THE DAILY TEJANIYA — 2021

 Every Moment is Fresh
The mind's tendency is to like
new things. It wants variety, it
wants freshness. So one thing to
remember is that no moment is
the same as the old. Every
moment is fresh.

The Objective is to Understand Things
The real objective is to under-
stand things. Happiness will
then follow naturally. 

Two Main Ingredients of What’s Happening Now
Two main causes affect your pres-
ent experience: the momentum of your
good and bad habits, and what you
are doing right now. 

Whenever You Are Upset, Look Within
Whenever you are upset, look
within. There is nothing and no-
body out there you can blame
for your state of mind. 

Recognizing Your Wrong Attitude is Wisdom
Recognizing your wrong attitude is
wisdom! It is just as important as 
knowing your right attitude. 

We Need to Learn Our Lessons
We need to learn our lessons. There is no
 shortcut. If we don’t learn our lessons when
they present themselves, they will come up
again and again until we give them our
attention and learn from them.

Don’t Try to Maintain Equanimity
Don't try to maintain equanimity;  
only try to maintain awareness.

Always Bring in Right Information
I always emphasize the impor-
tance of right information. If you
don't bring in intellectual understand-
ing—right information—there is just
delusion. There might be awareness  
but the awareness has no power.

What You Always Try to Adjust Is …
What you alway try to adjust is
the quality of observation.

Find a Still Point Not Dependent on Anything
The answers to our problems can be
found in our own minds. We must find
a still point that is not dependent on
anything for our happiness.

Increase Your Interest Not Your Effort
People usually try to find the balance
between relaxation and effort, by using
more or less effort. But if the mind is in-
terested in knowing something, effort is
already present. So the balance you ac-
tually have to find is betweeen
relaxation and interest.

To See Things as They Are, Relax
Only when you are relaxed can you
see things as they are. The more you
try to see something, the less clearly 
you can see it. Those who don't try
 to look for anything, see more.

Watch Desire, Not Objects of Desire
If desire arises because of a particular ob-
ject, you should stop observing that object.
It is not a dhamma object; it is an object of
desire. The object you need to watch in 
 a situation like that is desire itself.

There is No Need to Look Outside
The world is a creation of the
mind. So there is no need to look
outside. Everything is happening
 right here in our own minds.

Let Go of the Old Paradigm
We need to switch from doing  
to recognizing. This way you will  
slowly understand what is actually
happening, and this will enable you
  to let go of the old paradigm.

Take Energy Out of Greed, Hatred and Delusion
When you put energy into  
awareness, you take energy out  
of greed, hatred and delusion.

Let Things Happen Naturally
If you want to understand nature, you
 have to let things happen naturally. Bring-
ing our awareness "back" to something
is making a personal effort.

Delusion Creates a Substitute for Reality
Delusion not only keeps reality from
us but also gives us a substitute for it.
People can live a whole lifetime in this
way. You can feel very fortunate that
you have this opportunity to practice 
Dhamma, in investigating what
is real and what is not.

True Understanding Brings True Happiness
Only when there is true understanding,
will there be real happiness. Not the kind
of happiness people want to indulge in, but
a happiness that arises because you are 
at peace with the way things are.  

Don’t Try to Be Aware, Just Be the Supervisor
Don’t try to be aware. You just need to
be the supervisor, by regularly checking
 whether awareness is doing its job. Keep 
asking yourself whether there is aware-
ness, whether awareness is at work. 

You Will Begin to See a Simpler Reality
No matter how difficult life becomes, we
must keep practicing continuously. This is
the only  way. Eventually wisdom will out-
weigh greed, hatred and delusion and you
will begin to gather momentum. New ave-
nues of awareness will open to you. Then 
you will begin to see and be part of a sim-
pler and less complicated reality that
you are not separate from but is
actually nature itself.

Why We Do This Work
This is why we do this work: to
understand cause-and-effect relation-
ships and to realize the wisdom that will
help us interrupt and transcend these
cycles of becoming that can cause
us so much grief and misery. 

If You Are Practicing Correctly, Life Will Always Be New
If we are practicing correctly, then
life will always be new and interesting
because we are always seeing more. We
are observing nature happening in the
deepest possible way. This is nature,
experiencing nature. 

A Window in the Wall of Delusion
We can only truly start practicing
when the mind has reached a state of
calm. This is the window in the wall
of delusion through which we can
investigate our experience. 

You Have to Wear Wisdom Glasses
You have to wear wisdom glasses not
colored glasses. If you wear red glasses,
you will see everything red; if you wear
blue glasses, everything will be blue. That's
why the watching mind must be the right 
nature. Only if it is without any greed or
hatred, can it see things as they are. 

Right Now, Can You Feel Your Feet?
Right now, are you aware of your
posture? Are you aware of your hands?
Can you feel your feet? Notice how little
energy or effort you need to know any
of this. That is all the energy you need
to remain aware. But remember, 
you need to do this all day.  

Wisdom Will Somehow Tell You
When wisdom understands something
it will somehow tell you. There might be
a thought flashing up saying: "This is
stupid." You will clearly know that 
something has been understood.

Learn to Be Interested in Difficult Situations
Learn to be interested in difficult
situations. By being present with them
in a gentle manner, you may suddenly
understand what caused them.  

The Mind Does Not Belong to You, But …
The mind does not be-
long to you, but you are
responsible for it.

Look Repeatedly and From Different Angles
What is going on in the
mind will seem rather cha-
otic at first. You need to look
at the same issues repeatedly
and from different angles.  

Detach in the Good Times, Accept in the Bad
When things are good, learn how to
detach from them. When things are not
good, learn how to accept them.  

Understand the Suffering That Anger Always Brings
When through observing our own an-
ger we truly understand the suffering that
it always causes us, it will become easy to  
feel compassion whenever we are con-
fronted with anger in others.

The Mind is Just the Mind
It is good to start from the
understanding that the mind
is just the mind. With this un-
derstanding, there is no
identification.  

Seeing and Thinking Have Similar Natures
Seeing and thinking have similar na-
tures. When we watch our thoughts, we
tend to get lost in thought. Similarly, when
when we try to notice seeing, we tend
to get lost in what we are seeing. 

Actively Remember Good Mind States
When you experience good mind states,
actively remember them. Remind yourself that
that you are experiencing a good mind state; 
that good mind states are possible; that this
is how a good mind state feels. In this way
you reinforce the understanding of
 the good states you experience

Everything You Need is Surrounding You
Everything you need for understanding to
arise is surrounding you in this moment. It
 is all on your doorstep: family, friends, work
colleagues, and any other relationships you 
may have can all be powerful catalysts in
your work of revealing wisdom. 

The Origin of All Problems
My teacher always said to me that all
the problems in the world originate from
the trio of craving, aversion and delusion.
Keep an eye on them. Watching the bad  
qualities is most important because if you
can keep them at bay, the good quali-
ties will automatically come in. 

To See the Truth You Must Start Meditating
If you wish to arrive at the truth you
have to start meditating; to be aware of
yourself; and to acknowledge the pres-
ence of greed, hatred and delusion
in your mind. This is basic. 

Reflection and Discussion is Part of Meditation
Reading about meditation, discuss-
ing meditation, and reflecting on how
to practice are all mind work, are
all part of meditation.

Wisdom Also Desires Things
YOGI:
Is it possible to like something
without having greed? 
SUT:
Let me put it this way: Wisdom also
desires things. But wisdom has a different
motivation. It understands the true benefit
of something and therefore it moves towards
that. It is very different from greed. 

Emotions Don’t Need to Go Away
Emotions don’t need to go away. The
objective is to know what the emotions
feel like; what thoughts you are having
when there are emotions; and to under-
stand the nature of emotions and
the mind’s behavior. 

Post-It Notes vs Super Glue
Let’s say we see a flower growing on a road-
side. Some people may say, "It's a lovely flow-
er," and keep walking, while others may look
 at the flower and think that they want to keep
it for themselves and pluck it. Some attach-
ments are like Post-it Notes, while others
are more like Super Glue! 

Observe How Thoughts, Feelings and Sensations Interrelate
When a strong emotion has subsided
you will be able to look at the feelings,
the thoughts, plus the bodily sensations.
The better you understand how these all
interrelate, the more skillfully and ef-
fectively you will be able to handle
any kind of emotion.

Check the Attitudes Behind Resistance
When you experience pain, learn how
to watch anger, tension or discomfort in
your mind. Alternate between checking
 the feeling of physical sensations, and
the attitudes behind your resistance.

Pain is Not the Problem
Wishing for pain to decrease or go away
is the wrong attitude. It does not matter
whether the pain goes away or not. Pain
is not the problem; your negative men-
tal reaction to it is the problem. 

Use Intelligence to Bring Your Practice to Life
You cannot do mindfulness meditation
blindly, mechanically, without thinking.
You have to use knowledge and intelli-
gence to bring your practice to life.

Concentrate on Fulfilling Causes and Conditions
A mind which is focused on achieving a
certain result is motivated by greed. Wis-
dom knows the cause-effect relationships 
and it will therefore concentrate on ful-
filling the causes and conditions. 

Understanding Brings Peace to the Mind
Understanding what is happening brings peace to the mind. 

Ask Yourself, “How Do I Think About This Experience?”
First you need to ask yourself: “Am I
really aware of my present experience?” 
Then: “How do I think about this exper-
ience? What are my views connected to
it?" If you can recognize right views,
that’s wisdom at work. 

Things Don’t Happen Because You Want Them to Happen
Things don’t happen because
you want them to happen but   
because conditions are right.

