“This is the way to get rid of your depression.”

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

31 August 2023

“This is the way to get rid of your depression.”

Question (from Las Vegas): “How can I not be depressed with my life and be happier?” 

Than Ajahn: “You have to lessen your defilement, your desire. The reason why you’re depressed is because you cannot do what your desire asks you to do. When you want to get something and you cannot get what you want, you become depressed. If you can meditate, you can stop your desire. So, try to do a lot of meditation. You’ll then have less desire, and it will make you feel happier. The more you meditate, the happier you become. 

The way to meditate successfully is to have mindfulness. You have to constantly focus your mind on something, to keep your mind away from thinking about other things. You can use watching your body as a means of maintaining mindfulness. 

Watch your body activities, every movement of your body. Be aware of what you’re doing. 

When you’re eating, just watch the eating activity. When you’re taking a shower, or getting dressed, walking, sitting, or doing whatever you do with the body, just watch these activities. 

Don’t let your mind think about some other things. 

When you sit in meditation, you can watch your breath. When you’re not thinking about other things, the mind will become completely concentrated and then the mind will become peaceful and calm, and happy. So, this is the way to get rid of your depression. This is the way of making you happy all the time. You don’t need to have anything. All you need is mindfulness. The most important thing is mindfulness. Try to prevent your mind from thinking aimlessly.”

From: "Youtube live, Feb 3, 2017"

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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