Sayadaw Ottamasara

7/28/2019 Sayadaw Ottamasara

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From the book: Non-self Motto or Anatta Teaching

1. just emphasize the mind

mind is just for using, use-only neither for rejecting nor attaching to.

the desire of the thirsty mind to have everything is the acquired imperfection of mind.

The imperfection of mind is because of the thirst for perfection.

Mind will not be free if one's mind is full of expectations.

Expectation makes mind unfree.

Only when you can overcome the deceptive nature of mind, which has the capability to illustrate thedifferent creations of itself, you will be able to use mind in the right way using- only.

There is nothing more useful or beneficial than mind when one can truly make use of it.

It is really important to have the view of 'not having property & money' in the mind rather than 'havingproperty & money or not' physically in he pocket.

It is really important to have the idea of 'not having diseases' in the mind rather than 'having diseasesor not' in the body (physically)

'Having or suffering disease or not physically' is not really important.

'Having no disease' in the mind is really important.

It is not important 'realizing something or not' or 'having different feelings or not' as these are Created

Truths. What is really important is not to keep those Created Truths such as 'something, everything,someone, everyone, somewhere, everywhere, sometime, everytime etc' in the mind.

It is not important 'being youthful or not', 'being old or not', 'being sick or not', 'being dead or not' sincethese are Created Truths, physical phenomena. Nature of phenomena or physical phenomena is tobe used and experienced only.What is really important is not to store those phenomena in the mind.

2. CourageDare to be brave to do good deeds without being afraid.

Ability of common mankind is fake/created, not the genuine one. If only one can renounce thatcourage of ordinary mankind, one will surely attain genuine courage.

By doing constantly what one presently still cannot do, one enhances one's own capability andcapacity.

It is necessary to deliver proof not by words but by deeds.

It is necessary to win victory by being able to sacrifice.

It is necessary to use-only by having strengthened the ability to abandon.

It is necessary to utilize anything, any life, any place and any time applying the ability to abandon.

It is necessary to do Created Truths; conducting something and everything with the ability of

abandoning the idea of central emphasis to Created Truths or labels such as conductingsomething/everything.


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Priority shall not be placed on the created truths such as conducting something and everything.Place priority on the ability of abandoning the idea of central emphasis on Created Truths or labels.It will be necessary to renounce, forbear, sacrifice and practice limitlessly.It is necessary to act upon the instructions of the Buddha.

3. To forgive and endure

You become skilful in handling difficulties by enduring them.The more you endure, the better the quality of endurance.

4. Experiences

One will become mature only when one encounters and solves the experiences of struggles in life. Ifone is afraid to encounter, then how shall one become mature?Pains of ups and downs are just to be experienced-only,Experiences are meant only for experiencing, they are neither for rejecting or attaching nor for takingas reality.

5. Truth means Genuine - Original Dhamma

Truth means Genuine Dhamma, practicing through right action.

Viewing the original reality as true reality does not view its unreal nature as reality.

'Bound by desire' leads to endless desire.

'Freedom from desire' leads to total abundance.

'Following our desire' does not bring abundance.

'Following our desire' is not really important.

'Freedom from desire' is really important.

Just emphasize what should be rather than what you want to be.

Just emphasize what you should do rather than what you want to do.

To become a nominal Buddhist, it is adequate to just believe in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

To become a genuine Buddhist, it is essential to abide by the right path that the Buddha had actuallypracticed.

Practicing meditation is trying to inherit the Buddha's Legacy of insight.

Do not be satisfied with what everyone understands superficially about the Buddha, Dhamma andSangha.

But try to understand the true essence of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, that the Buddha wantedus to understand.

Try to understand the Original Truth by using the Created Truths only.

Try to go beyond/step out of different worlds or realms (e.g. literary world, sports world) by just usingthose worlds only.

Since traditions and cultures are not perfect, complete and true, try to go beyond them.

6. Do not compare those of same level


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Conquer darkness with light, heat with coldness, wrong with right, injustice with justice and CreatedTruth with Original Truth.

7. Do not take problems as reality & do not try to solve them taking them as such

Find the solutions to the puzzles. But do not accept and take them as reality.

Find the solutions to the problems. But do not accept them.

Find the ways to cure diseases. But do not accept them.

Do not practice meditation by 'accepting and taking the dhamma the way you understand it' as reality.

8. Dhamma Solution

Anything that can be solved by dhamma will become clear indeed.

9. Cause and Effect

You have to correct the mistake as you have made it.

You have to solve the problems with many as complexities as you caused.

You have to walk the path as you paved it.

You have to suffer as you have done

You want to be complete, because you are not so.

You are not complete, because you want to be so.

When the distance ends, the nearness starts.

The more darkness, the more lightness.

The more ambition, the more difficulty.

The more difficulty, the more victory.

'Difficulty' is the first step towards 'easiness.'

10. Supreme Wisdom

Being an elder having great wisdom because of insight knowledge is better than being an elder

because of old age.

Independent of age - it is more important to have supreme wisdom than being an elder.

11. Having and Not-having

A mirage (for example; 'snow') seems to be real seen from a distance it will disappear when comingnear.

Perceived problems exist when you dare not face them; they will disappear certainly when youconfront them.

The ocean seems to be endless but there is an end to it when you travel.

'Things seem to be impossible before doing them' but definitely can be done when you really do them.


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12. Clarity and Dimness

Eye can see only the clear objects.

Mind can understand only the clear phenomenon.

Though you do good deed, you will be misunderstood and pessimistic unless your deed has beenapparently done.

Too much emphasis on Created Truth makes Original Truth indistinguishable.

Original Truth has become obscured entirely by emphasizing too much on Created Truth.Created Truth masks the Original Truth.

13. Desire

Do not want to be something and do not want to be anything.

Just do-only the cause of becoming something and do not identify with becoming something.

It is vital to do-only good deeds, with the mind that can abandon any desire.

It is necessary to do good deeds with the utmost capability that can renounce all desire.

14. Real Attitude of Abandonment

It is necessary to have supreme right as the wrong is faking supremacy.

It is necessary to have supreme abandonment as the attachment is claiming supremacy.

The more attachment, the more inconveniences.

'Grasping' makes mind unfree.

'Non-grasping' makes mind free.

You have to abandon your self-centred-will and try to practice meditation according to the trueessence of the Buddha's teaching.

It is necessary to abandon the attitudes of 'becoming something or everything that you thirst for '&'anything happens let it happen.'

Try to be able to abandon the idea of: grasping and taking things as reality.

Abandon whatever you get and you will get whatever you abandon.

It will be necessary to renounce all for the sake of genuine truth (original truth) that is: Created Truthsor labels such as: something, someone, somewhere, sometime.

15. Doing and Happening

Accepting the discontentment makes mind discontented.

It is better to be a teacher by being a teacher rather than being a teacher of being used to lecturing.

It is necessary to become smart naturally without effort rather than intentionally struggling to becomesmart.

Do not carry out endeavours intentionally but try to detach from them.


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16. Fundamental Requirement to do Real Meditation

Try to understand the habitual-wrong which is difficult to be recognized as wrong.And the original truth which needs strong effort to be known as truth.

Whenever you see good, you have to see bad; whenever you see bad, you have to see good,exchangeable to each other.

You need to be able to abandon whatever you pretended.

You need to be able to decrease or lessen whatever you control.