Follow the Joy of Understanding
When the mind feels joy  
in understanding, it will be 
motivated to look deeper. 

Understanding Isn’t Always Easy
The process of understanding is often very painful.

Wisdom Never Takes It Easy
Wisdom never takes it
easy. It always understands
that it can go further. 

The More You Focus, the Less You See
The more you focus, the less you see.

The Quality We Try to Harness is Wisdom
We use thinking; but the quality
we try to harness is wisdom. 

Ask Yourself, “Why Am I So Eager to Think About This?”
If you think you have something very
important to think about, stop and ask
yourself if it is really important. Why
are you so eager to think about it? 

We Should Not Forget Our Ultimate Task
We should not forget that
ultimately—however we may
start practice — our task is to
learn how to deal with greed,
hatred and delusion.

Never Try to Force an Issue
Never try to force an issue. Just
acknowledge, accept, and keep observ-
ing until things unfold naturally.

You Can Learn to Eat Without Greed
You can learn to eat without greed.
You can change your attitude so that
you no longer eat something because
you like it, but because it is food.

Cultivate Understanding Over and Over Again
The Buddha would expound some verse
or another and if somebody understood it 
he would then say, "Now that you've un-
derstood, be sure to cultivate this under-
standing over and over again."

If Wisdom is Lacking Delusion Says “Let’s Party!”
If wisdom is lacking, delusion will be
right there to say, "We've finished
meditating. Now let's party!" 

The Very Heart of the Practice
To be reminded of our
awakened nature is the very 
heart of this practice. 

Taking Delight in the Dhamma
In the early mornings and evenings at our retreat center,
it is common to see yogis walking together chatting among
themselves. This is no idle chatter. They are swapping dham-
ma experiences and offering support to one another. They are
using this time to mindfully relate and listen to what is hap-
pening in each other's practice. They are taking delight in
dhamma and immersing themselves in the safety and trust
of their meditation community. To interact with a fellow
yogi in this way is invaluable in furthering our under-
standing and consolidating wisdom.

Nothing About Anger is Beneficial
Is it necessary to get angry? I used to think so. At
one time I would shout at someone and that would be
the end of it, so I thought, "Oh, pretty useful." I thought 
that was a good thing to do. It was much later in life, after
I kept using anger, that I realized that sometimes it leads
to other trouble. And then if you meet someone with more
anger than you, then it will lead to even bigger trouble.
When I'd been observing the mind for a long time I
realized that there was nothing about anger  
that was beneficial in any way.

When Meditation Becomes Second Nature
When we see the mind leaning toward
a concept and becoming agitated, notice
this without judging the concept as good or
bad. Then bring awareness to the feeling in 
 the mind, or to related sensations in the body. 
Practice this often enough and it will soon
become an automatic response, second
nature. Meditation is happening
of its own accord. 

If You Understand the Mind, You Understand the World
You don't need to believe some-
thing you cannot intellectually un-
derstand. Just keep investigating.
If you understand the mind, you
understand the world. 

Knowing Reality is Our Lifetime’s Work
Knowing reality should never be
 uninteresting because it is our life-
time's work. So how can we use this
 wisdom to create interest and find the
motivation to move forward in our 
practice? We begin by working 
with awareness itself. 

Meditation is Nature Doing Its Work
Say your neighbor and you decide to share a
container of tomato seedlings. He grows a bump-
er crop and you grow a good crop but not as good
as his. It depends on the conditions—sunlight, water,
soil, shade, compost and so forth— as to what sort
of crop you will get. And of course they will grow
at their own pace. This is the same with the med-
itating mind. After all, it too is nature.  

Let the Mind Do Its Work
When I say "Do the work," what I
really mean is simply step back and
allow the mind to do its own work,
which is meditate. This is what the
mind does. This is its nature. 

Get to Know the Nature of Greed and Anger (1 of 3)
With right view we are aware of what is
happening in the present moment. We are
experiencing nature happening. There is no
body, no person. If we take this attitude and
we are aware of what is happening, then
we have right view and right thought. 

Ask Questions of Your Anger (2 of 3)
We need to understand the nature of an-
ger, the thought processes that lead to this
upsurge of emotion. Ask questions of your-
self: "How do I feel? Is the feeling pleasant
or unpleasant? What idea is the mind hold-
ing that is making it angry? Is something
in the mind that is unacceptable?"

Is Chinese Anger as Strong as Indian Anger? (3 of 3)
We are used to labeling others' anger as
 "their anger" and our own anger as "my
anger." This is wrong view. Is Chinese  
anger as strong as Indian anger? No,  
 they are the same. Anger is anger. 

Imagine Going All the Way
Either there is momentum on the wis-
dom side, or there will be momentum on
the defilement side. If you were to let go of
the wisdom momentum even for a bit, it will
take quite a lot to begin again. Beginning a-   
gain is not that easy. That's why you can't 
let it stop. Imagine going all the way.

Use All Six Senses To Develop Awareness
A yogi is one who uses all the experiences
of the six sense doors to develop awareness,
stability of mind, and wisdom. If you are not
a yogi, you still have the six sense doors but
you develop greed, aversion and delusion
towards them, or because of them. 

Whatever Is Happening, Just Know That 
The whole objective of meditation
is not to quiet the mind. The objec-
tive of meditation is to know. To know
whatever is happening as it is. If it is
quiet, then it's quiet. If it's not quiet, 
it's not quiet. Just know that. 

Please Don’t Fight With Your Thoughts
When there are thoughts, please
don't fight them. Thoughts are na-
ture. It's a process that is happening.
When you realize "This is mind, mind
is thinking," then you won't get lost
lost in thought. It won't happen.

Be Aware of the Thinking Mind
If you are thinking and you
know there is thinking, that's not 
wandering mind. That's being a-
ware of the thinking mind.

We Tend Not to Understand What Seeing Is
We tend not to understand what see-
ing is. The instant tendency of the mind
is to think of what it is seeing—a statue
of the Buddha, the floor, a cushion. But
the seeing is a different thing. Seeing is 
a very, very obvious object. Just ack-
nowledge that you are seeing. 

Start By Knowing Just One Thing
When you do walking meditation, just
walk and know that you are walking. You
don't need to walk slowly, there's no need
to label what you are doing. Just know you
are walking. What can you pick up about  
the process of walking as you watch your-
self walk? You can start by knowing
just one thing, just maybe feeling
the step, or the movement. 

The Yogi’s Three Simple Tasks
Our job as yogis is threefold: to
have right view*, to be aware of
right view, and to continue to have
right view. There's not a lot to  
do, just these three things. 
* Right view is understanding that everything
we experience is nature, not an "I" or “me."

With Our Eyes Open We Can Be Aware
We are so used to thinking that medi-
tation is something to do with our eyes
closed, that we are not used to the idea
that we can be aware of seeing, or that
with our eyes open we can be aware.

Seeing and Thinking Have Similar Natures 
Seeing and thinking have similar
natures. Just as we want to notice not
what we are thinking about, but rather 
that we are thinking, we want to be able
to observe and learn about the process
of seeing, in particular in relation to
liking, disliking, and ignoring. 

Don’t Work at Being Angry
If there is anger in the mind, don't
think more about what is making you
angry. Instead, notice there is anger and
get interested in it: "There is anger; this is
anger; this is the nature of anger. What is
that like?" Bring this awareness continu-
ally. In this way, you don't work at being
 angry, you work at being contin-
uously aware.

You Can’t Help But Roll With Anger
If there is anger in the mind, to
some extent you can't help but roll
with it, because it has its momentum
and you can't stop it. But what you
are not doing in the present  
moment is feeding it.

Put all Your Energy Into Awareness
Awareness is where to put
your energy. Put all your ener-
gy into awareness. Awareness,  
awareness, awareness.

See If You Can Be Simple and Just Know
If you see wanting and dissatis-
faction in being aware, let go of
them if you can. See if you can 
be simple and just know. 

Bring Awareness to Life
Every moment that we bring
awareness to life, weakens the
the darkness of delusion. 

Awareness is Interested in What It Knows
Awareness can be quiet and
calm, and yet alert and inter-
ested in what it knows. 

Don’t Complain About Experience
Don't complain about experience; 
appreciate that it can be known. Ap-
preciate awareness every moment.

Are You Clear What You Are Aware Of?
Are you clear about what you
are aware of? Is there a clear
feeling of knowing? 

Are You Aware or Just Thinking?
Are you being aware
or just thinking? 

Don’t Personalize the Knowing or the Known
Your experience is only the knowing 
and the known. Whether with reference
to the object or the awareness, what is it
like when it is personalized? And how is
the experience different when it is
not personalized? Find out. 

Every Moment There is Room for Awareness
Every moment there is room for
awareness. Not just when you sit.
Every moment. This is critical. 

Be Watchful of Assumptions And Expectations
Watch out for the tendency to believe
that your idea of something, is what must
happen. For example, your ideas about what
experience will signify that you have un-
derstanding, insight, or momentum.

The Mind is Responsible for Its Own Feelings
Nobody outside of the mind can
upset it, make it angry, averse, afraid,
happy, joyful or grateful. Nobody outside
of the mind, triggers the mind. The mind
is responsible for its own feelings—
its gladness, and its suffering. 

Don’t Trust Everything Thought Presents to You
Don't trust everything thought presents
to you. You need to check the motivation
behind thoughts. It can be wholesome and
wise, and equally it could be something
unwholesome. But only you can know
for yourself by checking.  

When You Don’t Have Clarity, Never Mind
When you don't have clarity,
never mind, just keep practic-
ing. Just acknowledging there
is not much clarity, that
is Right View. 

