The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart

8 June 2024

Question:  I usually meditate after chanting. Is this okay?

Than Ajahn:  Chanting is the preliminary practice of mindfulness. Sometimes, when you start meditating, your mind is still thinking about other things that you’ve just done. In order to get rid of those thoughts, you use chanting to help the mind stops those thoughts. 

If you focus on your chanting, then you’ll forget about the activities that you’ve done before you meditate, you won’t be thinking about them anymore. Once you can stop those thoughts, you can continue on with watching your breath.

However, if you don’t have any thoughts when you start your meditation, then you don’t have to chant. If you can focus on your breath right away, you can skip the chanting part. So, it depends on the condition of your mind at that time, whether it is still agitated or it is not agitated. If it isn’t agitated, you can focus on your breath and start meditating right away. 

But if you find that you cannot focus on your breath because you still keep thinking about some other things, then you should do some chanting first. Chant until all the thoughts that bother your mind disappear, until you forget everything.

Then, you can start your meditation.

You can chant in the position that you do for your meditation. 

It would be better if you don’t chant it out loud.

You chant it mentally because it will be easier to calm your mind. But you can do it either way: you can chant it out loud or you can chant it inside your mind. You’ll achieve the same purpose: to stop your mind from thinking about other things.

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Question:  I read the book which you said that we chant, ‘Buddho, Buddho, Buddho.’ Is it ok if I chant Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho?

Than Ajahn:  Yes, any kind of chant is possible. You can chant any kinds of chants you like, because sometimes you might like some chants and dislike some other chants. So, you pick the chant that you enjoy doing. 

Like chosing songs, when you sing a song, you sing the song you like, you don’t sing the song you don’t like. It’s the same with chanting.

The purpose of chanting is to get your mind away from thinking about other things and to bring your mind back to the present because your mind tends to be in the past or in the future. You think about what you did in the past or what you are going to do in the future. 

Hence, your mind cannot focus on the present moment, it cannot watch the breath. So, you have to stop your mind from thinking about the past or going to the future by doing some kinds of chants or reciting mantras.

Sometimes people find that reciting a short chant or a mantra is too repetitive and boring, so they need to chant something longer. You can read the whole sutta if you like, such as chant the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. 

When I started, I chanted the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta because I could not focus on my breath yet, so I spent about 40 minutes chanting the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. 

After that, my mind became calm and went back to the present, it didn’t go the past or to the future. Then, I could continue on watching my breath.

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Question:  Could you please talk more about the mantra because I’m not familiar with the Buddho? Do I just say it in my head, Buddho, Buddho, Buddho?

Than Ajahn:  Yeah, just recite it in your head, slow or fast, however you want to do it.

This will prevent you from thinking about other things. 

Right now, your thinking creates desires or cravings.

And when you have desires or cravings, your mind becomes uncomfortable and uneasy.

But if you can prevent your mind from thinking, from desiring, then your mind will become at ease and comfortable. So, this is the purpose of a mantra or chanting: to prevent your mind from thinking and desiring. That’s all.

Layperson:  Ok. Thank you.

“Dhamma in English, Jan 12, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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