WHAT IS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE FOR MEDITATION ?
(By Sayadaw U Tejaniya – Shwe Oo Min)

The most important thing when you are meditating is to have the right attitude.

1. When meditating: Don’t focus too hard
   Don’t control
   Don’t try to create something
   Don’t force or resrict yourself
2. Don’t try to create anything But don’t reject what is happening
   But as things happen or stop happening, don’t forget
   Be aware of them
3. Trying to create something is lobha (greed)
   Rejecting what is happening is dosa (aversion)
   Not knowing if something is happening
   or has stopped happening is moha (delusion)
4. Only when the observing mind has no lobha, dosa, nor soka (worry/anxiety) inside it,
   then the meditating mind will arise
5. You have to double check to see what attitude you are meditating with
6. You have to accept and watch both good and bad experiences
7. You only want good experiences
   You don’t want even the tiniest unpleasant experience
   Is this fair? Is this the way of the Dhamma?
8. Don’t have any expectations
   Don’t want anything
   Don’t be anxious
   Because if these attitudes are in your mind,
   It becomes difficult to meditate
9. Why are you focusing so hard when you meditate?
   You want something to happen?
   You want something to stop happening?
   It is likely that one of these attitudes is there
10. If the mind is getting tired
    something is wrong with the way you are practicing
11. You cannot practice when the mind is tense
12. If the mind and body are getting tired
    it is time to check the way you are meditating
13. Meditating is waiting and watching
    With awareness and comprehension
    Understanding
    Not thinking
    Not reflecting
    Not judging
14. Don’t practice with a mind that wants something
    or wants something to happen
    The only result will be that you will tire yourself
15. The meditating mind should be relaxed and at peace
16. Both the mind and the body should be comfortable
17. A light and free mind enables you to meditate well
    Do you have the right attitude?
18. Meditating is,
    Whatever happens good or bad,
    Accepting, relaxing and watching it
19. What is the mind doing?
    Thinking? Or being aware?
20. Where is the mind now?
    Inside? Or outside? (of oneself)
21. Is the watching/observing mind
    properly aware?
    Or only superficially aware?
22. You are not trying to make things turn out
    the way you want it to happen
    you are trying to know what is happening as it is
23. Don’t feel disturbed by the thinking mind
    You are not practicing to prevent thinking
    To recognize and acknowledge thinking whenever it arises
    is what you are practicing
24. You are not supposed to reject the object
    (phenomena/things that are happening/being known)
    You are to know (and thus note/observe) the defilement’s
    that arise because of the object and thus remove them
    (the defilement’s)
25. Only when there is Saddha (Faith), Viriya (energy) will arise
    Only when there is Viriya, Sati (mindfulness) will become continuous
    Only when Sati is continuous, Samadhi will become established
    Only when Samadhi is established, then you will know
    things as they really are, Saddha then increases further
26. Just pay attention to what is exactly in the present moment
    Don’t go to the past!
    Don’t plan for the future!
27. The object is not important
    The mind that is working in the background –
    working to be aware i.e. the observing mind is more important
    If the observing (mind) is done with the right attitude the
    object will be the right object

(Text from U Tejaniya - Shwe Oo Min)

SAYADAW U TEJANIYA started practicing and studying dhamma with his teacher the late Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw (the Gold Cave Hermitage Monastic Teacher) when he was thirteen years old. Ordained as a Buddhist monk for more than 10 years, he teaches meditation at Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya in Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma).