The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
20 March 2023
Question: To become a Sotapaññā, we have to get rid of fear of ageing, sickness, and death. Do we have to get rid each one of them separately, or do they come together as one package?
Than Ajahn: No, they're separate problems. Sometimes people don't like to get old. Sometimes people don’t like to get sick because they don't like the painful feeling that they get from sickness. And people don't want to die because they’ll lose everything. So they are three separates problems but they all are based on the body. If you have no [physical] body, then you won’t have ageing, sicknesses, death, and separation. So you have to do them separately. When your hair starts to become white, leave it alone, don't dye it. If you get some wrinkles, look old, or ugly, just leave it alone. This is not yourself. The body is not yourself. You're not the body.
When you are sick and get painful feeling, you become afraid of the sickness because you don't want to get the painful feeling. But you have to learn to live with the painful feeling, by meditating. Let the pain arise and you shouldn’t get up. You should try to teach your mind to feel the pain like any other sickness.
One day, you're gonna be sick, and in whatever position you try to adjust your body to, the painful feeling will not disappear, then you know that you have to learn to live with it. Once you can live with it, if you have no opposition to the painful feeling, then there will be no stress. That’s it. That’s the problem that you have to solve. So, they are more or less three separate problems that you have to learn to deal with separately.
Student: So this is something where I need mindfulness, meditation, and wisdom to get rid of this.
Than Ajahn: Right. You need them to get rid of your fear of ageing, sickness, and death, and also separation from your loved ones or your possessions. You have to try to go out into the wild with nothing, with nobody else. Just your body and mind. Like going to the mountain and stay for a few days to test yourself whether you can deal with it or not. You separate from everything that you have, from people and things. Because sooner or later you're going to be separated from everything, right? You might think that you will separate at the time of death, but that’s not always the case. You might separate from everything even before your death.
Student: Yes, sometimes we don't think about that. Sometimes we think ‘Oh, it's a long way away from me,’ but it can just happen all of a sudden.
- - - - - - -
Than Ajahn: Next [participant], he is now at the mountain near where I am right now. He's been there for almost a week. How is it? No electricity. Are you using candles?
Student: Yeah, it saves batteries.
Than Ajahn: Okay. It’s very quiet up there, huh?
Student: It's very nice. It's kind of like camping. I realised that the conditions here are pretty perfect for practising, and my practice has really improved dramatically compared to when I am practising at home.
Than Ajahn: Yeah, the surrounding is different, and it can give you different results. When the surrounding is quiet, it makes the mind become quiet easier. It’s called ‘kāya-viveka, citta-viveka.’ Viveka means quiet. If the surrounding of the body is quiet, then it will make the mind quiet also.
Student: How are those two terms different from ‘bpìt wí-wêk (ปิดวิเวก)’?
Than Ajahn: ‘Bpìt wí-wêk’ is only kāya-viveka. ‘Bpìt wí-wêk’ is to take your body into seclusion. Once you take your body into seclusion, the mind will also be in seclusion because the mind accompanies the body. It is said that once the body is in seclusion, the mind also will be in seclusion. But it’s not always though. Sometimes the body is in seclusion, but the mind can still be in Bangkok, in a bar or in a restaurant somewhere if you don't have mindfulness to restrain it. But it's harder because there's nothing to stimulate it. If you're in town, there are sound, smell and things that can easily stimulate your interest so you have to be away from all these stimulants.
Student: I'm a little worried about [my practice] after tomorrow night when I have to go back home as far as how I can at least maintain what I have now.
Than Ajahn: You’ll lose it, so you have to keep coming back. Don't worry. Unless you are very protective and try to stay mindful all the time, then you can protect it. But if you're not mindful all the time, you will lose it sooner or later, slowly. The first few days when you return home, you’ll feel different, but after a while, everything becomes the same again then you know that it's time to regenerate your seclusion again.
So you have to keep coming back. One trip is not enough. This is a long-term therapy.
Do it monthly. Every month you come and stay for a week or longer if you can, and then eventually you’d want to stay for a long time. Until you feel that you can maintain your mind to stay calm, then you can go out, and go back to where you came from. But you don't want to go back once you find peace and happiness. Who would want to go back into the bonfire once you get out of it?
The Buddha said that sensual objects are like fire. Rūpa are like fire. It’s In the Fire Sermon, I think. The Fire Discourse. Have you read it?
Student: I haven't read it. I'll do that when I get back home.
Than Ajahn: I think you can search the word ‘Fire Discourse.’ It mentioned that sensual objects are like fire. Sight, sound, smell, taste, and tactile objects are like fire. They burn your heart once you start to get near them, once you start to become involved with them.
Student: I read your book ‘Sensual Pleasures are Painful’.
Than Ajahn: Yes, because they can burn you. They’re like fire. If you don't want to be burned by fire, you should stay away from fire. If you don't want to be burned by sensual objects, then you should stay away from them. Like you are now. There's nothing around you that can burn you except your own defilements—that's the only thing that can still burn you.
Student: I also see very clearly how supportive the community to the Sangha is.
Than Ajahn: Everybody practises, so it encourages you to practise also because nobody is watching TV, drinking or having a party.
Student: Yeah, it's quite nice.
Than Ajahn: Okay? You got anything else to say?
Student: No, I just really appreciate that I have the chance to be up here.
Than Ajahn: Okay. You want to say hello to all your friends in the room here?
Student: Hello. Everyone should come here If you have a chance. It hasn't even been one full week, but it's been more beneficial than I would have gotten about two months practising at home. It's a significant difference.
Than Ajahn: See, try it. You (all students) should try it. Those who haven't yet tried seclusion should try to do some seclusion practice. It's really helpful for your meditation practice.
“Dhamma in English, May 31, 2022.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
No comments:
Post a Comment