The Buddha Way Back to Peace | Turning Stress, Trauma, and Chaos Into Clarity with Saw Myint

SPEAKER_01 0:00

It's war.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome back, everybody. Welcome home. It's your man Stryker where we're all recovering. It's war. This is not just a podcast. It's a movement, a place for the wounded, the healing, and the rebuilding. If you're here today, it's because you're fighting a war nobody else can see. And you're still standing. Today I'm honored to speak with someone whose work is transforming lives around the world through clarity, compassion, and science-backed mindfulness. Her name is Saw Mint. Yes. I did it right. I said it right. Founder of Australian Yes, ma'am. Founder of the Australian charity Wake Up LTD, a mental well-being advocate, and a professional who blends Buddhist inspired mental health practices with real-world clarity as finance and mortgage specialist. She supports people dealing with stress, depression, addiction, worker holism. I think that's me. Relationship struggles, grief, and emotional overload, helping them regain calm and direction in the middle of chaos. So thank you for being here. I'm grateful to share this conversation with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Thank you. Thank you, Striker. Is your name James?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Yes, it's James. May I call you James? Yes, my name is James. My last name is Striker, but for some reason, growing up, nobody could pronounce it. Everybody would just call me Stryker. And that stuck with me throughout my childhood, through school, throughout the military. Everybody just called me Stryker, so I just kept Stryker.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

It's like my name.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Yeah, so yep. So let's start here.

unknown 1:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Let's start here. What was the defining moment or breaking point that led you into the mission of supporting others with mental health, well-being, and creating wake up LTD? What was happening in your life emotionally and internally when you knew something had to change?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Okay. Um, I was mentally let down by my own auntie when I was young, like under 10, right? And Buddha, my religion, helped me recover when I was 30. So I've been doing a lot of charity since I was 20, part-time. But then because I needed help, I can see what other people need, and I always there for them with my time, energy, my connection, my money. But I I can see that people never have enough, and I'm the same. But now I kind of wake up to the fact that we could go any moment. We could die any moment. The good or the bad, we can't take it with you. I think it's true for all human, any background, any religion. People die just by sitting down, eating, you know, not doing anything, whatever happening inside, we don't realize. And we could go any moment, you know? So that wake me up, and I want to wake up a lot of people that, you know, even if your life is perfect, we could go any moment. So don't like I'm not saying it to negative point, you know. I just want to teach you all to live in a balanced life. You know, there's only two things happen could happen to you, good or bad. Whatever happened, good or bad, they both don't last, knowing that, you know, take it easy. You know, everybody loves, even if we think we let down, we homeless or whatever, everybody loves our life, right? You don't want to kill yourself, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

But then the the the thing that we precious most, our life, even could go any movement, moment. That means the good thing don't last. Even the bad thing also don't last, you know? So I explain to you more in detail that knowing that I could go any moment, that wake me up.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Definitely. I think about that all the time, like how fragile our bodies are, you know, like it's strong but fragile at the same time. Any you poke somebody in the wrong place, you know you could kill them, they could be going just like that. You know, they could bleed to death, anything. You know, so you're absolutely right about that.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

When you are middle age, you realize more, you know. It also comes with your majority, your age as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

When I was under 30, you come and tell me I know nothing, but as you mature, but then if if I could get any young people, if you learn when you were young, even better. So this I'm not trying to push anybody down. It is trying to tell other people that have a balanced life, you know, the good or the bad don't last. Even bad things happen to you, people let you down, people leave you, people die. You can't do nothing about it. It's already past. We have to live with our life, you know. It's all in your mind, you know. Whatever happened to you, if you're still doing good things, your mind is good, you're still a good person, you know. As long as you are a good person, however other people treat you, doesn't matter, you know. So I think when you are a good person, you like people let you down, but then you're not doing anything wrong. Nobody is better than you, you know. Also, not better than them. We all the same inside. We all made up all the organs, all humans are the same inside, you know?

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Nobody better than you. You are also never better than them. So treat people fair, but don't let that be let down by anyone because no one is better than you. We all the same inside, all the same organ, you know, this blood, everything, and all those inside could go any moment. And one billionaire tells me he's 17 years from now. He said, if I could give him 35 years back, he will give me everything he has because he can never go back to 35 years old, right? It's already gone. So we're all the same inside. Billionaire not better than me. I'm not better than him. We all the same inside. We have to go any moment.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Right, right. So you've been, you say you've been supporting people since you were 20. For the uh audience out there, how did that journey begin? And how did your personal mental health struggle shape your dedication to that work?

