Month: January 2018

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Bro. Teoh’s Tuesday class dated 23.1.2018

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Bro. Teoh’s Tuesday class dated 16th Jan 2018

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Bro Teoh’s Thurs class dated Jan18 2018

Dear All,

Below are the audio links to our  Thursday class recording dated 21st Jan 2018 for sharing by all. It is a very Highly Recommended talk. Please do listen to it attentively to develop the clear understanding of the very unique dharma shared. The short notes to the talk are also included below for your easy reference to help u understand better:

SHORT NOTES For Bro. Teoh’s Thursday class talk dated 18th Jan. 2018:

  1. Bro Teoh started the class by going through the 4th January 2018 Thursday class short notes. All the short notes for our Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday classes would be made available to all Kalyanamittas and all those attending our March 2018 coming 9 days meditation retreat at Cameron Highlands. These short notes will also be uploaded to our broteoh.com website so that it can help fellow Kalyanamittas to develop a clearer understanding of the topics and dharma discussed during the classes.
  2. Bro Teoh reminded Kalyanamittas to determine strongly and cultivate diligently during this Buddha’s Sasana so that they will not let this very important ‘window of opportunity to slip by.
  3. These short notes in written form will be reviewed and elaborated by Bro. Teoh in future classes to  give   clear understanding of the topic and dharma discussed thereby helping Kalyanamittas to progress along the path of dharma much easier.
  4. Bro. Teoh went through the short notes on 4th January 2018 and elaborated further on the following –                (a) The 2 aspects of the 5 aggregates of form and mind. 1st aspect: as a human being (the physical body is the first aggregate then the consciousness that is trapped inside has 4 more aggregates and they are feeling, perception, mental activities and mental states etc. (contents of consciousness), and consciousness. 2nd aspect: the 5 mental aggregates where the mental form enters the consciousness or mind via the aggregate of perception.                                                                                              (b) If we deludedly grasp and cling onto these 5 aggregates thinking that they are real we will suffer. Hence, without wisdom, we will definitely suffer.              (c) The 8 realities of life and existence will causing us affliction if we don’t have the wisdom. Hence, it is of utmost importance for us to understand the nature’s laws that govern all of life (especially the Law of Karma) and train the mind not to be deceived by the phenomenal world.
  1. Sister Angie asked: What about certain religions that need their devotees to confess their sins first.
  2. Bro Teoh replied: Asking for forgiveness is a good practice. By doing so, they could open up their heart and this would help them relief their suffering only temporarily and it’s usually not a permanent fix.
  3. For us Buddhists the understanding is deeper, we can do the following to help us recover:
    (a) First, ask for forgiveness sincerely to break the karmic obstructions. According to the law of karma, such karmic obstructions were due to wrongful doings in previous existences.                                                                      (b) Vow not to repeat all such acts that lead to karmic negativities via following the advice of the Buddha to avoid all evil, cultivate goodness and purify our mind to take care of karma.                                                                (c) Determine to cultivate virtues and wisdom via cultivating the ten meritorious actions, Noble 8fold Path and observing the 5 precepts.                                         (d) Invoke the power of merits (spiritual wealth) after we have cultivated sincerely so as to give rise to causes and conditions to help us resolve all our problems amicably or help others.
  4. This understanding can also be used to help others of different faiths to recover from their problems as long as they have an open mind because its principles are based on the understanding of nature’s laws.
  5. Bro Teoh stressed again the importance of cultivating the dharma understanding. The Buddha’s teaching is very simple and it can brings about liberation of mind leading to freedom from suffering.
  6. Thought is response to memory and thought is the second aspect of the 5 aggregates of form and mind. Thought is consciousness and its content. We need mindfulness to see how thought via its delusion causes us to cling, grasp and hold onto the phenomenal world thinking that is real. That’s how human beings enter into depression because they grasp on to the cocoon of thoughts which make them suffer from a type of mental disorder called OCD (Obsessive and Compulsive Disorder).
  7. To break this cycle of repetitive OCD thought processes, we need to have right view leading to right thought. Right thoughts are thoughts that are fit for attention and they give rise to peace, harmony and understanding. However, wrong thoughts that conditioned our fear, worries and anxieties, etc.. have the evil roots and are thus unfit for attention. This has been explained in the Sabbasava Sutra.
  8. Without mindfulness, one cannot understand the twelve links or law of dependent origination which happens so fast.  Then self-delusion will continue to deceive one to cling onto the 5 aggregates via mental defilements that has the evil roots to condition one’s habitual tendencies and heedless thinking.
  9. With mindfulness, we are very sensitive because we can feel and sense even the slightest subtle reaction of mind. Hence, mindfulness can prevent us from becoming afflicted.
  10. We should contemplate and realize that this Form and Mind (or the so called human being) is not a permanent unchanging entity that we can cling onto as the ‘I’ and the ‘Mine’ but instead it is karmic ally conditioned out for us to come to this existential world to live and experience life.
  11.    Thought is like a knife which can be used for good purpose or to hurt and harm ourselves andothers. Hence one need to use it appropriately.
  12. Bro. Teoh related an experiences during dinner with his fellow engineers. He heard about a first-class honors Engineer classmate who had gone into depression. When his friends asked Bro. Teoh to help out, he mentioned that there must be conditions for him to do so. Moreover, the person concerned must be willing to listen with an open mind because the solution also involve spiritual understanding.
  13. Kalyanamittas can access our broteoh.com website, to reinforce understanding of what has been shared. Bro. Teoh thanked all who had contributed in one way or other towards the setting up of this website.
  14. Kalyanamittas should train themselves to understand clearly what has been shared until they are able to write out their understanding without having to refer to the notes.
  15. Without the dharma understanding, it is very difficult to decondition the heedless thinking mind.
  16. Via the silent mind, the form and mind which is connected to it (or the nature within) can awaken and understand.

