The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
11 March 2023
Question: Ajahn mentioned that a Sotapaññā has fear of doing bad karma and would never do anything to break precepts, but a Sotapaññā still has attachment to the senses and can occasionally get irritated or angry. Do I understand it correctly that sensual pleasures and getting irritated are not considered as bad karma?
Than Ajahn: They are not bad karma but they are the karma that will cause you to have rebirth if you still have sensual pleasures. You're still addicted to sensual objects so you have to keep coming back for them.
After this body dies, you will go after a new body, to get a new body, so that you can enjoy the sensual pleasures again. So they’re not bad karma. They won't cause you to be born in a lower realm. You'll still be born as a human or in a higher realm of existence.
Student: I see. It's more of a hindrance to the practice.
Than Ajahn: Hindrances to nibbāna. If you want to go to nibbāna, you have to give up your sensual pleasure desire.
Student: All right. And that is achieved by asubha.
Than Ajahn: That's right.
Student: So asubha will get us to nibbāna.
Than Ajahn: Not all the way yet. It will get you out of the sensual realm of existence. You will not return to the sensual realm of existence once you have seen asubha because you don't want to come and have sex with any ghosts or any corpses anymore.
But you'll still be in the realm of the rūpa and arūpa because when you no longer have any sensual desire, you’ll find happiness by meditation, by entering into jhāna. And jhāna is also an object which can also cause you dukkha because it's also aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ anattā. So you have to give up these two also in order not to return to the rūpa and arūpa realms of existence.
If you still enjoy rūpa jhāna and arūpa jhāna, then you still want to come back to them, so you are still not yet get to nibbāna.
Student: Oh! Okay, so jhāna is still considered impermanent.
Than Ajahn: Impermanent. It still has the three characteristics of existence. It can give you dukkha when you are out of jhāna. When you are in jhāna, you are peaceful, but when you come out of jhāna, you’re longing for it and your longing for jhāna can cause you to have irritation and sadness.
Student: Oh! I see. I never thought about it that way. I always thought that jhāna is the way to get us back on track.
Than Ajahn: It's a replacement to your sensual pleasure, but it's also considered as another type of addiction. Like people nowadays stop smoking cigarettes, and they're going for vaping, right? They use vaping instead of going for a smoke, so they’re just replacing one addiction with another addiction. Same way with our practice. We replace our addiction to sensual pleasures with meditation, with rūpa jhāna, arūpa jhāna.
Once we get rid of sensual pleasures, we also shouldn’t be attached to the rūpa jhāna or arūpa jhāna too.
We should learn to live without jhāna. And we will find that the cause of our irritation is our desire for rūpa jhāna and arūpa jhāna. So we have to use wisdom to teach us that rūpa jhāna and arūpa jhāna are also aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā.
Once you can see this, you will also get rid of avijjā, the other remaining fetters.
Student: Māna.
Than Ajahn: Yes, and restlessness, then you will not come back to the three realms of existence. No more. Not anymore. You’ll be in nibbāna like the Buddha and his noble disciples. Okay?
Student: That clarifies everything. I previously misunderstood that jhāna is the way out of everything. Now I understand that jhāna is also impermanent.
Than Ajahn: It’s a tool for you to get out of the sensual realm of existence, but you must not be attached to the tools. You have to give up the tools when you have accomplished your mission.
Student: Thank you Than Ajahn. That was very insightful. Thank you so much.
“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