Alms Giving & How to Offer Items to Monks

Alms Giving & How to Offer Items to Monks

If we want to gain a good result of merit from alms-giving, we, first of all, should know how to do it correctly. Therefore, we have to inform ourselves to make sure that we understand what ought and ought not to be done in due course.

In order to get a great deal of merit from alms-giving, we first have to prepare things for alms which we must get from the right means of livelihood, so that the alms is morally clean and pure.

Dana or alms-giving in the Suttas is divided into ten types. 

They are almsfood, clothing, vehicle and transportation facilities, flowers, incense / aromatic things, mats and paving material, medicine and light.

PRESENTING FOOD ON THE ALMSROUND

Monks are forbidden to hoard food, and they cannot do cooking. Therefore, alms gathering is the monk's daily routine. Some of them take only one meal a day in the morning, and some have two meals -- in early morning and just before noon. They are not allowed to eat after midday, unless they are severely ill. 

In the morning, the monk is expected to go for alms gathering as his routine. The Buddhist layman personally contributes towards the daily food requirements of the monks and novices as an act of religious merit, as well as a means to support the Buddha Sasana. 

Offering food to the monk on his alms round should be done correctly too. One who wants to do this should prepare the food and get ready. Make it seen that you want to offer alms food to the monk. When the monk comes, he will stop in front of you and open the lid of his almsbowl. Then, we will carefully place the articles of food, one after the other, into the almsbowl. The monk will receive the food peacefully and respectfully. He also will bless us at that moment as well. 

The monk does not wear shoes while going on the almsround. 

Therefore, during this almsround offering we ought to take off our shoes too. 

Otherwise we will be in a higher place that the monk, and this is considered to be improper or impolite. There is an exception for government officials, soldiers and officers in their uniform. 

However, if the monk is standing on a platform or on a mat which is considered to be in higher place than us, taking off one's shoes is not necessary. 

HOW TO OFFER REQUISITES TO MONKS

According to the Vinaya or Monastic Discipline, monks cannot take things without them being first offered. It is an ecclesiastical offense to use unoffered items. Therefore, knowing what to do in presenting things to the monks is necessary for us Lay Buddhists.  

First, the size and weight of the object presented should be manageable by one person. It should not be too heavy, making it inconvenient for both the monk and the donor. 

There is no problem with lighter and smaller things. 

When both the monk and the devotee are ready, he or she should be about an arms length or less than a meter away from the monk, and present the alms respectfully to the monk. The monk has to receive the alms courteously too. 

On presenting the object to the monk, if it is done by two hands it will be received by both hands too. 

The monk cannot receive things from a woman's hand directly. 

He will use a piece of cloth to receive the presented object by placing the cloth in front of him. 

Then the women places the object presented on that piece of cloth. Again, if it is offered by one hand, the monk will receive it with one hand as well. Both the presenter and the receiver have to do this nicely and respectfully too. This makes a correct, nice and beautiful gesture in presenting things to the monk. 

Phra Ajaan Plien Panyapatipo

Wat Aranyawiwake, Mae Taeng District

Chiang Mai Province

【🌷Fabush 🌷】

The Buddha once said: Of all the offerings, the offering of the Dhamma is the most auspicious offering❗

For better living conditions, one must create the right cause❗ 

The right cause is through giving.  Giving does not necessarily involve money.

Do three good deeds every day. Acts of kindness will generate the good results. It is not difficult to do three good things every day- Being kind, seeing only goodness, harbouring good intention, bearing only good thoughts in every single moment, having good intentions arise, all actions done whether through body, speech and mind are for the benefits of others. 

With all these virtues, one can accumulate a lot of good merits in a day. 

Now the most convenient ways of sharing Dhamma are through Facebook, Weibo, WeChat, WhatsApp, LlNE, Viber, etc........ 

It doesn't cost a penny to share and forward the Dhamma to others. The sharing of Dhamma generates great and endless good deed and it is also an act of benefitting others as well as oneself.

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“The development of insight”

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

“The development of insight”

“…Insight means to perceive things as they are, not as how you think they are. For instance, the Buddha said that there is no self in the body, but we think there is a self in the body. We think that the body is “I,” “mine” or “myself.”

This is delusional; it is not the correct truth.

The truth is that the body is just a composition of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. You get these four elements from the food that you eat. The food you eat, like fruits, vegetables, and grains, comes from the earth. They have to have earth, water, fire (heat), and air.

They are the combination of these four elements, and when you ingest them into your body, they turn into 32 parts of the body. They become the hair of your head, hair of your body, skin, teeth, nails, and all the internal organs. This body is composed of the four elements. 

When this body stops functioning, these four elements disintegrate, going their separate ways. When this body dies, the first two things to leave are air (the wind element) and heat (the fire element). The body becomes cold.

The air is the smell that comes out of the body. Later on, the water element comes out of the body. Eventually the body will just be left with the hard part, the earth element, such as the skeleton and the skin that is all dried up. And when the body is left long enough, the body will decompose and return back to the earth.

This is the development of insight. You have to train your mind to think in this manner, in order to see that this body is not you. You are the one who is investigating the body.

The one who investigates and the one who is being investigated cannot be the same thing.

You are the mind, who is the one investigating the body.

The body is not the mind. The body and the mind are like twins, which join together at the time of conception in the womb, when the sperm and egg combine to form a body.

The mind that needs a new body comes along to take possession of that body.

The mind is the spirit that died from a previous life. It is just like our mind. When we die, our mind will separate from this body and seek a new one.

When there is conception in the womb, the mind will take possession of that particular new body. When you are born, the mind thinks that this mind is the body, and the body is the mind.

This is avijjā or delusion, not knowing the truth of the mind and body that they are two separate things. The mind is the controller of the body. The body is like a toy. The mind is like the owner of the toy, like the driver of a car. The car is the body, and the driver is the mind.

The problem is that the mind does not know this. The mind thinks that the body is itself, so whatever happens to the body affects the mind negatively.

The mind becomes sad and afraid. However, if you know that the body is not yourself, you can overcome this bad feeling. If you know something does not belong to you, you will not be affected by whatever happens to it.

If you know that a car is not yours, whatever happens to the car will not affect you. If you think the car belongs to you and something happens to it, you will be affected because of your delusion, your ignorance, and not knowing the truth. This is what is called insight.

We have to teach the mind the true story and have to keep reminding it at all time.

Whatever happens to the body, we should leave it alone.

We should not worry about it, because if you study the course of the body, you’ll know that the body will eventually get old, get sick and die. No matter how you feel about it, it will still happen.

Even if you are afraid of getting old, getting sick and dying, sickness and death will happen anyway.

If you know that it is not you, you will not be affected by whatever happens to the body.

This is on the intellectual level.

You have to raise it to another level, putting it to the test, subjecting the body to all sorts of hardship, like becoming a monk…”

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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

How to do standing meditation properly?

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

Question:  How to do standing meditation properly?

Than Ajahn:  The proper way to meditate regardless of your position is to have mindfulness, either by reciting a mantra to have mindfulness or by watching the action of your body. If you’re standing, just observe that your body is standing. If your mind cannot stop thinking yet, then you have to use a mantra. If you can watch your breath, you can use your breath as your object of mindfulness. Watch your breath or recite a mantra while you are standing, just like when you are in sitting meditation. The difference is only the position of the body. But as far as the mind is concerned, the mind still has to do the same thing: to keep being mindful regardless whether you sit, stand or walk. 

You have to maintain mindfulness in any method that you use, you can use a mantra, or if you are walking, you can watch your feet, when you move your right or left foot, you just keep reciting, ‘left’ or ‘right’. 

The purpose is to stop your mind from thinking, so you have to have something for the mind to do in order for it not to go think about other things.

“Dhamma in English, Apr 25, 2018.”

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Question:  I do standing meditation. Is this the correct way?