(Note: The above draft short notes were prepared by Puan Chee)

From: Bro. Swee Aun

*If you missed Bro Teoh’s Thurs class Jan18, you can download at:*

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-Thu-180118.mp3

or at:

[https://www.dropbox..com/s/fo9kovl0zmltfbk/Teoh%20class%20180118.MP3?dl=0]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fo9kovl0zmltfbk/Teoh%20class%20180118.MP3?dl=0

Teoh class 180118.MP3

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Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class dated 21st Jan 2018 recording

Dear All,

Below are the audio links to our Bro. Teoh’s WPCS Sunday class dated 21st Jan 2018 recording for sharing by all. It is a very Highly Recommended talk. Please do listen to it attentively to develop the clear understanding of the beautiful dharma shared. The short notes to the talk are also included below for your easy reference to help u understand better:

Short notes for WPCS Sunday class dated 21 Jan 2018

  1. The human being consists of the 5 aggregates of form and mind, i.e. the physical body(1st aggregate of form) and mind (which has 4 more aggregates of mind). The ‘form and mind’ come into being as a result of Karma, i.e. it is dependent originating – arise due to causes and conditions. The ‘form and mind’ (which is the human being) exists but it is not a permanent unchanging entity hence not you.
  2. When we meditate via the silent mind (without any interference from our views, opinions, scars of memories, conditionings, traditions and belief systems etc.) to see things as they are, we will be able to insight into the 3 universal characteristics of nature to realise that this ‘form and mind’ is not us (self).
  3. In cultivation, we should allow thoughts to arise and pass away naturally and not to suppress, control or resist them. When we try to control, resist and suppress thoughts, unwittingly we are actually using another thought to resist or stop these thoughts. When we do this we are using thought to meditate leading to ‘thought-based meditation’. Who meditates, who note? The thought! So whenever there is a ‘meditator’, there is no meditation because thought cannot realise the enlightenment which is beyond thought and beyond time. Before one is enlightened thought is always egoic.
  4. Dhammapada verses 21, 22 & 23 confirm the importance of Heedfulness in meditation and since Heedfulness = ever mindful + constantly meditative (cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path); first we need to train the mind to be mindful then stabilise it to be ever mindful. After that use it to meditate via following the below steps:

(a) Train the MUNDANE mind to be quiet and mindful via the mind sweeping method and metta.

(b) Then stabilise this quiet mind via Anapanasati to be ever mindful in the midst of life to cultivate the Noble 8-Fold path via the daily mindfulness. Meditation is to be constantly aware via the silent mind to observe, understand and insight into phenomena to develop the wisdom.

(c) Why Anapanasati? Because the breath is always in the present moment hence when we are mindful of the in and out breath we cannot think, we are always aware. Then relax into every mind state that arise to realize the piti, sukha, passadhi (or tranquillity of mind), and the silent mind (which is the meditative mind or mind in sati). When mind has entered sati the daily mindfulness will arise naturally because by then all of sense experiences like seeing, hearing etc will be in sati all the time.

