an emotion come up in our mind. We identify with that. We run with it. We get caught up in it. So here mindfulness is the ability to simply step back, not to disassociate ourselves with thoughts and emotions, but again to distinguish there's me and then there's thoughts and emotions which are coming up in my mind. Report an error in the passage at 37:35 Highlight the passage at 37:35

38:03 So we're not trying to separate ourselves from thoughts and emotions. So again, avoiding cognitive fusion doesn't mean separating. us from our emotions or something. Because sometimes we, in fact, that's This is pathological. Oh no, no, I'm not angry, I'm not angry, I'm not angry. This is pathological. So here with mindfulness what we're trying to do is to avoid both of those extremes of cutting. Report an error in the passage at 38:03 Highlight the passage at 38:03

38:38 We do that a lot. We cut from our thoughts and emotions because we don't like them. By suppressing and projecting, we're cutting. The other extreme, of course, is the cognitive fusion. We identify with them, they overwhelm us, they get taken over. So with mindfulness we can avoid both extremes. When a thought or an emotion comes up in our mind, it's to simply observe it, which means we're owning it, we're not trying to get rid of it, we're not trying to suppress it, we're not trying to cut from it. Report an error in the passage at 38:38 Highlight the passage at 38:38

39:11 We are simply observing that thought or emotion without identifying with it, allowing it to overwhelm us. So here, in a lot of this process, the key is mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 39:11 Highlight the passage at 39:11

39:26 To develop mindfulness. To develop the ability to simply be present and to not get caught up in thoughts and emotions when they arise. And again, not to suppress them, not to cut from them, not to disidentify with them. Simply to be there to look at them as like an impartial observer, a witness. To develop this mindfulness, of course, practice is called shamatha practice. Report an error in the passage at 39:26 Highlight the passage at 39:26

39:56 Shamatha is a Sanskrit word which means single points of concentration. So in shamatha practice, what we are trying to do is to develop a calm, clear, focused mind. So in that practice, and one of the most common forms of this practice is simply focusing on the breath. Sensations of the breath. What we're doing there is we are focusing on an object like the sensations of the breath, using our mindfulness to hold that object and then when we become distracted, come back and keep holding, holding, holding. Report an error in the passage at 39:56 Highlight the passage at 39:56

40:31 And if we're doing this Samatha practice, what we're effectively doing is we're strengthening this mindfulness, strengthening the ability to focus on an object without becoming distracted. Then through that Samatha practice, Then in our daily life, now we have more the habit of being able to be present with what's coming up, to focus on it rather than identifying with it, pushing it down, cutting it. Report an error in the passage at 40:31 Highlight the passage at 40:31

40:57 And so then, here with mindfulness, if a pleasant or an unpleasant feeling comes up, when we see something, we simply can observe that come up and let it pass without following it, without having aversion. So without attachment and aversion, we can simply observe. So if we strengthen our mindfulness, then we can at stage, particularly stage 2, 3 and 4, we can interrupt the process. Report an error in the passage at 40:57 Highlight the passage at 40:57

41:26 At stage 2, by having good mindfulness, when we notice a pleasant or unpleasant feeling coming up, we can simply be there with it, not try and stuff it down, but not identify with it. And that leads to attachment and aversion. Simply observe it, arising and passing, arising and passing. No, it's not easy, it's simple. Report an error in the passage at 41:26 Highlight the passage at 41:26

41:52 Simple but not easy. I mean it's simple. We don't have to do any complex visualisation, we don't have to do any complex practice. It's simple but it's not easy. Because our habit is the opposite. Our mindfulness is very poor now. And we get caught up in thoughts and emotions, we try and stuff them down, we try and cut from them, we do all sorts of crazy things. So here, at step 2, 3 and 4, Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

42:21 very effective method, whether it's unpleasant or unpleasant feeling coming up, or we're noticing some attachment, aversion or anger starting to come up, is to simply be present, watch it come up, not identify with it, not do the cognitive fusion, not try and cut from it, suppress it, get rid of it. Report an error in the passage at 42:21 Highlight the passage at 42:21

42:41 Simply observe it come up and pass, up and pass. And every time we do that, we are weakening the habit of anger, weakening the habit of attachment. So if we use the mindfulness technique, not only are we stopping getting caught up and overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions, but we are weakening the habit of having them in the first place. Report an error in the passage at 42:41 Highlight the passage at 42:41

