The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
26th March, 2022
“If you kill, you’ll have to pay the consequence of killing.”
Question: “When I stayed in one monastery, there were many ants in the toilet, crawling at the door and the wall. The monk said I can flush the ants. So I flushed and took some water to spray at them. I saw many ants died. Did I break my precept?”
Than Ajahn: “If you kill, you break the precept.”
Question: “What should I do in such situation, as I have to flush the toilet to maintain the hygiene of the facility, yet I also still have to maintain the precept?”
Than Ajahn: “Next time you go and look for a new/another toilet. Leave the toilet as it is. If you don’t want to kill, what can you do? The consequences of killing and leaving the toilet dirty are far different. If you kill, you’ll have to pay the consequence of killing. If you leave the toilet dirty, you’ll probably be scolded by someone for leaving it dirty. But if you have reasons, he or she might be able to accept it.”
……….
Question: “A few weeks ago my mum was hospitalised due to virus attack. So when I was at home, when a mosquito bite me, I quickly killed it due to the thought of the mosquito might carry the virus that caused my mum to be hospitalised which could affect me too.”
Than Ajahn: “You didn’t think of the consequence of your action. You might have to be reborn as a mosquito and have to pay back what you did to the mosquito. Whether you kill the mosquito or not, you’ll die anyway. If you don’t kill the mosquito, you don’t have to be reborn as a mosquito.”
Question: “My thought was if the mosquito kills me, then I have to kill it.”
Than Ajahn: “You lack metta. The Buddha said, ‘You should forgive people. Don’t take revenge.’ If somebody does something bad to you, just accept that it is your bad kamma that causes you to have to face his action. But you don’t have to instigate a new kamma, by taking revenge. Then, he or she will not come back and take revenge again. If you take revenge when he or she hurts you, then he or she will come back and hurt you again. This will never end. If you stop, then everything will eventually stop.”
Dhamma for the Asking,
Q&A, May 31, 2017.
Q&A, Oct 26, 2017.
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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