Day 8: Transcendental Dependant Liberation

So today we will talk about the links of transcendental dependent origination, or another way to call them is the links of transcendental dependent liberation. The last couple of days we were talking about dependent origination in terms of how suffering arises. You can understand the four noble truths. You understand how suffering arises through these causes and conditions, which are these different links. And you understand how to cease them by six R-ing them whenever they arise. And by six R-ing them, you are using the path. So all four noble truths are implicit in the links of dependent origination.

Now, transcendental dependent origination, the way we will talk about it, will show you what you have been doing so far on this path, in this retreat. What you have been doing, how you have been applying the path. So the Eightfold Path, as well as the Enlightenment Factors, are all interwoven in these different links of transcendental dependent origination.

So what is the first link that is shown? Well, actually, it is suffering. Because in order for you to come out of suffering, you need to know that you are suffering. And the Buddha has said that there are two ways that come out of suffering. In other words, when there is suffering, it leads to two things. They think, oh, I'm stressed out and all of these things. I'm going to go spend time with my friends and I'm going to go to the movie theater, or I'm going to have a beer, or I'm going to do this, or I'm going to do that, right? So all kinds of sensual pleasures. But that only distracts you from the suffering.

It only takes you away for a little while. But then you still have some suffering after that. So it leads to either confusion, or it leads to inquiring, is there a way out of this beyond just sensual pleasures? And that is known as samvega. Samvega means spiritual urgency, meaning you realize that, yes, I am suffering, and so now you search for a way out of suffering. Maybe for some of you, but for many participants who come for retreats, literally they go on YouTube and search and they find Bhante Vimalaramsi, or they find TWIM, Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation, and they think, ah, maybe this is worth trying. And here you are now on retreat, and you do so out of faith. That is what it leads to: suffering leads to faith. Faith here comes from the word saddha. Now, when we use the word faith, it sometimes denotes the idea that we have to believe in some kind of deity, or we have to pray to the Buddha and things like that.

No, not at all. When you are taking the three refuges, you're not bowing to the Buddha with the idea that he's a deity. What you are doing is you are taking refuge in the idea of Buddhahood, that it is possible for somebody to become fully awakened, and that you are acknowledging and being grateful that somebody actually has done it. So that level of faith is there, that there is somebody who had the capability of experiencing full awakening. And then the Dhamma, which is that there is someone who actually introduced the path leading to the cessation of suffering, the Dhamma. And then the Sangha is the Sangha of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis who have continued the tradition by bringing the suttas into this time.

They have done what they can to keep the tradition alive as best as possible. And then there is the Sangha of lay people who help the community of monastics and also help each other, like lay teachers. So you have monastic teachers, you have lay teachers, lay people who practice. So that's a community. Right now what we have is a Sangha. We have a Sangha of meditation practitioners, of Dhamma practitioners. So taking refuge in them means that you are grateful to be part of a community, and you're committing to be helpful and being helped by the community. You might not notice this, but when you meditate together there is a field of energy that can be produced.

And when you send out metta to everyone, you are feeling that. You are experiencing that. And others around you might also experience that. So you are sharing in the meditation. This is a wonderful thing to do. So when we say faith, we're talking about faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, meaning we are acknowledging the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. We are showing gratitude for the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. Now, part of that is also to take precepts. When you take precepts in the morning, so right now, during the retreat, you take eight precepts. At the end of the retreat, you will take five precepts. And the five basic precepts are absolutely important.

Non-negotiable. If you want to progress on this path, you have to have the precepts. Why? Is it about some absolute morality? Perhaps. But it's more about your peace of mind. When you keep the precepts, when you make a commitment to keep sila, what does sila actually mean? Sila means foundation. Sila is the bedrock. If you don't have a good foundation, then the rest of the building collapses. No point in having meditation. No point in having insight if there is no morality, ethics. Now, what is the reason for that morality? Is it just because there is a judge who is going to judge you at the end of your life?

No. This stems from the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Why? Because you know what it feels like if somebody were to hurt you. If somebody were to kill you, if somebody were to steal from you, you know how that feels. If somebody were to cheat on you, if somebody were to lie to you, or if somebody were to be boisterous in intoxication and misbehave with you, you know what that feels like. Would you do it to others? That's the practicality of it. That's the practical utility of it. When you keep these precepts, your mind remains without regret. So, there's another sutta. The one that you have now, in terms of the chart, comes from Samyutta Nikaya 12.23, the Upanisa Sutta.

