Sometimes I love to be challenged, especially in what I think I know. I enjoy listening to dhamma talks because they are relaxing, insightful, occasionally amusing and sarcastic. Lately, I found that it was also a way to check if my own practice goes where it is supposed to.
Last Monday, I went to a dhamma talk by Venerable Sadayaw U. Jotika (I'll call him SUJ from now on. Click for the MP3 of his earlier talks) at Buddhadasa Indapanno Archive, organized by LittleBang Sangha group. I'd never seen him or heard him but I knew him through his book "Snow in the Summer" which was published in Thailand in both English and in Thai. Frankly, I wasn't that impressed with the book but decided to go anyway just to see what he was like.
Ven. Sadayaw is a Burmese monk who now lives in the US. He studied engineering and was ordained right after he finished his degree to find out what mediation and Buddhism was. In person, he looked very sharp and intense. Before he gave a talk, I felt he was checking us out...
The title of his talk is "Buddhism is a religion of freedom." He recited many verses from the Pali Canon (aka Tripitaka) and explained them to us, one by one, to prove his points that Buddha challenged us to not to believe in what he said but to observe our body and mind directly and see the truth by ourselves. The keywords that were said over and over are "to observe", "to look", "to pay attention", "to question", and "to feel."
Ven. Sadayaw was so energetic that I felt charged after his talk. He inspired me in so many ways: to learn Pali so that I could read the Pali Canon in the original language... (One more item on my to-do list before I die. If not this life then the next...) and to take charge of my practice and to remain dedicated to it (He said, "No excuse! If you are serious about it, you can. If you are clear on what you want and keep on doing it, you'll get it."). But most importantly, I felt assured that I have a first-hand understanding on some, if not all, of what he described.
Here are some of his words that I jotted down. I couldn't quite string them together into paragraphs so I leave them as is on my notebook.
Last Monday, I went to a dhamma talk by Venerable Sadayaw U. Jotika (I'll call him SUJ from now on. Click for the MP3 of his earlier talks) at Buddhadasa Indapanno Archive, organized by LittleBang Sangha group. I'd never seen him or heard him but I knew him through his book "Snow in the Summer" which was published in Thailand in both English and in Thai. Frankly, I wasn't that impressed with the book but decided to go anyway just to see what he was like.
Ven. Sadayaw is a Burmese monk who now lives in the US. He studied engineering and was ordained right after he finished his degree to find out what mediation and Buddhism was. In person, he looked very sharp and intense. Before he gave a talk, I felt he was checking us out...
The title of his talk is "Buddhism is a religion of freedom." He recited many verses from the Pali Canon (aka Tripitaka) and explained them to us, one by one, to prove his points that Buddha challenged us to not to believe in what he said but to observe our body and mind directly and see the truth by ourselves. The keywords that were said over and over are "to observe", "to look", "to pay attention", "to question", and "to feel."
Ven. Sadayaw was so energetic that I felt charged after his talk. He inspired me in so many ways: to learn Pali so that I could read the Pali Canon in the original language... (One more item on my to-do list before I die. If not this life then the next...) and to take charge of my practice and to remain dedicated to it (He said, "No excuse! If you are serious about it, you can. If you are clear on what you want and keep on doing it, you'll get it."). But most importantly, I felt assured that I have a first-hand understanding on some, if not all, of what he described.
Here are some of his words that I jotted down. I couldn't quite string them together into paragraphs so I leave them as is on my notebook.
- Kalamasutra: Do not go by revelation; by tradition; by hearsay; on the authority of sacred texts; on the grounds of pure logic (SUJ: Logic is human's inventions.); by a view that seems rational; by reflecting on mere appearances; along with a considered view because you agree with it; along on the grounds that the person is competent; along because [thinking] 'the recluse is our teacher.
- After checking out the Kalamasutra, what is left for you to believe? Nothing! The question is then, where do you get the guidance on how to live your life?
- If you are serious about something and you have intelligence, certainly you have doubts. (Me: I was much relieved to hear this; now I knew I wasn't so stubborn as to not believe in some of the teachings so wholeheartedly).
- People who question find out. People who don't question cannot find out anything.
- If you look closer at this body and this mind, it's hard to find anything permanent.
- When you know by yourself, that gives you a big responsibility.
- I watch my thoughts, seeing it coming and going. Just pay attention. Some thoughts make me angry; some make me happy. There is no real control. When my thinking changes, my emotion changes. The way you think determines how you feel. When you pay close attention, thinking stops; then you can see the nature of thoughts, and you understand what is wholesome (kusala) and unwholesome.
- Don't try to purify your mind. You just need to pay attention. The purification happens naturally.
- One little girl told SUJ that "When I'm aware of this awareness, I feel that I'm a human being." With the Buddha's practice, we're becoming humans. Before that, we're a potential one.
- What can you know directly? Through your thoughts. To know anything, you must be conscious.
- Even strong emotions like attachment or love make you unfree.
- PRACTICE DHAMMA AND BE FREE!
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