Normally when one enters a meditation retreat, takes refuge in the Triple Gem, observes the Eight Precepts, and receives instructions from meditation teachers, one becomes a yogi.? Everyone attending a Satipatthana meditation retreat, including monks and nuns, novices, laymen and laywomen, is a yogi. Still we need to further define what a yogi is. What does a yogi have to do?? What are the benefits of being a yogi? These are the questions that we will try to answer in today’s Dhamma talk.

The word ‘yogi’ is a Pali compound word consisting of two parts: yoga and i. The word ‘yoga’ means ‘effort’, and the word ‘i’, ‘possessor’ or ‘owner’. Thus the meaning of the compound ‘yogi’ is ‘possessor of effort’. This effort is of three (3) degrees or levels.

1. arambha dhatu: initial or launching effort
2 nikkama dhatu: stepped up or boosted effort
3. parakkama dhatu: culminating effort with which the goal is reached.

A person who strives to possess these three (3) levels of effort is called a true yogi.? However, it is necessary not to confound the term ‘yogi’ as used here with the term used to describe the practice of Hindu yoga.? In the physical aspect of Hindu yoga, the body is trained for health, and in the spiritual aspect, samatha, the objective is to gain the jhanas.? The Buddhist interpretation of the word ‘yoga’ is quite different from the Hindu interpretation.? It does not place emphasis on the body, and its spiritual aspect is not limited to samatha practice only.? Now we will try to explain further this so called the Buddha’s yoga.

The essence of Buddhist yoga practice is mental courage or effort, ‘viriya’. One needs to possess the four supreme efforts (sammappadhana):

• The courage to avoid unwholesome deeds from arising (samvara padhana)
• The courage to overcome unwholesomeness that has arisen (pahana padhana)
• The courage to develop wholesomeness that has not yet arisen (bhavana padhana)
• The courage to maintain wholesomeness that has already arisen (anurakkhana padhana)

The fourfold supreme effort has a single essence, namely that of exertion or effort (viriya). It performs, however, four different functions. Unfortunately, quite a number of people do not know the difference between wholesome and unwholesome deeds. Furthermore, many people do not understand that wholesome deeds give rise to wholesome results, and unwholesome deeds give rise to unwholesome results.? Not understanding, they do not know how to summon the courage to avoid unwholesomeness.? Nor do they know how to summon the courage to perform wholesomeness.

The Buddha teaches that we need to nourish the courage to avoid unwholesomeness and develop courageous effort to perform wholesome deeds. With launching effort does a yogi come to a meditation retreat centre, leaving behind his or her family and business affairs, loved and dear ones.? But this kind of courageous effort is not enough.? The effort to prevent the defilements from entering the stream of consciousness has to be aroused from the beginning, and such effort is called ‘arambha dhatu’. This is the courageous effort not to let defilements arise in the mind, and the constant effort to nurture wholesome mental states. The possessor of such kind of initial effort is called a ‘yogi’

What are the characteristics of Viriya?

The Pali term viriya can be rendered as effort, vigor, courage, bravery or strength.? When encountering a problem, most human beings give up.? They do not fight against the difficulty. They have no courage. After meditating for some time the yogi will have to face both physical suffering (kayika dukkha) and mental suffering (manasika dukkha). Most yogis try to avoid dukkha (discomfort or pain). They want to be comfortable all the time so they keep changing their sitting postures. Changing posture frequently shows that the yogis are not being courageous and are not making enough effort. When facing physical and mental discomfort, the yogi should make effort to be courageous and try to overcome the discomfort. Viriya has the characteristic of ‘sustaining’ (ussahana lakkhana). This means, one is willing to overcome suffering with patience even at the ‘risk of one’s life’. The yogi should make effort even to the extent of sacrificing his or her own life.

Another characteristic of viriya is ‘supporting’ (upattham-bhana lakkhana). A house that is on the verge of collapse can serve to illustrate this aspect of viriya. In order to save the house one must use support beams. As an old house is supported by support-beams, so also the yogi when faced with difficulties, should support his practice by increasing his effort or level of exertion. He should not relax or stop exerting himself. The unsupported house will shake and eventually collapse.? Similarly, the unsupported mind will not be steady. In the face of ?physical and mental suffering one will easily give up. However, if one makes more effort and perseveres unrelentingly the mind will become strong, calm, stable and peaceful again.

What does a yogi have to do?

Vipassana meditation is an awareness meditation. It teaches you to live in the present moment. It teaches to be aware of everything that comes to you and is happening to you.Only the present moment is important. And everything that comes to you at the present moment through the six sense doors—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind—is to be noted, to be observed as the object of awareness.

During sitting meditation, the main object of awareness is the natural breath, as it is. Do not try to control the breath in any way, simply allow it to come and go while closely observing what happens in the area of the abdomen. The rising of the abdomen along with the in-breath, and the falling of the abdomen along with the out-breath, will consist of a variety of sensations and experiences. All of these should be noticed as continuously as possible. Let there be no gaps in your attention.

The observation of any object has three (3) parts:

• Occurrence: attention should arrive quickly, as close to the arising of the object as possible.
• Labeling and observation: label the rising movement of the observer as “rising”, and the falling as “falling.” Observation of the object should be careful and diligent, the label gentle and simple. It is not necessary to form elaborate concepts of what is going on. Labeling merely identifies the events and serves to direct the mind toward it.
• Knowing the nature: in rising and falling of the abdomen, one knows the sensations as they are. In the rising, for example, there are likely to be sensations of tension, tightness, stiffness, and hardness. There can also be vibration and movement.

It is not possible to observe the rising and falling continuously for a very long time.

What are the benefits of practising as a real yogi?

A real or genuine yogi makes effort all the time because he knows that effort acts effectively as his personal defensive system against all defiling elements. This is the immediate benefit of making continuous effort as a real yogi.

Peace, security and happiness automatically arise in the absence of defilements. This is the second benefit of making continuous effort.

The third benefit is the purification and refinement of the mind. This requires a lot of effort (viriya), mindfulness (sati) and concentration (Samadhi).

A boxer needs to avoid his opponent’s fists and at the same time look for a chance to hit his opponent with all his might when the opportunity arises. The opponent gets weaker each time he is hit. Similarly, the yogi needs to avoid any attack by the defilements (kilesa) which are his opponents. When the yogi gets the chance (i.e., when the object arises) he must quickly and promptly make his move and “attack” with his noting mind. Once is not enough. He must repeatedly note the object in order to further weaken the defilements until they are finally uprooted and destroyed. In this manner the yogi will be able to overcome some defilements until the point of no return through attainment of the first Path of Stream-Entry (Sotapatti Magga).

Sadhu! Sahdu! Sadhu!