Than Ajahn:  If it works for you, you can do it. There are 4 postures of meditation: walking, sitting, standing and lying down. The fourth one is not preferable because it is easy for you to go to sleep. So, you can use the other 3 postures. If you like standing, you can use it. If you like walking, you can use it. 

If you like sitting, you can also use it. Watch for the result, which one is best for you.

“Dhamma in English, Apr 25, 2018.”

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Question:  Which posture is the most beneficial for meditation?

Than Ajahn:  You can do it in any posture. The posture is not essential. The essential factors are mindfulness and wisdom. 

People can practice in various postures, either standing, sitting, walking or lying down.

When you first practice, you have to avoid lying down posture because you don’t have strong mindfulness yet. When you don’t have strong mindfulness, you will fall asleep and you will waste your time. 

For beginners, as they don’t have strong mindfulness, they have to stick to three postures: standing, walking or sitting. You can switch to those different postures as you find it appropriate. You cannot sit too long, stand too long or walk too long. You have to change your position in order to maintain your body health. If you just stick to one posture for a long time, your body can become sick. So you have to know how to balance it.

The real practice is not in the posture but in the mindfulness and in your contemplation of the truth: these are the real determinants whether you can become enlightened or not, not in your bodily postures.

“Dhamma in English, Dec 10, 2015.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

19th July, 2022

Question:  How to overcome the tendency to be envious towards others?

Than Ajahn:  You have to develop muditā. Muditā means to have joy in other people’s progress.  

When you see your friends or people you don’t know achieve success, become richer or become better, you should be happy with their achievement. You have to look at the truth. The truth is everyone is different. Different person can achieve different things in life. Each individual can achieve success slowly or quickly. This is something you cannot dictate that you should achieve success more than other people. 

There’s a tendency that you always think of yourself. You want to achieve success. When somebody else achieves success more than you do, you become envious or jealous of other person’s success. So, you have to look at the truth that everybody has his own abilities; some can achieve success quickly and some can achieve success slowly; some can achieve success and some cannot achieve any success; it’s not for you to become envious of other people. 

You should come back and look at yourself and see why you are not achieving any success. If you’re not achieving any success, then you should fix it. Don’t try to go fix other people by trying to make other people’s achievement go back down to your level. So, try to look at yourself and don’t look at other people. If other people advance, just congratulate them, be happy with their achievement. If you don’t do so, then you will feel bad every time you see somebody else do better than you. You have to see that people have different abilities. If they can do it, it’s their business. It has nothing to do with you. Tell yourself that whatever people do, how much is their achievement, it’s their business, not your business to give them scores or to criticize them. So, this is basically what you should do: if you see people have happiness, have advancement in their lives, you should be happy with them.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 15, 2019.”

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Question:  We contemplate asubha to reduce our sexual desire. What should we contemplate on for us to reduce our jealousy i.e. jealous of others’ successes or wealth, etc.?

Than Ajahn:   You contemplate on the law of kamma. We are all subject to the law of kamma. Kamma is action—what we do and what we had done. The result of our action arises from what we do now and what we had done in the past. If someone is better than us, it means that he had done something better than we did. It’s the law. It’s the truth. There is no point to be envious or jealous. It won’t change anything. You have to accept that there are people who are better than you are, there are people who are equal to you and there are people who are worse off than you. So, when you see that somebody is better than you, you should also look at somebody who is worse off than you. This may balance out your perspective about others.

“Dhamma in English, Jun 19, 2018.”

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Question:  Could you tell me how to deal with envy and jealousy? Because sometimes it overwhelms me and consumes my life and I am unable to get it out of my mind.

Than Ajahn:  Don’t compete with other people but compete with yourself, then there will be no envy and jealousy. Try to compete with yourself. What you have to compete with is your kilesas (defilements), which is your greed, hatred and delusion. Don’t compete with other people because some other people may be smarter or better than you are and some people are worse off than you. So when you want people to be like you but they happen to be smarter than you are, then you can be envious.

If you have to compare with other people, then you should think that we all have different kamma. We did different kamma in the past and it makes some people smarter than us, some people less smart than us. We just have to accept the truth of the kamma that people are not the same. If they are better than us, we should just accept it because this is the truth.

“Dhamma in English, Oct 27, 2016.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

THE DAY THE EARTH SHOOK ~ by Ven Balacitta

THE DAY THE EARTH SHOOK 

~ by Ven Balacitta

Before I start on the actual talk today, I would just like to let you know that there are 3 types of people who listen to the Dhamma. 

They are:

Those who pay attention and remember.

Those who pay attention and remember but forget after the ending of the Dhamma talk.

Those who unable to pay attention.

This last group comprises people who are easily distracted. Although they are present, their minds are sometimes preoccupied elsewhere with other thoughts. 

Therefore they do not hear the Dhamma and consequently, they fail to learn anything about the Dhamma. 

Even so, we must commend them for putting in the effort to come. At times, they actually do a service to other beings when they come to listen to the Dhamma. Those unseen beings who guard them day and night might follow them to listen to the Dhamma too.

In the wake of the devastating Tsunami that recently hit many parts of Asia and the untold suffering and pain that it brought to hundreds of thousands of beings, it is timely to know something about these occurrences and their causes. According to the Buddha (in Mahaparinibbana Sutta, DN 16), there are 8 conditions that can result in earthquakes/tremors occurring:

Due to natural phenomena. This mass of land we call the earth rests on water (liquid), which in turn rests on air with a void space underneath. 

Whenever the air shifts violently, tremors can occur.

When a mighty and powerful heavenly being or a yogi who has developed supernormal powers exerts his psychic energy.

When the bodhisatta descends from Tusita Heaven into his mother’s womb.

When the bodhisatta emerges from his mother’s womb.

When the Tathagata gains unsurpassed enlightenment as a Sammasambuddha.

When the Buddha sets in motion the Wheel of the Dhamma, e.g. at the end of the first sermon, Dhammacakkacappavattana Sutta.

When the Buddha renounces his life-principle prior to his parinibbana.

When the Buddha attains parinibbana.

In Mahaparinibbana Sutta, it is stated that the Buddha’s parinibbana could have been delayed for as long as one kappa if a human being had requested for it. Mara had been pestering the Buddha to enter parinibbana for some time. Before doing so however, the Buddha hinted indirectly many times to Ven Ananda to request for this delay. However Ven Ananda did not catch the hint and the Buddha then announced that in 3 months time, he would enter parinibbana. At that very moment, the earth shook. 

Since there are no bodhisattas being reborn as humans at this present time nor are there any Sammasambuddhas currently present in the world, we have to assume that the recent earthquake occurred either due to the first or second reason.

Many people suffered during the calamity on December 26, 2004. If you look at the images on television and in the newspapers, you can see the faces of people totally devastated by grief. 

However, one who knows how to gain control over one’s mind will not feel the pain so terribly. It will be beneficial if everyone can remind oneself of these five things always as taught by the Buddha (in AN 5:57):-

Everyone grows old.

Everyone falls sick at one time or another.

Everyone dies as nothing is permanent.

One way or another, we will have to part with our cherished possessions and loved ones.

Karma exists, i.e. good begets good, evil begets evil.

When one is aware of these teachings and understands the nature of impermanence, one is better prepared to face and accept it. One will also be stronger in the face of adversity and will be more inclined to do good, endeavouring to cultivate dana, sila and bhavana. One will guard well one’s thoughts, speech and actions so that in death, one is at peace.

Dana

Our wealth cannot follow us to our next life but good karma can. Realising this, one strives to be generous towards others.

Sila

A person who keeps his precepts well will be trusted and well known. He will have self confidence. His mental faculties remain sharp even in old age. He is peaceful even at death’s door and is assured of a good rebirth.

Bhavana

He listens to the Dhamma and meditates whenever he can. This helps develop wisdom. 

Such a person will be able to guard his actions and will not be so easily misled by external factors. 