  • Mind is the forerunner of all things. When mind arise all of the phenomenal world and the myriad creation will also arise. The mundane mind then via its own self-delusion clings and grasps onto the ‘form and mind’ and phenomenal world thereby causing the human being to go through endless circles of births and deaths (samsara).
  • PG shared her experience of having disturbing thoughts and how she overcame them by just observing them via the silent non-reactive mind. When she started to observe these thoughts silently, there was no more mental energy channelled to feed the arisen thoughts. There was no more ill-will (or aversion) towards those thoughts or desire to stop those thoughts. The thoughts then slowed down and finally ceased or stopped by themselves via returning to their original state before the stirring.
  • People think the mind must be quiet when in meditation but this is not the correct understanding because meditation means to silent your mind to observe and understand with the true mind (without thought) to develop the wisdom. Observe the chattering mundane mind with your silent mind. Do not use another thought to do away with the chattering mundane mind. The thoughts will stop by themselves because they are condition arising (not you) and they are also not intrinsic to the true mind.
  • If you meditate using a focus mind in concentration or absorption, it will lead to energy fields or psychic ability and you cannot handle your daily life well because the anusaya or latent tendencies (or the ‘pain body’ as Eckhart Tolle calls them) are all not rooted out as yet; instead they are all being suppressed under those mind states. They will surface when there are conditions then we will react and be afflicted when faced with situations we dislike or don’t understand because there is no wisdom to liberate the mind.
  • If it is a free mind with understanding and wisdom our mind will not stir under any conditions in daily life. We will not react and become afflicted.
  • Thoughts are just harmless consciousness that arise and pass away then cease; how come they can have such power to make you so miserable? Because via self-delusion you cling on to them and you will be afflicted.
  • Always remember ‘the awareness of inattention is attention’ and only wisdom frees the mind.
  • Why doubt? Give yourself a chance to try it out, to investigate. Change the way you do things to improve your life and change for the better. Always, have an open mind.
  • To be born as a human being is very rare. To encounter the Buddha’s teachings is even more rare. So don’t be heedless anymore. Don’t waste your time anymore for this window of opportunity is very rare therefore do Strive on with Heedfulness! 

(Note: About draft short notes was prepared by Sister Mun Yuen)

From: Sister Lee Siew Gaik

http://brohttps://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/67-6th-Patriarch-21-Jan-2018.mp3teoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Teoh-WPCS-67-6th-Patriarch-2018-01-21.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oo8y6kb5nh2vd4g/67%206th%20Patriarch%2021%20Jan%202018.MP3?dl=0  . Highly Recommended!

67 6th Patriarch 21 Jan 2018.MP3

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Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

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Bro.Teoh’s Thursday class dated 11th Jan 2018 recording

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Thursday class dated 11.1.2018 recording for sharing by all. The short notes are also enclosed as below.

Short notes to our Thursday class sharing dated 11th Jan. 2018:

