If we want to learn about ourselves, we must continuously be aware of ourselves. The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the starting point of practice. He said that he did not see any Dhamma more important than mindfulness to lead us out of defilements and suffering. Mindfulness may seem simple, but in the world, people are mostly deluded. The opposite of mindfulness is delusion. We forget ourselves almost all the time. Those who have never practiced meditation have never been truly mindful. From waking to sleeping, they are daydreaming, their minds lost in the world of thoughts.
When the mind is lost in the world of thoughts, it's like dreaming while awake—called daydreaming. While we are dreaming, we cannot see the truth because dreams are not reality. So, we cannot learn about the body and mind. Therefore, we must try to wake ourselves up. Our bodies are awake, but our minds need to be awakened from dreaming. A mind that dreams is lost in the world of thoughts, rarely mindful. Ajahn Aa often says that we must train in mindfulness. If we have true mindfulness, our minds will escape the world of thoughts and dreams and enter the world of awareness.
We can see that some people, no matter how much they gain, are never satisfied. They are constantly hungry, striving their entire lives for benefits. Some accumulate wealth but do not use it, spending their time fighting and competing, without finding happiness despite having money. Why is this? Because their minds are never full; their minds are always hungry. Though their bodies are human, their minds are like those of hungry ghosts. Some are highly opinionated and cling strongly to their views, full of ego and pride; these minds are like those of asuras (demons).
In classifying beings, we do not do so based on physical forms—like calling someone a human, a dog, etc. At every moment, our minds cycle through birth and death depending on the mental formations that arise. Sometimes we generate negative thoughts, like greed, and our minds become like those of hungry ghosts. If we are highly self-centered, cling to our views, and are envious, our minds become like those of asuras. If we are deluded, daydreaming all day, our bodies may be human, but our minds are like those of animals. Animals tend to be dazed and lost in their own world all day long.
Sometimes our minds are rational, moral, and virtuous, and our minds are like those of humans. Sometimes, when we are virtuous and moral, we feel happiness, like when making merit or listening to Dhamma teachings. Our minds are like those of devas. We don't have to wait until we die to become devas; we can be devas right now. Some people, when meditating and their minds become calm and collected, their minds are like those of Brahmas. Therefore, our minds determine our state—whether we are in a good or bad realm depends on the mind's condition. It creates good and bad states, and these mental formations lead us through the cycle of birth and death.
If we want to practice well, we don't need to force ourselves too much. We just need to be aware of the mental formations arising in our minds. When greed arises, recognize it. When we desire something, recognize that the mind is craving. The desire will fade on its own once we recognize it. So we don't need to force it away. Some people, when they are greedy, try to eliminate greed. When they are angry, they try to eliminate anger. We don't need to do anything; just recognize that the mind is forming greed, forming anger, forming delusion. With regular mindfulness, the mind will gradually free itself from these formations.
Just have mindfulness and recognize the state of your mind. Recognize greed when it arises, recognize anger when it arises, recognize delusion when it arises. Recognize when the mind is sinking into suffering. Just observe; there's no need to fix anything. Then we will see that greed arises temporarily and then fades; there is no permanent greed. Anger arises temporarily and then fades; there is no permanent anger. Delusion is a bit more challenging because people are deluded all day long. But as we practice mindfulness, recognizing delusion when it arises, over time, we will naturally recognize it without intending to, and the mind will awaken.
When the mind is lost in the world of greed, anger, or delusion, it is still lost in mental formations and not awake. But when we have mindfulness, recognizing greed as greed, the greedy mind will fade, and the mind will awaken. Recognizing anger as anger, the angry mind will fade, and the mind will awaken. Practice regularly, and the mind will awaken more frequently.
Every time we become aware of the state of our mind, our mind will awaken automatically.
At first, when practicing meditation, we may awaken once throughout the day, only briefly, before becoming lost in thoughts again—experiencing greed, anger, delusion, restlessness, depression, and so on. As we continue practicing day after day, we will become lost for shorter periods. When mental formations arise, we will recognize them quickly. This recognition is when our mind awakens and becomes the knowing, awakened, and joyful mind. Practice this diligently. Have mindfulness and observe your own mind. Recognize greed without needing to fix it. Recognize anger without needing to fix it. When the mind is lost in daydreaming or depression, just observe it as it is. Every time we recognize the state of our mind, it will awaken automatically.