You need to be able to release as many unnecessary behaviours as possible.

You need to be able to discard whatever you grasp.

As long as you are artificial and arrogant you will never have enlightenment.

You will be smart only when you can release your ego and pride.

You will be enlightened only when you will be free from self-centredness, vanity and arrogance.

17. The Only Middle-Way

The only middle-way is neither through accepting the idea of what is happening and taking it as realitynor by accepting the idea of nothingness and taking it as reality.

It is neither for grasping nor for releasing.

It means you should not do it with your self-centred or limited knowledge, and neither should youavoid doing it.

It also means you should not pay attention to it, neither should you neglect it.The Original Truth will be obstructed until one can use-freely the Created Truths or labels which areneither for rejecting & attaching nor taking them as reality.

18. Doing Freely

Do-freely without grasping, accepting and confirming anything.Just-to-use-only; not to use, not to do and not to practice anything with grasping.

Try to go beyond all limits.

Try to do good deeds without limit.

Do as much as you can, and you will be able to do as much as you have been able to do.

Though it may not be important 'planning in advance or not', it will be necessary to do some changes,even with planning, according to the situation, time and place for the convenience of all.

Though it is necessary to do but be careful not to do it within your habitual-limits.

You must not do something intentionally; just like 'I will build a hospital'. You must do it freely withoutany expectation of reward, which would show your attachment.

From doing things with attachment, restriction and limitation results that you have to try to do thingsfreely without any attachment, restriction and limitation.

If you can not abandon the habit of working with restriction, then you will never learn working freelywithout restriction.


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Do freely without grasping anything.

You must not grasp anything on what you do and what you do not do.

Try to do freely without any attachment.

You will never realize the Original Truth without being free from any attachment.

A variety of worlds (lokhas), dualities, pains of ups & downs, experiences, different causes that youdecided to do; good and bad are just Created Truths.

If you can learn to use those Created Truths which are meant for using-only, experiencing-only anddoing-only in the right way, then you can go beyond the worlds (lokhas).

19. Vipassana Wisdom & Magga Wisdom

The Real Vipassana Wisdom is Original Wisdom & Understanding which appears temporarily andnaturally by trying to be mindful purposely to the Original Truth.

The Real Magga Wisdom & Phala Wisdom is Original Wisdom & Understanding which appearspermanently by being mindful naturally towards the Original Truth.

One will truly understand the Real Vipassana Wisdom, Magga Wisdom & Phala Wisdom, only whenone understands that there is no satisfaction reachable in six sense-pleasure, namely nose-tongue-body-ear-eye-mind-consciousness.

One must not end up, one must not be satisfied with created understanding but try to understand theOriginal Wisdom, that understands Original Truth naturally without created understanding; VipassanaWisdom, Magga Wisdom & Phala Wisdom.

20. Created Truth & Original Truth

Different lives, experiences, times & places in samsara - results of good and bad consequences areCreated Truths.

All actions; good & bad, right & wrong are also Created Truths.

All factors; understanding, not-understanding, knowing, not-knowing are also Created Truths.

All Created Truths are for experience and non-experience, for doing and non-doing, for utilization &non-utilization. Original Truth about Created Truth is neither for grasping & attaching nor for taking ias reality. Central emphasis must be placed only o the Original Truth about Created Truth, it must notbe placed on the Created truth.By remembering constantly the truth about Created Truth, one can truly use the Creatted truths whichare for experiencing-only & non-experiencing-only, for doing-only & not-doing-only, for utilization-only

& non-utilization-only.Only then one will come o realize the original understanding (vipassana wisdom) Magga wisdomwhich will lead one to realize the real enlightenment (original wisdom) namely:citta, cetasika, rupa &nibbana.

21. The Truth about Created TruthWhat is really not true is the nature of non-grasping and non-confirmation - the nature which cannotbe grasped and confirmed as permanence or real existence.What is really true is that Created Truths are just for using-only, doing-only and experiencing-only.

'The phenomenon of becoming something or not' is not important. What is really important is to befree from attachment and confirmation of that phenomenon.

Try to be able to accept-only all dualities; right & wrong, good & bad, heat & coldness without anyattachment to them and without taking them as reality.


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22. Fulfilment

It will be necessary to practice meditation through right practice till you have nothing remaining: tosay, to do, to worry, to practice.If you are still in need, in want, it is still not right.

Only when you need nothing, you will gain fulfilment.

The Original Truth has apparently enlightened.

The Wheel of Dhamma (Dhammacakka) has been revolving.

True essence of Original Truth; citta, cetasika, rupa and nibbana.

The four Noble Original Truths; Dukkha Sacca, Samudaya Sacca, Magga Sacca, Nirodha Sacca.The Original Right Effort or Practice; The Noble Eightfold Path;

Pains of ups and downs are just to be experienced-only,

Experiences are meant only for experiencing, they are neither for rejecting or attaching nor for takingas reality.

Too much emphasis on Created Truth makes Original Truth indistinguishable.

Original Truth has become obscured entirely by emphasizing too much on Created Truth.Created Truth masks the Original Truth.

Perceived problems exist when you dare not face them; they will disappear certainly when youconfront them.

From the book Gratitude of the Teachers & Teaching Words to be Mindful

1. Conceit = WisdomFull of conceit keeps wisdom away.Less conceit makes wisdom appear.Free from conceit makes wisdom glow.

2. Difficulty is not the problemStaying away from the difficulty,

Avoiding and being inconsistent with it is the real problem.Problem will still be problem unless you confront the difficulty.

Problem will still be there if you are not entirely consistent with difficulty.

3. Doing without graspingStrive your best to do (do-only) all kinds of abandoning actions without grasping.

4. Real freedom by abandoningReal freedom can never be attained without abandoning the desire of 'doing & not-doing', 'happening& not-happening' and 'knowing & not-knowing.'

5. To be free from extremeTry to do incapable and difficult (challenging) good deeds continuously in order to be free from twoextremes.a.Doing intentionally such as extreme of greed (lobha) and anger (dosa)

b.Doing habitually such as delusion (moha) extreme.Try to abandon the physical, oral and mental actions which are ye to be abandoned.


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The more we do limitless good deeds, the more chance we will have to do limitless good deeds.

6.Good deeds depend on what one sees'The place where troubles flocked together' is the best place to do limitless good deeds.

7. To be free from regret

If there is a chance to do invaluable good deeds such as Dana, Sila & Bhavana, strive to do them.Only then, one will not regret if there is no more chance to do so.

8. The Power of enduranceTry to be able to make use of all sorts of praise and blame such as - 'troubles, accusations, despises,oss, sacrifice, humility, praise, admiration, respect, adoration' in order to heighten the power ofendurance.

9. Craving and Generosity'Ugliness' is due to the greed of craving and love (attachment)'Beauty' is due to 'generosity' and 'desire less mind'.

10. The ugly love beauty more

Impure mind is fond of beauty.A pure mind is free from like & dislike.

11. Desire and sufferingThe more desire, the more suffering.The less desire, the less suffering.Free from desire, free from suffering.

12. The greater the desire, the less the achievementThe greater your greed, the less generosity from others you will get.

As long as you want more, however much you get from others, you will not be satisfied and you willthink that it is still less.

13. Want less, gain moreThe smaller your greed, the more generosity from others you will get.

As long as you want less, however less you get from others, you will be satisfied and you will thinkthat it is still more.