  1. Bro. Eric reported that during meditation, he realizes that he thinks a lot and these thoughts were related to his work and many other personal things.
  2. Bro Teoh’s explaination:                                                                       
  3. These habitual heedless thinking arises due to your lack of the 5 spiritual faculties of Saddha, viriya, sati, Samadhi and panna and because of that the opposite 5 mental hindrances of sensual desire, ill-will, sloth and Torpor, restlessness of mind and doubt (that hinder your mind from entering the meditative state of inner peace and inner awareness) will arise. These heedless thinking arise because of your fear, worries, anxiety and attachment borne of delusion, making your mind restless and When you cling and hold on to your accumulated phobias, what people had said about you and your fear borne of your own thought projection and wrong thoughts, suffering will arise. Your daily unsolved mental activities or thinking can also give rise to heedless thinking caused by attachment.
  4. Via memories we input our contents of consciousness according to our views, opinions, belief system, traditions, conditioning, fear, scars of memories, phobias, insecurities, etc which we had accumulated into our memories via attachment borne of wrong view. Hence acting according to memory is not acting at all. One should instead act with wisdom and understanding borne of right views as taught by the Buddha under his Noble 8-Fold Path teaching.
  5. Memories are our accumulation of experiences – both good and bad. Via our wrong mental perception borne of wrong view, all of our life experiences (good or bad) are stored in the brain as memory of If we are mindful and aware (via the silent mind), we can see and understand how thoughts arise and pass away thereby understanding clearly that ‘thoughts are indeed response to memories’ because without memories (like a new born baby) there is no thought. When the content of consciousness inputted into our thoughts has the evil roots of Greed, Hatred and Delusion then wrong thoughts (that condition your fear, worries, anxiety, restlessness of mind, panic attacks, sorrow, lamentation and misery etc. leading to suffering) will arise. This is always the case for unenlightened beings. That’s how our fears, scars of memory, phobias and insecurity (borne of attachment to our mental perceptions deposited into our memories) can give rise to heedless thinking or wrong thought leading to intense suffering and miseries. Our ‘good’ memories can also lead to positive craving and attachment.
  6. The Practical living dharma that can relate to life and help free people’s mind are more importantbecause theoretical dharma which are not practical are of not much use.
  7. Conventional truths are relative truths which are not real ultimate truth.
  8. The Buddha said if we attach to the 5 aggregates of Form and Mind, thinking that they are real; like our body belongs to us, our loved ones, prized possessions and property belong to us, our feeling, perception, mental states, thought processes and consciousness also belong to us then  suffering arises.
  9. Without the 5 spiritual faculties, the opposite 5 mental hindrances will arise.
  10. Without mindfulness, we cannot see all these because our mind will be lost in thoughts and preoccupied with all those habitual heedless thinking thus clouding it.
  11. Thought is response to memory.
  12. Due to our conditioning we cling on to all those wrong views, opinions, belief system and attachment etc. that mould us and make us become what we think we are.
  13. At every moment of wrong sense door perception, we will stir our mundane mind that is deluded to attach and cling onto the phenomena world via positive or negative emotions of likes and dislikes.
  14. If we are mindful and heedful, we will be very sensitive and we can feel and sense the slightest movement, stirring and reaction of mind arising from the pure feeling aggregate.
  15. It is important to train the mind to be aware within the moment to see things as they are to straighten our views so that we don’t cling via delusion. To do that, we must have the wisdom borne of meditation to understand the three universal characteristics of nature.
  16. We need a silent mind, to be aware within (without the thought as ‘meditator’, ‘thinker’, ‘analyser’, etc. to interfere with the direct seeing). Otherwise the thought will try to control and suppress ‘What IS’ via wanting things their way borne of craving.
  17. Defilements come from delusion but they are not the real problem.  So don’t try to suppress or do away with the defilements because they are there due to your lack of wisdom and only wisdom free the mind, nothing else can.
  18. One reacts and stirs one’s mind because of wrong view and delusion.
  19. It is important to understand the law of dependent origination (12 links) to understand how we function as human beings.
  20. The cause of worry is fear.  Without fear one has no problem.
  21. When facing problems, one has two choices: 1st choice – most people react, panic, project their thoughts and worry about the problems hence mind becomes restless with these proliferation of thoughts. The 2nd choice is – don’t panic, react and project the thoughts (to arise all the fear and worries which does not help), then act with wisdom and right views via following Noble 8-Fold Path.
  22. An untrained mind with the 5 mental hindrances (especially restlessness and doubt) cannot calm down to enter the meditative state of inner peace and inner awareness.
  23. Memory should be used to store useful information but human beings have used it wrongly to store their psychological memories of their fear, phobias, scars of memories, insecurities etc. thereby arising all the wrong thoughts. Whether it is right thought or wrong thought depends on the user of thought. If the user is wise then thoughts become right thoughts.
  24. The Buddha under the Sabbasava sutta said, if one give attention to things that are unfit for attention one will give rise to wrong thoughts that will cause the un-arisen three evil roots and defilements to arise and the arisen defilements will proliferate. Right thought brings about love, compassion, kindness, gentleness, goodness, gratitude, respect, sincerity, generosity, etc and wisdom hence such thoughts like contemplating on the 3 turnings of the Four Noble Truth are fit for attention.
  25. Through cultivation, the mind can become quiet to enable us to insight into the three universal characteristics of nature.
  26. One must inquire, ‘how can thoughts which are only consciousness and harmless can have such power over the living beings to make them so sorrowful, miserable and so full of fear. If you truly love yourself then you will not use your own thoughts (as a tool) to harm yourself and hurt yourself or hit out at others. Just like the knife analogy – you must use that knife as a tool and use it appropriately to help you do things that are useful but instead if you use it to harm yourself, hurt yourself and others then that is real delusion and foolishness.
  27. True action is acting according to wisdom via having right views with regards to the universal laws that govern life and existence.  Then Dhammapada verses 1 and 2, 21, 22, 23 and 183 will become very clear.
  28. Life is very simple. When we accept the reality of the moment which is ‘What IS’, there is no reaction or stirring of mind. There is clarity and calm to act appropriately then we can ask our self – what are our options and how we can resolve all these amicably following the Noble 8fold path and the Law of karma then we can use our right view, right thought, right speeches and right actions to act appropriately to resolve all situations amicably without negativity. We should always act with wisdom or right view.  If need to ask for forgiveness, repent and later invoke power of merits to improve our life, do it because if one act with right view one will reap the good karmic fruition.
  29. To de-condition the heedless thinking leading to the silent mind, we can use the mind sweeping method combining with metta meditation to do it then followed by Anapanasati to stabilize the silent mind.
  30. When we are mindful, there is not thought. As we relax into every mind state that arises, the mind becomes very quiet and finally very still. With the clarity of mind arising from the silent mind without thought, we become peaceful and fully aware.  Then stabilize the silent mind to realize the true mind, until the mind enters sati so that daily mindfulness can come about.
  31. Once the mind is trained, we can become ever mindful. The meditative mind can understand truth and this is what meditation is all about. Then one will understand, technically there are no right and no wrong because these are only relative or conventional truth. People and the world are just the way they are because when conditions are like that, things will be like that – cannot be otherwise.

