Havenangh House, Singapore. Fri 8 Jun 2007

I've just done a one-and-a-half hour sitting and 45-min chanting. During these two activities, some thoughts run through my mind. Will write on the thoughts here.

Mental habit: Just as we have physical habits-- brush up and bathe immediately after waking up, wash up before bed, consume coffee daily, meditate at certain time of the day, we also have mental habits -- the way we mentally react to things that happen to us and around us. It seems almost as if this reaction is automatic, but actually it is pre-programmed. The good news is: mental habits can be re-programmed. So we don't always have to fall prey to reacting in negative ways which we would later regret. We have the freedom and power to reprogram our mental reaction, that is to decide how to better respond to a given situation or how to better interpret a given situation. We tend to assume certain mental pattern in a particular setting, and when that setting changes, our mental pattern changes accordingly. For eg., when I was in Api-api, I made a mental effort to be mindful in all my activities, even when I'm not physically sitting. When I chant, to force the mind to stay in the present and to empowe the chants, I reflected on the meaning of the chants as I chanted them. The mind has been conditioned to go every which way but the present moment -- this is the default, old mental habit. Now, continously reflecting on the meaning of the chant is a re-conditioning, a re-programming the mind to behave in a new way, ie. to be mindful of the present. After a while, this habit catches on and it becomes a mental pattern that the mind takes on in Api-api. Now out of retreat and back in Singapore, I have one-week time to tie some loose ends. The mental patter that I used to have in this kind of setting is a busy mind -- forever planning what to do next and restlessly looking out to get things settled. As I come back to Singpaore, I come back to this setting as well, and the mind immediately assumed this mental pattern.

I shall continue to follow the schedule in Api-api: wake up at 3 plus, sit at 4, chant at 6, at least 2 sittings and chanting per day.

Nothing is as important as meditation. I shall leave everything else for meditation and not the other way round.

Will cut down on unnecessary activities and spend more time on the practice.