The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart
24 September 2024
The third spiritual power is mindfulness or sati. If we want quick results from our practice we need mindfulness. We must always be mindful of what we do because mindfulness controls the mind.
The mind is like an automobile and mindfulness its driver. If the driver has no mindfulness like when he is drunk, he would not be able to drive safely. He would probably unknowingly run through a red light at an intersection.
Without mindfulness we will not be able to stop our mind when we want to. Without mindfulness to rein it in we could go mad and do things that normal people dare not do. We could go berserk and eventually be incarcerated in a mental asylum because we have lost touch with reality. We have lost our mindfulness or sati.
Mindfulness is therefore essential in the performance of meritorious and skilful actions such as giving to charity, maintaining the precepts or sitting in meditation.
Having mindfulness to control the mind is like tying a monkey to a tree. If it were not put on a leash it would go everywhere causing a lot of troubles. On the other hand, if it’s tied to a tree, it couldn’t go far. At first it might struggle to free itself. After a while, it would get tired and stop struggling. It is subdued.
Similarly, we can use mindfulness to control our mind. When we get angry or become greedy, if we have mindfulness, we would be able to stop our anger and greed.
Mindfulness is therefore extremely essential and useful.
When we lose our mindfulness, we would be like cars without brakes. We would misbehave and cause a lot of troubles for ourselves. People wouldn’t respect or admire us but get sick of us. They would think that we are insane because we would do or say whatever we like without giving consideration to what is right or proper. We are driven by our whims and fancies. People wouldn’t like to be associated with us.
It’s therefore imperative for us to have mindfulness if we want to excel and become a good and respectable citizen. Having mindfulness means we must always be mindful of our actions. We must be mindful of what we do or say. Our mind must always be in the present, here and now, not drifting away to some other place. If it does, we wouldn’t be aware of what we are doing.
For example, if our mind is thinking about something else while we cut meat or vegetables, we might cut our fingers instead.
This is because we have no mindfulness. If we do we would know all the time what we are doing. Without mindfulness, we wouldn’t be able to thread the needle because our mind is drifting here and there. But when we have mindfulness to control the mind, we would be able to do it easily.
Mindfulness is a very valuable tool that should be earnestly developed. One way to do this is to mentally recite ‘buddho’. ‘Buddho, buddho’ at all times.
Whatever we do, just think of ‘buddho’. Concentrate on it.
Do not let the monkey or our mind run away.
Tie it to a tree. That tree is buddho.
If we could restrain our mind, it would eventually calm down and realize samādhi or concentration, not wandering here and there but stay put, here and now, like this glass of water that was placed here. It is still here and not going anywhere. Similarly, if we use mindfulness to control our mind, we would be able to concentrate and remain still. Once that happens, we can accomplish many things.
“Sensual Pleasures Are Painful”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
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