(Note: Draft short notes was prepared by Puan Chee)

With metta always,

Teoh

From: Bro. Swee Aun: If you missed Bro Teoh’s Thurs class Jan11, you can download at:* 

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class’s recording dated 14th Jan 2018

Dear All Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Sunday’s 66th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra recording dated 14th Jan 2018 for sharing by all. The following important short notes link and its details are enclosed below for your easy reading, listening and understanding:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-180114.pdf

Short notes for 66th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra (Sunday class dated 14.1.2018): 

Audio mp3 : https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.mp3 

Whiteboard Note : https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.jpg

  1. Samadhi is different from concentration

Samadhi is a mind which is “unwavering and collected“. It is a free mind without thought where the mundane mind is silent and not active. Whereas, concentration (or Samatha mind state) is a conditioned mind in Appana concentration. The mind is a focused mind in one-pointedness or absorption concentration. One is then in the Jhana or absorption mind states.

There must be an understanding that Samadhi always exist in one’s true mind but it is obscured (or clouded) by the mundane mind. Hence to realize Samadhi, one only needs to be silent and aware.

Most people seek peace and special experiences like seeing light (or nimitta), experiencing calmness and stillness during meditation but what they do not understand is, when they do that, they are actually focusing via effort and energy field to isolate the mind to abide within so that it is peaceful and calm but there is no clarity of awareness within. This will lead to suppression of delusion and negativity of mental states via strong mental concentration and absorption and one cannot live life with this type of mind state. Then one will not be able to develop the wisdom via mindful observation because all the latent tendencies (or anusaya) are being suppressed and they are not rooted out as yet.  

Actually, one does not need to do concentration or absorption meditation because the mind on its own will return to its original state of inner peace and stillness before the stirring if we can just stop feeding it with anymore heedless thinking or thought energy.

  1. Surangama Sutra

“Perception of form is consciousness, whereas its non-perception is wisdom”

2.1 Explanation for “Perception of form is consciousness”

Worldly perception is by the mundane mind via our mental consciousness, i.e. we can perceive the world via our mundane mind’s seeing consciousness. Our brain which is basically memories and memories are our accumulation of experiences – Good and Bad. They are our views, opinions, conditionings, scars of memories, traditions, our belief systems, our phobias, our insecurity, our fears, worries and anxieties etc. including our greed, hatred and various type of emotional negativities.

Since thoughts are response to memories hence perception via the thought comes from memory and that’s how mental perception comes to be with every moment of consciousness. Hence mundane perception of mental form is consciousness. Take for example the seeing consciousness – how do you know it is a Buddha image? Via memory isn’t it? Then you stir your mind via inputting your content of consciousness according to your views, opinions and conditioning accumulated within your brain or memory. Therefore, when we use our mundane mind to see via our memories, we are not seeing the truth or the reality and we cannot see things as they are because we are perceiving what we see according to our conditioned mind which are full of words, concept, views and opinions, dualities and conditionings, etc.

Hence ‘acting according to memory is not acting at all. One should act with wisdom instead.    

Sometimes these conditioned memories, views, opinions, scars of memories and fears, etc. are also accumulated in our subconscious and when there is condition to trigger them, those conditioned memories etc. will arise and your mind will stir accordingly. If we act according to these conditioning, views, opinions, etc. it will result in us not acting according to wisdom. We are merely perceiving things via our old conditioning or habitual tendencies, resulting in wrong perception in every moment of consciousness. Take for example, when a past phobia is triggered, one will panic based on previous experience. But if one just develop the wisdom to act via careful observation or heedfulness then one can just stopped reacting or stirring one’s mind and just stay silent to inquire into what just happened? One will have the understanding to realize that “when conditions are like that, things will be like that” because the reality IS or Truth IS. There will be wisdom and one will not be afflicted like before by the old habitual way of heedless living. Then when one become more skillful in this new way of heedful living, one can move on to the next step to trace the origination factors then retrospectively reverse them, so that we will not fall into the same trap again in the future. 