14. Desire is defilement'Doing good deeds completely' makes mind free from impurity.

15. Neither rejecting nor attachingIt is not the real freedom from greed unless you concern with it.If you indulge your greed, so it is.

16. To be free from attachment

'Having money or not in the pocket 'is no important.''Not having money in the mind is really important.Having disease or not in the body is not important.Not having disease in the mind is really important.

17. To be free from desireDoing good deeds should be not for fulfilling desire but for trying to be free from desire.

18. Good cause, good resultPower of abandoning makes one free from sufferingPower of restraint makes one free from desire.Free from anger is due to the power of forbearance.Power of tolerance makes one free from anger.

19. Mutual cause and effect


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If you place emphasis on happening, desire to happen takes place.Due to desire to happen, you put too much emphasis on happening.If you place emphasis on 'doing', desire to do takes place. Due to 'desire to do', you put too muchemphasis on 'doing'.If you place emphasis on 'knowing', desire to know' takes place. Due to 'desire to know', you put toomuch emphasis on 'knowing'.

20. Highest (Perfect) UnderstandingThere will be higher understanding only if you have greater ability to do welfare.Only then, doing good deeds with higher understanding will be doing limitless good deeds.

21. Measuring Stick of WisdomThe more highly you think of yourself, the more difficult to accept others criticism.If you have a strong belief in truth, you will find it difficult to accept wrong-doing.The lower the level of wisdom, the more significance everything seems and thus so you will be faraway from 'original truth.'The higher the level of wisdom, the more insignificance everything will be and thus so you will benearer to 'original truth.'

From Tharbarwa-nmc.blogspot.com

Your Good Deeds Should Be Energized

What is important in life is to strive towards doing good deeds.What is needed to do is to strive towards doing good deeds.How to do it will need to overcome all obstacles standing in the way.Your good deeds should not be superficial and shallow. It is necessary to perform in such a way as to

lead to perfection of virtue.As you are doing good deeds, you should do it always, in continuity whether it is easy or difficult,irrespective of long or short duration.When you are doing good deeds there should be no excuses or exceptions. You should do it withfirm determination.You should increase and upgrade the momentum of all good deeds.When you do good deeds, it should be for merit only. You should overcome and go beyond thenegative extreme of personal self motivation and craving.When you do good deeds you will gain merit. If the merit is boundless, then your benefits will also beboundless.You should also do unintended or unplanned good deeds frequently as much as planned merits.What you must do is good deeds. You should strive to do it, not considering whether you do it or not,whether you know it or not, whether you can know or reach the end of all your endeavours or not.

Kamma (Action) And Nyana (Wisdom)Action that is made is called action perception. The insight wisdom arising out of abandoning actionis called wisdom perception.Power of wisdom is far superior than power of action.When you are a victim of kamma action, and strive to become a victor by managing your own actionbased on knowledge power, instead of being dictated by kamma , then it is called true Dhammadoctrine.

True UnderstandingWhen you see truth as it is, then you have achieved true understanding.True virtue can be gained only by Dhamma virtue.True disciplinary practice is gained only be practical contemplation and meditation.

It is not only necessary to have a true understanding of Dhamma law, but is essential to practice whatyou have understood.


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It is necessary to work to reach a true state of understanding, but is also essential that the fruition oftrue understanding must be reached.Because you dont understand what needs to be done, you do what is prescribed.You should begin from doing what is prescribed, to enable you to do what needs to be done to reachthe true path of fruition and realization.You must do in a way that can be done for the moment, but you must have the freedom to think.

You become attached to other carnal desires and pleasures because you have not sensed the realtaste of true Dhamma.

Unwholesome defilements (kilesa) or subjective sensuality are only bent on taking for self-enjoyment. Wisdom knowledge is free from taking. Both defilement sensuality and true doctrine isconcerned with the state of mind.You must strive to listen and understand what has been lectured superficially on the essentials ofnatural law.If you believe wrongly that you have reached the end of the road on what mundane knowledge youhave pursued during your lifetime, you will never achieve true learning, insight knowledge andwisdom.Only true insight knowledge can make you understand true metta lovingkindness.Only when you abandon your personal view and conviction, you will come to understand the

viewpoint of other persons from their perspective.Only when you strive to be a true disciple, you will eventually find the true teacher.It will not be enough to be polite in conversation, good looking, good manners, and possess lovingpersonality. The more important virtue is your action, your state of mind, your true intellect andwisdom that really is important.It does not matter whether you are famous or not. The important factor is your correct ability andproficiency.

The Correct AttitudeYou must learn not to be too dogmatic and not to be too grasping in your way of life.In your way of living you must learn not to hold too rigid and dogmatic.

Dhammas Way Of Virtue To Overcome Difficulties

Difficulties are meant to be overcome, not to retreat or surrender in defeat.Problems are meant to be solved, not to search for it and worry over it.Impediments are meant to be faced and cleared, with endurance and fortitude, not to be dissatisfiedover it.

Belief, Faith And ConvictionYour correct belief and faith must be borne out of abandoning greed (lobha), anger (dosa), anddelusion (moha).Your correct belief must be based on true action (kamma), true sacrifice and abandonment.

Words Containing Energy Of PerformanceUse more of ability to work rather than ability to speak.

Dont work with just speaking only. Speak with work.There is more power when you speak on what you can do, rather than speak on what you cannot do.You should speak, backed by the power of action (work) rather than speaking only without action.You need to have the power to work on what you speak, and the power to speak on what you canwork.It is better to work and show rather than to speak out what to do. (Follow deeds with words rather thanwords without deeds).Create a virtuous world by virtuous deed and action.Towards a virtuous world through the power of supreme sacrifice and abandonment.

Good Deeds Flock TogetherVolition, will (cetana) flocks where there is volition (cetana);

Anger (dosa) flocks where there is anger;

Greed (loba) flocks where there is greed;Delusion (moha) flocks where there is delusion.


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The True Noble CreatorEvil minds create evil creator, giving evil results.Good minds create noble creator giving good benefits.This universe is like a movie where all living beings of the thirty three worlds (Thirty-one Planes ofExistence); men and women, animate and the inanimate, rupa loka (physical phenomenon or

corporeality) play their role under the direction of the director (state of mind, mental state ofconsciousness).

Anatta Teachings from the website

Anatta or Selfless Teachings or Motto Quotesof Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara

Part - One

?Benefits Realized By Own Efforts

Your actions (kamma) will give you the same results.The action of killing will give you the result of being killed.The action of blame will result in being blamed.The action of anger will result in suffering from anger.Do not utter vile and indecent speech, because you will suffer the same reaction.Do not quarrel, for it will cause only suffering.Ill deeds do not result in quick reaction like fresh milk, which do not turn sour immediately. It is likefire cinders covered with ash, which burn and follow the evil doers.

Reduce TalkingOne good spoken word is much better and brings peace and virtue, than one thousand uselesswords.Quarrelling and arguing will not bring inner peace and tranquility. It will only bring spite, conceit, and

jealousy.Those who accuse others of being a rogue, villain and fool is never a person of virtue. Because theyvainly believe that only their policies are right and others are wrong.

Emphasize On Ones Own PowerWhen one meets an industrious and virtuous person or friend, who chooses the right path of virtueand morality, you should make company with him although you will meet difficulty or troubles.

