The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
30 July 2023
Question: I am aware that irrespective of gender, one can achieve arhathood or nirvana.
Just like Prince Suddartha became a Buddha, can a person who is destined to become a Buddha be born as a female in the very birth? Can a female achieve Buddhahood in that very birth itself?
Than Ajahn: As I told you on an earlier occasion, it does not matter whether you are a male or female. If you follow the Noble Eightfold path, and fulfill the ten perfections you can become a Buddha. But it has to happen without the assistance of another Buddha. Like you were born in a place where there is no Buddha’s teachings, where no body teaches the Noble Eightfold Path or the Three Characteristics of Existence and you somehow discover them yourself then you become a Buddha. Buddha means self-enlightened, not being taught by another Buddha or his teachings. For example, if you happen to be living in a remote place where the teachings of the Buddha cannot get through to you and still you want to become enlightened, so you practice and look inside your mind, and eventually discover the Four Noble Truths, the Three Characteristics of Existence then you become a Buddha. The meaning of the word ‘Buddha’ is becoming enlightened by yourself without the assistance of the teachings of another Buddha.
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: Everybody creates some kind of demand. Being born is the real problem. If there is no ‘human being’ then there will be no problem on this earth! So let’s stop birth and this will solve every problem. The real problem is not whether you eat meat or not, the problem is whether you are born or not born. So stop birth, and there will be no problem on this earth because when you are born you create demand for people to look after you. People are different. Some people eat meat; some people do not eat meat.
When you are born you have to be looked after by other people - by your parents, by your doctors, or whoever has to look after you to keep you alive. Some of them eat meat and some don’t. If they do, they are creating a demand for killing animals because they have to live to look after you or to take care of you.
So it is better for you not to be born. Better for everybody not to be born, and when there is no birth - no human on this earth- then there won’t be any need to kill animals for meat.
“Dhamma in English, Nov 6, 2022.”
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Question: The Buddha was fully against the caste system. However the caste to which an individual belongs still plays a dominant role in his/her life in many Asian Buddhist countries. Are we truly Buddhists if we still tend to divide people based on their respective caste?
Than Ajahn: I think the Buddha was not specifically against the caste system. He was only saying that everybody can attain Nibbāna regardless of their caste, race or nationality because every mind is the same.
Every mind is possessed by its own defilements, and every mind can use the Dhamma to get rid of defilements by the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. That is what he really meant. So if you are a Buddhist you should be worried more about your practice than what your caste is. You are born into a certain culture and they have their ways of separating people and that is something external that you need not worry about.
All you need to worry about is whether you are practising the Noble Eightfold Path. What matters is whether you practice the Noble Eightfold path or not. If you practise the Noble Eightfold Path you will become enlightened and be free from all forms of suffering and you will have no rebirth into any caste system anymore.
But if you don’t practise the Noble Eightfold Path, you’ll keep on ‘coming back’, being reborn in different caste systems. So don’t worry about the caste system. Sometimes you might have to go along with the system that you live in, but it does not mean that you really believe in that.
You’re part of the culture. But this is not important as long as you keep practising the Noble Eightfold path and develop the four Brahma-Vihara in which you treat everybody the same regardless of their race, culture or caste. You give the same mettā, karuṇā, muditā, upekkhā to everyone. The Buddha said, ‘Sabbe Sattā’ which meant all beings regardless of caste, race, or nationality.
Questions: Could you explain the concept ‘Anatman’ (Pali: anattā) according to Buddhi
Than Ajahn: Well, according to Buddhism there is no such thing as self. Self is just a figment of our imagination. The ancient people believed that the earth was flat, for instance. That is just a belief, not the truth. The truth is that the earth is round just like a basketball or golf ball. It is the same way with everything in this world. There is no ‘self’ in anything. Everything is without a ‘self’. Everything is all natural products, a work of nature like the tree, the rain, the water, and the wind. They all have no ‘self’ and that is what ‘anatta/anatman’ means.
It is not really a concept, it is the truth. The truth is that there is ‘no self’ in anything, no ego, no I, no ‘me’ or no ‘mine.’
These are all concepts created by the delusion of the mind.
Question: What is the best method to follow to lead a happy life?
Than Ajahn: The Noble Eightfold Path. The Path of charity, morality, and meditation. This is the best path to follow to lead a happy life.
