The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
18 September 2023
Q & A
Question: There is a misconception among certain people that Buddhism is a pessimistic religion as the core of Buddhism is centered around suffering (dukkha). The ultimate happiness according to Buddhism is attaining Nirvana, the end of suffering. So those who criticise Buddhism hold the view that it does not promote the individual to lead a happy material life. Is it true or how would you analyse this?
Than Ajahn: Well, Buddhism is like a hospital. Usually, when you go to the hospital you do not get good news, you will get bad news. But at the same time, you get treatment. You go to a hospital because you are sick. And when you go there the doctor will analyse your problem and say, ’You’ve got cancer and this is the way to cure it.’
So Buddhism is like a hospital; it cures the sickness of the mind. Our minds are all sick, sick of cancer. The Buddha and his Noble Disciples are like doctors, who prescribe us the medicine - the Dhamma medicine - to take care of our sickness, our mental cancer so that we can be cured from cancer once and for all. This is what Buddhism is about. It is a medical centre where you go for treatment of your mental illness.
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Question: What importance has Buddhism given to leading a happy lay life, acquiring material wealth through reasonable means and satisfying the senses through accepted means?
Than Ajahn: Well, to tell you the truth, there is no such thing as Happy life for a drug addict.
When one is addicted to drugs, one would find drugs to be pleasurable, drug is the source of happiness for him.
But in fact, it is dangerous, it is harmful to him. So it is the same way with the material wealth of the world.
They are like drugs that can cause you harm once you become addicted to them because you will have to have them all the time. And when you don’t have them then you can become miserable.
So there is no such thing as happiness from material wealth. Material wealth is like drugs that people get addicted to. Once they get addicted to the drugs, they have to have them to keep them happy. When they cannot have them then life can be miserable.
The Buddha said that there is a better type of happiness - the happiness of the heart that one can acquire through the practices of charity, morality, and meditation. This is the ‘real happiness,’ the happiness without any harm.
This happiness is the same as the food. Food is not harmful to the body; the happiness of the heart is not harmful to the mind. But material wealth is like drugs that can become harmful to the mind. Just like drugs are harmful to the body, material wealth is harmful to the mind.
That is why the Buddha left the Palace. He knew he was living with material wealth which could be harmful because one day he will not be able to enjoy them when the body gets old, gets sick, or dies. Or one day if he loses all this material wealth before he is getting old, sick or death, he will be miserable. So he decided not to rely on material wealth to keep him happy. So he searched for a different type of happiness which he found through the practices of meditation and the practices of morality, and the practices of charity.
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Question: The present moment is the most important one in our lives, but most of us either brood over the bygone past or worry about the future. Please advise the reader as to how one should lead a contented life through focusing on the present moment?
Than Ajahn: In order for the mind to remain in the present moment, we need to have mindfulness. We have to stop the mind from thinking about the past and thinking about the future and then concentrate on what is going on in the present.
In order to do this, we have to have strong mindfulness or continuous mindfulness. And the best way to have this continuous mindfulness is to recite the mantra “Buddho, Buddho” constantly or focus on what the body is doing at this moment. From the time you get up until you go to sleep, stay focused either with your Mantra or with your body movements. Then your mind will become still, it will neither go to the past nor the future. Then you can experience the present. You’ll then see that even the ‘present’ is changing, constantly moving, and never remains still even for one moment.
Everything happens and then disappears and is replaced by something else.
Then you will realise that there is nothing in this world that can/will remain with you forever. You will then remove all attachment from these things because by being attached to things you can become sad when the things that you are attached to disappear from you.
So with strong mindfulness, you can then use it to calm your mind in meditation to make your mind become peaceful, calm and happy. When the mind becomes still and has equanimity, it means the mind stops reacting to things. The mind will then exist in the present moment all the time with equanimity, peace and happiness.
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Question: There are certain monks who are either doing active politics or backing a certain political party. Can a Buddhist monk engage in such activities? Is it accepted?
Than Ajahn: Well, the goal of becoming a monk is to achieve Enlightenment. So the only thing that monks should be pursuing is Enlightenment. If he pursues some other things then he is just not faithful to his purpose. The purpose of becoming a monk is to reach Enlightenment and not to get involved in any worldly affairs.
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Question: What is your advice for the young who are keen to follow Buddhism to develop their mental faculties? What is the best way to start?
