Remembering the Departed..... By Ayasma Aggacitta Mahathera

Remembering the Departed.....
By Ayasma Aggacitta Mahathera

Special occasion: to commemorate the death anniversary of Mr 

Long Heng Hua

Mrs Long is having dana today in remembrance of her husband who passed away six years ago, as well as to share merits with her deceased parents and parents-in-law. Most Chinese believe that when a person dies, his spirit may be still around, possibly for a few years or even as long as a few thousand years before he takes a new birth. During this period of time, they are in the spirit world which is very different from ours. The beings there have no livelihood to sustain themselves. 

Instead, according to the Tirokutta Sutta, those who are living should offer food and drinks to them as well as do dana and share merits with them. The question that’s usually asked is, “Can they partake of such food offered?” 

It seems that in a way they can. Some say while we do not see any changes in the food that has been offered to the spirits, they may extract the essence of the food. That is why some say that such food loses its taste. 

In a book, “Theodora Speaks”, the author related an experience she had during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar which the Chinese believe is the month when ghosts are active in the human world. Her deceased cousin appeared to her the day before her family made their annual offerings and asked for permission to camp in the house compound. He looked very well and was also well-dressed, so he could not have been a hungry ghost. 

The next morning, when the time came to make food offerings to their departed relatives, her mother prepared the food and prayed to various deities. 

As soon as the mother had finished praying to the door deity, the author sensed some presence come into the house and then saw a whole group of spirits apparently helping themselves to the food that had been laid on the table for the departed. Before this, she had doubted the usefulness of such offerings. 

After that incident, she changed her mind. So, we should offer food and do dana during this religious festival as well as during other festivals such as the Chinese New Year and Qing Ming. We can also do so at any other times, such as a death anniversary. One must have the intention to offer to the spirits and should remember to invite them to partake of the offerings. 

Tirokutta Sutta also tells us that crying and lamentation are useless to the departed. 

It suggests that we make food offerings to the departed as well as offer dana to the Sangha (Monks) then transfer the merits to them. At times, people have experiences of being disturbed by spirits. After doing dana and transferring merits to the spirits, these people did not experience any more disturbances. 

Ven (Hye) Dhammavuddho once related an incident of the spirit of a man who, 50 years after his death, possessed one of his living relatives to communicate with his brother who had recently become a Buddhist. He implored him to make offerings for him. The question then arises, “Why did this spirit brother wait so long before making this request to the living brother?” Ven (Hye) Dhammavuddho opined that the spirit probably figured that there was no hope for him when the brother was not yet a religious person. Now that he had become a Buddhist, the request would bring a response. 

Sigalovada Sutta tells of five responsibilities we have for our parents: the final one says we should continually make offerings to them when they pass away. 

Ven Aggacitta has written a book “Honouring the Departed”, which will be published soon and should be available before Qing Ming. So you can read more about this subject in that book.

Sadhu........

Sadhu........

Sadhu........

Recollection on Death - Maranussati

I sit now before the Buddha and contemplate that He and all who knew Him are now dead. Since His great demise, countless beings have come, bided their time and gone. The names and deeds of but a few are remembered.Their many pains, their joy, their victories and defeats, like themselves, are now but shadows. 

And so it will be with all whom I know. Passing time will turn the calamities I worry about, the possibilities I fear and the pleasure I case after into mere shadows. Therefore, I contemplate the reality of my own death that I may understand what is of true value in life.

Because death may soon come, I will repay all debts, forgive all transgressions and be at odds with none.

Because death may come soon, I will squander no time brooding on past mistakes, but use each day as if it were my last.

Because death may soon come, I will purify my mind rather than pamper the body.

Because death may soon come and separation from those I love, I will develop detached compassion rather than possessiveness and clinging.

Because death may soon come, I will use each day fully, not wasting it on fruitless pursuits and vain longings.

May I be prepared when death finally comes.

May I be fearless as life ebbs away.

May my detachment help in the freeing of the heart.

by Ven. S Dhammika......

Tirokutta Sutta

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/pv/pv.1.05.than.html

Sigalovada Sutta

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.nara.html,

"All of us and everything around us don't belong to us; they belong to nature. Earthly substances that create the physical body consist of four elements: earth, water, wind, and fire.

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

22 July 2023

"All of us and everything around us don't belong to us; they belong to nature. Earthly substances that create the physical body consist of four elements: earth, water, wind, and fire.

Our physical bodies are made up of earth, water, wind, and fire. And so are all of our belongings that we create and use––they are bound to deteriorate and cease to exist.

So if we can see this characteristic of impermanence, we'll realise that all the things that we desire don't belong to us: they won't remain ours forever. This will make us see: all the things abound with sufferings."

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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“Elements are the building blocks of all things.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart

17 January 2024

“Elements are the building blocks of all things.”

Question:  Should a practitioner learn how to see elements?

Than Ajahn:  “Elements are the building blocks of all things. There are six elements: the earth, water, fire, and wind, then the mind – the knowing element, and the space element. 

When these elements combine, they make people, animals, mountains, trees, and so forth. So, basically you have to understand that everything is being built up by the six elements. And they are impermanent. 

They combine, and then they will eventually dissolve and separate. They go back to their original state. 

The water part will go back to the water. The wind part will go back to the wind. The earth part will go back to the earth. 

The fire part will go back to the fire. Then, that composition disappears, like the body. 

The body is built up by the five elements. The earth, water, fire, and wind elements make up the body. 

Then the mind, the knowing element, comes in and directs the body to do different kinds of kamma. The four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind will one day separate. When that happens, the body dissolves and disappears. 

So, this is basically, knowing the elements. The elements make up everything in this world. 

Once you see that they are just elements, they are not people, they are not humans, they are not animals, then you will not be attached to them. 

You will not suffer when they dissolve.”

Q & A, Jun 01, 2017

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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PRE-WEDDING DANA by Ven Aggacitta

PRE-WEDDING DANA
by Ven Aggacitta

The Buddha, with his wisdom, knows that for various reasons, there are lay people who cannot yet renounce. So, he taught the Dhamma suitable for lay people as well. One of them that relates to the duties of lay people is called the Sigalovada Sutta. This sutta is found in the Digha Nikaya. Today, we shall talk about a chapter from this sutta, pertaining to the Duties of a Husband and Wife.

THE 5 DUTIES OF A HUSBAND

1. He must be courteous to his wife

It is inherent in the nature of relationships that fresh young love during courtship is as fragrant as a blossoming flower. However, like a flower that eventually fades, this soon turns sour if the individual partners do not make the effort to preserve the relationship, become critical and judgemental of each other and develop certain unrealistic expectations of each other. Just as we would frequently water a bouquet of flowers to keep it fresh, a married couple should strive to preserve their relationship through courtesy and loving kindness, through right thought, speech and actions. The Buddha said, “The mind is the forerunner of all things.” 

If a husband puts in the effort to control the mind (which can be done through meditation), he will not allow harsh words to cross his lips in times of anger but will instead watch his anger until it subsides. Harsh words which are hurtful and painful cannot be retracted once they have been uttered.

2.  He must not despise her

In modern society, women have reached almost equal status to men. As such, most women demand and expect equal rights and opportunities and a man would do well to treat them with mutual respect.

3.  He must be faithful

The Buddha advised us to keep our Five Precepts pure. The third precept i.e. avoidance of sexual misconduct is especially important in a marriage and this works both ways. 

Nowadays, it is not unusual for both the husband and wife to work. It is almost impossible during work to avoid contact with the opposite sex, so both parties in a marriage must learn to be sensitive towards their spouse’s feelings on this matter and should tolerate and understand such contacts and put them in their proper perspective.

4.  He must give her the power of control in household matters

Household affairs are generally managed by the woman. In such matters, the wife should be left in charge.

5.  He must provide adornments

It is the nature of women to want to look nice. 