You Will See What You LookIn this mundane universe, there is no one free from praise or blame in the past, in the present or inthe future.There are some who regards Dhamma which is virtuous as immoral, and Dhamma which is immoralas virtuous. All these people are egoistic self-centred people. As such who can say which policy is

justifiable or which policy is wrong?If a person were to become evil, or faulty, there will be no one in the universe whose policy is good atall. Everyone will say only their policy is good and all others are evil.Giving emphasis to the defined wrong is truly defilement and passion (Kilesa). Giving emphasis tothe defined right is also defilement and passion.If you breed evil mind, whatever you see will be wrong.If you breed good mind, whatever you will see will be good.What you see depends on your mind formation.Change of mind will effect change of your insight.Even though your deed is good, if you look with an evil mind, you will see evil.Even though your deed is evil, if you look with a good mind you will see no evil.

The Bondage That Binds Without Knowing

Those who believe and say that only their doctrine and policy is pure, right and noble, they bindthemselves with various dogmas and doctrines.


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All doctrines with future promises and prophesies shall be used as objects to be discarded finally. Alldoctrines pointing future time and place shall be used as objects to be discarded finally.

Rely Only On Noble Practice As True SupportGrief and worry can bring futility in life. It will not bring peace of mind but increase suffering.Only by contemplating on good thought, deeds and words, you will solve the problem of

suffering. There is no other way to root out such evil.Those who do not regard materials as my own possession, or his own possession, has no attachmentand craving, will not suffer for loss of those which truly is not his own.It is not proper or right to do things you will later suffer or weep.You should do deeds which will bring no future regret or remorse, but bring only joy and happiness.You should not kill any living being intentionally, even when you know that it will harm you, you do soin self-defence.Revenge will never bring peace. Only by lovingkindness (metta) enmity can be solved. This is theimmutable natural law.There is no other noble practice like forbearance and patience in this universe.Only through self-admonition and noble practice you will have true support.The best and safest protection is your meritorious deed.You must know how to perfect yourself only through practicing what is perfect. You must know how

to train yourself in the ways of perfection only through self-training.You must know how to walk the true perfect path only by practicing how to walk on the true perfectpath.

Purification Is The Main CriteriaWhen you are soiled with dirt of attachment, lust and passion, it will be useless only by washing yourexterior physical body (rupa khanda).You can hope to achieve noble purity, only by contemplating on true noble Dhamma and practice.

Beware Of Misusing Your MindBeware of the misconception of the mind and strive towards freedom from errors.Problems of the mind occur because of dogmatic misuse of the true state of mind.What is more important than the resulting effects of the mind is the causation.

Cause And EffectThe more you place high expectation the more you will be frustrated.The more you love, the bitter is your hatred.Do not be too attached. Learn to sacrifice.Do not be greedy. Increase your merit and generosity.Things do not happen because of desire only. It happens because we make it happen.Merit, virtue and good deeds always accrue equal returns without fail. Evil always accrue equalreturns without fail.You will not get anything by just wishing for it. Do good deeds always. If you deserve, you will get it.Nothing will happen if you just wish it to be. You must work hard, do good deeds and make ithappen. It will happen if you deserve it.If you do good deeds, you will surely enjoy the benefits.

Try to cultivate good deeds with your own free will and determination to fulfil the common will, and youwill surely enjoy fulfilment.

REDUCE TALKINGOne good spoken word is much better and brings peace and virtue, than one thousand uselesswords.

Quarrelling and arguing will not bring inner peace and tranquillity. It will only bring spite, conceit, andjealousy.

Those who accuse others of being a rogue, villain and fool is never a person of virtue. Because theyvainly believe that only their policies are right and others are wrong.


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Why should we "REDUCE TALKING" ......

You have to solve the complexities;

You have to walk the road you pave;

You have to suffer what you have done;

You have to return the road you take;

You have to correct the wrongs you do.

Motto Quotes from Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara's41st Birthday Present eBook

October 2010

The more anger, the more danger.The less anger, the less danger.Freedom from anger, freedom from danger.

The more desire, the more discomfort.The less desire, the less discomfort.

Freedom from desire, freedom from discomfort.

"Using with grasping and using with comparing" is wrong."Using only" is right.

"Action only" is free, flexible and powerful.

"Difficulty" is the first step towards "easiness".

If there is a will, there is a way.Your mind is the creator of your life.

Belief is a fundamental requirement in practicing meditation.Even ' created belief ' has power to a limited extent'Real belief ' has power to a limited extent. (or)Created belief' has limited power.Real belief' has limitless power.

Unlimited time, place, effort and abandonment are required to explore the original wisdom.

Real meditation is trying to abandon one's mind until nothing is left.

Try to practice meditation regardless of having a busy life.

Practice meditation with free wisdom and desire.Practice meditation without any reasoning about how to do it and what to do.


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From free wisdom arises free action; from free action arises free power; from free power appearslimitless results.

Nothing is permanent EXCEPT ever new impermanent nature and permanent nature (Nibbana).

Nothing to take refuge in EXCEPT the original truth,(ever-new impermanent nature and permanent nature).Original truth is to be taken refuge in.Created truth is to be used only.

Original truth has limitless power.Created truth has only limited power.

Real meditation is trying to stop any cause.There's no effect free from cause. No cause, no effect.

Real meditation is trying to inherit right understanding from the Buddha.A really good deed is sharing that right understanding.

Real meditation is like "digging up an invaluable treasure" of good deeds.

The surest way to satisfy & fulfill one's mind is fulfilling others' minds indiscriminately.

Try to do good deeds continuously without limitation and hesitation.

"Helping others" is helping oneself.

Motto Quotes of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara(Extracted from e-book "Right View and Wrong View")

Created Truths areTo be used only,To be experienced only,To be known only andNot to be taken as reality.

Because of wrong understanding, we need to make a practice of correcting our understanding.

Real Impermanent Nature has the power to misunderstand Created truthsas reality and as of real importance.

In using created mind, body, time and place, it is necessary not to forgetOriginal Truth, Impermanent Nature and its illusive power to think unreality as reality.

If there is wrong understanding, everything is important and every single detail becomes alive.

Due to paying attention to Created Truths, attachment becomes bigger and bigger.

If we have strong attachment to wrong understanding, it is difficult to correct our understanding and itwill take long time.


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Created Truths are not true anymore compared with Original Truth. Created Truths seem to be realbecause of ignorance to the original reality, the Original Truth.

The more attention to Original Truth, the less wrong understanding become.The less the wrong understanding, the more the right understanding.

There is nobody behind knowing like this or not.Original Truth is perfect. Right view or free view is perfect.

By remembering or not forgetting the power of constant impermanent nature; original illusive creation& original knowing of original impermanent nature, we will be able to use the created truths in the rightway using only.

The real impermanent nature has two kinds of power.(1) Original power of creation to think unreality as reality (Samudaya Sacca).(2) Original knowing or understanding about Original Truth & Created Truths (Magga Sacca).

Right View and Wrong View - Part 6

Original Truth and Original WisdomIf your understanding is right, your action will become right and thus your mind will become more andmore pure and powerful. If your mind is pure, you do not need to depend on other people, body,situation, money and food. As our mind is not free and pure; our mind is controlled by wrongunderstanding, our mind is always starving for everything and there will be endless desire in our mind.

