THE DAILY TEJANIYA ARCHIVES

All the daily practice messages under one digital roof.

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THE DAILY TEJANIYA — 2026

The Daily Tejaniya in 2026 is drawn from Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s guide to daily life meditation, Relax and Be Aware: Mindfulness Meditations for Clarity, Confidence, and Wisdom.

The year begins with a tribute to Steve Armstrong, by offering daily practice messages drawn from the foreword he wrote for the book.

“The Path I Aspired to Walk in This Life” Some years before I met Sayadaw I’d had the privilege of meeting
his own teacher, the renowned Burmese monk and meditation teacher
Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw. I had just finished five years of living as an or-
dained monk in Burma, and I went to visit Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw at
his monastery. I was deeply impressed by the elder monk, who despite
his fame insisted on living in utmost simplicity and austerity. His mona-
stery of simple wooden buildings was in a grove of trees that he refused
to cut, despite being located in a bustling Rangoon suburb. He received
me quietly, gently, and with total attention. As we spoke, I felt a deep  
resonance with his words, as if he were perfectly articulating the  
very path I had chosen and that I aspired to walk in this life.

“At First I Didn’t Get the Gist of Sayadaw’s Approach” At first I didn’t get the gist of Sayadaw's approach. I had been  
practicing for thirty years, including, most recently, five years in 
another meditation tradition in Burma. In that tradition, the em-
phasis was on noticing details of every experience and reporting
those observations to your teacher during check-ins. I knew that
I was hearing something  different from Sayadaw, but I couldn't
understand how to do the practice as he instructed it. Instead, I
would tell him in our daily meetings what I was noticing.

After two or three days, while I was doing my walking practice  
outside, Sayadaw sent Ma Thet to speak with me.

“Sayadaw wants to know,” she asked, “why you are telling him  
about your experiences during the check-ins?” I responded,
“That’s how I understand practice.” And she said, “Sayadaw
doesn’t really need to know what your experience is. He wants
to know how you are practicing. He wants to know how are you
being aware, not what you are you aware of.”

This was really different for me. I realized right then that I didn’t
know how to speak about awareness without itemizing the experi-
ences I was having—objects of awareness such as thoughts, feel-
ings, sensations, and perceptions.

“What is Awareness Doing Right Now? I really wanted to learn Sayadaw’s approach, so I resolved
that I would put aside everything I’d known before, includ-
ing every technique I’d ever learned or used. From then on,
every time I saw my mind going toward a well-worn, tried-
and-true technique, I just dropped the technique and instead
asked, “What is awareness doing right now?” After about
two weeks, I felt like I’d gotten the hang of it; I was gaining
momentum and could move on.

Then came a big revelation. Whenever my mind was going
toward the technique, and I said “No,” I noticed that a new
space would open in my mind—a space I had been missing.
I realized that whenever something like a distraction or a
disturbance arose in the mind, and I went to a technique to
deal with it, my mind was then with the technique rather
than with the underlying mental state. This insight was a
breakthrough for me.

Looking at experience in this way keeps us continually aware
not of objects of perception but rather the state of the observ-
ing mind, where we are either creating stress or not. If we are,
this mode of seeing offers a way to proceed wisely, because
continuous awareness brings in the wisdom quality of mind.

“You Will Always Learn About Your Mind” Continuous awareness brings in the wisdom quality of mind.
I'll mention two examples: awareness while walking and
while talking.

With walking meditation, Sayadaw gives the instruction to
maintain a normal pace, not focusing attention on any special
sensations but rather staying continuously aware of the state
of the observing mind. How is awareness receiving and process-
ing what is known? Is the mind seeing experience clearly, or is
craving, aversion, or delusion present? If you can be aware like
this while walking, you’ll be aware more often during the day,
always learning about your mind.

We don’t spend most of our life in silent meditation. It’s mostly
spent interacting with others—hence the importance of aware-
ness while speaking.

If we don’t learn how to be aware of everything that’s happen-
ing in our mind and body while talking, we’ll be speaking from
reactivity, not wisdom, and unconsciously ramping up stress. If 
you learn how to be aware as you talk, speaking becomes more
meaningful and intentional. You can see your options and con-
sciously choose language that supports harmonious and peace-
ful relationships within yourself and with others.

“From the First Day I Honestly Never Had Fear”   Recently, I’ve had a precious opportunity to use Sayadaw’s
practice in my life, along with other meditation approaches
I've learned over the years.

In February 2018, I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a highly
aggressive brain cancer. The disease is terminal, not a good 
prognosis. But from the first day, I honestly have never had
fear, nor hope.

Instead, I have been very interested in everything that’s going
on, including the pain and suffering that happens.