A husband should not be too stingy over this and should provide the necessary adornments.

THE 5 DUTIES OF A WIFE

1.  She must ensure that the household is well managed

If it is the duty of a husband to hand over the control of the household to his wife, then it is also the duty of the wife to ensure that the home is well managed.

2.  She must develop a good rapport with his relations

In the past where the wife belongs to the in-laws, she had to please them and humble herself. In modern society, it is common for a couple to live apart from the elders. However, a wife should still maintain a good relationship with her in-laws. This is important to ensure a harmonious family life.

3.  She must be faithful

As mentioned before, a husband must be faithful to his wife. The reverse is just as important.

4.  She must take care of the wealth

She must take care of the wealth acquired by her husband and not squander it. She should also save for the children’s future.

5.  She must be skillful and hardworking in all matters

There is a saying “A woman is the first to get up and the last to retire to bed!” This very aptly describes the multifaceted duties of a wife in the management of the entire household.

With this knowledge regarding the duties of both husband and wife, may we wish both of you a strong and lasting relationship that will always continueblooming with fragrance and happiness.

Sadhu .......

Sadhu ....... 

Sadhu .......

Sigalovada Sutta

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.nara.html

The Sharing of Ajahn Suchart.

The Sharing of Ajahn Suchart.

6 June 2024

Question:  As we lose the memory of our past lives, what do we need to do to ensure that what we have practiced can be useful in our future rebirth?

Than Ajahn:  See, what you’ve learned using your memory are not important because you’ll lose them, like learning languages. But what you’ve learned through your actions won’t be lost, they will go with your mind. Things that you do constantly will become a habit and they will go with the mind. If you like to meditate, in your next life, you will continue to like meditation. If you like to drink, in your next life, you will like to drink. Whatever you do will form a habit that will go with your mind. 

Whatever you learn through memory, you can lose them. So, don’t worry about learning through memory, but try to develop good actions because these good actions will become part of your mind, like doing what the Buddha taught us to do: charity, morality and meditation. If you keep doing these 3 things, they will go with you to your next life. You’ll find it much easier to do them again in your next life than people who haven’t done those before. That’s why people have different capabilities to follow the teachings of the Buddha. It’s because in their previous lives, some might had practiced more than other persons. So, it depends on what you do because what you do will go with you, good and bad. If you do bad things, they will also go with you. If you like to drink, if you like to gamble, if you like to cheat, if you like to take drugs, these habits will go with you into your next life. So, try to develop good actions because good actions bring benefits to the mind; refrain from doing bad actions because bad actions bring harm to the mind.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 25, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

YouTube:  Dhamma in English. 

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

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

Question:  Is it true that a situation or an event that happens in your life is due to your kamma?

Than Ajahn:  It’s a combination of many other factors besides kamma; the economic situation is not caused by your kamma; the war or the physical situation is usually not caused by your kamma, but by the nature of the world that we live in. The world experiences changing conditions, changing natural forces, like the wind or the heat. So, there are different kinds of situations and those are not part of your kamma. 

Kamma is something that directly deal with you, like how you react to the situation—this can be caused by your kamma. If you have good kamma, you will react to the situation in a good way. If you have bad kamma, you will react badly. For instance, when you are in a situation that you are starving and you need food, if you have good kamma, you won’t steal or do other kinds of bad kamma to solve the problems. 

This is what kamma is. It’s how you react to the situation that you are in. In certain situation, different people will react differently: some people might react by doing bad kamma, some people might react by not doing bad kamma. Like if you have no job and no food to eat, you can either go steal or you can go become a monk. If you used to become a monk, you’d say, ‘It’s easy for me to become a monk, so I’d go and become a monk then I’d have plenty of food to eat.’ But if you used to steal in your past lives, you would react the same way with how you did it before, you’d steal to overcome starvation instead of becoming a monk. So, it depends on how you solve the problems in the situation you were in—this is your kamma. And this will follow you in this life and in the next life. But you can change your kamma. If you used to steal, but now you tell yourself, ‘This is not good. Maybe this time I should work for food instead of stealing, I should work for money,’ then you change your kamma. So, instead of stealing like you used to do, in your next life, you will not steal anymore, you will go to work. This is what kamma is that affects your mind. 

- - - 

Question:  So, it doesn’t affect where you’re going to be born.

Than Ajahn:  No, you cannot choose where you want to be born. You can generally choose it. The Buddha said that the effect of good kamma will give you a good rebirth; you might be born and live in a good and wealthy family. But if you did bad kamma, you might be born in a poor family. This good or bad kamma can have effect on your rebirth, but you cannot pinpoint exactly where you want to be born. You can’t pinpoint that you’d want to be the son of the founder of Microsoft. But generally, your good kamma will make you be reborn in a better situation than if you have bad kamma. 

“Dhamma in English, Jan 12, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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The Teaching of Phra Ajaan Paisal Visalo

The Teaching of Phra Ajaan Paisal Visalo

The fisherman goes to heaven? The Dhamma practitioner goes to hell?

It was an important observance day, where a merit-making event was being held in the temple grounds. A man sat himself in half-lotus position listening to the sermon being preached by the venerable Phra Ajaan. While listening, his eyes glanced to the people fishing by the pond near the temple. The man thought in his mind, 

"Wow you are daring, coming so near to the temple to catch fish here! This is a sacred place, you must not be afraid of the bad kamma awaiting you, breaking the precepts like this, tsk tsk tsk..."

Instead of focusing on the Dhamma talk being expounded by the Luang Phor and setting his mind in concentration to receive merit, this devotee's mind has wandered away to the fisherman. 

At the same time, the fisherman looked upwards and saw the devotees sitting at the sala hall listening to the Venerable Ajaan giving his Dhamma talk. He set his mind to listening to the Dhamma talk and asking for a blessing. 

He thought, "Because I am a poor householder, I have no opportunity like them to attend a Dhamma talk. I need to catch some fish to sell to raise money to support my two elderly and often ill parents. I hope that in my next life, I will be born in a better position to make merit like those wonderful devotees sitting there, listening and practising the Dhamma. 

Anumodana Sadhu to them for their great deeds!"

Even as the fisherman was fishing, his mind was listening to the Dhamma talk, and rejoicing in the merit of the Phra and their luksits who often practise the Dhamma and sit in meditation. He was also constantly asking for forgiveness for his wrong livelihood which he does not have much choice over. 

Now do you understand why it is possible for a Dhamma practitioner to go to hell and a fisherman to go to heaven?

The basis of good or bad kamma is one's intention. If you are nourishing good and loving intentions, with wisdom, that is making good kamma. If your thoughts are always harsh and critical of others, even though you spend your time sitting and listening to the Dhamma often, that is making bad kamma. 

Some devotees who like to listen to the Dhamma often judge other people, they never look at themselves, but instead they often scoff at how other people act badly or break the precepts. 

Yet, the fisherman only had good thoughts towards the Dhamma practitioners and rejoiced in their good merits. 

Phra Ajaan Paisal Visalo taught that practising the Dhamma should be about improving your own mind and making it peaceful. It is not about being more superior or more holy than others. You have Dhamma knowledge and look good on the outside, but in the end you are still looking down on others. 

There are many people who love to make merit, love to study Dhamma, and yet they still lack kindness in their hearts. 

They go on long journeys to the holiest temples to make merit, yet they ignore the poor people living around their residences. 

They love to chase after great Kruba Ajaans, but they neglect the beings who are of lower status than them such as the underprivileged people and needy animals. 

Translated from Thai Dhamma Teaching

A GRADUAL DISCOURSE By: Venerable Aggacitta

A GRADUAL DISCOURSE
By: Venerable Aggacitta 

 

Buddhists believe in the act of performing actions that will allow them to make or acquire good merits. 

