“Meditators should avoid association.”

“Meditators should avoid association.”

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Layperson: When I first start sitting, I felt some discomfort in my body.

Than Ajahn: They are all distractions. Don’t worry about them. They are your defilements. When you have to do things that your defilements don’t like, they will create all sorts of distractions. Don’t pay attention to them. Just concentrate on your meditation subject, then everything will disappear by itself.

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Layperson: My previous meditation technique was Mahasi technique – rising and falling, but I experienced discomfort.

Than Ajahn: You can change it. Try to watch your breathing instead. Focus your breath at the tip of your nose where the air comes into contact with the body, where it comes in and out of the body. Just focus on that point. Don’t be too intense. Be relaxed.

When you are too intense, you can cause all kinds of problems to arise, so you have to be neutral. You don’t need to have too much enthusiasm or anticipation. Just don’t expect anything. Just watch. If you have a lot of anticipation, you can create a lot of stress later on. Just be neutral. Just say: I am just watching my breathing, I don’t care what happens, I just want to watch the breathing and nothing else. If anything happens, don’t pay attention to it.

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Layperson: I want to spend time the best way I can when I am practising here, so can I talk to other people?

Than Ajahn: Meditators should avoid association. You should separate yourself from others because when you talk your mind starts to think, it starts to work. You want to stop your mind from thinking. So you only come together to do whatever activities that you need to do together. When there is no need, you should separate yourself from others. Stay in your room. Do your own practice.

Unfortunately we don’t have a facility like this (forest) to cater for everybody. So you just have to do with whatever you have and may have to look for some other places outside which can provide you with the environment you want. It is easier if you come alone. If you come in a group, it is very hard to accommodate all of you because we only have a very small facility.

For a real meditator, you should go alone. Then you don’t have to worry about other people. If you go in a group, you always have to wait for everybody to be ready to do things. This can be an impediment to your practice instead of being helpful. I advise you that if you want to meditate, you should go alone. If you cannot, and still need company, then it is okay. You can start from there first, but eventually when you start to advance in your practice, you want to be alone.

You can read my book instead of coming to see me. By reading the books, you probably get a better understanding because it is exactly the same thing with what I am telling you now.

“Dhamma in English, Jun 23, 2015.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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