109: Retreat Dhamma Talk 4: Why a Yogi / Meditator Needs to be in the Present Moment

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SPEAKER_01 0:03

Namotasabago Arahato Sama Sambudasa Namo Tasabhago Rahato Sam Tasab Namo Tasabhato Rahato Sama Sambudasa Dhamma talk number four Buddha taught us in many different approaches how to practice Satipattana Vipassana depending on the people that he is talking to.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

He approaches in many different ways. We already discussed in detail how he taught us how to practice in the long discourses of these Satipatthana Sutra in detail step by step. And also you just heard in a sutta simile of a log, he taught us how to practice again, but totally differently. When he saw that, he picked that up as an example, uses as a simile, and taught how to practice. Of course, when he was talking, he used the journey of the Lord from the moment he saw Dil to the reaching the ocean. So step by step, based on the journey, he gave the points. But if you look at or take that nine points and put it in our life, you will see that first of all he told us not to get immersed, obsessed, drowned in the sense of pleasure, not to become excessive. That's a key point he taught. And then the next step, grounded with morality, that's a foundation. Once he got grounded with morality, he won us not to get too much attractive or attentive to the people, to the social, to family, friends, family friends, and colleagues. Not to have too much interaction with the social activities. And then these are preparing us for the practice for meditation. And then he wants us not to be conceited or have too much pride along the way. The full points. And then while we are practicing too, not to have the objective as a better existent for the better existent, okay, or for the Dewa Rams, heavenly runs, not to have that kind of objective. Only one, the end of all forms of suffering. That's number five point. And then he wants us to have the right attitude. What is this right attitude? Not to have the attitude or view or belief. A point of view or belief. In the clinging to your current existence, grasping onto the current existence. And then not to have a clinging onto the eternalistic point of view of life. And also not to have the just annihilation point of view of life. This is the only life. And that way with the right view, with the right attitude, you must march on. And then he said not to get grasping or clinging to all the physical and mental objects that bombards you along your way on your life. And then finally he said not to get attached or grasped onto the sense pleasure. And if you have all these points, then you're ready. All that you need is a proper method or technique to practice, how to observe. And if you have all these nine points, you will reach your goal, which is the end of suffering. So this is one way he taught us how to practice. Very simple using a simile of a log, using the log. And that was intended mainly for that cowharder who was around there when he was preaching. So that is another approach. And you will also see Buddha taught us again in another time, another place. This is called Bodhina Rasa Sutta. That's the name of the sutta. And then he taught us again, and here he's most specific about how to practice. But listen to the approach or the way he delivers. That's why he's the greatest master of all time to teach, to tame all the wild humans, the wild devas, and all wild living beings. To tain them, to culture them, to develop them and send them in the direction of the and of all suffering. Here it's very simple. We heard this line quite often, even in the West. Don't live in the past. Don't live in the future. Live at the present moment. Very simple, straightforward. Of course, everybody will take it and interpret it and apply it to their life based on the way they like it. And you can do so too. Like just everyday living. Forget about it. Don't live in the future. Don't sit down and imagine and dreaming about what could be. Okay, because those things don't produce any result. Live at the present moment. Okay, do what you are doing, work the job that you are doing, do the best that you can. Be with the people in harmony. That's one way of people looking at it. Just listen to that line, those lines, and they will apply to their life that way. That's why it is very, very beautiful Buddhist teaching. People can take it and still apply it for their benefit at their own level. That's on a daily level. But of course, we are talking about practicing to be able to achieve the goal of the end of all physical and mental suffering. So, in other words, the practitioners, the yogis, the one who is practicing Satipatthana Vipassana. That's what he is in the final point, the main point he's intending for. You practicing yogis, people who are practicing vipassana, don't live in the past, don't live in the future, live at the present moment. Why? The past has come and gone. And the future is not here yet. So you can't do anything with it. The past came and gone. The future is not here, and you can't deal with the future. But the present moment is something that you can deal with it. That's why one needs to behave that way. Because it is totally futile and useless to live, relive the past and trying to imagine and living in the future which has not been here yet. Because all of us, we all humans are. As we are we love this tense pleasure. We love this tense pleasure. We are born into this world of tense pleasure, we live with sense fleasure, we crave for tense pleasure, we chase this tense pleasure. That is the fact of life. That's the truth. So