There are other suttas that talk about this, and they talk about it with different variations. Anguttara Nikaya 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5. And all of them have similar kinds of links. But there it talks about the first link, which is virtue, sila, which then leads to non-regret. That's what we're getting at. So the faith that we're talking about encompasses gratitude for the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, and the precepts. This then leads to a mind that has no regrets. When you have no regrets, your mind is able to stabilize in itself. And then your mind experiences relief. It's a very small, minor kind of relief, but it's relief nonetheless. And that relief comes from when you let go of the hindrances.

And so you have pamojja, a wholesome state of mind, where your mind becomes uplifted. That is the gladness we're talking about. The relief and gladness you feel from that. So how do you do that? You need energy. So now we're going to interweave the Noble Eightfold Path and we're going to interweave the Enlightenment Factors. When we talk about faith, that also includes right view. Having the mundane right view. What is the mundane right view? That there is action and consequence. That what I do has consequences. My intentions have consequences. That there is this world and the other world. In other words, there is the world of the six sense bases, and there is the world of experiencing jhana in meditation.

Through the brahmaviharas, for example. Then there is mother and father. This is part of right view. We'll talk about that more when we discuss right view. But that's basically having gratitude for the people who brought us into this life, because it gives us the potential to experience nibbana. And that there are those who have walked the path and know what the path is about. That's what you're here for. So this is all part of faith, right view. But also that includes mindfulness. That includes being mindful of your own mental states. That's the beginning of the practice. Becoming aware of how your attention moves from one object to the other. Having deep presence of mind.

Then you make the effort to let go. You make the effort to take precepts. You take refuges. You make the effort to read the Dhammapada verses. You make the effort to read the reflections about kamma and so on and so forth. Then you also make the effort to let go of hindrances. That is the energy aspect. So the mindfulness and investigation of states. How are you investigating? You're seeing for yourself if this process works. You're seeing what states are present and what states are not present. This leads to naturally balancing the energy. As a result of which you start to experience greater amounts of gladness or relief. From that gladness there comes piti, or joy.

So now we have joy arising. So in terms of the Eightfold Path, we now have right mindfulness, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, and right livelihood. So most of that is covered. And then in energy, what is covered is right effort, through which you experience gladness, and then you experience joy. This process is not the end-all be-all. That's why I was always saying joy is overrated, because it's just a path, it's just a step in the path. So this joy, this piti, that you experience is the enlightenment factor of piti, and it's also the joy factor that you start to experience in the first and second jhana. This joy, as you start to experience it, which means it's not just in the jhana, mind you.

It's also joy in everything that you do. Bringing some level of playfulness in everything that you do. Bringing some level of gratitude and appreciation in everything that you do. Laughing, smiling, enjoying yourself. This is the first thing I said to you guys. You're here on vacation. Enjoy it. Yeah? So this joy then translates to... Excuse me. This joy then translates to what is known as tranquility.

Right? So this tranquility, what does that mean? It's to relax. It's to tranquilize bodily formations. It's to tranquilize mental formations. So you're doing that every time you use the six R's. You're letting go. Every time you use right effort, you're doing the tranquility step already. So what does it mean? Able to take it easy. Don't try so hard. Just relax. Don't make it into a task that you have to do. Remember what I said in the beginning, when you come in for the interviews: you're not there to impress me. I'm not there to grade you, I'm not there to judge you, or give you my opinion.

It's not something that you, at the end of this retreat, you're not going to get a certificate. I hope you know that. So there's no goal here. There's nothing to work towards except for having more fun, being more relaxed, and taking life one moment at a time. This happens through relaxing, tranquilizing, letting things go, and then this tranquility leads to sukha, which means comfort and happiness. So now we have the tranquility factor, right? So we have the joy factor, then we have the tranquility factor, then we have the sukha factor, or I should say the sukha which you experience in the first, second and third jhana. So what is that sukha? That sukha is comfort in the body.

Being comfortable in your own skin. Being okay with things as they arise. So it's a small little, let's say, preview of equanimity. Or you could say it's the younger sibling of equanimity. Sukha. Being comfortable with everything. Then from that sukha, you get what is known as samadhi. Collectedness. So here we are now. We have the samadhi factor. We have the collectedness factor. So we started off with coming into this retreat, having some suffering here or there, that perhaps this retreat will be beneficial. And so you have the faith by saying, okay, I will take refuge, I will read the Dhammapada verses, I will take the precepts, I'll try this process and see how it works.