You cannot copy and understand my teaching since your mind is not free. Try to have right

understanding like me and it is the way to be free our mind.

My view is free view. It is neither created view nor created understanding but originalunderstanding. What I am guiding is the right cause for your mind to have direct connection withOriginal Truth and Original Wisdom. Traditionally, using mind - with the idea of taking mind as realitywill never have direct connection with Original Truth and Original Wisdom.

Every life, experience and knowing including life, experience and knowing of Yogi (meditator) are justto be used, just to be experienced and just to be known only, must not take them as reality.

To be able to do like this, it is necessary not to forget Original Truth, Real impermanent Nature and itstwo qualities as follows :(1) original creation to think unreality as reality and,

(2) original understanding about Original Truth and Created Truths.

You have to practice meditation but you must not forget Original action of Impermanent Nature tothink unreality as reality so that your practicing will become practicing only without misunderstanding itas reality. There will be a lot of knowing and experience about meditation, but all knowing must be

just knowing only and must not think it as reality.

In order to be like that, you must not forget original knowing of Impermanent Nature." Knowingsomeone and knowing mind" are just Created Truths, they are just to be used, just to be known onlyand not to be taken them as reality.


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Even life of yogi (meditator) is also just to be used only and not to be thought as reality. To be able todo like this, we must not forget Original Truth, Real Impermanent Nature which is beyond someoneand something. In this way, we can use our life in the right way with right understanding.

The more attention to Original Truth,the less wrong understanding become.

The less the wrong understanding,the more the right understanding.

In this way, right understanding has become replacing wrong understanding." Knowing like this or not"is also "just knowing only" and "just not knowing only".

There is nobody behind knowing like this or not.Original Truth is perfect. Right view or free view is perfect.

There is no need to be worried about the others, no need to be proud of ourselves. There is nobodywho knows or who does not know. There is no person who has escaped and there is no person whohas trapped.

There is only wrong understanding and right understanding. If wrong understanding is controlling ourmind, all Created Truths- everything, everyone, time, place, situation and the whole universe becomealive and real.

If there is no wrong view or wrong understanding, nothing is alive, no one is alive, no time and noplace.

There is only Impermanent Nature and Permanent Nature.Teaching is now over.

Right View and Wrong View - Part 5

About Right View And Wrong View"Doing action or not" must be "doing only" and "not doing only". "Doing or not" is not of realimportance. What is important is whether or not there is freedom from attachment and wrongunderstanding. To be able to do like this, it is necessary not to forget Original Truth- ImpermanentNature and two qualities of Impermanent Nature; Original Creation and Original Understanding. Ifthere is wrong understanding, everything is important and every single detail becomes alive. If thereis no wrong understanding, nothing is important and all Created Truths are just to be used, just to beexperienced and just to be known only."

Understanding to my teaching or not" is also just to be understanding only and just to be not-understanding only.

It means not to change our lives, actions and situations but just to change our view or understanding.

"Doing or not" is also not important. If you have a chance to do it, just do it.

If you don't have any chance to do it, just don't do it. There will be no more problem concerned with"doing or not". I have a chance to teach Dhamma in Malaysia. So I just come and teach Dhammahere. "Coming or not", "Teaching or not" is not important. To have right understanding like this" isimportant.

We must try to go beyond our understanding since our understanding is controlled by wrongunderstanding or misunderstanding.


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Real MeditationReal meditation is trying to be free from wrong view. Right view is free view, knowing only andunderstanding only. We are traditionally paying attention to the actions of our mind, and body, our lifeand situation. It is wrong to do like that and there is no end in doing so.

It is necessary just to change the controller;

from wrong understanding to right understanding,not to change our life and our mind.

If we can change our wrong understanding, our mind and life will become perfect. All of your dreamswill come true and all of your desire will be fulfilled by that quality. Only by paying attention to theright understanding, attention to Created Truths, people, time, place and situation will become lessand less.

Due to paying attention to Created Truths, attachment becomes bigger and bigger. By changing ourattention from Created Truths to Original Truth, from wrong understanding to right understanding, ourtraditional attention to Created Truths will become less and less. So try your best to pay moreattention to right understanding and less attention to Created Truths.

Our mind is traditionally controlled by wrong understanding and so it is always busy with "likes anddislikes", "love and hatred", or "happiness and unhappiness". If wrong understanding is controlling inwhatever we do, our mind is not free, our action is not free and so our mind quality will not be free.

That is why we can copy each other whose mind quality is not free but we cannot copy Lord Buddhawhose mind quality is free since we have strong attachment to ourselves and to tradition.

For me, "Who I am, what religion I am and what I am doing" is not important. Therefore, "who youare, what religion you are and what you are doing" is not important. So I can help people to changetheir wrong understanding.

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Labels: Right View and Wrong View, Teaching Sermons15 January 2012

Right View and Wrong View - Part 4Right View and Wrong View - Part 4

Impermanent Nature of Something and SomeoneWe must not accept Impermanent Nature of everything and everyone as reality. The nature ofeverything and everyone that we understand is just to be used only, not to be taken it asreality. That's why impermanent nature of something and everything is just to be used only, but mustnot think it as reality.

Original Truth is forever and permanent. Created Truths are not forever. We can understand easilynothing is permanent or everything is impermanent. But everything and something are just CreatedTruths, and thus our understanding of impermanent nature is also just created truth.


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All of us and our perceptions are just Created Truths. Whatever actions and feeling, good or bad, lifeor death, are just Created Truths and so they all are just to be used, just to be experienced and just tobe known only.

In using created mind, body, time and place it is necessary not to forget Original Truth- ImpermanentNature and its illusive power to think unreality as reality and its right understanding about the original

truth and created truths.

To understand about Original Truth in the right way is important.

We all generally know that "Nothing is permanent.Everything is impermanent."We all think that kind of knowing is right.But this kind of knowing of impermanent nature isnot for real meditation or only middle way.Impermanence of everything and everyoneis concerned only with Created Truths

In fact, our knowing about impermanence of everything and everyone is concerned only with CreatedTruths but not concerned with Original Truth or Ultimate Truth. If our understanding is wrong aboutOriginal Truth, we will think Created Truths as Original Truth.

We can use time, place, mind and body but we must not forget Original Truth- Impermanent Natureand its powers.

We can do anything using our mind and body but we must not forget the original illusive action ofImpermanent Nature to think Created truths as reality.

You can know whatever saying by yourself and by others but must not forget the original knowing ofreal Impermanent Nature.

In this way, we will be able to use our life,action and knowing in the right waywithout misunderstanding of thinking them as reality.

Compared with Original Truth, Created Truth is not true anymore. Because of not comparing withOriginal Truth, all Created Truths seem to be real.

To attain the real happiness or freedom or permanent nature, it is necessary not to forget the powersof Original Truth, Impermanent Nature, Original Illusive Action and Original Knowing of ImpermanentNature.

Our present knowing about Original Truth is created knowing only. We have to make a practice ofhaving right understanding as mentioned above. More and more created knowing is the cause ofappearing original knowing.

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Labels: Right View and Wrong View, Teaching Sermons

10 January 2012


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Real Cause Of All Problems

Real meditation is using mind in the extraordinary way. We are using "lives of male and female, lifeand death" with the idea of taking them as reality. So there is attachment in our mind concerned withlives of male and female, life and death.

