Life is an addiction by Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

Life is an addiction

Than Ajahn: Do you want to become enlightened?

Sāmaṇera: There is something I believe about Buddhism but there are other things that I don’t think I agree, like being alone.

Than Ajahn: Do you think to be alone is not good? Do you think that it’s better to be with someone?

Sāmaṇera: Yes. I think that even Buddhism said that life is full of pain and sorrow, but now at this moment, I want to live my life fully, do whatever I want to do.

Than Ajahn: How long do you think you can do this for? Until you get old, right? Until you get sick. Then, what happens?

Sāmaṇera: Then, die.

Than Ajahn: Then, die. So, what happens to all the things that you have done?

Sāmaṇera: They vanish.

Than Ajahn: So, why do you do them in the first place if they vanish?

Sāmaṇera: I don’t know.

Than Ajahn: Because you cannot stop yourself from not doing it. If you can stop yourself from doing it, you’ll be happier. I’ll give you an example, which one is better, someone who is addicted to drugs and someone who is not addicted to drugs?

Sāmaṇera: The one who is not addicted to drugs.

Than Ajahn: It’s the same way with being addicted to do things. You are addicted to do things and this is like addicted to drugs. When you have nothing to do you feel bad, and when you’ve got something to do, you feel good. But for how long can you continue doing it? One day you’ll end up not being to do what you want to do. Then, what happens? You’ll feel bad. You might want to kill yourself.

When people cannot do things they want to do by themselves, they’re not happy. They feel terrible. So, what do they do? They decide to kill themselves. But if you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to kill yourself. If you can become a monk and you don’t have to do anything, then you will always be happy, like someone who is not addicted to drugs.

Monks and laypeople are like two persons. 

One person is addicted to drugs and the other person is not addicted to drugs. Monks are the ones who are not addicted to doing things to make them happy, while laypeople are those who are addicted to doing things to make them happy. But the happiness that laypeople get is like smoke. It comes and disappears very quickly. As soon as they get what they want, their happiness disappear. 

Sāmaṇera: Do you mean happiness from material things?

Than Ajahn: Yes, materials or actions, like going to see a movie, listening to music, sleeping with someone. These are temporary happiness. They’ll vanish. Then you’re left all alone again. You have to keep having them all the time until the time when you cannot have them then you’ll kill yourself. 

But if you can stop this addiction, you can be happy all the time without having to have anything to make you happy.

Life is an addiction. We are addicted to life, addicted to do things to make us happy, to feel alive. We don’t want to be dead. When you’re dead, you cannot do anything. But you can stop your mind from being addicted to life. 

You can live happily with life or with no life, it’s like having drugs or no drugs. 

Sāmaṇera: And you are happier when you meditate, right?

Than Ajahn: When you meditate, it can stop you from doing other things. Once you know how to meditate, you don’t need to do other things. 

Focus on one object to stop your mind from thinking. When you think, your mind will not be calm, will not be concentrated, will not be happy. If you can stop your mind from thinking, your mind will become calm and happy. Once you’re happy, then you don’t need anything. You can get rid of your drug addiction and can get rid of all your addictions. 

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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Infatuation With the World~ Luang Pu Liem

Infatuation With the World

~ Luang Pu Liem

The Buddha taught that the beings in the world -which means the world in our own  minds - are constantly situated in the realm of sensual desire. 

We experience sensuality carrying us away. We constantly are travelling around in the realm of desires, based on desirable objects.

Desirable objects actually refer to this very “self” and the material things that relate to it. They make us feel obsessed, infatuated and captured. 

That’s why the Buddha taught us  to make an effort to see these processes in the world and ourselves with insight. 

If we focus on these processes in accordance with their true nature, we’ll recognize them as experiences which are not fully perfect and evidently deficient.

One needs to realize that infatuation with the world is a state of imperfection which leads us to experience discomfort and all kinds of sorrow and bereavement. 

Both pain and pleasure, good and evil eventually cause us to feel imprisoned in a state of suffering that burns us up.

We need to make an effort to see this in order to react to it and change our attitudes towards it, seeing the danger in the round of existence. 

We become one who is alert and careful when he relates to the world, becoming someone who sees worldliness as something to get rid of, along with all the associated infatuations, involvements, and entanglements.  

In turn we aspire for liberation and escape from our identity and self.