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Okay. I think people say psychiatrics are not themselves. Because they've been there, done that, that's why they're there to help others, right? If you want to help others, you've also got to be there, done that. You needed help. That's that's the best way you could understand other, you right? So when I was 10 under 10 for a few years, like I said, my one of my aunties, she came and lived in our home. My my parents, a lot of my relatives come and live in our home. Government gave my dad a big home. So a lot of people, big home. My parents were always fighting. Nobody knew how my auntie treated me. She treated me like a servant. She lived in my home. I was under 10. You know, when you are with the child, that's not you do what's best for the child. You don't treat them like a servant, especially when you live at their place. I have two children. I'm like a servant to them and I love it. They never do anything for me, you know. I was a child, you know. People see me just following her, but she locked me inside her room. She she asked me to do her chores. I had to do it, you know, all these little chores, but they all add up. All her personal things, like wash her handy, write things for her, or stand beside her and pass things when she's doing makeup before she goes to work. All these personal things she asked me to do and let me stay with her. And everybody thinks I'm following her. But inside of me, I want to get out of this prison. But I don't know how to. I was put in a mental chair. I don't know how to get help. That's why I was there to help others. Because I can feel others because I was there. I needed help. No one was there for me. Maybe people don't see my issue, but that's why people say be careful about how you treat a child. They don't know, they were put in routine, they don't know how to get help, and it affected me all my life.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

That angers me the way people mistreat innocent, innocent children. It's it's something that's just despicable. I don't understand it. It's it's is is it's all over the world and it's happening right now as we speak. Yeah. And it's sad. Yeah, that angers me a lot. Was there a moment when everything felt, you know, heavy or overwhelming, and mindfulness became more than just an idea. It kind of like became survival.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

It's overwhelming when I was with her for a few years. Then my dad retired and come to Australia, so we we went to different homes. Like I went with my parents, and our home then not big enough for all the relatives. So my auntie bought an apartment, she went. Uh, so yeah, it was too much when I was with her. But when I'm not with her, it's okay. But then I recover when I was around 30 when I became religious. You know, religion helped me. But I'm not here to provoke religion, I'm here just to show one way of helping ourselves. Because I believe as a human, we are a little bit crazy. Otherwise, we are denying, you know, otherwise we are safe. We not say, we're human, right? So we are a little bit crazy. So this method may not resonate with everyone, but even if I could help someone, I'm very proud. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Right. And we're gonna get into religion a little bit, because I'm curious, and I know a lot of people are curious. You talk about your work with the Buddha way back by science, you know, that's pretty powerful. And you know, because many people think spirituality and science don't belong in the same room, you know. What does that phrase mean to you and how do you integrate the two in a practical way? Okay, now this is a difficult subject.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

I I'm a little bit educated, so uh how I learned difficult subject is I make it simple, right? So Buddha says in the whole world we see a lot of things, but it comes down to just mind and body. Okay, your mind or other living mind, you know, could be people or animal, okay? Your body or other living body or non-living body, you know, people body, animal body, non-living body, like plant. There's only mind and body in the world, okay. Science say physics or biology, yeah, one of the science, they say, um, mind and body are moving, changing billions of times per second. Even if it changes once, it's no longer there. Okay, and let's look at ourselves. We have feelings. We as a human have feelings, okay? But it all comes down to whether you feel good or bad. Okay, any any feeling you have is either good or bad. But the feeling, we're not crazy, we're not that crazy. They have to base on something, okay? See, you might be judging me, it has to be based on me, right? You can't base your judge then eh, right? So our feeling good or bad, they based on something, okay. And Buddha says there's only mind and body, so our feelings are based on mind and all body, you know? People, mind, animal, mind, people, body, animal, body, non-living body. Okay, our feelings are based on mind and body. But science says minds are bodies are moving millions of times per second. So our feelings are based on the things that already move, based on the past, the present is never there. We just imagining. It's all memory if you practically think about it. But it's very hard to see. But if you that's how science relates to Buddhism, okay? Buddha say mind and body, our feelings are based on mind and body. But because science says mind and body are moving too fast, our feelings are based on the thing that already move. You are judging me. You think you see me, you only see reflection of me. You're judging me on my reflection that is dead, it's not me. I live on another side of the world. You know, you're judging me on my actions that already move.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

Because science is mind and body moving millions of times per second. So we have a feeling, we're not that crazy. We have feelings, but our feelings are based on our attachment, memory, imagination, you know, all past. So that's how Buddhism and science relate. And if you think about it, why should we feed good or bad on the things that no longer hear?