I would like to end the talk with a story from Piyajatika Sutta (MN 87 ) for you all to contemplate on. On one occasion in Savathi, a man lost his beloved son and was filled with grief. The Buddha saw him and commented that he looked so sorrowful whereupon the man said that he has lost the meaning of his life with the death of his son. 

The Buddha then said, "Yes, it is true. Sorrow comes from loved ones." The man, however, did not want to accept the statement. He went about telling everyone that he did not agree with what the Buddha said for it should be the reverse, i.e. "loved ones bring happiness."

Word soon reached the ears of King Pasenadi of Kosala who agreed with the man instead of the Buddha. However, his consort, Queen Mallika said that since it was the Buddha who had said this, it must be true. King Pasenadi scoffed at her, saying, “No matter what the recluse Gotama says, Mallika agrees with it.” 

Queen Mallika then sent a Brahmin to see the Buddha for further clarification. The Buddha gave many examples which all pointed to the fact that sorrow does come from the loved one. It is because of attachment to loved ones, for example, a spouse, a child or a parent and so on that one experiences such sorrow when one is parted from them. Such was the case of the man who lost his beloved wife, another who lost his children and yet another who lost his parents and grieved so. The Brahmin reported this back to the queen who then asked King Pasenadi how he would feel if their daughter, the princess were to be lost to them. The king finally understood that what the Buddha said was the truth and saluted him.

Sadhu ............

Sadhu ............

Sadhu ............

Our society is not very healthy.

The teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Our society is not very healthy.

Therefore, many of us are sick, and we need healing and nourishment. We have intoxicated ourselves with poisons. Our mind has a lot of poisons, like craving, hate, anger, and despair. Our body also has a lot of poisons because we don’t know how to consume.

Mother Earth has the capacity to heal herself and has the capacity to help us heal if we know how to take refuge in her. 

When the Buddha was teaching his son, Rahula, he talked about the Earth as having the virtues of patience and equanimity. 

Patience and equanimity are the two great virtues of the planet Earth. If needed, Mother Earth can spend one million years or ten million years to heal herself. 

She is not in a hurry. She has the power to renew herself. 

We have to see that. If we study the history of the Earth, we know that she has had a lot of patience, and now she is a very beautiful star.

When we walk, we are aware that the Earth is holding our steps. But Mother Earth is not just below us, under our feet; Mother Earth is inside of us. 

To think that Mother Earth is only the environment outside of us, around us, is wrong. Mother Earth is inside of us. 

We don’t need to die to go back to Mother Earth. We are already in Mother Earth. That is why we have to learn how to take refuge in her. That is the best way to heal and to nourish ourselves.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart. 

Question:  I found that when I developed a certain level of concentration, when my mind was very calm, all the other thoughts started coming in, then I have to start going back to my breath or to Buddho again. So, I feel like I have to start all over again. 

Than Ajahn:  Yes, because your concentration has weakened so you have to re-strengthen your concentration by focusing on your breath or repeating Buddho, Buddho—these are the ways to develop concentration in your mind, to prevent your mind from scattering to other thoughts.

You have to force it to stay on one object, such as reciting a mantra or watching your breath. If you can continue on concentrating on your mantra or on your breath, then your mind will become calm again.

So, this is the process you have to keep going back and forth. Your mind becomes calm for a while, then it starts to think again, and you have to start concentrating again.

Just keep doing this until the mind becomes fully calm.

Question:  So, I should try to stretch this calm period for as long as I can.

Than Ajahn:  Yes, you want to do it until it becomes all day long. 

As soon as you are not calm, you have to meditate.

When you first come out from meditation, your mind can be calm for a while, after that, you will start thinking and having emotion, and your mind becomes restless again.

Then, you have to go back and meditate again.

Question:  So, is it normal that when the mind is very calm, all the thoughts will start coming in? Is that normal?

Than Ajahn:  That’s right. That’s the purpose of doing meditation: to stop all the thoughts from coming in and then it will make your mind become neutral, upekkhā.

When the mind becomes calm, the mind has no emotion—no love, no hate, no fear, no delusion in the mind—temporarily.

“Dhamma in English, Jan 3, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE QING MING FESTIVAL

 Qing Ming 

~ Chinese Ancestral Worship 

From a Buddhist perspective ......

Dhamma Talk

THE  SIGNIFICANCE OF THE QING MING FESTIVAL

~ By Venerable Aggacitta

 

In view of the Qing Ming Festival, we are having our dana here at the Kew Ong Yah Temple instead, as the Hokkien Cemetery is very crowded today. 

The Chinese observe many rituals during Qing Ming. Most just follow the rituals blindly without knowing or understanding their significance. For example, do you know why people spread pieces of multi-coloured paper on the graves? Is this done to make the grave more beautiful or are you doing it just to follow the crowd? 

Nowadays when people go for Qing Ming, they usually regard it as a day to remember their ancestors and a time to spring-clean their ancestors’ ‘dwelling’. 

The Chinese believe that if they are filial to their departed ones, their ancestors will, in return, bless and take care of them, resulting in good feng shui for all future generations. 

In the early stages of developing SBS, Tenaga Nasional had to put up electrical poles all along the road up to our place and one of these poles was located just before the ‘Hor Yah’ (Tiger General) Shrine. One day, an elderly couple visited us at TIMS and complained that they were unhappy with the placement of this particular pole as it had disrupted the good feng shui of their plot of burial land. This shows how strongly the Chinese believe in the significance of feng shui in their lives. 

Yesterday, I read an article on Qing Ming that was downloaded from the Internet by Ven Ku-mara. In China, there are 4 seasons in the year and Qing Ming is usually regarded as the first day of spring. This usually falls around the first few days of April. Traditionally, there are 3 things that are done during Qing Ming. 

The first is to clean up and weed the burial plot and, if necessary, reapply paint to the wordings on the tombstone. 

After that, food, flowers and incense will be offered to the ancestors. 

Thirdly, the coloured papers and hell bank notes will be offered. (In modern times, people even offer replicas of cars, hand phones, VCD players, computers, etc). These paper paraphernalia have to be burned; otherwise the departed ones cannot receive them. 

When they are burnt, we can no longer see the form of the substance and this signifies that they have been sent forth. 

Hell bank notes are burnt as offerings, not to our ancestors, but as ‘bribes’ to the ghosts who are believed to be roaming around at this time, as the hell gates are opened. 

By offering them the hell bank notes, they will not want to compete with our ancestors for the edible foodstuff that we have offered as well. 

However, this belief is not in line with what Buddhists believe. The Pali scriptures state that departed beings born in the ghost realm can only partake of the food offered and not the burnt paper paraphernalia. 

They can also receive sustenance through the transference of merits under favourable circumstances. 

Moreover ghosts and hell-beings exist in different realms that are not interconnected. 

Qing Ming is also a time for family reunions. In China, family members from far and wide will return to their ancestral home in the countryside to celebrate Qing Ming together. There is a festive spirit in the air and there will usually be singing, dancing, kite flying (because it is very windy during springtime) and the making of garlands out of willow flowers.

The womenfolk believe that the wearing of such garlands help to perpetuate their youth. 

It is believed that descendants who are not filial and do not attend Qing Ming will not prosper in life while those who are filial will succeed. The other explanation for this is that some de-parted ancestors still cling around the proximity of their loving relatives as spirits, and if their descendants are not filial to their memories, they will create havoc in their lives. 

In Sigalovada Sutta (DN 31), the Buddha said that descendants should frequently honour their departed relatives by making offerings to them. 

There are 2 ways of attending to the departed ones. One of them is during Qing Ming and the other is the daily or frequent ritual of attending to the ancestral tablets in the house. 

Usually, the offerings of food in the house is more lavish than that during Qing Ming because it is believed that too lavish a preparation of food offerings during Qing Ming will likely tempt the hungry ghosts around to partake of them as well. 

