The Secret to Problem-Solving | A Monk's Perspective

[Music] so today i wanted to take an opportunity to talk about how to fix one's problems i think people come to the stage in their life where they have an issue they want to fix it but sometimes they're not able to and they can get stuck so there are many ways to fix issues but for me i wanted to give you one perspective to looking at your problems and hopefully this can help eliminate this issue and kind of smooth out the process so when we talk about fixing problems for me we can break it down to two simple steps the first one really is to identify the issue and then the second one is to start to fix that issue so this is very simplistic but it's a great start and what i find that is getting in the way of people starting to make changes in their life is step number one so we can't even go to step number two because of one thing that it's interfering with the very first step and this part is really because we cannot or have not been able to diagnose the issue clearly many times people when they first start they don't even know what the problem is they know the symptoms they know they feel uncomfortable they know they want to make changes but really get to the heart of the issue and when you cannot diagnose the problem accurately then it's a bit difficult to fix because there are so many factors involved so then the next question is what is getting in the way of us seeing the problem clearly and the answer really is because we have many filters i think as humans what gets in the way of us diagnosing our issues correctly is because we have a difficult time of seeing things as they really are we can't see that condition or we have difficulty seeing the conditions clearly to break down the problems into steps into conditions it can be very difficult why and really the reason why is because it's tainted with a lot of emotions sometimes the feelings get in the way because we're angry we're envious we feel hurt we feel betrayed and we feel humiliated because these emotions are still clouding our mind like the lens like a sunglass lens that we're looking at the problem then it's tainted and the issue that is right in front of us we can't diagnose it clearly we also then tainted with history because many of us then have been hurt in the past we had patterns where this has happened before so then i can't let that go because this pattern of course will repeat itself again we make up stories sometimes because the way we judge other people the way we judge the environment the way we judge the condition so then we'll ruminate and then come up with a worst case scenario or this may happen and that may happen and it's it's normal another thing that interferes with our ability to see the problem clearly two is also because of judgments when we're trying to fix ourselves when we're trying to improve ourselves then people can get into this ability of then i'm a bad person i never um will get over this we make generalization of how come i can't ever learn this lesson how come it's taking me so long i feel like i'm a bad person i feel like i'm a person who is not so smart i feel this about myself so that the judgment of yourself also gets in the way as well we can also have interference with the ego and with pride and we have an issue right in front of us but how dare this person talk to me that way do they know who i am or sometimes you know it's a good idea to let something go but i can't let that go because that person will win so again all these factors influence and affect our way of seeing the problem and diagnosing it clearly from judgments to the raw emotions that you're still experiencing from ego and pride and greed and delusion all of this is interfering with us even achieving step number one so when we haven't been able to get step number one correctly and we go to step number two then now the issue is diluted what we're arguing about is not even the issue at hand and we see this when couples argue you know you can get into this pattern and uh tit-for-tat then i'm right and you're wrong or the stories and the judgment interferes and then we're arguing about something that has nothing to do with anything and i don't know if anyone can relate but where you get to the point of this arguing and you're like what are we even arguing about what is the underlining issue so again go back to step number one and this is this video will give you tips of how do you actually do that so to summarize briefly is why we have difficulty fixing our issue is because when our lens of looking at the issue is not clear we're not able to see our problems neutrally and just looking at the facts without everything else interfering this interferes our ability to solve this problem the analogy i know this is a lot but the analogy that for me i can use that may be helpful for you it's just imagine you're a car and you're going on a long road trip cross country so you're driving your car from florida one side of the coast in america all the way to san diego the west coast of america and this is a very long trip and middle of the trip or in the middle of the trip you're driving and the car is overheated there's smoke it's making a lot of noise and now your car has an issue you do your best and luckily for you you make it to the mechanic you take your car into a shop and what is the first step the first step really is in order to diagnose the issue with your car you need to allow everything to cool down before we can start breaking the hood apart before we can start breaking everything apart just put your car in park everyone rest allow the engine to cool down and then we start to see this issue for what it is the mechanic will then do a test see all the parts as it is without any story without any judgments of it without any greed and ego and pride and history take all that out but as the mechanic they just look at what is in front of them okay here's the tires here's the pipes here's the radio here's the hood i wish i had more examples but i don't know cars i'm doing my best but really is the point of it is let everything cool down break these parts into small bits spread them all out and then with that then you can diagnose the issue and then when you have the issue then you can go to part number two and now we can start to fix the issue and when people are clear on the issue i find that they can have the solution or that they can find the resources to help them with the solution but the key really is when we misdiagnose it we don't even know what the problem is it's a bit difficult to fix so then imagine again using this car analogy you're this car it's overheated it's breaking down you have this big issue and you're trying to figure out how do i fix this and also what is going on with me what is the problem so then use this analogy of the car of just step back take a breath put it on hold and allow the emotions allow the judgments allow everything to just settle all the way to the ground and with this then you can start to analyze your situation very clearly without any other side noise and just know these are the conditions but what happened is that people will try to start fixing their problems when it's overheated and when anyone touches apart then we get reactive and then when we're reactive we can't see and now we're defensive so again when all these factors are at stake then it's a bit difficult to start fixing it and it gets in the way of us seeing the problem as it is now i want to throw another reference that may be helpful for you and that really is the experience of buddhist monks and how we train ourselves when we enter the monastery what we're saying is that we want to develop our spiritual path we want to purify our minds and develop the wisdom and we want to explore ourselves we want to fix our behaviors we want to fix our habits we want to become better people and really explore ourselves and do the work so what's the first step and really the first step is for us then we have to take the precepts 227 precepts as teravata monks and what that does is it insulates us from all the outside noise all the things that come to interfere with our ability to observe the situation then the noise is reduced so we just block everything out so what these precepts do is that it protects more of the outside noise more darkness that can come in to taint this experience and slowly by practicing and observing these precepts then everything starts to slow down the noise that keeps coming to bombard us gets less now we have more space to hear ourselves and then we introduce a second concept and that second concept is with meditation and meditation is really for us to develop the skill of observation so when we're meditating every day the practice is any thoughts that come into our mind just observe it don't engage with it don't interact with it don't judge it but really ah notice it lightly compassionately very gentle and keep training every single day and we're developing the skill of this neutral observation and then the third part is then we use the wisdom that we gain from this stillness from this practice of meditation and now we then can start to fix our lives but it's very key because even in the monastery it's not said deliberately but the first part is really to allow all the noise to settle down all the judgments we have to settle down our ego our pride our history our story take that out come into this present moment be calm be still be neutral now then we cannot start to observe ourself and in this place just like the car we take ourselves apart and with this neutrality we start to see wow i have these habits wow i engage in these patterns oh this is actually how my thinking process works and then with this thinking process then it brings up these emotions with these emotions then i act in this kind of way we then pay attention to our intentions of oh my intention is not so pure and then again everything that arises in us we study it neutrally and that is really the first step not judging ourself i'm a bad person i'm not good enough why do i keep doing this to none of that stuff but just see your life in this present moment behaviors thoughts actions speech patterns very neutrally and when you are neutral like the car when everything has cooled down now you see what the problem is neutrally again that is the key word and now then take your wisdom of what you have and the resources that you have and start to fix this problem and the way you fix it is you can use the buddhist lens and we've been saying this over and over now continue to say this but the buddhist lens as simple as possible is really the bad that you're doing or another way of saying it is the behavior that is not working and helping you stop doing that that's it no story no judgment no drama that's a key part and then just as of this moment as of today don't continue this behavior this action the second part is then do more good do the opposite behavior do the new pattern that you're wanting to improve on the new action the new habits the new thoughts the new intentions that you're wanting to introduce the better qualities and perfections that you want to develop start integrated in this moment and then step number three is then meditate and purify your mind develop the wisdom the know-how when you see everything as it is then you know how to fix it and use that wisdom to fix your issue and then what's next and what's next is you just repeat repeat and just go deeper and refine every single day and keep uh working through it and it takes a long time it takes practice and in the monastery and i'm not just preaching but this is what we do every single day to really explore ourselves without any judgment ah this is what's happening in this moment now knowing all the conditions and knowing all the factors the bad stop the good keep it and then keep adding more good and then lastly meditate purify your mind develop more energy more wisdom and then use it again so this cycle keeps going over and over and over and we call this the refinement process refine yourself clean yourself take your car apart into all the as many pieces as possible what is not working for you what is broken what is dirty what is not functioning get rid of it that's it and take the best part that is left put it back together clean it up put it back together and keep adding more good build your car and this is the process but again coming back to the point of why am i sharing this why i'm sharing this is because many people have a difficult time fixing their issue because they're too reactive they're judging this current moment they're judging the conditions that are faced in front of them and when you do that it's interfering it's getting in your way of diagnosing your problem clearly don't make up a story don't make up a drama just see things as they are and then with that the neutrality with the equanimity and that accurate diagnosis of the problem then you can start to fix this problem so i hope this is helpful for you but take it try it test it out and see how it may improve your situation but that's all i have for today so hopefully you enjoyed it hopefully it was helpful so as always just sending all my blessings to all of you from thailand and please be safe thank you [Music]

Channel: Nick Keomahavong

Views: 149,087

Keywords: a day in the life of a monk, monk, monks, buddhist monk, life of a monk, monk life, the life of a monk, mental health and buddhism, buddhism and mental health, the secret to problem solving, neutrality, buddhist monk teaches problem solving, how to properly solve a problem, solving problems with buddhist monk, buddhist monk solves problems, buddhist monk problem solving, problem solving with monk, buddhist monk solving problems, problem solving with neutrality, monk and problems

Id: cTFf0vyEnAg

Length: 18min 27sec (1107 seconds)

Published: Wed May 26 2021