Initially, this awakening may happen rarely, maybe once every few days. This was my experience when I first studied with Ajahn Dune. Sometimes the mind would get lost in emotions, clinging to them. No matter how much I observed, the mind would not detach. After seven days, the mind finally detached and became the knowing mind. At that time, I didn't understand why the mind detached from the world of mental formations and became the knowing mind. I just continued observing my own mind.
Initially, it took a week for the mind to detach, and even then, it was only brief. Then the mind would get lost in emotions again. After five days, the mind detached again for several minutes, like five or ten minutes. Then it got lost in emotions again. As I continued to observe my mind, after three days, the mind detached again and remained stable for an hour. This was due to gradual practice, observing the mind, and gradually detaching from mental formations.
At first, it would take a long time to detach. You don't need to try to force detachment. I was slow, taking seven days, five days, and three days because I tried to force the mind to detach from mental formations. The mind clung to emotions. But as I became more skilled, as soon as the mind clung to emotions, mindfulness immediately recognized it. Recognizing that the mind was sinking into emotions, the mind sprang up and became the awakened mind, no longer lost in dreams. The mind became firmly established.
Once the mind becomes firmly established, it becomes truly capable of developing wisdom. Initially, we may only be aware for short periods. But with regular practice, awareness becomes prolonged, and eventually, the mind becomes firmly established. The mind will feel strong, no longer weak or wavering, but firmly established. Continue to observe your mind, and it will become firmly established. Once the mind is firmly established, we can develop true wisdom. Without a firmly established mind, a knowing, awakened, joyful mind, we cannot develop true wisdom.
This teaching is another method because most of us today have short attention spans. Our minds are constantly distracted, making it difficult to meditate to the point of attaining a calm, radiant mind. It's not suitable for today's busy society. So, we must practice another method to awaken our minds. Rely on mindfulness to recognize when the mind is lost in mental formations. Recognize greed when it arises, and the mind will awaken. Recognize anger, and the mind will awaken. Recognize when the mind is lost in daydreaming, and the mind will awaken. This is the method.
Initially, the mind will awaken only briefly, then get lost for a long time. But as we continue practicing, observing our mind, recognizing anger, greed, delusion, restlessness, and depression, the periods of delusion will shorten. Where we used to be angry for hours, we will now recognize it immediately, and the mind will detach from the world of anger, becoming a firmly established mind. We used to be lost in pleasure for hours, like watching concerts or series, enjoying them without being aware. But with regular practice, when the mind experiences pleasure, greed arises, and we are unaware. When mindfulness recognizes it, the deluded, unaware mind dissolves, and the knowing mind arises. We will recognize this more quickly.
Initially, some people with strong tempers may only recognize their anger after a significant outburst. But with practice, they will recognize it sooner. Eventually, they will notice their discomfort or irritation before it fully develops into anger, and the mind will become firmly established. Therefore, use mindfulness to continuously observe your mind. Eventually, the mind will become firmly established, bright, and aware. Some of you have already achieved this, with the mind firmly established, bright, and aware.
When the mind is firmly established, then true wisdom can develop.
Initially, we may only be mindful for short periods. As we practice more frequently, our periods of mindfulness will lengthen. Eventually, the mind will become firmly established and bright, feeling strong and not weak or wavering. It becomes a strong and stable mind. By gradually observing our own mind, our mind will gain strength and stability. Once our mind is firmly established, we are ready to develop true wisdom. Without a firmly established mind, a mind that knows, awakens, and brightens, we cannot truly develop wisdom. At most, we only think about what Dhamma is like, imagining this or that about Dhamma.
Many of us will find ourselves thinking about how to practice Dhamma—wondering which posture to sit in, how to walk, how to breathe, or where to focus our mind. We become entangled in these thoughts. But if we have mindfulness and continuously observe our own mind, the mind will become firmly established on its own. We don't have to question how it will become established; it will happen naturally. If we intentionally try to make the mind firmly established, the mind will become tense and uncomfortable. But with mindfulness, we observe our mind, recognizing both good and bad thoughts, happiness and suffering. By practicing this continuously, the mind will become firmly established without intentional effort.
