The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
31 May 2024
Question: I can only sit half lotus for about 30 minutes before my ankle becomes painful. I cannot sit in full lotus yet. If I just crossed my legs and sat normally, then there was no pain. Is it critical to sit half or full lotus to achieve the best result in meditation?
Than Ajahn: If you are at the professional level, then the half lotus or full lotus will be a more suitable position. If you’re just starting, you don’t have to worry too much about the posture, you’ll have to worry more about your mindfulness. Your mindfulness is more important than your sitting posture. So, if you could not sit half lotus or full lotus yet, then just sit in any way you can and try to be mindful of your breath or mindful of your mantra—this can make your mind becomes peaceful and calm. Later on, if you want to sit for a long period of time, then the half lotus or full lotus position will be more comfortable. If you are not used to it at first, you might find that the lotus position is not comfortable because your muscles are not used to sit in such position. But if you keep trying and keep doing it, after a while, your muscles will soften and eventually, you won’t feel uncomfortable sitting in lotus position.
“Dhamma in English, Mar 25, 2019.”
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Question: Because of my condition of sclerosis, problem with the spine, I have difficulty sitting in the half lotus position. I want to know Ajahn’s advice if it is absolutely necessary to sit in half lotus position in order to meditate?
Than Ajahn: Not necessarily. Sit in whichever position you can. But the half lotus position is the most ideal position for long term practitioners because it’s the most balanced position for the body. You can sit for a long time in that position. For beginners who don’t practice all the time or people who have physical limitation, they just have to sit in any position that is suitable for them. The more important thing is not the body position but mindfulness. So, it’s better to concentrate on your mindfulness than on your body.
Don’t try to fix your body. Try to fix your mindfulness.
Question: Regarding the position of the hands, how should I place them?
Than Ajahn: Right hand on top of left hand. This is optional. If you don’t want to do it, it’s ok. You can sit like this or like this. It’s just a matter of leaving the body alone. That’s all.
“Dhamma in English, Jan 30, 2018.”
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Upāsikā: When Western people practice, including myself, we push ourselves very hard, then we get stress and dishearten. Like when we try to sit in a full lotus position and when we can’t do it, we feel bad.
Than Ajahn: It’s all defilement. The defilement will try to make you giving up the practice by misleading you to think that you have the ability to do the maximum. When you try to do the maximum, and when you can’t do it, then you’d say, ‘Hell! I’d better not do it.’ This is defilement.
Everyone has ego and his ego tells him, ‘You can do it! If the Buddha could do it, I can do it.’ He doesn’t look at the status of where he is. Like right now, you are not on the same level as the Buddha. However, you can be there. It just takes more time for you to build it up.
Upāsikā: There is a place in Burma where some people who have never meditated before, they are forced to sit in full lotus. There are people who hold their hands when they scream. They have to sit for 5 hours.
Than Ajahn: Usually this is counter-productive. The person will eventually give up because it’s too hard for him. You have to do from the level you can do. Do it as much as you can. And then, try to increase your practice.
It’s like being a child. Before he can run, he has to learn to walk first. Before he can walk, he has to learn to stand first. Before he can stand, he has to learn to crawl first. This is a process he has to go through. But nowadays, simply because you’ve read how to become enlightened, you expect that you’re going do it now and get the result now. You don’t look at your position and your ability whether you can do it or not.
If you try to do something more than you can do, you’ll be frustrated and you’ll be disappointed. And you’ll eventually give up.
“Dhamma in English, May 9, 2018.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
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