Luangpor Teean Jittasubho

(1911-1988)

Luangpor Teean‟s "Sati Meditation" (also known as "Dynamic

Meditation") takes its name from the Pali word "Sati" which means
mindfulness. Mindfulness and awareness go hand in hand and "Sati"
is the emphasis of this form of meditation introduced by Luangpor
Teean Jittasubho (1911 – 1988) of Thailand. "Sati Meditation" is also
named in memory of Luangpor Teean who, during his time, often
said "Sati" to his disciples to remind them of mindfulness/awareness.

Sati Meditation is characterized as "dynamic" in contrast to the more

conventional techniques of "static" meditation. Sati meditation
incorporates rhythmic bodily movements as a way to stimulate and
develop mindfulness/awareness. This practice is regarded as a way
through which the body and the mind are harmonized. This harmony
is the first step to "seeing" thought and is the foundation of the path
towards enlightenment.

Luangpor Teean often told practitioners that it is very important in

meditation not to suppress thought. Otherwise, though we might find
some happiness, we will be unable to see the nature of thought.
Thought is the root of greed, anger, and delusion -- the three
defilements of a human being. In order to overcome greed, anger,
and delusion, Luangpor Teean suggested that we cannot simply
restrain them by keeping precepts or an established discipline, nor
can we suppress them by maintaining calmness through some form
of (non-vipassana) meditation based on concentration. Though these
activities are useful to some extent, we need to go to the root of the
defilements. He taught that we should let thought flow freely and let
awareness see (vipassana) thought and break through the chain of
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His teachings

thought and go against the stream of thought. In order to do that, we

should properly set up the mind and strengthen mindfulness/awareness
through rhythmic bodily movements, one movement at a time. If one
persists in this practice, wisdom will arise in an orderly process, level by
level. These levels in Sati Meditation are a series of experiences by which
the mind progresses step by step towards the end of suffering. Luangpor
Teean discovered these experiences which now serve as guideposts for
the practitioners of Sati Meditation.

Luangpor Teean‟s dynamic meditation incorporates rhythmic bodily

movements as a way to stimulate and develop awareness (sati). This
practice is regarded as a way through which the body (rupa or form) and
the awareness of it (nama or mind) are harmonized. The harmony
between the body and the awareness of the body is, according to
Luangpor Teean‟s teachings, the very first result and the first step on the
path to “seeing” thought.

Usually a human being collects a lot of mental images in daily activities,

and these images reflect themselves in the process of thinking. With
the dynamic meditation of bodily movement, according to Luangpor
Teean, the awareness becomes active and clear, and as a natural
consequence it encounters the process of thinking and sees thought
clearly. For Luangpor Teean, thought is the source of both human
activity and human suffering.

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His teachings

For Luangpor Teean, thought is the root of greed, anger, and delusion –
the three defilements of a human being. In order to overcome greed,
anger, and delusion, Luangpor Teean suggested that we cannot simply
suppress them by keeping precepts or an established discipline, nor can
we suppress them by maintaining calmness through some form of
meditation based on concentration. Though these activities are useful to
some extent, we need to go to the root of the defilements: to let the
awareness see thought and break through the chain of thought or, in
other words, go against the stream of thought. In this way we know and
see the true nature of thought.

Luangpor Teean often warned practitioners that it is very important in

meditation that we do not suppress thought by any kind of calmness or
tranquillity. If we do, though we might find some happiness, we will be
unable to see the nature of thought. Rather, he taught that we should let
thought flow freely and let our awareness know and perceive it clearly.
The clear awareness will naturally go against the stream of thought by
itself; all that we have to do is properly set up the mind and strengthen
awareness through rhythmic bodily movements, one movement at a
time.

In Luangpor Teean‟s teachings, thought and awareness are two basic

elements in a human being. When awareness is weak, thought drags
us away to the past and the future, forming a strong chain. At any
moment when awareness is strong, the chain of thought is immediately
broken. In dynamic meditation, the practitioner seeks to stimulate,
develop, and strengthen awareness to see thought and break its bonds.
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His teachings

Through dynamic meditation, the awareness that arises from bodily

movement sees and breaks through the chain of thought resulting in the
detachment of the inner six senses from outer objects. Detachment is
not a deliberate attitude nor a conscious way of practice, but rather it is
the result of a right from of practice. When awareness breaks through
the chain of thought, thought loses its dominating power; awareness
becomes the dominating power over thought, over the three defilements,
greed, anger, and delusion, and hence over suffering. The practice of
Luangpor Teean‟s dynamic meditation results in the arising of
nanapanna (the knowledge that comes from the accumulation of direct
knowing):

Any time that thought arises we know it, even while sleeping. When we
move our body while sleeping we also know it. This is because our
awareness is complete. When we see thought all the time, no matter
what it thinks, we conquer it every time. Those who can see thought
are near the current (flowing) to nibbana (the extinction of suffering).
Then we will come to a point where something inside will arise suddenly.
If the thought is quick, panna will also be quick. If the thought or
emotion is very deep, panna will also be very deep. And if these two
things are equally deep and collide, then there is the sudden breaking-
out of a state that is latent in everybody. With this occurrence the eye,
ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are detached from sights, sounds,
smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects. It is like uncoupling the
drive mechanism of a car. When the parts become independent of each
other, the car, although it still exists, can no longer be driven.