This Endless Process We Call Life
Life, in Pali, is "bhava." It means
"becoming." The process of the mind
coming into being, and passing away,
and coming into being again, over   
and over, is this endless pro-
cess we call “life."

We Forget Mindfulness in the Good Times
Most of us remember to be mindful when
we are suffering. The moment things get bet-
ter, the mind relaxes and we forget to continue
to be mindful. Then greed, hatred and delusion
are allowed to grow again, and they come  
with lots of strength and added force.

Maintain a Steady Practice of Increments
We are in a cycle of trying to trying
to deal with huge amounts of greed, ha-
hatred and delusion when they hit us. But
we are never prepared because we don't
maintain a steady practice that incremen-
tally reduces the power of greed,
hatred and delusion.

The Dhamma Takes You By the Hand
We can take heart in the fact
 that after all of the effort we put
in, at some point it becomes easier.
The Dhamma sort of comes in, 
takes you by the hand, and
shows you the way.

Practice is Like Playing Musical Chairs
The unwholesome states of mind are
very skillful at taking their place in the
mind. It's like musical chairs. We have to
build mindfulness, samadhi, and right ef-
fort so that we get to the chair first. When
that happens consistently, you will know
you've got ahead of the game. 

When You Think You Are in Control, Remember This
Whenever you think you are in control 
of a situation, the defilements—craving, aver-
sion and delusion—are actually in control.

Practice Like a Sick Person
I have a saying that a lot of you will
have heard: "Practice like a sick person."
The mind of a sick person doesn't want to
do anything, it just wants to be quiet and ob-
serve. When we are ill, there is less striving,
and we are very much in touch with 
sensations and our feelings. 

Rely on the Wholesome Qualities of the Mind
The Buddha said to rely on yourself.
But "self" is a concept, a construct. So what
did he mean when he said to rely on yourself?
He meant to rely on the wholesome qualities of
the mind. Rely on those; cultivate those. 

Everything There Is, Is Mind
Once somebody is looking for the
mind, there’s something wrong.
Because everything that’s happening—
everything there is—is mind.  

The Mind is an Aspect of Nature
The mind is an aspect of nature,
not "I," not self, no person. It is a
natural phenomenon. Only when you
have this right idea can you truly be
aware. You are practicing to find
out about this nature.  

Awareness and Questioning Go Hand-in-Hand
Awareness and some questioning go
hand-in-hand. There has to be an inquisi-
tive thoughtfulness along with the aware-
ness. As the mind changes there's an urge
to know and understand what is happen-
ing. Only then will the mind be
alert all the time. 

Knowing Reality Should Never Be Dull
Knowing reality should  
never be uninteresting, because
it is our lifetime's work.

Don’t Tell Yourself to Be Patient
Don't tell yourself to be patient.
Watch the impatience! 

“I Would Like Yogis to Step Back”
I would like yogis to get to the point
where they realize that without focusing
or paying attention, the nature of knowing
is happening. I would like yogis, especially
those who have been practicing for years, to
just recognize that this is going on. They  
need to step back. They need to switch
from doing to recognizing. 

Step Back and Allow the Mind to Work
When I say, "Do the work," what I really
mean is simply step back and allow the mind
to do its own work, which is meditate. This is
what the mind does. This is its nature.  

Your Partner Might Propel You to Awakening
A yogi once asked whether it was only
possible to become enlightened if one was
single. No! Anyone can become enlightened!
Your partner could be the condition that
propels you to awakening.  

To Maintain Continuous Awareness, Try Tapping
We can use numerous methods to maintain
awareness as we go about our daily activities.
 My teacher would often have a hand resting on
his opposite shoulder with the index or middle 
 finger tapping away on the shoulder. He would
use this tapping to stay present as he was talk-
ing. I would always rub or tap my middle
finger against my thumb to stay present  
as I was working in the market.  

How Awareness Makes Energy Available
As long as we can maintain awareness,
energy will be available to us. We will be-
come less tired because we will be smarter
and more efficient in our actions.  

If You Get Angry, Clear It From Your Mind
If you get angry, clear it from
your mind. You have the skill and
the means to do this. Why hold it and
let it brew unchecked, unnoticed? Auto-
matic reactions are unskillful states of
mind; we can use them to grow our
awareness and wisdom.  
 
If We Can’t Accept, We Can’t Learn
If we can't accept, we can't
learn. So don't try to change ex-
perience; don't try to change the
process. Just try to be aware. 

What To Do If The Mind Isn’t Interested
YOGI:
You encourage us to ask questions in order
to enliven the practice, to stir up interest. It does
not seem to work for me. The mind does not
seem to be interested. What should I do?
SAYADAW:
Ask the mind why it is not interested! 

Understanding Brings Peace to the Mind
Understanding what is happen-
ing will bring peace to the mind.
Once you understand the precious-
ness of this process, you will feel joy
and you will always be interested
 in looking deeper and deeper. 

Remember Good Mind States You Experience
When you experience good mind states,
actively remember them. Remind yourself
that you are experiencing a good mind state; 
that good mind states are possible; and this
is how a good mind state feels. In this way
you reinforce the understanding of the
good states you experience. 

Notice Awareness More Than the Breath
Once you know there is awareness of
the breath, notice the awareness more
than the breath. Let go of the object and
stay with the awareness. Once we let go
of the object, awareness opens up and 
  shows you what else it already knows.

Remind Yourself, “This is Nature”
Every time you are aware of some-
thing, remind yourself, "This is nature."
Let's say you are walking and you are a-
ware of sights, sounds and thoughts. Then
remind yourself, "Seeing is nature. Hear-
ing is nature. Thinking is nature." 

Awareness Alone is Not Enough
Awareness alone is not enough. You
also need to know the quality of that
awareness. You need to see whether
or not there is wisdom. 

We Have to Keep Tabs on the Mind
We need to keep watching the mind all
the time. We have to keep tabs on the mind,
always being aware of what is going on, and
keep working on it. It is a full-time job. As  
long as you are busy doing good things,  
you have no time to do anything bad. 

When Nothing is Happening, Just Know That
YOGI:
It seems there is nothing happen-
ing except pure experience.
SAYADAW:
That's it. Just know that. 

Ask Often, What is the Mind Aware of Now?
Ask yourself often, "What is the mind
aware of now?" In this way you will grad-
ually learn to see the mind more clearly  
and to know what awareness feels like. 

Don’t Try Hard to Look for Awareness
Don't try hard to look for aware-
ness. Relax and see it is already there.
Experienced yogis find that being aware
of the mind is just as straightforward
as being aware of the body. 

How To Handle Strong Emotions
YOGI:
What do I do when I am confronted by strong
feelings of worry, anxiety or fear? 
SAYADAW:
Observe how such emotions make you feel. Do they
make you feel hot, tense, tight, etc.? Also pay attention
to the thoughts you are having, and how those thoughts
and the way you feel affect each other. Don't get lost in the
story, or get carried away by how you are feeling. Look at 
how the mind is working. You will learn how your thoughts
influence your feelings, and how feelings influence your
thoughts. You will recognize certain harmful pat-
terns, and this will enable the mind to let go.

Patiently Watch Impatience
Patiently watch impatience. I myself
became more patient because I watched
impatience every time it arose. 

The Origin of All Problems
My teacher always said that all the problems in 
the world originate from the trio of craving, aver-
sion and delusion. Keep an eye on them. Watching
the bad qualities is most important because if  
you can keep them at bay, the good quali-
ties will  automatically come in. 

“I Didn’t Become a Better Person Until I …”
I did a lot of retreats to develop good
qualities. But I didn't really change. I didn't
become a better person. That's because
I neglected to look at the bad qualities. The
quality of my mind only started to improve
when I began watching the bad qualities. 
Watching them really consistently and
 continuously enabled me to under-
stand their nature. 

Meditation and Prayer Can Happen at the Same Time
YOGI:
I always pray after I meditate. Should I
pray when I meditate, or is it better to 
pray at a different time? 
SUT:
Meditation is about being aware with the
right understanding. You can be aware of the
fact that praying is happening. So, praying and
meditation can happen at the same time. 

Every Moment is Fresh and Changing
If we think that a certain experience is
lingering longer than we'd like, we're not
observing properly. No two moments are
the same. Every moment is fresh and
every moment is changing.

Just Know the Three Unwholesome Roots
Knowing the nature of the three
unwholesome roots—greed, hatred
and delusion—is really all you need in
your ongoing pursuit of wisdom.

Just Keep Learning From Your Personal Experience
You don't need to believe something
you cannot intellectually understand. Just
keep investigating. Just keep learning
from your personal experience. 

How to Work With Unpleasant Thoughts
YOGI:
How can I work skillfully with unpleas-
ant thoughts, such as thoughts of want-
ing to be better than others?
SUT:
Look at how it feels when the mind has a thought
like that. You will see that it is not very pleasant. If
you recognize this feeling every time there are such
thoughts, the mind will become so familiar with the un-
pleasantness that it will no longer want to be that way.
The mind will not only realize that such thoughts are un-
pleasant, but also that it is unnecessary to have them, 
and that they are unwholesome. Once the mind really
really understands all this, it will easily let go. 

You Are Doing Fine If
As long as you find joy and interest in
the practice, you are doing fine.  

All You Need to Do Is Take In and Explore
All you need to do is to take in
the information you are given and
explore. There is no need to try to
believe in the existence or* the non-
existence of anything. 