In front of every tomb, there is usually a smaller tomb-like structure. This is to house the guardian spirit of the tomb and must be honoured during Qing Ming as well. This, in summary, is the Chinese belief or perspective of Qing Ming. 

I mentioned in my recent book, Honouring the Departed, that some Buddhists are of the opinion that it is not useful to make material offerings to the departed directly but it is more beneficial to offer dana to the Sangha and then transfer the merits to the departed ones. 

How-ever, I have shown in the book that both making material offerings to the departed as well as sharing merits with them after Sanghadana are practices equally supported by the Pali scrip-tures. In fact, it is difficult to ascertain whether or not our departed relatives have actually received the material offerings or the merits that are shared. 

Therefore, to create a win-win situation, it is better to do both during Qing Ming. 

Anyway, the mere act of being filial will also result in good karma. 

Therefore, to honour our departed relatives, be it through material offerings or trans-ference of merits, helps create a good store of merits. 

However, we must always remember to ‘invite’ them to partake in the offering. To illustrate this, I will tell you a story. 

There was a forest dwelling Sayadaw in Myanmar who had an aged mother who was a nun. 

She, however, didn’t die peacefully and as a result, was reborn in a lower plane of existence. Her daughter dreamt that her departed mother requested for offerings of food, clothing and merits. In the dream, her daughter replied that she had already offered these things at the tem-ple. Her mother told her that as she had not been ‘invited’ to partake in the offerings, she could not receive them because the guardian deity of the temple refused to let her in. When consulted, the Sayadaw asked his sister to offer dana once more and this time to remember to ‘invite’ her mother. Subsequently the daughter did not have the dream again. 

The offering of dana is, however, not the only manner of merit-making available. It is in fact, one of the lowest kinds. 

The highest form of merit-making is through vipassana meditation, followed closely by metta meditation. In between, there are many other different ways of making merit. We can also accumulate merits when we give to welfare organizations, donate blood or pledge our organs, take the 5 or 8 precepts and the 3 refuges, print Dhamma books (for the gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts), listen to the Dhamma, teach the Dhamma, do chanting or give voluntary service. Many devotees like to offer food dana but, sad to say, very few will come forward to serve in the many different committees where they are most needed. 

There is merit obtained when you provide dwelling for the Sangha. Very soon, TIMS will be shifting and they will need money to build the new centre. 

Donating to the building fund is a good source of merits because one is helping to create conducive conditions for people to practise vipassana meditation, the highest form of worldly merit. 

I hope that today, you have learnt meaningful ways to honour your departed relatives, i.e. through merit-making.

Please don’t forget to share your merits with your departed relatives and all other beings.

Sadhu ........ 

Sadhu ........

Sadhu ........

“It’s like a pressure cooker.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

16th April, 2022

“It’s like a pressure cooker.”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Question (F): Why do I find that the sensual desires tend to be more pronounced during meditation retreat compare to my normal days?

Than Ajahn: It’s because your sensual desire is being curbed more when you’re in a retreat.

You cannot let your eyes, ears, nose, tongue to see and hear things as they normally do because you have to meditate.

So, the desire can become stronger. It’s like a pressure cooker. When the steam inside the pressure cooker has no exit, the steam keeps on building up and it becomes very strong.

When you are not in meditation retreat, you can see, hear and do anything you like, whenever you like. 

The sensual pleasure has some forms to release its pressure, therefore, you don’t feel that the pressure. 

When you go for a retreat, you are closing the pressure releaser. It then builds up inside your mind and it becomes strong. The only way to deal with this is by using mindfulness and meditation.

When you have mindfulness or when you meditate, you stop your mind from creating cravings and desires. Then, the pressure will subside and disappear temporarily. But as soon as you come out of your meditation, if you are not mindful, you start creating more cravings and desires again.

Youtube: “Dhamma in English, Nov 9, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

The best way to separate the mind from the body is to meditate.

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

“The best way to separate the mind from the body is to meditate.”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Question:  When I got up in the morning, my body felt very tired. I felt like I was very tired although I knew that it was just the body. How can I separate the mind, the body, me, the feelings and the emotions?

Than Ajahn: You have to acknowledge them. You acknowledge that this is the body who feels tired. The mind is ‘the one who knows’. You have to separate the mind from the body. You treat the body like a patient and the mind is the doctor. The doctor will look at the body and ask, ‘how are you?’ The body will say, ‘I am sick.’ The doctor then asks the body to take some medicines. 

The doctor doesn’t have to get sick with the body.

Know that the mind is ‘the one who knows’. The mind is the one who acknowledges what’s happening to the body. The mind is not sick. However, due to the mind’s ignorance and its habits which thinks that the mind is the body, so whatever happens to the body, the mind thinks that it feels that way too. 

You have to teach the mind that it doesn’t get sick with the body. 

The mind get sick due to its delusion to think that the mind is the body. And it takes time to convince the mind otherwise.

The best way to separate the mind from the body is to meditate. When you meditate, you automatically detach your mind from your body. Your mind becomes neutral. It then can look at the body as merely the body. You need to meditate to really separate the mind from the body. If you can’t do it yet, at least you tell the mind to observe the body which somewhat may help.

If you have the right attitude, you can see the body as someone else’s body. When you see other people get sick, you don’t get sick, do you? So, try to look at your body as someone else’s body. You merely observing it. But the best thing to do this is to meditate. When you meditate, you have the strength to actually separate the mind from the body. By merely telling yourself to separate the mind from the body, sometimes you are not strong enough to really do so.

You have to meditate with mindfulness. You need a lot of mindfulness before you can meditate successfully. Try to stop thinking. Stop wandering to the past or to the future.

Keep the mind in the present. 

Merely know what’s going on without having any commentary on what’s going on. Like watching your body, just watch the body. Stay with the body. Don’t let the mind go away to the past or to the future. If you can do this, when you meditate, your mind can become concentrated on your breath. Your mind can become calm and it can separate itself from the body temporarily.

Youtube: “Dhamma in English, Nov 9, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

“We are all in it together—in this cycle of birth, ageing, illnesses, and death.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

“We are all in it together—in this cycle of birth, ageing, illnesses, and death.”

Question:  “How did you manage to stick to yourself and get by on your own when you were at Wat Pa Baan Taad?”

Than Ajahn:  “It was the mental calm that helped me.

You have to fight it. It is like climbing a mountain: you'll feel elated once there.

You just have to keep up with it.

[You need to] look for a teacher. You must be prepared and ready first. If not, you have to keep staying with your teacher.

You need a teacher to guide and motivate you in the beginning. 

You need to establish that calmness in your mind first and then you can go and be by yourself. To do so is like taking an exam. If you have already gained the first two levels of wisdom—sutta-maya-paññā and cintā-maya-paññā—and you'd like to test the level of your bhāvanā-maya-paññā, you'd have to try being on your own.

It is to test yourself on a higher level of practice.

You need to have already established a level of mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom to take care of yourself in order for your teacher to allow you. You shouldn't be on your own if you haven't gained these faculties. You're still like a baby who needs to be taken care of and taught by its parents. You can take off once you've grown up and can take care of yourself.

That's the point of having a teacher. You can consult him as soon as you run into a problem; he can readily help address your issue. Your mind isn't yet capable enough and still lacks the insight, that is, it is only full of defilements that deter your conviction and motivation for meditation practice.

Your teacher will give you teachings on a regular basis. 

When I was with Luangta Mahā Boowa, there weren't many visitors. He would call a meeting every four to five days to give us a teaching. I gained a lot of motivation after listening to his teachings.

I could do several hours of walking meditation after each meeting. I would get tired after an hour of walking from not feeling motivated on the day when there was no Dhamma talk. It made such a difference. I gained a lot of encouragement after listening to his Dhamma, but it faded after a few days. 

That's why he had to call these meetings on a regular basis.

