The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
18th November, 2022
“Wisdom develops samādhi can be used when you face with a life and death situation.”
- - -Question (M): Can you please elaborate about wisdom develops samādhi?
Tahn Ajahn: Samādhi can be achieved by two methods: by using concentration, focusing your mind on the meditation object such as ānāpānasati or reciting a mantra, Buddho, Buddho; and by using wisdom or common sense to tackle the problems that are bothering you at that time. Sometimes, your mind is restless and agitated due to some problems with your family, your friends, your business or any other problems which you encountered before you meditate, and so you use wisdom because you cannot concentrate on your breath and you cannot concentrate on reciting your mantra.
You ask yourself, ‘What’s the issue with the problem you are having? Can you solve it? Is the problem related to money or people? Are you angry at someone and you cannot let your mind get away from this anger? What can you do about it? Can you change the person who makes you angry? Can you erase what had happened?’ If you couldn’t erase what had happened, then the only thing you can do is to accept it because things had happened. There is nothing else you can do about it. Once you can accept it, your mind will let go of the problem.
Then, your mind will go back to normal. This is ‘wisdom develops samādhi.’ But this is a superficial level of samādhi.
If you want to have full concentration, you have to come back and concentrate by reciting your mantra or using your breath. This full concentration is to stop your mind from being agitated by some events or people that you cannot let go of. And if you want to let them go completely, you have to use wisdom. Look at them as aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. Aniccaṁ means they come and go. Anattā means that you cannot prevent or stop others from doing what they do. If you want others to do something in a certain way but you know that you cannot force others to do it, then you just have to accept them for what they are. You can let go of your desire for others to do things for you because you see them as aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. When you let go, your mind becomes peaceful. After that, you go back to concentrate on your meditation. This is on the ordinary level.
There is another level of wisdom developing samādhi. When you sit in pain, your mind starts to be agitated, right? You cannot concentrate on your breath. You cannot use a mantra. Then, you might have to use wisdom.
If you want to have full concentration, you have to come back and concentrate by reciting your mantra or using your breath. This full concentration is to stop your mind from being agitated by some events or people that you cannot let go of. And if you want to let them go completely, you have to use wisdom. Look at them as aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. Aniccaṁ means they come and go. Anattā means that you cannot prevent or stop others from doing what they do. If you want others to do something in a certain way but you know that you cannot force others to do it, then you just have to accept them for what they are. You can let go of your desire for others to do things for you because you see them as aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. When you let go, your mind becomes peaceful. After that, you go back to concentrate on your meditation. This is on the ordinary level.
There is another level of wisdom developing samādhi. When you sit in pain, your mind starts to be agitated, right? You cannot concentrate on your breath. You cannot use a mantra. Then, you might have to use wisdom.
Study the nature of pain and see if the pain is aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. If you can see that the pain is aniccaṁ, it comes and goes; the pain is anattā, you cannot force it to go away; then the only thing you can do is just to accept it. Let the pain stays on. Once you can let the pain stay without having any desire for it to disappear, your mind becomes calm and peaceful. In that way, you have samādhi. You are able to go through this painful stage. This is also wisdom develops samādhi.
When your mind cannot focus on your breath or cannot focus on your mantra, then you have to use investigation. Investigate the nature of pain to see that it is aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā.
When your mind cannot focus on your breath or cannot focus on your mantra, then you have to use investigation. Investigate the nature of pain to see that it is aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā.
It is dukkhaṁ because you want to get rid of it but you can’t. Therefore, you have to leave it alone. The pain is anattā because you cannot force it to go away. When you see that the painful feeling is anattā, then you know that there’s nothing you can do about it.
It’s like the rain. Can you do anything when it rains? The more you want the rain to stop, the more restless you become, right? So, it’s better just to accept it. Once you teach the mind to accept it and when the mind can accept it, the mind will leave the pain alone. The mind will become peaceful. It enters samādhi that way.
It’s like the rain. Can you do anything when it rains? The more you want the rain to stop, the more restless you become, right? So, it’s better just to accept it. Once you teach the mind to accept it and when the mind can accept it, the mind will leave the pain alone. The mind will become peaceful. It enters samādhi that way.
This is also wisdom develops samādhi.
Wisdom develops samādhi can be used when you face with a life and death situation. You’ve studied the nature of your body. So, what is the nature of your body? It’s impermanent, right?
Wisdom develops samādhi can be used when you face with a life and death situation. You’ve studied the nature of your body. So, what is the nature of your body? It’s impermanent, right?
Sooner or later, it’s going to die. If you have to die now, what can you do? Nothing, right? You accept it. Let the body die. Let go of the body.
This is also wisdom develops samādhi. But for this kind of wisdom develops samādhi, you need to have a crisis situation that will force you to use wisdom. Normally, if there is no crisis, when your mind is peaceful and has no problem, you cannot use wisdom to solve the problem. So, if you cannot use mindfulness to stop your problem, then you need a crisis situation in order to use wisdom develops samādhi.
Layperson: Thank you.
Layperson: Thank you.
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