1 00:00:04,384 --> 00:00:13,861 2 00:00:13,861 --> 00:00:17,517 (Questioner) Hi, Sunim. Thank you for giving me a chance to ask a question. 3 00:00:17,517 --> 00:00:22,296 I have a question about meditation and the study of the Buddhist scriptures. 4 00:00:22,296 --> 00:00:27,276 I learned that the Buddha attained a peaceful mind and profound enlightenment 5 00:00:27,276 --> 00:00:29,083 through meditation. 6 00:00:29,083 --> 00:00:32,752 I am trying to practice meditation for the same purpose. 7 00:00:32,752 --> 00:00:37,048 But, as a beginner who hasn't gone through the path, 8 00:00:37,048 --> 00:00:43,676 I have doubts about how I can reach such a deep state of enlightenment 9 00:00:43,676 --> 00:00:45,795 simply by not thinking. 10 00:00:45,795 --> 00:00:53,887 Could you explain how meditation leads to peace of mind and enlightenment? 11 00:00:53,887 --> 00:01:03,661 (Sunim) Most of our suffering arises primarily from our thoughts. 12 00:01:03,661 --> 00:01:20,563 So, we must free ourselves from our preconceived notions of 13 00:01:20,563 --> 00:01:30,420 ethics, morality, religious beliefs, and other paradigms that shape our thoughts. 14 00:01:30,420 --> 00:01:52,030 For example, consider a man and a woman who like each other and become lovers. 15 00:01:52,030 --> 00:02:00,342 In a typical relationship between two ordinary individuals, 16 00:02:00,342 --> 00:02:02,095 they can simply like each other. 17 00:02:02,095 --> 00:02:17,875 However, if they are Buddhist or Catholic clergy, they have been taught 18 00:02:17,875 --> 00:02:22,807 not to engage in romantic or sexual relationships. 19 00:02:22,807 --> 00:02:34,802 So, those who have undergone such training, 20 00:02:34,802 --> 00:02:38,869 while experiencing joy in their romantic relationship, 21 00:02:38,869 --> 00:02:41,727 also struggle with guilt. 22 00:02:41,727 --> 00:03:02,692 That guilt, the negative feeling they get, does not stem from the relationship itself 23 00:03:02,692 --> 00:03:09,622 but rather from their belief that they should not be engaging in it. 24 00:03:09,622 --> 00:03:29,802 Much of the suffering and issues we experience today occurs 25 00:03:29,802 --> 00:03:35,723 due to the clash between reality, what we truly experience, 26 00:03:35,723 --> 00:03:40,004 and our preconceived notions of how things should be. 27 00:03:40,004 --> 00:03:56,805 This suffering disappears when we resolve the contradiction in one of two ways: 28 00:03:56,805 --> 00:04:02,543 either by letting go of our preconceptions and accepting reality as it is 29 00:04:02,543 --> 00:04:07,373 or by adhering to our preconceptions and giving up what we desire in reality. 30 00:04:07,373 --> 00:04:22,887 However, we can never truly resolve this problem 31 00:04:22,887 --> 00:04:27,552 if we attempt to hold onto our preconceptions, 32 00:04:27,552 --> 00:04:30,669 while simultaneously trying to attain what we desire in reality, 33 00:04:30,669 --> 00:04:34,374 because that contradiction will inevitably persist. 34 00:04:34,374 --> 00:04:37,572 Let's take another example. 35 00:04:37,572 --> 00:04:50,804 If there are traditional ethics or morals dictating that 36 00:04:50,804 --> 00:04:55,155 men and women of certain ages should not see each other as romantic partners, 37 00:04:55,155 --> 00:04:59,527 then engaging in such relationships leads to suffering. 38 00:04:59,527 --> 00:05:11,096 Similarly, if we're taught that divorce is unacceptable after marriage, 39 00:05:11,096 --> 00:05:17,416 yet circumstances call for separation or divorce, 40 00:05:17,416 --> 00:05:21,085 this contradiction results in suffering. 41 00:05:21,085 --> 00:05:31,050 In the natural course of life, people may come together and go their separate ways. 42 00:05:31,050 --> 00:05:38,566 Coming together is not the cause of suffering, 43 00:05:38,566 --> 00:05:42,270 nor is separation or divorce. 44 00:05:42,270 --> 00:05:53,312 Rather, it is our preconceived notions of "what ought to be" that create suffering, 45 00:05:53,312 --> 00:05:57,475 whether it's meeting for the first time of a relationship or separating. 