And so you have some faith in also following instructions, and you say, okay, I will try it out and see for myself if this works. And so this is the mundane kind of faith experiencing. Because there's also super mundane, which we'll talk about in a little bit. And as a result of which, you start to experience more uplifted states. Those uplifted states result in greater degrees of joy. That joy then goes into tranquility. That tranquility then gives you comfort. And now you have samadhi. Now the mind becomes more and more collected. And so now you're getting into the factors of the first four jhanas, specifically in the fourth jhana where the mind is absolutely collected.

So now you have the samadhi factor, and you have right collectedness. You go through the four jhanas and you have deep equanimity also that arises. But remember, it's not just a meditation. You have to be able to have collectedness in everything that you do. Is your mind collected while you're eating? Do you know what's going on? Are you aware of what's going on while you're eating? Are you aware of what's going on while you're walking? Are you aware of what's going on when you're sitting by the lake and looking at the ripples of waves on the surface? Where is your mind at all times? So that's the mindfulness and the collectedness. How attentive are you of moment to moment? How aware are you? Are you aware of the choices that you are making, or are you allowing the mind to become distracted and almost automatically inclined to certain choices? Or are you making the effort to notice, okay, here is irritation coming up, or here is anger coming up, or here is craving coming up.

Or, oh, my mind is restless right now. I'm going to tranquilize. I'm going to let go. So this is all part of collectedness. You require that collectedness in order to experience this. But in order to have collectedness, you also have to have the other factors. You have to be able to notice through mindfulness where your mind is at all times. So this is the samadhi factor. We have gladness. We have joy or rapture, or what's also known as piti. Then we have tranquility. Then we have sukha. And now we have collectedness. Now that collectedness leads to what's known as, it's a big word in Pali, yatha bhuta nana dassanam. And what that means is yatha bhuta nana dassanam.

Bhuta, right? Yatha bhuta means reality. Nana means knowledge, and dassanam means vision. The knowledge and vision of things as they actually are. How does that come about? When you stop taking things personally. If you don't cling to an experience with the sense of I, and you're just saying, oh, meditation is going on, I am not meditating. I'm allowing the meditation to happen. Just observing. Through my observation, there is collectedness. And through those ingredients, something is happening. Loving kindness is present. Radiating is going on. Or quiet mind is there. Whatever it might be.

So this is part of yatha bhuta nana dassanam, seeing things as they are. So another word for yatha bhuta nana dassanam is equanimity. That's the synonym for this, seeing things as they are. Equanimity means what it means, the same thing: seeing things as they actually are without getting affected one way or the other. Okay, with whatever is going on. And that is informed by the understanding and seeing of things as being impersonal, not taking them so seriously, not making things mechanical. It's easy to do that, because in Buddhism, I think the Buddha loved lists. He loved to make all kinds of lists, right? We have the eightfold path, we have the twelve links of dependent origination, we have the four foundations of mindfulness.

We have the five aggregates. We have the five hindrances. We have the 18 different kinds of consciousnesses. We have the 37 requisites of enlightenment, and so on and so forth. And so it's easy for the mind to say, oh, I have to remember to do this. I have to remember to do this. Am I doing this? Am I doing that? And you make it into a dry mechanical process. It's easy for the mind to fall into that. So my understanding, or my humble opinion about this, is when the Buddha was giving a talk, he allowed the process of giving a talk in such a way that the theme of the talk that was discussed was in a certain order.

And then later these lists were compiled and developed in a way for the mind to remember the things that the Buddha said. So it's not important to memorize the lists. It's important to see if the mind is experiencing these things. And the only way to do it is to do it in a way that is enjoyable, in a way in which you relish the process. Make it like a game. Treat each jhana like a level of a game. Treat each hindrance as just some kind of minion that you have to let go of. That's it. If you start to see it in that way, it makes it that much more fun. Then all of these other things are already present.

But if you do it the other way, oh, maybe I need just a smidgen of this, and an ounce of that, and a little bit of this, and then I'll have everything. You're missing the point if you're doing that. So what the Buddha is doing is, he is reverse engineering. He's saying, I have seen all of these things and I'm just showing you what are possibilities of what you will experience. I'm showing you the engine of the car. But you don't need to know how the engine works, what are the different components of the engine, to enjoy driving the car. So, if there's anything you should take away from this retreat, is learning how to enjoy everything that it is that you do without getting attached to it.

