Do not try too hard or over-effort in meditation, as this is guaranteed not to make progress and will lead to suffering, especially for Type A individuals who try to ‘win’ at practice.
Understand that the attitude of the mind doing the work of knowing is more critical than the object of attention itself, as focusing too much on the object can obscure the nature of awareness.
Periodically ask yourself, ‘What’s the attitude in the mind right now?’ during meditation to recognize mental habits like wanting or aversion that determine the quality of your experience and lead to suffering or well-being.
Simplify your meditation practice by applying Sayadaw’s ’three yogi jobs’: cultivate right view (seeing things as nature), check if awareness is present, and develop continuity with light, untiring effort.
Practice by relaxing the body, then cycling through questions like ‘What’s the attitude in my mind right now?’, ‘Am I aware right now?’, and ‘What is being known in the mind right now?’ to cultivate a relaxed, improvisational awareness.
Approach checking for awareness with a gentle ’tap’ like pushing a swing, letting it go and then tapping again later, without being neurotic, to gradually build momentum for sustained mindfulness.
Consciously ’turn on’ the light switch of awareness by checking if it’s present, understanding that with relaxed, light effort, this repeated action will eventually lead to awareness staying on more often than it’s off.
Integrate the practice of ’tapping the swing’ (asking ‘Am I aware?’ or ‘What’s the attitude in my mind?’) throughout your daily life, even with short formal meditation periods, to cultivate sustained awareness.
Cultivate ‘right view’ by intellectually reminding yourself that whatever is happening (emotions, sensations, thoughts) is an impersonal, natural process arising from causes and conditions, rather than seeing it through personal preference or identification.
Actively remind yourself to see all experiences as ’nature’ – impersonal processes – to counteract the default tendency to view them through personal preference, judgment, or identification.
By maintaining awareness, you can observe that everything is constantly changing, which helps you reorient your approach to reality by slowly reducing grasping and clinging, leading to a happier and more peaceful life.
Continuously return to awareness with light effort, understanding that moments are always changing and it’s easy to drift, but this light, confident continuation will build momentum.
Redefine meditation as developing a skillful state of mind in any moment, even during conversations or negative reactions, as this watching develops awareness and insight into the suffering nature of reactions.
Recognize that any experience, when approached with the right attitude, can be an opportunity to develop awareness, stability of mind, and wisdom, rather than worrying about ‘getting it right’.
Understand that no experience, regardless of its nature, precludes being aware; any experience can either absorb you or become the very basis for waking you up.
Understand that awareness itself is not difficult, but we often forget to check the mind or do something that allows awareness to return, leading to absorption in experience.
To re-engage awareness, ask yourself simple questions like ‘Are you aware that you are hearing?’ or ‘Can you feel your hands?’ to shift attention and realize that being aware is accessible.
Especially when starting meditation, it can be helpful to begin by focusing on accessible objects like the physical experience of the body or breathing, rather than immediately trying to be aware of ‘whatever’.
If you find yourself totally lost in open awareness, return to a more directed style of meditation, such as watching the breath, to regain focus and stability.
Recognize that personality traits are just mental ‘ruts’ formed by repeated habits; actively cultivate ‘skillful ruts’ of awareness and understanding to change how you experience life.
Cultivate interest in observing the mind’s struggle, noting the difference between allowing/resisting and being aware/receiving, to learn how the mind gets caught and what happens with understanding.
Allow yourself to be exactly as you are in the moment while cultivating awareness, recognizing this non-manipulative approach is profoundly healing and relaxing, even if not always easy.
Approach meditation in a natural way, as this can help overcome roadblocks and deep discontent encountered when practices are ‘anything but natural’.
Relax and open your awareness to include the whole picture of your experience, encompassing all emotions, mental states, and feelings, to make the practice more accessible.
While integrating awareness into daily life, also value and engage in formal meditation periods and retreats as a great foundation for deepening awareness and wise view.
Cultivate genuine interest in meditation and recognize its benefits for reducing suffering and living skillfully, as this intrinsic motivation is crucial for sustaining practice in every possible moment.