WEBVTT 04:31.533 --> 04:34.618 Good evening everyone and welcome to our live broadcast. 04:39.505 --> 04:51.502 We're becoming more advanced here as you can see there's a little window up here now that shows the room, shows the meditators who are here. 04:54.286 --> 04:57.591 Right now we've got three meditators but only one of them is coming to listen. 05:00.980 --> 05:05.967 The other thing is, up here, you should see a little eye with a circle. 05:08.010 --> 05:11.676 And that now has a link to our site in it. 05:12.637 --> 05:13.198 Hopefully. 05:13.358 --> 05:14.380 You have to hover over it. 05:16.102 --> 05:19.407 If you hover over the video, you'll see an eye. 05:20.509 --> 05:21.570 And it says, more info. 05:23.694 --> 05:29.202 And if you go to more info, you should see a link to our site. 05:29.222 --> 05:30.784 That's how YouTube does links. 05:35.489 --> 05:49.388 Tonight's Dhamma is Anguttara Nikaya Book of Fours, Sutta 14. 05:50.890 --> 05:53.194 There are these four strivings. 06:00.063 --> 06:01.225 Four ways of striving. 06:01.325 --> 06:04.990 Striving, of course, big part of 06:10.252 --> 06:11.593 What makes us who we are? 06:11.873 --> 06:12.934 What do we strive for? 06:14.616 --> 06:15.537 Do we strive at all? 06:16.318 --> 06:17.459 How much do we strive? 06:19.841 --> 06:21.903 Are we lazy or are we ambitious? 06:23.104 --> 06:24.465 What are our goals in life? 06:30.971 --> 06:40.039 In Buddhism we have four, well here the Buddha gives four types of striving that are 06:41.504 --> 06:44.689 of spiritual benefit. 06:44.709 --> 06:51.560 These are the kinds of striving, the kind of work that you can do to better yourself spiritually. 06:51.600 --> 07:06.803 And spiritually just means bringing about better mental health, more peace of mind, clarity of mind, freeing yourself from the bonds, bondage, which we talked about last night. 07:11.440 --> 07:14.543 So what are the four kinds of striving in Buddhism? 07:16.486 --> 07:23.474 Sangwara padhanam, striving to restrain. 07:25.896 --> 07:29.600 Pahana padhanam, striving to abandon. 07:29.620 --> 07:38.190 Number three, bhavana padhanam, striving to cultivate. 07:40.617 --> 07:50.231 And number four, anurakarna padhana, striving to protect. 07:56.180 --> 08:00.025 Restraint, abandonment, development, and protection. 08:03.691 --> 08:06.675 These are the four ways, and they each 08:07.988 --> 08:34.468 describe a different facet of the practice or a different way of looking at the meditation practice or the path in general so restraint is in regards to the senses and this is this famous quote that comes back again and again not famous but it's one that I keep bringing up again and again this common quote of the Buddha's having seen a form with the eye 08:36.727 --> 08:56.381 He is not one or she is not one who grasps at the signs or one who grasps at the particulars. 08:57.342 --> 08:58.244 Meaning it's just seeing. 08:59.807 --> 09:01.249 You don't make more out of it than that. 09:03.507 --> 09:06.011 This is the whole of the practice. 09:06.031 --> 09:08.555 The challenge of trying to just see things as they are. 09:08.835 --> 09:09.676 To keep it real. 09:12.120 --> 09:17.048 Keep our experience, our interaction with reality to just what's real. 09:18.129 --> 09:19.251 Just the bare reality. 09:20.092 --> 09:27.584 To not have any speculation or belief or view or attachment or aversion or identification. 09:31.089 --> 09:31.590 Because 09:33.646 --> 09:40.654 When you leave the eye unguarded in this way, when you do delve into the particulars, what is it I'm seeing? 09:40.734 --> 09:41.214 Is it good? 09:41.294 --> 09:41.815 Is it bad? 09:43.277 --> 09:43.917 That's nice. 09:43.977 --> 09:44.838 That's not nice. 09:44.919 --> 09:45.619 That's beautiful. 09:45.679 --> 09:46.320 That's ugly. 09:52.587 --> 09:58.894 And then the Buddha says, abhija domana sa papaka kusla dhamma anvasawayo 10:01.574 --> 10:07.042 They might attack or enter into the mind. 10:08.143 --> 10:21.561 Abhija Domanasa liking and disliking basically or wanting and aversion and all evil dhammas, evil and wholesome things. 