46 00:05:57,475 --> 00:06:10,927 If we can let go of the idea of "what ought to be," 47 00:06:10,927 --> 00:06:19,679 we can eliminate much of the suffering that arises from internal conflicts. 48 00:06:19,679 --> 00:06:57,701 For example, when we teach our daughters that having sex before marriage is a sin, 49 00:06:57,701 --> 00:07:02,033 if they are later forced into premarital sex, 50 00:07:02,033 --> 00:07:04,566 it causes them significant internal suffering. 51 00:07:04,566 --> 00:07:10,653 But we do not emphasize this as much when teaching our sons, 52 00:07:10,653 --> 00:07:15,936 so if they have premarital sex, they may not feel the same level of guilt. 53 00:07:15,936 --> 00:07:22,110 This is entirely due to the preconceptions we instill in our children. 54 00:07:22,110 --> 00:07:34,393 If you were to stop thinking right now, there would be no suffering. 55 00:07:34,393 --> 00:07:43,126 This is why the foundation of meditation is to stop thinking. 56 00:07:43,126 --> 00:07:54,670 What position you take, how you breathe, none of that truly matters. 57 00:07:54,670 --> 00:08:07,630 Many of you say you meditate, but, in reality, you are thinking quietly. 58 00:08:07,630 --> 00:08:10,351 That is thinking, not meditating. 59 00:08:10,351 --> 00:08:16,932 Thinking positive thoughts does not mean you are meditating properly. 60 00:08:16,932 --> 00:08:23,614 Meditation is the state of being free from thought. 61 00:08:23,614 --> 00:08:31,169 If you stop thinking, most of your suffering will disappear. 62 00:08:31,169 --> 00:08:40,635 However, once you try it, you will realize that your thoughts do not cease. 63 00:08:40,635 --> 00:08:52,510 In fact, they may become amplified twofold, threefold, or even tenfold. 64 00:08:52,510 --> 00:08:59,400 So, while your body remains still during meditation, 65 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,780 your mind is constantly engaged in thinking. 66 00:09:02,780 --> 00:09:15,510 Then, how can we stop thinking? If you set an intention to stop thinking, 67 00:09:15,510 --> 00:09:18,794 that intention itself becomes another thought. 68 00:09:18,794 --> 00:09:25,245 That is why the old masters taught us this analogy: 69 00:09:25,245 --> 00:09:32,074 Imagine there's dust flying all over the room. 70 00:09:32,074 --> 00:09:36,472 The dust is barely visible to us. 71 00:09:36,472 --> 00:09:41,771 But if there's a ray of sunlight coming through the room, 72 00:09:41,771 --> 00:09:47,780 we suddenly become aware of how much dust is floating in the air. 73 00:09:47,780 --> 00:10:02,520 We take a cloth or a duster and start cleaning to remove the dust. 74 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:06,790 Yet, instead of eliminating the dust, we only end up stirring it up even more. 75 00:10:06,790 --> 00:10:12,231 Then, what should we do? We must simply let it settle on its own. 76 00:10:12,231 --> 00:10:20,783 As time passes, most of the dust will gradually settle. 77 00:10:20,783 --> 00:10:41,951 This analogy shows that we live constantly filled with thoughts and distractions, 78 00:10:41,951 --> 00:10:44,774 but we are unaware of that 79 00:10:44,774 --> 00:10:49,698 because we lack that single ray of light to illuminate them. 80 00:10:49,698 --> 00:11:10,414 Thus, when you sit down to meditate and start noticing how cluttered your mind is, 81 00:11:10,414 --> 00:11:12,221 this is not a failure in meditation. 82 00:11:12,221 --> 00:11:16,390 It's actually a process of meditating properly. 83 00:11:16,390 --> 00:11:25,844 It's just like seeing that single ray of sunlight revealing the dust in a room. 84 00:11:25,844 --> 00:11:36,319 It is the first realization that you are surrounded by endless distracting thoughts. 85 00:11:36,319 --> 00:11:49,217 Then, you may start approaching meditation with a performance-oriented mindset, 86 00:11:49,217 --> 00:11:52,125 striving to meditate better and faster. 87 00:11:52,125 --> 00:11:57,104 This, in turn, creates more distractions just as letting dust fly even more. 88 00:11:57,104 --> 00:12:00,532 You have to just let it be. 89 00:12:00,532 --> 00:12:07,901 But it's very hard to simply let it be because thoughts keep arising. 