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.”

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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.”

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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

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