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

So you know, calm down. They already pass. Someone, someone treats you bad, someone leave you, someone die, it already passed. You know, my parents, I I treat them, I look after them. When they go, they go. You know, it's no point crying. You look after them when they alive, you know?

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

You know, like that. Like our feelings are based on the past. The present is not here because science in mind and body are moving too fast. We can't catch it. We don't see it because we know we're not able to catch it with human eyes. It's just moving too fast. So all I'm saying is we are still human, we have feelings, but don't drag on it. Okay, you feel bad, okay. React to it. But that's it. What's next? You know? Because nobody is better than you or you're not better than them. We all the same inside, same organ. Maybe size is a little bit bigger or smaller, and we could go any moment.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Interesting. Are you familiar with the guru Yogi Shivan? I did an episode with him, I just released it last week. It's kind of talking about the same thing. He has a healing village, it's called the Intimacy Healing Village in India. And he talks about how kind of what you're talking about and how the mind could actually attack bad like cancer cells if you focus on it and change the structure of the cancer cells and you know, and how he's here and he's everywhere all at the same time. And it's just you should watch the episode, it's a very good episode.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Our it could it could help you not only mentally, also physical. Because the way you feel it, I think it's to do with energy flow or blood flow. It the your mood affects your body, you know. And so, you know, if you're in a good mood, your body flow is good, that affects your organ. That's how it cure diseases. So even meditation, etc., it helps you not only mentally, also physically. That's how it helps your mood, the way the mood that you put your mind into, that helps your body cure stuff.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Right. He talks about the same exact things. Wow. So how do you ex- I'm sorry, were you about to say something? I'm sorry. It's true. That's all I say. It's true. Okay. How do you explain mindfulness to someone who isn't religious, you know, doesn't meditate, you know, and might be skeptical of spiritual language.

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Yes, yes. Mindfulness, that's why I don't want to mention too much about religion. I'll try to make it universal. That's why I said back by science. But I also know that a lot of successful people meditate just to focus. So meditation helps with focus. But mine is not meditation. But anyway, mindfulness, okay, mindfulness, I think us human, most of the time, we just act in the way we used to, you know, unconsciously. We just used to, you know. But if you actually and I think we just focus on everything outside of us, our surrounding, our environment. We judge other people, don't judge ourselves. If we judge ourselves, look at ourselves inside of us. That's how you become mindful. You know, the simple thing that you're doing every day, just try to see what you're doing, and then you can see the difference between the the right and the wrong thing, you know. That's that's what simply saying, be mindful. Just take it easy, just look at yourself and see what you're doing. Don't ignore it. We judge other people. What about judge yourself? That will solve a lot of your mental, even physical problems.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Yeah, I believe that. That's true. In your profile, something stuck out to me. You write, you write that um our feelings, happiness, unhappiness, fear, sadness are fleeting and shaped by memory, imagination, or reflection, right? Rather than the present moment. That hit me really hard because so many of us live inside our pain instead of inside reality. Can you break that? Can you break that down for everybody? Like how is our suffering created and how can becoming aware of our feelings change our lives?

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Yes, like I tried to explain before, but you also have to be a little bit open-minded, realistic, look at yourself, stop judging other people, look at yourself. But I'm not asking you to, you know, watch yourself, look at yourself, not to let yourself down, just to see it, see it, then also believe that other people are not better than you, and you're not better than them either, you know. So, like I said, our feelings are based on mind and body, and science says mind and body are moving two millions of times per second. So our feelings are simply if you believe in that, you gotta believe in that, and it is a true fact, scientific base. If you believe in that, you will come to realize that our feelings are based on the past, based on the worry. Hung Meng tells me we worry 100%, but only 25% of our worry realize, you know, something that you today we worry, okay. Okay, you still have to do that, put it down. I've got too many things to do. I'll always put things down and then take it off, you know. But don't worry too much, you know. If you don't worry, calm down. You can pass anything. We are human, you know. Our brain, even if you are a doctor or somebody, you only use a small part of your brain. Okay, we're keep capable of doing anything, you know. So don't worry, whatever happened, knowing that it's all past your imagination and your memory, just let it go, you know. We can do anything we want to do. We are human, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

But also know that don't yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Go ahead, go ahead. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

Uh also don't be too proud of yourself, you know. Also know that nobody better than you, but you also not better than them. We all the same inside and we could go any moment, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:37

