1 00:00:00,166 --> 00:00:08,801 Okay, and the technique you teach, Pantech, it's based on mindfulness of the breath, or the abdomen. 2 00:00:11,606 --> 00:00:21,503 The question is, would you agree that the more advanced technique would be to be mindful of thought? 3 00:00:21,523 --> 00:00:24,047 The idea is that 4 00:00:24,803 --> 00:00:41,142 The mind tends to see the five senses as external, and it's easier for the mind to not identify with them, so you can be mindful of the movements of your abdomen, for example. 5 00:00:41,122 --> 00:01:02,826 I'm not identified with them, but it's more difficult to be mindful of your thoughts and not identify with them, because a mind tends to think that thoughts are more like its nature, its inner characteristic. 6 00:01:02,886 --> 00:01:10,875 It depends on the person, but advanced might not quite be the word that I would use, but it's getting there. 7 00:01:11,328 --> 00:01:41,217 the point of putting the body first is that it's more obvious the Visuddhimagga does a really good job of summing this up by saying that you don't have to go and you don't have to pay any attention or to trying to be mindful of the mind because the more clear the body becomes 8 00:01:41,753 --> 00:02:09,600 or as the body becomes clear to an equal degree the mind becomes clear by focusing on the body the mind becomes clear because what is it that's focusing on the body but the mind so as you're watching the abdomen you're in the best position to catch the mind to catch your thoughts so that's the reason for starting there but as to 9 00:02:10,660 --> 00:02:19,072 thinking that the mind is self or that thoughts are self, the theory of it is that it depends on the person. 10 00:02:19,252 --> 00:02:23,959 Some people are more attached to the mind, some people are more attached to the body. 11 00:02:23,979 --> 00:02:25,100 I mean, I'm just going by theory. 12 00:02:25,140 --> 00:02:28,805 I know what I teach and I know how I teach. 13 00:02:29,646 --> 00:02:34,974 And I don't put emphasis on any one of the four Satipatthanas. 14 00:02:37,097 --> 00:02:38,659 Mostly because I'm 15 00:02:39,179 --> 00:02:45,789 obviously not qualified to say which person has which tendency. 16 00:02:45,809 --> 00:02:50,316 Is this person more likely to attach to the body or more likely to attach to the mind? 17 00:02:50,857 --> 00:02:55,945 Are they more of a passionate person or are they more of a views-based person? 18 00:02:58,389 --> 00:03:06,942 I was just editing one of my talks and it reminds me of... I'm reminded of it where I was talking about how 19 00:03:07,985 --> 00:03:16,454 a person can change quite quickly from one day to the next, or from one course to the next at least. 20 00:03:17,115 --> 00:03:23,862 So to say that at one point they'll be passionate, at another point they'll be intellectual. 21 00:03:23,922 --> 00:03:30,109 And a person may be outwardly intellectual, but inside be very passionate and so on. 22 00:03:30,689 --> 00:03:35,815 So to focus on one or the other of the Satipatthana 23 00:03:36,419 --> 00:03:38,243 You don't see that in the Buddhist teaching. 24 00:03:38,263 --> 00:03:43,454 You don't see any emphasis being placed in that regard. 25 00:03:43,514 --> 00:03:51,270 So starting with the body, what you can see is that there's a lot more in the Satipatthana Sutta on the body. 26 00:03:51,791 --> 00:03:57,162 So you could say, well, in that case, focusing on the body, for example, the breath, 27 00:03:58,492 --> 00:04:00,294 is probably the best place to start. 28 00:04:00,334 --> 00:04:08,645 The Buddha said by practicing anapanasati, you're actually practicing the four foundations, all four of the foundations of mindfulness, for example. 29 00:04:10,287 --> 00:04:21,902 But beyond that, the feelings, the mind, and the dhammas, I would say I wouldn't have any reason to put one of them ahead of the other. 30 00:04:22,602 --> 00:04:23,824 You see how it goes. 31 00:04:24,547 --> 00:04:37,920 There's a teacher, a very famous teacher in the world, who focuses on Vedana, and he comes up with all these quotes from the Buddha's teaching about how Vedana, the second Satipatthani, is the most important. 32 00:04:38,401 --> 00:04:46,288 There's a teacher in Burma who practices Jitanupasana, and he's famous for being a master in practicing Jitanupasana. 33 00:04:46,348 --> 00:04:48,631 And I don't buy this, really. 34 00:04:48,671 --> 00:04:54,216 I mean, their arguments are sound, but it seems to be like the Titya Sutta, 35 00:04:54,500 --> 00:05:00,508 These blind men and the elephant, I think that's maybe pushing it too far and I don't want to really criticize. 