WEBVTT 00:32.313 --> 00:33.194 Good evening everyone. 00:33.234 --> 00:36.059 Welcome to our live broadcast. 00:41.407 --> 00:52.044 I'm finding myself doing many different things and running the Buddhism club at McMaster and we've got a peace club as well. 00:53.346 --> 00:57.072 I just came from our peace walk on the International Day of Peace. 00:59.330 --> 01:14.869 So it's been a long day, and I'm concerned that might affect my ability to answer questions and teach Dhamma, so apologies. 01:15.750 --> 01:25.843 I'm going to try to keep up this daily broadcast, but it may not always be as fulfilling, satisfying. 01:28.000 --> 01:29.403 as one might wish. 01:32.610 --> 01:42.651 So tonight we're looking at Guttar Nikaya Book of Fours, Sutta 177, Rahula Sutta. 01:55.743 --> 02:01.573 Why I stopped on this one is just so that we could take a moment to reflect on the four elements. 02:05.960 --> 02:21.987 So what the Buddha says in this, first he defines, he's defining reality or a part of reality, the physical aspect of reality, as having four parts. 02:23.907 --> 02:28.333 And those four parts are split into two as being internal and external. 02:28.393 --> 02:31.337 And those four parts, of course, are the elements. 02:33.541 --> 02:40.070 So all of physical reality is summarized under these headings. 02:41.492 --> 02:44.616 It's either internal or external. 02:45.878 --> 02:54.452 And it's made up of the four elements, every physical, every aspect of physical reality. 02:55.093 --> 03:07.853 Now, it's important to remember and keep in mind the paradigm under which this functions, functions under the paradigm of experience. 03:09.200 --> 03:19.073 So reality is defined as moments of experience, contact between the physical and the mental. 03:26.162 --> 03:29.807 And as for the physical, it's made up of the four elements. 03:32.656 --> 03:34.638 That's the physical aspect of experience. 03:35.379 --> 03:45.232 It says nothing about particles, subatomic particles, quarks, strings, quantum fields, none of that. 03:45.252 --> 03:48.756 It's only referring to what can be observed directly. 03:51.860 --> 03:56.726 And what can be observed directly is earth, air, water, fire. 03:56.967 --> 03:57.347 That's it. 03:59.420 --> 04:08.673 And so when we learned about, in grade 9 science, we learned about the four elements. 04:10.996 --> 04:15.562 And we learned that that was the primitive way of understanding matter before we actually knew what matter was. 04:16.984 --> 04:19.207 That's funny because we don't consider it primitive at all. 04:19.708 --> 04:20.669 We consider it real. 04:22.392 --> 04:26.878 And we consider that physics has actually gone off script. 04:29.170 --> 04:48.955 learning about things that are, you could argue, practically useful, in terms of building bombs and that kind of thing, splitting atoms, but not ultimately useful, in terms of relating to ultimate reality. 04:52.159 --> 04:53.500 That's what these four elements do. 04:53.540 --> 04:54.942 The four elements are 04:55.816 --> 05:24.034 useful in ultimate sense because they bring us closer to the truth and clear up our misunderstandings and our useless, improper, unwholesome unproductive, problematic, dangerous reactions to 05:25.381 --> 05:54.865 to reality once we see reality for what it is we find peace in regards to reality no longer fighting no longer chasing or chasing away the the objects of our experience and so this is important 05:56.110 --> 05:58.154 framework to remember. 06:00.198 --> 06:18.574 Defining matter in terms of the four elements shifts our point of view away from concepts like body and hand and foot and face and man and woman and so on and so on to experience. 06:26.907 --> 06:30.571 We have the earth element, which is hardness. 06:31.712 --> 06:32.813 You feel something hard. 06:34.514 --> 06:35.155 Softness. 06:35.575 --> 06:36.857 You feel something is soft. 06:41.521 --> 06:43.143 The water element is cohesion. 06:43.423 --> 06:47.327 When you have something sticky or not sticky. 