“Luangpor Teean’s Sati Meditation” in me

“Luangpor Teean’s Sati Meditation” in me

Written by: Dwight Chien

“Luangpor Teean’s Sati Meditation” (hereon referred to as “Sati Meditation” for short; it is also known as “Dynamic Meditation”) takes its name from the Pali word “Sati”, which means mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness/awareness is the key of this form of meditation introduced by Luangpor Teean.

In 1992, I was fortunate enough to move to where the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS) Chung Yen Monastery is located. It was also the first year BAUS invited a Sati Meditation master from Thailand to teach meditation. By that time, I happened to be experiencing a difficulty in meditation and was advised to stop the practice for a while. Being preferred to continue with practice, I was delighted to find a different technique that meditates on the awareness of movements. I felt this method was a very good alternative to the traditional static method, and would allow me to practice meditation without side effects. I was right, and have been a practitioner ever since.

I do not object to traditional meditation, and actually I still practice it sometimes. After all, it is well documented that many meditation masters were enlightened through these methods. However, Luangpor Teean’s Sati Meditation is unique because it emphasizes bringing the practice to daily life. The traditional meditation also encourages practitioners to be mindful in their daily lives. This is how a person may get enlightened if he/she does not get it while doing normal practice. It is not easy to do, however. It was difficult enough in the olden days when life was simpler, and now even more so. Modern society has far too many distractions -- computers, internet, telephones, TV, newspapers, trains, cars, etc., all add to our heavy interaction with the outside world. It is easy to become greedy when there are so many activities and advertisements to entice us. It is easy to get angry when we have to deal with so many people and situations every day, not only in person, but also through phones, email, etc. It is not easy to come out of ignorance when we are constantly bombarded with all sorts of delusions. When greed, anger, and delusion are present, it is difficult to maintain mindfulness/awareness. A person may practice traditional meditation very well while sitting down, but may go back to the old self easily after getting off the cushion. The traditional method emphasizes on concentration while Sati Meditation emphasizes on awareness. To deal with daily activities we need to apply awareness instead of concentration. Too much concentration on a certain things will cause non-awareness of others. In the traditional method, although walking meditation is usually a part of the practice, but the walking pace is typically much slower than normal walking and requires concentration. On the other hand, the pace of Sati Meditation walking practice is usually the same as normal walking and applies mindfulness. In fact, other people may not know the meditation is in process. Therefore, when one is just doing normal walking in daily life, he/she can also practice the meditation. Sati Meditation starts off with the awareness of very coarse movements and eventually gets to the very fine movements of the mind. It is most suitable for practitioners who want to bring the practice to daily life in the modern society.

I will not make the statement that Sati Meditation is the best method for all practitioners because everyone is different. A certain method may be good for one person, but another method may be better for others. Sati Meditation, however, does possess unique features that make it very universal. In the following, I will list some:

• Most meditation methods require the practitioners to sit quietly on a cushion and remain motionless for a long period of time. This is helpful for the practitioner to develop concentration. However, it may be difficult to do for most people. Sati Meditation does not have strict requirements for the postures. One can sit on a cushion with lotus posture, on a chair with legs stretched, or sit on something else as long as it is comfortable. One can also apply other postures like standing, lying down, kneeling, walking, etc. It is not necessary to endure leg pain, back pain, or other physical discomfort due to long sitting. Although a practitioner may choose to stay in one posture to overcome discomfort, he/she can also simply change to another posture to relieve unnecessary suffering.

• A certain movements are specifically designed for formal practice. For informal practice, we can apply meditation in our daily activities. Every day we walk, stand, sit, lie down, eat, talk, work, cook, exercise, breathe, bathe, blink, swallow, etc. Aside from these physical movements, we also think constantly. Thoughts are movements in our mind. All of these can be the objects of meditation. Therefore, “no time to practice” is not a viable excuse for experienced Sati Meditation practitioners.

• We can practice Sati Meditation in anywhere. Traditional meditation usually requires a quiet and secluded place to practice. As for Sati Meditation, it is good, especially for the beginners, to join a retreat and practice in a desirable environment. Besides that, we can also practice at home, at work, in a car, a train, an airplane, shopping mall, etc. Instead of getting impatient about the delay of an airplane or a subway train for example, we can simply walk back and forth normally and meditate. Traffic jams or red lights are all good opportunities to do meditation.

• The fundamental practice of Sati Meditation utilizes coarse bodily movements, and because these movements tend to attract our attention, it is easier to meditate on. Therefore, by spending the same effort and time, a Sati Meditation practitioner should gain benefits faster than other methods. The mind movement is very subtle, and hence is more difficult to meditate on for most people, especially the beginners. Movements like breathing or blinking are easier to follow than thoughts. Moving hands or legs are even easier to follow. Therefore, those who have practiced other forms of meditation previously may get results faster than those who did not have previous meditation experience. It should be mentioned that although the practice starts with the awareness of the bodily movements, practitioners are reminded to be aware of the Four Foundations of Sati – body, sensation, mind, and mental objects.

• This meditation is a soft form of practice because the emphasis is awareness/mindfulness, not concentration. It is much less likely to get into meditation side effects. Therefore, those not suited to practice other forms of meditation can still apply this method successfully.

