“You have to move from dāna to sīla to sati to samādhi to paññā.”Bio

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

3 October 2024

“You have to move from dāna to sīla to sati to samādhi to paññā.”

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Question (F1):  Is having a teacher very important?

Than Ajahn:  Definitely. If you don’t have a teacher, you won’t know how to practice correctly. But teachers can come in many forms. Books that are written by enlightened teachers such as the Buddha, can be your teachers. However, these may not be as good as a living teacher because you might have to read a lot of books to find out what you are looking for. If you study with a living teacher, when you have any question, you can ask him or her, and your teacher can give you the answer right away.

Question (F1):  How do we know that the teacher is an enlightened one?

Than Ajahn:  You have to ask around. Like when you buy diamonds, how do you know whether they are real or not real? You have to ask around to find out where is the place that sell real diamonds, and where is the place that sell fake diamonds. It’s the same with finding enlightened teachers. There are people who know where to find them. You just have to ask around.

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Question (F2):  When you said ‘practice’, what kind of practise is it? Is it meditation practice, or mindfulness practice?

Than Ajahn:  You have to move from dāna to sīla to sati to samādhi to paññā. There are steps that you have to go through. First, if you’re still involved with money, then you have to get rid of your money. So, you will be free from worrying about money.

Next, if you cannot keep the 5 precepts, you have to learn how to keep the 5 precepts first. 

Once you can keep the 5 precepts, then you move to the 8 precepts. Once you can keep the 8 precepts, then you have to see how many days you can do it, one day a week, two days a week and so forth. You have to keep increasing your practice until you’re fully doing it every day.

It’s the same way with meditation. You might start with half an hour a day. Then, you might do it twice a day, three times a day, four times a day, and extend more time for these practices. So, everything has to increase as you move along if you want to advance in your practice.


Youtube video: “Dhamma in English, Aug 15, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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