The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
31 May 2023
Than Ajahn: The real cause of the world’s problems is birth. If there is no birth, then there will be no problem. If there are human beings or animals on this earth, then there will always be problems. So if we can somehow stop rebirth, if everybody, human or animals, stops being born, then there will be no problems on this earth. So let’s stop our cravings—the cause of our rebirth, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being, and craving for not-being.
Once you take birth, then you have to look after your body, then you need the 4 requisites of life, that is, food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. So you have to create these requisites of life and you end up destroying things on this earth by producing what you need for your existence.
So the best way is to stop birth by stopping your cravings, by practising the noble eightfold path, or by the triple training (practising sīla, samādhi paññā), or practising dāna, sīla, bhāvanā.
These are the practises that will stop rebirth.
Once you can stop rebirth, at least you will get yourself out of the problems. For those who still take rebirth, they have to live with their problems because no matter how much they try to deal with their problems, if they don’t stop rebirth, they will never be able to stop their problems.
Because they will keep creating more demand, hence more problems. The more demand they create, the more problems they get.
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Question: If people always have bad comments and bad intention, say mean things to us, like the bullies, we just ignore them because we don’t want to create anger or suffering to ourselves. If they still keep disturbing us, can Ajahn advise how can we deal with these people?
Than Ajahn: The same way you deal with the flood, the hurricane, or the storm. You cannot stop them.
You cannot tell them to be nice to you. So let them be. Shelter yourself by not listening to them, by not being near them if possible. But if you are near them, then just think of them as being the weather, the storm, or the flood. You just have to learn to live with them.
What else can you do? If you can think like this, then there will be no anger, no disturbance in your mind.
Just accept that this is the consequences of being born.
Birth is suffering. Birth is not happiness. When you are born, those are the problems that you have to deal with. If you don’t want to deal with these problems anymore, then you should stop birth—this is the way to deal with problems. It’s not by trying to stop other people from being mean to you. But you have to stop yourself from taking birth.
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Question: Many people will not consume meat if they have to kill the animals by themselves.
They eat meat because it is being sold at meat stalls. By buying meat they create a demand for meat.
Haven’t those who buy meat for consumption, created a demand for meat thus making the meat industry owners kill animals?
Than Ajahn: I think everybody creates some kind of demand. Being born is the real problem. If there is no human, then there will be no problem on this earth. So stop birth. This is better. This will stop every problem. Stop the one who takes birth and it will stop all the problems that exist in this world.
Being born is the real problem. The problem is not whether you eat meat or you don’t eat meat.
The problem is whether you are being born or not being born. So stop birth. Then there will be no problem on this earth. Because when you are born, you create demand because you need other people to look after you. And people are different. Some people eat meat; some people don’t eat meat. So being born is the one that creates all these demand.
When you were born, you have to be looked after by other people, e.g. by your parents, your doctors.
They have to look after you to keep you alive. And some of them eat meat, some of them don’t eat meat.
So they are creating demand for the killing of animals because they have to live to take care of you. So it’s better for you not to be born. It’s better for everybody not to be born. And when there is no human on this earth, then there will be no killing of animals.
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Question: Human are biologically programmed to have sex and rebirth non-stop. There are 8 billion human on earth now. Are human nature meant for self-destruction and to create suffocation?
Than Ajahn: It’s not human nature. It’s the defilements i.e. greed, hatred, and delusion, which cause rebirth and suffering. Birth is suffering. Birth is dukkha. Because birth is followed by ageing, sickness, death and separation from the one you love. These are all dukkha (sadness or misery).
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Question: If we have not successfully removed all the 3 cravings, does it mean that we are still going to have rebirth and be hopeful that we have left some footprints on the Path?
Than Ajahn: Yes. But leaving footprints on the Path is not enough. You have to stop your cravings permanently.
“Dhamma in English, Nov 6, 2022.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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