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Meditation Q&A - May 30th, 2020
This talk / Q&A was originally posted on Ven. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu’s YouTube Channel. To watch it on YouTube kindly click here.
00:00 Start
02:52 Bhante, do you teach standing meditation? In what cases is it recommended?
03:59 Thinking arises, then worry, then tension in the body, all within a second. How to note this? According to mahasi if phenomena arise too quickly, you can be aware of them without noting.
04:43 Do you get good merits from meditating
05:20 Can karma affect a rebirth?
05:39 My mother has recently died, how should I cope with death in these trying times?
07:43 Do you need to take frequent breaks from meditation?
08:20 How important is the position of the hands in sitting meditation? Is there a reason for placing them palms up on the lap? Is it also okay to place them on the legs or knees?
10:28 Why meditations on concepts such as corpse contemplation or 32 parts of the body are included in the satipatthana sutta?
11:02 I have a lack of desire.. where I no longer desire to move, speak, work, or basic essentials of life. Is this a good thing?
11:57 How does noting thoughts work? I asked this last time but I am still confused how it works. My thoughts stop once I am aware of it and am confused as to how long to note it since it's not there.
12:42 I worry that repeating ‘thinking thinking thinking’ is blocking out the thought. Can you explain the difference between a mantra as blocking out a thought and being with it?
13:34 I walk half an hour and sit for half an hour. Aren’t longer sits required to gain sufficient concentration to gain insight?
14:56 Is it more beneficial to note a specific mantra of the experience rather than a general one. For example imagining vs. thinking, or adjusting hands vs. moving.
16:22 Increased awareness has resulted as I started to note liking and disliking more often. There is a lot of subtle disliking. I note disliking if there are small deviances from expectation as I observe walking or the abdomen or thoughts, emotion, seeing etc.. But the disliking/liking is almost imperceptible. Am I overdoing it?
18:00 I have started noting a rather "disconnected" connection being the norm in my interactions with people around me. This has made people feel that I am insincere in my expressions of compassion. Advice?
23:05 When meditating and noting "thinking" is it okay or proper to put a little effort into letting the experience go/detaching but not to the point of repression
25:01 If I meditate alone, is it beneficial to use a timer or alarm?
26:36 Do you think a teacher is required to progress through the 16 stages of insight? If so, how should one go about this?
27:22 eyes all the way closed or 3/4
27:42 How do you distinguish subtle disliking, neutral and liking?
28:18 What if you find yourself meditating for 9 hours non stop. Is that too much? Time just disappears.
29:02 Is the mere intention of doing a good deed, but not having the means to execute it, a good deed in itself?
29:33 Is it normal to almost compose music (that you never heard before) while meditating? Is that a result or just the experience itself?
30:10 Just had my existence downplayed and now I'm here to find inner peace. My question is this: "What is True Strength?"
31:13 Can you reach Nirvana in this lifetime when you meditate and create good deeds for yourself and for others by following the 5 precepts of Buddhism?
32:03 Is there a moment in practice "too early" to start reading and gaining a more intellectual understanding of buddhism? Could it interfere with a beginners process?
33:01 How can one reconcile the teaching of non-self and rebirth
34:05 Whats your take on murder of George Floyd? It’s impacting my thoughts at night.
39:53 As a committed laymen, studying, reflecting & meditating through knowledge gained from application of the commentary, without an auth. teacher for guidance, is it possible to achieve stream entry or arahatship?
40:54 If everything is uncontrollable and not-self, how does any change in the mind occur? Personally I've noticed big shifts in the way "my" mind works, even though I never force. How does this work?
42:38 Instead of labeling or noting, can I just observe my sensations and note pleasant or unpleasant sensations?
43:20 Not a meditation question: You once recommended watching the movie “Ship of Theseus”, I think I got the gist of it, but can you tell what exactly you were pointing at?
44:39 As we are born, are we born in a high state of Jhana? As we don’t have names, or know anything about the world. We just have our senses and experience?
45:02 There are so many different meditation techniques. How can I know for sure that a particular meditation technique was taught by Buddha?
46:09 Can we attract birds and animals when we meditate?
46:41 Can you explain nimitta during breathing meditation.
47:30 Can physical exercise be seen as an act of self compassion? Exercising daily can prevent future complications if done correctly.
49:42 If you have mental illness I still feel I suffer from it so how can one end it? Not wanting to change things?
50:58 What if I have multiple things going on at the same time - rising, falling of stomach, minor pain in the leg, thoughts, a state of mind (happy or sad) - what should I note?
51:37 Isn't suffering inherent in physical pain? I try to observe the sensations of physical pain, as it appears without adding anything on to it. But yet there is still suffering.
52:16 How important is journaling with meditation?
52:59 When I meditate, somehow I can't feel the movement of the stomach, no matter how hard I try. How can I circumvent this problem?
54:23 Do you have an option on "The Theravada Abhidhamma by Y. Karunadasa "
59:26 Is it possible to suddenly find yourself in one of the immaterial jhanas before experiencing the 4 material jhanas?
1:00:11 How do I know if a voluntary life experience, such as taking on a very stressful job, is too much for my current level of practice and will actually hinder it?
Our podcasts: https://podcast.sirimangalo.org/
How To Meditate Booklet: https://htm.sirimangalo.org/
Our Meditation Community and At-Home Meditation Course signup page: https://meditation.sirimangalo.org/
Our Website: https://www.sirimangalo.org/
Supporting This Work: https://www.sirimangalo.org/support
"
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By Yuttadhammo BhikkhuThis talk / Q&A was originally posted on Ven. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu’s YouTube Channel. To watch it on YouTube kindly click here.