10:22.963 --> 10:26.408 All the problems, the causes of our suffering, they will all arise. 10:27.630 --> 10:29.252 They will all attack the mind. 10:32.607 --> 10:37.193 So when one practices restraint, seeing, let seeing just be seeing. 10:37.253 --> 10:38.454 Keep the mind at just seeing. 10:40.797 --> 10:46.745 Guard the eye, guard the ear, guard the nose, the tongue, guard the body and guard the mind. 10:46.785 --> 10:57.659 You should guard these six doors and free yourself. 10:58.660 --> 10:59.982 Keep yourself protected. 11:03.050 --> 11:07.759 Keep yourself protected from the dangers that come from clinging and aversion. 11:10.104 --> 11:22.307 The suffering that comes from our bad habits of mind. 11:28.278 --> 11:29.139 That's number one. 11:29.219 --> 11:33.285 Number two, pahana padhanam, through abandoning. 11:35.768 --> 11:38.311 Another way of looking at it is we strive to abandon. 11:39.173 --> 11:40.354 So we strive to guard. 11:40.975 --> 11:41.696 That's the first one. 11:41.716 --> 11:42.998 That's what it means is striving. 11:43.939 --> 11:47.223 It's the hard work that we're doing here is reminding ourselves. 11:47.364 --> 11:48.064 It's just seeing. 11:49.827 --> 11:51.830 That kind of striving is striving to abandon. 11:52.931 --> 11:53.712 Abandon what? 11:55.413 --> 12:22.264 Upanam kamavitakam nadivaseti padyahati vinodeti payanti karoti anabhavam gameti Upanam kamavitakam nadivaseti padyahati vinodeti We used to chant this. 12:23.915 --> 12:28.401 an arisen thought of sensuality. 12:29.482 --> 12:33.848 One doesn't bear it, nadi vasiti. 12:33.868 --> 12:35.991 One abandons it, bhajjati. 12:37.513 --> 12:40.837 Vinodeti, dispels it, bhyanti karoti. 12:50.931 --> 12:52.032 Makes an end to it. 12:54.391 --> 13:01.098 Anabhavangam eti causes it to go to cessation, makes it cease. 13:03.720 --> 13:15.692 So when there's a desire arises, one dispels it, one doesn't give it quarter, doesn't chase after it or allow it to take root. 13:18.615 --> 13:24.381 Mindful, seeing liking as liking, wanting as wanting, and not 13:26.065 --> 13:31.531 Not giving it room to grow. 13:35.055 --> 13:48.850 The same goes with thoughts of aversion or disliking, hatred, ill will. 13:51.833 --> 13:53.717 It doesn't bear a thought of ill will. 13:54.399 --> 13:56.344 Don't let it take root. 13:56.364 --> 13:57.667 Don't identify with it. 13:58.048 --> 13:59.571 Don't take it as your own. 14:01.375 --> 14:04.142 See it clearly as just a thought of anger and let it go. 14:06.467 --> 14:07.029 Abandon it. 14:08.512 --> 14:09.775 Don't take these things on. 14:11.729 --> 14:14.713 And the same goes with vihingsa-vitaka. 14:14.733 --> 14:16.876 And these are the three wrong sorts of thoughts. 14:17.016 --> 14:23.605 Vihingsa means any kind of oppressive mind state of arrogance or conceit or that kind of thing. 14:23.625 --> 14:25.007 Delusion-based, really. 14:30.294 --> 14:32.016 And any kind of unwholesome dhamma. 14:32.036 --> 14:36.962 Upanupane papakeya kusale dhamme. 14:36.982 --> 14:40.487 Any kind of arisen evil unwholesome dhamma. 14:42.492 --> 14:43.433 One doesn't bear them. 14:44.735 --> 14:45.515 Don't bear with them. 14:45.696 --> 14:48.278 Don't let them take root in your mind. 14:50.481 --> 14:54.065 Simply remind yourself, liking, liking, disliking, disliking. 14:57.349 --> 15:01.774 You're confused or deluded or attached to something. 15:04.437 --> 15:04.997 Abandon it. 15:06.078 --> 15:06.559 Give it up. 15:11.078 --> 15:16.348 Number three, bhavana padhana, striving to cultivate. 15:16.729 --> 15:20.537 So there are things that we should abandon, we should abandon these thoughts through our practice. 15:21.378 --> 15:22.701 Then what is it that we should keep? 15:23.342 --> 15:24.224 What are the good things? 15:25.366 --> 15:28.052 Buddhism isn't all about bad things. 