Mindfulness in Daily Life: Samatha, Vipassana and Watching the Mind

Luangpu Pramote speaks in Thai, with English subtitles, on “Developing Mindfulness in Daily Life”, saying he has no script. He argues that practice is not a special posture or slow movement but having mindfulness, and that formal sitting is a means to build it. He describes nirvana as the ending of desire and distinguishes samatha, which makes the mind peaceful, from vipassana, which sees body and mind as impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self.

He teaches samatha with an object the mind enjoys, then a “home base” such as the breath, chanting or the abdomen, from which to watch the mind wander. Three levels of wisdom follow. He closes with watching moods through an ordinary day, including lunch and red lights, and the advice his own teacher gave him.