WEBVTT 00:00:04.444 --> 00:00:13.861 <Attaining Enlightenment Through Meditation> 00:00:13.861 --> 00:00:17.577 (Questioner) Hi Sunim, thank you for giving me a chance to ask a question. 00:00:17.577 --> 00:00:22.396 I have a question about meditation and the study of the Buddhist scriptures. 00:00:22.396 --> 00:00:27.276 I learned that the Buddha achieved a peaceful mind and profound enlightenment 00:00:27.276 --> 00:00:29.103 through meditation. 00:00:29.103 --> 00:00:32.862 I am trying to practice meditation for the same purpose. 00:00:32.862 --> 00:00:37.048 But, as a beginner who hasn't gone through the path, 00:00:37.048 --> 00:00:43.676 I have doubts about how I can reach such a deep state of enlightenment 00:00:43.676 --> 00:00:45.885 simply by not thinking. 00:00:45.885 --> 00:00:54.167 Could you explain how meditation leads to peace of mind and enlightenment? 00:00:54.167 --> 00:01:04.031 (Sunim) Most of our suffering arises primarily from our thoughts. 00:01:04.031 --> 00:01:20.683 So, we must free ourselves from our preconceived notions of 00:01:20.683 --> 00:01:30.420 ethics, morality, religious beliefs, and other paradigms that shape our thoughts. 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:47.859 For example, consider a man and a woman 00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:52.150 who have feelings for each other and become romantically involved. 00:01:52.150 --> 00:02:00.382 In a typical relationship between two ordinary individuals, 00:02:00.382 --> 00:02:02.185 they can simply like each other. 00:02:02.185 --> 00:02:17.905 However, if they are Buddhist or Catholic clergy, they have been taught 00:02:17.905 --> 00:02:22.907 not to engage in romantic or sexual relationships. 00:02:22.907 --> 00:02:35.032 So, those who have undergone such training, 00:02:35.032 --> 00:02:39.129 while experiencing joy in their romantic relationship, 00:02:39.129 --> 00:02:41.877 also struggle with guilt. 00:02:41.877 --> 00:03:02.752 That guilt, the negative feelig they get, does not stem from the relationship itself 00:03:02.752 --> 00:03:09.852 but rather from their belief that they should not be engaging in it. 00:03:09.852 --> 00:03:30.322 Much of the suffering and issues we experience today occurs 00:03:30.322 --> 00:03:35.853 due to the clash between reality, what we truly experience, 00:03:35.853 --> 00:03:40.284 and our preconceived notions of how things should be. 00:03:40.284 --> 00:03:57.263 This suffering disappears when we resolve the contradiction in one of two ways: 00:03:57.263 --> 00:04:02.813 either by letting go of our preconceptions and accepting reality as it is, 00:04:02.813 --> 00:04:07.483 or by clinging to our preconceptions and giving up what we desire in reality. 00:04:07.483 --> 00:04:22.887 However, we can never truly resolve this problem 00:04:22.887 --> 00:04:27.662 if we attempt to hold onto our preconceptions, 00:04:27.662 --> 00:04:30.669 while simultaneously trying to attain what we desire in reality, 00:04:30.669 --> 00:04:34.444 because that contradiction will inevitably persist. 00:04:34.444 --> 00:04:37.782 Let's take another example. 00:04:37.782 --> 00:04:50.914 If there are traditional ethics or morals dictating that 00:04:50.914 --> 00:04:55.155 men and women of certain ages should not see each other as romantic partners, 00:04:55.155 --> 00:04:59.607 then engaging in such relationships leads to suffering. 00:04:59.607 --> 00:05:11.396 Similarly, if we're taught that divorce is unacceptable after marriage, 00:05:11.396 --> 00:05:17.506 yet circumstances call for separation or divorce, 00:05:17.506 --> 00:05:21.315 this contradiction results in suffering. 00:05:21.315 --> 00:05:31.270 But it's natural that, in life, people may come together and go their separate ways. 00:05:31.270 --> 00:05:38.916 Coming together is not the cause of suffering, 00:05:38.916 --> 00:05:42.160 and separation or divorce is not the cause of suffering, either. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:53.382 Rather, it is our preconceived notions of "what ought to be" that create suffering, 00:05:53.382 --> 00:05:57.475 whether it's meeting for the first time of a relationship or separating. 00:05:57.475 --> 00:06:10.927 If we can let go of the idea of "what ought to be," 00:06:10.927 --> 00:06:19.679 we can eliminate much of the suffering that arises from internal conflicts. 00:06:19.679 --> 00:06:57.831 For example, when we teach our daughters that having sex before marriage is a sin, 00:06:57.831 --> 00:07:02.123 if they are later forced into premarital sex, 00:07:02.123 --> 00:07:04.676 it causes them significant internal suffering. 00:07:04.676 --> 00:07:10.893 But we do not emphasize this as much when teaching our sons, 00:07:10.893 --> 00:07:16.516 so if they experience such an ordeal, they may not feel the same level of guilt. 00:07:16.516 --> 00:07:22.310 This is entirely due to the preconceptions we instill in our children. 00:07:22.310 --> 00:07:34.533 If you were to stop thinking right now, there would be no suffering. 00:07:34.533 --> 00:07:43.396 This is why the foundation of meditation is to stop thinking. 00:07:43.396 --> 00:07:54.810 What position you take, how you breathe, none of that truly matters. 00:07:54.810 --> 00:08:07.770 Many of you say you meditate, but, in reality, you are thinking quietly. 00:08:07.770 --> 00:08:10.421 That is thinking, not meditating. 00:08:10.421 --> 00:08:16.972 Thinking positive thoughts does not mean you are meditating properly. 00:08:16.972 --> 00:08:23.614 Meditation is the state of being free from thought. 00:08:23.614 --> 00:08:31.169 If you stop thinking, most of your suffering will disappear. 00:08:31.169 --> 00:08:40.635 However, once you try it, you will realize that your thoughts do not cease. 00:08:40.635 --> 00:08:52.510 In fact, they may become amplified twofold, threefold, or even tenfold. 00:08:52.510 --> 00:08:59.400 So, while your body remains still during meditation, 00:08:59.400 --> 00:09:02.780 your mind is constantly engaged in thinking. 00:09:02.780 --> 00:09:15.051 Then, how can we stop thinking? If you set an intention to stop thinking, 00:09:15.051 --> 00:09:18.794 that intention itself becomes another thought. 00:09:18.794 --> 00:09:25.245 That is why the old masters taught us this analogy: 00:09:25.245 --> 00:09:32.074 Imagine there's dust flying all over the room. 00:09:32.074 --> 00:09:36.472 The dust is barely visible to us. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:36.472 --> 00:09:41.771 But if there's a ray of sunlight coming through the room, 00:09:41.771 --> 00:09:47.780 we suddenly become aware of how much dust is floating in the air. 00:09:47.780 --> 00:10:02.520 We take a cloth or a duster and start cleaning to remove the dust. 00:10:02.520 --> 00:10:06.790 Yet, instead of eliminating the dust, we only end up stirring it up even more. 00:10:06.790 --> 00:10:12.231 Then, what should we do? We must simply let it settle on its own. 00:10:12.231 --> 00:10:20.783 As time passes, most of dust will gradually settle. 00:10:20.783 --> 00:10:41.951 This analogy shows that we live constantly filled with thoughts and distractions, 00:10:41.951 --> 00:10:44.774 but we are unaware of that 00:10:44.774 --> 00:10:49.698 because we lack that single ray of light to illuminate them. 00:10:49.698 --> 00:11:10.414 Thus, when you sit down to meditate and start noticing how cluttered your mind is, 00:11:10.414 --> 00:11:12.221 this is not a failure in meditation. 00:11:12.221 --> 00:11:16.390 It's actually a process of meditating properly. 00:11:16.390 --> 00:11:25.844 It's just like seeing that single ray of sunlight revealing the dust in a room. 00:11:25.844 --> 00:11:36.319 It is the first realization that you are surrounded by endless distracting thoughts. 00:11:36.319 --> 00:11:49.217 Then, you may start approaching meditation with a performance-oriented mindset, 00:11:49.217 --> 00:11:52.125 striving to meditate better and faster. 00:11:52.125 --> 00:11:57.104 This, in turn, creats more distractions just as letting dust fly even more. 00:11:57.104 --> 00:12:00.532 You have to just let it be. 00:12:00.532 --> 00:12:07.901 But it's very hard to simply let it be because thoughts keep arising. 