Because of that attachment,lots of problems concerned with thoseoccur in human society.

We have strong attachment to Created Truths because of wrong understanding (taking created truthsas reality). If there is no wrong understanding, there is no attachment. Because of wrongunderstanding, we need to make a practice of correcting our understanding.

You will need to understand and accept as mentioned above or as I guided you for a certain enough

period of time. In fact, more and more time and practice is necessary to have right understanding as Iguided you. In this way, attachment to wrong understanding will surely become less and less.

The Real Right And Wrong UnderstandingThe real right and wrong understanding is concerned with Original Truth.

There are two kinds of original truth :1) Impermanent Nature and2) Permanent Nature.(Note : Impermanent nature does not mean the impermanence of something or someone but the realimpermanence by nature which is constant and forever.)

Impermanent Nature Has Two Kinds Of Quality Or Power1. Original power of creation or action to think unreality as reality.2. Original knowing or understanding about Original Truth and Created Truths.

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The Help Of The Teacher Who Has Right UnderstandingI am using all Created Truths - mind, body, time and place without misunderstanding but with rightunderstanding, without any attachment to my life, lives of other people, my actions, actions of other

people, my knowing and knowing of others. Therefore, all my actions are just actions and all myknowing are just knowing only. That's why I can help everyone to change their wrong understanding


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through my right understanding. You cannot directly understand about right and wrong understandingby yourself.

Trying to have right understanding like meis changing your traditional understanding.

You need to try to understand and accept like me in order to have right understanding. In this way,your attempt to accept like me will cause or will condition your traditional wrong understanding to beright understanding.

We need to change our understanding.If we have strong attachment to wrong understanding,it is difficult to correct our understandingand it will take long time.

At first, we must accept the idea that our mind and body are controlled by wrongunderstanding. Because that wrong understanding is concerned with our inner mind, we need to

change our understanding and attention in order to remove wrong understanding from inner mind.

We should only pay attention to wrong and right understanding, not to our mind, body, time, place andwhatever actions concerned with mind and body which are just Created Truths.

In fact, all created truths are just to be used only but not to be paid attention to. What I am saying isnot our traditional understanding. Try to understand or accept like my understanding and then yourmind power will become higher and higher. This practice is mostly concerned with our mind.

"Mind Only Or Free Mind" Can Create And Do EverythingIn fact, mind is free and it can create and do everything. You can understand and accept like my

understanding through right practice. The more practice you make, the less the traditional mindquality (defilements) and then the stronger the power of mind quality will become. In this way, ourtraditional understanding or wrong understanding (defilements) will become less and less and thepower of right understanding will become higher and higher.

This practice is intended to go beyond traditional mind quality and to become free mind. Since we arestrongly attached to our traditional wrong understanding, it is difficult to understand like Lord Buddhaand his followers.

However, this is the only way of trying to copy the Lord Buddha's understanding and thus sooner orlater your mind will be more and more free and powerful.

To be continued

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Right View and Wrong View - Part 1Right View and Wrong View - Part 1This teaching (write-up) is directly based on the Guided Vipassana Insight Meditation Sermon (talk)by Ven Ottamasara at Bodi Heart Sanctuary (BHS) in Penang during his Dhamma Trip to Malaysia in

March 2011.


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"Having Right Understanding" Is Of Real ImportanceWe all are doing good deeds. We can differentiate goodness from badness. Whatever happeningsand whatever feeling, good or bad are not important. To know about right understanding or right viewis important. At the beginning, you can know about right understanding and wrong understanding by

listening to my teaching- with the help of me.

Role Of The Help Of A Teacher Who Has Right UnderstandingMy mind has the power to change understanding from wrong understanding to right understanding. Itis difficult for you to change your wrong understanding by yourself. But it is not difficult for me. Youcan copy my right understanding.

In this way, you can indirectly understand about those understandings. But those indirectunderstandings are not enough and perfect to become direct understanding about right and wrongunderstanding. What I am saying is not about someone, something, time and place, but just aboutright and wrong understanding.

Traditionally we are using mind, body, life cycle, life and death, time (past, present and future),

everything, everyone, places, experiences and situations with the idea of taking them as reality. Infact, all of them are just created truths. All created truths are just to be used, just to be experiencedand just to be known only but not to be taken them as reality. We are naturally using those createdtruths with wrong understanding.

What I am talking about right and wrong understanding is not created truth such as time, place,something and someone etc.

All our knowing or understanding concerned with our mind are just to be known only but not to betaken them as reality.

"Understanding to my teaching or not" is also just to be experienced only and not to be taken it asreality. Our understanding is naturally wrong and so we need to change our understanding.

Understanding Is Concerned With Inner MindUnderstanding is especially concerned with inner or unconscious mind. Generally we are using ourouter mind or conscious mind. Wrong understanding or misunderstanding is mostly concerned withour inner mind. By using our outer mind correctly, we must try to remove misunderstanding frominner mind. It is necessary to understand or accept like my understanding. In this way, you canchange your understanding from wrong to right. This understanding is necessary to change ourtraditional misunderstanding about created truth.

Changing Wrong To Right UnderstandingWe are using all created truths with wrong understanding and so all our knowing and actions arecontrolled by wrong understanding. Therefore, we need to change our understanding (controller)

from wrong understanding to right understanding. Even in practicing meditation, we are habituallypracticing, knowing and experiencing with wrong understanding, with the idea of thinking them asreality. e.g. This is right, that is wrong, practicing meditation is right, doing this good deed is right.

In fact, our practice and action should be controlled by right understanding. Practicing meditationshould be practicing only without wrong understanding, without taking the idea of practicingmeditation, as reality. If there is wrong understanding, our practicing will not be free and we will thinklike that "Someone is practicing meditation."

In fact, no one is practicing. Practicing meditation should be practicing only. Meditation, time, placeand experience seem to be real because of wrong understanding. We are using them with wrongunderstanding with the idea of taking them as reality.

Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara


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Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion withOverseas Disciple

3rd September 2012

Part - Four

In the case of understanding 'dana' as doing actions such as working, earning money and doing gooddeeds and 'sila' as ability of taking precepts as well as doing whatever you can do and sayingwhichever you can say, the mind power of 'doing' does not equal to 'abandoning'.

In the case of meditation, practicing meditation by applying all kinds of conventional knowledge andmethods can be considered as merely 'doing' actions without abandoning the habit of the mind.

In reality, you always have to remember the truth, 'abandoning', in your mind while carrying out theactivities of the body (kaya kamma), oral (vaci kamma) and mind (mano kamma). This is called tryingto abandon those activities in your mind while physically doing them.

Your power of abandoning will eventually be improved if you keep on doing 'abandoning' all the timein your mind.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing' or 'not-doing'.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing created actions' or 'not-doing created actions'.

Central emphasis should not be placed on 'doing meditation' or 'not-doing meditation'.

Placing central emphasis on the following actions can merely be called as 'habitual way of placingcentral emphasis on actions'. They are ... must do meditation, must do routine actions, must seek for

medical treatments, must depend on yourself, must depend on doctors, must depend on parents,must depend on teachers, must depend on Buddha, Dhamma and Sanga (Triple Gems), etc ...?The above mentioned examples are the glaring evidences that you are still unable do 'abandoning' inyour mind. You are merely 'doing actions' in your mind. By carrying out 'doing actions', your power of'doing' will eventually be increased. You can merely 'do actions' but unable to 'abandon actions' inyour mind.

