“You don't need anything to make you happy. So, you don't need the body to take you to places, to see or hear things.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

16 April 2024

The Body and the Mind

“You don't need anything to make you happy. So, you don't need the body to take you to places, to see or hear things.”

Question:  “Are all things impermanent except for the consciousness?”

Than Ajahn:  “Yes, the mind is permanent. The mind is not destructible.”

Question:  “So, what happens when the body dies? Does consciousness die aswell?”

Than Ajahn:  “No, the mind just detaches itself from the body and goes seek for a new body. 

This is how you get rebirth. It’s like changing a new car. When the old car breaks down, the driver goes and looks for a new car. The mind drives the body. The mind directs and tells the body what to do and what to say by thinking. 

First you have to think before you come here, right? You’d say, ‘I want to come here today.’ After you thought about it, you tell your body, ‘Ok. Let’s go to temple.’ So, you’re the driver. The mind is like the driver and the body is like the automobile. When the automobile breaks down, the driver goes buy a new car. In the same way, when this body dies, the mind gets a new body – this is rebirth. It’s the same person. 

It's the same driver but with a different body. That’s all. 

You keep doing this as long as you still have cravings and desire for things that you can acquire through your body. If you want to stop rebirth, then you'll have to stop your desire and cravings. 

When you don’t have any cravings for things through the body, then you won’t need the body. 

And when you die, you don’t need to go and take a new body, you don’t need to get rebirth. 

You can do this by meditation. When you meditate, your mind will become calm and peaceful, and your cravings and desires will disappear. This is the way to get rid of your desire, which is to meditate. Then, your mind becomes content, happy, and full. You don’t need anything to make you happy. So, you don’t need the body to take you to places, to see or hear things.”

“Dhamma in English, May 24, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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