Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Daily Life Series: Decision Overload. What do we do when there are so many decisions to make and the mind can’t decide? Sayadaw relates his own funny story from lay life.

Daily Life Series: Worry and the Workings of the Mind. A yogi relates the worries and concerns at one time of the day become a moot point some time later. Why?

Thinking vs. Watching Thoughts. If you focus too much, you can’t think. One minute clip on the beauty of relaxed watching. 

Am I Thinking or Observing the Thinking? How can we know whether we’re thinking or observing the thinking? Sayadaw sheds plenty of light on this. 4 mins.

Stepping Back and Asking Questions. Lively Q&A on stepping back and asking questions -- a common themes in meditation. Sayadaw explains two different ways that the mind ‘steps back,’ using energy or through expanded knowing. Similarly, wisdom or anger can both ask questions. Anger can ask, “Why is this happening to me?!” It’s a different tone of questioning.

Defilements Can Also Give You Answers (They Just Might not be Right Answers). Up to this point, yogis have heard a lot about asking questions in their practice and answers may arise -- but are they artificial answers? Or answers based in wisdom?

Daily Life Series: Shifting Gears to Neutral. How can we work and observe in the midst of a hectic daily life or overwhelming defilements?

What You Use Depends on You. The Buddha taught so many different people in so many different ways depending on their characteristics. One size doesn’t fit all! Engaging Q&A. 

Daily Life Series: Using Secondhand Knowledge. What to do when the mind is overwhelmed? Strategies included.

The Anatomy of Wisdom. Engaging conversation on dukkha, the Four Noble Truths and the process of wisdom. Understanding once is not enough.

Concentration without Wisdom is a Dangerous Thing. Range of anecdotes on dangers of concentration without wisdom. Also included is how can one “overcome vedana”? “If there’s a mind, there will be vedana,” says Sayadaw. Pain may be gone – but was there any understanding?

Wisdom Steps Back. It’s the nature of defilements to hold onto objects. So then, how and when does understanding arise?

Three Levels of Dukkha. Lively Q&A between Sayadaw U Tejaniya and yogis on understanding more subtle levels of dukkha. Sayadaw cautions yogis to be open, not to believe these preconceived ideas. “Keep it simple and watch.

Understanding Dukkha is Freedom. Animated Q&A between Sayadaw and yogis on the nature of dukkha. Sayadaw notes that people feel mental or physical suffering and think there’s dukkha. How about those joyful, peaceful, calm feelings? Where’s the dukkha then? How do you understand dukkha? When wisdom arises, the mind will see the changing naturally – the problem is in people wanting to see this.

Seeing Change versus Understanding Impermanence. Seeing impermanence is nowhere near understanding impermanence. What is the experience of understanding impermanence like? How and when does understanding arise? Archimedes’ Principle as example. 

Daily Life Series: The Path of the Mind. Yogi relates how mindfulness and thoughtfulness on how to meditate in face of paralyzing fear in daily life situation led to realization. Different kinds of thinking will change the mental path in different ways.

The Many Faces of Craving. Let’s say there are 10 objects of craving. What happens when you’ve restrained yourself from pursuing seven of them?