as we live constantly and chasing and living with the sense pleasure, okay, these things we work very hard and we have passed. We have done many actions, physical actions, mental actions, verbal actions related to the sense pleasure to get, to achieve, to maintain. So there are many incidents in your past already gone through, big and small, especially the bigger one, the one that makes you, the one that impacts you a lot more. Because of that, when you live in the past, that means you are reliving all those good times and best times and nice time, pleasurable time. What happened is at that moment this loba dosa moha arises. Along with those thoughts, mental defilements are arising it. When the mental defilements are arising, you can't do much because you are a practicing, you are practicing yogis. You must be able to observe it, but this mental defilement is arising. Because of that, you won't be able to achieve your concentration. Just by reliving in the past. With these sense pleasure. You can't establish concentration. And the same thing in future. As soon as you go into the future, what you want, what you like, what you like to receive, achieve. Things like that. Again, what is this? All these things are mental defilements. Greed, anger, and delusion. As soon as you are living in the future, these mental defilements are right there. Because of that, you cannot establish concentration. That's why Buddha said don't live in the past or don't live in the future. As long as you step into that realm or into that domain, you cannot establish concentration. Only the present, the present moment. Only at the present moment. Whatever that present moment brings up, brought to you face to face, that is the Dhamma that exists. The Dhamma in the past doesn't exist anymore, gone. The Dhamma in the future is not here yet. So it is simply your imagination. But at the present moment, the Dhamma at the present moment is what it really exists and what it truly exists. So if you are engaging with what is truly and really exists at this present moment, you can establish concentration. That's the reason. That's the reason you said yogis don't live in the past, don't live in the future. Live at the present. Which means you must be observing the object that is right in front of you at this present moment. And if you are engaging with that, then only concentration can be established. Otherwise, you can't establish concentration. Because in our practice we need to have a concentration. So let's talk about this. What is this concentration? Is concentration one word for concentration is called samadhi. Samadhi is a concentration. There is also another word for this concentration. Ikatgada. If you remember, there are seven mental factors that always arises along with any and every type of consciousness. Okay, seven of them. Whenever a conscious any type of consciousness arises, these seven mental factors, or chitasiga, mental associates, mental comitates or mental factors, they arise together with it. They arise together, they disappear together. They take the same object. What are these if you remember? The one is called pasak, mental contact. And the second one is vedana, okay, feeling and sensation. The third one is sanya, the way you perceive, the way you remember, the way you make a mark of that object. And full is chetana, volition. As soon as you are engaging with any object, you have a certain kind of volition or arch to do. It could be good or it could be bad, good thing or bad thing, wanting to do with full volition. You want to do it. And then you have a Sivitendriya. Sivitendriya. What that is is uh it is a life force. Life force that maintain all the other mental factors to be in operational level. And then another one is called Ikakada. Ikakada. Ikakada. Okay, so I'll go igakada next. I'll put the last word first. Manasikara attention. Attention is don't go and look at the dictionary meaning of attention because one of the yogis asks, when you have the attention, you have the there's a fixed concentration involved. That's a dictionary meaning, attention. So you are totally focused. The meaning of manasikara, which is translated as an English word attention, is simply directing the mind towards the object, turning the mind towards the object. That's it. There's no focus, no fixation, no piercing involved yet. Simply turning the mind, that is attention. Manasikara. And then a kegada. See? English word attention is you look at it, there's a very concentrated spot on it. But the Buddha split it into two. One is simply turning your awareness towards the object. That's manasikara attention. Then ikagada. One word is called concentration. Concentration involved. What is ikaggada? Ikha is one. Ega is the object. Whether it's a physical object or mental object. Ta is happening at the present. Word by word. But when you combine these three words, it smoothly translated is one pointed, one pointedness of mind at the present object. One pointedness of mind at the present object. That's a gagata. Now the English dictionary translation of attention is there. Those two words combined together is dictionary meaning of attention. But here is manasikara, turning the mind towards the object. And then ikagada, become one-pointed onto the object, fixed onto the object. That's ikagada. So when the mind is fixed and one-pointed, become one-pointed onto the object, what it is, your mind is totally concentrated on the object. And in vipassana, that object must be a the real object, not the apparent object. Real true object. That is igagda, concentration. So that's what it means by the Buddha said. Don't live in the past. Don't live in the