Mahasi Sayadaw Quotes
Mahasi Sayadaw (U Sobhana, 1904-1982), Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master, developed the modern vipassana movement. His systematic approach to mindfulness meditation has influenced Buddhist practice worldwide and spawned numerous meditation centers.
Just observe whatever arises. Don't try to create anything, and don't reject anything.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.
Mahasi Sayadaw
In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The noting mind and the object noted appear to occur as a pair. Through concentration they are seen to arise and vanish together.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Each moment of noting is a moment of purification, a moment of cultivating the path.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.
Mahasi Sayadaw
When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.
Mahasi Sayadaw
When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.
Mahasi Sayadaw
The moment you note a thought, it disappears. The noting mind keeps the hindrances away.
Mahasi Sayadaw
Concentration develops naturally through continuous noting. Don't try to force concentration to arise.
Mahasi Sayadaw