The Buddha set Uposatha day for lay people to visit monasteries so that they can replenish their Dhamma and wisdom. It is to re-nourish their minds to help them face their own trials and tribulations. 

Uposatha day is the day for listening to the Dhamma as it brings so much benefits for those who do it on a regular basis, 'kalena dhamma savanaṁ etam maṅgalamuttamaṁ'.

I told you last time to listen to the Dhamma every day. You should listen to it after you get up, before going to work.

Have you ever got up or gone to bed an hour earlier than usual to do so? This is to have time to sit in meditation and listen to the Dhamma before going to work, so that you have the Dhamma as your guidance.

Listening to the Dhamma everyday would make a huge difference—having the Dhamma to guide you instead of your defilements. With your mind full of kilesas, they will urge you to do things that make your mind uneasy, restless, and agitated— giving you grief. With the Dhamma, you'll be able to manage, knowing that it is only expected for things to arise and cease. Both calm and chaos are bound to exist and alternate. 

There is no need to get yourself entangled in them. You can detach yourself from them with the Dhamma—using mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.

You need to practise on a daily basis in order to maintain your mental well-being. You should do whatever you can. If you can make merit, just do it. If you can make donations, then do it.

If you can help someone, so do it. You should commit yourself to not harming anyone verbally and physically. No matter how badly others may behave, just let them.

There's no need to say anything; it won't do you any good. It will only make you just as bad as they are. You need to remain calm and equanimous, always full of compassion. You need to bear in mind 'sabbe sattā', which entails all sentient beings, including those that are for and against you. It needs to be inclusive of everyone, the red shirts, the yellow shirts, and those of other colours (refers to the political crisis in Thailand). 

We are all in it together—in this cycle of birth, ageing, illnesses, and death.

With compassion (mettā), there will be much fewer issues as it takes two to tango.

You should apply these Dhamma principles; all the issues will be much less aggravated. It will only get worse if each side is projecting its anger and hatred towards the other.”

“Essential Teachings”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

Mangala Sutta: Gratitude 🥀 By Ven Kumara

Mangala Sutta: 
Gratitude 🥀
By Ven Kumara

Ven Kumara picks up where Ven Aggacitta left off in the series of talks based on Mangala Sutta. 

According to the Commentary of Mangala Sutta, gratitude means the state of knowing by constant recollection about assistance, whether little or much, and done by whomsoever it may be. 

An English dictionary defines it as feeling or showing appreciation (thankfulness) for something done for one. 

In the suttas, the Buddha said that two types of people are difficult to find: 

one who does a favour first, that is to say he renders help to someone without having being helped by him before. A good example would be the Tzu Chi Society which started in Taiwan. 

They freely help others, even those of a different race or in another country. Another example would be the people who do dana here. When I first came to Taiping, I’d not done anything for you, yet you gave me food and also provided lodging and other things for me. 

You did all these for me first even when we were not associated in any way. 

one who is grateful and expresses gratitude (verbally or physically) 

A friend told me of a poor Malay man in Penang, to whom Tzu Chi had provided dialysis facility. In gratitude, he repaid Tzu Chi by doing gardening work for the society. 

He had no money so he repaid the good deed with his labour. 

According to the suttas, the Buddha emphasised the need for monks to show appreciation for the dana they receive. To eat alms food to some purpose, monks should have metta for their supporters. That is why we give Dhamma talks and chant blessing after receiving food from you. Also, up in SBS, we do metta chanting almost every night. Among others, we wish for the freedom of suffering for our supporters. 

The Buddha himself was one who had lots of gratitude. He even had gratitude for the Bodhi tree under which he attained enlightenment. To express that, he stood gazing at the tree without winking even once for seven days.

We should show gratitude to the following: 

The Triple Gem. Without the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, we would be at a loss; we would be in darkness. The best way to show our gratitude is to practise according to the Dhamma. 

Parents. It is difficult for parents to bring up children. I realise that my own parents did not have an easy time bringing up my siblings and me. So, it is not difficult to see that we must show gratitude to them. 

Teachers. We can show gratitude to them simply by paying attention when they speak. 

All others who have helped us in one way or another.

Gratitude is not necessarily giving back in kind. There are many ways to express our gratitude, but it is important to return to the person what is useful to him and serves a purpose to him. It does not have to be an immediate act. 

We can let the person know that he can count on us to return the favour within the limits of our ability in the future. If for whatever reason, we are not able to repay in material or physical sense, having thoughts and speech of loving-kindness is also practising gratitude. 

No man is an island. None of us can live without a helping hand from another. Some people refuse help because they do not want to feel indebted. One should not consider receiving help from somebody as a debt that one is bound to repay. If so, it then becomes a burden and one might be reborn as his chicken in the next life (as in a real life Burmese story)! When one who receives help feels gratitude, it should rightly be a happy and wholesome state of mind, and that by itself is good karma too. So, let others help if help is needed. Think of it not as a debt. Think of it as expression of kindness, of friendship. 

The following things will come to a person who has gratitude: 

He would be well liked. 

People would remember him and would be more likely to help him again and again. 

It promotes strong friendship. 

My father has a good friend who’s a dentist. They help each other a lot. Being a dentist, he provides regular dental service for our whole family for free. 

My father being quite handy with a lot of things renders help quite often at his house. That friend of his once said to him:

 “You are like a brother to me. 

Even my real brothers don’t treat me so well.”

On the other hand, if one does not have gratitude, particularly if he knowingly refuses to repay kindness, then the opposite to the above is to be expected. 

Even friends can end up being enemies. 

Thus, gratitude is a blessing, a mangala, and ingratitude an amangala.

Sadhu ....... 

Sadhu ........ 

Sadhu ........

Daily Dipa Ma:

Daily Dipa Ma: 

"When she first moved into her apartment complex, it was a pretty noisy and contentious place, with a lot of bickering, arguing, and yelling among the tenants, amplified by the open courtyard. Everyone knew every- one else’s business because it was being shouted back and forth all the time. Within six months of her moving in, the whole place had quieted down and people were starting to get along with each other for the first time. 

Her presence, and the way she dealt with people— quietly, calmly, gently, treating them with kindness and respect, setting limits and challenging their behavior when necessary but out of concern for everyone’s welfare, not out of anger or simple desire for her personal comfort— set an example and made it impossible to carry on in the angry, contentious way they had before. It was the simple force of her presence: you couldn’t act like that around her. You just didn’t." 

Below is a photo from the street outside Dipa Ma's apartment complex 

(photo by Roy Bonney). 

The Forces of Darkness

The Forces of Darkness

Sensual pleasures are your first army, 

Discontent your second is called. 

Your third is hunger and thirst,

The fourth is called craving.

Sloth and torpor are your fifth,

The sixth is called fear,

Your seventh is doubt,

Conceit and ingratitude are your eighth,

Gain, renown, honor and whatever fame is falsely received (are the ninth),

And whoever both extols himself and disparages others (has fallen victim to the tenth).

That is your army, Namuci [Māra], the striking force of darkness.

One who is not a hero cannot conquer it, but having conquered it, one obtains happiness. [Sutta Nipāta]

To overcome the forces of darkness in our own minds, we have the wholesome power of satipaṭṭhāna vipassanā meditation, which gives us the sword of mindfulness, as well as strategies for attack and defense.

~ Venerable Sayādaw U Pandita

The Symbol of the Lotus

 The Symbol of the Lotus

In Buddhist symbolism the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water easily slide off its petals.

Blue Lotus: The blue lotus flower is associated with a victory of the spirit over that of wisdom, intelligence and knowledge.

White lotus flower: this color lotus is known to symbolize Bodhi (being awakened), and represents a state of mental purity, and that of spiritual perfection; it is also associated with the pacification of one’s nature. This lotus is considered to be the womb of the world.