future. Live at the present moment. Because only at present moments you can engage the true object that is arising at that moment. And when your mind is fixed on it, become one-pointed on that. For that little duration of the lifespan of that object. If you can be with it, then you have established that concentration. Just for that one moment. That's what concentration is, that's what ikakata means. One point of minds on the true object that is real object that is arising at the present moment. Only then you can establish the sama samadhi, the correct mindfulness for the vipassana practitioning yogi. One need to understand very clearly about it. So because we have another kind of concentration, samatha concentration. But in here is that in that moment. Because we are not just simply fixed on one object. Of course, if you choose an object and you apply and reapply and reapply and apply to become one in with the object, it seems like you become one with the object, but actually, moment to moment to moment you force to be with that object. That is another kind. And that can be also any kind of objects. And here is any kind of object, but it must be arising at this present moment. And if you do that, you will and you can establish the concentration, Sama Samadhi. Otherwise you won't. This is how Buddhas approached and taught us. Very simple, like I've been explaining, of course, a lot. But simply don't live in the past, don't live in the future, live at the present moment. For Ravipasana Praxana. That is exactly what it is, what we just said. So let's look at it, okay, based on the method that we are doing. We observe the rising movement and falling movement, rising movement, falling movement, the movement. Okay, expansion or contraction. If you look at it there, this rising movement or a falling movement, what is that? That is the object. Physical object, rising movement, falling movement. And there's another thing happening, not only rising and falling, that is only one phenomenon. There's another phenomenon is something that knows that rising and falling. That knowing is the mind or consciousness or jita. Rising and falling is the physical object, rupa. Rupa and nama. Rising and falling is the rupa physical phenomenon. Knowing is the nama mental phenomenon. Those two are happening. Rising and falling, rising and falling. And if you can focus, okay, if you can focus on this rising movement and falling movement. Precisely, the key thing is, precisely, accurately at the present moment while rising movement is happening and then knowing. They must be in perfect synchronicity. Rising movement and knowing, falling movement and knowing. If you can firmly, okay, if you can firmly establish that knowing with the rising, if you can firmly establish that knowing and the falling movement, then at that moment you have established concentration. You can call it a kagada or you can call it samadhi. You established it. But you must be there precisely, correctly, accurately. The mind that knows that object that is operating in its own process must be perfectly in sync. Not only that you know that when we say precisely and accurately, it means one must know that object. From the moment it becomes into the awareness, from the moment it arises. And throughout the stages of arising, till it disappears. So in other words, one must know from the beginning to the end of that object during its lifespan. That is the way one must know. And if you can observe this, let's say only two, this rising and falling. Beginning of the rising to the end of the falling, beginnings of the falling to the end of the falling, if you can follow that continuously with no interruption, then you have established a successive stages of concentration without any break. Because when you can observe from the beginning to the end, that means you know the true nature of that object. You know that object as it really is. Why do you know that object as it really is? Because you have established the concentration. If you have not established the concentration, you won't know as it really is. So it goes hand in hand. Buddha taught us the method how to do it, and at the same time, it gives the direct correlation. Of what you are doing and what you are establishing, and based on what you are establishing, concentration. When the concentration is there, you understand the object. What is understanding the object? That means you have insight into the object. That's why only when there is a concentration there will be insight. Where there is no concentration there won't be insight. But how can that concentration be established? Being able to follow with industriousness and full effort from the beginning to the end of the object of arising or falling or whatever object that is arising at the present moment. Mindfulness. Being mindful of these objects. From the beginning to the end, beginning to the end, beginning to the end. Establish concentration, ikakata. And with that you can see the object, you can understand the object as it really is, which we call it insight. That's what we are doing with the rising and falling movement. Observing. And that is the correlation that of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. They are all together woven, but you have to put a lot of effort, industriousness, so that you can be with the present moment, with any object from the beginning to the end. There is concentration. Without that ikagada, you will not have insight. Without that ekagada, you would not understand the object. And here there's another example given. They use as a let's say a bowman. Bowman. The one who shoots arrows, bowing arrows. I'll call it a bowman. These