“By reading you can get knowledge but it is not meditation. By thinking we can get good ideas but it is not meditation. If we read a lot you can know a lot. If you think a lot you will be a great thinker. But you won’t be a meditator. Meditation is mindfulness at the present moment; to detach from the present time, place and condition. By practicing meditation we can know deeper than by reading. By practicing meditation we can get better ideas than by thinking. By practicing meditation we can understand the truth. Meditation concerns with everything; we can be mindful while thinking, we can be mindful while reading. Practicing meditation is complete, therefore the more we are mindful, the more we can be complete. Practicing meditation can make us take better decisions than through thinking. Practicing meditation can fulfill our needs. If we want to be safe, we should emphasize to be mindful. Not only for us but also the others and the truth. By practicing meditation we will be able to detach from reading and thinking. Reading and thinking are not complete; this is why we need to meditate. Meditation is complete, this is why, when we are practicing meditation we don’t need to do others.

I will make decisions naturally, no need to think most of the time. For new events it takes time, I cannot decide once. But the more I experience new things the more I can make a decision naturally, no need thinking much intentionally. Before I started to meditate I used to think day and night for over seven years continuously as I was a businessman. When I started to practice meditation, I learned to stop doing something intentionally, to be relaxed, natural and present. We don’t need to rely on ourselves. We just need to rely on doing good deeds at the present moment. The more we do good deeds, the more we can get what we want. This is not science, not mathematics, not astrology, not fortune teller, just doing good deeds and this will give us what we want. When I ran my own business I had to make decisions continuously that made me tired. But as a meditator, when I ran my own business I tried to stop thinking. I tried to do good deeds while I was doing business. This was difficult at the beginning. Doing business not traditionally. But I loved doing good deeds; I couldn’t stop doing good deeds. There are many side effects when we do business traditionally. As a meditator I didn’t need to do business but it was difficult to stop quickly. I had to rely on doing good deeds continuously to be able to stop the business. I didn’t need to think about how to stop my business, I just had to continue doing good deeds and the action of doing good deeds guided me on the way to stop and when to stop. As a meditator I didn’t have to think about when I should ordain, I just had to continue doing good deeds and the action of doing good deeds made me decide to ordain ten months later. Reading is not complete; thinking is also not the best. Practicing mindfulness and detachment is the best we can do.

Whenever I make a decision, I won’t make it as a leader but as a meditator. I won’t be urgent; I will continue to do good deeds and if I cannot make a decision I won’t do anything. If I am not sure about doing something I just won’t do it. I made many decisions that wouldn’t be made by people in the society. If you are not a real meditator you cannot understand. It used to happen when we are working together. I cannot explain because I am not thinking. “Doing good deeds’ is making the decision. If I cannot decide I will not make the decision, I will let someone make it. When I can make the decision I will change the way. I can learn from others. This is teamwork. I rely on doing good deeds; I don’t rely on brain or thinking. I don’t rely on books or reading. I am not rejecting but I rely on doing good deeds in the right way, in the middle way of doing-only. I am not thinking, I am just making decisions caused by doing good deeds. Different actions and different ideas, different results. Besides I am patient; if I have not enough information I won’t make a decision. I try to decide at the right time, no need to be early, no need to be late. This is the most dangerous situation. We need to be careful not to make mistakes. I made decisions as a meditator but I am not rejecting the present situation caused by the virus around the world. The act of writing has limits; the praying and the action of thinking has limits. Meditation is limitless. Meditation is complete. ”

Question: Sayadaw, can you tell us more about your own meditation experience?

– “I meditate in sitting position, in daily activities, in meditation centers, during retreats, and at home, at work, while driving, eating, and speaking. Meditation everywhere, every time, in every action. Meditation with any action, with anyone. Meditation is mindfulness and detachment. Most of the people meditate with attachment. They don’t want to detach; they want to attach to one master, one method, one place, one experience. That is not complete. Because of strong attachment, most of people cannot accept detachment. We need someone to rely on, something to do. Somewhere to stay. Most of the people cannot accept to detach from something, someone, limited time and place. Now many people are meditating but they meditate with attachment, limits. They need to detach. If you are meditating in sitting meditation you may not try to meditate in daily activities. If you meditate in daily activities you may not emphasize to meditate in sitting position. That is usually happening because of attachment. If you cannot detach you cannot develop.

This is right. Whatever we do, we should be doing-only, not doing-only, experiencing-only, not experiencing-only, knowing-only, not knowing-only, using-only, and not using-only. That is the middle way but if you don’t practice you cannot understand. You must be patient. If you are hurry you cannot understand the middle way. I am mindful in thinking, this is why most of the time I don’t need to think, I get great ideas not by thinking but by doing good deeds continuously. My job is to do good deeds and I teach to do good deeds at every present moment without limits. If you continue to do like this at Thabarwa center, you can understand this method. If you practice in other centers they won’t teach like this and you cannot understand about doing-only or not doing-only.

The mind is the most important. It is difficult to focus on an object outside so we should focus inside, this is better. This is the best we can do. We can do many things but we should try to do with a stable and pure mind. Whatever we do, we should emphasize not to lose a stable and pure mind. As meditators we can have limited power of stable and pure mind. The more meditation, the more stability, and peace of mind. When we do something we try not to lose a stable and pure mind. In the beginning we are sure to lose the stable and pure mind; if so we should stop doing something and emphasize sitting meditation in sitting or practice in a meditation retreat. The mind is the most important object of mindfulness. The mind is real meditation. Detachment is caused by mindfulness. The more we are mindful the more we can detach. In this way, we will become able to lose everything, everyone except stable and pure mind.

This is protecting the mind only; most people are protecting their life to be free from the virus. for not rejecting we also are trying to stay by ourselves, not to go anywhere, to clean the mind whenever it is needed; this is for not being rejected but when we are doing like this we emphasize not losing the stable and pure mind. Keeping the mind to be stable and pure… If the mind is stable it is wealthy, if the mind is pure it is healthy so as a meditator we emphasize more on health and wealth of the mind; not much on health and wealth of the life or body. In this way, as a meditator we use the power of the mind, not money, not brain, science or medicine. We emphasize the power of the mind which is stable and pure. This is a full-time meditation center, this is why anyone is free to meditate all the time but meditation is difficult for most of the people. To solve this problem we accept volunteering. The more we are volunteering, the more it is easy to meditate. This is practical; teaching about the practice, not teaching about the theory. If you are not practicing you cannot understand.”