15:28.513 --> 15:32.260 There's lots of good and healthy things that we have in our minds that we can develop. 15:33.353 --> 15:35.095 Most important, well, what do we develop? 15:35.135 --> 15:36.997 We develop the seven bhojangas. 15:37.458 --> 15:43.465 Bhojangas, the seven things that lead to enlightenment or factors of enlightenment. 15:43.485 --> 15:44.186 Mindfulness. 15:44.907 --> 15:46.148 We cultivate mindfulness. 15:46.989 --> 15:48.090 It's a great thing to have. 15:48.150 --> 15:49.212 It's a great tool to have. 15:49.252 --> 15:53.236 You can use it throughout your life in so many situations. 15:53.777 --> 16:02.247 When you're suffering with physical pain, when you have mental distress, when you have challenges or 16:03.728 --> 16:11.494 fears, anxieties, doubts, confusion, sati is what clears it all up. 16:26.307 --> 16:30.412 Dhamma vichaya, discriminating between the Dhammas. 16:31.593 --> 16:38.160 Once you're mindful, then you're able to investigate. 16:38.421 --> 16:40.603 You're able to see what is good and what is bad. 16:41.885 --> 16:45.008 Mindfulness is the cultivation of objectivity. 16:46.410 --> 16:50.514 Once you're objective, you're able to see into your mind, is this good for me, is this bad for me? 16:51.235 --> 16:55.420 Is this worth holding on to or is this worth throwing away? 16:57.509 --> 16:59.213 Virya, you cultivate effort. 17:00.034 --> 17:01.537 Strive to cultivate effort. 17:02.840 --> 17:04.584 The effort to be mindful, really. 17:04.604 --> 17:07.670 Once you're mindful, virya just means doing it again and again. 17:07.690 --> 17:12.480 It's quite a lot of work and you need effort and encouragement to continue it. 17:15.306 --> 17:17.290 Piti Sambhojan Changa 17:18.687 --> 17:19.929 Piti means rapture. 17:20.249 --> 17:23.793 Rapture just means getting into a groove in this case. 17:23.813 --> 17:26.397 And you have put out the effort, eventually it becomes habitual. 17:27.037 --> 17:31.443 Mindfulness actually becomes a habit. 17:31.463 --> 17:35.688 Pasadi means your mind calms down, becomes more tranquil as you practice. 17:36.589 --> 17:37.711 Because you start to work out. 17:37.731 --> 17:41.816 I mean, it doesn't feel like that at first, but you're dealing with all the chaos inside. 17:41.936 --> 17:45.080 And once you deal with it, it starts to become more orderly. 17:45.881 --> 17:47.563 And you do find yourself calming down. 17:48.775 --> 17:55.425 Samadhi, as a result of calming down, your mind becomes focused and you start to see things just as they are, arising and ceasing. 17:56.347 --> 17:58.790 You become more equanimous about things. 18:00.032 --> 18:00.693 That's the seventh. 18:00.713 --> 18:01.655 The seventh is upeka. 18:01.695 --> 18:06.822 Once you become more focused, then you become more equanimous, not judging things as good or bad. 18:11.149 --> 18:13.112 So this is what it means through development. 18:15.607 --> 18:16.288 So what do we have? 18:16.368 --> 18:30.568 We have restraint, restraining the senses, abandoning, abandon the defilements in the mind, development, develop the bojangas, develop good qualities of mind, starting with mindfulness. 18:30.588 --> 18:32.851 And number four, guard or protect. 18:35.795 --> 18:43.927 And this is guarding the meditation practice. 18:43.947 --> 18:44.888 Guarding. 18:48.513 --> 18:50.097 Guarding the meditation object. 18:50.357 --> 18:56.412 And here the Buddha talks about actually Samatha meditations, which is quite interesting. 18:58.256 --> 19:01.965 Protecting, but in general it means protecting your meditation practice. 19:03.160 --> 19:05.044 Don't let go, don't stop meditating. 19:05.084 --> 19:07.829 Try to meditate throughout the day. 19:09.031 --> 19:16.105 When you find yourself doing something that takes you away from your meditation practice, be quick to come back to it. 19:16.125 --> 19:22.317 Remind yourself, when I was doing that thing I couldn't be mindful so now I should try harder than ever to be mindful. 