Purple Lotus: known to be Mystical and is associated with esoteric sects. It can be shown depicted as either an open flower or as a bud. The eight petals of the purple Lotus are representative of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is one of the Four Noble Truths.

Pink lotus flower: this is the supreme lotus and is considered to be the true lotus of Buddha.

Red lotus: this is related to the heart, and the Lotus flower meaning is associated with that of love and compassion.

Yellow (gold) lotus flower represents the gaining of enlightenment - becoming a Buddha.

https://www.learnreligions.com/the-symbol-of-the-lotus-449957

The Teaching of Ajahn Chah

 The Teaching of Ajahn Chah 

In the Buddha’s time there was one disciple who was very astute. At one time, as the Buddha was expounding the Dhamma, he turned to this monk and asked, ‘Sāriputta, do you believe this?’ Venerable Sāriputta replied, ‘No, I don’t yet believe it.’ The Buddha praised his answer; ‘That’s very good, Sāriputta, you are one who is endowed with wisdom. One who is wise doesn’t readily believe, he listens with an open mind and then weighs up the truth of that matter before believing or disbelieving.’

Now the Buddha here has set a fine example for a teacher. What Venerable Sāriputta said was true, he simply expressed his true feelings. Some people would think that to say you didn’t believe that teaching would be like questioning the teacher’s authority, they’d be afraid to say such a thing. They’d just go ahead and agree. This is how the worldly way goes. But the Buddha didn’t take offence. He said that you needn’t be ashamed of those things which aren’t wrong or bad. It’s not wrong to say that you don’t believe if you don’t believe. That’s why Venerable Sāriputta said, ‘I don’t yet believe it.’ 

The Buddha praised him; ‘This monk has much wisdom. He carefully considers before believing anything.’ The Buddha’s actions here are a good example for one who is a teacher of others. Sometimes you can learn things even from small children; don’t cling blindly to positions of authority.

~ Ajahn Chah

Metta (Mettanisamsa) Sutta: Discourse on Advantages of Loving-kindness (AN 11.16)

Metta (Mettanisamsa) Sutta: 
Discourse on Advantages of Loving-kindness (AN 11.16)

Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at Anathapindika's monastery. Then he addressed the monks saying, "Monks." — "Venerable Sir," said the monks, by way of reply. The Blessed One then spoke as follows:

"Monks, eleven advantages are to be expected from the release (deliverance) of heart by familiarizing oneself with thoughts of loving-kindness (metta), by the cultivation of loving-kindness, by constantly increasing these thoughts, by regarding loving-kindness as a vehicle (of expression), and also as something to be treasured, by living in conformity with these thoughts, by putting these ideas into practice, and by establishing them. What are the eleven?

1. He sleeps in comfort. 

2. He awakes in comfort. 

3. He sees no evil dreams. 

4. He is dear to human beings. 

5. He is dear to non-human beings. 

6. Devas (gods) protect him. 

7. Fire, poison, and sword cannot touch him. 

8. His mind can concentrate quickly. 

9. His countenance is serene. 

10. He dies without being confused in mind. 

11. If he fails to attain arahantship (the highest sanctity) here and now, he will be reborn in the brahma-world.

"These eleven advantages, monks, are to be expected from the release of heart by familiarizing oneself with thoughts of loving-kindness, by cultivation of loving-kindness, by constantly increasing these thoughts, by regarding loving-kindness as a vehicle (of expression), and also as something to be treasured, by living in conformity with these thoughts, by putting these ideas into practice and by establishing them."

So said the Blessed One. Those monks rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.

Source : Access to Insight

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/buddharakkhita/wheel365.html

#metta #mettasutta #lovingkindness #accesstoinsight 

Daily Reflections

 Daily Reflections

A short reflection that's often chanted in Theravada monasteries states in part, 

"I am subject to aging..." 

"subject to illness..."

"subject to death." 

That's the standard English translation, but the standard Thai translation is more pointed: 

"Aging is normal for me..."

"illness is normal for me..." 

“Death is normal for me."

The extended version of the reflection goes on to say that these things are normal for everyone, no matter where. To be born into any world is to be born into a place where these dangers are normal. They lie in wait right here in the body that, at birth, we laid claim to, and the world around us is full of triggers that can bring these dangers out into the open at any time.

🌻

#dailyreflection #aging #illness #death

FOUR BENEFITS OF LEARNING DHAMMA THIS WAY.. EXPECT FOUR BENEFITS WHEN THE TEACHINGS HAVE BEEN:

FOUR BENEFITS OF LEARNING DHAMMA THIS WAY..
EXPECT FOUR BENEFITS WHEN THE TEACHINGS HAVE BEEN: 

 

1.  FOLLOWED BY THE EAR

2. REINFORCED BY RECITATION 

3. EXAMINED BY THE MIND

4. WELL COMPREHEND THEORETICALLY...

Take a mendicant who memorizes the teaching—statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications. 

They’ve followed those teachings by ear, reinforced them by recitation, examined them by the mind, and well comprehended them theoretically

But they DIE UNMINDFUL and are reborn in one of the orders of gods. Being happy there...

1.  Passages of the teaching come back to them. MEMORY COMES UP SLOWLY, but then that being quickly reaches distinction

2. Passages of the teaching don’t come back to them. However, a MENDICANT WITH PSYCHIC  POWERS, who has achieved mastery of the mind, TEACHES DHAMMA to the assembly of gods. They think: ‘I used to live the spiritual life in this same teaching and training.’ Memory comes up slowly, but then that being quickly reaches distinction.

3. Passages of the teaching don’t come back to them when they’re happy, nor does a mendicant with psychic powers … teach Dhamma to the assembly of gods. However, A GOD TEACHES DHAMMA to the assembly of gods. They think: ‘I used to live the spiritual life in this same teaching and training.’ Memory comes up slowly, but then that being quickly reaches distinction. 

4. passages of the teaching don’t come back to them when they’re happy, and neither a mendicant with psychic powers … nor a god teaches Dhamma to the assembly of gods. But A BEING WHO HAS BEEN REBORN SPONTANEOUSLY REMINDS ANOTHER SUCH BEING: ‘Do you remember, good sir? Do you remember where we used to live the spiritual life?’ He says: ‘I remember, good sir, I remember!’ Memory comes up slowly, but then that being quickly reaches distinction.

https://suttacentral.net/an4.191/en/sujato

Mangala Sutta: The Four Noble Truths: Right Livelihood of the Noble Eightfold Path

Mangala Sutta: 
The Four Noble Truths: 
Right Livelihood of the Noble Eightfold Path

By Ven Aggacitta

 

Today, we shall continue with the next factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is Right Livelihood. It means earning a living in a righteous way. 

Occupations that are lawful, peaceful in nature, honestly carried out and do not harm others are deemed as right livelihood. 

Lawful here does not refer to the law of government but rather to the law of the Dhamma that is based on a set of universal laws independent of the laws of any one country. Take for example, the Vinaya Pitaka, which is a set of laws laid down by the Buddha for monks. Since vassa follows the lunar calendar, the Vinaya rule says that the king of a country decides on the start of the vassa in his country. Thus a Thai monk stayimg in Myanmar has to follow the timing of its vassa and not that of his own country. 

Let us look at some occupations that do not fulfil the criteria of lawful, peaceful, honest and harmless. 

Unlawful livelihood would include running illegal lotteries, taking bribes especially for those in government service such as the police, and false accounting. Even a teacher who gives good marks to students as an incentive for them to attend his private tuition classes is not practising right livelihood 

Examples of people who engage in non-peaceful occupations are bouncers, loan sharks and those involved in the recovery of bad debts. 

As for dishonesty, a lawyer who twists the truth to help his client escape due punishment is not practising right livelihood. 

Harmful livelihood includes drug trafficking, selling liquor, selling weapons and even selling fishing rods. 

Try your best to abstain from such occupations and earn your living in a righteous way.

Sadhu ....... 

Sadhu ........ 

