Sayadaw U Zaw Tika - What should we value?

What should be valued?

I would like to start the discussion with a small question. The question is, “What are the main problems that people are facing today?”

That's a very interesting question. What are the main problems that are happening internally? They are very important, not trivial problems. They are not problems that can be ignored.

The mind is very delicate, so sometimes we don't even realize the problems that are happening in our minds. We don't know what's going on. Sometimes we're not happy. We think that if we try to make things happy, we'll be happy. Many people do the same thing. We're not very happy in our minds. We don't know why we're not happy. So we try to do this, we try to do that, we try to find shortcuts. When we don't know the depth of the problem, we think that just doing something will make the problem go away. So now

If the problem you want to talk about is accidental, it shouldn't be considered important because it's not a physical problem.

Some people have degrees, positions, and possessions. They have food, shelter, and friends. They think they have everything they need, and there is no need for problems. However, these people have even more mental problems. Mental problems are more pronounced in those who have their physical needs met.

"This problem is subtle, and I don't know if it's subtle or not. I don't even know what's going on with me. But if I look at the symptoms, I don't seem to be interested in anything. I don't know what I'm trying to do. I don't know that it's a problem. In fact, it's a very important problem in human life. I want to discuss it,

The problem is that you can't decide clearly.

People these days, for example, are like driving a car, with one foot on the brake and the other foot on the accelerator. They want to go and stop, and they want to stop. That makes them even more tired.

People say, "There is always some kind of difficulty. Having difficulty is not a problem. Not knowing what to do is the real problem. Not being able to decide something clearly is the problem."

"Whether it's about marriage or about work, I can't make clear and precise decisions in my mind. I'm always indecisive. Nowadays, this problem is even bigger. It's the nature of the mind to be indecisive. If I get married, I can't decide whether I should get married or not, who I should date and who I shouldn't date.

In education, we don't know what kind of education we want to learn, rather than what kind of education we should learn. That's worse. In fact, the question we should ask is, "What kind of education do I want to learn?" rather than "What kind of education do I have to learn?"

If I work, I can't decide what kind of work I want to do or what kind of work I want to do. So, the uncertainty in people's minds is the biggest problem nowadays.

I feel hopeless. I feel depressed. I don't really care about anything, I don't value anything, I don't think anything will happen if I do something, I think it won't matter if it happens, I think it won't matter if it doesn't, I think the whole life is meaningless. Feeling like that is a very big problem.

"These are the symptoms of the problem. Why is it like that? Why can't people just put their minds and bodies into something and do it full-time? Why don't they want to do it?"

"When you're going to do something, you have to do it because you have to, otherwise you won't be able to do it. So, even if you don't want to do it, you have to push yourself and force yourself to do it. After a while, you get tired of pushing yourself like that. So, you want to stop, you want to give up. You want to forget about this matter, you want to forget it."

That's how it is... People these days, for example,

While driving, it's like pressing the brake on one side and the lever on the other. You go. You want to go, and you want to stop. That's why you're more tired. I think you need to understand this concept very deeply.

The main problem is that I can't feel anything deeply, I can't value anything. It's like I don't want to do anything.

We don't know exactly.

If a person knows exactly what they really want to do and does it with passion every day, then life will never feel meaningless, empty, or boring, as I'm saying now.

People don't really know what I want to do or what I want. They see what others are doing and decide that it would be good if they did what others are doing. Not only that, but they also don't really know what I'm feeling. For example, a person who has taken drugs or sleeping pills or whatever is in a daze is dazed and numb, doesn't know much, and pretends to know. Similarly, many people today don't know exactly what they're really feeling deep down in their hearts. Even when it comes to love, that love is not very clear. You can't feel love deeply. Even if you're happy, you can't really feel happiness deeply. You just feel it superficially.

The reason for the difficulties and mental pain that people experience today is that they don't know what they really want. They don't know what their personality and passions are, they don't know what their talents are.

“I don’t really know what I want to do, I just follow what others say is good. I don’t know what I want to wear when it comes to clothes. I look at what others are wearing and dress the way they do, and I eat the same food. It’s the same with other things. I read books and literature, and I read other people’s books. I don’t know what kind of subject or topic I am passionate about,

If a person knows exactly what they really want to do and does it with passion every day, then life will never feel meaningless, empty, or boring like I'm saying now.

I have met some people who are never bored. When I look at them, their determination is clear. When they decide something at an early age, that decision remains strong for the next three to forty years. And they don't make decisions based on others. They make decisions based on their own instincts, their own instincts, and their own passions.

"Even if they have to do other things because they have to do them, their minds don't lose sight of what they originally wanted to do. They still do the work they are passionate about, as long as they have time. If they have been doing that kind of work for ten or fifteen years, this person has come to know that work and that subject very deeply. It is very satisfying to know that much about it. Especially about life, it is very satisfying to know so much about the mind.