Stop going out to look for happiness. You have happiness right here within you.”

“Stop going out to look for happiness. You have happiness right here within you.”

Than Ajahn:  "Did you attend my talk when I had skype with you two or three years ago?"

Male: "Yes. He was a monk at that time." (referring to another visitor)

Than Ajahn:  "How come you quit? You cannot control your mind. Your mind wants to become a layperson."

Male: "Yes. It’s running around."

Than Ajahn:  "What does running around do for you? It’s doing nothing for you. It’s better to be still. But that’s the hardest thing to do. If you can be still, if you can overcome your desire to go here and there, you will find peace and happiness. And this kind of happiness is far better than any kinds of happiness that you can find on this earth. 

Stop going out to look for happiness. You have happiness right here within you. But you keep going away from this real happiness in you. You go look for the false kinds of happiness outside. The real happiness is right here waiting for you to discover. You can find it by developing mindfulness. If you have mindfulness, you can stop your thinking. When you can stop your thoughts, you can stop your desire to go here and there. 

If you keep thinking about Singapore, about Malaysia, about China, your desire will arise. Then, you want to go back to Singapore. You want to go to Malaysia. You want to go to China. But if you don’t think about it, if you only think about Buddho, Buddho, Buddho, there is no desire to go anywhere. Then, you can be here, be still and be happy without having to do anything. So, try to develop mindfulness. This is very important. This is the key to your success. 

The Buddha said that mindfulness is the main element of success. Without mindfulness, nothing can happen. If you have no mindfulness, you cannot have samādhi. If you have no samādhi, you cannot use wisdom to get rid of your desire. 

So, do what I told you to do.  Keep controlling your thoughts from the time you get up, either by using a mantra or by focusing on your body. Whatever you do with your body, keep watching your body. Don’t let your mind go elsewhere. Bring it here and now, in the present. The present is in the body or at the recitation of mantra. 

If you go to the past or to the future, you’ve already started thinking. You have to think to go to the past. When you asked yourself, ‘What happened yesterday?’ This is already a thought form. When you asked yourself, ‘What is going to happen tomorrow?’ This is another thought form. So, you have to stop. Stop going to the past or to the future by concentrating on the present moment, on your body or on a mantra. Then, your mind will become blank, empty, peaceful, and happy. It’s not heavy-hearted. 

Your mind becomes heavy-hearted because you think about something and you want to take some actions on it but you can’t. The inability to do something makes you feel heavy-hearted. But if you don’t think about it, your mind becomes light-hearted. So, stop thinking. Thinking is bad for you. Thinking is worse than smoking a cigarette because thinking is the one that causes you to go to smoke. Thinking causes you to get addicted to something. It all comes from your thoughts. So, if you can stop thinking, you can stop all your addictions, all your desire."

“Dhamma in English to laypeople from Singapore, Apr 24, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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