Including the meditation. So, yatha bhuta nana dassanam. That's really the equanimity factor that's there. The collectedness factor leads to the equanimity factor. Good amounts of equanimity, which you experience, for example, in the fourth jhana, and you experience as a brahmavihara in nothingness when you're in nothingness, as a result of which you experience what's known as nibbida. Nibbida means disenchantment. The literal translation of nibbida is revulsion. But that might give the idea that there's some kind of aversion to things that are going on. I'll give you a very practical example of what nibbida is, what disenchantment is. Right? Let's say you go to lunch, and I told you about this, right? Chocolate cake. I always use the example of chocolate cake.

And let's say you'll enjoy chocolate cake. Somebody enjoys chocolate cake. And after you go for lunch, there's a pastry chef who presents you the chocolate cake and says, this slice was made specifically for you, please enjoy it. And you eat it, and you're happy, and you're delighted, and you enjoy it. And maybe you'll say, I might have another helping of chocolate cake. Or maybe they'll say to you, would you like another helping? And you might say, yeah, I might have another helping. So you eat another slice of chocolate cake.

And you enjoy that. And then you might say, maybe I'll have a little bit more. I'll see if I feel like having a little bit more. And so the person says, here, please have another slice. Maybe by the third slice you become quite full. But then the person says, I've made you the entire cake, so please keep eating. Enjoy it. And so out of politeness, you might enjoy the fourth slice. But that's enough. Now you feel sick to your stomach, literally.

That is revulsion. Something you relish has now become a source of disgust. This is disenchantment. How does that translate in the practice? Until you get tired of the same loop of thoughts coming in and out, in and out, you won't progress. So the disenchantment is, okay, I've had enough. You can come as many times as you want. You can come and go as many times as you want. I don't care. I'm going to stay here and I'm not going to be attached or enchanted or enamored by these thoughts. And this is why I've been saying, if that happens and you get caught up in these thoughts, what do you do? What do you do?

You go back. You 6R, right? You try to 6R. What do you do? You go back to equanimity, because you might tranquilize as best as possible, but your mind is still enamored by them. Your mind is still attached to them. Your mind is like, I still want to look at what's going on, or it's still affected in the way like, I don't want this to be here. That's still another kind of enchantment. So what do you do? You say, okay, I'm going to go back and radiate equanimity again until my mind is filled with equanimity to the brim, and then allow my mind to sink back into this quiet space. Once I'm there, then whatever comes up, I'm okay with.

And I just gently relax and come back anytime my mind just swerves in that direction, and I come back. And no matter what kind of formations come up, no matter how many mosquitoes are in the hall. No matter how many doors open and close. Yeah? It's okay. I've seen it all. I've heard it all. I don't care anymore. I'm just going to stay here. That is disenchantment. If you still are affected by the external or internal distractions, go back to equanimity. You might have to do it a few times, but just go back. This is the blueprint for how this process works. This is a very important blueprint because it's showing you, okay, this is dependent upon this.

So the equanimity is dependent upon collectedness. The disenchantment is dependent upon equanimity. So if I'm not having enough disenchantment, I just go one step before. Just develop that until the disenchantment comes. Now, you can't bring up disenchantment or dispassion. Disenchantment arises as a natural fruit of equanimity. Disenchantment and dispassion. So what is dispassion? Dispassion comes from the word viraga. V here means detached or not, and raga means passion, or being interested in something. So this is another deeper level of disinterest in whatever it is that is arising. So this dispassion feels like your mind is in a protective bubble, and no matter how many formations come up, your mind remains unwavering, or even signless collectedness of mind.

Now, in daily life, you can continue to practice in this way by having equanimity towards all experiences as best as you can, by not taking things personally. And as a result, the things that used to bother you don't bother you as much, or maybe they don't even bother you anymore. Then you know you have more disenchantment and dispassion. So this dispassion in the mind feels like you're in a protective bubble, and it's like your mind is like a non-stick pan. It's like Teflon. Anything that comes into the mind just glides on through. Nothing sticks to the mind. The mind has a non-stick quality to it at this point. And so here you're just staying. This place of mind becomes your home base.

Storm, other things might be around you, but you remain unattached. You remain here, collected. You don't care anymore of what's going on. And then, when you least know it, then vimuthi happens. Now, when we talk about vimuthi, or freedom, or liberation, or cessation, we can talk about it at two levels. We might talk about vimuthi in the sense that you get free from the hindrances, or you get free from the distractions, you get free from the formations. But also you might experience freedom in the sense of total cessation of perception, feeling, and consciousness.