Watch Desire Not Objects of Desire
If desire arises because of a particular
object, you should stop observing that ob-
ject. It is not a dhamma object; it is an ob-
ject of desire. The object you need to watch
in such a situation is desire itself. Watch  
the feeling that comes with the desire. 

The World is a Creation of the Mind
The world is a creation of
the mind. So there is no need
to look outside. Everything
is happening right here in
our own minds.

When the Mind Complains, It’s Prime Meditation Time
Whenever the mind complains, it
is prime meditation time.

Check On Your Mind In Every Situation
If the quality of your mind was real-
ly important to you, you would always
pay attention to it and take care of it.
You would always check the state of
 your mind, in every situation.

Forgiveness Comes From Understanding
One yogi experienced very strong hatred  
every time he remembered a particularly dif-
ficult encounter. I suggested to him that whenever
his mind felt really firm, stable and calm, to bring
up the memory in order to see what he could learn
from it. He did this over a long period of time and,
little by little, he began to understand things. Then,
at some point he no longer experienced any anger 
when the memory of that event or the image of 
that person came up. He was able to forgive be-
cause he had really understood the situation.

Wholesome and Unwholesome is Your Field of Research
Why does a wholesome mind arise? Why
does an unwholesome mind arise? What is
a wholesome or unwholesome mind? Why
does a wholesome mind increase; why does
an unwholesome mind grow? Why does a
wholesome mind decrease or fade away;
why does an unwholesome mind fade
away? This is your field of research.

Whenever You Are Upset, Look Within
Whenever you are upset,
look within. There is nothing
and nobody out there you can 
blame for your state of mind.

“I Like Chocolate, What’s Bad About That?”
YOGI:
I like chocolate, what's bad about that?
SUT:
It's not about eating or not eating certain kinds
of food. It's about watching your mind. You can
learn to eat without greed. You can change your
attitude so that you no longer eat something  
because you like it but because it is food. 

Even If You Are Afraid, Go for It!
Think about how to be mindful, don't
think about the experience. Even if
you are afraid, just go for it! 

Real Understanding Comes From Real Situations
If we want to have real  
understanding, we have to  
practice in real situations.

A Deep Knowing That Everything Ends
A true understanding of imperma-
nence is a very deep knowing that ev-
erything ends. Does impermanence only
manifest when the leaf is falling off the
tree? Or is the leaf already imperma-
nent when it is still part of the tree?

Doubt Can Be Positive for Practice
YOGI:
How can we differentiate between
doubt as a hindrance and skillful
doubt, which helps us clarify things?
SUT:
If the doubt is unskillful, it causes more
confusion and agitation. It makes you feel
less and less comfortable. A skillful doubt
makes the mind curious; it puts the  
mind in an investigative mood. 

We Have to Earn Our Understandings
If we don't learn our lessons
when they present themselves, they
will come up again and again until
we give them our attention and
learn from them. We have to  
 earn our understandings.

Whatever Happens, That is Your Practice
YOGI:
When I woke up this morning, I felt really tired. I
asked myself whether I should stay in bed or get up
and practice. I could not make up my mind. This hap-
pens to me quite often. Could you give me some 
advice about what to do in such situations?
SAYADAW:
If you cannot make up your mind, just accept that.
Simply recognize and accept what is happening. It is
OK to feel indecisive, confused or restless. Look at
this mind state and try to learn from it. What-
ever happens, that is your practice. 

Just Observe Until Things Unfold Naturally
Thinking that you need to make a
decision will only make things worse. 
If you can just stay with such a mind
state and keep observing it, the mind
will eventually settle down and make
its own decision. Never try to force
an issue. Just acknowledge, accept,
and keep observing until things
unfold naturally. 

Things Don’t Happen Because You Want Them to Happen
Things don't happen because
you want them to happen, but be-
cause conditions are right.  

Why Yogis Say Meditation is Difficult
Many yogis tell me that medita-
tion is difficult. What they are ac-
tually saying is that they cannot
get what they want. Craving—
lobha—is the problem.

Mind and Body Show Their Nature to Us
Right view is the idea that mental and bodily
processes are nature. They have their own nature,
and they're showing that nature to us. That's some-
thing to learn from. If we can tap into this truth, then
we won't struggle so much. We won't be buying in-
to the story, "Why is this happening to me?”

Wonderful Things Happen When We Relax
I want you to relax, really relax, and
be aware. One of the wonderful things
that happens when you’re relaxed is that
you not only notice the things that you're 
observing, you notice the fact that you are
observing. We notice that awareness it-
self is working to help us be aware.

You Cannot Leave the Mind Alone
You cannot leave the mind alone.
It needs to be watched consistently.
If you do not look after your garden  
it will overgrow with weeds. If you do
not watch your mind, craving, aversion
and delusion will grow and multiply.
The mind does not belong to you  
but you are responsible for it.

Let the Desire to Meditate Come Back Naturally
If you lose the desire to meditate or
feel you do not know how to meditate,
don't panic. Don't try to make yourself
meditate. Just remind yourself to relax.
The desire to meditate will come back
after a while. Trying hard will just
make things worse. 

Check If You Are Attached to Peacefulness
Be aware of peacefulness. Be a-
ware of the awareness of peaceful-
ness. Doing so allows you to check
whether or not you are indulging
in it, getting attached to it, or
are still aware.

Observe Sleepiness With the Right Attitude
It is perfectly natural to become
sleepy. If you feel bad about sleep-
iness it means you have an aversion
towards it and you will try to resist it.  
This is a wrong attitude. Simply recog-
nize and accept sleepiness. As long as
you observe sleepiness with the right
attitude, you are meditating.

Investigate Mental Effort in Different Postures
Always remain aware of your
experience and notice the difference
in mental effort needed to maintain a-
wareness in different postures. No mat-
ter what posture you are in, if your 
mind is aware with understand-
ing, you are meditating.

When You Realize You’ve Lost Awareness, Be Happy
Every time you recognize that
you have lost awareness you should
be happy. The fact that you have recog-
nized that you lost awareness means that
you are now aware. Just keep looking
at this process of losing and regain-
ing awareness and learn from it. 

Every Moment is Always New
Nothing is ever the same, every
moment is always new. Once you
can really see this, your mind will 
always be interested in what-
ever it observes. 

If We Can’t Accept, We Can’t Learn
If we can't accept, we can't learn.
So we don't try to change experi-
ence; we just try to be aware.

Being Aware is Only One Part of Meditation
Being aware is only one part of
meditation. You also need to have
the right information to work with  
awareness intelligently. This infor-
mation will work at the back of  
your mind when you meditate.

There is No Need to Slow Down Unnaturally
Mindfulness meditation is a learning
process during which you get to know
the mind and body relationship. Just be
natural and simple; there is no need to
slow down unnaturally. You simply 
want to see things as they are.

The Source of the Problem
A meditation student told Sayadaw her
meditations were deeply unpleasant be-
cause she had to face a torrent of random
thoughts, distracting fantasies and harsh
self-judgments. "Do you want it to stop?"
Sayadaw asked her. "Yes!" she said.
"That's the problem," he said.
 
Reflection and Discussion Are a Part of Practice
Reading about meditation,
discussing meditation, and re-
flecting on how to practice are
all mind work, are all part
of meditation.

Do Not Practice Too Seriously
Do not practice too seriously, but
peacefully and respectfully.

Every Experience is a Learning Opportunity
Every experience, whether
good or bad, gives you a learn-
ing opportunity to notice whether
the mind accepts things the way
they are, or whether it likes,
 dislikes, reacts, or judges. 

Try to Fully Accept Dissatisfaction
Try to recognize dissatisfaction,
to fully accept it, and to watch it very
alertly. During this process of observa-
tion and exploration of dissatisfaction, its
causes could become clear. Understand-
ing the causes will dissolve the dissatis-
faction and will help you recognize  
them if they come up again.

Don’t Observe Pain to Make It Go Away
You are not observing pain to
lessen it or make it go away. You
are observing it in order to under-
stand your perception of physical
sensations and—most especially—
your mental reactions to those
perceptions.

The More Relaxed the Mind, the Less Intense the Pain
There is a direct link between
your state of mind and pain. The
more relaxed and calm the observ-
ing mind, the less intense you will
perceive the pain to be.

Pain is Not the Problem
Pain is not the problem.
Your negative mental reac-
tion to it is the problem.

Reside in the Ebb and Flow of Nature
The awareness we are seeking is 
unprompted. We are not digging  
for it. We are simply residing in  
the ebb and flow of nature itself.
See if you can notice this.

True Equanimity Comes from Understanding
Understanding the difference between
 true equanimity towards pain, and be-
ing able to bear with pain through force-
ful effort, is really important. True equa-
nimity is the result of understanding the
nature of liking and disliking through
observation and investigation.

Notice the Thought Process Behind Anger
If someone calls us a fool and we  
  get angry, we think that this person
made us angry. But we don't see the
subtle thought process that goes on: 
 the identification with self, the pride 
that doesn't want to be called a fool,
and all of that. That's what makes
the mind angry, not anyone 
calling you a fool. 

Don’t Get Entangled in the Mind, Just Observe It
When we look at our minds, mostly we
see a lot of negative stuff running around.
If we think it is "my"mind we start feeling
depressed. On the other hand, if we think we
have good qualities of mind, we start feeling 
  proud. We need to remind ourselves frequent-
ly that these unhealthy states of mind and pro-
cesses are just nature. In this way we can  
learn how to observe them instead of
getting entangled in them.

No Experience in the World Needs to Disturb You
As a meditator, no experience in the
 world needs to disturb you. Instead, be-
cause every experience, whether pleasant
or unpleasant, is something we can contin-
uously be aware of, we can therefore use it
to develop more confidence, energy, mind-
fulness, stability of mind and wisdom.

