Guided Meditation With Ven. Pomnyun Sunim (Nov 8, 2020/S31)
[With English interpretation] Ven. Pomnyun Sunim answers a question during one of his Sunday Meditation sessions. Learn Vipassana Meditation from a Zen Master, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim. "We meditate not to make money or attain fame but to find our way to true happiness and freedom, or nirvana and liberation." by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.
Transcript
Welcome.
We will begin the online meditation with Venerable Pham Nunsinim shortly.
Before we proceed,
We will meditate for a brief moment to calm our minds.
We will begin the meditation with Venerable Pham Nunsinim.
We will begin the meditation with Venerable Pham Nunsinim.
Hello.
Hello.
How is your week?
I have been in Korea for a long time.
I have been in Japan for a long time.
I have been in Korea for a long time.
I have been in Japan for a long time.
I have been in the States for a long time.
I have been in the States for a long time.
I have been in Japan for a long time.
I have been in the US for a long time.
I am a professional.
So the global warming may be raising temperature overall,
But you know there has been unpredictable And much earlier freeze and frost in Korea Because a tater Today there is an ending at your peg earlier Young is our voice.
Nicka a Mute choice great,
So we can not let a lot of us other such risk So The place we're staying in used to be an old elementary school,
So it's very cold So what we did is to buy a wood stove and try to install that Okay,
How do you know that the alerts are Chinese?
Jada needen got to talk at that I mean I'm not sure I'm not sure I'm not sure No,
They also marked down current So installing the wooden stove in the school Reminded me of my elementary school days in which we used to have similar wooden stoves and in the morning We would place our lunch boxes metal lunch boxes on top of it to keep it warm Children Jiggamoff me massive trigger key part eka ministerokou And we show t because I got on there Write thought so So basically,
We're using my old elementary school as our living quarters at this point.
And I recall being a first grader in 1960.
Seems like yesterday,
But it's already 60 years past.
I remember when I was a child,
I was a child of a young girl,
And I was a young girl.
So 10 years,
20 years from now,
When I'm in my deathbed,
Recalling back to today could seem like yesterday as well.
I remember when I was a child,
I was a young girl,
And I was a young girl.
So when we live and we're consumed by our everyday lives,
It feels like a lifetime is a long time.
But at the end,
You realize that a lifetime is just a blink of an eye.
I remember when I was a child,
I was a young girl,
And I was a young girl.
And yet,
We live our lives being attached,
Being obsessing over,
And suffering because of as if we think we're going to live forever.
And yet,
I remember when I was a child,
I was a young girl,
And I was a young girl.
So we hear a Buddha pointing to a corpse that has been dead for a few days and saying that,
You know,
Just a few days ago,
You're alive as me,
And soon from this day,
I'll be as dead as you.
So basically,
Trying to use the corpse as a way to detach one's attachment to the body.
Now let's go to your questions.
So far,
Meditation for me has been like spinach.
It is something that other people tell me is good for me,
But I do not find it particularly pleasant.
Since I do not find it particularly pleasant,
I tend to not want to do it often.
Do you have advice about how I can improve my meditation experience so I am eager to do it and make it more useful to me?
I think meditation is a great way to improve your meditation experience.
I think that meditation is a great way to improve your meditation experience.
Do you have advice about how to do it?
How to do it is a very important way.
To want to do something is part of your desire.
If you want to do something and the situation arises when you can't do what you want to do,
That gives rise to suffering.
If you find a way to desire meditation and something happens and you can't do meditation,
Then meditation becomes a source of suffering.
It is not always good that you want to do meditation.
Meditation is not something you want to do or something you don't want to do.
It is something you just do.
If you want to do it and you can't do it,
It becomes a source of suffering.
If you don't want to do it but you are forcing yourself to do it,
Then it also becomes a source of suffering.
Meditation should not be placed in a position to become a source of suffering.
Because at that point meditation becomes an object of desire.
Meditation is essentially letting go of your desire and free yourself from suffering.
Just because you are sitting down in stillness and breathing doesn't mean it's meditation.
Sitting down and focusing on the breath and being mindful of the breath is a necessary condition to meditation but it's not a sufficient condition.
A necessary and sufficient condition to meditation is a state in which you are free from distraction,
From suffering.
So you have to be able to go beyond the duality of I want to or I don't want to and just engage in meditation as is.
Next question please.
Non-attached relaxation spaciousness with 100% no intent.
Only the breath at the end of the nose.
Do I have that right?
I just want to make sure I'm squeezing everything out of my meditation investment.
Most of all I want to make sure I'm doing it properly.
I think that meditation is a way to get rid of the open shell and the open-shadow.
Is that right?
I think that meditation is a way to get rid of the open-shadow.
I think that meditation is a way to get rid of the open-shadow.
Yes,
I think that meditation is a way to get rid of the open-shadow.
As I just said,
Focusing on the breath with your body and mind relaxed is only a necessary condition to meditation.
But if you are not doing it properly,
You will be in a state of suffering.
But while you're doing this,
You're still suffering.
You're still being bothered by all the distracting thoughts of the past,
The future,
Or whatnot.
And suffering because of that,
Then meditation becomes suffering.
As if to managing the playthrough of my own orders with the rest,
I made against it with different sneak Silence I think,
Like apologize,
Pain,
My love between these two forces 7 brush leaves We can't do this without being constrained by the pain,
Aches and what not.
And you are able to focus on the breath in despite of those constraints,
With a sense of a little challenge to yourself.
And be able to maintain calm and equanimity without being distracted by these thoughts,
Then that could be said to be meditation.
It's a good thing to want to live your life efficiently.
But meditation is not subject to efficiency.
Because it's just this.
Next question please.
Let's end with the questions there.
Let's relax our body and mind.
Let's let go of your thoughts whether I want to do this or I don't want to do this.
Because at this moment,
Even if you don't want to be here,
You are here.
Since you are doing it already,
There is no use to you thinking that I don't want to do this.
Because you decided that you want to do it,
So let's do it.
Without exerting an effort,
Without being tense about it,
Just relax and go ahead.
As if you are somebody who has nothing else to do.
With a relaxed and idle mind.
Focus on the tip of your nose.
Feel the sensation and realize that I am breathing.
Because we are breathing whether we intend to or not,
Whether we are conscious of it or not.
And depending on your physical state,
Sometimes your breath quickens,
Sometimes it slows.
And it's realizing that state.
And the breath comes in,
Know that it's coming in.
And the breath goes out,
Know that it's leaving.
And when the breath is rough and quickens,
Know that.
And when the breath becomes calmer,
Know that.
And there is no effort that's needed to realize these.
You don't have to make an effort.
Because something that happens automatically if you just pay attention to it.
But we are constantly distracted by other thoughts,
That's why we lose that focus.
So basically I'm saying,
In other words,
Pause the other thoughts,
Distractions and just be aware of the breath.
But as you know,
Our thoughts constantly arises and seeks to distract us.
And that's the reality.
Starting from this reality.
And try to pause your thoughts and be aware of the breath.
Or in the midst of the stream of thoughts,
Do not be distracted and still be aware of the breath.
And if you gain that awareness,
Try to maintain it.
But if you lose it,
Try to regain it.
If you lose it,
Try to maintain it.
And if you succeed,
Don't be too excited.
And if you fail,
Don't despair.
Just continue doing it.
If you are tense,
Try to relax.
And if you are overly excited,
Try to bring yourself to equanimity again.
And if you are tensing up and making an effort,
Try to let that go also.
In the midst of relaxation and peace,
Be consistent and constant.
Let's do it for 40 minutes today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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