Than Ajahn: The best way for them is to go to the temple every week, like Christians going to church every week. They go to the monastery or temple every week and participate in the temple’s activities such as offering dāna, keeping the Precepts, practising chanting and meditation, and listening to Dhamma talks.
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Question: There are varying views on child ordination. Sometimes parents ordain their children at a very early age. Some hold the view that it is a deprivation of their rights as the child's like or dislike is not taken into consideration or the child is too small to make a decision. How would you justify child ordination?
Than Ajahn: Well, child ordination is like sending your children to boarding school. That’s all there is to it. The only difference is that they do not study worldly subjects, but the Dhamma subjects and engage in Dhamma practices. So it is up to the parents and also the child to decide. Sometimes the child can refuse, and run away from school if the child does not like to do it.
So there is nothing wrong. As mentioned earlier, it is like sending a child to a boarding school.
Some children like to stay in a boarding school and some children don’t like it and some may even run away from the school or refuse to go at all. But parents sometimes have to direct them because the children are too young to decide for themselves what is good or bad for them. But once they grow up then they can decide for themselves what they want to do. But it is the responsibility of the parents to teach the child to grow up properly, to educate the child and to make the child to become a good citizen.
Similarly, child ordination is like sending a child to a Dhamma boarding school that will teach the child about the Dhamma - about how to keep the Precepts and how to behave as a good citizen. So it is up to each individual to decide what they want to do with their child.
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Question: Is an impure thought that is not translated into action a bad kamma?
Than Ajahn: Not yet. It is considered to be a bad thought and should be eliminated as soon as possible because if you allow it to exist in your mind, it will be translated into an action of the body or speech eventually. Then it becomes bad kamma.
Question: The Buddha has said that 'All that we are is a result of what we have thought.' Does it mean that thoughts not translated into action are as powerful as any action?
Than Ajahn: Any action can only happen after there is a thought arise. The thought is the one that initiates all actions. Without a thought, there would be no action. If you meditate and if your mind becomes still or thoughtless, then there will be no action whatsoever.
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Question: There are two main kinds of meditation called Samatha and Vipassanā. Could you elaborate?
Than Ajahn: Samatha is the practice of calming the mind - to make the mind calm, peaceful, and happy and has equanimity. It means that the mind has no reaction with emotions – no emotional reaction, no love, no hate, no fear or delusion.
Once the mind has developed this ability then you come out of samādhi and go into Vipassanā which teaches the mind the truth of existence, that everything that exists in this world is not good for the mind because everything is anicca (impermanent); everything is anattā – everything is not something that the mind can possess forever. Everything is all temporary, and to clinging to it will cause the mind dukka or suffering.
This is called Vipassanā—to see the truths of existence that everything that exists in the Realms of Existence is all anicca, dukkha, and anattā, so that the mind can stop its craving because craving is the one that caused the mind to be constantly to reborn in the three realms of existence.
Question: Can one practise Vipassanā meditation without the guidance of a teacher?
Than Ajahn: Well, it is like learning how to swim without a teacher. Some people are smart enough to teach themselves, but some people who are not smart enough cannot teach themselves. It is the same with Vipassanā meditation.
There was only one person in this entire universe who could practice Vipassanā without the help of a teacher and that was the Buddha. The Buddha practised Vipassanā without the guidance of a teacher because there were no teachers to guide him. But, for the rest of us, we need a teacher to practise Vipassanā, because if you don’t, you can get into the wrong path leading to more delusion rather than to Enlightenment.
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Question: Jealousy is self-destructive, but the majority of people are hesitant or rather reluctant to rejoice over other people's success. How should one overcome jealousy and would you elaborate in detail about the bad kamma acquired through envying someone?
Than Ajahn: Well, we just have to accept that people have different abilities or different past kamma. It is this ability or past kamma that would make one more successful than another. So we just have to accept it as the fact that if someone succeeds, that’s his (her) business, but not ours to be jealous of.
If you want to be successful like them then you have to work hard. That’s all. If you envy them, it can cause you to have bad kamma. Because when you see someone who is better than you and then you might try to destroy that person, and this is bad for you. But if you can rejoice with other’s success, then you will not do any bad kamma.
“Dhamma in English, Jan 29, 2023.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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This Q&A was also published on Sunday Observer.
https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2023/02/05/spectrum/nothing-will-remain-you-forever
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