Keep a Sharp Eye on Assumptions
It is important to notice assump-
tions. Assumptions are based on
wrong views, and they will pre-
vent you from seeing the true
 nature of things.

What to Do When Desire Arises
If desire arises because of  
a particular object, you should
stop observing that object. It is
not a Dhamma object; it is an ob-
ject of desire. The object you need  
to watch in such a situation is de-
sire itself. Watch the feeling
that comes with desire. 

 We Can Meditate With Our Eyes Open
We are so used to thinking that
meditation has something to do with
having our eyes closed, that we are not
used to the idea that we can be aware of
seeing. It may be a new idea that with
our eyes open we can be aware. When
you are seeing, know that you are
seeing. It is very important to
 practice in this way.

See Things Just as They Are
YOGI: 
I struggle with the mind wanting to be
somewhere. It wants to have a place to see
from. It wants to hold on to something. When
the object is obvious, like the breath, it helps
the mind know what to be with.  Otherwise
everything is changing all the time and it
doesn't know where to be.
SUT [emphatically]:
Watch your aversion! The nature of things
is that they are just happening, and you don't
like this. Your aversion is making you frustrat-
ed. Watch the frustration, or the greed. Leave
aside your preferences and your ideas and
look to see things just as they are. 

If You Don’t Know What to Do, Just Wait
Whenever you get the feeling
of not knowing what to do, just
wait. Don’t do anything. 

The Less You Focus, the More You See
The less you focus, the more you see. 

Know the Difference Between Personal Effort and Dhamma Taking Over
We always need to remember the
difference between personal exertion
and Dhamma taking over. As long as   
we are striving, as long as we are trying,  
we believe that "we" are the ones that pro-
duce the input that creates the result. But
when Dhamma takes over, there is no try-
ing to get anywhere. There is just a  
doing of what is necessary. 

What to Do When Desire Arises
If desire arises because of  
a particular object, you should
stop observing that object. It is
not a Dhamma object; it is an ob-
ject of desire. The object you need  
to watch in such a situation is de-
sire itself. Watch the feeling
that comes with desire. 

Wisdom Inclines Towards the Good
Wisdom inclines towards the good,
but is not attached to it. It shies a-
way from what is not good, but
has no aversion to it.

Don’t Try to Maintain Equanimity
Don't try to maintain equanimity;
only try to maintain awareness.

A Simple Check for Wisdom or Greed
Wanting to understand is wisdom;
wanting a result is greed.

Drop a Short Simple Question Into the Mind
If you are struggling and
the mind is feeling dull, then 
a way to investigate is to drop
a short simple question into the
mind without expectations of
of an answer—all the while 
maintaining awareness.

The Experience of Calmness is Not So Important
The experience of calmness
is not so important. It is more
important to know and under-
stand why calmness does
or does not arise.

Don’t Identify With What You Observe
When you observe something,
don't identify with it. Don't think
of it as "I" or "mine." Accept it
simply as something to know, to
observe, and to understand. 

Don’t Cling to “I” Thoughts and Feelings
As long as you keep identifying with
your thoughts and feelings—i.e., if you
keep clinging to the view "I am think-
ing" or "I am feeling"—you will not
be able to see things as they are. 

How to Deal With Difficult Dreams
YOGI:
Sometimes there can be insights
after dreams, other times I just 
continue to feel disturbed.
SAYADAW:
Whenever you feel disturbed, remember
the right attitude to observe this feeling.
Whose aversion is it? If you identify with
it, you will experience it as difficult. 

Don’t Identify With Craving, Aversion or Delusion
Try to recognize that craving,
aversion and delusion are simply 
craving, aversion and delusion; they
are not "your" craving, aversion and
delusion. Every time you identify your-
self with them or reject them, you   
only increase their strength.

Remind Yourself Frequently, “Thinking is Happening”
Become aware that thinking is 
happening. Remind yourself, again
and again, "Thinking is happening,
thinking is happening," until you are
able to view thinking objectively, and
not identify with the thinker. 

Watch Out for Beliefs, Hopes and Expectations
Watch out for your ideas about
what experience will signify that you 
have understanding, or momentum, or
or whatever. Watch out for the tenden-
cy to believe that your idea of some-
thing, is what must happen. 

Nobody Outside of This Mind Can Upset It
Nobody outside of this mind can
upset it, make it angry, averse, afraid,
happy, joyful or grateful. Nobody out-
side of the mind triggers it. The mind
 is responsible for its own feelings,
gladness and suffering.  

Craving and Aversion Are Very Strong at Home
Craving, aversion and delusion are
very strong at home. Why? Because
it's my house, my wife, my husband,   
my car, etc. There's a lot of attachment
at home. We can't even stand to throw   
away our old shoes! Therefore, we need
to practice more at home. Only then
will craving, aversion and delusion
diminish and wisdom grow.

The 0-1-0 Formula for Reducing Anger
I have a scheme to combat anger: The
"Angry 0-1-0 Formula." Whenever I notice
anger is at level 1, I will attend to it and bring
it back down to 0, because a small fire can turn
into a big fire. It can get out of control and go to
level 10 very quickly. I have learned how to see 
very subtle anger emerging, so when I see the 
irritation in my mind, I automatically bring
it back to 0 before it builds. I will do any-
thing necessary to make sure my 
anger comes back to 0.

Nothing In This World Can Disturb You 
For a vipassana yogi, no experience
and no object ever hinders the prac-
tice. There is no experience in the world
that disturbs you—your concentration or
your awareness. All experience supports the
practice because it's something you can be 
aware of, and therefore can use to devel-
op stability of mind and wisdom.

How to Work With Anger in the Mind
If there is anger in the mind, don't
think more about what is making you
angry. Instead, notice there is anger and
get interested in it: "There is anger; this 
is anger; this is the nature of anger. What
is that like?" Bring this awareness con-
tinually. In this way, you don't work
at being angry, you work at being
continuously aware.

Take Care of Your Mind
If the quality of your mind
is truly important to you, you
will always pay attention to it,
and take care of it. You will al-  
ways check the state of your
mind, in every situation.   

With Understanding There is No Need to Think
YOGI:
How can I learn to make
decisions more quickly?
SAYADAW:
Is it more important to be fast or right?
If there are no defilements in your mind,
and if you have awareness and understand-
ing, there is no need to think. The mind 
knows what to do because the under-
standing is already there.
 
Practice in a Relaxed Way, But Don’t Stop Practicing
Practice in a relaxed way, but
don't stop practicing.   

With Awareness a Choice Can Be Made
Once awareness is established,
the mind will naturally be aware of
many things. At this stage a choice
can be made. You can ask your-
self: "What is most important to
pay attention to now?”

You Should Patiently Watch Impatience
You should patiently watch impa-
tience. I myself became more patient
because I patiently watched impa-
tience every time it arose.

How to De-Energize Craving, Aversion and Delusion
When you put energy into
awareness, you take energy
energy out of craving, aver-
sion and delusion.

The Correctly Meditating Mind is Not Cruising
We use all our meditation skills
situationally. We see when it is ap-
propriate to use what. The correctly
meditating mind is not cruising.
It's alert, working, sensitive.

How Can You Tell Who is a Yogi?
The difference between a yogi and someone
who is not a yogi is just the attitude toward
the experience. Everything we see, hear and ex-
perience are objects, and objects are supposed
to support the development of awareness,
stability of mind, and wisdom.  

Ask Yourself This Question When Emotion Arises
Whenever you are experiencing
an emotion, ask yourself the question:
"Am I going to feel the emotion, or be  
aware of the emotion?" In other words,  
are you going to watch it as an uninvolved  
observer, or are you going to participate in
the emotion? This has made a big dif-
ference for a lot of yogis.  

Watch Awareness More Than the Breath
Once you know there is awareness of
the breath, notice the awareness more
than the breath. Let go of the object and
stay with the awareness. Once we let go  
of the one object that we know, aware-
ness opens up and it shows you  
what else it already knows.

Always Remember the Mind is Doing Its Own Work
You must always remember that
the mind is doing its own work. If
you identify with this process, it be-
comes very complicated. But if you
just recognize that the mind is mak-
ing certain choices, it is easy to ob-
serve and investigate how the mind works.

It Is Possible to Desire Without Greed
YOGI:
Is it possible to desire something
without having greed?
SUT:
Let me put it this way: Wisdom also
desires things. But wisdom has a differ-
 ent motivation. It understands the true
benefit of something and therefore it
moves towards that. This is very
different from greed.

How to Improve the Quality of the Mind
I did a lot of retreats trying to develop
good qualities. But I didn't really change;
I didn't become a better person. That's be-
cause I neglected to look at the bad quali-
ties. The quality of my mind only started
to improve when I began watching the bad
qualities. Watching them really consistent-
ly and continuously enabled me to  
understand their nature.

Understanding Leads to Looking Deeper
When the mind feels joy
in understanding, it will be 
motivated to look deeper.

The Mind Works from Habit Patterns
The mind works from habit patterns. 
You understand that these cause tension,
but wisdom is weak and the habit patterns
are strong. Therefore, it is really important
for you to see what motivates your thinking.
You need to really watch and notice that
 the mind wants to think. It wants to 
 be lost in thought.

See That Your Feelings Are Not You
YOGI:
When the mind is agitated my
training is to calm the mind and 
the body. Are you saying don't do
that, but rather to turn awareness
to the nature of the agitation?
SUT:
This paying attention comes later. 
First, you need to see whether you can
accept that this anger or agitation is not
"you." What views are you holding in re-
gard to the experience? This right
thought needs to come in first.