And if you want me to put it simple way, there's another way. Stop worrying about things. Okay. So there's only good and bad thing, okay? When you pass your day, all you see is good or bad thing, you know, or you feeling good or bad, okay? But do they ever last? Okay, let me give you an example. Good thing, good food, good sex, good drugs. Do they ever last? A few minutes, right? Bad thing. Earthquake, flood, someone leave you, someone died, someone treat you bad. They also pass, okay? And nothing you can do about it. It's already gone. Don't drag on what snakes, you know. Like you have to train, you have to be realistic. See the fact. Don't worry, because nobody better than you, you know. You don't have to worry about when they say I do business and they say customers are always right. I don't care anymore. You know, I only take customers who value my service. So, you know, they're not better than you. Well, what do you mean customers are always right? You know, you are valuable, that's why they come to you. What do you mean, like authorities are all not a democratic country? But nobody is better than you, and you are not better than them either. We All the same inside, and we could go any moment, okay? If you're a billionaire or you are homeless, we all the same inside, and we could go any moment.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

For someone drowning in in uh you know anxiety and trauma, that that's hard for them to wrap their mind around, right? You know, so what does it look like for them to take their power back, you know, from their thoughts and return to the present moment?

SPEAKER_02 22:27

Yeah, I think they're being let down and they think that you know, they start to feel that whoever letting them down, everybody right, they're wrong, okay? But of course you try to be a good person, but don't worry about other people. They know better than you. You know, we all the same is that you have to believe that that will wake you up, you know. And then and then and then and try to face that you have a problem, okay? You have an anxiety. The main issue is people not facing their own issue, you know, people denying nothing happened to me. Okay, nobody can solve your issue, right? If you don't even admit that you have an issue, just be realistic, admit that I have an issue, right? I'm telling my issue in public, you don't have to, but tell someone that you love, okay? But if you have no one, there's a I don't know about in other country, in the developing country, there's helpline. I believe the helpline, the phone line, they should promote themselves more, even if they don't, they have they put it on TV or stuff like that sometimes. Reach out to them if you have no one to talk to, okay? Or get professional help. A lot of these people, they're confused, they don't know how to get help. That's why all these helplines we got to promote more. Come come come. I'm here to help, you know. That's why I'm coming out trying to reach to people. Come, come, come, you know. They can reach to my Facebook anytime.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Right. Thank you for that. Thank you. We have we have helplines here in the U.S. I know veterans have a helpline. I'm pretty sure every civilian has a helpline. I just don't know it off the top of my head the number of it, but yeah, we have helplines here. And I'm not gonna get too much into the helplines because I've had a bad experience with the veterans' helpline, so I'm not gonna get into that right now. But yeah, you're right though. People have to be uh vulnerable, you know?

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Yeah, I think those helplines, they gotta do good customer service and they they gotta promote more because people who are in trouble, they confuse. They don't know how to get help. I didn't know because I was a child, but I can feel that even if you are adult, you confuse. You you feel like you're being let down, you don't know how to get help. You know, we gotta go out and tell them promote ourselves, come, come, come, you know, and we've got to do customer service for them, like good customer service, being be there, at least have an open ear, listen to them. They want to talk, you know, right? And you have a show, go and get them. All the homeless, come and let them talk.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

They're not we are no better than them, the homeless people, never, we know better than them. We all the same inside, you know?

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Right, definitely. I agree with you 100%. So, what are one or two techniques that someone could use today, right now, to calm the storm inside their mind?

SPEAKER_02 25:30

Okay, would you like to try just for three minutes? Okay, please close your eyes just for three minutes. Okay, I'll wake you up.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

This is not meditation. Close your eyes, calm down, you know. Just be free, just think about whatever you want to think about, and I'll wake you up in three minutes. Okay, one more minute, I'll make a shot. Okay, because we all and I don't want to bore other people, but I yeah, please do that whatever you can. Five minute, ten minutes every day.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Yeah, what was that? And uh no, because I I've heard like it went totally silent, like I heard a buzzing in the back, and then it went silent, but then when you said okay, it came back on.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Yeah, so you feel pretty calm, right? Some people just feel calm, some people, you know, all their worry, everything you they're thinking about, all these thoughts coming, right? So it's just giving yourself time just for a few minutes every day, okay. We all busy, even if we're not busy, our minds are everywhere. But just try to see yourself, be yourself, look at yourself just for a few minutes every day, right? And all these thoughts we are human, we always think about something. The thoughts will come in, okay? When you relax, when you think you you're not thinking about anything, everything that you worry, everything you wanted to happen don't want to happen, everything coming. Maybe if you don't think about anything, then your life is very strange. You have nothing to worry, yeah. But then when you wake up, just realize that they're just imagination. Don't worry, okay? They will come, you just face it. You know, you already see what you worry about. If you don't worry about anything, oh no, your life is perfect. You know, you got nothing to do. I mean, you have nothing to do, probably. You have no worries. Then when you wake up, you already think about it, just be calm. You can't face it. Nobody better than you.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