2.2 Explanation for “Non-perception is wisdom”:

Non-perception is not using the mundane mind to see. It is using the direct seeing via the pure awareness or silent mind to ‘see things as they are’ (to see truth, to see the reality), without being influenced by our views, opinions, belief system and conditioning, etc. When we see things via the true mind there is no discrimination or distinction between good and bad because there is no words or concept of duality to arise those deluded thoughts. Everything just follows nature’s laws; only mighty Nature rolling by.

3.0 Question and Answers session after meditation

Question 1: Bro Song shared his experience of having strong sankhara activities all of a sudden despite after having a period of very stable mindful and heedful daily mindfulness living. These sankhara activities arise for no apparent reason and he was fully aware of their arising and also his subtle mind movements and reactions within and he did not know how to deal with them at that time apart from ‘allowing it to be’ until he heard Sis Mindy’s last Sunday question to Bro. Teoh regarding her experience at the cittanupassana retreat that she attended recently.

He then understands that the real cittanuppasana is not ‘thought observing thoughts’ but instead the mind is aware of all the mind states or content of consciousness as they arise. When the content of consciousness has greed one is aware of its arising (or stirring of the mundane mind), so that one’s mind (which is in sati) is sensitive. Then the habitual subtle stirring will weaken as one develops this mindfulness until it is very stable. Then one can contemplate deeper into the arising sankhara (or what happened) to understand that this was actually a test from his cultivation or nature.

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

From: Sister Lee Siew Gaik

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/67wk1lw7vpx8zte/66%206th%20Patriarch%2014%20Jan%202018.MP3?dl=0  

66 6th Patriarch 14 Jan 2018.MP3

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Shared with Dropbox
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Short notes summary of Tuesday class dated 9.1.2018

Subject: Re: Short notes for Tuesday class sharing dated 9th January 2018

Dear Sister Yoon Chun,

Short notes summary of Bro.Teoh’s Tuesday class dated 79.1.2018

Thank u so much for your below draft short notes and I am pleased to forward herewith the edited version below for our sharing. A word file attachment is also enclosed above.

Short notes summary of Bro. Teoh’s Tuesday class Dharma sharing dated 9.1.2018: 

Session 1: Puja and Meditation

1.1 Puja (Buddhist devotional practices)

The main purpose of Puja chanting is to develop the following:

  1. To cultivate Faith (saddha) in the Buddha and his Teaching;
  2. To cultivate the spiritual zeal (viriya) to learn the Dharma after seeing the importance of learning such teaching;
  3. To develop mindfulness (sati) and cultivate wholesomeness like generosity, paying respect to great beings and rejoicing (in the goodness, kindness and generosity of others) during puja;
  4. To renew our 5 precepts and the taking of refuges in the Triple Gems;
  5. Making of puja aspirations (via understanding the significance of all our puja offerings) to help us progress along the path of Dharma;
  6. Puja can help us calm and compose our mind to develop the Faith and wisdom.

1.2 Meditation

    • The main purpose of Meditation is to train the heedless thinking mind to be peaceful, calm and aware within (the silent mind) to see things clearly (or as they are) to develop the wisdom to liberate our mind.
    • Important Meditative instructions were given to help yogi understand what they are doing in the name of meditation.
    • Always remember to Relax body and mind to experience the silence and the peacefulness. Just Feel with the silent mind and relax.
    • The purpose of mind sweeping method is to de condition the heedless thinking; then combining with metta to bring about inner peace and inner well-being (positive energy field) and Anapanasati training is to stabilize the sati (silent mind).
    • A well trained mind listens to you and can serve you well.
    • Mind experiencing piti, sukha, tranquility and stillness (passadhi).
    • What are methods, techniques and objects of meditation for? They are only skillful means to train the mind to be in sati and in the state of heedfulness.
    • One only need to train the mind when the 5 spiritual faculties are not stable yet.

 

  • Without the spiritual faculties the opposite 5 mental hindrances will be there to make one heedless and think a lot – reason why these people need methods and techniques and object of meditation to anchor their mind so that it does not wanders off and become heedless.