Now, when you are just about there, what happens? You have an expectation. there. And now the mind is waiting. When is it going to happen? When is it going to happen? So that means there's still attachment. There's still enchantment. What do you do? Go back to equanimity. And then it sinks back in, and you don't care so much of what happens. And when you least expect it, you have cessation. And when I say when you least expect it, it can happen when you are in the meditation. It can happen while you are walking the dining hall, it can happen while you're having breakfast, it can happen anywhere. Hopefully it doesn't happen while you're driving, because you do blank out for a moment.

So this cessation is one other way of looking at vimuthi. And then finally, liberation in terms of total liberation of the mind. The different stages of awakening. That could mean stream entry, that could be once-returner, that could be non-returner, or that could be fully awakened as an arahant. But regardless of what that is, it's another level of awakening. And then the final step is known as the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. So this is the reviewing knowledge. This is the knowledge that reviews and says, oh, it has been done. There's a statement in the suttas that the arahants use. Birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done.

There is no more coming to be. Birth is destroyed. Meaning what? No more renewal of karma. No more new birth of action. The holy life has been lived. Which means what? I have done the practice. What had to be done has been done. Birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more new coming to be. No more new being. Meaning, now there are no more new tendencies that can arise for this mind. Now the mind is totally free from the links that cause further suffering, dependent origination. What is present now are just these five aggregates. The formations. The consciousness. The mentality, materiality.

The sixth sense basis. Contact and feeling. And the perception that's tied to the feeling. That's the knowledge you get. My mind is absolutely mindful now. No more ignorance. My mind has no more craving now. My mind is free from wanting anything. But until that happens, what happens is you have liberation, and now you have a renewed faith. That's the super mundane faith. When you experience cessation for the first time, now you have experiential conviction that this indeed does work. And then you have greater degrees of gladness, greater degrees of joy, greater degrees of tranquility, greater degrees of sukha or happiness or comfort, greater degrees of collectedness, greater degrees of equanimity, more wisdom to see that this is an impersonal process, and then more disenchantment, more dispassion. And then again, another cessation, more vimuthi. And so this process is really just rinse and repeat. You don't have to do it again.

So these are the cheat codes to the game. If you apply these cheat codes, everything will function smoothly. Are there any questions? Thank you. So when there is a final cessation, where do you go? Go back home. I could feel some kind of nervousness towards not being... there anymore. Yeah, strange. That's okay, and that's very natural, because until you actually experience it for yourself there will be that hesitation. But cessation can feel, or before you go into cessation it can feel, fearful, and that fear comes from that sense of thinking, oh, I'm going to die. I'm going to no longer exist. And sometimes it arises in the form of heart palpitations or nervousness or sweatiness in the palms, and so on.

But all of those are just conditions in the mind that are used to this idea of a sense of self that's always going to be there. And in order to allow that process to fade away, you just keep tranquilizing. And if that doesn't work, you go back to equanimity. This is really that cycle that you will have to do. And then the funny thing is, once you do experience cessation, you'll say, oh, I want it again. Now you're okay. You're like, no, now I really want it. Forget the heart rate, forget everything. I just want that. And then that's why I say the first time is easier.

Expect, even though I've given you all kinds of information and details about what it feels like, it's still a concept in the mind until you actually experience it for yourself. It's like if I tell you about sugar: oh, sugar is not spicy, not bitter, it tastes sweet, it tastes nice on the tongue. I can give you an entire Dhamma talk on sugar, yeah, and give you an entire PhD thesis on sugar. But unless you experience it for yourself, you won't know what the taste is like. So the concepts that are there about, oh, this is what Nibbana might be, this is what cessation might be, this is what arahantship might be, they will remain there until you actually experience it.

But for you to soften the concepts, you just need greater degrees of relaxation, equanimity, joy, and so on. Everything else will take care of itself. If you enjoy the process as best as you can, before you know it, you're there, and you will think, oh, it was only this. The other thing is, sometimes people will come into an interview and say, I'm kind of scared if I go all the way, what will happen to me in terms of my life? And I say, if you're scared, it won't happen, so not to worry. But your main question was, what happens after arahantship? What happens if somebody becomes an arahant? Well, first of all, they will have let go of all five fetters, the higher fetters, which means they will no longer take things personally ever anymore.