90 00:12:07,901 --> 00:12:15,697 That's why the strategy is to focus your thoughts on one thing. 91 00:12:15,697 --> 00:12:25,312 The easiest thing to focus your thoughts on is your breath. 92 00:12:25,312 --> 00:12:42,537 It's a strategy of focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. 93 00:12:42,537 --> 00:12:51,336 In Pali, it is called Ānāpāna. 94 00:12:51,336 --> 00:13:05,327 Another strategy that emerged during the Zen Buddhist tradition is a Koan, 95 00:13:05,327 --> 00:13:08,287 which is focusing on one single thought. 96 00:13:08,287 --> 00:13:13,168 One single question like "Who am I?" 97 00:13:13,168 --> 00:13:17,664 Just focus on that single question. 98 00:13:17,664 --> 00:13:23,434 Other thoughts will constantly arise. 99 00:13:23,434 --> 00:13:26,591 Just let them be. 100 00:13:26,591 --> 00:13:35,385 The only thing you should truly focus on is that single question. 101 00:13:35,385 --> 00:13:42,837 For example, imagine you are reading a book in the middle of a forest. 102 00:13:42,837 --> 00:13:46,528 You hear birds tweeting. 103 00:13:46,528 --> 00:13:49,099 You hear the sound of a stream. 104 00:13:49,099 --> 00:13:52,127 And you hear cars passing on a distant road. 105 00:13:52,127 --> 00:13:55,518 Because of these distractions, you find it difficult to focus. 106 00:13:55,518 --> 00:13:59,548 If the cars stopped running, 107 00:13:59,548 --> 00:14:03,424 if the birds stopped tweeting, 108 00:14:03,424 --> 00:14:07,037 and if the stream stopped running, 109 00:14:07,037 --> 00:14:14,866 then you would be able to focus in that quiet forest, right? 110 00:14:14,866 --> 00:14:19,481 But you can't stop those things. 111 00:14:19,481 --> 00:14:24,296 And even if you could eliminate those external distractions, 112 00:14:24,296 --> 00:14:27,612 it wouldn’t necessarily mean that you could focus. 113 00:14:27,612 --> 00:14:54,394 But if you truly immerse yourself in the book, 114 00:14:54,394 --> 00:14:56,606 the birds may tweet, but you won’t notice them. 115 00:14:56,606 --> 00:15:00,044 Cars may pass on the road nearby, but you won’t pay attention to them. 116 00:15:00,044 --> 00:15:03,155 Nor will you notice the stream beside you. 117 00:15:03,155 --> 00:15:07,940 It's because you are deeply focused and fully absorbed in what you are reading. 118 00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:17,950 While meditation is about the absence of thoughts, 119 00:15:17,950 --> 00:15:23,200 from a strategic perspective, it is about concentrating on a single thought. 120 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:31,906 Let's say you focus on breathing in and out. 121 00:15:31,906 --> 00:15:39,430 When the breath comes in, you notice the breath entering. 122 00:15:39,430 --> 00:15:46,660 You are not thinking about the breath coming in. 123 00:15:46,660 --> 00:15:59,925 This is a kind of sensory experience, the flow of air as it moves 124 00:15:59,925 --> 00:16:05,567 over your skin, through your nostrils, and into your lungs. 125 00:16:05,567 --> 00:16:17,023 And you also feel the tactile sensation of the breath leaving your nose. 126 00:16:17,023 --> 00:16:22,780 This is experiencing, not thinking. 127 00:16:22,780 --> 00:16:26,612 You are simply experiencing the breath. 128 00:16:26,612 --> 00:16:31,965 You might think of your mother at some point. 129 00:16:31,965 --> 00:16:42,024 But once you actually become distracted by the thought of your mother, 130 00:16:42,024 --> 00:16:46,484 you start thinking, "Oh, what about the time we went on a picnic together? 131 00:16:46,484 --> 00:16:49,237 What about the time we had an argument?" 132 00:16:49,237 --> 00:16:53,505 You unconsciously follow the thought and start creating narratives around it. 133 00:16:53,505 --> 00:16:58,064 This becomes a distraction. 134 00:16:58,064 --> 00:17:05,500 You can't stop the thought of your mother from rising. 135 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:11,899 But whatever thoughts come to you, you keep focusing on your breath. 136 00:17:11,899 --> 00:17:18,160 Basically, do not pay attention to the thought or give it energy. 137 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,189 Then, the thought naturally dissipate. 