There are many types of merits. On Wesak Day, I gave a talk during which I mentioned that giving dana is only one of the lower forms of merit making. Today, Mr Tan and his family have invited us here for pindapata which is a form of dana. During dana, if the precepts of both the sponsor and the recipient of the dana are pure, then the merits obtained will be higher. This is the reason why we normally recite the 3 Refuges and the 5 precepts before the dana proper so that higher merits can be obtained. 

On Wesak Day, I told you the story about our Bodhisatta Velama who donated 84,000 units each of various types of items but gained merits that was not even comparable to the merits obtained if one were to just offer a simple meal to a sotapanna (first stage saint). This was because he lived in a period when there was no Buddha, no BuddhaDhamma and no Sangha. I also mentioned that the merits obtained from giving dana to someone who has attained the first stage of sainthood, the second stage and so on are 100 times progressively greater. This list ends with dana to a Paccekabuddha, a Sammasambuddha and the bhikkhusangha headed by the Sammasambuddha. An even higher form of merits than all this is obtained when we accept the 3 Refuges and uphold the 5 Precepts. Thus, when you recite the 3 Refuges, you are already aiming for the higher form of merits even before you start your dana. 

When you offer dana, you are only paving the way for a prosperous life for yourself in this endless cycle of birth and death. For example, Mr Tan’s children must have been very generous in their past lives for them to be reborn here where they can enjoy their parents’ wealth. 

Unfortunately, many children born with silver spoons in their mouths do not know how to retain and appreciate their good fortune, for unlike their parents who have had to work hard for it, they don’t know how difficult life can be and are often spoilt. 

Venerable Hye from Penang once told a sad case about a young man who was born into great wealth. He very quickly squandered away all his inheritance on all sorts of vices. When he was wealthy, so many “friends” who willingly helped him spend his money surrounded him. 

However, when he was no longer rich, he found that his so-called friends soon deserted him. That is why, in the western world, we have heard of cases where certain rich people have willed their enormous wealth to their beloved pets rather than kith and kin, for animals offer “unconditional love”, unlike humans who frequently have hidden agendas. 

There was a Thai lady who was a grocer and a moneylender as well. She was a ruthless moneylender who charged high interest rates and whenever an opportunity arose that was to her advantage, she would frequently commit unwholesome acts at the expense of others. 

Once, for example, she accused a little girl of not paying for some groceries, when in fact she had already done so. At her insistence and through her lies, she caused the little girl to receive a caning by her mother. 

This lady continued to do many unkind and dishonest acts in order to further accumulate her wealth. 

As a consequence of her unwholesome kamma, she suffered terribly when she was dying. Her body started rotting and maggots were already beginning to eat into her flesh even though she was still alive. As she was such a wealthy lady, her relatives began to crowd around her deathbed like vultures, hoping to get a share of her wealth even before she had taken her last breath. 

Despite being the last few weeks of her life, she refused to tell them about their inheritance. An Ajahn was called in to mediate the situation. This Luang Por Jaren (author of The Law of Kamma) had supernatural powers and knew about the lady’s past misdeeds. He asked the relatives to leave his kappiya and him alone with the lady. He then told the lady that the time had come for her to die and if she still clung on to her wealth and refused to forgive her greedy relations, she would be reborn in the hell realm and suffer terribly. The lady then confessed and told of her fears and anger that her relatives were there only because they coveted her wealth and not because they actually cared for her. She then said that she would prefer to donate her wealth entirely to the Luang Por. He declined the offer and further enlightened her on the Dhamma, advising her to stop clinging on and to let go. After some time, she finally understood and agreed to distribute her property. 

The act of dana that you perform is only to pave a prosperous future for yourself within the cycle of birth and death, and even then, it need not necessarily be a happy one. However when you accept the 3 Refuges, listen to the Dhamma, breathe the Dhamma and live in the Dhamma, this will better enable you to get out from the never-ending cycle of samsara. And if you are lucky enough to live in a period where there is BuddhaDhamma, this is an opportunity not to be missed. The Buddha said that when you perform dana, you will be reborn into prosperity and when you keep your precepts, you will be reborn into a good existence. However, if you perform dana and do not keep your precepts, you may become a pampered pet animal belonging to a wealthy person. If you perform dana and keep your precepts as well, you can be reborn as a wealthy human or even into the heavenly realm. 

However, all these rebirths no matter how good they are, are still a part of the cycle of birth and death. 

They are impermanent. The Buddha further advised us not to be satisfied with just these but to endeavour and practise the Noble Eightfold Path to perfection so that we can get out of samsara. During the Buddha’s time, many lay people managed to reach the first and second stages of sainthood. However, unlike monks, these people usually did not need to meditate—they achieved enlightenment just by listening to the Buddha preaching, probably due to their past accumulated virtues. Many of them renounced their lay life and entered the forest to meditate intensively to achieve full enlightenment. 

Sappurisadana (A Virtuous Person’s Dana) Sutta (AN 5:148), describes the five factors necessary for a person to perform a good dana:- 

One believes in kamma-vipaka when giving. 

One gives respectfully, for example, one should not throw the food down roughly. 

One gives appropriately at a suitable time. If you give food way past the noontime allowable to the monks, they will not be able to partake of the dana. If you give cash directly to the monks into their almsbowls, their precepts do not allow them to accept it. It would be more appropriate to entrust it to their trustees (kappiyakarakas). 

One gives wholeheartedly. If you donate just because you were coerced into it or obliged to do so, and not because you really want to, the quality of the dana will be inferior. 

In performimg the dana, one must not harm oneself (by breaking any of the five precepts) or others (by hurting them physically, verbally or emotionally). For example, you should not deliberately slaughter an animal just to provide food for the Sangha.

Whenever a person gives, regardless of the way they go about doing it, the fact remains that the meritorious act of dana has taken place and that wholesome kamma will bring about wealth and prosperity when conditions are ripe. However, a virtuous man’s dana produces the following ‘extra’ merits. 

When you perform dana and have faith in kammavipaka, you give with a happy heart, which shows up in your radiant smiling face. When your kamma ripens you are reborn as a beautiful, comely being. 

When you give with respect, you will be able to command the loyalty, respect and commitment of your spouse, children, colleagues and workers. 

When you give at a correct time and place, windfalls and prosperity will arrive at an opportune time for you. 

When you donate with an open heart, you will be able to enjoy the wealth that comes by you. 

There are people around who are so rich but so miserly. They don’t know how to make use of even a small portion of their wealth to live comfortably. This is a result of having given, but not wholeheartedly. 

When you do not cause harm in order to perform dana, your prosperity remains with you for a long time, for example, you don’t get robbed, and your property is not depleted because of the government or calamities such as fire, flood, and earthquake. 

I hope that whenever you perform dana, you will bear these 5 factors in mind. Remember also to take the 3 Refuges, keep your precepts well and, whenever you have the opportunity, come and learn meditation at our centre.

Sadhu ...... 

Sadhu ...... 

Sadhu ......

WHAT IS SANGHIKA DANA AND ITS BENEFITS?

 WHAT IS SANGHIKA DANA AND ITS BENEFITS?

Sāṅghika Dāna’ is offering to a community of Sangha. Here, ‘Sangha’ refers to the noble disciples of the Buddha, who have destroyed all the defilements in the mind and are endowed with perfect virtues, concentration and wisdom, and those who follow the Path to Enlightenment.

When one offers gifts to the community of Sangha, one is offering to the noble Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis who practiced in the past and those noble ones who are practicing in the present. 

Hence, the great number of these Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis are uncountable; the great virtuous qualities they have are immeasurable.

As a result, whenever and whatever one offers to such a noble community of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis, one develops wholesome state of mind and wholesome Kamma, uncountable and immeasurable.

One day, Mahāpajāpati Gotami, the queen took a new cloth and went before the Blessed One, the Buddha. She said, “Venerable sir, the new cloth has been spun by me, woven by me, especially for the Blessed One. Venerable sir, let the Blessed One accept it from me out of compassion.” 

When this was said, the Blessed One answered, “Offer it to the Sangha, Gotami. 

When you offer it to the Sangha, both Sangha and me will be honoured.” Although she pleaded the Buddha to accept the offering three times, the Buddha refused and asked her to offer it to the Sangha instead.

The Buddha then gave her the following explanation; if she were to only offer to the Buddha, it would just be a personal offering. However, if she were to offer it to the Sangha, it would include both the Buddha and all the other noble Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis. Hence, offering to the Sangha led by the Buddha would produce the greatest merits.

‘Dāna’ helps to overcome greed and other related defilements. ‘Dāna’ produces wellbeing and prosperity in the present life, favourable rebirth in the future and a condition for the development of the Right View. Eradication of greed, hatred and delusion leads to Nibbāna.

VINAYA : "WHAT THE BUDDHA SAY ABOUT EATING MEAT” ~ by Ajahn Brahmavamso

 VINAYA : 
"WHAT THE BUDDHA SAY ABOUT EATING MEAT”
~ by Ajahn Brahmavamso 

 

Since the very beginning of Buddhism over 2500 years ago, Buddhist monks and nuns have depended on almsfood. They were, and still are, prohibited from growing their own food, storing their own provisions or cooking their own meals. Instead, every morning they would make their day's meal out of whatever was freely given to them by lay supporters. Whether it was rich food or coarse food, delicious or awful tasting it was to be accepted with gratitude and eaten regarding it as medicine. The Buddha laid down several rules forbidding monks from asking for the food that they liked. As a result, they would receive just the sort of meals that ordinary people ate - and that was often meat.

Once, a rich and influential general by the name of Siha (meaning 'Lion') went to visit the Buddha. Siha had been a famous lay supporter of the Jain monks but he was so impressed and inspired by the Teachings he heard from the Buddha that he took refuge in the Triple Gem (i.e. he became a Buddhist). General Siha then invited the Buddha, together with the large number of monks accompanying Him, to a meal at his house in the city the following morning. In preparation for the meal, Siha told one of his servants to buy some meat from the market for the feast. When the Jain monks heard of their erstwhile patron's conversion to Buddhism and the meal that he was preparing for the Buddha and the monks, they were somewhat peeved:

"Now at the time many Niganthas (Jain monks), waving their arms, were moaning from carriage road to carriage road, from cross road to cross road in the city: "Today a fat beast, killed by Siha the general, is made into a meal for the recluse Gotama (the Buddha), the recluse Gotama makes use of this meat knowing that it was killed on purpose for him, that the deed was done for his sake" [1].

Siha was making the ethical distinction between buying meat already prepared for sale and ordering a certain animal to be killed, a distinction which is not obvious to many westerners but which recurs throughout the Buddha's own teachings. Then, to clarify the position on meat eating to the monks, the Buddha said:

"Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you." [2]

There are many places in the Buddhist scriptures which tell of the Buddha and his monks being offered meat and eating it. One of the most interesting of these passages occurs in the introductory story to a totally unrelated rule (Nissaggiya Pacittiya 5) and the observation that the meat is purely incidental to the main theme of the story emphasizes the authenticity of the passage:

Uppalavanna (meaning 'she of the lotus-like complexion') was one of the two chief female disciples of the Buddha. She was ordained as a nun while still a young woman and soon became fully enlightened. As well as being an arahant (enlightened) she also possessed various psychic powers to the extent that the Buddha declared her to be foremost among all the women in this field. Once, while Uppalavanna was meditating alone in the afternoon in the 'Blind-Men's Grove', a secluded forest outside of the city of Savatthi, some thieves passed by. 

The thieves had just stolen a cow, butchered it and were escaping with the meat. Seeing the composed and serene nun, the chief of the thieves quickly put some of the meat in a leaf-bag and left it for her. 

Uppalavanna picked up the meat and resolved to give it to the Buddha. Early next morning, having had the meat prepared, she rose into the air and flew to where the Buddha was staying, in the Bamboo Grove outside of Rajagaha, over 200 kilometres as the crow (or nun?) flies! Though there is no specific mention of the Buddha actually consuming this meat, obviously a nun of such high attainments would certainly have known what the Buddha ate.

However there are some meats which are specifically prohibited for monks to eat: human meat, for obvious reasons; meat from elephants and horses as these were then considered royal animals; dog meat - as this was considered by ordinary people to be disgusting; and meat from snakes, lions, tigers, panthers, bears and hyenas - because one who had just eaten the flesh of such dangerous jungle animals was thought to give forth such a smell as to draw forth revenge from the same species!

Towards the end of the Buddha's life, his cousin Devadatta attempted to usurp the leadership of the Order of monks. In order to win support from other monks, Devadatta tried to be more strict than the Buddha and show Him up as indulgent. Devadatta proposed to the Buddha that all the monks should henceforth be vegetarians. The Buddha refused and repeated once again the regulation that he had established years before, that monks and nuns may eat fish or meat as long as it is not from an animal whose meat is specifically forbidden, and as long as they had no reason to believe that the animal was slaughtered specifically for them.

The Vinaya, then, is quite clear on this matter. Monks and nuns may eat meat. Even the Buddha ate meat. 

Unfortunately, meat eating is often seen by westerners as an indulgence on the part of the monks. Nothing could be further from the truth - I was a strict vegetarian for three years before I became a monk. In my first years as a monk in North-East Thailand, when I bravely faced many a meal of sticky rice and boiled frog (the whole body bones and all), or rubbery snails, red-ant curry or fried grasshoppers - I would have given ANYTHING to be a vegetarian again! On my first Christmas in N.E. Thailand an American came to visit the monastery a week or so before the 25th. It seemed too good to be true, he had a turkey farm and yes, he quickly understood how we lived and promised us a turkey for Christmas. He said that he would choose a nice fat one especially for us .... and my heart sank. We cannot accept meat knowing it was killed especially for monks. We refused his offer. So I had to settle for part of the villager's meal - frogs again.

Monks may not exercise choice when it comes to food and that is much harder than being a vegetarian. Nonetheless, we may encourage vegetarianism and if our lay supporters brought only vegetarian food and no meat, well...monks may not complain either! May you take the hint and be kind to animals.

Refs: 

[1] Book of the Discipline, Vol. 4, p324 

[2] ibid, p325

Sadhu ..........

Sadhu .......... 

Sadhu ..........

The Teaching of Phra Paisal Visalo

The Teaching of Phra Paisal Visalo 

This is a very good teaching by Ajaan Paisal. 

Many a times, I have seen Buddhists who have practiced for many years, giving a lot of dana, keeping precepts and meditating, yet they quarrel over minor things such as sectarian or doctrinal differences. 

A couple went to a Dhamma talk, but the husband forgot to turn off his phone. While the Phra Ajaan was preaching, the husband's mobile phone rang out very loudly. The monks and people who were attending the sermon all turned to stare and frown at him. After the Dhamma talk had ended, some people came forward to scold the couple, for having poor manners and not obeying the rule of Noble Silence, causing others to be distracted. In the car on the ride back home, the husband was scolded fiercely by his wife.

As he was unhappy with the events that transpired, he went to the bar to get a drink. He kept thinking about what happened earlier, got distracted and dropped the beer bottle. It smashed on the ground and shattered everywhere. He thought he would be scolded again but on the contrary, the people there were all asking whether he was okay, and whether he was cut. Some people wiped the table with a cloth. Some of them took some brooms to sweep up the bits of glass and mopped the floor. The manager brought him another bottle of beer and said that “Mistakes happen, but please be more careful in the future."

Since then, this man stopped going to the temple, but turned to the bar instead. Because he received the companionship, kindness and generosity from the people at the bar more than the devotees who enter the temple. Even though people who go to the temple should have metta and be considerate, and practice forgiveness, more so than people at the bar, but the opposite is true.