peoples are in a let's say. In a context or in a practice, there's a participant number one, number two, and number three. They are supposed to shoot the arrows to hit the target at the end. A bit circle. That is the target. So participant one, two, and three shoot the arrow. The first participant shot the arrow. And what happened was the arrow could not even reach to the target and it falls short in the middle. Why? Because that participant number one does not put full effort. He's a little lazy. As he does not put full energy and effort, the arrow could not fly right to the object and falls short of the object. Drop on the ground. That's participant one. And then participant number two just go, he tried. He tried and pull and shoot it. And this time this arrow actually reached the target. It reached the target, but it doesn't penetrate into the target, it bounces off. Okay. Hit the big circle and bounce off and fall on the ground. So in here, the second one, he puts a lot of effort, quite a bit of effort, so it reached the target. But as it's not strong enough, as it's not strong enough, it cannot penetrate the target and hits the bullseye. In the vicinity of the target, hit it and bounce and fall off. And the third participant, he shoots the arrow with great strength, great effort, great focus, and accurately the arrow hit the target, bull's eye, and stick into it. So there are three types of participants. First one is a lazy one, don't put much. Second one is he tried but not his best. The third one is he tried his best and hit the bull's eye, the target. In the same way, there are yogis that we are all practicing. We are all practicing. Some yogis they are practicing. Shooting the target means he's practicing. He is in a retreat center sitting with everybody and observing this rising and falling, rising and falling. But as he is lazy, as he doesn't put much effort, most of the time, what happened? He slipped away, he slipped away, he slipped away and got into the thoughts, into the future and the past, future and the past, future and the past. Never or very hardly hit the target because he's lazy, as he's lazy, even though he's sitting in the meditation hall and the retreat for ten days, but most of the time he's just missing the target, fall short. There's nothing, no result will arise. And the second one, he put effort. He just keeps on hitting the target but cannot penetrate into the target, cannot hit the bull's eye. So he's putting effort but not enough effort as it requires. So those are the kind of yogis who practice. He just go in and then rising, falling, rising, falling, rising, falling. He's following quite well. After about three or four or five, he just bounces off to here, bounce off to there, bounce off into the future, bounce off into the past. That's the second type of yogi. And the third type of yogi is you put really urgent effort. He just doesn't miss rising, falling, rising, falling, rising, falling. Fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, nothing come in between. Continuously. I'm just using only these two, rising and falling. Of course, we have many objects. No discursive thoughts come in between. That is the third type of practitioner who put all effort, all out effort, hit the bull's eye and stick into it, and the arrow stuck there. That is the third kind of yogi. So in here, the Buddha pulled out specifically just with the bow and arrows and shows the importance of that urgent effort or industriousness. How much effort is required? It's required to the point that you do not miss any moment. Every present moment you are present. Every present moment you are present. And to be able to do that, you have to put a lot of effort. That is the way the Buddha gave example, how to practice. Very simple, easy to understand. And these kinds of things you are practicing. Of course, everybody sitting in a meditation hall, lots of yogis, everybody sitting like a statue, and seems like everybody practicing. Okay, as still as a statue. But in reality, there are three kinds of yogis are sitting among them. First type, second type, and third type. Lazy type, mediocre type, and the great, full best effort type. And these things, they are revealed. You think you're sitting there, nobody knows what you are thinking. No. There's the interview time. When you go to the interview, you have to report. When you report it, the people who are falling short of the target, they don't know what to report. What do you do? Oh yeah, rising movement, falling movement. I observe it, beginning to the end, because that's what you heard. I observe it. What else? That's it. I observe it. They rise, they fall, that's it. And another one is they will come up here and there. Okay, well, when I was rising movement, suddenly, oh there's um there's no movement. I I I can feel the pressure, I can feel the tension. Anything else? No. That is a second type. There's not much to report. And the third type of yogi come and report. I observe. I know the beginning when it starts rising. It is rising, there's a movement. Okay, if you can sense the movement. Or some people cannot sense the movement. What they can sense is the pressure. There's a the pressure starting thing. Build up, build up, build up, pressure, keep on building up. Okay, as sometimes even say the pressure is building up, but suddenly it stopped and then it rebuild again and then build up, build up, and finally it's totally full. Like totally the pressure is full. There's no more room to grow. And it stops. And then suddenly there's a feeling of relaxation, relaxing, relaxing. And it becomes hollow, it becomes soft, and it slips away. And it seems