“We just need to be mindful of ourselves or our body and mind. If we are staying at home, we use to be mindful of each other between the family members. Mindfulness on each other is the cause of strong attachment between the family members. The practice of mindfulness on our self is abling us to detach from the others. We can be together here but we need to detach from each other. Attachment is the cause of suffering. The stronger the attachment is, the greater the suffering will be. If we are able to be mindful ourselves, we need to be mindful within our body and mind. There are only cause and effect of ever new impermanent nature. Ever new impermanent nature is not something, not someone, it is beyond limited time and place.

As a meditator, we must be able to represent the truth of ever new impermanent nature, which is not something, not someone and beyond limited time and place. Close your eyes gently. Relax the whole body and mind. Keep our head, neck and back straight. Relax your muscles. Let go of all your nervous energy. Stretch yourself upwards. Don’t let the body weight sink down. We need to sit, still and silent. We don’t need to do it by force. Be natural. We need to be the one with ever new impermanent nature. We need to detach from the idea of something or someone or limited time and place. Now, we are here together in Dhamma Hall, so the mind we are using now became a group mind. If we are alone without thinking about anything or anyone, we are using our own mind. If we are thinking about something or someone, the mind will be group mind. The mind we are using now will be changing depending on changing time, place and condition. We cannot stop the changing nature of the mind. We should try to be using only with mindfulness. The life is also changing all the time, we are growing, older and older. Getting old will end in being sick and dead. Old age, sickness and death of the living beings. We just need to detach to be using only with mindfulness. We should try to represent the truth which is cause and effect of ever new impermanent nature. Traditionally, we used to represent someone or I, something or mine. Now we need to be doing only with mindfulness and detachment. Ever new impermanent nature and permanent nature, are original Truth. These are forever permanent. Living beings and non-living beings are just created truth, not permanent, not forever. This is to be doing or not doing only. Using with grasping is wrong. Using only is right. We can use our body and mind without grasping as something or someone we own. We used to occupy something or someone as our own belongings. We need to abandon that grasping habit of the mind. If something or someone is in the mind, the mind cannot accept the other. The stronger the attachment is, the stronger the grasping will be.

We need to do all kinds of good deeds, including practicing meditation. But we should not keep the idea of someone or I, something or mine, in our mind. We can meditate but we should not misunderstand that I am meditating. Meditation is for all, not only for oneself, even if we are practicing alone, there won’t be many people alone like us in the world. We are free to use our self or our life, but we should not attach oneself. Using only without attachment is right. Using with attachment is wrong. Even if we are using with attachment, we need to be aware of our own attachment at the present moment. Knowing that truth is right understanding. The more we know about attachment, the more we can know about the detachment. We should not keep only oneself in the mind. We should try to keep everything, everyone in the mind. We are in this retreat, in this meditation center. Most of the meditators are using this meditation centre with attachment. If we don’t know about our own attachment, we can never be free from attachment. The mind we are using should be free to practice, anywhere, any meditation centre, with anyone, in any condition.

Now we all are doing what is right, by keeping precepts, and practicing the mind to be stable and pure. Right action only is not complete. We need to have right view. My teaching is about the truth. It will be helpful to have right view. Knowing the truth or having right view is not complete. We must be able to do what is right. Some of the meditators are able to do what is right. Some of them are able to know what is right. In this way, we can do good deeds together. We can learn from each other. Some of the meditation masters will emphasize on right view. Some will emphasize on right action. Some will emphasize on right thinking. In this way, we can learn from each other. We can work together. But the most important of all is to be doing only, with mindfulness and detachment. Doing only or not doing only. Experiencing only or not experiencing only. Knowing only or not knowing only. Using only or not using only. Is the only middle way. We are easy to understand doing something and doing nothing. But it is not easy to understand, doing only and not doing only. Our own ignorance and attachment are the cause of not understanding the middle way. That’s why we need to detach from our own ignorance and attachment.

Without the help of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, it is really difficult to know about ignorance and attachment. That’s why we have to rely on Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. The land and the building here in this Shwe Chaung Thabarwa Centre are donated because of the power of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Dhamma in meditation centres is the action of ‘dana’, ‘sila’ and ‘bhavana’. We all are doing here in this meditation centre. ‘Dana’ is giving, volunteering, helping, sharing what we have or understand. ‘Sila’ is keeping precepts. No killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no telling lies, no using drugs and alcohol, no having meals between afternoon and the sunrise of the next day, no dancing, no singing, no creating to be beautiful, no using luxury things. ‘Bhavana’ is keeping the mind stable and pure. Be mindful all the time. Be patient. No need to hurry. Stop the grasping habit of the mind. Don’t do it forcefully. Emphasize your present mind. I’m able to explain about the middle way. You must be able to follow the middle way. There is no end for this way and that way, this method and that method. In the ‘Only middle way’ there is the end. Only in middle way. This is to use only. Grasping use is wrong. Guided meditation is over now.”