43:04 They'll get weaker and less often. So here, this is a very, very effective... approach is the mindfulness. But let's say that we didn't manage to be mindful and we got to step 5 and then we acted on some disturbing emotion. And here I want to focus mainly on that leading to a harmful action. So let's say we've got to step 5, we've done something harmful. Report an error in the passage at 43:04 Highlight the passage at 43:04

43:42 Negative action and according to the karma theory in Buddhism of course every time we do an action with a certain intention that leaves an imprint in our mind and that imprint is going to ripen later as some sort of experience. And of course if we do a harmful action with a harmful intention we are going to later experience some form of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 43:42 Highlight the passage at 43:42

44:06 Of course we don't want that. Report an error in the passage at 44:06 Highlight the passage at 44:06

44:10 What can we do to avoid that result? What can we do to overcome our non-virtuous harmful habits? What can we do to overcome negativities in our mind? And so in Buddhism this comes up the whole idea of purification. Report an error in the passage at 44:10 Highlight the passage at 44:10

· · · silence, 1 minute

44:58 This brings in the whole idea of purification in Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 44:58 Highlight the passage at 44:58

45:04 Yeah, so we've done a negative action, that's left some imprint in our mind and if we don't do anything that's going to result in some sort of problem or suffering. What can we do to avoid that result? We can purify our mind of these negative imprints. We can purify our mind of negative habits. How to do that? In the four opponent powers. Report an error in the passage at 45:04 Highlight the passage at 45:04

45:44 We can do four things. Report an error in the passage at 45:44 Highlight the passage at 45:44

45:58 If we can do these four things, that's an effective way of purifying negative imprints in our mind, purifying our negative habits. The first thing we can do, of course, is if we've done a harmful action, Is we can have some sincere regret. Report an error in the passage at 45:58 Highlight the passage at 45:58

46:19 So regretting some harmful action will already work against that negative imprint and negative tendency. Now here though we have to be clear about the differences between regret and guilt. Report an error in the passage at 46:19 Highlight the passage at 46:19

46:36 Guilt unfortunately is epidemic I think in our society and guilt is not very helpful. It makes you feel stuck. It makes you feel bad. And quite often it doesn't lead to any improvement. What's the difference between regret and guilt here? Let's say we've done something harmful and we're feeling guilty. What are we focusing on when we feel guilty? Me. Report an error in the passage at 46:36 Highlight the passage at 46:36

47:08 Bad me. Bad me. Bad me. In fact, guilt is another example of cognitive fusion. When we've done a harmful action and we fuse ourselves with our action, I'm a bad person, I'm an evil person, I'm a nasty person. Guilt naturally follows. Because we're fusing the action with ourself, we're identifying ourselves with that action, we're focusing on ourself. Report an error in the passage at 47:08 Highlight the passage at 47:08

47:34 Bad me, hopeless me, nasty me. Then guilt arises and again, as you said, it just makes us feel bad, it paralyzes us and really makes it difficult to move forward. Report an error in the passage at 47:34 Highlight the passage at 47:34

47:48 Whereas if we've done a harmful action and we feel regret, what are we focusing on if we regret? Yeah, but what are we regretting? Report an error in the passage at 47:48 Highlight the passage at 47:48

48:08 Aren't we regretting the action and the harm that's caused by that action? So we're there, we're actually focusing on the action. Which means, exactly, and if we're not doing cognitive fusion, it's much that leads towards regret rather than guilt. Because we're not identifying ourselves with the action. Report an error in the passage at 48:08 Highlight the passage at 48:08

48:29 So there's us, okay, I have done this harmful action, therefore we're focusing on the action, we regret the action and the suffering it caused. Therefore it doesn't paralyze us, therefore we can look at ways of overcoming that action. So again if we have the cognitive fusion, guilt follows easily. If we don't, if we avoid cognitive fusion, we can focus on the action and have regret. So this is what we really need to develop, this regret. Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

49:06 The second point is what's called reliance. Sometimes this is translated as foundation. When we, you know, in our lives we're all trying to follow some good direction. So we all have a sort of foundational platform that we are trying to move forward in our life. When we've done something harmful, we've sort of fallen off our platform, our foundation. So reliance is all about picking ourselves back up. Report an error in the passage at 49:06 Highlight the passage at 49:06

