"Practice making the mind equanimous."

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

21 February 2026

"Practice making the mind equanimous."

The physical sensations are not important. 

The mind is more important. Whether the mind can truly be equanimous or not, whether it wants the suffering to disappear or not. If deep down it still wants to, even if it disappears on its own, the mind still wants to disappear, it will cause stress and headaches. 

Therefore, the mind must be taught not to want it to disappear. Let it be as it is. If using the technique of meditation, chant "Buddho" continuously. Do not pay attention to the suffering. If sitting and listening to the Dhamma makes you feel pain, do not pay attention to the pain. Keep listening intently. The pain will disappear on its own. The goal of the practice is the mind to be calm, concentrated, and equanimous. 

Do not control or force the physical sensations. Let it be as it is. Whether it is long or not, let it be as it is. The goal of the practice is equanimity of the mind. The mind must be indifferent. It must not have emotions about it. Let it be as it is. Teachers use listening to sermons and Dhamma as a method to teach their disciples. When they teach the Dhamma, no one moves their body, no matter how painful it is. Try to sit and listen. Focus on listening in order to be equanimous. Be still and let go of the physical sensations.

For those who are not yet good at meditating, try sitting and listening to sermons and Dhamma without changing your posture until it ends. This is a way to practice meditation and to train your mind to be equanimous. If you are alone, you may not be able to sit or you can only sit for a short while. When you feel pain, you will change your posture. When you have to listen to sermons and Dhamma, you have to sit until they stop. If they do not move, we do not move. When they preach, we listen to them. They are absorbed in their sermon. They feel pain just like us, but their minds are not with the pain. They are with the Dhamma teaching, so they do not feel pain. If we concentrate on listening, we will not feel pain. It hurts, but we do not feel pain because we do not give it importance. If you are alone, you must have something to cling to instead of the sound of Dhamma. You must create the sound of Dhamma within your mind, either by chanting mantras, by chanting “Buddho”, or by observing your breath in and out. Let your mind cling to that meditation, and then the physical pain will disappear on its own. Your mind will be equanimous. 

If you contemplate with wisdom until you see the disadvantages of wanting suffering to disappear, as the cause of mental suffering, you will let go of desire. The suffering will stay and stay. Your mind will sink into peace and calmness. Your mind will become lighter and clearer. It is a deeper equanimity than when you are chanting or praying. You know and see that you can truly let go. Your mind will be relieved and light. You will not be stressed about anything at all. You will be very happy. It is a trick of wisdom. Consider that the body, feelings and mind are all natural phenomena that have different functions. The body is like other objects, like the wooden floor we are sitting on. Bones are like wood. When people or animals die, bones are boiled in a pot. There is no pain because they are objects. The body is also an object. 

It is just that the mind possesses it, so there is a perception of the feelings that arise in the body, which change continuously from happiness to suffering, from suffering to neither happiness nor suffering, in a cycle like this. You have to consider that these are natural phenomena that you cannot control or control. They have to go their own way. 

You have to let them go their own way. Let the body sit and let the feelings be whatever they are. As for the mind of the knower, just know indifferently. 

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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