00:12:07.901 --> 00:12:15.697 That's why the strategy is to focus your thoughts on one thing. 00:12:15.697 --> 00:12:25.312 The easiest thing to focus your thoughts on is your breath. 00:12:25.312 --> 00:12:42.537 It's a strategy of focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. 00:12:42.537 --> 00:12:51.336 In Pali, it is called Ānāpāna. 00:12:51.336 --> 00:13:05.327 Another strategy that emerged during the Zen Buddhist tradition is a Koan, 00:13:05.327 --> 00:13:08.287 which is focusing on one single thought. 00:13:08.287 --> 00:13:13.168 One single question like "Who am I?" 00:13:13.168 --> 00:13:17.664 Just focus on that single question. 00:13:17.664 --> 00:13:23.434 Other thoughts will constantly arise. 00:13:23.434 --> 00:13:26.591 Just let them be. 00:13:26.591 --> 00:13:35.385 The only thing you should truly focus on is that single question. 00:13:35.385 --> 00:13:42.837 For example, imagine you are reading a book in the middle of a forest. 00:13:42.837 --> 00:13:46.528 You hear birds tweeting. 00:13:46.528 --> 00:13:49.099 You hear the sound of a stream. 00:13:49.099 --> 00:13:52.127 And you hear cars passing on a distant road. 00:13:52.127 --> 00:13:55.518 Because of these distractions, you find it difficult to focus. 00:13:55.518 --> 00:13:59.548 If the cars stopped running, 00:13:59.548 --> 00:14:03.424 if the birds stopped tweeting, 00:14:03.424 --> 00:14:07.037 and if the stream stopped running, 00:14:07.037 --> 00:14:14.866 then you would be able to focus in that quiet forest, right? 00:14:14.866 --> 00:14:19.481 But you can't stop those things. 00:14:19.481 --> 00:14:24.296 And even if you could eliminate those external distractions, 00:14:24.296 --> 00:14:27.612 it wouldn’t necessarily mean that you could focus. 00:14:27.612 --> 00:14:54.394 But if you truly immerse yourself in the book, 00:14:54.394 --> 00:14:56.606 the birds may tweet, but you won’t notice them. 00:14:56.606 --> 00:15:00.044 Cars may pass on the road nearby, but you won’t pay attention to them. 00:15:00.044 --> 00:15:03.155 Nor will you notice the stream beside you. 00:15:03.155 --> 00:15:07.940 It's because you are deeply focused and fully absorbed in what you are reading. 00:15:07.940 --> 00:15:17.950 While meditation is about the absence of thoughts, 00:15:17.950 --> 00:15:23.200 from a strategic perspective, it is about concentrating on a single thought. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:31.906 Let's say you focus on breathing in and out. 00:15:31.906 --> 00:15:39.430 When the breath comes in, you notice the breath entering. 00:15:39.430 --> 00:15:46.660 You are not thinking about the breath coming in. 00:15:46.660 --> 00:15:59.925 This is a kind of sensory experience, the flow of air as it moves 00:15:59.925 --> 00:16:05.567 over your skin, through your nostrils, and into your lungs. 00:16:05.567 --> 00:16:17.023 And you also feel the tactile sensation of the breath leaving your nose. 00:16:17.023 --> 00:16:22.780 This is experiencing, not thinking. 00:16:22.780 --> 00:16:26.612 You are simply experiencing the breath. 00:16:26.612 --> 00:16:31.965 You might think of your mother at some point. 00:16:31.965 --> 00:16:42.024 But once you actually become distracted by the thought of your mother, 00:16:42.024 --> 00:16:46.484 you start thinking, "Oh, what about the time we went on a picnic together? 00:16:46.484 --> 00:16:49.237 What about the time we had an argument?" 00:16:49.237 --> 00:16:53.505 You unconsciously follow the thought and start creating narratives around it. 00:16:53.505 --> 00:16:58.064 This becomes a distraction. 00:16:58.064 --> 00:17:05.500 You can't stop the thought of your mother from rising. 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:11.899 But whatever thoughts come to you, you keep focusing on your breath. 00:17:11.899 --> 00:17:18.160 Basically, do not pay attention to the thought or give it energy. 