06:49.369 --> 06:55.615 The fire element, you have heat and you have cold. 06:57.468 --> 07:04.019 And the air element, you have tension and non-tension or flaccidity. 07:06.544 --> 07:07.285 And that's all you have. 07:07.325 --> 07:13.937 That makes up how we experience the physical realm or physical aspect of reality. 07:16.661 --> 07:17.102 And that's it. 07:17.162 --> 07:17.603 That's all. 07:20.047 --> 07:28.622 And so what the Buddha is saying in this sutta, which is of course the whole point, is to see that this should be seen correctly with right wisdom. 07:31.893 --> 07:53.361 yathā bhūtaṁ samaḥ paññāya dhattabhaṁ dhattabhaṁ dhattabhaṁ comes from dhasana same as pasana from vipassana dhattabhaṁ should be seen samaḥ paññāya with right wisdom yathā bhūtaṁ as it is how? 07:54.182 --> 07:58.187 taṁ that netaṁ mama is not mine 07:59.534 --> 08:07.143 This is not myself. 08:10.828 --> 08:11.368 Those three. 08:11.428 --> 08:12.370 This is not mine. 08:12.430 --> 08:14.572 This I am not. 08:15.293 --> 08:16.334 This is not myself. 08:17.856 --> 08:26.807 Those three are the description of the... 08:29.487 --> 08:33.972 manifestation of the three types of clinging. 08:34.733 --> 08:38.076 You cling through views, this is myself. 08:38.476 --> 08:40.899 You cling through conceit, I am this. 08:42.681 --> 08:44.763 And you cling through craving, this is mine. 08:47.526 --> 08:51.670 So these three things are giving up views, conceit and craving. 08:53.352 --> 08:56.035 The three causes of clinging. 09:06.106 --> 09:16.097 And once you see this clearly, that actually, well, these are not worth clinging to, that they're not me, they're not mine, they're not myself. 09:19.660 --> 09:30.272 When you see that clearly, evang-diswa, having seen, apodatvaya, patvidatvaya, nibindati, one becomes disenchanted. 09:32.654 --> 09:35.117 When you see that there's no control, there's no ownership, 09:36.970 --> 10:06.370 there's no reckoning with these things they come and go and they change in ways that are almost completely out of our hands when you see that well you start to get disenchanted you lose all this lust and desire for them because you see they're just taking you on a wild goose chase 10:08.527 --> 10:12.491 looking for the wild goose of satisfaction, which you'll never find. 10:12.531 --> 10:16.374 You'll end up chasing your tail. 10:22.540 --> 10:26.243 So one becomes disenchanted, loses interest. 10:28.245 --> 10:35.172 Meditators can often be surprised by how the things that used to interest them no longer interest them. 10:35.192 --> 10:36.593 They just no longer 10:37.906 --> 10:56.843 give rise to the desire for or aversion towards anything just don't see the point and it's not out of it's not because they are 10:59.017 --> 11:00.980 ignorant or uninterested. 11:01.040 --> 11:03.003 It's out of wisdom. 11:03.985 --> 11:06.308 It's because those things are not actually pleasant. 11:06.469 --> 11:07.530 Those things actually don't. 11:08.652 --> 11:14.661 There's no resolution that can be gained from chasing them or chasing them away. 11:16.965 --> 11:19.489 They are unsatisfying. 11:23.958 --> 11:50.674 one becomes dispassionate the mind becomes one detaches the mind from it so the mind that is clinging one frees the mind from that clinging that obsession 11:54.012 --> 11:59.139 Right, so that's the sutta for tonight. 11:59.159 --> 12:04.886 That's as far as I'm going to go because I think tonight's going to be a short session. 12:05.727 --> 12:19.024 We had a peace walk and then we went on this, we went to the peace walk and then we had a bonfire and we sat around talking about all sorts of projects that we're interested in in terms of cultivating peace. 12:20.962 --> 12:21.843 It's a really good group. 12:22.244 --> 12:24.468 A lot of them are interested in mental health meditation. 12:25.329 --> 12:27.272 So hopefully going to do some things in that regard. 12:34.604 --> 12:38.310 So without further ado, let's look at some questions. 12:39.251 --> 12:42.276 Some questions, not all these questions. 