Sadhu ........

THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS ON ANIMOSITY & FORGIVENESS

THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS ON ANIMOSITY & FORGIVENESS

“When you forgive someone who’s wronged you, it doesn’t erase that person’s karma in having done wrong. This is why some people think that forgiveness has no place in the karmic universe of the Buddha’s teachings, and that it’s incompatible with the practice of what he taught. But that’s not so. Forgiveness may not be able to undo old bad kamma, but it can prevent new bad karma from being done. 

~

This is especially true with the bad kamma that in Pāli is called vera. Vera is often translated as ‘hostility,’ ‘animosity,’ or ‘antagonism,’ but it’s a particular instance of these attitudes: the vengeful animosity that wants to get back at someone for perceived wrongs. This attitude is what has no place in Buddhist practice. Patience can weaken it, but forgiveness is what clears it out of the way.”

❀❀❀

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Excerpt from “The Buddha’s Teachings on Animosity & Forgiveness”

~

To learn more about the Buddha's teachings on how to deal with animosity and forgiveness, go here:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/FirstThingsFirst/Section0012.html

#thanissarobhikkhu #animosity #forgiveness #kamma #hostility #antagonism

The Teaching of Ajahn Chah

The Teaching of Ajahn Chah

Q: Why must we do so much bowing?

A: Bowing is a very important outward form of the practice that should be done correctly. Bring the forehead all the way to the floor. Have elbows near the knees about three inches apart. Bow slowly, mindful of your body. It is a good remedy for our conceit. 

We should bow often. When you bow three times, you can keep in mind the qualities of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, that is, the qualities of purity, radiance, and peace. We use the outward form to train ourselves, to harmonize body and mind. Don't make the mistake of watching how others bow.

If young novices are sloppy or the aged monks appear unmindful, this is not for you to judge. People can be difficult to train. Some learn fast, but others learn slowly. 

Judging others will only increase your pride. Watch yourself instead. Bow often; get rid of your pride.

Those who have really become harmonious with the Dharma get far beyond the outward form. Because they have gone beyond selfishness, everything they do is a way of bowing-walking, they bow; eating, they bow; defecating, they bow.

Make bowing a way to care for the entire world around you. Bow with reverence and care. When returning to your cottage put everything down and prostrate first thing. If you go out to sweep, prostrate first. Returning, prostrate. 

When you have to go to the bathroom, prostrate first, and do it again when you come back, saying in your mind: "Any misdeeds I have done through body, speech, and mind, may I be forgiven." Stay mindful always. We monks are very fortunate. We have our dwelling place, good companions, lay support, and the teachings. All that is left is to practice.

Phra Ajaan Chah

~ A Still Forest Pool ~

Editors: Jack Kornfield & Paul Breiter

The teachings of Ajahn Chah

The teachings of Ajahn Chah

Do you know where it will end? Or will you just keep on studying like this? Or is there an end to it? That’s okay but it’s external study, not internal study. For internal study you have to study these eyes, these ears, this nose, this tongue, this body and this mind. This is the real study. 

The study of books is just external study, it’s really hard to get it finished.

When the eye sees form what sort of thing happens? When ear, nose and tongue experience sounds, smells and tastes, what takes place? 

When the body and mind come into contact with touches and mental states, what reactions take place? 

Are greed, aversion and delusion still there? Do we get lost in forms, sounds, smells, tastes, textures and moods? 

This is the internal study. It has a point of completion.

It’s like a man who raises chickens, but doesn’t collect the eggs. All he gets is the chicken dung! This is what I tell the people who raise chickens back home. Watch out you don’t become like that! This means we study the scriptures but we don’t know how to let go of defilements, we don’t know how to ‘push’ greed, aversion and delusion from our mind. Study without practice, without this ‘giving up’, brings no results. 

This is why I compare it to someone who raises chickens but doesn’t collect the eggs, he just collects the dung. It’s the same thing.

~ Ajahn Chah

“If you sit and you cannot focus, it means you don’t have strong enough mindfulness.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

“If you sit and you cannot focus, it means you don’t have strong enough mindfulness.”

"Meditation is to focus your attention on one object such as on your breath. When you sit, you close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. 

Keep watching your breath, the in-and-out breath, watching it at one point, at the tip of the nose where the air comes into contact with the body. Don’t follow the air going inside or follow the air going outside. Just stay at one point, at the entrance, at the tip of the nose where you can feel the contact of the air and the body.

If you can stay focus on one point, eventually your mind will become calm. When your mind becomes calm, you will feel happy, light, and content.

You don’t want to have anything else. You don’t need anything. 

Once you know how to do this, then you can always do it any time you want to. If you sit and you cannot focus, it means you don’t have strong enough mindfulness.

So you should develop mindfulness first which you can do it all day long, from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep by fixing your attention on something, like a mantra. You can recite Buddho, Buddho, Buddho while you’re doing things.

Instead of letting your mind think aimlessly, you force it to think only of Buddho, Buddho, Buddho while you do things that you don’t need to use your thought such as brushing your teeth, washing your face, combing your hair, getting dressed, eating, so forth.

You restrain your thought by using the mantra, Buddho, Buddho. If you can do this, then you’ll have strong mindfulness. 

And when you sit, you can then focus on your breath. Or you can use the mantra if you like. If you like the mantra, you can continue using the mantra while you sit in meditation. And if you don’t think about other things, then your mind will become calm and peaceful, and happy.

Then, you don’t need to spend money on things, spend money on your vacation, or spend money on people or whatever you want. Then, you don’t have to work. Then, you’ll become a monk."

Dhamma for the Asking,
Laypeople from SriLanka, Nov 3, 2017.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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How do I balance between effort and expectation?

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart. 

Question: How do I balance between effort and expectation?

Tan Ajahn: I think people put effort into the wrong things.

What they should put effort into is in developing mindfulness, which is so simple and easy to do, and they can do it all the time, all day long. But they are not doing that.

Without mindfulness, they will find doing everything else is very difficult, very hard to do.

They should focus first on developing mindfulness. From the time they get up, they should develop mindfulness by either reciting a mantra or constantly watching the movement of the body.

Whatever the movement of the body is, just keep watching, keep staying with the body, and don’t let the mind wander to other things.

This is so simple and you can do it anytime, anywhere, but at times there is resistance to doing that. If you just want to sit and meditate right away, and if you find it very hard to do it, it’s because you don’t have mindfulness.

So, this is what you have to do first of all, that is to develop mindfulness. The Buddha said that mindfulness is the key to all the other Dhamma. If you have no mindfulness, you cannot have all the other Dhamma.

Let me give you an illustration.

When you want to drive a car, what do you have to do first?

You have to get inside the car, right? If you have no key, can you open the locked door?

You cannot. So you have to find the key, you have to have the key to open the locked door. 

Once you open the door, you can get in the car, sit in the driver's seat, and put the key in to start the car and drive to wherever you want to go. But you have to have that key to get inside the car.

Without it, you cannot drive the car anywhere.

You need mindfulness first in order to sit and meditate and to achieve results. Once you have jhāna, you have apanā-samādhi; then you can develop insight, or vipassanā because the mind will not resist, the mind will not create obstacles to your development of vipassanā.

There is no skipping this step.

You have to go step by step. It is like before you can run, you have to learn to walk first.

Before you can walk, you have to learn to stand first. These are basic things that you have to do. 

You cannot jump from crawling to running.

It is the same way when the practice becomes hard; you find it hard to exert your effort because you put in the effort on the wrong things, the hard things that you still cannot do.

The efforts that you can make all the time, you are not doing.

That is all. Just develop mindfulness first.

“Dhamma for the Asking, Dec 9, 2014”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

Can you explain in detail the fourth jhāna?

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart. 

10 December 2023

Question:  Can you explain in detail the fourth jhāna?