Stay With Whatever Your Are Feeling
When you are listening or talk-
ing, it is really important to know
how you are feeling. Are you react-
ing in any way? Simply be present
with that, and stay with what-
 ever you are feeling.

Tension Is Never Only in the Mind
Tension never takes hold in the
mind alone. If there is tension in 
the mind as a result of craving, aver-
sion or delusion, it will be reflected in 
tension somewhere in the body. Con-
sciously relaxing these physical ten-
sions is a kind of meditation.

Right View Holds No Preferences
Tension never takes hold in the
mind alone. If there is tension in 
the mind as a result of craving, aver-
sion or delusion, it will be reflected in 
tension somewhere in the body. Con-
sciously relaxing these physical ten-
sions is a kind of meditation.

Don’t Personalize Any Difficult Emotion
YOGI:
My meditation is like this: A
sound is heard. Next, anxiety 
arises. It keeps getting strong-
er, and aversion arises. 
SUT:
This is the time for you to learn
how to be more skillful at this. How
do we learn to objectively look at  
 aversion and anxiety, and not person-
alize them? How do we watch them
and understand their nature? These
are your new lessons. You've ar-
rived at a new level, and you
have some new lessons.

Things Don’t Happen Because You Want Them to Happen
Things don't happen because
you want them to happen, but  
because conditions are right. 

Is There Identification With Anything
In meditation, when investigating
the mind, it is only important to recog-
nize when there is identification with
an object and when there is not.

Always Remind Yourself, This Is How Things Are
In everything you experience, everything  
you come in contact with, remind yourself that
this is just how things are. This is the object; this
is what is being known. Don't identify the exper-
ience with anything or anybody. It's not some-
body making a loud sound, or something that
made you smile. It's just what is happen-
ing right now in the mind.

Dealing With the Good and the Bad
When things are good,
learn how to detach from
them. When things are bad,
learn how to accept them.

How to Understand and Work with Pain (1 of 3)
Pain is just a physical experience but
the feeling, "painful," is in the mind. For
the same physical experience there may be
aversion in the mind towards it, or the mind
may be equanimous towards it. So, we need
to work with the mind, to understand how
the mind is involved in the process.

Take Apart Pain to Learn More About It (2 of 3)
How does the mind interpret pain?
How does the mind create the experi-
ence of "pain," "painfulness," and all
the attendant pains for itself? For a
normal person, this is all rolled up in
one. But for a meditator it's differ-
ent; you take it apart to find
out more about it.

When There is Pain, Observe the Mind (3 of 3)
When there is pain, observe the  
mind. There's discomfort in the mind,
which is finding it hard to live with this
pain. Aversion exaggerates the situation,
making the pain seem stiff, hard, or 
solid. In reality, it may not be 
 that painful.

Simple Awareness Isn’t Tiring at All
Simple awareness isn't
tiring at all. All it is, is not
forgetting in the present
moment to be aware. 

Meditation Should Be a Source of Joy
Meditation should be
a source of joy. We should
find it interesting and joyful.
It should be an exploration;
it should be fun. Medita-
tion must be like this!

What is Our Understanding of Life?
First, we must ask ourselves: What
is our relationship to reality? What is
our understanding of life? From this,
 we will find that meditation is really 
the only sensible approach to reali-
 ty and the problems that can
 arise from living. 

Stay Within Yourself and Loving-Kindness Will Arise
Mind your own business and stay
within yourself. Everything will fall
into place. After a while, when aware-
ness and samadhi get stronger, natu-
rally the mind will be more stable,
and feelings of loving-kindness     
will spontaneously arise.

Everything Comes Together With Awareness
When I began to practice at home,  I started
to realize the little things that parents do for us;
how parents always keep their children in mind.  
I really began to love my parents very much. I ap-
preciated all the little things they do. Then my pa-
rents would notice the love they were getting, and
they would show their love more. When we do ev-
erything with awareness, we start to notice these
things. Everything comes together. You can't 
miss anything if you do everything with awareness. 

You Will Become Part of a Simpler Reality
No matter how difficult life becomes, we must
keep practicing continuously. This is the only
way. Eventually wisdom will outweigh craving 
and aversion, and you will begin to gather mo-
mentum. The practice will then become inter-
esting; new avenues of awareness will open to 
you. Then you will begin to see and be part of
 a simpler and less complicated reality that
you are not separate from, but is
actually nature itself.

This Moment is Your Reality (1 of 2)
This moment is your reality.
Your work is to be gently aware
of what is being perceived at all
your sense doors in this moment. That is all!

This Moment is Your Reality (2 of 2)
The past has gone, and the fu-
 ture is yet to come. Both are con-
cepts; they are not real. Right now,
in this moment, anything may  
come and anything may go—
even death. No problem!

To Be Relaxed is of Prime Importance
To be relaxed and in the right frame
of mind is of prime importance.
Everything else comes later.

Why Relaxation Must Come First
Once you know how to relax,
you become sensitive to your own
needs. You will then know when you
are using energy unnecessarily, and 
also learn to conserve your energy.

A Foolproof Check for True Relaxation
If you are aware of your facial
sensations you will be able to know
whether you are relaxed or not. When
you are focusing too much it will show
on your face. When a person is really
relaxed, the face is very clear, soft and calm.  

It Doesn’t Matter if Thinking Stops or Not
It doesn't matter whether thinking
stops or not. It is more important
that you understand whether your
thoughts are skillful or unskillful; 
appropriate or inappropriate;
necessary or unnecessary.

The Natural Flow of Awareness (1 of 2)
YOGI:
I try to maintain awareness of 
"in here," but awareness so often
  wants to go "out there."
SUT:
The outside is important but so are you!
Why not be aware of both? Why not go for 
50/50? There are of course variations. In
some circumstances it might be 60/40, etc.
You need to experiment and learn in differ-
ent situations. 

The Natural Flow of Awareness (2 of 2)
YOGI:
If I am in a harmonious social environment
there seems to be a natural flow, a sense of
 ease and enjoyment. If I bring mindfulness
into such a situation, it seems to interrupt
this natural flow, and the joy and ease
seem to fade away. What is your 
take on this? 
SUT:
This is a misunderstanding of practice.
The fact that you are interacting with others,
that the situation is harmonious, that there 
is ease and enjoyment, shows that you are
aware of what is going on. If you then decide
to observe this, you are doing too much. You
are putting in unnecessary effort to be mind-
ful, which feels unnatural. Just let your
awareness flow naturally with
what is happening.

Understanding the True Nature of Things
When your understanding
of the true nature of things grows,
your values in life will change. When
your values change, your priorities will
change as well. Through such under-
standing, you will naturally practice
more, and this will help you
do well in life. 

The Mind is Not Yours But …
The mind is not yours, but  
you are responsible for it. 

Stay With Awareness, Not the Experience
The meditating mind stays
with the awareness, not  
with the experience. 

Recognize How Positive Mind States Arise
Make it a habit to reflect on your
state of mind not only when things
aren't going well but also when things
are going well. Ask yourself questions
like: "What is happening?" "How is the
mind working?" "What attitude is pres-
ent?" "Why are things going so well
right now?" You need to recognize
the factors that contribute to 
positive states of mind.

Ask Questions to Raise Interest in Your Experience
We ask questions in meditation
to bring in interest, not for an answer.
We continually sharpen intelligence and
wisdom by being interested and by ask-
ing questions like: What is this? What
is happening? Why is it happening?

We Should Always Ask Ourselves This Question
Whatever we hear, see, or experi-
ence, in the end the question for our-
selves should be, "What do I do now
with myself?" We must always come
 back to ourselves, to the practice.

You Can Learn to Eat Without Greed
You can learn to eat without
greed. You can change your at-
titude so that you no longer eat
something because you like
it but because it is food.

Study Anger Down to the Smallest Detail
There is no way for anger to intensify if
you observe it every time it arises. So, study
anger as it is happening, with the view that it
is Dhamma nature, not your anger or that you
are angry. What are the different characteris-
tics of anger? How does it work? How does  
an anger-motivated mind think? Study  
and learn every single time, down to 
the smallest detail.

Whatever Happens, This is Your Practice
YOGI:
When I woke up this morning I
still felt really tired. I asked myself
whether I should stay in bed or get up  
and practice. This happens to me quite
often. Could you give me any advice on
how to deal with such situations?
SUT:
If you cannot make up your mind, just
accept that. Simply stay in this 'space,'  
recognizing and accepting what is hap-
pening. It is okay to feel indecisive or
confused. Look at this mind state and
try to learn from it. Whatever hap-
pens, this is your practice.

The Relaxed Mind is Cool With Pain
Once the mind is clear and cool,
with the right attitude* present, you
can observe anything you want. This
relaxed mind, when looking at what was
considered "pain" before, will no longer
consider it painful. When the mind be-
begins to understand this, accep-
tance will naturally follow. 
* Sayadaw defines right attitude as accepting, observing
   and learning from your experience just as it is.

There is No Need to Look Outside
The world is a creation of 
the mind. So there is no need
to look outside. Everything is
happening right here in 
our own minds. 

Do This and Good Naturally Follows
Most yogis make the mistake
of expecting good experiences in-
stead of trying to work with craving,
aversion and delusion. Once you are
able to handle these three unwhole-
some roots, good experiences
will naturally follow. 