~ Luang Pu Liem

http://www.watnongpahpong.org/bookslpliem.php

The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism

The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism 
BY THICH NHAT HANH| APRIL 12, 2017

Thich Nhat Hanh’s guidelines for anyone wishing to live mindfully.

The Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) was formed by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh in the mid-1960’s, at a time when the Vietnam War was escalating and the teachings of the Buddha were desperately needed to combat the hatred, violence, and divisiveness enveloping his country.

On the full moon day of February 1966, Zen Master Nhat Hanh ordained six members into the Order—three men and three women ranging in age from twenty-two to thirty-two. All were board members of the School of Youth for Social Service, which he had helped found the year before. During the ceremony, the six ordainees vowed to study, practice, and observe the Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing, a wonderful blend of traditional Buddhist morality and contemporary social concerns.

For ten years, no new members were permitted to join the Order’s core community. In fact, this “period of experimentation” was extended until 1981, when Nguyen Anh Huong, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order.

Today, there are thousands worldwide who regularly recite the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism, which remain uniquely applicable to contemporary moral dilemmas. They are guidelines for anyone wishing to live mindfully. By developing peace and serenity through ethical and conscientious living, we can help our society make the transition from one based on greed and consumerism to one in which thoughtfulness and compassionate action are of the deepest value.

—Fred Eppsteiner

The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism

1 Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.

2 Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.

3 Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

4 Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images, and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.

5 Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life Fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. 

6 Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.

7 Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.

8 Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small. 

9 Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

10 Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.

11 Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realize your ideal of compassion.

12 Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war. 

13 Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.

14 Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realization of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relationships, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.

From “Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism,” Revised edition: Oct. 1993 by Thich Nhat Hanh, published by Parallax Press, Berkeley, California.

ABOUT THICH NHAT HANH
    Thich Nhat Hanh is a renowned Zen Master and poet, and founder of the Engaged Buddhist movement. He is the author of over a hundred books which have sold millions of copies worldwide. His most recent books are Inside the Now and No Mud, No Lotus. Thich Nhat Hanh lives at Plum Village practice center in France.

Make the present happy and you will always be happy by Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

Make the present happy and you will always be happy.”

Than Ajahn:  If you still have desires, if you still want to do more things, then you have to have rebirth.  But if you don’t want to do anything anymore, then there will be no rebirth. You become like the Buddha.

Sāmaṇera:  What will happen then?

Than Ajahn:  You will be happy all the time.  Not doing things and doing things, which one is better?  If you can just sit still, not doing anything and be happy, then you will always be happy.  This is the real happiness – not to do anything, not to have anything to make you happy. Anything that makes you happy will only last temporarily.  It doesn’t last forever. 

The real happiness is not to have anything to make you happy.  The only way to do it is to meditate, to stop your desire to do things. Once you can stop your desire to do things, then you don’t have anything to worry about.

Sāmaṇera:  How long do you meditate?

Than Ajahn:  All day, from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. You meditate in two different ways. When you’re not sitting, then you’re watching your body, this is meditation. As long as you keep controlling your thought, preventing your thought from thinking, you’re meditating.

You need to sit down to make your mind become completely still. If you have work to do, you have to control your thoughts. Don’t let your mind thinks. Because when you think, you can start to worry and become unhappy. And then when you sit, you have the strength to force your mind to become still. So, you meditate all day. You have to keep controlling your thought all the time, watching your thought, stopping your thought from thinking by concentrating on something, like your body or on a mantra.  If you’re not sitting or if you’re working and if you’re not watching your body, you can use a mantra, by keep reciting ‘Buddho, Buddho, Buddho’.

When you start thinking about going home, repeat Buddho, Buddho, Buddho. It’s not the time to think about it now. The time to think about going home is when you have to go.

Sāmaṇera:  It’s true. Don’t worry about the future.

Than Ajahn:  Yes, it’s not here yet. Think about the present. Make the present happy and you will always be happy. Because there is no future, there is no past. Everything happens in the present. If you can make the present happy, you’ll be always happy. Regardless of what kind of present you have, good or bad present, if you know how to make your mind happy, you can always be happy.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

What is the feeling of being enlightened? By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

“What is the feeling of being enlightened?”

Sāmaṇera:  I don’t understand why monks cannot touch women?

Than Ajahn: To prevent the sexual desire to arise. When you touch a woman, the desire can arise and then you might not be able to stop it.  And if you do something with a woman, you have to be considered to be disrobed.  You cannot remain as a monk or a novice.  