 

    • If you do this type of meditative training via just relaxing and silencing your mind, your mindfulness can become very sensitive and it can even detect your heart beat or pounding of your heart without the need of a stethoscope. Then as you silent your mind and relax into it more and more, the pounding will slow down.
    • ‘…Then you move your attention back to your chest or heart area. This is a very important location within your body. This is where your life-force arises and passes away. This is where the seat of consciousness resides and how you become conscious – from there it arises. This is also where your heart beat is; your life-force pumps your heart beat. Your life-force comes from your supportive karma that you inherit. If this supportive karma or life-force energy does not come then your heart will stop it will not beat.
    • So we have to silent our mind and just feel our heart area, feel it soothingly relax and silent everything. If you can detect whatever vibration or your heart beat, you just silent everything and stay there to develop the stability of your silent mind. If you do this type of meditation or meditative training… (Normally as doctors they need the stethoscope to magnify the heart beat pulse so that they can feel it)… but if you can meditate to be mindful and very aware you don’t need any stethoscope. You can just relax and silent your mind then u can feel and be aware of your own heart beat very clearly including its pounding etc. Then as you silent your mind more and more, the pounding will slow down until it becomes very quiet and very still. Then you don’t need to do anything but just stay there and silent everything to meditate because this is the silent mind which is also the meditative mind.‘
    • Continuous mindfulness leading to absorption of mind  …..
    • Uppacara and appana Samadhi …..

 

  • Relax into every mind state that arise and let the mind return to its original state of stillness, tranquility and silence.

 

Session 2 Dharma sharing proper and Q and A

    • Try to maintain whatever inner peace, inner calmness and inner awareness that you have developed through this meditative training. You need to make use of these trained mind states to live your life then your life will change; your life will become very different. If you can have this type of mind which is always peaceful, calm (with very little or no thinking), constantly aware and sensitive to life; sensitive to your inner thought movements; your emotion and everything else, then you will become a very beautiful being. You will understand many things then you will have no more problems because the slightest movement of your mind towards the 2 extremes you can feel it straight away. We call this mind the trained thinking mind, the worldly or mundane mind.
    • There are 2 aspects to our mind; one is your true mind, the silent mind that can be aware and can understand many things; and the other is the mundane mind, the thinking mind, the worldly mind that thinks a lot and creates a lot of problems and emotions for us because of our lack of understanding. But the moment we understand, this thinking mind becomes different, it understands and it can be trained; and when it is trained it becomes very quiet and still which means – previously it does what it like but now it listen to you and it can serves you just like a trained dog.
    • In a similar way if we train our mind, it will listen to us. If you want it to be silent, peaceful it will just do that. You want to be relaxed, at ease and do whatever you want to do, it will just obey you. So this mind will serve you well (be a very good servant to you.)
    • Meditation is to learn to transform this heedless thinking mind that is full of wrong views and delusion into a mind that has the clarity, the wisdom and the understanding not to be deceived by what you see, hear, smell, tactilely feel and think. This is what the Buddha called wisdom or understanding.
    • When you understand you are no longer foolish; you won’t get yourself into trouble anymore. The Most important thing one need to do is to meditate to understand clearly what is life all about. All of nature’s laws that govern all of our life and existence need to be understood first. When we understand these laws it is like we understands the secret of life then we will know how to live in accordance with these laws.
    • Importance of understanding the Law of karma (moral causation) to realize the importance of taking care of karma and how via taking care of karma one can improve and transform one’s life.
    • If you take care of karma, karma will take care of your life.
    • Various types of Dukkha or suffering caused by the 8 realities of life and existence when one confronts them without proper understanding.
    • Caused of suffering is due to one’s attachment to the 5 aggregates of form & mind via one’s self-delusion.
    • Nature always gives and gives. Nature is full of Love and compassion.
    • We should appreciate, have gratitude and cherish what nature has given to mankind. Man & Nature must harmonize because we come from Nature and we are actually ONE with Nature; if man destroys nature, then nature will destroy the human race. We should live in harmony with Nature then we will not be faced with much nature’s disasters and environmental problems.
    • Understanding the 5 Aggregates of Form and Mind as taught by the Buddha. Its two aspects: 1st aspect as a physical human being and the 2nd aspect as a mental 5 aggregates via understanding the thought (consciousness and its content).

 

  • To understand the 4 aggregates of mind one must inquire – what can your mind do?

 

    • Our true mind is just spacious awareness (when the mundane mind is not or ceases to be) – when we are without thoughts, when our views, opinions and the conditioned mind are not interfering with our pure perception.
    • Thought which is focus awareness and its content is limited, narrow and finite because it is based on the mundane mind’s perception that shrinks our true mind’s spacious awareness into a finite spot where the conditioned mind’s content of consciousness are inputted or deposited.

 

  • Enlightened beings act according to understanding n wisdom. They don’t discriminate or act according to memories because ‘acting according to memory is not acting at all’.

 

    • This Buddhist teaching is based on Natures laws and it is experiential and very scientific, not base on tradition, superstitions and beliefs.
    • Did anyone suffer from depression during Buddha’s time?

