The Daily Tejaniya

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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aflatun
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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The Daily Tejaniya July 28, 2018 wrote:
Only when you step back are you able to see that the process of awareness is actually happening naturally. That's why I sometimes ask yogis: "Have you noticed that you can hear even though you are not listening; that seeing is happening even though you are not trying to look at anything; and that even though you are not paying attention, your mind already knows things?"
The Daily Tejaniya July 29, 2018 wrote:
I would like yogis to get to the point where they realize that without focusing or paying attention, the nature of knowing is happening. They are too busy thinking they are practicing. They need to step back in order to see what is happening. They need to switch from doing to recognizing.
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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aflatun
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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The Daily Tejaniya July 19, 2018 wrote: YOGI:
When aversion arises, usually something more
interesting then quickly comes up and the mind is
like, "Okay, this is good, because I don't need
to look at the aversion anymore."

SUT:
You are trying to avoid watching aversion. [Emphatically]:
If there's aversion, I don't care what other object comes in, or
how interesting it is, you must stay with aversion. Because for
you, you want to avoid it. But aversion is a very, very impor-
tant lesson. If you don't get this lesson you'll just keep
going in circles, no matter how long you practice.
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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Nicolas
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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The Daily Tejaniya, November 23, 2019 wrote: When I was a teenager, my teacher taught me: "If you know it, be happy." That really stuck with me. I could be angry, or do something unskillful, but when I became aware of it, I was happy. When something unskillful came up in the mind, with awareness it didn't stay. Right view is so powerful: You see it, you know it, it’s gone.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 30, 2019 wrote:A light, general awareness allows us to continue functioning, to do the activities we need to do while a light recognition of what is happening works steadily in the background. This very gentle awareness, while not continuous in the beginning, will eventually gain momentum. When it becomes a natural, continuous awareness, it will really feel like you're aware and you'll feel like you are living in this awareness in everything that you do. For me, it was at this point that I really understood the true nature of vipassana meditation, and began to believe that it is possible to become enlightened while living life.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 26, 2019 wrote: We need to look at what is in our mind, and know it until the mind realizes that it doesn't want to be that way anymore. That realization will help you learn how to let go.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 16, 2019 wrote:If you can see the intention to think, know that. Observe the intensity of the intention. When, through skillful observation, the intention diminishes, the thoughts will also diminish. If you can't see the intention to think just switch back and forth between thoughts and body as objects.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 15, 2019 wrote:When there are strong wholesome qualities in the mind, it is difficult for the mind to suddenly change and become unwholesome. When there is a strong unwholesome train of thought going on, it's difficult for it to suddenly switch and become wholesome. I experimented for myself once when my mind was wholesome. I tried to intentionally think negative thoughts and realized that I could not.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 12, 2019 wrote: When we do not understand the reality of seeing, we may get lost in the things we see instead of recognizing that seeing is happening. Seeing is such an obvious object that we may not recognize it as such, simply because we don't yet understand it.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 5, 2019 wrote:If you merely follow my instructions without conducting your own investigation, wisdom won't arise in you. You need to learn to the point where you personally understand why you need to act in certain ways.
The Daily Tejaniya, October 2, 2019 wrote:As wisdom gains traction and defilements thin out, you'll see that there aren't that many problems per se.
The Daily Tejaniya, September 28, 2019 wrote:When yogis observe defilements, it is often from a point of view that they are enemies to be fought. That is already a battle lost. Defilements like it when you fight, because fighting is itself a defilement.
The Daily Tejaniya, June 5, 2017 wrote: Nobody outside of this mind can upset it, make it angry, averse, afraid, happy, joyful or grateful. Nobody outside of the mind triggers it. The mind is responsible for its own feelings, gladness and suffering.
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Sam Vara
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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Nicolas wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:27 pm ...
Many thanks, Nicolas. I look forward to these more than I do anything else on here. :anjali: :heart:
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Nicolas
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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Sam Vara wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2019 4:27 pm[...]
Glad to hear! His words always hit home for me, they reflect a keen interest in the mind.