Mental disorder in human beings is one of the evidences that those people are incapable of doing'abandoning' in their mind. If people start to do whatever they wish to do and say whatever they wishto say according to their wish and will, regardless of the situation, they will eventually become mentalpatients.

Only when you can practice 'abandoning' in your mind, you will gradually be able to stop using life asif you are the owner and master of your own life, stop grasping life as if it is your own and stopreferring to life as yours.

('abandoning' = abandoning physical actions, oral actions, mental actions, grasping of living and non-living beings as well as stop using things for grasping purpose, start using things for abandoningpurpose, using life for abandoning purpose, etc).

The essence is to 'abandon' your habit of using life in a wrong way. As a result of the power ofabandoning, you will gradually know how to use things, life, all other actions in a right way of 'usingonly, doing only, etc'.

Abandon the central emphasis on "happening or not", "doing or not", and "understanding or not" as

reality or real importance.


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You need to abandon your habitual understandings. Started from the leader, your 'mind', you need tolearn to abandon all the actions of 'doing'. If not, your mind will always be busy with 'doing this andthat', 'saying this and that', 'contemplating this and that', 'concentrating this and that', 'doing this andthat good deeds', 'taking this and that precepts', etc.

If your mind only understand the action of 'doing', your power of 'doing' will be increased. Your ability

in doing kamma actions will also be increased. But they are not the genuine mind power of'abandoning'.

Your power of true 'abandoning' will be increased only when you have the right understanding andfaith in 'abandoning'. Hence, you need to start changing the actions of the leader, your 'mind'.

You will always be remained as ordinary yogi (meditator) as long as you practice meditation with theunderstanding of 'doing' and 'practicing'. You will also be contemplating on and practicing meditationlike other traditional yogis.

If you observe 'sila' with conventional understanding in mind, you will only become one of those whotake Uposatha in conventional ways.

If you do good deeds with conventional understanding in mind, you will only become one of those whodo good deeds in conventional ways but will not know how to do good deeds to achieve perfection(parami).

Starting from the leader, your 'mind', you need to learn to do the right actions such as using living andnon-living beings for abandoning purpose.

Change must be started from the leader, your 'mind'. Only then, you will learn to use physical(kamma) and oral (vaci) actions for abandoning purpose ... do actions with the power of abandoningin mind, say things with the power of abandoning in mind, etc.

Started from the leader, your 'mind', you must try to abandon all your physical actions. By doing so,

you will gradually be able to 'abandon' all the created actions such as worries, anticipations,suspicions, 'I', me, place, possessions, life, death, health, well beings as well as placing centralemphasis on those created actions in your mind.

Placing central emphasis on life and death in your mind can be called as 'placing life and death asprime importance'.

Placing central emphasis on health in your mind can also be called 'placing health as primeimportance'.?In order to abandon those actions of your mind, you need to do 'abandoning' at all times ... be itwhether you are healthy or sick. Even while listening to dhamma teachings or while practicingmeditation or etc, you still need to remember and contemplate on 'abandoning' in your mind.

You need to listen to dhamma teachings and practice meditation with the understanding of'abandoning' in your mind.

The essence of this teaching is to change the duties and actions of the mind because mind createseverything.

Becoming this and that is also the created action of your mind.?Feeling healthy or sick is also created by your mind. By nature, your physical body will either behealthy or sick. Mind will automatically interpret this nature as feeling healthy or sick. Hence, thosefeelings are purely the creations of your mind.

If your mind is associated with pleasant feelings, you will feel pleasant. If your mind is associated withunpleasant feelings, you will feel unpleasant.


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Unpleasant feeling is created by your mind. Pleasant feeling is also created by your mind.

Good or poor concentration is also created by your mind.

?

The real duty is to stop doing all those created actions of the mind and perform the single mostimportant action of 'abandoning' all the time.

When the actions of the leader, your 'mind', is changed, all the actions of the followers willautomatically be changed.

If the actions of the leader is not changed, the actions of the followers will never be changed.

Since the leader is your 'mind', the leader must do the action of 'abandoning' continuously at alltimes. Only then, the actions of the followers, physical and oral actions, will be changed.

To be continued .....

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Labels: Sacca Dhamma Teachings13 December 2012

QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 03



3rd September 2012

Part - Three

?KKL : I personally believe that we can make donations only when we have capacity to donate. Thatis the reason why we have to work hard to earn money in order to donate. May I know your opinion

please?

Sayadaw : In reality, you can do good deeds as long as you have strong determination. It isimmaterial whether you are carrying out your created actions (endeavours) or doing good deeds, aslong as you have strong determination, you will surely be able to do them (if you have will, you haveways).

The perception of 'one can do good deeds only when one has capacity and capabilities to do so' isnot the complete perception as it pays central emphasis only on 'having or not-having'.

In reality, you should pay central emphasis on the cause (effort), 'doing or not-doing'.

Paying central emphasis on 'having or not-having' means paying central emphasis on the 'effect'

(result).


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If you have good 'cause' in mind or if you place central emphasis on good 'cause', you surely can dogood actions or good deeds. It also does not matter whether you are rich or poor, you still can dogood deeds if you have strong determination to do so.

?In terms of studying, you study without knowing whether you will become learned (academic) one day

but you keep on studying just because you have strong determination to do so.

In terms of doing business, you hop into the business weagon without knowing whether you will besuccessful one day but you keep on working so hard just because you have strong determination todo so.

In terms of seeking medical treatments, you spend tons of money on the best specialists, medicinesand medical treatments without knowing whether your illness or disease can be cured but you keepon seeking treatments till you have nothing left to sell (penniless) just because you are willing to doso.

Those examples show that if you have strong determination to do something, you can, you surely cando it.

Similarly, in terms of doing 'dana', if you have will, you surely can do it. It is more important for you tohave will and determination to do 'dana' or good deeds.

Because our understandings are not complete (conclusive), we tend to centre our attention on'having' capacity and capabilities to do good deeds. For this, we work even harder to earn moremoney in order to donate. Along the way, we become sickly and die without even be given anychance to do significant good deeds. Instead, we accumulate bad kamma (akusala) as side effect.

Our conventional understanding of 'dana' is not so accurate and correct. Hence, the 'dana' as youtraditionally understand does not encourage you to abandon your desire and actions (endeavours) to

earn more money.

Likewise, no matter how much you observe 'sila' in conventional way, you still unable to abandon allyour physical and oral actions. One good example is those who take precepts in traditionalway. These people tend to take pride in how many precepts they can take or how long they can takehow many precepts. It shows that these people place central emphasis on 'doing' (taking precepts)without abandoning other actions beyond the precepts that they take, e.g. saying this and that, talkingabout this and that, etc while taking those precepts.

Observing 'sila' according to your understanding might not be the real and correct way of observing'sila'.

In terms of practicing meditation according to your knowledge, no matter how much you concentrate

or contemplate on or how long you have been practicing meditation, if you still cannot abandon yourthoughts, worries, angers, frustrations, doubts, suspicions, greed, etc (actions of mind), your ability ofpracticing meditation, concentration and contemplation can still be considered as your ability of 'doingactions'.

