Ayya Susīlā paying homage to the Buddha before her talk.

On Sunday 1 November, Venerable  Ayya Susīlā gave a Dhamma talk on ‘Mindfulness and daily meditation practice’.   The topic is a popular request, even among devotees overseas.  Ayya Susīlā gave the definition of mindfulness, sati, as “keeping the mind in the present moment.  When we keep our minds in the present moment, our minds are clear”.

Ayya Susīlā explained that the minds of many people are muddled, confused and lacked clarity because they were preoccupied with their career, family, and other worldly issues, as well as being bombarded by modern technology.

Devotees asked many interesting questions about cultivation of mindfulness.

Our minds are constantly restless, and what is of even greater concern is that we are unaware of our own lack of mindfulness because we have accepted it as ‘normal’.  The only way to be aware of our restlessness is to keep our minds in the present moment.  So we need to constantly ask ourselves, “where is my mind?”  We need to check that it is not wandering, thinking and worrying about the past and future.  If it were, we have to bring it back and anchor it to the present moment; we have to mindful of our minds.

Ayya Susīlā urged devotees to be aware of their restless minds and to live in the present moment.

It takes effort to cultivate mindfulness, but it will help us to become effective in our communication and dealings with others, in our learning, and in our daily lives, said Ayya Susīlā. More importantly, it will bring us genuine peace and happiness.

We thank Ayya Susīlā for her talk and guidance on how to cultivate sati in our daily practice and to live happily. Sadhu anumodana.