The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
30 June 2025
Q: It scares me that one day I will become old and I am getting close to it. Sometimes I think I don’t want to become old because I don’t want my kids to take care of me when I can no longer take care of myself. How should I think about this?
Than Ajahn: You can take care of yourself until the day you die if you learn how to take care of yourself now. So don't worry, when you no longer can take care of yourself then just let it be. If other people want to help take care of your body, it is their business, it's their charity. If it makes them happy to help you, let them help you but if nobody wants to help you then you just prepare yourself for death.
If you don't eat for a few days, you will die. So there's no need to worry as long as you try to take care of yourself until you're unable to do it. You don't expect anybody to help you. You are ready to let things happen to your body. If you cannot eat, ‘Okay, don't eat.’ If you cannot find food, ‘Okay, don’t eat.’ But if people want to help you, find food for you, let them do it as long as you don't go and ask for their help. If their help comes up because of their own compassion or their love then let them do it.
So you shouldn’t worry about when you get old and you have to let other people take care of you. As long as you don’t rely on other people, as long as you are willing to starve to death, you are willing to die if nobody helps you, then there is nothing to worry about.
As long as you know how to take care of your body now, you will be able to take care of your body later on.
When you no longer can take care of your body then just leave it up to whoever wants to do it. If nobody wants to do it, the body will eventually die. If other people want to help, let them help. If nobody helps, don’t worry about it, just let the body exist until it no longer can exist.
“Dhamma in English, Sep 29. 2019”
- - - - -
Q: Preparation for death.
Than Ajahn: It’s like getting ready to travel. When you die, you move on to the next world so you have to prepare your suitcases, your Visa, exchange your money, bring your credit card with you. If you don't, then you go like a refugee. This is what dāna is. Dāna is the wealth you can take with you - the money, the credit card. Without it you'll be like a refugee, they won't let you enter the country, they let you stay at the border and stay in the refugee camp.
Q: If dāna is like credit card, how about those people who are meditators?
Than Ajahn: Meditators go to a higher realm, they go to the realm with more happiness.
The result is still like giving dāna, but with more happiness.
When they come back to become human, they don’t bring anything with them except the way to get more jhāna. They will be practising meditation whichever way they used to do. They will come back and continue to do it again because that’s the way it makes them happy.
If you are happy giving dāna, when you come back to become human, you will continue to give dāna. If you are happy doing meditation, when you come back, you will continue to meditate. So that’s why some people ordain and some people don’t ordain. Some people give dāna, some people meditate. It becomes a habit. If you used to drink a certain type of drink, you’ll always come back and order it again, right? If you like Coke, you’ll always order Coke, you never order other drink.
Some people keep changing because it’s their habit, they have the habit of wanting to keep changing. That’s why people are different because people have different preferences.
“Dhamma in English, Dec 12, 2023.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
No comments:
Post a Comment