All That You Need is Surrounding You
Everything you need for understanding 
to arise is surrounding you. It is all on your
doorstep: family, friends, work colleagues,  
and any other relationships you may have
can all be powerful catalysts to your    
work of revealing wisdom.

Quiet Mind and Unquiet Mind are Equal
A quiet mind is something we
can be aware of; it is an object. An
unquiet mind is also an object. So 
from the meditation point of view,
as objects, they are equal.

“Do You Want to See a Devil?”
When I was a child, my father would take
me and all the other children in the family to
see his teacher. Sayadawgyi would ask if we had
had ever seen a devil. We would all answer no.
"Well, do you want to see a devil?" he would say,
and we would all answer yes. Then Sayadawgyi
would say, "Next time you are angry, go and
look in the mirror, and you will see a devil.
Then when you see what you look like,
you will never be angry again.”

You Have to Play!
You have to play! Play with
awareness and the mind. Then  
it becomes very interesting. Use  
your know-how and wit. If medi-
tation feels like a responsibility,
it'll just be a burden. Create
your world!

The Dhamma Will Carry You Along
The Buddha said, "If you look
after the Dhamma, the Dhamma
will look after you." Looking after
the Dhamma simply means prac-
ticing it. After a certain point, the
Dhamma will carry you along  
on its wave. So keep going!

Rely on Nature to Unfold in a Steady Way
It's not for nothing that I use the
word "nature" over and over. The
more we understand the forces of na-
ture and how they work, the more we
begin to rely on them to let things
unfold in a steady way.

Notice Greed, Hatred and Delusion When They are Still Tiny Specks
When you know the peaceful mind
continuously, and you know everything
that's happening in the mind, you'll also
immediately notice when a speck of greed,
hatred or delusion comes to disturb that 
peace. At this point, you can immediate-
ly recognize the thought that preceded
that shift from a peaceful mind
to an agitated mind.

Bring a Light Attention With Full Interest
When we are learning to be skillful
at something, like putting in golf for ex-
ample, we putt again and again, then adjust
our game and try again. We need to bring
that same approach to our meditation. In-
stead of a forced focus, it is a light atten-
tion with full interest in the process.

Meditate Like a Mother Tending a Toddler
I once observed a mother caring for her two-
year-old and saw just how skillful she was with the  
todddler sitting on her lap. She held a conversation
with four other people while feeding the child. As the
toddler moved in her lap, she adjusted along with him.
Every now and then she gave him some food, and if he
didn't like it, she would give him a different piece, and
later on pick up the original piece to give to him. She  
was always going with the flow, never judgmental 
of the child. Meditation should be like this.

Observe the Mind and Body Together
Every movement involves mental
intentions. You can see them if you're
watching the mind. If you only watch
 the body, you will not see a complete pic- 
 ture. When you begin to see a more com-
prehensive picture of how the mind and
body are operating, then you will also
come to see causes and effects, and 
it becomes very interesting.

Carefully Notice Every Time Anger Arises
You have to watch every time
anger arises. For example, people
feel they shouldn't get angry when 
they're on a meditation retreat. An-
ger arises anyway. Now they are 
angry that there's anger! 

The Teacher is Inside You
My teacher never told me not
to think. He didn't exactly encour-
age me to think either, but he did ask
me questions that required me to be a- 
ware and to reflect on how I was prac-
ticing. I eventually discovered the an-
swers and realized that one finds an-
swers by being aware and by ques-
tioning. The student is inside you.
The teacher is also inside you. 

All the World’s Problems Originate in This
My teacher constantly reminded me that
all the problems in the world originate from
from the trio of greed, hatred and delusion.
Keep an eye on them. Watching and keep-
ing these unwholesome qualities at bay 
will allow the wholesome qualities
to arise automatically.

Delusion Says “This Whole Thing is Fantastic!”
We may initially be attracted to a 
particular characteristic, but as we
move towards an object we become
trapped, believing we like the whole
thing. Only one or two characteristics
reel us in, and then delusion ensnares
us whole. Delusion spreads the view
that the whole thing is fantastic!

The Desire for Everything to Be Okay
Everyone has a lot of craving, but there
is one especially strong and elusive crav-
ing. It is the desire for everything in life to 
be okay. This desire for everything to be 
okay is very powerful, but we are not  
aware of it because it hits us at a
subconscious level.

To Clear Out Anger See Its Cause
It's not enough just to know
whenever anger arises. You have
to reach the point where you recog-
nize cause and effect as well. Without 
catching the causes, the effects will
continue to grow unhindered, and
anger will grow and grow.

If the Mind is Scattered Just Know That
If the mind is scattered, just recognize
this. There is no need to try to restrict or
rein in a restless mind.  The fact that you
recognize it means that something is al-
ready at work. Just know this, gently,
without getting lost in thinking.

The Mind That You Thought Was Yours is Not Yours
Instead of taking a storyline as your
object, just know that thinking is happen-
ing. When one new thought has happened,
you know. When another new thought has
arisen, you know. Many, many new thoughts
will arise. Then you begin to observe that  
the mind that you thought was yours is  
not yours. The mind is mind, not
"mine" or “me."

This is What Practice is All About
People out there and what they are
doing are concepts. Moreover, objects
out there are not doing anything but 
minding their own business. But this  
mind is not minding its own business,
and it is getting into all sorts of trou-
ble. This is the relationship that we  
want to take care of and this is  
what the practice is all about.

When the Mind Knows Wrong as Wrong
When the mind truly comes
to understand something that
is wrong as wrong, it will not  
repeat the same mistake again. 
Understanding will then ma-
ture and you can handle    
life issues wisely.

Thinking of an “Enemy” is Already a Battle Lost
When yogis observe greed, hatred and
delusion, it is often from a point of view
that they are enemies to be fought. That
is already a battle lost. Greed, hatred
and delusion like it when you fight,  
because fighting is itself greed,  
hatred and delusion.

What is Special or Different About Today?
My teacher would always ask
me how I was practicing, and that
is what I'm asking you now. What
are you doing? What is special or dif-
ferent today? Yogis who are practic-
ing will have an answer; those who
are not practicing will not.

Over Time You Will See the Whole Picture
Let things unfold naturally.
Your job is to watch, know, learn,
and gain experience. As you watch
an experience continually, you will
begin to recognize patterns. Later
you will see the whole picture. The
value of meditation becomes more 
apparent with dedicated practice
over long stretches of time.

See the Idea Behind the Storyline
I usually tell yogis to stay away from the
storyline, but it can help to see the idea that
the story carries. The story might be, "Anne
was making noise and I was really angry with
her," while the idea behind it might be, "Peo-
ple shouldn't make noise." This idea influ-
ences the mind. When it is seen clearly  
for what  it is, and that it's not help-
ful, this idea can be let go.

Even When Your Eyes are Open, Observe the Inner World
I learned how to be aware with
my eyes open because fellow shop-
keepers* used to tease me when I med-
itated at work with my eyes closed. They
thought I was sleeping on the job! So I 
learned to pay attention to the inner land-
scape while keeping my eyes open. After
that, the people I worked with didn't 
even know that I was meditating.
 
* Before he ordained, Sayadaw sold textiles  
     at a busy downtown market stall in Yangon.

I Began to Feel Loving-Kindness for People
The market where I had my shop* was a
very busy place. Lots of shops were lined up
side-by-side, with narrow alleys between them.
People would run through blindly, and I got ir-
ritated when I had to get out of the way, which
was often! When I began to practice continuous-
ly, I became mindful of my irritation. I began to
see moving aside as a good practice both to pre-
vent accidents, and to offer generosity. As I prac-
ticed day after day, mindfulness built and good 
actions followed. The aversion decreased and
with the aversion gone, I began to feel 
loving-kindness for the people. 
  
* Before he ordained, Sayadaw sold textiles  
     at a busy downtown market stall in Yangon.

Trust the Gentle Awareness Works Over Time
We do not believe gentle awareness
will work. We do not trust that it will grow
into something, so we are not patient with
gentle awareness. Personal effort uses our
own effort, while waiting patiently for mo-
mentum to grow uses a natural process,  
a natural law, and natural energy.

Step Back and Let Dhamma Unfold Naturally
We always need to remember the
difference between personal exertion
and the energy of the Dhamma taking
over. If you become very involved in try-
ing to do the practice, you will not be able
to see what is going on naturally. When you
step back, you become able to see that the
process of awareness is already hap-
pening quite naturally.

Don’t Watch the Breath Only to Calm Down
Most yogis watch the breath
only to calm the mind down. As
a result, they may watch the breath
for years, yet not know much about 
it. It's because the mind is not inter-
ested. It just wants to calm down. In 
practicing vipassana, the motivation
is very different: the mind wants to
understand. It wants to understand 
what is happening, and if it wants  
to understand, it can understand.

We Don’t Meditate to Arrive at Pat Conceptual Answers
YOGI:
I’m trying to investigate the
nature of my experience. When  
I smell something and aversion a-
rises, a thought says that it's our
animal instinct to avoid danger.
SAYADAW:
This is an intellectual understanding. We
are interested in clearly seeing the whole
cause-and-effect process of aversion, rath-
er than thinking in order to arrive at a pat
conceptual answer.  Understanding from
thinking is weak; experiential under-
standing is deeper.

The Word “Meditation” Makes Some Yogis Tense
You need to know how the mind
reacts to words that convey certain
ideas. For example, the word "medi-
tation" makes some yogis very tense.
Simply hearing the word makes them
tense. So, I would advise these yogis:
"Simply sit, and observe your ex-
perience in order to learn.”

When You’re Tired, Rest in Awareness of Tiredness
Awareness is really helpful when
you're tired, because you can just rest
in the awareness of the tiredness.

