On Meditation

Life is really about suffering. Only through suffering can compassion be developed and impermanence be known.

Peony flower
in spring
winter is over

Hoa mẫu đơn
Xuân đã đến
Mùa đông đã đi qua

The present moment is all we have.

Breath awareness is easy the moment effort becomes effortless.

"What is the use of meditation if it can't be applied to real life?"

I was parking in the loading area at Costco. A white American couple didn't want to take the crosswalk next to where I was parking. The woman started swearing at me. I observed my breath and didn't react. Afterward, I wrote the following poem.

— Tuan Tran

See Poem #73 from my archive regarding this incident.

Letter to a Friend: The Danger of Seeking Bliss

Sorry it took me a while to respond to your email. I'm not familiar with Turiya state so I can't comment on it. However, since the class reached that state through guided meditation then I would suspect it is achieved through the power of suggestion.

I'm skeptical of any meditation that is not observing the reality of the present as is, whether one is experiencing a pleasant or an unpleasant mental state, with full acceptance. True happiness and compassion arise from experiencing suffering and letting it go since everything is impermanent; thus in essence there is no self as it is also impermanent and subject to change.

Suffering is caused by the attachment to anything at all. Since all things are impermanent, therefore attachment to anything at all will lead to suffering. For example, a rose is beautiful and fragrant while in full bloom, yet it will not last and the attachment to that state in its development will lead to suffering. The greater the attachment, the greater the suffering.

Trying to reach a Turiya state for its blissful effect will hinder one's progress in meditation. The goal of meditation is to move beyond suffering, which is not the same as trying to experience bliss. One can take drugs to feel good but it doesn't lead to greater wisdom and compassion, only more suffering.

Sincerely,
Tuan Tran

My Spiritual Journey: From Saigon to Myanmar

I have been drawn to meditation since I was a boy. At twelve years old I tried to meditate by myself, without instruction, without a teacher.

At twenty-six I attended my first Goenka course and reached bhanga during that retreat. It transformed my life. I traveled to India seeking deeper guidance, but did not find what I was looking for.

In 2010, at fifty, I lived as a monk at a Theravada forest monastery in Myanmar. I woke each morning to the sound of the temple bell. I wanted to stay for the rest of my life. But my family needed me, so I returned.

I now meditate daily on the breath. I carry that awareness through the day.

The Webu Sayadaw Method: Direct Path

Webu Sayadaw (1896–1977) was one of Burma's most revered meditation masters, renowned for the uncompromising simplicity of his teaching. While others emphasized extensive scriptural study, he insisted that liberation could be reached through one thing alone, unwavering attention to the breath. He is widely credited with preserving mindfulness of breathing as a living practice at a time when it had nearly disappeared from the tradition, and among his admirers were some of the most influential teachers of the modern era.

I believe Webu Sayadaw's method, mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati), is the most direct path. It is a complete method for developing both concentration and wisdom: observe the natural breath at the nostrils, where the air touches, without controlling it, and with continuous awareness.

Know that you are breathing in while breathing in; know that you are breathing out while breathing out; and be aware of the spot at the nostrils where the stream of air touches as you breathe in and out.

The mind has a tendency to wander, either thinking about the past or the future. Accept that at this moment the mind is wandering and patiently bring the mind back to being aware of the breath at the touching point. This is the process of training the mind to be in the present moment.

When the breath becomes so subtle that it seems no longer to touch, it is in fact still touching. Keep your attention fixed on the spot whether or not you can perceive the sensation of contact.

This is the complete method. Follow it precisely and practice diligently. Any question you have will reveal its answer through your own sustained practice.

Those who wish to hear his teaching in his own words can find his recorded discourses collected in English, where he returns again and again to this single instruction with remarkable patience and urgency.