The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
Question (M): These days in Singapore especially, a lot of people encounter the problem of dementia. Even for people who practice, all of a sudden they’re hit with dementia, they cannot remember anything. What would happen to them at the point when they die, in that case?
Than Ajahn: Well, dementia, I think part of it is a physical factor, not mental factor. Even the arahants can forget things, but there are things that the arahants don’t forget. The things that the arahants don’t forget are the Four Noble Truths—the wisdom part. The arahants will never forget the three characteristics of things, they know them all the time. But they might forget people’s names, the name of some places or what they’ve done just now. This is because sometimes the mind can’t retain these kinds of information.
So the arahants could forget names, but their mind will still be lucid and clear; their mind always be comprehending; they are always mindful and always in the present so they can still perform activities. The arahants will not be similar to people who have no mindfulness. When dementia happens to people with no mindfulness, they become like drunk persons; they don’t know what they’re doing because their minds are not in the present; their mind go to wherever they want to go. For people who practice mindfulness, the possibility of not being able to look after themselves will not happen; they will always be able to look after themselves.
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Question (M): One of the advice from a lot of the Ajahns said, ‘Your last moment is very important.’ So, one of the fears that we have is, ‘What will happen if we have dementia and at our last moment, our minds are not working?
Than Ajahn: At your last moment, your kamma will kick in automatically and it will depend on how much kamma you have developed. If you have developed more good kamma than bad kamma, when you die, the good kamma will take over your mind. If you have more bad kamma than good kamma, when you die, your bad kamma will take over your mind. This kamma will send you to the different spiritual realms.
If the good kamma takes over your mind, it will take you to the heavenly realms. If the bad kamma takes over your mind, it will take you to hell, to the apāya realm. This happens automatically. You cannot just tell yourself what you want at the last moment. You cannot do it at the last moment. You can do it now.
You can plan ahead for the future. It’s like financial planning: you are in the red or in the black depending on how you manage your income and your expense. That’s all.
Layperson: So, similarly, if we prepare ourselves now, and then in future, things will take care of themselves.
Than Ajahn: That’s right.
“Dhamma in English, Jan 3, 2019.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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