January 02, 2021

Happy New Year (with Q&A)

1 hour 15 minutes

This talk / Q&A was originally posted on Ven. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu’s YouTube Channel. To watch it on YouTube kindly click here.

00:00 Welcome

00:57 Topic of the Dhamma Talk: Happy New Year

42:26 I often suffer from loneliness and not having as many friends as I'd like. Any tips to help with suffering from this?

47:30 Can I say to others that my practice, which is based on your teachings, is to reach 100% conformance with reality?

50:02 Is it improper to intently focus only on unpleasant feelings in order to see their true nature? Or should one just note any feeling that arises?

52:03 I've struggled with depression my whole life, especially the last 4-6 years, including a lot of destructive behavior. I just can't get out of this circuit. What advice can you give to help break this cycle?

54:25 When walking, I feel more and more that the foot moves by itself. Is ita sign of progress in the meditation? Or does this have any significance?

55:02 When walking, and my concentration is good, I often experience a light pressure in my face. Should I note this every time it arises?

57:06 Are there benefits to meditating or chanting in large groups?

57:54 I make music for a living and I find that noting can become more difficult while playing an instrument. Is it simply best to note "playing" while I practice guitar and "singing" while I sing?

58:55 What level of impermanence should we see to realize Nibbana? For example when moving, is seeing the lifting, then the moving, then the placing enough? Or should we see the many moments of those movements?

1:01:05 Is the main goal of meditation to train our minds into observing everything as it happens? Such as something happening internally, regardless of any external circumstances.

1:02:30 Is it recommended to seek out unpleasant experiences for meditation, in order to see them as they are?

1:03:01 How can the non-verbal awareness of mindfulness meditation help people develop a healthier philosophy about themselves, others and life on a verbal level?

1:04:36 How do we note phenomena for which there is not yet a name or label?

1:05:04 I have struggled with back pain all my life, which I learned from a doctor that this can be due to stress and emotions in my unconscious brain. Do you advice on how to help with this?

1:07:07 Can we say one experience arises because another has ceased?

1:07:34 How do I help someone that is suffering get into meditation?

1:09:39 While on the path of letting go, outside of noting inner resistance to thoughts or situations, are there other things I need to do?

1:11:11 How do I deal with loneliness through meditation?

1:11:36 I tend to slouch when I relax during my meditations. How important is posture when meditating or is it more about a quality of mind?

1:12:19 While I was meditating recently and minding the breath, since nothing else was bothering me, my mind went into almost a void. Do you have advice on how to keep this from happening?

1:13:56 Sadhu...

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By Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu