The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

27 September 2023

Question:  In the scripture, anattā is expressed as ‘Sabbe dhamma anattā.’ Why is it expressed differently from the others like ‘Sabbe saṅkhārā anicca’ or ‘Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkha?’

Than Ajahn:  Dhamma means everything: everything that we see, we hear or touch.

Anything and everything is all Dhamma.

Dhamma can be divided into two categories: saṅkhārā and non-saṅkhārā. Saṅkhārā means the things that are combined such as the body, the trees. They are combined by the 4 elements. They are made up of the 4 elements.

So, they’re called ‘saṅkhārā.’

They have to be combined in order to become something else, like the body, the tree or the plane. 

These are saṅkhārā.

They are a combination of the 4 elements.

In a human, there are 5 elements. Besides the earth, water, fire and wind, there is the mind element. These are saṅkhārā: they’re combined and they will separate eventually. So, when they separate, we call it anicca—‘Sabbe saṅkhārā anicca,’ they are not permanent.

And by virtue of separation, it causes dukkha in the person who is attached to them—‘Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkha.’

The third one, when the Buddha said, ‘Sabbe dhamma anattā,’ it means everything: saṅkhārā and non-saṅkhārā. 

What are the non-saṅkhārā?

The 4 elements are non-saṅkhārā. They always remain the same. They don’t combine. In each of the element itself, it is not made up of anything. The earth is only made up of the earth.

The water is only made up of the water. So, they are called ‘a-saṅkhāra.’ They are non-saṅkhārā, which is another Dhamma.

Dhamma means things, which include everything in this world:  things that are built up (saṅkhārā) and things that are not built up (non-saṅkhārā).

So, when the Buddha talked about ‘anattā,’ he refers to everything, not just the saṅkhārā. Because the non-saṅkhārā are also anattā such as the water element, the earth element—there is no self in each of those elements either.

Question: How about the mind element? Is it also anattā?

Than Ajahn: Yeah, the mind is also anattā. There is no self in the mind. It’s just another element.

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Question:  When one is still practicing, the mind is uncontrollable, sometimes it’s happy and sometimes it’s sad.

But when someone has finished the practice and becomes enlightened, what happens? Does the mind become controllable or is it still the same nature?

Than Ajahn:  The mind understands all things and leaves everything alone. The mind is not disturbed by anything because the mind doesn’t have any desire towards anything. The mind is still the mind. Now, the mind is intelligent and smart and knows what to do with everything. So, it doesn’t create any dukkha, suffering or birth.

Layperson:  Thank you.

“Dhamma in English, Feb 14, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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