1
00:00:00,031 --> 00:00:03,256
My flight to Sri Lanka is only in a few days.

2
00:00:03,336 --> 00:00:07,603
I'm experiencing wave after wave of strong excitement and fear.

3
00:00:08,544 --> 00:00:11,969
Any special recommendation regarding one's practice before a retreat?

4
00:00:14,073 --> 00:00:21,364
Well, the first one is with anything be fairly

5
00:00:24,010 --> 00:00:34,650
I don't know, I guess a little bit strict with yourself, reminding yourself that it's never good to live in the future.

6
00:00:36,133 --> 00:00:37,155
That's the best way to put it.

7
00:00:38,097 --> 00:00:40,922
The excitement that we have for things is...

8
00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:43,183
is not correct.

9
00:00:43,624 --> 00:00:45,429
It's not correct to be excited about things.

10
00:00:45,991 --> 00:00:47,435
It's not beneficial.

11
00:00:47,475 --> 00:00:48,779
It's a cause for suffering for you.

12
00:00:50,143 --> 00:00:57,122
And it's a cause for you to actually ruin future experiences.

13
00:00:57,102 --> 00:01:22,485
with expectations or with just excitement by itself because you bring that into the experience you bring the fear you bring the excitement into the experience and so you want to start on the right foot by reminding yourself this is not correct it's not proper to be i mean this is natural when there are expectations in the future you have to go up on stage and give a talk for example

14
00:01:22,465 --> 00:01:27,417
Great fear comes up great excitement when you have a performance or so on.

15
00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:29,422
Great fear and excitement.

16
00:01:30,926 --> 00:01:33,793
But it's not proper and it's not helpful.

17
00:01:34,234 --> 00:01:36,981
It's detrimental.

18
00:01:38,581 --> 00:01:41,627
So the problem with that, you have to be careful there as well.

19
00:01:42,448 --> 00:01:47,779
I don't mean to say you have to remind yourself that this is harmful, because that's dangerous as well.

20
00:01:47,859 --> 00:01:51,085
Then you get even more worried and more afraid, I'm going to ruin it or so on.

21
00:01:51,907 --> 00:01:53,389
You just have to be strict with yourself.

22
00:01:53,991 --> 00:01:55,293
Always stay in the present moment.

23
00:01:55,834 --> 00:01:59,982
So the best way to say is, remind yourself to stay in the present moment.

24
00:01:59,962 --> 00:02:03,686
What's most important now is now.

25
00:02:04,668 --> 00:02:07,791
It's not Sri Lanka when you come here.

26
00:02:07,811 --> 00:02:10,494
It's not the meditation course that you're going to do.

27
00:02:11,676 --> 00:02:16,361
The meditation course, you'll be terribly disappointed because you'll realize it's just the same.

28
00:02:16,401 --> 00:02:26,273
I mean, you won't be intellectually, but your mind that's excited now will become bored and easily...

29
00:02:28,278 --> 00:02:33,246
disenchanted because it's exactly the same as it was at home.

30
00:02:33,766 --> 00:02:38,173
And so then your mind with the same habit will begin to get excited about when you're going to go home.

31
00:02:38,914 --> 00:02:40,116
Wow, then that's what's exciting.

32
00:02:40,136 --> 00:02:45,024
When I go home, then it's really going to be exciting because then I can put all this into practice.

33
00:02:45,044 --> 00:02:47,007
Yeah, when I go back to work, I'll be like this.

34
00:02:47,608 --> 00:02:49,611
And you'll get more excited and more afraid.

35
00:02:49,591 --> 00:02:56,221
And you'll have the same conditions while you're here in the practice, becoming excited and afraid about having to go home.

36
00:02:57,183 --> 00:02:59,146
And this is how you'll develop your habits.

37
00:02:59,406 --> 00:03:03,112
So it doesn't mean that you can solve it now.

38
00:03:03,913 --> 00:03:06,958
Of course, coming to meditate is the best way to help to solve that.

39
00:03:07,968 --> 00:03:11,615
But it's important to have your right view about meditation.

40
00:03:11,956 --> 00:03:14,261
Meditation is to be in the present moment.

41
00:03:14,802 --> 00:03:28,069
So the best way to prepare for the meditation practice is to start meditating, to look at this excitement and fear and say, this is what I'm going to have to deal with at the meditation practice.

42
00:03:28,049 --> 00:03:31,155
This is what the meditation practice is all about.

43
00:03:31,215 --> 00:03:45,484
Start here, start now and focus on that worry and that fear or that excitement and that fear because it's the same sort of thing that's going to come up here and it'll ruin your practice if you're here thinking about the future.

44
00:03:45,464 --> 00:03:50,391
You'll be, yes, yes, I'm here for the purpose of the future.

45
00:03:50,471 --> 00:03:50,992
Well, you're not.

46
00:03:51,092 --> 00:03:56,639
You're here for the purpose of the present moment, to make the present moment the best it can be.

47
00:03:57,060 --> 00:04:00,705
So right now, make the present moment the best it can be.

48
00:04:00,725 --> 00:04:01,927
That's the best way to prepare.

49
00:04:03,809 --> 00:04:05,852
Don't get excited about the course.

50
00:04:05,832 --> 00:04:10,941
I mean, if you do get excited, look at the excitement, not at the course.

51
00:04:11,863 --> 00:04:12,844
Look at that excitement.

52
00:04:13,806 --> 00:04:14,628
Don't repress it.

53
00:04:14,968 --> 00:04:15,710
Don't stop it.

54
00:04:16,030 --> 00:04:18,034
Don't deny it.

55
00:04:18,755 --> 00:04:19,196
Look at it.

56
00:04:20,017 --> 00:04:24,946
Try to understand the excitement, because that's what you're going to try to be doing here.

57
00:04:25,026 --> 00:04:26,068
So get a head start.