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REAL LIFE IS THE
PRESENT
Meditation means to be diligent in „knowing‟, knowing directly,
in a straight way. The things to be known are there; the body
(for example) is an object to be known.

Why is it that we must always focus on „knowing‟?

Because our minds instinctively rush out ahead and rush
backwards; there is just future and past. For this reason we
create movements in the various postures, all the time, in order
TO BE NOW.

NOW IS WHAT REAL LIFE IS. REAL LIFE IS

NOW.
 So we practice with that. Go inwards with the
quality of knowing.
 Directly and straightly. Know meticulously.
 Make it very clear; don‟t let there be vagueness.
 Make the posture that you‟re in clear, break it up in
stages, moment by moment, so that it becomes
clear. 5
ON WATCHING THE BODY
ONE SEES THE :
ON WATCHING THOUGHT
ONE SEES
We see feelings by watching the body. We will see pain,
tiredness and the pleasant and unpleasant feeling of the body.

When one continues to watch the body, one will see the
thinking mind. And when we sees thought, one sees mental
phenomena (Dhamma) that arise from thinking.

One sees that these are Dhamma arise in the mind; this how
wholesome and unwholesome states arise.

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 SEEING SUFFERING:
THROWING OFF A HEAVY
BURDEN

 Keeping watching the body with awareness and there will

be progress in the development of awareness.

 Awareness will see the suffering of RUPA and NAMA.

RUPA is a lump of suffering: one must breathe; one must
swallow saliva; one must lie down and sleep; one must get
hot and cold; one must eat and one must go to the toilet.

 This is a really suffering of RUPA; it is a lump of suffering.

 Before, I was addicted to cigarettes. When I saw suffering

I had compassion for RUPA: smoking just dropped off !

One awakens to suffering and has pity on RUPA. 7

 CONCORD BETWEEN
RUPA AND NAMA
 This kind of wisdom see RUPA and NAMA; it sees the
suffering of RUPA and NAMA. The suffering of NAMA is to
think and feel sad. It refers to worry and anxiety.

 The suffering of RUPA is similar to that of NAMA. I used to

grasp on to suffering. Suffering would stay with me the
whole day, sometimes a few days. I would create thought
(He insulted me, he always does that, I‟m not going to give
in‟, and so on. These kinds of thoughts are like rubbish;
they are stains in the body and the mind.

 I saw with wisdom that I wasn‟t using the mind in the right
way. There is a poisonous snake in the mind and makes
trouble for the body, and the body creates trouble for the
mind.

 But when awareness arises, there is concord, there is a

sense of neutrality between them. 8
 CONCORD BETWEEN
RUPA AND NAMA

 Actually, a lot of harmony arises between body and

mind.

 Body and Mind no longer oppress each other; there are

no more problem. This is a realisation of seeing the
suffering of RUPA and NAMA.

 The disease of RUPA refers to sickness, pain, fevers

and dangers of the body.

 The disease of NAMA refers to impurities of the mind,

craving etc.

 The disease of defilement, of craving, of happiness, of

suffering, of love and hate „kill‟ one (that is to say, they
„kill‟ the normality of mind).
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 AWARE
 Regardless of how powerful, delightful or awful thoughts
may be: establish awareness and make it into a foundation.

 When thoughts arise, let them be there (but) see their

characteristics.

 Just be clearly aware and don‟t get mixed up (with thought).

 Neither encourage nor obstruct thoughts.

 It won‟t be long and those thoughts will stop on their own.

They will fade and disappear by themselves.

 They will turn into „rising images‟.

 Just watch, see and know their temporary rising and

passing.

 In the end awareness will still be as stable and prominent as

it originally was. 10
 Sleepiness !
 Sometimes we may get sleepy:

 You may get up and walk, look up in the sky, rub your face
with hands or wash your face.

 Don‟t give in to the extent that you just forget about

awareness.

 Sometimes too much formal practice can make one weary.

We should change the posture then.

 Start anew. Make awareness prominent. A movie maker

doesn‟t stay with one scene for too long.

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12
 SELF FAITH
PITY
The most worthless emotion… The greatest asset…

Boring ? Sleepy ? Nothing

Happen ? Ah Yuh Want to
go home la !!!

 Never mind if the mind loses awareness and thinks of this and
that 100 times or 1000 times.
 Inspire yourself. Try and do the best you can.
 Keep establishing awareness consistently.
 When you lose it, you start again; you lose it again and you
start once more.
 The state of delusion and forgetting often, and then being able
to re-establish awareness, makes one begin to be able to
differentiate and one gets to know what one‟s heart and one‟s
real character are like.
 One begins to understand how to adjust one‟s own mind to be
aware.
 One knows how to put down changing thoughts and moods.
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 Awareness is an experience.

 Awareness is not memory. Even though the mind thinks at

times, we know.

 Whenever thoughts arise that we didn‟t intend to think –

thoughts that arise by themselves – don‟t follow those
thoughts.

 Come back to the body (the hands); the mind goes off over
there but we return to the movements.

 Don‟t lose yourself in thought; when you do, or you lose

yourself in painful feelings or tiredness, then try to come back,
come back to the movements.

 Come back to the place to establish awareness; we have

fourteen such places. Keep doing that !
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