The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
3 September 2024
“You keep chasing one goal after another. When will you stop? If you don’t stop, how can you be happy?”
Lay: The current worldly trend is that everyone wants to have a stronger body, to find better food for their children, to get richer, to become sexier or better looking so he can find a better partner and have a better descendant genetically, but you are the example of how to be in the natural wildness.
Than Ajahn: Because we are using different measurements. People who use the body as their measurement, then they have to have all these (material) things to make them happy but when we use the mind instead of the body as the measurement, the happiness of the mind doesn’t rely on all these (material) things.
Lay: The problem with us, the Europeans, since we were kids, we were taught to do things, to be creative, to be more productive and after 30 or 40 years of life we were told that we will understand life from our doings.
Than Ajahn: The reason for you doing all these things is because you are looking for happiness. You want to be happy and you think by doing these things you will be happy.
People are judged by three things: his own ego, creativity, self-worth.
There are two approaches to life: doing or not doing.
Not doing is easier. You just sit down.
You don’t need anything to be happy. You don’t have to have anything, no cars, no mansion, nothing. If you can do that, why not?
It is easier than having to do so many things, work so hard, work 7 days a week, 10 hours a day in order to buy a Ferrari and all that sort of things. So at least you have come and see the different side of life.
I was like you before. I went to school, I studied to become an engineer and after I finished studying I asked myself what is the next goal? Looking for a job.
After having a job, what is the next goal? Making oneself richer, better. You keep chasing one goal after another. When will you stop? If you don’t stop, how can you be happy?
Then I start reading about Buddhism and it taught me that everything is impermanent. No matter how much you have, one day you are going to lose it all, so why bother looking for it?
So I stop acquiring and try to live without having anything, and I find it easier and better, less stressful, and more peace of mind.
Lay: If we stop doing the bad things then we will all stop doing everything and we will all become monks.
Than Ajahn: You can do a lot of things. Monks do a lot of good things, like charity and helping other people.
When you do charity you will find the real kind of happiness by being useful to other people, helping other people make their lives better. It makes you feel good, and much better than drinking.
In Buddhism we believe in kamma which is you do unto others what you want others to do unto you. If you give happiness to others that happiness will come back to you. If you give suffering to other people, that suffering will come back to you.
By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
Youtube: Dhamma in English
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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