Here are some more (backlogging):
The Daily Tejaniya, September 2, 2019 wrote: When you know the peaceful mind continuously, and you know everything that's happening in the mind, you'll also immediately notice when a speck of greed, hatred or delusion comes to disturb that peace. At this point, you can immediately recognize the thought that preceded that shift from a peaceful mind to an agitated mind.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 30, 2019 wrote: I want you to use your wisdom to continue the work. Collect this gold dust a bit more each day, day by day. Mindfulness is a lifetime commitment, not a part-time job. It is something you really, really need to do all the time.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 29, 2019 wrote: You have to play, play with awareness and the mind. Then it becomes very interesting. Use your know-how and wit. If meditation feels like a responsibility, it'll just be a burden. Create your world.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 21, 2019 wrote: If we are practicing correctly, then life will always be new and interesting because we are always seeing more. We are observing nature happening in the deepest possible way. This is nature, experiencing nature.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 12, 2019 wrote: When it is quiet or when it is noisy, which is better? When the mind judges or has a preference for something to be better, then it will automatically develop a reaction if the opposite happens. Right view is to not have a preference. Sound is just sound, nature.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 7, 2019 wrote: The world is a creation of the mind. So there is no need to look outside. Everything is happening right here in our own minds.
The Daily Tejaniya, August 2, 2019 wrote: If you have the right attitude then everything is no problem, and the object does not disturb you. Any object is a dhamma object, dhamma nature. Even pain can be an object. Pain is an object; no pain is also an object. Object is object. If you understand object as object, the mind can't attach and can't resist. Objects help your awareness. You can use any object to grow mindfulness, stability of mind, and wisdom.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 31, 2019 wrote: For as long as you can tolerate the pain you might want to learn from it. When the pain is there, what does the mind think? How does that thinking make the mind feel? How does the thinking affect the feeling and vice versa? When the pain starts increasing, how does the mind's attitude about it change? You want to see how a change in the thinking and state of mind affects your experience of the physical. It becomes an experiment.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 29, 2019 wrote: When there is pain, do we like the pain? No? That's because we have decided that pain is not good. But pain is a natural phenomenon. When there's body, there will be discomfort. It's not a problem, it's just a manifestation of nature. When we think it's a problem, when we think that there should not be pain, then every time pain comes we make it a problem.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 28, 2019 wrote: "Painful" is the name that aversion, dosa, gives to a sensation. If you can really get to the point where you can relax the mind until there is no dosa, you can look at the same sensation and find it's just an interesting sensation to observe. Instead of a solid kind of hard sensation you will find that it becomes much softer, that there's more movement.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 27, 2019 wrote: When there is pain, aversion exaggerates the situation, making the pain seem stiff, hard, or solid. In reality, it may not be that painful. In the absence of aversion, there are just subtle sensations; the pain will no longer seem solid. Even the concept of "pain" may disappear.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 26, 2019 wrote: When there is pain, the mental feelings and reactions are strong and therefore easy to observe. Learn to watch anger and resistance, tension or discomfort in the mind. If necessary, alternate between checking your feelings and the attitude behind your resistance. Keep reminding yourself to relax the body and mind.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 8, 2019 wrote: Thinking and seeing are very similar in nature. In the practice of being aware of thinking, you have to make yourself conscious that you are thinking. You have to remind yourself, again and again, "Oh, thinking is happening," until you are able to view thinking objectively, and not identify with the thinker. If you apply the same pattern to seeing, and keep reminding yourself "seeing is happening," you are able to step away from it a little bit. Remind yourself, "seeing is happening, seeing is happening," and you can stop identifying with the seer.
The Daily Tejaniya, July 7, 2019 wrote: When you close your eyes to meditate, you may get the impression there is suddenly a lot of thinking. But the mind is actually thinking all the time. You just do not notice it because when your eyes are open you are paying more attention to external objects than to thoughts.
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Nicolas
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

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The Daily Tejaniya, September 14, 2023 wrote: My teacher taught me: "If you know it, be happy." That really stuck with me. I could be angry, or do something unskillful, but when I became aware of it, I was happy. When something unskillful came up in the mind, with awareness it didn't stay. Right view is so powerful: You see it, you know it, it’s gone.
zamis
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Re: The Daily Tejaniya

Post by zamis »

Subscribed to this several weeks ago and it's an immediately applicable blessing every morning.
"Therefore Ananda, live with yourself as an island, yourself as a refuge, there is no other Refuge. With the Teaching as an island, the Teaching as a refuge, there is no other Refuge." (DN 16)
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