36 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:14,526 But it's in danger of that and it doesn't seem to be a particularly, it doesn't seem to be the perfect way to focus on any one of the four, to focus on anything. 37 00:05:14,667 --> 00:05:18,752 I mean, take the general and try to be as flexible as possible. 38 00:05:18,901 --> 00:05:29,176 I think the four satipatthana, if you look at what the Buddha said about it as being like the four posts of a corral to keep the mind in check. 39 00:05:30,758 --> 00:05:33,623 Like the four trees that this monkey is going through. 40 00:05:33,663 --> 00:05:47,423 The four satipatthana as being the monks or the meditators gochara, their resort, their pastures. 41 00:05:47,723 --> 00:05:50,026 and not to go outside of the four satipatthana. 42 00:05:50,046 --> 00:05:53,732 So I really push the four satipatthana. 43 00:05:53,752 --> 00:06:05,009 My teacher really pushes the four satipatthana, and that's one of the great reasons why I have such faith and respect in him, because through his teachings I've come to see how much I agree with that. 44 00:06:05,029 --> 00:06:11,539 The four satipatthana are not too much and not too little. 45 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,064 So I stick by that, all four. 46 00:06:16,850 --> 00:06:26,123 So I guess it depends a lot on the meditator, on each case in particular. 47 00:06:26,904 --> 00:06:30,730 Who's going to say what the meditator needs to focus on in a moment besides what is there? 48 00:06:30,770 --> 00:06:34,736 If there's thought there, of course they should focus on thought. 49 00:06:34,776 --> 00:06:37,960 If there's Vedana there at that moment, they should focus on Vedana. 50 00:06:37,980 --> 00:06:42,587 But if the meditator is the one who says, I should focus on this or this, then 51 00:06:43,546 --> 00:06:47,632 99% of the time, they're just following their own bias, and it's not what they should be doing. 52 00:06:48,853 --> 00:07:02,192 I thought that your practice, the one that you teach, was based on focusing always on your abdomen, regardless of what's happening. 53 00:07:02,553 --> 00:07:03,133 Definitely not. 54 00:07:03,153 --> 00:07:08,541 If something pops up, you notice it, and then go back to breath. 55 00:07:09,179 --> 00:07:10,501 That's right. 56 00:07:10,821 --> 00:07:13,846 Go back to it, but only because it's a base. 57 00:07:13,926 --> 00:07:14,747 There's nothing else. 58 00:07:15,568 --> 00:07:19,614 When there's nothing else there, well, something comes up. 59 00:07:19,994 --> 00:07:22,298 There are all these things. 60 00:07:22,318 --> 00:07:28,166 Even during a single in-breath or out-breath, there are lots of things happening at the same time. 61 00:07:28,186 --> 00:07:33,934 Well, not in the beginning, maybe, but not when you get quieted down. 62 00:07:33,994 --> 00:07:38,140 They're not really happening at the same time, but 63 00:07:38,373 --> 00:08:00,837 yeah you can you can go back and forth there's there's no reason to stay with the abdomen per se except that it's easy to find that it helps you calm down and helps keep you focused so you don't get too carried away with you know you can get easily get overwhelmed by thoughts and so on and very easy to get get carried away and no longer be mindful 64 00:08:02,538 --> 00:08:20,264 Yeah, that's one of the reasons I find it more useful, because it's more transferable to normal life, where you have lots of thoughts, and it's easier to get lost in that event. 65 00:08:20,865 --> 00:08:29,338 So maybe we should practice, do a formal practice, if you're capable of 66 00:08:30,230 --> 00:08:39,481 following the thoughts without getting lost in them, being just aware and mindful of them, it's easier to keep that practice during daily life. 67 00:08:41,083 --> 00:08:41,604 Could be. 68 00:08:42,785 --> 00:08:46,550 But you may not be progressing as a result. 69 00:08:46,570 --> 00:08:49,213 In the daily life, why is it not easier to focus on the body? 70 00:08:51,616 --> 00:08:58,144 It's easier to get lost in the thoughts and easier to stop being objective and start being 71 00:08:59,187 --> 00:09:06,057 giving rise to the ego, the I. I am thinking. 72 00:09:06,077 --> 00:09:07,659 But no, it's certainly possible. 73 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:09,162 There's nothing wrong with it, per se. 74 00:09:12,186 --> 00:09:20,678 I guess all I would say, rather than argue one way or the other, very, very much recommend to keep in mind all four of the Satipatthana. 