When the mind becomes firmly established without intention, it possesses right concentration (samma samadhi). This strong right concentration is the cause close to wisdom. Only with a firmly established mind can we truly develop wisdom. Without it, we remain lost in the world of thoughts and dreams, unable to develop true wisdom. Simply thinking about Dhamma cannot overcome defilements. For example, there was a monk during the Buddha's time who was very knowledgeable. He had memorized all the teachings of the Buddha and knew a lot about Dhamma. However, this knowledge was purely intellectual, memorized rather than realized. The Buddha would often call him "Pothila," meaning "empty manuscript," implying that his mind was empty of true Dhamma, despite knowing a lot in theory. The Buddha would often tease him by calling him "Pothila," indicating that his heart was empty of real understanding.
Feeling embarrassed, this monk, who was skilled in teaching and had many disciples, realized that he needed to practice. Listening and learning alone were not enough, especially since the Buddha still criticized him. He decided to go to the forest and learn meditation from forest teachers. The head teacher of the forest monastery told him, "I cannot teach you; you know everything already. Whatever I say, you already know. I don't have the wisdom to teach you." This was because the monk's mind was already full of his own thoughts and opinions about Dhamma, unable to receive new teachings. The head teacher said, "You know more than me; you're more knowledgeable than me."
Despite being turned away, the monk persisted, asking other forest teachers for guidance. However, no one was willing to teach him, all saying, "I cannot teach you; you know too much and are confident in your own knowledge." Eventually, the monk reached a young novice monk, who was already highly skilled in meditation and had attained enlightenment. The novice told the monk, "I'm just a novice; you're a monk. You must have faith in me and follow my instructions if I'm to teach you. If you don't follow my instructions, I cannot teach you."
The monk agreed, asking the novice to instruct him. The novice told him to wade into the river, even though the monk was wearing fine silk robes, suitable for a city monk with a reputation. The monk courageously stepped into the water, not caring if his fine robe got dirty or damaged. As he stepped into the water and the hem of his robe was about to touch the water, the novice said, "Stop. You don't need to go any further." This was to test if the monk would follow the novice's instructions. The monk had proved his willingness to follow.
The novice then pointed to a termite mound on the riverbank, telling the monk to observe it. The mound had six holes. Previously, termites lived there but had since moved, leaving the mound empty. A monitor lizard had taken residence in the mound, using the six holes as entrances and exits. The novice asked, "How can one catch the lizard?" The monk suggested blocking five of the holes, leaving only one open, and watching that one hole. The novice explained that this is how to catch the lizard, which represents mental formations. The monk understood the lesson and expressed his gratitude, realizing the true method of practice.
Do you understand? The termite mound with six holes represents our body, with six sense doors—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The lizard represents the mind caught in mental formations, constantly moving through these sense doors. Our minds often run after sensory experiences—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. If we try to guard all six sense doors, it can be overwhelming. Instead, we focus on one door—the mind. We don't need to worry about the other five doors. If our mind doesn't engage with them, it's like closing those five doors. We focus on the mind alone. How do we focus on the mind alone? When our eyes see, our mind reacts, generating happiness, suffering, wholesome or unwholesome states. We must be mindful of these reactions in our mind. The defilements aren't in the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or body, but in the mind alone.
Therefore, when our senses interact with the world, we should just let it be. The senses will continue to function, but we observe the mind's reactions. If we see something, the mind feels pleasure or displeasure, we are aware. If we hear something and get angry, we are aware of the anger, not the sound. By focusing on the mind's reactions, we catch the "lizard" of mental formations, observing how they arise and pass away in the mind.
Keep watch over your own mind.
Therefore, when our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body contact sensations, it's just contact—let it be. You can't stop them from encountering sensations. But when these contacts cause a change in our mind, we must keep watch over our mind. For example, when we see a form, and our mind feels pleased, we must be aware of it. If the mind feels displeased, we must be aware of that too. When the mind experiences happiness or suffering, we recognize it. When the mind experiences greed, anger, or delusion, we must be aware of these states. Notice how we are only observing one thing—the mind.
