Monks should solely concentrate on developing mindfulness

“Monks should solely concentrate on developing mindfulness”

Monks: You mentioned how we have done our part on dāna, on the material level we have given up the material world, but something like the chores or communal harmony is also important. You also talk about the importance of being happy, like happiness being part of the condition for samādhi. Many people find that they just don’t find that kind of happiness in brahmacariyā. Is there a role for doing, as a service, generosity in the community, maybe to create the feeling of happiness. To give an example like Than Ajahn Pañña who liked to fix watches for his friends which is a kind of being generous. How is this connected to development of samādhi?

Than Ajahn:  It is an alternative way, but it is not the right way because the right way is samādhi that you eventually have to achieve. Other things are just a means to bring your mind towards that goal eventually. When you do things for other people, you are in a way stopping your defilement from going to do things for yourself and it is this defilement that is one of the problems which we call hindrance that prevents you from having samādhi.

You have to be very careful because sometimes you may overdo it and you become attached to the path and forget that it is just a path, it is not the goal. The problem is sometimes we take the path to be the goal, so we are not getting anywhere. The path here is to stop your mind from doing anything for yourself, so instead of watching tv or doing something that is harmful, not useful, you go do some work for other people. But for monks I will discourage this.

I think monks should solely concentrate on developing mindfulness. Because the Buddha said, in order to achieve the results of your practice, you need constant development of mindfulness, you have to live alone in a secluded place, don’t socialize, don’t mingle with other people. You have to know how to be moderate in your eating. You have to constantly guard your senses, so when you go help other people you are generally not guarding your senses, you are actually opening the gate to let your mind go out towards all the senses, so I don’t think that that is the proper way, except that if you cannot do these four things that the Buddha requires you, then maybe you have to go back and do this pre-requisite work first, do things for other people. But eventually that is to lessen your desire to do things for yourself, then you can come back be with yourself, be alone and develop mindfulness.

Monk:  May I ask about yourself when you are with LuangTa Mahā Boowa from the early years when you have just ordained, how many years were you there for?

Than Ajahn:  I was there for nine vassa. The first five vassa I never left the monastery. After I have completed my five vassa I asked permission to come back home to visit my parents for about 2 weeks then I went back. On the 8th vassa I asked permission to come out for the second time where I stayed longer, about 3-4 months and then I went back for my last vassa, vassa 9. After vassa I got news from back home that my father got terminal cancer, so I asked permission to come and stay here and I never went back. After my father’s funeral I came to stay here. I have been here from 1984, about 31 years.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto www.phrasuchart.com