12:45.481 --> 12:46.463 What can I do 12:51.050 --> 13:02.361 I just want to go to the chat. 13:02.381 --> 13:02.481 Good. 13:02.501 --> 13:05.945 What can I do when in meditation without a word for a concentration? 13:05.985 --> 13:09.188 There are places and things that I cannot find now words for. 13:10.889 --> 13:11.530 Well, try me. 13:11.910 --> 13:13.532 You can find a word for pretty much anything. 13:13.812 --> 13:15.534 Feeling or knowing is often a good one. 13:15.634 --> 13:20.719 Calm, quiet is one that people stumble over or forget about quite often. 13:25.627 --> 13:27.850 But just knowing or feeling often works as well. 13:29.111 --> 13:36.279 In many stories we see many individuals wishing for something. 13:38.922 --> 13:40.023 Should one practice like that? 13:40.624 --> 13:41.986 Are these the ways of the wise? 13:46.731 --> 13:49.795 What should be the intention while doing good deeds if the goal is to become an arahant? 13:49.815 --> 13:54.520 If the goal is to become an arahant then you should do good deeds thinking this will help me become an arahant. 13:55.968 --> 13:58.494 If your goal is to go to heaven, you should think this will help me get to heaven. 13:58.514 --> 14:03.086 If your goal is to be rich, you should do things with the intention that they should make you rich. 14:05.933 --> 14:06.915 But yeah, it's an hour hunt. 14:08.419 --> 14:11.226 You're not so much concerned with, may I get this or that. 14:16.640 --> 14:20.871 By the practice of meditation I intend to heal my defilements. 14:21.031 --> 14:21.513 Good for you. 14:22.435 --> 14:23.036 But I can't. 14:24.280 --> 14:27.769 I can't help myself to feel a superiority in regards to people who are not aware. 14:29.232 --> 14:33.383 Sometimes I catch myself thinking that the Arahant goal is just a pursuit based on ego. 14:35.236 --> 14:35.937 How can I reduce? 14:36.037 --> 14:36.999 Well, no, no, no. 14:37.019 --> 14:39.784 You see, when you meditate, all your defilements come up. 14:39.804 --> 14:41.187 Just like when you do anything, actually. 14:42.209 --> 14:43.371 Meditation is no different. 14:43.471 --> 14:48.159 So when you meditate, you're going to feel egotistical about things like your meditation. 14:48.540 --> 14:49.281 It's not a problem. 14:49.943 --> 14:52.387 It is a problem, but it's not unexpected. 14:54.070 --> 14:56.054 But the fact that you see that you're egotistical is great. 14:56.174 --> 14:56.755 I mean, that's 14:56.735 --> 15:19.287 That's what's unique about meditation is you're in a unique position to understand these experiences and to see them for what they are and to see how disgusting and unpleasant and undesirable they are and slowly get rid of them. 15:19.307 --> 15:23.333 Would an enlightened mind have a need to do formal meditation practice? 15:25.186 --> 15:27.830 assuming they've perfect mindfulness. 15:29.913 --> 15:35.963 So an enlightened mind doesn't have any need to do anything, but they do do things, like meditate, just because they keep doing things. 15:37.025 --> 15:51.227 But having no need and no desire, much is done away with, and when they pass away, there's no more arising of anything. 15:53.975 --> 15:55.958 What constitutes a skillful question? 15:59.463 --> 16:01.186 I think it's relative, I suppose. 16:01.246 --> 16:04.550 I mean, what makes something skillful? 16:04.610 --> 16:07.835 Are you good at asking questions? 16:09.037 --> 16:11.420 I mean, if you're just asking, what makes a good question? 16:11.481 --> 16:19.212 Well, a good question is one that allows you to get an answer that helps you. 16:21.415 --> 16:22.817 Helps you get closer to enlightenment. 16:27.607 --> 16:28.789 That's a good point. 16:28.829 --> 16:29.930 Why are you asking the question? 16:30.511 --> 16:34.777 When someone asks a question, are they asking it because they're just curious? 16:34.857 --> 16:36.319 Well, it's not a very skillful thing. 16:36.980 --> 16:45.432 Are they asking it because it's something that they believe is necessary for them to know in order to become enlightened? 