A monk and a woman are like electricity, positive and negative charge.  When they come together, they’re attracted to each other.  So, you have to stay away from women.  No touch.  Not even looking.  If you happened to look, you should look away. When you see a woman, try not to look at her.  Try to ignore her.  Don’t see her.  

Sāmaṇera:  Are there other monks who have reached enlightenment after the Buddha?

Than Ajahn:  Yes.  

Sāmaṇera:  Are there a lot of them or just a few?

Than Ajahn:  There is no statistics which counts how many are there. But there are very few monks who are enlightened, and they are very hard to find. Do you believe that there are still monks who can be enlightened?  

Sāmaṇera:  I don’t know. It’s strange.

Than Ajahn:  Why?

Sāmaṇera:  I would like to hear what they say.

Than Ajahn:  What do you want to hear from them?  

Sāmaṇera:  What is the feeling of being enlightened?

Than Ajahn:  You can hear about it from the Buddha.  He said, ‘If you’re enlightened, you’ll be happy’. You will have no sorrow, no sadness. You will always be happy 24 hours a day. ‘Nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ.’  Nibbāna is the state of enlightenment.  When the mind becomes enlightened, it becomes pure, it has no defilements: no greed, hatred, delusion.  When the mind is without greed, hatred, and delusion, the mind will be very happy and will have no sadness. 

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

Asubha by Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto

“When you can instantaneously think of the organs of the body or when the body turns into corpse then you don’t have any problem with sexual desire.

Than Ajahn:  Asubha only has impact when you have sexual desire.  When there’s no sexual desire, then the contemplation on asubha does not have any impact.  Like if you don’t have a headache and you take a pain killer, it does not make any difference.  But when you have a headache and you take some aspirins, then you will feel the difference. 

In the same way when you have sexual desire and you contemplate on asubha, it can suppress or eliminate the sexual desire in the mind.  So, when you don’t have it yet, you have to first prepare the ground work or do the homework. You have to contemplate on asubha so that it can becomes instantaneous when you need it.  Once you can spontaneously recall these asubha images, then you should try to arouse your sexual desire to test whether or not you can suppress it using asubha.

When you don’t have sexual desire, it doesn’t mean you have lost them because it may be due to your physical condition.  So, it is necessary for you to test when you have sexual desire whether you can suppress it or not. The reason is sometimes sexual desire is very devious (conniving) and you don’t know whether you have really lost it or not.  You have to at least know that if it comes up, you should be able to always get rid of it. 

The tool to get rid of sexual desire is the asubha practice.  When you can instantaneously think of the organs of the body or when the body turns into corpse then you don’t have any problem with sexual desire.  This problem usually arises for those people who keep the eight precepts or monks who have to maintain this purity.  They are not allowed to be near the opposite sex, so this can sort of pressure the sexual desire to come up.  So, monks have to always try to contemplate on asubha to suppress or to eliminate this sexual desire.  But for laypeople sometimes you have other ways of enjoying yourself without having sex.  You can enjoy yourself by having food or drink or going places of entertainment.  So, maybe this sexual desire is put on the back burner. 

Thus, you don’t feel the pressure to have to contemplate on asubha because you can still be happy without having sex.  But for monks, they are prohibited from going to places to drink or to enjoy themselves through all the senses.  Then, the pressure will build up and when a monk sees a woman, his sexual desire may suddenly just arise. If he doesn’t have asubha contemplation, he will just keep thinking about the woman and images of her will arouse his desire.  Eventually, he will find that he can no longer remain in robe.

Have you heard of one of Ajahn Chah’s monks who disrobed after being a monk for about 40 years? 

Layperson:  Recently?

Than Ajahn:  Yes, a Japanese monk. He was in close contact with a woman and he didn’t have this protection, I guess.  So, instead of trying to get rid of her, he kept on having more contact, more relationship.  Then, he eventually found it’s quite impossible for him to remain as a monk, so he had to disrobe.  After disrobe, they got married or they lived together.  This is because he doesn’t see the asubha in that body.  Every time he sees that body, he sees the attractiveness of that body, not the repulsiveness of that body.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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32 parts of the body

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Enter the Buddha’s World

Enter the Buddha’s World

Ancient Buddhist Scriptures

Everything we teach comes from the ancient sermons taught by Gautama Buddha and his enlightened disciples that lived with him. They have been preserved in the Sutta Pitaka by the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

    Shortly after the Buddha passed away, 500 fully enlightened monks gathered at the First Great Council to recite all of the sermons they remembered that the Buddha and his enlightened disciples preached. They then organized them into five collections known as Nikayas. Groups of monks were assigned to memorize these collections and get together frequently to recite them. At the time in India there was a strong tradition of memorization like this among members of the Brahmin caste. Eventually because of dangers such as war and famine, there was the fear that there would not be enough monks alive to keep up this tradition, so the sermons were written down in the original language of Pali. The translations we have today are from these texts.

