“When you are born, regardless of which society you are born into, you are born into a society where greed, hatred and delusion fill the minds of each individual.”

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

27th September, 2022

“When you are born, regardless of which society you are born into, you are born into a society where greed, hatred and delusion fill the minds of each individual.”

Student (Male, M):  Some people are treated unfairly, such as in Tibet. Do you think a peaceful approach by relying on your past kamma is the right way to cope with such a situation?

Tan Ajaan: No, the right way to cope with such a situation is to do like the Buddha did: that is, do not take a new life, as I have explained to you. Because when you are born, regardless of which society you are born into, you are born into a society where greed, hatred and delusion fill the minds of each individual.

This greed, hatred and delusion in the minds of each individual will be the cause of conflicts, the cause of problems. If everyone can live in peace and not bother other people, then it is all right, but no one likes to do that. Everyone likes to hurt others, or to oppress them under their power, for instance. That is because the mind has not been taught to live properly. The mind is still under the delusion that having things or people under its command makes it feels good. So, this kind of thinking only causes struggle and war in society.

Buddhism offers a personal salvation, but not a salvation for everyone. It is something we have to seek for ourselves. This is because everyone has different ways of looking at things and we cannot convince everyone to think the same way as us. The Buddha never tried to teach everyone to be like him; he only taught people who thought like Him.

These sorts of problems don’t just exist in our time, they also existed in the past. If you study history, you know that there have always been problems, there have always been wars. It will always been like that because the mind of each individual has not been taught with the right knowledge.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Youtube: Dhamma in English
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g