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.189 Then, the thought naturally dissipate. 00:17:21.189 --> 00:17:23.828 But soon, other thoughts will arise. 00:17:23.828 --> 00:17:25.991 You might suddenly think about coffee. 00:17:25.991 --> 00:17:29.739 Nevertheless, you stay focused on your breath. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:29.739 --> 00:17:33.148 Then, the thought of coffee also dissipates. 00:17:33.148 --> 00:17:45.328 No matter how many thoughts arise, if you do not pay attention to them, 00:17:45.328 --> 00:17:48.094 they will simply come and go again and again. 00:17:48.094 --> 00:17:59.783 But once you actually engage with a thought of coffee, 00:17:59.783 --> 00:18:02.622 you start following it and creating a story: 00:18:02.622 --> 00:18:06.772 "What kind of coffee do I want? Who do I want to drink this coffee with?" 00:18:06.772 --> 00:18:13.672 At that moment, you have already lost your focus on the breath 00:18:13.672 --> 00:18:19.558 because you can only focus on one thing at a time. 00:18:19.558 --> 00:18:24.226 If you focus here, you lose focus there. 00:18:24.226 --> 00:18:30.134 And if you pay attention there, you lose attention here. 00:18:30.134 --> 00:18:38.270 Thoughts are just that. 00:18:38.270 --> 00:18:43.358 As long as you don't pay attention to them, they will simply rise and fall. 00:18:43.358 --> 00:18:55.469 So, when we say we are distracted, 00:18:55.469 --> 00:18:59.094 it is not the random thoughts themselves that are distractions. 00:18:59.094 --> 00:19:05.160 They become distractions when we start creating stories around them. 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:27.084 If you keep practicing, the amount of time you can sustain focus on your breath 00:19:27.084 --> 00:19:29.606 before getting distracted can increase, 00:19:29.606 --> 00:19:33.219 first to 1 minute, then to 5, then to 10. It will gradually increase. 00:19:33.219 --> 00:19:47.020 Your attention span for focusing on your breath will continue to grow, 00:19:47.020 --> 00:19:52.790 and you will experience fewer distractions. 00:19:52.790 --> 00:20:06.218 Then, you start to gain autonomy. 00:20:06.218 --> 00:20:11.546 You will no longer be bound by past memories or future expectations. 00:20:11.546 --> 00:20:26.018 The reason you feel anger, frustration, hatred, or resentment is that 00:20:26.018 --> 00:20:29.781 past memories resurface, bringing back the wounds you once experienced. 00:20:29.781 --> 00:20:45.123 You become fearful, anxious, and nervous because you are thinking about the future. 00:20:45.123 --> 00:20:55.744 If you are no longer held captive by thoughts of the future, 00:20:55.744 --> 00:20:58.547 then your anxiety and nervousness will naturally fade away. 00:20:58.547 --> 00:21:10.471 That is why we teach to awaken in the here and now, 00:21:10.471 --> 00:21:16.636 without being captured by past memories or the future that has not yet arrived. 00:21:16.636 --> 00:21:29.438 Even if thoughts about the Buddha arise unbidden during meditation, 00:21:29.438 --> 00:21:31.927 they are still distractions. 00:21:31.927 --> 00:21:41.820 Maintain singular focus on your breath, and everything else is a distraction. 00:21:41.820 --> 00:21:53.211 If you are meditating on a Zen Koan, 00:21:53.211 --> 00:21:59.342 anything beyond exploring that question is a distraction. 00:21:59.342 --> 00:22:09.032 In that state, even what you read in scriptures, sutras, 00:22:09.032 --> 00:22:12.022 or even the Buddha's own teachings become distractions. 00:22:12.022 --> 00:22:23.822 That is why there is a teaching: "If you see the Buddha, kill the Buddha. 00:22:23.822 --> 00:22:27.868 If you encounter your teacher, kill the teacher." NOTE Paragraph 00:22:27.868 --> 00:22:36.792 Of course, this does not mean to literally kill them. 00:22:36.792 --> 00:22:40.675 Rather, it means not to give them any attention. 00:22:40.675 --> 00:22:43.989 They are simply distractions. 00:22:43.989 --> 00:22:48.463 Sorry for the lengthy response. (Sunim Laughter) 00:22:48.463 --> 00:22:51.658 (Questioner) Thanks. (Audience Applause)