From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=peZdV_JNOoE
Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.
what the Buddha did on the night of his
enlightenment was add that extra step of
relaxing and that changed the entire
meditation when it couldn't go so deep
has to suppress anything you couldn't
make your attention stay just on one
thing when you add that relax step it's
like you don't have the relax step your
mind just points and just stays on that
point when you have the relaxed step
what you do is you start broadening your
horizons as it were you start developing
peripheral vision so you can see when
hindrance start to arise and you can let
it go you can see all of these things
the thing that really draws me to
Buddhism is the absolute lack of
suppression of anything
there is no suppression when you six are
you're not suppressing anything you're
allowing the space for whatever that
entrance is to be but you're not keeping
your attention on it and by not keeping
your attention on it and realize
into that and bringing up a wholesome
object you have a brief moment of relief
of pure months and you keep bringing
that pure mind back to your object of
meditation so the hindrance because it
doesn't have anything pushing against it
I don't like it I want it to stop it
pushes back stronger this is what
happens when people have things like
depression they have a painful feeling
arise and I don't like it
craving arises and then your story about
why you don't like it and your habitual
tendency of always trying to think the
feeling away but thoughts are one thing
and feelings are something else
so you wind up with that feeling because
you're trying to control it with your
thoughts you wind up making that feeling
bigger and more intense until finally
you say I can't stand that I've been
depressed for weeks on it I'm going to
the doctor I mean it takes a medicine
that dulls you out that makes you
unaware and causes all kinds of other
problems with the side effects and that
sort of thing is really not good
so when you start practicing by adding
that extra step of relaxing you're not
trying to control the feeling the
feeling can stay there it doesn't matter
that you don't keep your attention on it
so you see the feeling arise and then
that craving right behind it and you
recognize that you start to get into
your thinking and concepts and opinions
and ideas and the story and you get into
that habit of trying to control all of
them with your mind with your thoughts
now we've been doing this from time
immemorial until you
I told the Buddha came around to show us
that there there is no separation
between mind and bodies my dead body
yes and you need to be able to recognize
what's happening in both when I first
had the insight that a thought caused
tension to arise in your body when I
first saw that that was section oh wow
it was just I I couldn't believe it I'd
see a thought start to arise and I'd see
attentions I'm wearing my body Wow or I
would do something you know it do a
little Howie of some sort and all of a
sudden the thoughts there it was amazing
to see that
what the Buddha did on the night of his
enlightenment was add that extra step of
relaxing and that changed the entire
meditation when it couldn't go so deep
has to suppress anything you couldn't
make your attention stay just on one
thing when you add that relax step it's
like you don't have the relax step your
mind just points and just stays on that
point when you have the relaxed step
what you do is you start broadening your
horizons as it were you start developing
peripheral vision so you can see when
hindrance start to arise and you can let
it go you can see all of these things
the thing that really draws me to
Buddhism is the absolute lack of
suppression of anything
there is no suppression when you six are
you're not suppressing anything you're
allowing the space for whatever that
entrance is to be but you're not keeping
your attention on it and by not keeping
your attention on it and realize
into that and bringing up a wholesome
object you have a brief moment of relief
of pure months and you keep bringing
that pure mind back to your object of
meditation so the hindrance because it
doesn't have anything pushing against it
I don't like it I want it to stop it
pushes back stronger this is what
happens when people have things like
depression they have a painful feeling
arise and I don't like it
craving arises and then your story about
why you don't like it and your habitual
tendency of always trying to think the
feeling away but thoughts are one thing
and feelings are something else
so you wind up with that feeling because
you're trying to control it with your
thoughts you wind up making that feeling
bigger and more intense until finally
you say I can't stand that I've been
depressed for weeks on it I'm going to
the doctor I mean it takes a medicine
that dulls you out that makes you
unaware and causes all kinds of other
problems with the side effects and that
sort of thing is really not good
so when you start practicing by adding
that extra step of relaxing you're not
trying to control the feeling the
feeling can stay there it doesn't matter
that you don't keep your attention on it
so you see the feeling arise and then
that craving right behind it and you
recognize that you start to get into
your thinking and concepts and opinions
and ideas and the story and you get into
that habit of trying to control all of
them with your mind with your thoughts
now we've been doing this from time
immemorial until you
I told the Buddha came around to show us
that there there is no separation
between mind and bodies my dead body
yes and you need to be able to recognize
what's happening in both when I first
had the insight that a thought caused
tension to arise in your body when I
first saw that that was section oh wow
it was just I I couldn't believe it I'd
see a thought start to arise and I'd see
attentions I'm wearing my body Wow or I
would do something you know it do a
little Howie of some sort and all of a
sudden the thoughts there it was amazing
to see that