It means that their mindfulness will be absolutely pristine. It means they won't have any more restlessness, which means when they come down, when they come to sit down for the meditation, there's no time required for the mind to go right there to its object. There's nothing to let go of. And it means that they can be in a state of happiness and joy and free of suffering every single moment. I would think those are pretty good selling points for arahantship. But yes, also what is let go of is you have no interest in making money. You have no interest in having a job. You have no interest in maintaining a family and so on and so forth.

Meaning the fetter of householdership, of the lay life, drops away from you. Slacker. Right? Huh? Slacker? Well, a slacker is a word for somebody who is lazy, doesn't want to do anything. It's the ultimate laziness. Any other questions? Yeah. Wait, there are two of them. Yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry for asking this, because at this stage I just want to find out the distinction between two types of... it's not two types, like what in Paris being named as love, kindness, compassion, liberty, joy, and equanimity on one side. And then again, it talks about body, feeling, mind phenomena. Is it just linked? Is it same as each one? No, no, no. Don't make that connection.

These are all qualities of the mind. So it's happening at level of mind. So it's a feeling, but it's also happening in mind. So it's mindfulness of the quality of loving kindness or any of the brahmaviharas, which is a mental quality, so that mind, and also being felt as something, as a sensation in the body. So that's also part of body. And it's a phenomenon that happens. one foundation. It's integrated in all foundations. All of them are integrated in all foundations. profession. So if I'm not curious, if I'm not enchanted with what I'm doing, I somehow be in that state longer than other meditators, let's say. How to deal with it? Yes. So this is a good question because there's two ways to look at this.

The first way is, yes, you can be enchanted by what it is that you're trying to create. Go into a certain kind of flow. That, but if you are in that flow you might also notice when you come out of that flow there can be tiredness afterwards. There can be a certain low energy that happens afterwards. That's one way of looking at it. The second is intuition, using intuition, and intuition comes from when the mind is very still. So the birthplace for intuition is the quiet mind, and when you use intuitive understanding then your creativity doesn't come from the mind. Let's say it doesn't come from thinking about things or doing things. It's a different kind of flow which doesn't have any kind of energy loss to it.

Because after I started meditation and I found out that I can be in joy, I don't feel that urge to create like before. I see. So for me it's a problem because I can't eat if I don't earn money with my profession. And I struggled with this problem for three or four years. And I didn't find a solution. And the more I meditate, the less I want to create. Right. Have you thought about finding another job?

Yes. You just don't have motivation. Sorry? You don't have any motivation? Yes, I can be in that flow. I can be in that joy without creating something. So why creating? Yeah, exactly. Why? Exactly. So if I don't create, I don't earn money. Right. I'm hungry. Right. Well. So I have a problem. But I think you have to disengage the idea that if you are creative only then you will make money or whatever it is. If you can somehow infuse the joy in everything that you're doing, including the work, then the work doesn't seem like work anymore. That's one aspect, but the second part is when you are feeling content, when you are feeling joyful, then whatever it is that you're doing becomes added on to it, becomes extra. That's the way to look at it. So when we talk about happiness and joy and things like that, usually people are the other way around, right?

They have to do something in order to be fulfilled. They have to do something to feel content. And then they feel content, but it's a temporary kind of contentment. But if you're already content, then the creativity is just a bonus. If you treat it that way, and then with that, you do the work. Right. So I think it's a matter of the joy being so making you feel so content that you don't have any more motivation. Now, there are two things you can do. One is you can let go of your work and join the Sangha. Or you could try to infuse some level of mindfulness in everything that you're doing. So the joy might be too much there.

It's not like you can ever have too much of contentment. Contentment is always good. But you have to be practical about things if you want to continue, let's say, living a life where you have to create and earn money and things like that. So everything in balance. When you come into retreat mode, obviously you can let go of all of that and be as joyful and content and so on as you can.

But when you go back to the lay life, and I'll talk to you about that, but essentially you have to create a balance. It's all about balance: enough joy to get on with your day so you feel happy throughout the day, but at the same time understanding that there are responsibilities for yourself and perhaps your family or whatever it might be, and infusing everything that you have learned in the process of your activities, one or the other, when it comes to that life. It's about equanimity. It's about equanimity, but it's also about integration. Okay. So take the joy, put it in the drawer until I finish my work. Right. And then you can go play with the joy again.

Okay. Thank you. Any other questions? Okay. Let's share some merit. May the grieving shed all grief and may all beings find relief. May all beings share this merit that we have thus acquired for the acquisition of all kinds of happiness. May beings inhabiting space and earth, devas and nagas of mighty power share this merit of ours. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. Thank you.