The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart. 

29 June 2024

Question:  Can Ajahn please explain how to practice ānāpānasati while doing sitting meditation?

Than Ajahn: When you’re sitting cross-legged, set your body straight. Once you have set your body properly, then you should forget about the body and you should concentrate or focus on your breathing, your breath at the tip of your nose. When the breath comes into contact with the body, when it comes in and when it goes out, just watch that point. Focus at that point with your attention; just be observing and don’t do anything.

Don’t do any thinking. Don’t do any analyzing, or think about any kinds of thought. Just watch. Just be aware that the breath comes in, the breath goes out. If the breath is short, just know that it’s short. If it’s long, just know that it’s long. If it’s coarse, just know that it’s coarse. If it’s fine or subtle, just know what it is. Don’t try to manage or control your breath. 

Even the breath seems to disappear, don’t get excited or worried.

Just be aware that there is no breath to be aware of. Just keep focusing on emptiness.

Then, your mind will eventually drop into calm and the breath will disappear.

Sometimes the body will disappear. And then you will be left alone with yourself, with the knower and you will be happy.

“Dhamma in English, Jul 26, 2017.”

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Question: I did Ānāpānasati for one hour this morning and my mind started to think about Dhamma. In this case what do I have to do? 

Do I have to go back to Ānāpānasati or can I let my mind think about Dhamma?

Than Ajahn:  It depends on what you want. If you want the mind to be still, then you should not think. You should stop your thinking by focusing on your breath. Both, being still and thinking of Dhamma, are important. However, being calm and still are the first step you should master. If you haven’t mastered this step, you should not worry about thinking about Dhamma.

Thinking of the Dhamma is the second step to do. So, the first step is to be able to stop your mind because if you cannot stop your mind, when you think of the Dhamma, you cannot apply it to your mind.

Teaching the mind to stop thinking is Dhamma. If you don’t have the ability to stop the mind, then it’s useless to have the Dhamma to teach you. 

Dhamma teaches you the reason why you should stop thinking. It’s because everything you do hurts you more than helps you. You don’t see this truth. So, you first have to learn how to stop your mind. Once you know how to stop your mind, then you study the Dhamma to find out why you have to stop it.

It’s because stopping the mind is better than not stopping it.

“Dhamma in English, Nov 9, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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