WHAT IS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE FOR MEDITATION?

(By U Tejaniya – Shwe Oo Min)

The most important thing when you are meditating is to have the right attitude.

1.When meditating: Don’t focus too hard
Don’t control
Don’t try to create something
Don’t force or restrict yourself

2.Don’t try to create anything But don’t reject what is happening
But as things happen or stop happening, don’t forget
Be aware of them

3.Trying to create something is lobha (greed)
Rejecting what is happening is dosa (aversion)
Not knowing if something is happening
or has stopped happening is moha (delusion)

4.Only when the observing mind has no lobha, dosa, nor soka (worry/anxiety) inside it,
then the meditating mind will arise

5.You have to double check to see what attitude you are meditating with

6.You have to accept and watch both good and bad experiences

7.You only want good experiences
You don’t want even the tiniest unpleasant experience
Is this fair? Is this the way of the Dhamma?

8.Don’t have any expectations
Don’t want anything
Don’t be anxious
Because if these attitudes are in your mind,
It becomes difficult to meditate

9.Why are you focusing so hard when you meditate?
You want something to happen?
You want something to stop happening?
It is likely that one of these attitudes is there

10.If the mind is getting tired
something is wrong with the way you are practicing

11.You cannot practice when the mind is tense

12.If the mind and body are getting tired
it is time to check the way you are meditating

13.Meditating is waiting and watching

With awareness and comprehension
Understanding
Not thinking
Not reflecting
Not judging

14.Don’t practice with a mind that wants something
or wants something to happen
The only result will be that you will tire yourself

15.The meditating mind should be relaxed and at peace

16.Both the mind and the body should be comfortable

17.A light and free mind enables you to meditate well
Do you have the right attitude?

18.Meditating is,
Whatever happens good or bad,
Accepting, relaxing and watching it

19.What is the mind doing?
Thinking? Or being aware?

20.Where is the mind now?
Inside? Or outside? (of oneself)

21.Is the watching/observing mind
properly aware?
Or only superficially aware?

22.You are not trying to make things turn out
the way you want it to happen
you are trying to know what is happening as it is

23.Don’t feel disturbed by the thinking mind
You are not practicing to prevent thinking
To recognize and acknowledge thinking whenever it arises
is what you are practicing

24.You are not supposed to reject the object
(phenomena/things that are happening/being known)
You are to know (and thus note/observe) the defilement’s
that arise because of the object and thus remove them
(the defilement’s)

25.Only when there is Saddha (Faith), Viriya (energy) will arise
Only when there is Viriya, Sati (mindfulness) will become continuous
Only when Sati is continuous, Samadhi will become established
Only when Samadhi is established, then you will know
things as they really are, Saddha then increases further

26.Just pay attention to what is exactly in the present moment
Don’t go to the past!
Don’t plan for the future!

27.The object is not important
The mind that is working in the background –
working to be aware i.e. the observing mind is more important
If the observing (mind) is done with the right attitude the
object will be the right object

(Text from U Tejaniya - Shwe Oo Min)