The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
Life is an addiction
Than Ajahn: Do you want to become enlightened?
Sāmaṇera: There is something I believe about Buddhism but there are other things that I don’t think I agree, like being alone.
Than Ajahn: Do you think to be alone is not good? Do you think that it’s better to be with someone?
Sāmaṇera: Yes. I think that even Buddhism said that life is full of pain and sorrow, but now at this moment, I want to live my life fully, do whatever I want to do.
Than Ajahn: How long do you think you can do this for? Until you get old, right? Until you get sick. Then, what happens?
Sāmaṇera: Then, die.
Than Ajahn: Then, die. So, what happens to all the things that you have done?
Sāmaṇera: They vanish.
Than Ajahn: So, why do you do them in the first place if they vanish?
Sāmaṇera: I don’t know.
Than Ajahn: Because you cannot stop yourself from not doing it. If you can stop yourself from doing it, you’ll be happier. I’ll give you an example, which one is better, someone who is addicted to drugs and someone who is not addicted to drugs?
Sāmaṇera: The one who is not addicted to drugs.
Than Ajahn: It’s the same way with being addicted to do things. You are addicted to do things and this is like addicted to drugs. When you have nothing to do you feel bad, and when you’ve got something to do, you feel good. But for how long can you continue doing it? One day you’ll end up not being to do what you want to do. Then, what happens? You’ll feel bad. You might want to kill yourself.
When people cannot do things they want to do by themselves, they’re not happy. They feel terrible. So, what do they do? They decide to kill themselves. But if you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to kill yourself. If you can become a monk and you don’t have to do anything, then you will always be happy, like someone who is not addicted to drugs.
Monks and laypeople are like two persons.
One person is addicted to drugs and the other person is not addicted to drugs. Monks are the ones who are not addicted to doing things to make them happy, while laypeople are those who are addicted to doing things to make them happy. But the happiness that laypeople get is like smoke. It comes and disappears very quickly. As soon as they get what they want, their happiness disappear.
Sāmaṇera: Do you mean happiness from material things?
Than Ajahn: Yes, materials or actions, like going to see a movie, listening to music, sleeping with someone. These are temporary happiness. They’ll vanish. Then you’re left all alone again. You have to keep having them all the time until the time when you cannot have them then you’ll kill yourself.
But if you can stop this addiction, you can be happy all the time without having to have anything to make you happy.
Life is an addiction. We are addicted to life, addicted to do things to make us happy, to feel alive. We don’t want to be dead. When you’re dead, you cannot do anything. But you can stop your mind from being addicted to life.
You can live happily with life or with no life, it’s like having drugs or no drugs.
Sāmaṇera: And you are happier when you meditate, right?
Than Ajahn: When you meditate, it can stop you from doing other things. Once you know how to meditate, you don’t need to do other things.
Focus on one object to stop your mind from thinking. When you think, your mind will not be calm, will not be concentrated, will not be happy. If you can stop your mind from thinking, your mind will become calm and happy. Once you’re happy, then you don’t need anything. You can get rid of your drug addiction and can get rid of all your addictions.
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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