49:38 Re-establishing that foundation that we want to follow our life. Of course this can take on many forms depending on what sort of direction we are following in our life. In a Buddhist perspective, reliance here is about again reaffirming our refuge, that I want to really have refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Saṅgha, that these are the things that I'm looking toward to overcome suffering. Report an error in the passage at 49:38 Highlight the passage at 49:38

50:09 And also to develop this idea of bodhicitta. So generally in reliance here from a Buddhist perspective it involves reaffirming this refuge, the direction and the positive motivation in our life of bodhicitta or compassion. So we would reaffirm those things, reestablish the foundation and that will work against the negative action as well. Report an error in the passage at 50:09 Highlight the passage at 50:09

50:38 The third point is what's called remedy which is some sort of practical thing. We can do as a remedy for the harmful thing we did. And we can be very practical here. Example, let's say at work we got angry at someone, we abused them, said something nasty to them. Then of course one good remedy would simply go and apologise. So if we can do something that's sort of the positive opposite to what we did, that's most effective. Report an error in the passage at 50:38 Highlight the passage at 50:38

51:08 If we can't, then at least do something positive. With the motivation of wishing to overcome that negative behaviour. That can be very helpful as well. And the fourth point is Report an error in the passage at 51:08 Highlight the passage at 51:08

51:27 resolution. Here resolution means, or sometimes called resolve, is to make a strong resolve to not do that harmful thing again. Report an error in the passage at 51:27 Highlight the passage at 51:27

51:42 But here we need to be practical. Exactly. Because if the negative thing we're doing is something we do many times every day, There's no use in saying I'm never going to do it again. I mean it's just not going to happen. For instance if we're the sort of person that tells many lies every day, if we say okay I'm never going to lie again, I mean effectively we've just told another lie. Report an error in the passage at 51:42 Highlight the passage at 51:42

52:06 So here we need to be practical and set a time limit. If it's something we do many times every day we can say okay for the next hour I'm not going to do this thing. If that's way too difficult we can say in the next 15 minutes I'm not going to do that thing. So pick an amount of time. That with a bit of effort, usually you can manage. And then over time you can extend that from one hour to two hours to a day to a week forever. Report an error in the passage at 52:06 Highlight the passage at 52:06

52:35 And that's very effective way of breaking the habit. So every time if we've done a harmful action, if we can do all of those four things together, most effective in overcoming our negative habits. Report an error in the passage at 52:35 Highlight the passage at 52:35

53:00 Any questions on the four opponent powers? Report an error in the passage at 53:00 Highlight the passage at 53:00

53:16 Again, there are many factors. It depends on how strong that seed is. And it depends on how earnestly we do these four things. I mean, if we're just mouthing, oh, I'm sorry, and we don't really mean it, not so much impact. And if we, you know, the remedy is we apologise, we go and say something, oh, I apologise for that. And we don't really sincere about the apology. Yeah, I mean, if we're not sincere about our apology, again, you know. Report an error in the passage at 53:16 Highlight the passage at 53:16

53:45 So it depends really on... How sincere we are in doing those and how much effort we put into them. It depends on how strong those seeds are. But everything we do in this area will certainly weaken it. And we shouldn't think that if we just sort of do it once, everything's taken care of. This is something we need to apply consistently over time. Report an error in the passage at 53:45 Highlight the passage at 53:45

54:10 Because if it's a negative habit we've built up for the last 20 years, it would be a bit foolish to think that if we just do this four opponent powers one evening, that negative habit's finished. That we've developed for 20 years every day. Not going to happen. So we need also to be consistently applying this over time. Report an error in the passage at 54:10 Highlight the passage at 54:10

54:32 I just want to go back to one thing and then it's lunchtime. Back on step four where we talked about having these attachment, aversion and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 54:32 Highlight the passage at 54:32

54:43 Again, just the idea of cognitive fusion here. Just want to sort of mention that again in this context. Report an error in the passage at 54:43 Highlight the passage at 54:43

54:53 Let's say we've got anger coming up in our mind. Step 4, we've seen something unpleasant, we've got angry. Again here, step 4, mindfulness is key. Because without mindfulness, we tend to identify with that anger. And we have it again in our language. When anger is coming up in our mind, what do we usually think or say? I am angry. I am angry is a nightmare. Report an error in the passage at 54:53 Highlight the passage at 54:53