Therefore, Buddhists must not be so obsessed with minor rules and observances until they forget to be magnanimous. Remember, there is no human who will not make mistakes. We should not make mountains out of molehills, or quarrel over small matters. Because we will push people out of the temple, and instead of them coming here to listen to the Dhamma and sharpen their minds, we are causing people to turn their backs on Buddhism. Righteousness is not about keeping rules strictly, but about understanding and kindness to one another.

Phra Paisal Visalo

Wat Pasukato

Chaiyaphum Province

The Teaching of Luangta Maha Boowa

The Teaching of Luangta Maha Boowa

In establishing mindfulness of breathing, should we fix our attention at the nose or in the stomach region?

In establishing mindfulness of breathing, you should fix your mindfulness on and contemplate the point of contact of the breath. You should not go up and down with it, but keep the mind fixed on the point of contact. If the breath seems to become fainter and fainter, it is nothing to be afraid of or to worry about; the breath has not ceased—it is still there. The kind of meditation which a person practices depends on the character of each individual practitioner, but the development of the mindfulness of breathing is a practice suitable for the majority of people. 

The important factor in any method of mind-development is mindfulness. Forgetting mindfulness means failing in your task, and you will not get good results. You should therefore take care of your mindfulness and keep it present when using any method of mind-development.

~ Luangta Maha Boowa

When we meditate to improve our well-being, is there any higher purpose to the meditation? If there is, what is it?

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

When we meditate to improve our well-being, is there any higher purpose to the meditation? If there is, what is it?

Tan Ajahn: The well-being that you are referring to is the well-being of the body and the well-being of the mind. 

Well-being of the body is, like I said, temporary, it is not permanent. What you want to have is well-being of the mind. 

The mind that is always peaceful and happy, having no stress, realizing the cessation of all forms of stress or suffering and the end of all rebirths. This is the goal of Buddhist meditation. Because if you still have to be reborn, then you still have to get old, get sick and die. 

So the Buddha said the goal is not to be reborn.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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

Ajahn Suchart Dharma for the Asking

Ajahn Suchart
Dharma for the Asking

Question:  I feel that to think that nibbāna is better than saṁsāra is missing the point as both are just words, not the real truth. Only practice will lead you there one way or the other, but not thinking that one is better than the other?

Than Ajahn:  Well, when you want to buy a product, you have to know which one is better before you decide which one to buy. You have to know whether Samsung is better than Apple or Apple is better than Samsung. 

Once you know which one is better, then you can decide which one you’d want to get. It’s the same way with knowing which one is better: nibbāna or saṁsāra. They are at the opposite end of each other: saṁsāra is the mind that continues on rebirth; nibbāna is the mind that stops getting rebirth. So, you have to decide which one is better for you. If you think continuous rebirth is better, then you continue on with staying in the saṁsāra. If you think stopping rebirth is better, then you choose nibbāna. So, you have to know first which one is better, then you can decide what you want.

“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

**********

Nature of Modern Life. By Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera

Nature of Modern Life.
By Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera

Today we are living in a world where people have to work very hard physically and mentally. 

Without hard work, there is no place for people in the modern society. Very often keen competition is going on everywhere. One is trying to beat the other in every sphere of life and man has no rest at all. 

Mind is the nucleus of life. When there is no real peace and rest in the mind, the whole life will collapse. 

People naturally try to overcome their miseries through pleasing the senses: they drink, gamble, sing and dance?all the time having the illusion that they are enjoying he real happiness of life. Sense stimulation is not the real way to have relaxation. The more we try to please the senses through sensual pleasures, the more will we become slaves to the senses. There will be no end to our craving for satisfaction. The real way to relax is to calm the senses by the control of mind. If we can control the mind, then we will be able to control everything. When the mind is free from mental disturbances it can see many things which others cannot see with their naked eyes. Ultimately, we will be able to attain our salvation and find peace and happiness.

To practise meditation, one must have strong determination, effort and patience. Immediate results cannot be expected. We must remember that it takes many years for a person to be qualified as a doctor, lawyer, mathematician, philosopher, historian or a scientist. Similarly to be a good meditator, it will take sometime for the person to control the elusive mind and to calm the senses. Practising meditation is like swimming in a river against the current. Therefore one must not lose patience for not being able to obtain rapid results. At the same time the meditator must also cultivate his morality. A congenial place for meditation is another important aspect. The meditator must have an object for his meditation, for without an object the jumping mind is not easy to trap. The object must not create lust, anger, delusion, and emotion in the meditator's mind.

When we start to meditate, we switch the mind from the old imaginative way of thinking, or habitual thought into a new unimpeded or unusual way of thinking. While meditating when we breathe in mindfully, we absorb cosmic energy. When we breathe out mindfully with Metta; loving kindness, we purify the atmosphere. Intellect is necessary for the overcoming of emotionality and spiritual confusion as intuition is necessary for overcoming intellectual limitation and conceptual abstraction.

We spend most of our time on our body: to feed it, to clothe it, to cleanse it, to wash it, to beautify it, to relax it, but how much time do we spend on our mind for the same purposes?

Some people take the Buddha Image as an object and concentrate on it. Some concentrate on inhaling and exhaling. Whatever may be the method, if anyone tries to practise meditation, he is sure to find relaxation. 

Meditation will help him a great deal to have physical and mental health and to control the mind when it is necessary.

Man can do the highest service to the society by simply abstaining from evils. The cultured mind that is developed through meditation performs a most useful service to others. Meditation is not simply a waste of man's valuable time. The advanced mind of a meditator can solve so many human problems and is very useful to enlighten others. Meditation is very useful to help a person live peacefully despite various disturbances that are so prevalent in this modern world. 

We cannot be expected to retire to a jungle or forest to live in ivory towers?'far from the madding crowd'. 

By practising right meditation we can have an abode for temporary oblivion. 

Meditation has the purpose of training a person to face, understand and conquer this very world in which we live. Meditation teaches us to adjust ourselves to bear with the numerous obstacles to life in the modern world.

Some people practise meditation in order to satisfy their material desires; they want to further their material gains. They want to use meditation to get better jobs. They want to earn more money or to operate their business more efficiently. Perhaps they fail to understand that the aim of meditation is not to increase but to decrease desires. Materialistic motives are hardly suitable for proper meditation, the goal of which lies beyond worldly affairs. One should meditate to try to attain something that even money cannot buy or bring.

If you practice meditation, you can learn to behave like a gentleman even though you are disturbed by others. Through meditation you can learn how to relax the body and to calm the mind; you can learn to be tranquil and happy within.

Just as an engine gets overheated and damaged when it is run for a prolonged period and requires cooling down to overcome this, so also the mind gets overtaxed when we subject it to a sustained degree of mental effort and it is only through meditation that relaxation or cooling can be achieved. Meditation strengthens the mind to control human emotion when it is disturbed by negative thoughts and feelings such as jealousy, anger, pride and envy.

If you practise meditation, you can learn to make the proper decision when you are at a cross-roads in life and are at a loss as to which way to turn. These qualities cannot be purchased from anywhere. No amount of money or property can buy these qualities, yet you attain them through meditation. And finally the ultimate object of Buddhist meditation is to eradicate all defilements from the mind and to attain the final goal--Nibbana.

Nowadays, however, the practice of meditation has been abused by people. They want immediate and quick results, just as they expect quick returns for everything they do in daily life. In Buddhism, as is the case with other eastern cultures, patience is a most important quality. The mind must be brought under control in slow degrees and one should not try to reach for the higher states without proper training. We have heard of over-enthusiastic young men and women literally going out of their minds because they adopted the wrong attitudes towards meditation. Meditation is a gentle way of conquering the defilements which pollute the mind. If people want 'success' or 'achievement' to boast to others that they have attained this or that level of meditation, they are abusing the method of mental culture. One must be trained in morality and one must clearly understand that to be successful in the discipline of meditation worldly achievement must not be equated with spiritual development. Ideally, it is good to work under an experienced teacher who will help his student to develop along the right path. 