As long as you cannot abandon the other actions of your mind, the meditation that you practice mightnot help you to achieve your ultimate goal of enlightenment and might not help you to attain insightwisdom.

The real and genuine 'sila' is abandoning power to all physical and oral actions and 'bhavana' isabandoning power to all mental actions ... an abandoning power to all the actions of your mind andthis must always be your understanding. One the other hand, it should also be called as abandoningtraditional understanding and embracing on more complete understanding.


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By doing so, your mind power of abandoning will gradually be improved and reached to thefullest. Your ability of 'doing-only' will eventually be improved.

If you place emphasis on 'doing' actions, only your mind power of 'doing' actions will be increased.

Try to understand "what should be done" by using "what must be done."

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QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 02



3rd September 2012

Part - Two

KKL : You always remind people to 'do Good Deeds continuously'. In my personal point of view,Good Deeds means dana, sila and bhavana. Out of these three, bhavana, which we traditionallyunderstand is - to keep your body in correct posture during meditation, observe our breathing closely(concentrate on your nostril), etc. In your point of view, what really is the action during meditation andhow to contemplate on? Kindly explain .....

Sayadaw : As far as practicing meditation is concerned, the traditional understanding of most of themeditators (yogis) are not so correct because they traditionally understand meditation as 'doing'. Intruth and reality, practicing meditation means 'abandoning'. Abandoning the doings or actions anddoing the action of 'abandoning' only.

Traditionally, we are taught to 'do' something during meditation. That is the reason why most of the

meditators always try to do something during meditation. Moreover, we traditionally believe that resultcan be achieved by doing or working hard, so we naturally try to do something to achieve desiredresult.

?The real meditation is 'abandoning', doing nothing but 'abandoning', abandon placing centralemphasis on living and non-living things (beings).

Traditionally we use living and non-living beings with grasping, use living beings as my relatives, myfamily, my race (ethnic group or nationality), etc with the mind action of centering and attachment. Inreality, the ability that can use living and non-living things as abandoning purpose is a real andgenuine 'dana'.


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If you do not do 'dana', you will use living and non-living things with grasping, you will resort to allsorts of methods and approach to earn money, you will use all sorts of ways and means to widen upyour circle of friends and connections, you will take living beings with the mind action of grasping,etc. This kind of understanding is not correct.

Doing real Good Deeds means abandoning the grasping.

Traditionally we understand kaya kamma (physical actions), vaci kamma (oral actions) and manoactions (mental actions) as 'actions to do'. Due to this understanding, even during meditation, weautomatically center our attention on 'doing this, doing that', 'saying right things and trying not to saywrong things', etc. Those actions are called observing sila in traditional way.

The real and genuine sila is 'abandoning' ..... abandoning power to all physical and oral (verbal)actions.

We normally do not know how to make use of living and non-living beings for abandoning purpose.That is the reason why we always use them for grasping purpose.

As far as kaya kamma (physical actions) and vaci kamma (oral actions) are concerned, we tend to doall sorts of actions (activities) up to our limits, we tend to say whatever we can say or whatever wewish to say, we tend to do everything until there is nothing which we do not know how to do, we tendto learn everything until there is nothing left for us to learn .... those are the norms of human beings.

The real sila is ... to try to 'abandon' all those created physical and oral actions without placing centralemphasis on doing or not-doing. Real sila emphasises only on the power of abandoning. As long asyou carry out your actions with the power of abandoning in mind, there is no problem. But theproblem is that we tend to do things without the power of abandoning in mind. That is the reason whywe cannot live without doing anything, saying anything, etc. By doing so, in long term, some might

develop signs of mental disorders.

Dana, which we traditionally understand is also 'doing something' ... human beings possess ability todo donations but unable to abandon the mind action of grasping on living and non-living beings alongthe way. That is the reason why we always need to work so hard to earn money in order to makedonations.

DanaAbility that can use living and non-living things as abandoning purpose.Sila

Abandoning power to all physical and oral actions.Bhavana

Abandoning power to all mental actions.

Panna

Abandoning power to any attachment concerning with physical, oral and mental actions.

To be continued ...

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Q&A and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 01



3rd September 2012

Part - One

KKL : Vererable sir, how should we contemplate if we experience pain during meditation? Shouldwe contemplate the pain as to be 'experienced-only'?

Sayadaw : The pain is to be experienced-only and not to take it as reality...you need to understandand contemplate in this way. If not, you will be suffering from the pain and take the pain as if it ismeant for feeling (suffering). If the sensation is good, you will feel good but if the sensation is bad,you will feel frustrated. In order to avoid this, you have to keep on understanding the truth of just tobe experienced only and not to take the pain as reality.

Human mind can only do only one thing at a time or human mind can only focus on one thing at atime. By trying to understand and contemplate on the truth and consider the pain as just to beexperienced-only, you will be able to abandon placing central emphasis on pain as reality. By nature,the degree of physical pain could either go up or down, severe or weak, etc as it is beyond one'scontrol. In order not to place central emphasis on this nature, it is important for you to remember andcontemplate on the truth of 'to be experience-only and not to centre you attention on them'.You need to train your mind to do non-routine tasks or works. In this way, your mind will stop working

on usual and routine tasks or works.

KKL : If this is the case, should we contemplate as 'things got destroyed just because their time is upand things got created just because their time is up'?

Sayadaw : Contemplating on this way is not complete and conclusive but weak in truth as thecontent percentage of truth in this statement is small. Superficially, the statement seems correct but itis not a complete and conclusive understanding. 'Just to experience only' is an ultimate truth. Thepain is to be experienced only and not to pay central attention on it as the truth.

'To be experienced only' is non-rejection.

'Not to pay central attention on it' is non-attachment.Not only the pain that you experience during meditation, but also for all sorts of pains, sufferings andhappenings due to kamma actions (kammic efforts), you always need to understand the truth of'experience-only and not to take them as reality'.

As long as you understand and contemplate on the truth, your actions can be considered as 'you areusing the truth in a correct or right way' and 'experiencing and enduring all the pains and sufferings ina right way'. It is called 'changing the direction or actions of your mind).

Traditionally people tend to associate with all the good and bad feelings with 'I' ... this is good, this isbad, pain, ache, suffering, increasing, decreasing, etc. Mind is always working along those traditionalbelieves because it has been trained to do so over the years. Hence, in order to abandon mind fromdoing traditional actions and dissociate mind from those actions, you have to try not to forget the truthof 'experiencing only and not to take those actions as reality'.


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Human mind has the ability to do multiple tasks. Your duty is to try to abandon multi-tasking of yourmind but keep on doing only one task of 'abandoning' those multi-tasking of your mind.

Depending on the severity of the pain, your mind will automatically be focusing on the pain andenduring the pain. In order to abandon the habit of your mind, e.g. automatically focusing andenduring the pain, you have to keep on remembering the truth of 'experiencing-only and not to takethe pain as reality'.In other words, you have to try your best not to forget but remember the truth of 'abandoning and notto take the pain as reality' in your mind.'Abandoning' means to abandon all kinds of created actions and tasks which we always place centralemphasis and attention on, e.g. pain, noise (sound), sight, taste, etc. Your duty is to abandon placingcentral emphasis on those habitual actions and tasks by keep on doing non-habitual action of'abandoning' continuously.

Sayadaw Ottamasara

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Transcript of Sayadaw Ottamasara