00:00 Start
02:52 Bhante, do you teach standing meditation? In what cases is it recommended?
03:59 Thinking arises, then worry, then tension in the body, all within a second. How to note this? According to mahasi if phenomena arise too quickly, you can be aware of them without noting.
04:43 Do you get good merits from meditating
05:20 Can karma affect a rebirth?
05:39 My mother has recently died, how should I cope with death in these trying times?
07:43 Do you need to take frequent breaks from meditation?
08:20 How important is the position of the hands in sitting meditation? Is there a reason for placing them palms up on the lap? Is it also okay to place them on the legs or knees?
10:28 Why meditations on concepts such as corpse contemplation or 32 parts of the body are included in the satipatthana sutta?
11:02 I have a lack of desire.. where I no longer desire to move, speak, work, or basic essentials of life. Is this a good thing?
11:57 How does noting thoughts work? I asked this last time but I am still confused how it works. My thoughts stop once I am aware of it and am confused as to how long to note it since it's not there.
12:42 I worry that repeating ‘thinking thinking thinking’ is blocking out the thought. Can you explain the difference between a mantra as blocking out a thought and being with it?
13:34 I walk half an hour and sit for half an hour. Aren’t longer sits required to gain sufficient concentration to gain insight?
14:56 Is it more beneficial to note a specific mantra of the experience rather than a general one. For example imagining vs. thinking, or adjusting hands vs. moving.
16:22 Increased awareness has resulted as I started to note liking and disliking more often. There is a lot of subtle disliking. I note disliking if there are small deviances from expectation as I observe walking or the abdomen or thoughts, emotion, seeing etc.. But the disliking/liking is almost imperceptible. Am I overdoing it?
18:00 I have started noting a rather "disconnected" connection being the norm in my interactions with people around me. This has made people feel that I am insincere in my expressions of compassion. Advice?
23:05 When meditating and noting "thinking" is it okay or proper to put a little effort into letting the experience go/detaching but not to the point of repression
25:01 If I meditate alone, is it beneficial to use a timer or alarm?
26:36 Do you think a teacher is required to progress through the 16 stages of insight? If so, how should one go about this?
27:22 eyes all the way closed or 3/4
27:42 How do you distinguish subtle disliking, neutral and liking?
28:18 What if you find yourself meditating for 9 hours non stop. Is that too much? Time just disappears.
29:02 Is the mere intention of doing a good deed, but not having the means to execute it, a good deed in itself?
29:33 Is it normal to almost compose music (that you never heard before) while meditating? Is that a result or just the experience itself?
30:10 Just had my existence downplayed and now I'm here to find inner peace. My question is this: "What is True Strength?"
31:13 Can you reach Nirvana in this lifetime when you meditate and create good deeds for yourself and for others by following the 5 precepts of Buddhism?
32:03 Is there a moment in practice "too early" to start reading and gaining a more intellectual understanding of buddhism? Could it interfere with a beginners process?
33:01 How can one reconcile the teaching of non-self and rebirth
34:05 Whats your take on murder of George Floyd? It’s impacting my thoughts at night.
39:53 As a committed laymen, studying, reflecting & meditating through knowledge gained from application of the commentary, without an auth. teacher for guidance, is it possible to achieve stream entry or arahatship?
40:54 If everything is uncontrollable and not-self, how does any change in the mind occur? Personally I've noticed big shifts in the way "my" mind works, even though I never force. How does this work?
42:38 Instead of labeling or noting, can I just observe my sensations and note pleasant or unpleasant sensations?
43:20 Not a meditation question: You once recommended watching the movie “Ship of Theseus”, I think I got the gist of it, but can you tell what exactly you were pointing at?
44:39 As we are born, are we born in a high state of Jhana? As we don’t have names, or know anything about the world. We just have our senses and experience?
45:02 There are so many different meditation techniques. How can I know for sure that a particular meditation technique was taught by Buddha?
46:09 Can we attract birds and animals when we meditate?
46:41 Can you explain nimitta during breathing meditation.
47:30 Can physical exercise be seen as an act of self compassion? Exercising daily can prevent future complications if done correctly.
49:42 If you have mental illness I still feel I suffer from it so how can one end it? Not wanting to change things?
50:58 What if I have multiple things going on at the same time - rising, falling of stomach, minor pain in the leg, thoughts, a state of mind (happy or sad) - what should I note?
51:37 Isn't suffering inherent in physical pain? I try to observe the sensations of physical pain, as it appears without adding anything on to it. But yet there is still suffering.
52:16 How important is journaling with meditation?
52:59 When I meditate, somehow I can't feel the movement of the stomach, no matter how hard I try. How can I circumvent this problem?
54:23 Do you have an option on "The Theravada Abhidhamma by Y. Karunadasa "
59:26 Is it possible to suddenly find yourself in one of the immaterial jhanas before experiencing the 4 material jhanas?
1:00:11 How do I know if a voluntary life experience, such as taking on a very stressful job, is too much for my current level of practice and will actually hinder it?
Our podcasts: https://podcast.sirimangalo.org/
How To Meditate Booklet: https://htm.sirimangalo.org/
Our Meditation Community and At-Home Meditation Course signup page: https://meditation.sirimangalo.org/
Our Website: https://www.sirimangalo.org/
Supporting This Work: https://www.sirimangalo.org/support
"
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