But above all one must never be in a hurry to achieve too much too quickly.

The Teaching of Ajahn Maha Boowa

The Teaching of Ajahn Maha Boowa

Every true religion teaches people to be good. I do not dare to put Jesus and the Buddha in the ring to have a boxing match to see who is champion, because the religions do not have anything to argue and fight about. But we people who are variously Christians and Buddhists like to quarrel and fight with words, because of being stubborn we do not practise the way of either religion. 

The teachings of the Founders of each religion give us a right path to follow, so we ought to contemplate the virtues of the Founders. It is as if we are walking along a path to a particular destination. 

At first we go along a path that we know until we reach a point where we do not know the way, so we ask someone who knows and they tell us the way to go further. As soon as we again reach a point of uncertainty, we ask again. We continue like this until we reach the goal at the end of the path. The one who points out the way is a benefactor to us, and we ought to reflect upon his gift to us. 

The Buddha saw clearly into Dhamma, because he understood clearly the method by which he had trained himself. 

Therefore, it was never in vain that Buddhists turned to him. 

He was always ready to help the world to get free from various dangers with methods which were full of mettã. To summarise: in both religions, the Founders compassionately taught people to be good in the same way. They are different in their degrees of subtlety following the abilities of the Founders of each religion.

~ Ajahn Maha Boowa

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

2 December 2023

Question:  I noticed that I have a fault-finding mind quite often. 

Can you advise me on how to manage it without becoming miserable and complaining a lot?

Than Ajahn:  Well, you have to just tell yourself that to find fault in other people is useless for you. If you want to find fault, then you have to find fault within yourself, so you can remedy and correct your fault. 

If you find fault with other people, it will just make you restless and agitated because sometimes you cannot change them. You see faults in other people but you cannot correct them because you cannot force people to correct their faults, so it’s a waste of time for you to find fault with other people. It’s better for you to find fault within yourself, ‘What is wrong with me?’ When you know what is wrong with yourself, then you can change it. And it will be better for you that way.

Question:  Should I only act upon the fault-finding thoughts if they are stopping someone from getting hurt, and let the rest of these thoughts go? Which fault-finding thoughts I should act upon?

Than Ajahn:  If you act upon it where it becomes beneficial to other people, then act upon it.

But if you cannot do it, then just leave it alone. 

“Dhamma in English, Feb 25, 2019.”

- - - - - - -

Question:  My mind always justifies, judges, criticises, makes assumptions, condemns, approves, disapproves, likes, dislikes, etc. It does those constantly. For example, when I meet someone, my mind instantly tells me what I dislike about this person. Why my mind always behaves like my own enemy? Is this mind, myself?

Than Ajahn:  These are the habits you’ve been doing in your past lives, so it becomes your habits now. You can break these habits by using mindfulness. You have to stop it when you know that you are criticizing or judging others.

Instead of criticizing or judging others, you should analyse things as they are.

The Buddha said that you analyse everything by seeing that everything you come into contact with is impermanent, and it cannot be under your control all the time. This is the way you should behave towards things or people. If you want everything to be under your control or you want everything to be permanent, you will only be troubled by it because you can’t do it.

Don’t judge others whether they’re good or bad. It’s okay to know if they are good or bad but it’s more important to know that they are impermanent. It’s more important to know that you can’t really do anything about them, you can’t change them or manage them. 

Sooner or later, they will be beyond your control. And if you try to control them, it will only make you unhappy.

“Dhamma in English, Dec 18, 2018.”

- - - - - - -

Question:  How to live mindfully without judgement?

Than Ajahn:  Well, don’t think.

If you have mindfulness, you don’t think. You’ll just be aware of what’s going on, then you won’t be judging others—you see good things; you see bad things; you see good people; you see bad people. You just see, you just know. You’re not thinking if you have mindfulness. 

The reason why you think is because you don’t have strong mindfulness. If you have strong mindfulness, as soon as you know you’re judging others, you can stop it right away. So, you need to develop strong mindfulness before you can stop thinking or judging things and people.

“Dhamma in English, Sep 19, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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

Can Luangphor gives us some pointers on balancing samādhi and vipassanā?

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

Question:  Can Luangphor gives us some pointers on balancing samādhi and vipassanā?

Than Ajahn:  Yes, actually, it’s not balancing them. When you first start, you have to develop samādhi first before you can go to vipassanā level. Only when you’re at the vipassanā level, then you have to balance them because your mind needs resting. Samādhi is a resting place for the mind, while vipassanā is a working place for the mind. It’s similar to you going to office to work and going home to eat, sleep and rest. Once you have rested, you refresh yourself, then you get up in the morning and go back to office to work. This is the same way when you are at vipassana level.

But if you haven’t yet got samādhi, you cannot go up to the vipassanā level because your mind doesn’t have the strength to develop vipassanā. 

In order to develop vipassanā, you have to have a calm and clear mind. If your mind is still cloudy with delusion—with greed and hatred, your mind will just be thinking about greed and hatred and you will not be able to direct your mind to study the true nature of things. 

Therefore, the first thing you have to develop is appanā-samādhi. In order to have appanā-samādhi, you need to develop continuous mindfulness.

So, these are the steps you have to do: first, you have to develop continuous mindfulness because with continuous mindfulness then you can bring your mind to appanā-samādhi; next, after you are capable to enter appanā-samādhi all the time, when you withdraw from that samādhi state, you can start working on developing vipassanā. It’s like before you can go to work, you have to have a house to stay and have food to eat, so that you have the physical strength to do work. If you are homeless and have no food to eat, how can you go to work? Right now, your mind is like a homeless person—your mind has no home and no food. 

The mental home and mental food is samādhi; and the money to buy the mental home and mental food is mindfulness. So, you need to raise some money first, then you can buy a home and you can buy some food. 

Once you have a home to stay and food to eat, then you will have the strength to go and do work. This is the process.

When you first start, you have to go step by step. But once you get to the vipassanā level, then you have to come back to samādhi because after you contemplate or study the nature of things, after a while, your mind can get tired. When your mind is tired, it will not be efficient, then you have to stop contemplating and go back to rest in samādhi. After you have rested, when you withdraw from that samādhi state, then you can continue on with the contemplation again.

Layperson:  Thank you khrub.

“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

Quiet Breathing

 Quiet Breathing

Now I’d like to explain a little about how to meditate. Sitting in meditation is a worthwhile activity. The outer part of the activity is to sit in a half-lotus position with your right leg on top of your left leg; your hands palm-up in your lap, your right hand on top of your left. Keep your body erect. Close your eyes, but don’t close them off like a person asleep. Your optic nerves have to keep working to some extent or else you’ll get drowsy.

These activities are the outer aspects of good meditation, but they aren’t what makes the meditation good. 

You also need to have the right object for the mind to dwell on, and the right intention: the intention to keep the in-and-out breath in mind, to adjust it so that it’s comfortable, and to keep the breath and mind together so that they don’t slip away from each other. When you can do this properly, you’ll gain beneficial results in terms of both body and mind—i.e., the right quality you’re looking for, termed ‘inner worth’, which means a soothing sense of ease, comfort, fullness, and well-being.

When you sit and meditate, keep noticing whether or not your mind is staying with the in-and-out breath. 

You have to keep mindfulness in charge of the mind. For example, when you breathe in, think bud; when you breathe out, think dho. Bud-dho. Be mindful. Don’t let yourself forget or slip away. Put aside all your outside responsibilities and let go of all outside thoughts and perceptions. Keep your mind with nothing but the breath. You don’t have to turn your attention to anything else.

Usually when you sit and meditate, though, thoughts of past and future tend to appear and get in the way of the quality of your meditation. Thoughts of this sort—whether they’re about things past or yet to come, about the world or the Dhamma—have no good to them at all. 