138 00:17:21,189 --> 00:17:23,828 But soon, other thoughts will arise. 139 00:17:23,828 --> 00:17:25,991 You might suddenly think about coffee. 140 00:17:25,991 --> 00:17:29,739 Nevertheless, you stay focused on your breath. 141 00:17:29,739 --> 00:17:33,148 Then, the thought of coffee also dissipates. 142 00:17:33,148 --> 00:17:45,328 No matter how many thoughts arise, if you do not pay attention to them, 143 00:17:45,328 --> 00:17:48,094 they will simply come and go again and again. 144 00:17:48,094 --> 00:17:59,783 But once you actually engage with a thought of coffee, 145 00:17:59,783 --> 00:18:02,622 you start following it and creating a story: 146 00:18:02,622 --> 00:18:06,772 "What kind of coffee do I want? Who do I want to drink this coffee with?" 147 00:18:06,772 --> 00:18:13,672 At that moment, you have already lost your focus on the breath 148 00:18:13,672 --> 00:18:19,558 because you can only focus on one thing at a time. 149 00:18:19,558 --> 00:18:24,226 If you focus here, you lose focus there. 150 00:18:24,226 --> 00:18:30,134 And if you pay attention there, you lose attention here. 151 00:18:30,134 --> 00:18:38,270 Thoughts are just that. 152 00:18:38,270 --> 00:18:43,358 As long as you don't pay attention to them, they will simply rise and fall. 153 00:18:43,358 --> 00:18:55,469 So, when we say we are distracted, 154 00:18:55,469 --> 00:18:59,094 it is not the random thoughts themselves that are distractions. 155 00:18:59,094 --> 00:19:05,160 They become distractions when we start creating stories around them. 156 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:27,084 If you keep practicing, the amount of time you can sustain focus on your breath 157 00:19:27,084 --> 00:19:29,606 before getting distracted can increase, 158 00:19:29,606 --> 00:19:33,219 first to 1 minute, then to 5, then to 10. It will gradually increase. 159 00:19:33,219 --> 00:19:47,020 Your attention span for focusing on your breath will continue to grow, 160 00:19:47,020 --> 00:19:52,790 and you will experience fewer distractions. 161 00:19:52,790 --> 00:20:06,218 Then, you start to gain autonomy. 162 00:20:06,218 --> 00:20:11,546 You will no longer be bound by past memories or future expectations. 163 00:20:11,546 --> 00:20:26,018 The reason you feel anger, frustration, hatred, or resentment is that 164 00:20:26,018 --> 00:20:29,781 past memories resurface, bringing back the wounds you once experienced. 165 00:20:29,781 --> 00:20:45,123 You become fearful, anxious, and nervous because you are thinking about the future. 166 00:20:45,123 --> 00:20:55,744 If you are no longer held captive by thoughts of the future, 167 00:20:55,744 --> 00:20:58,547 then your anxiety and nervousness will naturally fade away. 168 00:20:58,547 --> 00:21:10,471 That is why we teach to awaken in the here and now, 169 00:21:10,471 --> 00:21:16,636 without being captured by past memories or the future that has not yet arrived. 170 00:21:16,636 --> 00:21:29,438 Even if thoughts about the Buddha arise unbidden during meditation, 171 00:21:29,438 --> 00:21:31,927 they are still distractions. 172 00:21:31,927 --> 00:21:41,820 Maintain singular focus on your breath, and everything else is a distraction. 173 00:21:41,820 --> 00:21:53,211 If you are meditating on a Zen Koan, 174 00:21:53,211 --> 00:21:59,342 anything beyond exploring that question is a distraction. 175 00:21:59,342 --> 00:22:09,032 In that state, even what you read in scriptures, sutras, 176 00:22:09,032 --> 00:22:12,022 or even the Buddha's own teachings become distractions. 177 00:22:12,022 --> 00:22:23,822 That is why there is a teaching: "If you see the Buddha, kill the Buddha. 178 00:22:23,822 --> 00:22:27,868 If you encounter your teacher, kill the teacher." 179 00:22:27,868 --> 00:22:36,792 Of course, this does not mean to literally kill them. 180 00:22:36,792 --> 00:22:40,675 Rather, it means not to give them any attention. 181 00:22:40,675 --> 00:22:43,989 They are simply distractions. 182 00:22:43,989 --> 00:22:48,463 Sorry for the lengthy response. (Sunim Laughter) 183 00:22:48,463 --> 00:22:51,658 (Questioner) Thanks. (Audience Applause)