75 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,905 And of course, to use the mantra as I teach it. 76 00:09:25,586 --> 00:09:28,570 If you're not using the mantra, then it's actually a different... 77 00:09:29,613 --> 00:09:58,607 tradition and I don't have a lot to say well I have a question about mantras and it relates to a question there is now I think in the chat someone asked about about other languages we don't use English and we have a problem finding the right words to use in each case something simple the word's not important the word's just a tool to remind you 78 00:09:59,195 --> 00:10:01,998 Whatever is going to remind you of the object as it is. 79 00:10:03,339 --> 00:10:04,741 What about the object? 80 00:10:05,882 --> 00:10:09,686 What about the consciousness of the object itself? 81 00:10:09,706 --> 00:10:13,310 That's a reminder of the object. 82 00:10:13,691 --> 00:10:15,833 The reminder of the nature of the object. 83 00:10:16,273 --> 00:10:18,876 The consciousness is all over the place. 84 00:10:18,936 --> 00:10:23,781 Consciousness is aware of the object as being good, as being bad, as being me, as being mine. 85 00:10:24,302 --> 00:10:26,164 Consciousness is not pure. 86 00:10:26,802 --> 00:10:27,463 all the time. 87 00:10:27,503 --> 00:10:34,132 You need a consciousness that is clearly aware, ah, this is just what it is. 88 00:10:34,172 --> 00:10:44,786 So this is what mindfulness is, that grasps the true nature of the object without grasping the characteristics or the particulars or judging it at all. 89 00:10:45,847 --> 00:10:53,097 So you don't have to use the word, but it's far preferable according to our tradition. 90 00:10:55,996 --> 00:10:57,578 But try to find a word that is simple. 91 00:10:58,639 --> 00:11:08,630 Instead of writing, you may use, for example, expansion or attach the app and then start attaching your accounts. 92 00:11:09,170 --> 00:11:19,702 For example, you may go into more details of what sensation is present in each moment. 93 00:11:21,204 --> 00:11:21,524 I'm sorry. 94 00:11:21,544 --> 00:11:22,085 I don't get it. 95 00:11:22,205 --> 00:11:23,286 Can you ask it again? 96 00:11:23,772 --> 00:11:26,796 Because rising sounds like a concept. 97 00:11:28,097 --> 00:11:30,120 There's not really a feeling of rising. 98 00:11:30,140 --> 00:11:31,782 It's more like a sensation. 99 00:11:31,802 --> 00:11:36,147 It's more like an expansion or the rubbing against your pores. 100 00:11:36,748 --> 00:11:40,673 Yeah, well, as a non... Sorry, go ahead. 101 00:11:42,074 --> 00:11:48,182 Yeah, and the word could be like a concept, misleading. 102 00:11:48,222 --> 00:11:49,223 Yeah. 103 00:11:49,793 --> 00:11:52,618 See, the thing is, that's really funny. 104 00:11:52,638 --> 00:11:56,884 The thing is, in English, we know quite clearly that it's rising and that it's falling. 105 00:11:56,904 --> 00:12:01,191 But if you're not a native English speaker, it doesn't seem like it's rising at all. 106 00:12:01,352 --> 00:12:06,380 For native English speakers, I think it's quite clear that this is a rising motion. 107 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:07,802 But it's not a rising motion. 108 00:12:07,862 --> 00:12:09,685 It has nothing to do with the word rising at all. 109 00:12:09,745 --> 00:12:12,329 It's just that that's what we call that in English. 110 00:12:12,950 --> 00:12:17,117 That's what it reminds us of. 111 00:12:17,907 --> 00:12:25,438 But, you know, in French they say gonfler, dégonfler, which is much more technically correct. 112 00:12:25,458 --> 00:12:31,146 Because, in fact, when you're standing vertically, your abdomen is not rising up. 113 00:12:31,847 --> 00:12:34,932 I know, but in English it's a different kind of rising. 114 00:12:34,952 --> 00:12:36,494 The rising is the inflation. 115 00:12:37,115 --> 00:12:38,237 It's just an English idiom. 116 00:12:39,298 --> 00:12:43,965 That's something that we should keep in mind to let people know because there's a lot of non-Natives. 117 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:48,806 Even here, I get a lot of non-native English speakers, and I still tell them to use rising and falling. 118 00:12:48,866 --> 00:12:53,871 But it's funny and interesting that we could maybe have better words. 119 00:12:53,911 --> 00:12:55,192 Because in Thai, it's . 120 00:12:56,013 --> 00:13:06,123 is the inflating thus, and is deflating, inflating, deflating, which is very correct. 121 00:13:06,283 --> 00:13:10,948 It's just that in English, we do understand it to be rising and falling for some reason.