"The body gets old, gets sick, and dies, but the mind doesn’t."

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

19 March 2024

"The body gets old, gets sick, and dies, but the mind doesn’t."

Question: What can you do with people who have delusion? 

Than Ajahn: If they cannot be taught, you must leave them alone. Buddhism does not seek to convert people. If they are willing to listen, then you can teach them. We consider things logically in Buddhism. 

We have to educate the mind in order to know what is right and what is wrong. We can then refrain from doing bad deeds and do only good ones.

We have to exercise restraints when it comes to acquiring things. This is because we usually acquire more than we actually need. Greed that comes from delusion and ignorance begets hatred— you get angry when you don’t get what you want. If you have experienced the mental calm, you will be content. You will not want anything other than the four requisites of life: food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.

The body gets old, gets sick, and dies, but the mind doesn’t. The mind is eternal and does not dissolve like the body. The mind goes from one existence to another because of the desire for a new body. Past actions (kamma) will decide what kind of body you will have in the next life.

The mind can exist by itself without having a body. We all have a body because we still have sensual desires. 

We need the body to experience the five sensual objects: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile objects. If we practise meditation, we can eliminate these desires; there will then be no need for a body. 

Therefore, there will be no rebirth. To do this successfully, we have to live like a monk—a life without sensual pleasures.

"Essential Teachings."

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijato
www.phrasuchart.com

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