19:33.299 --> 19:35.662 These are the four types of striving. 19:35.682 --> 19:35.702 . 19:37.985 --> 19:56.509 Someone cultivates effort in regards to these . 19:57.110 --> 20:01.956 They attain the destruction of suffering. 20:04.957 --> 20:06.059 The ending of suffering. 20:11.770 --> 20:16.459 Which is the only goal we're trying to aim for. 20:17.882 --> 20:19.565 Just the complete end of suffering. 20:20.226 --> 20:27.640 There was one monk in the time of the Buddha who, when he disrobed, he went around telling people, oh, the Buddha, you know, 20:28.970 --> 20:30.091 not really worth following. 20:30.131 --> 20:32.074 All he does is teach you to end suffering. 20:32.855 --> 20:37.300 And if you follow him, all that's going to happen is you're just going to end suffering. 20:37.320 --> 20:47.072 And then Buddha shook his head and said, well, Buddha said, you know, this guy thinking he's insulting me is actually doing me a favor by going around and telling people the truth. 20:48.634 --> 20:50.556 That's all we're trying to do is end suffering. 20:54.316 --> 21:00.343 Suffering doesn't come from our experiences, it comes from our minds, our reactions. 21:02.245 --> 21:21.167 So if we guard our reactions and keep our reactions neutral and learn to see things objectively, abandoning unwholesome thoughts, cultivating good qualities of mind, and guarding our practice, guarding our minds so that we don't slip, 21:23.695 --> 21:27.260 Eventually it builds up, it becomes habitual and your mind starts to shift. 21:30.144 --> 21:31.706 And eventually you're able to let go. 21:31.726 --> 21:35.612 And attain Nibbana, become enlightened. 21:37.915 --> 21:38.315 That's all. 21:42.561 --> 21:44.324 Alright, so that's the Dhamma for tonight. 21:46.026 --> 21:47.949 The four kinds of striving. 21:52.475 --> 21:52.555 Hmm? 21:54.205 --> 22:08.210 Can you hear the sound? 22:08.230 --> 22:17.547 Can you hear the sound? 22:20.075 --> 22:21.317 I was silent. 22:21.397 --> 22:25.282 It was a result of concentration. 22:25.923 --> 22:26.984 I was scared. 22:27.966 --> 22:30.429 I was scared. 22:30.569 --> 22:31.490 I was shocked. 22:31.631 --> 22:33.433 Was it strange? 22:33.493 --> 22:35.876 It was strange. 22:35.896 --> 22:37.859 It was so strange. 22:37.879 --> 22:39.781 I couldn't sleep. 22:39.842 --> 22:43.006 My mind was like this. 22:43.787 --> 22:44.648 It was strange. 22:46.096 --> 23:14.483 Canada Canada like hotel many know they'll go high me chair right get rid of the room and I'm not not sure about that room thing but there it was anyway let's Oh Robins already unmuted so there you are 23:16.100 --> 23:17.843 Hi, Robin. 23:19.405 --> 23:20.006 Hello, Bonte. 23:22.229 --> 23:23.491 I wish I could see the room. 23:23.892 --> 23:25.614 What I see is a little bit different. 23:25.634 --> 23:26.375 I don't see the room. 23:26.456 --> 23:26.696 Yeah. 23:27.497 --> 23:29.160 You're on a direct line to me. 23:32.364 --> 23:35.409 I could probably set it up so that you could see the window. 23:36.411 --> 23:37.132 That would be weird. 23:38.934 --> 23:40.016 Would that work? 23:40.036 --> 23:40.417 I don't know. 23:41.939 --> 23:43.141 Yeah, it probably would, actually. 23:44.783 --> 23:45.364 Let me see here. 23:46.795 --> 23:47.776 See if I can do that. 23:48.157 --> 23:50.319 Oh no, it doesn't let me because it's not a hangout on air. 23:50.800 --> 23:51.060 Is it? 23:53.683 --> 23:55.265 Huh. 23:55.285 --> 23:56.166 Share screen. 23:56.186 --> 23:57.928 Oh, I can. 24:01.652 --> 24:01.913 Okay. 24:01.953 --> 24:03.194 Now you should see. 24:03.214 --> 24:03.294 Hmm. 24:06.758 --> 24:07.699 Now you should see. 24:08.741 --> 24:09.361 Basically. 24:10.302 --> 24:13.586 Except now it's got this green bar at the top, which is not really good. 24:14.748 --> 24:15.148 Forget it. 24:17.727 --> 24:47.110 sorry oh that's okay are you ready for some questions i'm ready go ahead do we need to apply dependent origination to our walking or sitting what is dependent origination and why do some people say it's important to learn about it dependent origination is the law of cause and effect it's basically the four noble truths in depth and even it's not the final 24:48.187 --> 24:51.233 Even it's not the most complete. 