The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
26 October 2023
Student: I work at an elementary school and I always feel so exhausted. I experienced a lot of injustice at school. My biggest problem is to have equanimity and to be able to say that all beings are the owner of their own karma but it's so difficult to do it. So I would like to ask for your advice on how to develop more equanimity.
Than Ajahn: You need mindfulness to get to equanimity so try to develop as much mindfulness as you can. I think the best time for you to start is when you get up that's when you haven't yet met anybody. You can start mindfulness as soon as you open up your eyes.
Try to stay focused with your body or with a mantra as you go about getting ready for work like brushing your teeth, washing your face or taking a shower, dressing. This is the precious time for developing mindfulness because you are still alone, you're not getting involved in anybody yet. If you can do that then you might have certain level of mindfulness carryover when you continue on with your daily activities.
Get a good start. As soon as you get up, get your mindfulness starts right away.
Student: I start with meditation each morning.
Than Ajahn: Yes, after you finished your meditation, continue with your mindfulness with every movement of your body from sitting to standing to walking to doing whatever the body is doing. Or you can also use a mantra to help bring your mind back if your mind starts to wander away. When the mind starts going someplace else you can use a mantra and watch your body at the same time. See how far you can get with this mindfulness practice.
Then your mind will be calmer and less reactive to things.
Then you’ll realise regardless of how you react to things, you don't change things really, right? Things happen to people differently and whether you worry or you're sad or you're not sad, it doesn't change anything. You cannot change things, let's put it that way.
You cannot change orange juice into bananas or bananas into apples. Just look at them for what they are, that’s how you should teach yourself. Use the simile of the fruits. People are like fruits.
Everybody is different and everybody is subject to the consequence of his/her own kamma.
That’s why this is the way he or she is. So you cannot change anything really! You might be able to do it sometimes or to some people but not all the time.
Do what you can and accept whatever you cannot do. Don't lose sleep over it. Don't try to change apple into banana.
Student: Okay. I will try it. Thank you so much.
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Student 2: I'm still trying to change apples to oranges everyday but I know it’s not possible. I just subconsciously do it even though I know that it's not right.
Than Ajahn: It's your habit. It's a habit that you want to keep changing things to suit things to your liking.
That’s all there is to it. You can look at the things you want to change, sometimes you can change things sometimes you can’t. So change what you can and give up what you cannot change. Accept what you can’t change then there’ll be no stress, no disappointment.
“Dhamma in English, Feb 7, 2023.”
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Layperson 1: Than Ajahn, when someone says something to us, it stops there. Anything that we take in, whether we get angry or we can let it go, they are all our own creation.
Than Ajahn: Right. The reaction is based on our own likes and dislikes. When we like something, we feel good. When we dislike something, we feel bad. We react differently to different event. If we can get rid of our likes and dislikes, we will have no desire to react to it. We’ll have no reaction to whatever people say, emotionally.
Layperson 1: We used to blame others instead of looking into ourselves.
Than Ajahn: Right. You have to get rid of your likes and dislikes. And the way to do it is to have upekkhā. In order to have upekkhā, you have to practice a lot of meditation. The calmer your mind is, the more of likes or dislikes disappear.
Layperson 1: Yes, I’ve learned to look at it now.
Than Ajahn: You have to look at what people do or say like the weather. You can’t control the weather, right? You can’t tell the rain to stop or fall. You can’t tell people to say good things or bad things, to do good things or bad things. You just watch them, just observe them. That’s all. You just know what they do, but you don’t have any likes or dislikes about the things they do.
Layperson 1: Yes, I’ve seen it now. I know how to cut it off.
Than Ajahn: Right, just know it for what it is. Accept it for what it is. Don’t have any desire for it to be different than what it is.
Don’t try to change bananas into apples. Just accept bananas as bananas and apples as apples. Then, you’ll have no problems with things or people. They come and go. The way to be able to do this is by having strong mindfulness. Strong mindfulness will make your mind becomes neutral. It becomes upekkhā. So, develop a lot of mindfulness and sit in meditation. Bring the mind to become still. Then, the mind will become neutral. It becomes upekkhā. There’s no love, no hatred, no fear, no delusion.
“Dhamma in English, Feb 21, 2018.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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