like like a slight vibration there, and finally there's nothing to observe. That kind of a thing. And then if you're practicing more and more and more, and how long that yogi can follow that, the teachers know based on the report. Well, I'll give you an answer ahead. I'm observing, I'm following, and suddenly I feel a sense of calm. I feel a sense of peace. Simply there's a movement. That movement is just simply oscillating by itself, rotating by itself. But I know the beginning, I know the end, and also I feel the calm. And when the yogi report like that, the teachers know what kind of a yogi it is in this class one or class two or class three. But the teacher will never confront, never scold the student or the yogi. He will listen and simply encourage. Okay, keep on doing. Okay, try and see a little more. Try and see what else you can see other than this rising and falling and so on and so appropriate encouragement. But they won't scold, you won't scold you. And at the same time, if somebody is reading, hearing a lot, and try to emulate those words and report, the teachers know too. There are very subtleties in the report. It is coming from the book, or it is coming from the conceptual point, or it is coming from your experience. A competent teacher knows. So even though in the Greek meditation hall there are hundreds of yogis sitting like a statue, everybody falls into one class or the other. In general, three classes. Inferior classes, mediocre classes, and superior class. Which class it belongs to is entirely up to you. That's it. And that's how the Buddha taught us how to practice. Simple. Don't live in the past, don't live in the future, live at the present. Only at present you can engage the reality, the real Dharma, the Dharma that truly exists. Only then you will establish concentration. With that concentration you will see the true nature of mind and matter that you are observing. To do that, one must practice with great effort, urgent effort. So that one can see every object from beginning to the end. Beginning to the end. Beginning to the end. That is not simply telling you to see only beginning to the end. That word, that line has a great significance. That significance is it is taking you onto the path to be able to see the characteristic of anatha in permanence. Doesn't tell you see the anatha, find the anatha. Only tells you make sure you see the beginning, make sure you see the end. Make sure you see the beginning, make sure you see the end. What it is. As soon as the beginning to the end, it is gone, another one come. Repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly, eventually it imprint in your mind the characteristic of anicja in permanence. That's why that word is very important. One from the point of effort, not to lose every little moment. Secondly, is it gives you a direct straight line to see anitsa. It seems so simple. Instructions are so simple, but they are very deep and very profound. That is how one needs to practice. And then finally the Buddha said, another line. It's beautiful in translation. Don't stop within, don't stop without. That's it. Don't stop within, don't stop without. What does it mean is when you're practicing, okay? When you come to a fairly grounded and progressive state, you begin to feel very pleasurable feelings. Okay. Kama sukkat. Pleasurable feelings. Pleasurable, along with it, pleasurable desire can arise. Very nice good feelings. In one word or two word, it's called piti, rupture, sukkat, bliss, peace. Those kind of feelings come in. When those kind of feelings come in, as you are not used to it and it is so good, you dwell on it, you crave for it, and you stay with it. Dwell means you live it with it repeatedly again and again. And if you do that, that means you are stopping within. You are stopping within. And the other one is there are so many desirable objects, both physical objects, mental objects. Ideas, beautiful, lovely ideas, these are the objects. And sometimes based on our weakness, based on our soft spot, we cling to, we grasp to certain objects. Those are the external objects, not from internal, external objects. And if you cling on to these beautiful, lovely external objects of your desire, that means you are stopping outside, stopping within and stopping outside. Sensual desire. What is sensual desire? Sensual desire has two parts. One it is it has to have the object of desire. And if you stuck with the object of desire, then the object, then it is stopping without. So sensual desire equal to desire which is nama and object which is rupa. Don't stop within, don't stop without. And if you do that, you will be able to reach your goal, which is the end of all form of suffering. So in here, if you look at the key points, don't live in the past, don't live in future. Live at the moment, live at the present moment with the true Dharma object, which is arising, which is arising. And one must be able to observe it precisely, accurately from the beginning to the end of that object, using urgent effort. And why are you doing that? There are moments that come in which sensual desire will come in front of you because of your progress. Biti and sukkha. And in those periods, do not stop. Observe them and overcome it. Both the desire itself and as well as the object. And if you can do so, you will reach your destination, the end of all physical and mental suffering. This way the Buddha taught us many different ways. This is one of the ways. So may all of you be able to practice Satipathana Vipassana meditation precisely, correctly, at the present moment with great urgent effort, and may you be able to reach your destination as soon as possible.