24:51.253 --> 24:52.956 I mean, even it's still an abbreviation. 24:52.976 --> 25:04.980 To get true understanding of cause and effect of the Four Noble Truths, you have to study the Mahabhadana, which is a huge, immense, incredibly dense work. 25:04.960 --> 25:09.047 but it goes through all the different permutations and types of conditionality. 25:09.327 --> 25:12.492 There's 24 types of conditionality. 25:12.953 --> 25:23.830 Dependent origination is just one way of a simplification actually, just as the Four Noble Truths are an even further simplification. 25:25.632 --> 25:27.074 So learning about it is useful. 25:27.134 --> 25:29.377 It's what you come to understand through the practice. 25:29.437 --> 25:30.959 It's what the Buddha came to understand. 25:32.581 --> 25:42.894 Anarahan need not understand it exactly as the Buddha understood it, because as the Buddha understood it, it involved past lives and it involved the whole... 25:43.875 --> 25:54.508 It was basically a summing up of samsara, the essence of samsara and how samsara works. 25:55.670 --> 25:56.692 having observed it. 25:58.535 --> 26:01.340 But for meditators, we only need to concern ourselves with this life. 26:02.562 --> 26:05.006 We only need to concern ourselves with the present moment. 26:06.368 --> 26:12.739 So, people talk about paticcasamapada, dependent origination having to do with past lives, future lives. 26:12.759 --> 26:16.125 Well, really that seems to be how it was taught, but 26:17.388 --> 26:32.919 The essence of it is the Four Noble Truths and it's that ignorance of the truth leads us to crave and craving leads to suffering, basically. 26:32.939 --> 26:37.388 But you don't apply it because dependent origination is the nature of things. 26:38.610 --> 26:39.632 It's just the truth. 26:40.945 --> 26:43.768 So through the practice of satipatthana you see this. 26:43.848 --> 26:44.669 Don't be confused. 26:45.249 --> 26:47.732 The only thing you should be practicing is the satipatthana. 26:47.852 --> 26:51.696 Wisdom, things like dependent origination are things that you'll start to see. 26:51.916 --> 26:54.418 You'll start to see that things are dependent on other things. 26:55.980 --> 26:57.161 There is a relationship. 26:57.301 --> 27:08.252 When you react in certain ways it leads to certain results and you start to incline towards positive results and away from those things that cause you suffering. 27:15.438 --> 27:22.211 Sir, what is a good way to measure the meditation, to measure if the meditation sessions are going well? 27:22.772 --> 27:30.808 For example, could it be the length of time during a session that I'm able to focus on one of the Satipatthanas without being interrupted by one of the hindrances? 27:31.669 --> 27:36.298 The reason I ask is so I can measure the correctness and then take corrective steps if required. 27:37.443 --> 27:48.057 But you can't be aware of anything for more than a moment, so any sort of duration would be most likely forcing your mind on a single object, so that wouldn't be a good idea. 27:49.278 --> 27:52.903 The only way you can really measure it is by the moment. 27:52.923 --> 27:55.326 How many moments were you clearly aware of something? 27:56.047 --> 28:04.918 Were you reminding yourself, this is pain, this is thinking, this is rising, this is falling, this is stepping right, this is lifting, this is placing, that kind of thing? 28:07.801 --> 28:10.686 It's the quality of the moments that's the only real measure. 28:15.874 --> 28:19.621 So even if you're just aware of your hindrances, that counts as well? 28:20.081 --> 28:20.863 Oh yeah. 28:20.883 --> 28:22.806 It's great learning. 28:24.423 --> 28:28.269 Sir, of late I have been mostly bothered by distraction and drowsiness. 