55:23 I am angry. Basically you've said, you've identified with anger. I am anger. And so what you've done is basically you've said, there you go anger, you're in control, away you go. So again, without mindfulness we will just generally do that all the time. We'll identify with these contents of our mind, whether it's anger, jealousy, whatever it is. Report an error in the passage at 55:23 Highlight the passage at 55:23

55:48 And so generally people who don't have that mindfulness and who really are doing that cognitive fusion all the time, Often say things like, I'm just an angry person, I've got no hope to change, I'm stuck, I can't do anything. Because they've identified with it. If we identify with it, of course we're overwhelmed by it. But if we develop mindfulness, then no matter how strong the anger is that comes up, we can simply be there and observe it. Report an error in the passage at 55:48 Highlight the passage at 55:48

56:17 So again, with mindfulness we're not trying to suppress it. Suppressing and expressing are both creating problems. So with mindfulness, we are being with it 100%, we are there 100%, watching it come up, watching it pass, without identifying with it, without trying to stuff it down. If we do that, it can't overwhelm us and we're not suppressing it and it means that every time we do that, the habit of getting angry gets weaker and weaker and weaker and weaker because we're not... Report an error in the passage at 56:17 Highlight the passage at 56:17

56:49 feeding that habit anymore therefore with mindfulness we won't feel stuck we'll be able to change I think this is something also very important Report an error in the passage at 56:49 Highlight the passage at 56:49

57:12 And again, sense of identity here is cognitive fusion. It's like people are back in grief for a long time. They don't want to... Report an error in the passage at 57:12 Highlight the passage at 57:12

57:28 Exactly. Same. And it's a little bit like, better the devil you know than the one you don't. Yeah, because it's terrifying. And that's really sad that... For so long people have identified with contents of their mind and they've identified with these things so much that they believe that's who they are. Report an error in the passage at 57:28 Highlight the passage at 57:28

57:50 Even if they know. Report an error in the passage at 57:50 Highlight the passage at 57:50

57:54 Exactly. Because they've always identified with these things. And like I said, better the devil you know than you don't. And it's really sad and tragic because then people are completely stuck. And like you said, they have some fear that if they let go of this, they'll become sort of nobody or nothing. And I hear that a lot. Report an error in the passage at 57:54 Highlight the passage at 57:54

58:16 People say, yeah, yeah, but that's me. That's me. That's who I am. If I let go of that, who will I be? Maybe you're going to be some wonderful person instead of this neurotic person who has so much problems and sufferings in your life. And that's why this mindfulness can be very, very key. Because if we start to develop this mindfulness, and of course this is going to take time, then we'll start to let go of identifying with these things and we're going to start to have experiences of being more at peace with ourself, more open, all these sorts of experiences are going to come and then we're going to see over time there's nothing to be afraid of. Report an error in the passage at 58:16 Highlight the passage at 58:16

59:01 In fact, by developing mindfulness, letting go of all these things, our life is going to improve dramatically, dramatically. Yeah, but you're right. But I'm thinking only if you've got some guidance to be moving. Of Report an error in the passage at 59:01 Highlight the passage at 59:01

59:22 course, yes. Particularly if we're a person who has a lot of emotional issues. Because in this mindfulness practice, if we're a person that has extreme emotional issues, either we're completely expressing them or other people are completely suppressing them. So if you're completely suppressing, which a lot of people do, you do the mindfulness. They start to come up. Report an error in the passage at 59:22 Highlight the passage at 59:22

59:47 Well, not secure, but it's quite strong experiences. That's why it's helpful to have a teacher who can sort of be there to guide you through that. Because it needs to come up in a controlled way. And if the teacher's there, they can help you better process that and move forward in a good way. But on your own, like you said, it's really, it's difficult. I mean, it's difficult because... Report an error in the passage at 59:47 Highlight the passage at 59:47

1:00:15 We have these super strong habits that we've developed our entire life and we're trying to undo them. We're trying to develop new habits and it's very helpful to have a compassionate teacher there to guide you through that. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:15 Highlight the passage at 1:00:15

1:00:34 Have lunch. then we'll come back and we'll Report an error in the passage at 1:00:34 Highlight the passage at 1:00:34