“When there is no desire, there is no dukkha.”

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

18 April 2024

“When there is no desire, there is no dukkha.”

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“The first goal of studying is to know the true nature of the body, that the body isn’t you. It is just the composition of the 32 parts, like the skin, the hair of the head, hair of the body and so forth. This is the thing that we will have to remind ourselves all the time, that truly there is no ‘self’ in this body. There is only the 32 parts, which will eventually disintegrate and return to the original source. The source of these 32 parts are the four elements: earth, water, air and fire. 

What happens when the body dies? 

The body turns cold, which means the fire element has disappeared. The next thing is the wind element, there is no breathing, there is no air going in, there is only air that is escaping from the body. The next thing that will separate from the body is the liquid part. All the liquid parts in the body will ooze out of the body, leaving the body just with the earth part. 

If you leave the body in the cemetery, eventually it will turn to dust or earth. 

This is the study of the true nature of the body in order to eliminate the delusion that the body is ‘me’, so that you can be free from suffering when the body gets sick, gets old or dies. 

You will then know that you do not get sick, get old or die with the body. This is one aspect of the body that we have to study and to remind ourselves all the time. We must never forget this. 

In order not to forget, we have to think about it all the time in all four postures from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep. Just keep thinking about the body as being a composition of the 32 parts that comes from the four elements and which eventually disintegrate and return to its original source. 

If we keep reminding ourselves like this, then the delusion will not be able to have desire for the body not to die, not to get sick or not to get old, because we know that this is what the body has to be. The body will get sick, will get old and will die, but we are not the body. We are the mind. The mind doesn’t die with the body. 

If we can remember this truth all the time then when the body gets sick, gets old or dies, we will remain calm and peaceful because we will not have any desire to wish for the body not to get sick, get old or die. 

When there is no desire, there is no dukkha.

“Singapore via skype, Aug 9, 2015.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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