16:45.452 --> 16:47.315 Well, that seems like a good question. 16:47.375 --> 16:52.382 Even if they're wrong, maybe the answer is, no, no, you don't need to know that, but it's good that they ask. 16:55.602 --> 16:56.864 If they sincerely believe. 16:56.884 --> 17:01.129 But sometimes we just ask questions because we're lazy or because we're curious or because whatever. 17:02.051 --> 17:03.172 And those are not so skillful. 17:05.215 --> 17:07.398 When I'm doing walking practice I become unsteady. 17:07.458 --> 17:14.687 This seems to happen when I'm being mindful in the walking practice. 17:14.727 --> 17:17.391 Could this be my mind trying to pull away from my mindfulness? 17:20.273 --> 17:22.058 My drifts I find when I walk steady. 17:24.465 --> 17:26.150 Yes, in the beginning it's awkward. 17:26.371 --> 17:35.397 You're doing something that is, you could think of it as trying to chew gum and juggle at the same time or something. 17:36.693 --> 18:04.573 don't do two things at once so it's something that your mind is struggling with and when your mind struggles it stumbles and therefore the body also stumbles but eventually it becomes more you become more comfortable with it I wouldn't worry about it I mean I guess it can come even for an advanced meditator as well 18:06.325 --> 18:09.871 It has to do with the brain being limited and imperfect. 18:10.132 --> 18:10.773 It's fine. 18:10.793 --> 18:13.497 Stumbling is an interesting experience. 18:22.252 --> 18:25.799 On last night's broadcast there was some kind of a flying bug in the room. 18:25.879 --> 18:29.565 I caught the bug in my hand and I put it out the window. 18:31.216 --> 18:31.817 I don't kill. 18:31.857 --> 18:36.364 I certainly wouldn't, well, don't kill. 18:36.945 --> 18:40.110 It's not intentional. 18:40.130 --> 18:42.213 That's something I can tell you for sure I don't do. 18:46.279 --> 18:52.228 What should be the speed of walking meditation compared to regular walking? 18:55.820 --> 19:03.607 Well, regular walking, if you start being mindful, you realize that you're actually going somewhat quickly, so it's probably a bit slower, but it shouldn't feel slow. 19:04.568 --> 19:06.150 If it feels slow, you're going too slow. 19:06.170 --> 19:10.454 If it feels fast, you're going too fast, I would say. 19:10.474 --> 19:22.485 Mind you, an ordinary person, when you're just starting meditating, you're probably geared to doing things quickly, so you have to maybe spend some time 19:24.085 --> 19:25.227 being fairly careful. 19:25.607 --> 19:31.996 Start a bit slow and eventually get a sense of a natural, calm rhythm. 19:32.016 --> 19:34.320 And that will of course change from time to time. 19:35.562 --> 19:38.185 It shouldn't be fast, shouldn't be slow. 19:38.205 --> 19:43.032 Ajahn Tong just said, not too fast, not too slow. 19:44.474 --> 19:47.579 How long should we note standing? 19:48.000 --> 19:49.722 Where in the body do we note standing? 19:51.271 --> 19:54.736 So, up to you. 19:55.277 --> 19:57.260 You can actually note standing for hours if you want. 19:58.161 --> 20:01.426 There was one monk who did twelve hours of standing meditation. 20:02.267 --> 20:03.089 I wouldn't recommend it. 20:03.109 --> 20:05.432 I'd recommend going back to the rising and falling. 20:05.452 --> 20:06.574 It's probably a better object. 20:09.238 --> 20:15.507 When we do walking meditation, we note it three times, standing, standing, standing, and then we turn or walk. 20:17.039 --> 20:18.442 Where in the body do you note standing? 20:18.482 --> 20:20.988 It's just a general sense of the feelings in the body. 20:21.709 --> 20:22.491 It doesn't really matter. 20:22.531 --> 20:23.854 Sometimes it's different spots. 20:24.335 --> 20:26.380 Just being aware of the feeling of standing. 20:29.747 --> 20:30.569 Are you feeling better? 20:31.291 --> 20:31.892 Better than what? 20:36.108 --> 20:40.033 I've been having burping, so I guess that's some kind of suffering. 20:40.073 --> 20:41.355 It's not that unpleasant. 