The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
14 November 2024
Q: As we come close to the year end, is there any reflection that we should work on?
Than Ajahn: You reflect that this is anicca.
Time is running out for you. You have less time to live, less time to practice so better hurry up
Student: Oh okay, that's a very wise reflection because people usually will reflect that this is a festive period, let’s celebrate.
Than Ajahn: The Buddha said that as you see the days and the years gone by you should ask yourself, ‘What am I doing now? Am I meditating? Am I practicing the noble eightfold path? Or am I going after money and wealth and so forth?’
Student: Okay. So that's the correct reflection we should have.
Than Ajahn: That's right. So if you go in the wrong direction, you should take a U-turn. If you go after money then you should U-turn back to go after dāna (generosity) instead. If you’re going on holiday, you should instead go to the monastery to meditate. Make a U-turn. If you know that you are going in the wrong direction then you should take a U-turn so that you can go to the right direction.
You should remind yourself not just at the end of the year. You should remind yourself at the end of every day: ‘Today has gone by, what have I done? Am I going in the right direction or not?’ You should review it every day. Because one year is too long, it might be too late. There might be no next year, who knows? So constantly ask yourself, ‘What am I doing now? Am I going after sensual pleasure or am I going after meditation pleasure?’
Buddha asked his assistant to reflect on death in every breath. Every time he takes a breath he should think, ‘Every time I breathe in, if I don’t breathe out, I die.
Every time I breathe out, if I don’t breathe in, I die.’
This will then stir you to go in the right direction. A year is too long, too far away and by then you forget what to do. Besides, who knows if we are going to live for another year or not, right?
People say that Buddhist teaching is very pessimistic, only thinking about death. But we use death as a tool to fix our problems which is our suffering or our stress.
“Dhamma in English, Dec 19, 2023.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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