The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
19 June 2024
SOTAPANNA :
No fear of old age/sickness/death
No doubt in the Buddha/Dhamma/Sangha
The Dhamma is stable inside the Heart = Right Discernment in the Dhamma/Kamma
Full understanding of the 4 Noble Truhs = the only goal is the cessation of any craving
———-
Question: When a person attains Sotāpanna, how does he know that he had entered the stream (in his previous life) when he comes back to this earth?
Than Ajahn: He will have the same ability. A Sotāpanna will never doubt the Buddha, the Dhamma or the Sangha. A Sotāpanna will never be attached to his own body. He knows that this body is temporary; this body doesn’t belong to him, and he is not afraid of aging, sickness or death.
Question: Can a Sotāpanna’s samādhi regress or can he occasionally break precepts?
Than Ajahn: He will not break precepts because he knows that the body is not worth breaking the precepts for. He knows if he breaks the precepts, he will feel bad and he doesn’t want to feel bad by his own actions, so a Sotāpanna will not break any precepts.
Question: Will there be a chance that a Sotāpanna might not encounter Dhamma or the real teaching for his remaining rebirths?
Than Ajahn: He (a Sotāpanna) has already had the Dhamma inside his heart. He has seen the Noble Truths already. A Sotāpanna knows that his mental suffering arises from his own craving, so his goal is to get rid of his own craving. He doesn’t need anybody to teach him, and he can progress by himself although it might be slower if he doesn’t have a teacher to guide him, that’s the only difference.
If he has a teacher who has achieved a higher level of attainments, the teacher can guide him.
But if he doesn’t have a teacher, he has the Noble Truths as a standard for him to practise. If he doesn’t have a teacher, he might be slow because he might not know how exactly to get rid of his craving. He might have to go through many trials and errors which will take a longer time, but he knows his goal is to get rid of his craving because he knows craving is the one that makes him feel sad or unhappy. He tries to search for the cessation of his craving, for example when he is sad or unhappy, he will ask himself, “What am I craving for? What do I desire for?”
And once he finds it, he will find a way to stop that craving.
~ Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
Dhamma in English, Jun 30, 2016.
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
Dhamma talks on Youtube:
No comments:
Post a Comment