• Sati Meditation develops awareness/mindfulness, which is the foundation of all kinds of practice. An experienced Sati Meditation practitioner can incorporate it in other mundane practice routines. Once the awareness/mindfulness gets better, the improvement in mundane practices can be expected no matter what is the undertaking. It can therefore help people to deepen understanding and realization of their own religion, whether it is Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim, or others. Also, people can improve their skills in sports, jobs, Tai-Chi Chuan, Kungfu, Karate, or other activities.

Even though Sati Meditation has many unique features, people may not readily accept it. The following are a few possible reasons:

• The fundamental practice of Sati Meditation is to pay attention to rhythmic movements. While sitting, we keep eyes open and continuously move our hands rhythmically. This is very different from the conventional meditation, which usually requires the practitioner to sit quietly without movement and with eyes closed. Since Sati Meditation is “unconventional”, it may be considered weird rather than elegant, and subsequently not accepted.

• Throughout the practice, Sati Meditation emphasizes on awareness/mindfulness instead of concentration. This is different from the conventional method. Whether counting the breath, following the breath, reciting mantra, visualization, reciting Buddha’s name, etc., the traditional method always emphasizes, at least initially, on concentration. Sati Meditation, on the other hand, does not emphasize on concentration. Too much concentration tends to limit the awareness. Traditional method, when practiced correctly, will start off with the emphasis on concentration and then shift to mindfulness. As for sati Meditation, the emphasis is always on awareness/mindfulness. People may not accept this idea, again, because it is “unconventional”.

• The practice of traditional meditation almost always starts with Samantha. Only after the practitioners have become skillful with it, then the focus is shifted to vipassana. With Samantha, practitioners may quickly get calmness that is enjoyable. This is the calmness that does not lead to wisdom, and people may get attached to it. For Sati Meditation, the practitioner may get calmness only after a long period of practice. This is the calmness that may lead to wisdom. Those used to Samantha practice might feel Sati Meditation is not as good, not as enjoyable. As a simile, we can liken it to eating chocolate, which is enjoyable. However, in our daily life, we should eat foods that nourish us.

• Sati Meditation is not as intense as traditional methods that emphasizes on concentration. As a result, the practitioner may not get as much exciting experiences as the traditional methods. The practitioners may feel boring and lose interest.

• Although Sati Meditation is an expedient method, like other forms of meditation practice, it takes time to achieve results. It is like adding water drop-by-drop into a bucket. If we practice diligently and correctly, sooner or later the bucket will be full. Some people may come to practice with too much expectation in mind. When the expectation is not met, they may feel disappointed and stop the practice. Unfortunately, those who need Sati Meditation most are more impatient with meditation. Everybody will learn something after a seven-day retreat, for which we should feel grateful and gratified. However, I know some people who, during a retreat, encountered very good experiences. If they continue with the practice, they certainly will be very successful. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, they still chose not to continue, which is very unfortunate.

If one practices Sati Meditation diligently and correctly, the results can be guaranteed. During his time, Luangpor Teean often challenged and guaranteed the practitioners. He would tell them to take time out from their job and practice with him. He would guarantee them with results, and if they are not satisfied with the result, he would pay the salary they would have earned during the time they practiced with him. In addition to some already mentioned above, the following are some benefits that can be expected:

• Happier / Less suffering
Greed, anger, and delusion are the source of suffering. Each time we are over-powered by these thoughts we start to suffer. When awareness/mindfulness gets stronger, it will automatically stop or cut short any thoughts that may induce suffering, e.g., hate, jealousy, impatience, etc. Thereby the person can improve the relationship with members of the family, friends, relatives, etc. He/she will suffer less, become more relaxed, and enjoy life better. As the awareness/mindfulness gets better, so will be his/her life.

• More efficient
Ordinary people waste a lot of time because they have many wandering thoughts in their mind. They may be working on something, but their mind is thinking of something else. It is less of a problem if what they are working on does not require much awareness/mindfulness. If it does, however, then time is wasted when the mind wanders. Sati Meditation develops awareness/mindfulness to cut short thoughts, and thus improve efficiency.

• Deeper self-realization for self-improvement
To improve ourselves mentally, it is helpful if we understand how the mind works. Most people think that they are in control of themselves. Actually, they are most of the time under the control of their subconscious mind, which is beyond their control. Sati Meditation helps us to let go and not attach to and controlled by our thoughts. It also allows us to understand ourselves better because we can peek into our subconscious mind. We become the best psychiatrist in the world for ourselves. Once we can recognize the root of the problems residing in our subconscious, we can deal with the issues and improve ourselves more effectively.

• Tread on the path
If we practice diligently and correctly, the results will come naturally and gradually. Eventually we may reach the end of the practice, which is the end of arising and extinction, the end of suffering, Nirvana. Some people may wonder how moving our body will lead to enlightenment. Actually, it is the development of mindfulness/awareness that, goes against the stream of thoughts, makes the breakthrough. The original teaching comes from the Buddha, and people of any religion can practice it. The Buddha told us to abide on the Four Foundations of Sati all the time. He also told us that we would get the results if we maintain awareness/mindfulness a few days, a few months, or a few years. Luangpor Teean reached the end of arising and extinction himself, and if we tread his path diligently and correctly, we may also eventually reach the end of the practice.

In conclusion, I feel Luangpor Teean’s Sati Meditation is a very unique and effective method. It has many advantages, and is very suitable for our society. It may not be appealing to some people. However, those who can come to recognize and accept this technique are the lucky ones, and will get invaluable benefits.