28:28.890 --> 28:37.946 To remove them I have played with ratios of walking and sitting, as well as the number of objects in sitting and number of phases in walking, sometimes changing them on the fly. 28:37.966 --> 28:50.667 Thinking back, today I was able to have two relatively prolonged periods of focus on rising and falling after 15 walking, 30 sitting, but with relatively forceful breathing. 28:50.984 --> 28:52.586 Is forceful breathing okay? 28:52.966 --> 28:55.388 Is the overall approach of experimentation okay? 28:56.510 --> 28:58.351 Again, you're forcing your mind. 28:58.411 --> 29:06.860 You're trying to find a trick to get it under control, which is antithetical to the actual practice. 29:09.042 --> 29:14.728 You being bothered by distraction and drowsiness, well, the problem is that you're bothered by them, that you want to get rid of them. 29:15.128 --> 29:18.932 You should say disliking, disliking, or frustrated, or however it appears to you. 29:20.347 --> 29:23.894 But the idea is not to find a trick to get rid of them. 29:24.115 --> 29:29.326 The idea is to learn to not give rise to them in the first place. 29:29.867 --> 29:33.394 It's not to avoid the opportunity for them to arise, but it's 29:35.298 --> 29:40.065 It's to allow the opportunity for them to arise, but not give rise to them. 29:40.165 --> 29:51.080 So whatever condition is causing you to become distracted, it's to learn about that situation and learn about the distractions to the extent that you no longer react in that way. 29:52.001 --> 29:57.469 If you just find a way to avoid the situation, it doesn't actually solve anything. 29:57.790 --> 30:02.436 So any kind of trick that you might have, making it easier, making it better, 30:04.373 --> 30:06.277 It's not really going to help you in the long run. 30:06.297 --> 30:07.620 It's just trying to control things. 30:08.902 --> 30:11.989 Forceful breathing is really bad practice. 30:12.009 --> 30:18.562 And your general experimentation is also bad practice. 30:18.723 --> 30:25.757 If you're really distracted or really drowsy such that you just can't conquer it, 30:25.737 --> 30:27.199 Then you would want to change. 30:27.359 --> 30:28.722 So if you're sitting, you'd walk. 30:28.762 --> 30:29.743 If you're walking, you sit. 30:29.783 --> 30:33.048 But otherwise, don't play with the ratios. 30:33.068 --> 30:33.749 Keep it equal. 30:34.030 --> 30:37.174 Because otherwise it becomes partiality and trying to control. 30:37.214 --> 30:40.519 Trying to avoid, for example. 30:41.781 --> 30:43.564 We want to learn about our hindrances. 30:43.704 --> 30:47.330 They're part of the practice. 30:47.350 --> 30:51.576 When you feel drowsy, the only real way to overcome it is to say to yourself, drowsy, drowsy. 30:58.407 --> 31:01.051 Who did the Portuguese translation of your booklet? 31:01.351 --> 31:03.994 I read it, and some parts of it seemed like they could be improved. 31:05.336 --> 31:11.765 I'm sure I have who it is in my, I don't know offhand who it was, but I have it in my email somewhere. 31:13.167 --> 31:21.698 So if you want to get in touch with me, I can put you in contact with them, or if you want to help out and improve it, that'd be great. 31:25.542 --> 31:36.582 Do you see any benefit in studying things like reincarnation research, Jim Tucker, Ian Stevenson, or other kinds of research like that, that shows that the mind is more than just physical? 31:40.890 --> 31:41.571 Yeah, sure. 31:42.914 --> 31:43.635 Interesting stuff. 31:48.610 --> 31:52.276 I've sometimes started treating the mind as if I were training a child. 31:52.857 --> 31:59.889 For instance, when there's been thinking and I catch it after some seconds, I have started saying to it, now that was thinking. 32:00.470 --> 32:05.339 If there's itching, I might say, as if I'm speaking to a child, that's the experience of itching. 32:05.800 --> 32:06.501 Is this okay? 32:07.022 --> 32:07.783 Thank you, Panthea. 