When we hear something, like someone insulting us, we might feel anger. We don't need to pay attention to the specifics of the insult; just recognize that our mind is angry. Focus on the mind alone; don't chase after the insult. If we follow the insult, we might see everyone else as wrong, while thinking we're the only good one. But if we focus on our mind, we will see that the source of negativity is within us—our defilements are in our own mind.
When our nose detects a smell, like a pleasant fragrance, and our mind likes it, we should be aware of that liking. We don't need to investigate what the smell is or how to get it again; just observe the mind's reaction. If we smell something unpleasant and feel irritation, we should be aware of that irritation. This practice focuses on one thing: the mind. Continue practicing in this way. When the tongue tastes flavors or the body experiences sensations, observe the mind's reactions. For example, when it's hot, and the air conditioning is broken, and the heat causes discomfort, we should be aware of our irritation. Or when it's very cold and the wind and snow make us uncomfortable, we should be aware of our dislike.
This practice of mindfulness involves continuously observing our mind. It is not difficult. Our eyes see, our ears hear, our nose smells, our tongue tastes, and our body feels sensations. But after these contacts, observe how our mind reacts. Sometimes, the contact doesn't come through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or body but arises directly in the mind. For example, while sitting comfortably, the mind might suddenly remember someone's face. This is the mind recalling a memory, even if we didn't intend to think of that person. We might have forgotten them for ten years, but suddenly the mind brings them up. Upon remembering them, the mind might then recall that this person wronged us, causing anger to arise.
Or we might suddenly remember someone we haven't seen in a long time, someone we love. This memory brings happiness because we remember good times together. We feel joy because of this recollection. But sometimes, we might think of a loved one who has passed away, like our parents, whom we loved dearly. Suddenly, we feel a deep sadness and longing for them. We must be mindful of these emotions when they arise.
Therefore, whether the contact is through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or body, or whether it arises in the mind through thoughts and memories, we must be aware of the changes in our mind. As we become more aware, we recognize happiness, suffering, good, bad, greed, anger, delusion, restlessness, and depression. Continuously observing these mental states, wisdom will eventually arise. We will realize that everything that comes into our awareness is temporary. Happiness is temporary; suffering is temporary; good is temporary; bad is temporary. All of these are mental formations. Happiness and suffering are called feelings; good and bad are called formations. These are all just mental formations. If we are aware of these formations, we will see that they arise and pass away.
When the mind forms something, we are aware of it. The mind doesn't struggle. When happiness arises, we know it will soon disappear. When it disappears, we recognize it as normal. In our lives, happiness is only temporary; it doesn't last long. We come to see it as natural. When suffering arises, we know that it, too, is temporary. It comes and goes; even if we dislike it, we can't stop it. It comes naturally and goes naturally. Both happiness and suffering, good and bad, are beyond our control. Sometimes we don't intend to love, but we do. Sometimes we don't intend to be greedy, but we are. Sometimes we don't intend to be angry, but we become angry. Sometimes we intend to be mindful, but we end up being deluded. We cannot control these states.
Therefore, by continuously observing the changes in our mind—happiness, suffering, good, bad, and so on—eventually, the mind will understand the truth. The truth that happiness is impermanent, suffering is impermanent. We cannot command happiness to arise or maintain it; we cannot stop suffering from arising. It comes and goes according to its nature, which is called "anicca" (impermanence). The fact that we cannot control these states is called "anatta" (not-self). The same applies to good and bad. When a good mind state arises, it is also temporary. We cannot maintain it indefinitely.
For example, we may resolve to practice every day, to meditate and walk mindfully every day. But when it comes time to practice, we may feel bored or lazy and decide to skip it for today. This shows that good intentions are also impermanent. So, we observe our own mind: happiness is impermanent, suffering is impermanent, good is impermanent, bad is impermanent. Everything is temporary. By observing this repeatedly, eventually, the mind will come to a comprehensive understanding, realizing the fundamental truth that all things that arise will inevitably pass away. Everything that arises cannot truly be controlled, which is the realization of the Three Characteristics (Tilakkhana) of impermanence, suffering, and not-self.
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