The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
29th December, 2022
“Many respectable teachers often tell you to think of the Buddha and other meditation masters when you feel discouraged. They are just like you—having been ordinary people before.”
According to many Dhamma books, many respectable teachers often tell you to think of the Buddha and other meditation masters when you feel discouraged. They are just like you—having been ordinary people before. They also had to fight against their own minds. You should look to their practice to see how they managed to get through. All respectable teachers teach you to carry on and not give in or give up. You may take it easy sometimes; you don’t need to push yourself everyday. You may take a break sometimes.
But you shouldn't get carried away and end up doing something else entirely.
Luangta Mahā Boowa once told me that he used to be able to get into a state of calm through meditation in the beginning, before he even had a teacher. At that time he was alone and so he was making canopies (klot) for about three months. While he was making them, he didn’t get to meditate and so his mind was unruly by the time he finished them. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t calm his mind to the level that it was before. He had forgotten how to calm his mind.
Whenever he meditated, he would think about his former state of calm. He ended up feeling discouraged and upset from not being able to attain it. However, he figured out that he should do whatever he used to practise. So he started to solely recite ‘Buddho’ again for three or four days. He didn’t think about anything else whatsoever. He only thought of ‘Buddho’ in the four meditating postures: standing, walking, sitting, and lying down. As he was alone and did not interact with anyone, when the mind constantly focussed on ‘Buddho’, it calmed down very quickly.
By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
Youtube: Dhamma in English
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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