32:08.725 --> 32:09.707 Yeah, that's fine. 32:09.727 --> 32:12.872 I mean, it's more efficient to just say itching, itching. 32:13.993 --> 32:17.439 Otherwise, it kind of becomes a thing, you know? 32:17.499 --> 32:23.228 Like, yeah, you're including the idea of a child, for example, you know? 32:24.270 --> 32:26.593 Or you're adding a tone to it, which we don't really want. 32:27.575 --> 32:32.623 It should be as neutral and as unflavored as possible. 32:32.603 --> 32:35.128 Or is it unadulterated, maybe? 32:35.148 --> 32:39.756 I mean, you don't want to... Again, there's no trick. 32:39.997 --> 32:47.450 Anytime you find yourself trying to find a trick, a way to make it better, a way to make it easier, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. 32:47.851 --> 32:52.299 It'll work for a while, and then it doesn't work, and you wonder, oh, maybe I have to find a new trick. 32:52.319 --> 32:53.141 You're trying to control. 32:53.201 --> 32:55.365 It's not going to be easy. 32:55.405 --> 32:56.687 It's not supposed to be easy. 32:58.827 --> 33:02.612 It's supposed to teach you patience because it's like a child, you know? 33:05.135 --> 33:09.021 The best way to deal with children is to have no attitude whatsoever. 33:09.061 --> 33:11.184 Give them the truth, right? 33:11.204 --> 33:12.565 That's the best way to deal with children. 33:13.987 --> 33:15.249 So try to keep it neutral. 33:15.289 --> 33:17.953 Don't try to make it some kind of special noting. 33:19.354 --> 33:22.439 Just simply itching, itching or thinking, thinking. 33:24.441 --> 33:25.443 Don't put any tone on it. 33:27.585 --> 33:28.767 It's not going to work in the long run. 33:33.455 --> 33:36.080 You talked about Kama Yoga last night. 33:37.102 --> 33:44.597 Are there any extraneous practices that you would recommend to help overcome or hasten the understanding relating to this problem? 33:45.279 --> 33:47.784 Any extra advice or help for anyone dealing with it? 33:48.946 --> 33:51.531 Everybody wants to find a quicker way. 33:52.928 --> 33:58.878 I mean, okay, yeah, I mean, I do answer this one quite frequently. 33:59.760 --> 34:04.809 Kama is the best way to deal with it outside of satipatthana. 34:06.091 --> 34:11.841 Never forget that that's the best way, but it's mindfulness of the body, the parts of the body. 34:11.861 --> 34:18.092 So you do mindfulness of the hair, and you focus on the hair, and you say, geza, geza, or hair, hair, hair. 34:19.338 --> 34:28.830 And then you do the body hair or the facial hair or whatever, the nails, the teeth, the skin. 34:29.451 --> 34:35.439 And you do one piece by one piece and you'd start to see that the body is not something worth clinging to. 34:35.479 --> 34:42.308 Any kind of sexual attraction is weakened. 34:43.790 --> 34:44.471 through that. 34:44.491 --> 34:58.350 That's the main practice for dealing with sensual attraction or sexual attraction. 34:58.450 --> 35:05.780 I almost always have two through six seconds at the bottom of the falling of the breath, where there's no breath, no rising, no falling. 35:06.320 --> 35:08.363 I'm just waiting for the next rise of the stomach. 35:08.714 --> 35:10.936 Stop being distracted during this period. 35:11.016 --> 35:17.742 I have been noting still still or waiting waiting or nothing nothing Yeah, that's fine. 35:17.762 --> 35:22.106 That's actually correct, but At that point and probably where you are. 35:22.146 --> 35:38.181 I can't remember where you are in the course, but at this point we would Once that's that starts to happen It's about time to give you the third part So you would instead say rising falling sitting so switch to being mindful sitting rising falling sitting and 35:38.161 --> 35:41.446 Sitting doesn't have to be between breaths, but sometimes it is. 35:41.526 --> 35:42.508 Sometimes there's room. 35:42.588 --> 35:43.690 So it doesn't matter. 35:43.730 --> 35:46.614 You just switch to sitting even if the breath continues. 