They’ll simply cause you trouble and suffering. They make the mind restless and disturbed so that it can’t gain any peace and calm—because things that are past have already passed. There’s no way you can bring them back or change them. 

Things in the future haven’t reached us yet, so we can’t know whether or not they’ll be in line with our expectations. They’re far away and uncertain, so there’s no way they’ll be any help to our thinking at all.

For this reason, we have to keep hold on the mind to keep it in the present by fixing it on nothing but the breath. 

To think about the breath is called directed thought, as when we think buddho together with the breath—bud in, dho out, like we’re doing right now. 

When we start evaluating the breath, we let go of buddho and start observing how far the effects of each in-and-out breath can be felt in the body. When the breath comes in, does it feel comfortable or not? When it goes out, does it feel relaxed or not? If it doesn’t feel comfortable and relaxed, change it. 

When you keep the mind preoccupied with investigating the breath, let go of buddho. You don’t have any need for it. Mindful awareness will fill the body, and the in-breath will start to feel as if it’s permeating the body throughout. When we let go of buddho, our evaluation of the breath becomes more refined; the movement of the mind will calm down and become concentration; outside perceptions will fall silent. 

‘Falling silent’ doesn’t mean that our ears go blank or become deaf. It means that our attention doesn’t go running to outside perceptions or to thoughts of past or future. Instead, it stays exclusively in the present.

When we fix our attention on the breath in this way, constantly keeping watch and being observant of how the breath is flowing, we’ll come to know what the in-breath and out-breath are like, whether or not they’re comfortable, what way of breathing in makes us feel good, what way of breathing out makes us feel good, what way of breathing makes us feel tense and uncomfortable. If the breath feels uncomfortable, try to adjust it so that it gives rise to a sense of comfort and ease.

When we keep surveying and evaluating the breath in this way, mindfulness and self-awareness will take charge within us. Stillness will develop, discernment will develop, knowledge will develop within us.

*   *   *   *   *

From Food for Thought: Eighteen Talks on the Training of the Heart, by Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu 

https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/FoodForThought/Section0014.html

PDF 

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/FoodforThought_181215.pdf

NB. The halo came with the original picture for artistic effect. Compared to many digitally-altered pictures of khruba ajaans these days, it is relatively subdued.

That said, whether the Buddha or Ajaan Lee really has a halo around him, anyone could find the genuine brightness of life if one practises concentration well.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

18th October, 2022

Question:  How significant is the influence of past kamma on our ability to live as a monk in this life time?

Than Ajahn:  Past kamma can be supporting or obstructing. If you were a monk in your past life, you’d find it easy to be a monk in this life. But if you were doing something else, then you’d find that being a monk is not so easy. What you had done in your past lives became part of your habit.

When it became a habit, you’d find it easier to do. When you have to do something that wasn’t your habit, you’d find it difficult to do. So, if you keep doing things, like going to a monastery, keeping the precepts, and learning to meditate, then those activities will accumulate to become your habits. In your next life, when you’re born again, even if there is no Buddhism, you might still have this desire to go to quiet places to meditate, and to live a monk’s life. If there is no monastery and no Buddhism, you might become a hermit or a reusi. So, this is what past kamma would do to your life. 

Your past kamma would be one of the forces that will guide or push your life depending on how strong it is.

Question:  What if many fortune tellers forecast me that I will not last as a monk and will disrobe afterwards in this life time?

Than Ajahn:  You went to the wrong fortune teller. You should go to the Buddha. The Buddha said if you follow his teachings, you can become enlightened either in 7 days, 7 months or 7 years. So, you’ve gone to the wrong fortune teller. You have to go to the right fortune teller.

If you want to become a monk for life, you go to the Buddha.

 

“Dhamma in English, Mar 15, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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The teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

13 January 2024

Question:  I heard that kamma is just ‘cause and effect,’ so, if there is no ‘self’, there is no ‘I’ and we are just the physical bodies, then who is doing the wrong act?

Than Ajahn:  Well, kamma deals with the mind. The mind is the one that is doing the action. But the mind itself is not a ‘self,’ yet we call the mind, ‘self.’ A ‘self’ is a concept created by the mind. 

So, the one who is doing the action is the mind and the one who bears the consequences of the action is the mind. When you do good kamma, the mind feels happy. 

If you do bad kamma, the mind feels unhappy. So, it’s the mind who is being subjected to the law of kamma, not the body. The body is only an instrument of the mind.

Let me give you an example. If a driver drives a car, the driver and the car are two separate entities. The driver is the one who drives the car and the car is just an instrument used by the driver. When the driver drives the car and the car hits somebody, it’s not the car that has to pay the price, right? It’s the driver. So, it’s the same way, when the mind does something through the body, the mind is the one who bears the consequences. 

If the mind does bad kamma, the mind will feel bad. If the mind does good kamma, the mind will feel good. 

The body doesn’t know anything. The body is only like a car.

But the question you asked is not really important. 

What you want to know is how to make your mind happy. Once your mind is happy, you understand that all the things that you don’t understand will become clear to you after you have studied the mind and know how to make your mind happy. And when you are happy, if you don’t know anything, it doesn’t matter because what you know or what you don’t know doesn’t matter as long as you are happy.

“Dhamma in English, Jan 12, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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

GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER Vegetarianism

GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER
Vegetarianism 

 

QUESTION: Buddhists should be vegetarians, shouldn't they?

ANSWER: 

Not necessarily. The Buddha was not a vegetarian, he did not teach his disciples to be vegetarian and even today there many good Buddhists who are not vegetarians. In the Buddhist scriptures it says; 

QUESTION: But if you eat meat you are responsible for animals being killed. Isn't that breaking the First Precept?

ANSWER: 

It is true that when you eat meat you are indirectly or partially responsible for killing a creature but the same is true when you eat vegetables. The farmer has to spray his crop with insecticides and poisons so that the vegetables arrive on your dinner plates without holes in them. And once again, animals have been killed to provide the leather for your belt or handbag, the oil for the soap you use and a thousand other products as well. It is impossible to live without, in some way, being indirectly responsible for the death of some other beings. 

This is yet another example of the First Noble Truth: ordinary existence is suffering and unsatisfactory. 

When you take the First Precept, you try to avoid being directly responsible for killing beings.

 

QUESTION: Mahayana Buddhists don't eat meat.

ANSWER: 

That is not correct. Mahayana Buddhism in China laid great stress on being vegetarian but both the monks and lay people of the Mahayana tradition in Japan, Mongolia and Tibet usually eat meat.

 

QUESTION: But I still think that a Buddhist should be vegetarian.

ANSWER: 

If there were a person who was a very strict vegetarian but who was selfish, dishonest and mean, and another person who was not vegetarian but who was thoughtful to others, honest, generous and kind, which of these two people would be the better Buddhist?

 

QUESTION: The person who was honest and kind.

ANSWER: 

Why?

 

QUESTION: Because such a person obviously has a good heart.

ANSWER: 

Exactly. One who eats meat can have a pure heart just as one who does not eat meat can have an impure heart. In the Buddha's teachings, the important thing is the quality of your heart, not the contents of your diet. Many people take great care never to eat meat but they may not be too concerned about being selfish, dishonest, cruel or jealous. They change their diet which is easy to do while neglecting to change their hearts which is a difficult thing to do. So whether you are a vegetarian or not, remember that the purification of the mind is the most important thing in Buddhism.

 

QUESTION: But from the Buddhist point of view, would the person who had a good heart and was vegetarian be better than the person who had a good heart but was a meat eater?

ANSWER: 

If a good-hearted vegetarian’s motive in avoiding meat was concern for animals and not wanting to be involved in the cruelty of modern industrial farming, then he or she would definitely have developed their compassion and their concern for others to a higher degree than the meat eater would have. 