   The Nikayas have a variety of styles of text. Some are stories, some are regular sermons. Some are highly analytical teachings, and some are collections of verses. Some of the Nikayas are organized by topic. Others are organized by length of text. We are very fortunate that all of them have been translated into clear, modern English within the last 30 or so years.

    Below you can see an outline of the books that make up the Sutta Pitaka as well as titles of translations into simple English.

Many of these books are available from our free lending library. Books marked with a  are available through the Winnipeg Public library.

    For beginners: We recommend  In The Buddha’s Words, by Bhikkhu Bodhi. This commercially published book contains sections from the collections listed below organized around different aspects of the Buddha’s teachings: The nature of life, meditation, the nature of the mind, the life and enlightenment of the Buddha, etc. It is available through on-line retailers and can be ordered through any local bookstore.

    The following are the books that contain the original teachings of the Buddha. These are the translations we recommend.

    Dīgha Nikāya, Long Discourses (D or DN): Contains 34 suttas that range in length from 5 to 47 pages.

    The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dīgha Nikāya by Maurice Walsh, Wisdom Publications.
Majjhima Nikāya, Middle Length Discourses(M or MN): Contains 152 suttas, most from 5 to 10 pages.

    The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: a Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Wisdom Publications.
Saṁyutta Nikaya, Connected Discourses(S or SN): Contains thousands of short suttas grouped by topic.

    The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṁyutta Nikāya, by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Wisdom Publications.
Two sections have bee published individually: Stories of Sakka, Lord of Gods, and Stories of Brahmas.

Aṅguttara Nikāya, Numerical Discourses(A or AN): Contains thousands of suttas mostly one or two pages long. A short anthology of the book below is available from the Winnipeg Public Library,  Numerical discourses of the Buddha : Anguttara nikaya : an anthology of Suttas from the Anguttaranikaya.

    The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Aṅguttara Nikāya, by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Wisdom Publications.
Khudhaka Nikāya, Short Books: This nikāya is a group of smaller autonomous books, explained individually below.

    Khuddakapāṭha (Khp): This is a collection of 10 suttas.

   Dhammapada (Dhp): This is a collection of 423 short verses, grouped into 26 chapters. This is an excellent text for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike. It takes about 4 minutes to read one chapter so it is well suited to someone with a short amount of time available. Even just reading a single verse Dhammapada, translated by Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita.

The Dhammapada : teachings of the Buddha, by Gil Fronsdal
Udana (Ud): This collection contains 80 suttas composed of (usually) a story in prose form followed by an inspired verse.

    The Udāna and the Itivuttaka, Two Classics from the Pali Canon, translated by John D. Ireland, Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) Complete text.
Itivuttaka (Itv): This collection contains 112 suttas of prose followed by verse. Most suttas are two pages or less.

    The Udāna and the Itivuttaka, Two Classics from the Pali Canon, translated by John D. Ireland, Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) Complete text.
Sutta Nipāta (Sn or Snp,): Seventy one sets of verses, sometimes preceded by a prose story.

The Group of Discourses (Sutta-nipāta), by K.R. Norman
Vimānavatthu (Vv) and Petavatthu (Pv): Teachings in verse about the results of good and bad action

    Stories of Heavenly Mansions
Stories of Ghosts from the Petavatthu
Theragāthā (Thag) and Therīgāthā (Thīg): Verses of Arahant Bhikkhus and Bhikkhuṇis. Two excellent collections for practice. The ultimate source for inspiration and reminder of the goal of the practice.

    Voice of Enlightened Monks: Theragata
The Voice of Enlightened Nuns: Therigata
Jataka (J): The canonical part of this collection are only verses. What are commonly known as the Jataka stories are actually the commentary stories behind them.

    Jataka Tales of the Buddha: An Anthology, Volume 1-3, by Ken Kawasaki and Visakha Kawasaki. This is a selection of the stories.