35:47.656 --> 35:50.180 So rising, falling, and then switch to sitting. 35:50.220 --> 35:55.528 And after you know sitting, then go back and look at the stomach and wait for it to rise again. 35:57.567 --> 36:10.615 But yeah, we start to give you more objects to be aware of to help because the breath is, over time it becomes insufficient to keep your mind focused. 36:10.795 --> 36:12.198 Your mind is able to see the gaps. 36:14.543 --> 36:15.846 It's got nothing to do in between. 36:21.513 --> 36:24.117 What reason is there to be specific with labeling? 36:24.598 --> 36:29.706 For example, if I observe pain or calmness, why use pain, pain, or calm, calm? 36:30.548 --> 36:35.456 Wouldn't it be better to inculcate the least conceptual label possible? 36:35.616 --> 36:37.279 In other words, feeling in this case? 36:39.502 --> 36:41.766 I mean, it's not wrong, but... 36:44.362 --> 36:49.888 Pain is more quick to, it's closer in your mind. 36:49.908 --> 36:53.312 I mean, it's all about what brings your mind to the experience. 36:53.873 --> 36:57.417 If you're experiencing pain, you don't think of it as a feeling, right? 36:57.617 --> 37:00.260 You don't think of it as, oh, now I'm feeling this thing. 37:00.681 --> 37:02.022 It's like, no, now I'm feeling pain. 37:02.763 --> 37:03.484 That's, what is that? 37:03.524 --> 37:04.325 That's just a feeling. 37:04.365 --> 37:05.066 No, no. 37:05.086 --> 37:06.808 You think of it as pain. 37:06.788 --> 37:11.193 Feeling is more for something that appears to you as just some type of feeling. 37:11.954 --> 37:13.096 Pain appears to you as pain. 37:13.196 --> 37:14.537 Calm appears to you as calm. 37:14.558 --> 37:18.663 So it's not wrong to say feeling, but it's a little more intellectual because it's not the first thing you think of. 37:20.485 --> 37:21.646 It's not how you perceive it. 37:21.826 --> 37:22.828 You perceive it as pain. 37:23.128 --> 37:24.049 That's how we know it. 37:26.072 --> 37:33.741 It's not wrong to do either one, but it's whatever allows you to quickly remind yourself it is what it is. 37:40.015 --> 37:43.740 Through meditation, can you see or experience the heaven or hell realms? 37:43.980 --> 37:44.461 Thank you. 37:45.362 --> 37:47.225 Depends what type of meditation you're doing. 37:47.785 --> 37:50.088 Absolutely, there are lots of meditations. 37:50.108 --> 37:53.433 There are meditations that allow you to do that, sure. 37:54.374 --> 37:58.239 I don't teach them, but you could read the Visuddhimagga. 37:58.259 --> 38:00.522 It's got lots of practices like that. 38:10.475 --> 38:15.904 I think you're all caught up with questions, Bonte, unless somebody didn't put the question mark on it. 38:15.924 --> 38:17.085 I'll check. 38:18.788 --> 38:19.890 How's YouTube doing? 38:20.791 --> 38:22.033 I don't have YouTube up. 38:37.598 --> 38:37.798 Hmm. 38:47.600 --> 38:53.025 So the comments on YouTube, they disappear as soon as the live stream is done? 38:54.126 --> 38:54.446 I don't know. 38:56.208 --> 38:58.810 I think there's just a live chat that people can chat about. 38:59.991 --> 39:03.474 Yeah, it seems to go away once the live stream is over. 39:03.894 --> 39:04.155 Right. 39:05.215 --> 39:06.857 Yeah, they aren't actual comments. 39:06.977 --> 39:08.959 It's just a live chat feature. 39:09.920 --> 39:14.784 So people can chat when they should be actually listening to the talk. 39:14.804 --> 39:15.905 Maybe I should turn that off. 39:15.965 --> 39:17.286 I probably should just turn that off. 39:19.595 --> 39:20.977 Because we've got the chat on our side. 39:21.017 --> 39:27.448 I'm just going to turn it off. 39:27.468 --> 39:27.728 There. 39:27.909 --> 39:29.772 Now there's no live chat. 39:35.501 --> 39:35.822 All right. 39:36.082 --> 39:37.404 Well, then that's all for tonight. 39:39.307 --> 39:40.389 Thank you all for tuning in. 39:40.409 --> 39:41.791 Thanks, Robin, for all your help. 39:42.853 --> 39:43.634 Thank you, Bante. 39:43.654 --> 39:44.255 Good night. 39:44.275 --> 39:45.838 Good night.