You See It, You Know It, It’s Gone
When I was a teenager, my teacher
taught me: "If you know it, be happy."
That really stuck with me. I could be an-
gry, or do something unskillful, but when
I became aware of it, I was happy. When
something unskillful came up in the mind,
with awareness it didn't stay. Right view
is so powerful: You see it, you
know it, it’s gone.

Track Your State of Relaxation All Day Long
YOGI: 
I am tense all the time.
SAYADAW:
Breathe deeply, and follow the
breath.  When you breathe in you
may feel the tension increase; when
you breathe out you will feel some re-
laxation. Track the relaxation over and
over, not just when you are sitting but
all day long. If you are continuously a-
ware of your state of relaxation you  
will become even more relaxed.

Be Careful with Your Motivation to Practice
Be careful with your motivation to
practice. If the motivation is to feel re-
laxed or to feel better, this will get in the
way of relaxing. The right attitude is to 
practice in order to cultivate whole-
some minds, and to learn.

Learn to Be Interested In Difficult Situations
Learn to be interested in difficult  
situations. By being present with them 
in a gentle manner, you may suddenly 
understand what caused them.

Try to Adjust the Quality of Your Observation
What you are always trying
to adjust is the quality of obser-
vation. Whatever you already un-
derstand, whether intellectually
or from experience, when you
can feed that into the observing
mind it will help you to see
things more clearly.

When the Mind Sees Clearly, It Lets Go
The moment we get a real answer to a 
question asked in meditation—when the
mind really sees something—it lets go.

Meditation Grows Wholesome States of Mind
The whole point of meditation practice
is to grow wholesome states of mind. The very
qualities that are working to do meditation are
skillful, wholesome qualities of the mind such
as confidence, energy, awareness, stability of   
mind, and wisdom. So, at the very least,  
these qualities are being cultivated. 

Wholesome and Unwholesome is Your Field of Research
Why does a wholesome mind arise?
Why does an unwholesome mind arise?
What is this wholesome or unwholesome
mind? Why does a wholesome mind increase,
why does an unwholesome mind grow? Why
does a wholesome mind decrease or fade a-
way, why does an unwholesome mind fade 
 away? This is your field of research. 

A Wholesome Mind Has Right Thoughts
Having the right thought* 
about an experience is a whole-
some mind; having the wrong
thought about an experience
is an unwholesome mind. 
* For example, a thought of goodwill, com-
 passion, selfless joy, or renunciation.

Take Care to Notice Positive Frames of Mind
When you are in a positive frame
of mind, it is important to recognize
it. Recognition tends to strengthen 
wholesome states of mind. 

Trace What is Unwholesome to Its Subtle Source
There are many levels of unwholesomeness. In
the beginning we need to look at the gross mani-
festations; we need to discriminate between what 
is wrong and what is right. But if you then take a 
closer look and trace an unwholesome impulse 
back to where it started, you will see that it 
comes from one of the subtle unwholesome
habits that you have developed. 

Is the Mind Wholesome or Unwholesome?
Many yogis are not yet adept in
meditating while looking, seeing, and
talking, as they haven't had much prac-
tice in these areas. But keeping your eyes
closed or open is not what is important. 
What is key is whether the mind is
wholesome or unwholesome. 

Get the Mind Moving in a Wholesome Direction
Once the mind is moving
in a wholesome direction, it
will keep going and things
will unfold naturally.

How Can I Be More Aware and Free?
YOGI: 
How can I be more aware and
free of the thinking mind?
SAYADAW:  
It’s possible with practice. All you need
to do is be aware. Notice when it feels like
there is too much effort, and also notice
when there is not enough effort. Just in 
the noticing of it, eventually the mind
will figure out how to adjust.

Observe Everything You Can About This Moment
YOGI: 
If you have a sensory pleasure, you tend
to crave it. But if you try to avoid it, that’s
aversion. How do you resolve this?  
SAYADAW:  
You recognize what is happening in the
present moment. If there is craving, you
recognize that craving is happening. If there
is aversion, you recognize that. Then you ob-
serve everything you can about the craving,
or the aversion. What does it feel like?  
What does it do? What are its results? 

If You Think You Shouldn’t Have Greed, You’ve Gone Wrong
YOGI:
For me, goal-setting is a positive
trait, but I realize it can be greed,
too. So then I try to stop myself and
it becomes a mental battle which is  
exhausting. How can I improve? 
SAYADAW:
The effort to reach a goal is a positive
quality. The moment that you recognize
greed, that’s still fine. It's when you 
think that you shouldn't have greed
that you have gone wrong. 

Don’t Fight With Craving, Observe It and Learn
Don't fight with craving. Don't say  
it should or shouldn’t be this way. The  
right attitude is to focus on the presence  
of awareness. You could say something like:
"Never mind if it is still happening, at least 
I see it now. I'm not being blindly led by 
craving. I might not be able yet to get   
a handle on it completely, but I can 
learn something from it." 

How to Meditate When a Mosquito Bites
YOGI:
A few years back, at a meditation
retreat, we were at a campsite with
lots of mosquitoes. I found that if I 
meditated on the feeling of itchi-
ness, that the feeling increased.  
SAYADAW: 
When I say to observe unpleasant feelings,
I am not talking about observing the itchiness.
I am talking about the aversion to the feeling of
itchiness. It is a feeling in the mind, of not wanting
to experience or to watch the itchiness. That feel-
ing inside is a feeling of pushing away, of not 
wanting. That is the feeling to observe, not 
the physical sensations of itchiness. 

When You Recognize the Unwholesome, That’s Wholesome
Be sure to recognize that when you
recognize something unwholesome, the
very recognition that there is something
unwholesome, is itself wholesome.

Having Greed? Just Be Awake to That Experience
If you are really paying attention
and interested in your experience,
then sit if you want, stand if you want,
walk if you want, change posture if you
want. Whatever your experience, learn 
from it. Having greed? Just be awake 
to that experience. Ask yourself,
“What’s happening now?” Then,
observe and learn.

It’s Your Own Mind, Learn How to Learn From It
I often get questions from yogis
like, "Sayadaw, I was observing such
and such, should I have continued sit-
ting or should I have gotten up?" When I
get that question I always say, “Why are
you asking me whether you should sit or
stand or walk? It's your own mind. You
need to learn how to learn from your 
own mind and experience. Do some-
thing, and then learn from it." 

Allow the Mind to Do Its Own Work
When I say "Do the work,"
what I really mean is simply
step back and allow the mind
to do its own work, which is  
to meditate. This is what    
the mind does. This is its nature.

We Must Find a Still Point in Our Minds
The answers to our problems
can be found in our own minds.
We must find a still point that is
not dependent on anything 
for our happiness.

Don’t Focus Too Much or Try Too Hard
The meditating mind is relax-
ed. We never need to focus too
much nor try too hard.

Trying to Relax Will Only Make You More Tense
YOGI:
What exactly does it mean to be relaxed?
SAYADAW:
Feeling relaxed is really about being
free of expectation and anxiety. You can
only be totally relaxed when the mind is
free of craving or aversion. Wanting to be
relaxed or trying to become relaxed will
only make you even more tense.

When You Are Tense, Watch the Tension
It is important that you  
regularly check whether you
are relaxed or tense. If you don't,
you will not be aware whether you
are relaxed or tense. When you find
yourself tense, watch the tension. If
you are continuously aware of your
state of relaxation, you will be-
come even more relaxed.

Those Who Don’t Try to See Anything, See More
The more you try to see
something, the less clearly you
can see it. Only when you are re-
laxed can you see things as they  
are. Those who don't try to look
for anything, see more.

Everything You Need is Surrounding You
Everything you need for under-
standing to arise is surrounding you
in this moment. It is all on your door-
step: family, friends, work colleagues,
and any other relationships you may
have can all be powerful catalysts to
your work of revealing wisdom.

The Taste of Dhamma is the Supreme Taste
It is said that among all tastes,
the best taste is the taste of Dhamma.
The taste of Dhamma is not just a feel-
ing of peace—it is the supreme taste
of knowing and understanding. 

You Don’t Need to Know Every Detail of Experience
You do not need to know every
detail of your experience. Just be
aware and know what you are aware
of. Be natural and simple. There is no
need to slow down unnaturally. When
you are truly aware, you are not focus-
ing, yet you are aware of the objects.
Practicing in this way, the mind
will stay fresh.

Quiet and Unquiet Mind Are Equal in Meditation
A quiet mind is some-
thing we can be aware of; it
is an object. An unquiet mind
is also an object. So from the
meditation point of view, as 
objects, they are equal.

Don’t Try to Avoid Objects or Experiences
Don't try to avoid objects
or experiences; try to avoid
getting entangled in greed,
hatred and delusion.

One Day Wisdom Will Pull Ahead
Initially our practice is always mindful-
ness first, followed by effort and samadhi, 
 with wisdom trailing quite far behind. As 
we keep plodding along, wisdom slowly
 catches up, and hopefully one day is
  strong enough to pull ahead.

Keep Your Mind in a Happy State
The most important thing to
ask yourself is: "What can I do
right now?" One thing you can 
practice right now is keeping your
mind in a happy state. Deal with  
what's happening on a case-by-
case basis. Keep your mind in
the best possible state.

There is No Such Thing as “No Way”
Worry only thinks about what
is not possible, and it only gives
you one possibility, which you do 
not want. It's a self-defeating state
of mind, so don't encourage it, and
don't believe thoughts that come 
from worry. There is no such
thing as "no way." There are 
always many ways.