20:41.515 --> 20:48.083 I got medication today that prevents acid production in the body. 20:48.904 --> 20:51.067 They want to test and make sure that that's all it is. 20:52.108 --> 20:53.670 So for two weeks I get to test. 20:53.710 --> 20:57.255 It's actually, I think, a little bit better today after taking the medicine. 20:59.817 --> 21:03.581 Could you please give an example of experiences associated with air element and the earth element? 21:04.482 --> 21:12.130 Right, so the air element, if you feel in the stomach, the tension when you breathe in and the release when you breathe out, that's an example of the air element. 21:12.351 --> 21:17.276 Or when you sit up straight, the pressure you feel in your back, that's the air element, the pressure. 21:18.137 --> 21:22.942 Earth element is when you step on a hard floor and it feels hard, that's the earth element. 21:23.002 --> 21:27.327 When you step on a plush carpet, it feels soft, that's also the earth element. 21:31.762 --> 21:35.728 I don't answer questions about my practice or anybody else's practice. 21:35.748 --> 21:36.069 Sorry. 21:37.711 --> 21:38.573 And that's all. 21:38.593 --> 21:45.844 Thank you for going easy on me, or maybe I just sped through those questions, but that's it. 21:46.645 --> 21:48.007 Those are the questions for tonight. 21:49.830 --> 21:53.095 Apologies for not being 100%, you know, if I... 21:54.796 --> 21:58.821 If I could just do one thing, but I find myself... 21:58.861 --> 22:00.623 There's an idea to start a chaplain. 22:00.663 --> 22:05.809 There's a new chaplain at McMaster, an ecumenical chaplain. 22:06.489 --> 22:07.330 Seems like a nice guy. 22:08.171 --> 22:12.937 And he wants to bring non-Christian religions to the table. 22:13.918 --> 22:16.821 Not sure how sincere he is, but he seems nice. 22:18.674 --> 22:20.276 nice in perhaps a Christian way. 22:20.296 --> 22:22.299 I'm not sure yet, but we'll have to see. 22:22.319 --> 22:25.223 If he's genuinely nice, then it will be nice. 22:25.283 --> 22:28.848 So I just mean to say I'm involved with different things. 22:29.709 --> 22:31.511 Peace mostly and Buddhism. 22:33.514 --> 22:34.615 But good stuff. 22:34.856 --> 22:44.749 Trying to get involved with the local community and sort of align myself in ways that allow for the cultivation of wholesome 22:46.822 --> 23:12.390 interactions and groups and communities and allow me to there's some sense of experimenting from my point of view experimenting and reaching out and dialoguing with people who might be interested in what I do not even just that, it's not about that 23:13.467 --> 23:14.750 Not even who. 23:14.951 --> 23:20.485 Dialoguing with people in an effort to cultivate peace. 23:20.505 --> 23:25.498 And maybe not even an effort, just dialoguing with people in ways that are peaceful. 23:26.881 --> 23:28.164 You deal with the people you have. 23:28.204 --> 23:30.430 I've made a decision to live here in Canada. 23:32.992 --> 23:39.439 Doing what comes naturally, I should think, in terms of cultivating peace and working together. 23:40.520 --> 23:45.165 We complain about society and we complain about the world, but it's all changeable. 23:45.665 --> 23:46.586 It's all malleable. 23:49.069 --> 23:52.232 All it takes is doing what needs to be done. 23:52.252 --> 23:55.536 When you complain about something, it's changeable. 23:55.556 --> 23:56.937 Everything is. 23:56.957 --> 23:57.938 Do you have the patience? 23:58.058 --> 24:01.682 Do you have the purity of mind to see it through? 24:04.683 --> 24:08.028 Doing goodness is always worth it. 24:08.208 --> 24:10.191 Don't be afraid of goodness. 24:18.223 --> 24:27.737 Apologies for perhaps in the near future reducing some of my effort put into the online community. 24:29.135 --> 24:34.364 And I only say that because it's actually the most important part of what I do. 24:34.524 --> 24:37.550 So I'm not suggesting that I'm going to give it up. 24:37.570 --> 24:39.794 But it may no longer be 100%. 24:39.814 --> 24:43.320 Hopefully it will still be 80% or 90%. 24:45.824 --> 24:46.485 Good night, everyone. 24:46.525 --> 24:49.270 See you all again soon.