Than Ajahn:  Well, fourth jhāna is when your mind enters into this state of calm. In term of your awareness of the body, there are two types: 

(1) your awareness of the body entirely disappears. There is no sensation of the body in your awareness. All you have is the knower, the mind, or the consciousness. It’s alone by itself. 

There is no thought. The mind is just resting but it’s fully aware of the resting of the thought. 

There is a sense of ease and peace, and it has no emotion—no love, no hate, no fear, no delusion. This is upekkhā of the mind. This type is called ‘full jhāna.’ 

(2) ‘Partial jhāna’ is where you can still experience some sensation of the body, you are aware of the sensation of the body. You can still feel the pain of the body, you can still hear sound, but your mind is not disturbed, not distracted, by what it feels or hears. The mind isn’t hurt by what it feels or hears. The body can be in pain, but the mind is not reacting to it. The mind merely knows. Those are the two types of the fourth jhāna. In fourth jhāna, there is no thinking; just observing; merely knowing.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 15, 2019.”

- - - - - - -

Question:  Is fourth jhāna the same as appanā samādhi? 

Than Ajahn:  Yes. It has equanimity as the characteristic of the fourth jhāna, and it’s merely knowing. These are two characteristics of the fourth jhāna: the mind is completely equanimous and merely knows. 

“Dhamma in English, Jan 23, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

Loving kindness, Giving and Meditation as Antidotes to Destructive Emotions ~ By Ven Aggacitta

Loving kindness, Giving and Meditation as Antidotes to Destructive Emotions

~ By Ven Aggacitta

Today’s talk is based on the following question put forward by Mrs Long’s daughter: 

What are destructive emotions and what should we do about them? 

To answer this let us look at a verse in the scriptures which embodies the basic principles of Buddhism: 

Avoid evil, 

Do good 

Purify the mind.

Avoid Evil 

People might argue over what is good and what is evil, but all spiritual systems agree on the extremes of good and evil. 

For example, killing, stealing, adultery and lying are generally regarded by all as evil. In Buddhism, all physical, verbal and mental behaviour that is motivated by greed, hatred and delusion is evil, defined from an ultimate point of view. All physical, verbal and mental behaviour that is not motivated by greed, hatred or delusion is good. 

Greed is the usual rendering of the Pali word ‘lobha’ for which there is no exact term in English. So for want of a better word, ‘greed’ is used, but with a special meaning not found in an ordinary dictionary. It has a wider connotation than wanting more than what one needs. It covers a spectrum of emotions ranging from subtle liking for say, a cup of coffee at the lower end of the spectrum, to extreme lust at the other end. 

In between these two extreme ends are different degrees of lobha. All behaviour rooted in attachment is included in lobha. 

Hatred is the usual rendering of the Pali word ‘dosa’. Like lobha, this also covers a wide spectrum of emotions ranging from subtle dislike to intense hatred and anger. This emotion is more easily recognised because it is accompanied by feelings of displeasure. In contrast, lobha can be accompanied by pleasurable or neutral feelings. 

Delusion is the usual rendering of the Pali word ‘moha’. It is the delusion caused by ignorance of the true nature of reality. This is something difficult for one to recognise as the true nature of reality can only be seen through meditation.

Do Good 

To do good is to practise the antitheses of greed and anger— to practise non-greed and non-anger. 

Non-greed is giving, which is the direct opposite of wanting. It is the cardinal virtue of all religions. Today’s dana is the giving of food, the most basic form of giving. We can also give money, clothes, shelter, and skills. Giving is motivated by non-attachment. 

Non-anger is the practice of loving-kindness and forgiveness. It is unconditional acceptance and forgiveness of and consideration for others; it is giving without expecting something in return. Buddha likened it to the love of a mother for her child, without the attachment. Such practice is important as it helps to foster good relationships among people.

Purify the mind 

Non-delusion is all verbal, physical and mental activity that is motivated by wisdom that arises through meditation. 

It refers to firsthand experiential knowledge that one experiences in an intuitive way through the process of meditation and not to wisdom in the worldly sense. 

The mind is purified through wisdom, i.e. direct experiential knowledge gained during meditation. Meditation can be effective if one purifies one’s mind. Then one will cultivate good and has less evil thoughts and emotions. 

Emotions which are excessive and obsessive causes one to use all means to satisfy desires even to the extent of harming others. 

Nowadays, meditation is becoming popular in the West. 

Research has proven that meditation is beneficial as it trains the mind to be attentive in a positive way. During meditation, the body is stilled and the mind is tranquillised. 

In this state the mind drops all projections and thinking and goes back to nature, relieving the mind of stress. 

The stress reduction value of meditation is in keeping with the belief that the life force known as prana or qi in one’s body must be allowed to circulate freely. Any impediment to its flow will result in illness. Tranquillising the mind helps to remove blockage to the smooth flow of this life force. Modern medicine now recognises the power of such psychosomatic healing. 

Meditation 

There are 2 types of meditation: 

Samatha Meditation 

This is tranquillity meditation in which one concentrates on a single object to the exclusion of everything else. An example is transcendental meditation which is now popular in the West. The object of concentration can be a mantra. 

When one is able to concentrate, one feels rapture, calm, happiness and peace. 

This is good for those suffering from stress. The mind is thus tranquillised during meditation. 

After that the mind is clearer, the senses are heightened and one can get insights into how to solve problems. 

Vipassana Meditation 

This is also known as awareness meditation. You do not focus on a single object but rather train the mind to do multitasking and be aware of whatever objects that impinge on the senses. You become an objective observer researching into what you are. 

You then find the so-called ‘you’ is made up of thoughts that come and go on their own. 

What is the purpose of doing vipassana meditation and how does it help you in your life? 

When you see thoughts rise and pass away because of conditions and not because they can be controlled, then you are less attached to them. 

You realise that everyone is the same. You feel a sense of oneness with, and loving kindness for, all. You learn to accept others as they are because they are like you — a bunch of defilements, ever-changing. 

You can learn to watch your thoughts and emotions and they will disappear. For example, when you are angry and you focus your mind on that which is making you angry, you get angrier. 

However, by watching the emotion, anger, you can control it and the anger will disappear. 

In this way you become a better person, a more responsible member of society. 

Hierarchy of Karmic Results of Giving 

As monks we do not earn our own living and as such depend on our supporters for material support. In return we share our knowledge with them. We also practise meditation and observe our precepts. 

Someone once asked the Buddha whether it was true that only offerings to him and his disciples would bear fruits. 

The Buddha replied that a person can acquire merits if he washes his bowl and pours the remains in it into a pond with the thought that some living being can make use of the remains. 

There is the story of a man who established alms centres at the 4 main gates of his city, giving without discrimination. 

He made this offering everyday for many years. The Buddha told his disciples that this type of offering is less meritorious than that of offering dana to one who is spiritually attained. 

More meritorious than this is to give residence to the Sangha. 

Surpassing this in merits is to take refuge in The Triple Gem — to look upon the Buddha’s teachings and his disciples as the way  liberation from the endless rounds of birth and death. 

Even better than this is the observance of the five precepts. 

Loving kindness occupies the next rung of this merit ladder — to practise loving kindness for the length of time that one needs to snap one’s fingers surpasses that of observing the 5 precepts. Finally, meditation is at the topmost rung. 

So we see that dana is at one end of the spectrum of meritorious deeds and meditation is at the other end, in ascending order of karmic rewards. Buddhism appeals to all types of people and can be practised at different levels. 

It is a custom of Buddhists to share the merits they have earned after performing good deeds. This is also considered as an act of giving. Rejoicing in others’ merits also brings merits. Thus being wholeheartedly happy for other people’s success is meritorious. 

Today, you have offered us food; we have shared the Dhamma with you; you have listened to the Dhamma. All these are acts of merits. Now we can share these merits with all present, seen and unseen.

Sadhu ....... 

Sadhu ........ 

Sadhu ........