Just believe that. If you if you think you're being let down, just believe that nobody better than you.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

I used to always say that, you know, everybody is the same, you know. Like, stop, you know, don't be scared of somebody. They the same just like you. You know, they bleed just like you. You know, I've always believed that.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

Yes. But I respect everyone, of course. Right. I give respect to everyone, but and I I treat everyone nice. I smile at them. If you smile at them, most people smile back at you, and that makes you happy. That makes you deal when someone smiles at you. But they only smile. Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Yeah. Yeah. Say something nice if you can to somebody, you know. Yeah. But don't worry. Right. And one thing, so that makes your work difference is that your message isn't just philosophical, it's real life. You know, you work with people making financial decisions, dealing with pressure of home loans, families, you know, after, you know, rebuilding after collapse.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:44

How does mindfulness help someone make better financial and life decisions with panic, fear, and uncertainty take over?

SPEAKER_02 28:52

But so life get to do everywhere, everything about and we all human.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

I'm not right, right, right, right. So, like, speaking of stress, right? What's the biggest mental blocks you see in people today? Stress, you know, just for a couple, stress, identity, you know, expectations, comparison. What are you seeing today? It's funny you say that. That uh billionaire, I mean, poor people, you've seen poor people become billionaires. We were just talking today about how amazing Tyler Perry's story is, how he was living in his geo, he was homeless. And now look at him. You know, he just, you know, he it's crazy. He he parks his geo in front of his mansion that he was living in, just as a reminder, you know, but he's like went from poor to billions and billions of dollars. It's amazing. Because he all day right, right, right, right. I love that. Everybody watching this knows the feeling of breaking. Like I told you, that's the my uh audience, you know, is trauma-based, right? So they know the feeling of break-in. You know, the people who follow this show are fighters, veterans, trauma survivors, recovering addicts, parents, young adults, warriors who battle themselves every day. So, what would you say to the person who feels like they've tried everything, but nothing works anymore? Right. Just believe right. I believe AI is gonna just wipe us out one day. They're just gonna take over everything. Not really. It's like internet. We just have to Right, right. So, how does mindfulness help someone rebuild identity after trauma, you know, when they no longer recognize who they are? Okay, I have a question that I've been wanting to ask you, just hear from your mouth. How does the Buddhist concept of impermanence help us face grief? You know, loss, relapse, or change without losing ourselves?

SPEAKER_02 30:51

You have to do it on Freddy.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Right. I believe like that's what I'm trying to get this um, this what I've built right here is to help people, you know, share what's um, you know, help me, you know, and I don't believe here there's a lot of, you know, there should be more broadcasting of helplines with these commercials and stuff, you know, but it's not, it's all food and and and entertainment, alcohol, stuff like that. That's what you see on TV these days for the commercials, but you don't see the helplines. You might catch it, you know, late at night or something when everybody sleep. It's it's ridiculous. So if someone wants to begin right now, right? They don't have a therapist, you know, they don't have support, they don't have stability. What is the first uh step you recommend to start healing today? What is the simplest door into clarity? Leave the past in the past, and nobody's better than that. Right, right, right, right. It makes total sense, you know, it makes total sense. So, final question, Saul. What is the difference between peace and escape? And how does someone know the difference in their own life? Yes, ma'am. So, thank you for your wisdom, thank you, your story, your compassion. Before we close, though, where can people find you, connect with you, your work, you know, and participate in what Wake Up LT is creating? Resources, sessions, social media, anything upcoming, please share it. No, I don't. No, I do have your Facebook page. I'm gonna put everything into the uh description. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Like I said, I'm gonna put everything in the description before I release your episode. For the people out there, if you watch this today, I want you to hear me clearly. You are not broken, you are becoming. Where you are right now is not the end of your story. So it's the chapter where you learn what you're made of. That's what I believe. You know, fighting battles nobody sees, but you're still here, and that means something. Yes, ma'am. So it's war, each one reach one. We're all recovering. Thank you for watching. So thank you for being here. We'll see you on the next episode. Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

Have a good day.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

You too, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

At least 50,000 Iraqi civilians have died.