Many people find that as they develop in the Dhamma that they have a natural tendency to move towards vegetarianism.

 

QUESTION: Someone told me that the Buddha died from eating spoiled pork. Is that true?

ANSWER: 

No, it is not. The scriptures mention that the Buddha’s last meal consisted of a dish called sukara maddava. The meaning of this term is no longer understood but the word sukara means a pig so it may refer to a preparation of pork although it might just as easily refer to a type of vegetable, a pastry or something else. 

Whatever it was, the mention of this food has led some people to think that eating it caused the Buddha’s death. 

The Buddha was 80 at the time he passed away and he has been ailing for some time. 

The reality is that he died of old age.

Vegetarianism By Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera

Vegetarianism
By Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera

One should not judge the purity or impurity of man simply by observing what he eats.

In the Amagandha Sutta, the Buddha said:

'Neither meat, nor fasting, nor nakedness,

Nor shaven heads, nor matted hair, nor dirt,

Nor rough skins, nor fire-worshipping,

Nor all the penances here in this world,

Nor hymns, nor oblation, nor sacrifice,

Nor feasts of the season,

Will purify a man overcome with doubt.'

Taking fish and meat by itself does not make a man become impure. A man makes himself impure by bigotry, deceit, envy, self-exaltation, disparagement and other evil intentions. 

Through his own evil thoughts and actions, man makes himself impure. There is no strict rule in Buddhism that the followers of the Buddha should not take fish and meat. 

The only advice given by the Buddha is that they should not be involved in killing intentionally or they should not ask others to kill any living being for them. However, those who take vegetable food and abstain from animal flesh are praiseworthy.

Though the Buddha did not advocate vegetarianism for the monks, He did advise the monks to avoid taking ten kinds of meat for their self respect and protection. They are: humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears hyenas. 

Some animals attack people when they smell the flesh of their own kind. (Vinaya Pitaka)

When the Buddha was asked to introduce vegetarianism amongst His disciples, the Buddha refused to do so. As Buddhism is a free religion, His advice was to leave the decision regarding vegetarianism to the individual disciple. It clearly shows that the Buddha had not considered this as a very important religious observance. 

The Buddha did not mention anything about vegetarianism for the lay Buddhists in His Teaching.

Jivaka Komarabhacca, the doctor, discussed this controversial issue with the Buddha: 'Lord, I have heard that animals are slaughtered on purpose for the recluse Gotama, and that the recluse Gotama knowingly eats the meat killed on purpose for him. Lord, do those who say animals are slaughtered on purpose for the recluse Gotama, and the recluse Gotama knowingly eats the meat killed on purpose for. Do they falsely accuse the Buddha? 

Or do they speak the truth? Are your declaration and supplementary declarations not thus subject to be ridiculed by others in any manner?'

'Jivaka, those who say: 'Animals are slaughtered on purpose for the recluse Gotama, and the recluse Gotama knowingly eats the meat killed on purpose for him', do not say according to what I have declared, and they falsely accuse me. Jivaka, I have declared that one should not make use of meat it is seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. I allow the monks meat that is quite pure in three respects: if it is not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk.' (Jivaka Sutta)

In certain countries, the followers of the Mahayana school of Buddhism are strict vegetarians. While appreciating their observance in the name of religion, we should like to point out that they should not condemn those who are not vegetarians. 

They must remember that there is no precept in the original Teachings of the Buddha that requires all Buddhists to be vegetarians. 

We must realize that Buddhism is known as the Middle Path. It is a liberal religion and the Buddha's advice was that it is not necessary to go to extremes to practise His Teachings.

Vegetarianism alone does not help a man to cultivate his humane qualities. There are kind, humble, polite and religious people amongst non-vegetarians. Therefore, one should not condone the statement that a pure, religious man must practise vegetarianism.

On the other hand, if anybody thinks that people cannot have a healthy life without taking fish and meat, it does not necessarily follow that they are correct since there are millions of pure vegetarians all over the world who are stronger and healthier than the meat-eaters.

People who criticize Buddhists who eat meat do not understand the Buddhist attitude towards food. A living being needs nourishment. We eat to live. As such a human being should supply his body with the food it needs to keep him healthy and to give him energy to work. 

However, as a result of increasing wealth, more and more people, especially in developed countries, eat simply to satisfy their palates. If one craves after any kind of food, or kills to satisfy his greed for meat, this is wrong. But if one eats without greed and without directly being involved in the act of killing but merely to sustain the physical body, he is practising self restraint.

Amagandha Sutta

http://www.abhidhamma.org/amagandha_sutta.htm

Are Buddhist vegetarian?
https://bsheal.blogspot.com/2021/03/on-vegetarianism.html?m=1

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

9th October, 2022

Question:  How to overcome sexual desire? Is it possible to overcome sexual desire for a layperson?

Than Ajahn:  Yes, it’s possible.

The best thing is by going away and living alone because when you are close to the sexual objects, it’s easier for your sexual desire to come up.

To get rid of your sexual desire, you need many tools to help you, not just only one particular tool.

-  If you can, stay away from sexual objects.

-  If you don’t eat too much and stay hungry, then you will be thinking about food more than you think about sex. If you can fast, when you have sexual desire, just keep fasting for a few days, then your sexual desire will disappear and it will be replaced by your desire for food.

-  You need to be able to stop your mind from thinking about it. You need to develop mindfulness. If you can develop mindfulness, then you can enter jhāna. When you enter into jhāna, the mind becomes contented and is not hungry. 

This jhāna will be the strength of the mind. But when you come out of jhāna, you can still think about sex.

-  If you want to completely stop thinking about sex, then you have to develop the asubha—the images of the unattractive part of the body.

Keep looking at the other side of the body. We’ve been trained to look at the attractive side of the body, we’ve been taught to not think about the unattractive side of the body, so we don’t see that there are unattractive parts of the body in us. Therefore, we now have to force the mind to look at the unattractive parts of the body, like look at the body when it dies, look at its 10 stages of decomposition as mentioned in the sutta. You can use those to contemplate the unpleasantness of the body.

Or, you can look into the inner parts the body, under the skin.

Beneath the skin, there are many different parts that you don’t see like the skeleton, the bones, the heart, the lungs, the intestines, the liver, the kidneys—all these parts are inside the beautiful looking body. If you can look inside that beautiful looking body, then you will start to see that the body isn’t beautiful at all.

It’s just like the saying, ‘Beauty is skin-deep.’ Once you go see under the skin, its beauty is gone.

So, those are the various tools of getting rid of your sexual desire. 

But the most important tool is your commitment and your desire to get rid of it. You have to have strong desire to get rid of your sexual desire and you are ready to commit yourself to use all those applicable tools, then you will be able to do it. If you want to get rid of your sexual desire, but you don’t want to commit yourself to do those practices, you will never be able to get rid of it.

Question:  So, are those commitments also for laypeople, not only for monks?

Than Ajahn:  Yeah, monks were laypeople before. When they commit to the practice, they change their status from laypeople to become monks.

So, everybody starts as a layperson. Once you are committed to the practice, then you’d want to change your status because if your goal is to get rid of your sexual desire, then there is no point to remain as a layperson. The purpose of staying a layperson is to have sex, right? If you don’t want to have sex, you don’t have to remain as a layperson anymore, then you become a monk. It’s quite obvious, isn’t it? But nobody thinks of it that way. 

When you first start your practice, you think that you just want to find some peace and happiness from meditation practice. But once you advance in your practice, you’d find that remaining as a layperson will be difficult to achieve your goal. 

So, eventually you’d become a monk in order to help you to achieve your goal as quickly as possible.

There is a saying in English, ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too’. If you want to keep your cake, you have to just put it in the ice box and watch it. If you eat it, then you’ll lose the cake. 

Similarly, if you want to get rid of your sexual desire, then you can’t remain as a layperson.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 15, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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