 

  • There is no such thing as a ‘Problem’ if we do not perceive it with fear and negativity. When we accept what happened as part of life realities then we can be at peace. Then our mind will not stir and our thought will not project the fear, worry and anxiety etc. then we can have clarity of mind to make better decision and act with wisdom and understanding following Noble 8-fold path via inquiring further: How can we resolve this amicably and what are our options? How can we resolve issues there and then via making good decisions to move on?

 

  • This body of ours is not a permanent unchanging entity hence it is not “Me”. It is makeup of the 4 elements that goes the way of nature, subject to old age sickness and death.
  • Do not view life through our wrong views, accumulated memories and delusion. No need to arise the fear and worry for they will not help us resolve issues amicably. Will instead cause anxiety and fear leading to depression. It is better to take the necessary steps to address issues via wisdom and accept whatever the outcome via doing what need to be done to take care of karma.
  • Life can be really meaningful and beautiful when we have the Dharma understanding. One can then live life to the fullest to experience all the pristine beauty and wonders of life.

    End.
    (Note: The draft short notes for the above was prepared by Sister Hooi Yoon Chun)

  • Bye! and with metta always,Teoh
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Bro. Teoh’s Thursday class dated 4th Jan 2018

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Thursday class dated 4th Jan 2018 recording for sharing by all. This talk is very good and  *Highly recommended* by Bro. Swee Aun. To preview the talk some useful short notes are listed as below:

Short Notes for Bro. Teoh’s Thursday class Dharma sharing dated 4th January, 2018:

  1. Sister Yoon Chun’s friends (a couple) from Canada shared their experience of having studied the Dharma for over twenty years thinking they have understood the Dharma – but after reading my transcript books they finally realized that they still didn’t really understand the true teaching;
  2. They were happy that Bro. Teoh was able to express the dharma so clearly to them that their faith has been greatly strengthened;
  3. Bro Teoh realized that not only this couple, in fact many so-called Buddhists also lack the real understanding hence the reason why the following very useful topics were discussed that night:                   I) Why do we seek religion or the teaching of the Buddha?                                                                                                ii) How can we put the dharma into practice to develop the cultivation?
  4. What must we do to qualify as true Buddhists or to be a worth disciple/devotee of the Buddha? We must at least heed his advice to avoid all evil; do good and purify our mind hence the religious label claiming to be a Buddhist is not important at all.
  5. Benefits of being a Buddhist – Dharma can help transform and improve our life for the better; arise inner peace and clarity leading to wisdom; can allow us to live the noble life; take care of our karma and to develop more karmic wholesomeness; to have a better understanding of life; to enable us to confront the 8 realities of Life and Existence with understanding and ease.
  6. The dharma is very scientific – no need to believe anything because it is based on nature’s law.
  7. Understanding the importance of cultivating the 3 phases of Dharma – Pariyati (learning of the teaching), Patipati (putting the teaching into cultivation) and Pativedha (to live the Noble life via reaping the fruit of one’s hard work).
  8. Importance of training of mind to be mindful to develop the silent mind leading to inner peace and inner clarity ‘to see things as they are’ and to awaken via insight into the universal characteristics of impermanence, suffering-state and non-self to liberate the mind.
  9. Bro. Swee Aun’s friend, Bro. Eric (a newcomer) – his reason for attending the class – is to be happy.
  10. Bro Teoh asked is there any other reasons why one seeks religion?                                                                            Answers from kalyanamittas: I) to be happy, ii) to have peace of mind, iii) to   understand life and its meaning, iv) to help overcome one’s problems of Life, v) to end all mental and physical suffering, vi) to seek enlightenment (wisdom).
  11. The Realities of Life and Existence that can cause suffering are: relationship failure; financial, health and career related problems; Disease; Death; separation from our loved ones and things that we hold on to dearly like our prized possessions, wealth, properties etc. When our expectations in life are not met, when we cannot get what we want, when things don’t go your way; fear of dying and fear of the unknown.
  12. The essence of the Buddha’s teaching is the 4 Noble Truth which is like the secret of life because it can summarize to us all of life (both the mundane and supramundane) into just this Four Noble Truth.
  13. Importance of meditating to investigate and find out `Who am I? What am I? And what is this human being all about?
  14. Importance of doing the 5 daily contemplations.
  15. Importance of understanding the right view with regards to Law of Karma.
  16. When things do not go our away – you always have two choices – I) react to it and project your wrong thoughts to arise the suffering and misery or ii) to follow the Noble 8-fold Path to resolve issues amicably.                                                                                    (Note: Above original draft was prepared by Puan Chee)

Sadhu! x3

Bye! and with metta always,

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class dated 7th Jan 2018

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Bro. Teoh’s 64th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra dated 17.12.2017 recording