Question: In his 550 births, the Bodisatva had donated all his possessions including kingdoms, his own children and wife in fulfilment of “paramitas”. However in today’s context a parent has no legal right even to donate his own child to another, nor does he have any right to give away his own wife to another. How would you justify the act of “Bodisatva”? (According to Jataka tales, he had donated his wife and children)
Than Ajahn: It means he just gave up his attachments to them, that is all. They can do whatever they want - they can stay with him if they want to stay or they can leave him if that is what they want. That’s what he meant by the practice of giving up on things - letting go, having no attachment to them. If they had decided that he was not good enough to be with or if they want to live with somebody else, a Bodisatva will not feel hurt.
The Bodisatva will leave it to his children and his wife to decide on what to do with themselves. This is what he meant by fulfilling the Pāramitā, not being attached to any possession. He’ll happily give up on anything anytime when there is a need for it to be done. So this is the same thing. You don’t have to do it actively; you can do it even passively. You don’t have to tell your wife to go away, but you can just let her decide for herself what she wants to do. If she wants to stay with you, that’s fine. If she does not want to stay with you, that is fine too. It is the same way with the children. This is in today’s context fulfilling the Pāramitā of dana or charity.
Question: Killing is a violation of the first precept. Is killing a mosquito as same as killing a cow in terms of acquiring bad kamma?
Than Ajahn: No, the wrongness of killing depends on the value of the one (living being) that is being killed. If the one that is being killed is more valuable than another being, then if you kill the more valuable person or being, then it’s considered more wrong.
Each being has a certain value to a person (who does the killing). If you kill somebody who has more value to you then you will get more bad kamma compare to if you kill another person/being (who has less value to you). If you kill someone who has less value or who is less beneficial to you, then you will get less bad kamma.
I can give you an example. Killing somebody whom you don’t know and killing your parents have two different kamma. The bad kamma are different. Killing your parents is considered to be worse than killing someone whom you don’t know. Killing a thief who is coming into your house to steal your valuable things and killing your parents get two different bad kamma. They are not equal, not the same.
It is the same way with killing a mosquito and killing a cow. A cow is more valuable than a mosquito to you because you can use the cow to help you plough the field or if the cow died, you can sell the meat or eat the meat yourself. But with the mosquito, you cannot do much or get anything from it. So the bad kamma you get from killing the mosquito is less than the bad Kamma you get by killing a cow.
Question: Isn’t the amount of bad kamma acquired through killing an animal determined by the size and the thinking capability of the animal (that is being killed)
Than Ajahn: No, it is based on the value of that animal to that person. If that person/being is valuable to you then it is considered to be more harmful to you when you kill that person/being.
These five are considered to be the worst kamma that one shouldn’t perform.
1) Killing of your mother.
2) Killing of your father.
3) Killing of an Arahant.
4) Causing the Buddha to bleed.
5) Breaking up of the Sangha.
So you can see that they are all very valuable and important people or institutions. You should not hurt them because they bring benefits to us. Your parents give birth to you. The Arahants and the Buddha can guide you to attain Enlightenment or Nibbāna. It is the same with the Sangha. You do not want to harm these five people or institutions because they only do good things for the world.
Question: What is your view on imposing the death penalty on wrongdoers?
Than Ajahn: Well, according to Buddhism you should not punish anybody by killing them.
You can imprison them for the rest of their lives, but you should not kill them because killing is wrong regardless of what the reason is.
Question: Many young ones and even the school children are falling prey to illegal drugs.
They are being lured into such self-destructive behaviour. What is your advice?
Than Ajahn: You need to educate the young on the danger of drugs. You have to try to separate the young people from being able to access any drugs, any addictive substance.
You have to educate them and have to make it hard for them to access these drugs. That is all you can do.
If they still want to go after illegal drugs then it is their own problem. What we can do as teachers or parents is to teach them the danger of using these illegal drugs, and try to make it hard for them to access these substances. That’s all. But still, if they are after it, then it is not your problem, it is their problem
Question: Please give a few tips that would help them maintain a happy and virtuous life.
Than Ajahn: Just like I said, practise charity, morality, and meditation. This is the way to maintain a happy and virtuous life. Your family must educate them.
“Dhamma in English, Dec 4, 2022.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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Questions were submitted by a journalist from Sri Lanka and the article was published on Sunday Observer.
https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2023/01/01/spectrum/taking-refuge-buddha
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