No.239 - The mind is both the observer and (he object of) what is being observed.

Ajahn Suchart

“The mind is both the observer and (the object of) what is being observed.”

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Question: I have read a lot about observing the mind. How does this work when the mind is the observer? Sadhu.

Than Ajahn: The mind is both the observer and (the object of) what is being observed. The mind is both the subject and object. It’s like the body. You look at the body. The body uses the eyes to look at the body. So, the body looks at itself. The mind can also look at itself because there is good and bad things inside the mind. If you don’t observe the mind, then you don’t know it and hence, you might let those bad things remain in the mind and cause you problem.

If you keep observing your mind and when you can see the things that are bad for your mind, then you can get rid of those bad things using the right method. Those bad things inside your mind could cause problem to the mind. When you get rid of those bad things, you won’t have any problem later on. But if you don’t observe the mind, you wouldn’t know what it is that’s making your mind sad or unhappy. If you keep watching it, sooner or later you will find the cause of your unhappiness. Because everything that happens has a cause. It doesn’t happen by itself. It has to have something to cause it to happen. And according to the teachings of the Buddha, our sadness are caused by our desires and our cravings. So, if we don’t want to have any bad feelings or sadness, then we must get rid of our cravings and our clinging to things and people.

“Dhamma in English, Oct 13, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

No.238 - What is the origin of the "one who knows" ?

Ajahn Suchart

Question:  What is the origin of the ‘one who knows’?

Than Ajahn:  The one who knows is an element which has a distinct characteristic. It is not composed of anything. It doesn’t break up. It doesn’t change. It is the knowing element.

In this universe, there are 6 basic elements. They are the building block of everything: the earth, fire, air, water, space and the knowing (consciousness) element. When they combine, they become people and animals. Those without the ‘knowing’ element, they become trees, mountains, etc. These are the things that are made from the 6 basic elements. These elements do not change. They don’t break up. Water will always be water. Air will always be air. Earth will always be earth. Fire will always be fire. Space will always be space. These are the elements. The ‘knowing’ or the mind is one of these 6 elements.

“Dhamma in English, Feb 27, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

No.237 - Dependent Origination as the Highest Law of Nature.

Dependent Origination as the Highest Law of Nature

“…Bhikkhus, I will teach you Dependent

Origination and dependently arisen phenomena.

Listen and attend closely, I will speak.”

“…And what, bhikkhus, is Dependent

Origination?

(1)‘With birth as condition, aging-anddeath

[comes to be)’: whether there is an arising

of Tathagatas or no arising of Tathagatas, that

element still persists, the stableness of the

Dhamma, the fi xed course of the Dhamma,

specifi c conditionality.

‘A Tathagata awakens to this and breaks

through to it. Having done so, he explains it,

teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it,

analyses it, elucidates it. And he says: ‘See! With

birth as condition, bhikkhus, aging-and-death.’

(2)‘With existence as condition, birth’ ...

(3)‘With clinging as condition, existence’...

(4)‘With craving as condition, clinging’ ...

(5)‘With feeling as condition, craving’...

(6)‘With contact as condition, feeling’...

(7)‘With the six sense bases as condition,

contact’ ...

(8)‘With name-and-form as condition, the

six sense bases’ ...

(9)‘With consciousness as condition, nameand-

form’...

(10)‘With volitional formations as

condition, consciousness’ ...

(11)‘With ignorance as condition,

volitional formations’: whether there is an

arising of Tathagatas or no arising of Tathagatas,

that element still persists, the stableness of

the Dhamma, the fi xed course of the Dhamma,

specifi c conditionality.

‘A Tathagata awakens to this and breaks

through to it. Having done so, he explains it,

teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses

it, analyses it, elucidates it. And he says: ‘See!

With ignorance as condition, bhikkhus, volitional

formations.’”

“Thus, bhikkhus, the actuality in this,

the inerrancy, the nototherwiseness, specifi c

conditionality.”

“This is called Dependent Origination.”

The Connected Discourses Of the Buddha : A New

Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, Volume I, by Bhikkhu Bodhi, The

Pali Text Society, Oxford, 2000, P.550-551

No.236 - The 5 Hindrances and how to deal with them

Ajahn Suchart

“5 hindrances and how to deal with them.”

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Question (M): Can you explain about the 5 hindrances?

Than Ajahn: The 5 hindrances are the conditions in your mind that create obstruction to your meditation. The first hindrance is the doubt in the Buddha, the Dhamma or the Saṅgha. You doubt whether they can help you find peace and happiness. You doubt whether there is a real Buddha, whether his teaching is effective.

When you have doubt, you need to talk to someone who has experienced the results from the teachings of the Buddha. This person is usually an enlightened person. An enlightened person is someone who knows. He is similar to a person who knows whether a car dealer sells good cars or bad cars.

For example, if you want to buy a car from a bad dealer, this person (who knows which one is a good and bad car dealer) can convince you to go to a good car dealer. He’ll convince you, ‘Go to this dealer. He’s good. He’s not going to lie to you.’ In the same way, you have to talk to an enlightened person because an enlightened person will vouch for the teachings of the Buddha. An enlightened person will guarantee that the teachings of the Buddha are real and they are good for you.

If you cannot find any enlightened person, then you have to rely on the teachings of the Buddha which are recorded in the Tipiṭaka. You can use the recording as something to help you to gain faith in his teachings to get rid of your doubt.

However, the most important thing to entirely get rid of your doubt is to apply his teachings to yourself. Once you can apply the teachings and see the result from your practice, you won’t have any more doubt. This happens to an enlightened person, the Sotāpanna. Once a Sotāpanna has applied the Four Noble Truths to himself, he can see clearly that his suffering arises from his desire. When he sees that things he desires for are impermanent, then he stops his desire for things. When he stops his desire, his mind becomes calm, peaceful and happy. Then, he’ll have no doubt in the Four Noble Truths. He’ll have no doubt in the teacher who taught the Four Noble Truths. And he has no doubt in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saṅgha because he himself becomes a Saṅgha. He becomes a noble disciple. So, this is the way to get rid of doubt.

There are two steps to get rid of your doubt. First, by studying or listening to an enlightened person. This will get rid of your doubt partially. Then, you’ll have to practice and apply his teachings until you see the result in your mind. This will get rid of your doubt 100%.

The second hindrance is sensual desire. When you have the desire to watch television, you cannot concentrate on your meditation. Therefore, you have to force yourself to stop going after your sensual desire. Cut down your social activities or your entertainment activities. The best way to curb your sensual desire is to live in a place where there is no entertainment or no movies to watch like staying in a forest monastery. Then, this sensual pleasure will not arise because there is nothing for you to see or do, except to meditate. 

The third hindrance is anger. Sometimes when you meditate, you are angry. It’s because before you meditate, you’ve quarreled with someone, or had an issue with somebody, and therefore you cannot concentrate on your meditation. So, you have to get rid of this anger first. One way to get rid of anger is by using loving-kindness or compassion – forgiving the person who has caused your anger. Instead of hating that person, you love that person. You switch your mind from hate to love by forgiving that person, by using reasoning – that whatever happened, it had already happened. A glass has already broken. You cannot bring it back by being angry. Anger only causes you to have restlessness. So, if you want to get rid of anger, you have to forgive and forget.

Fourth hindrance is sloth and torpor. It means being lazy and feeling sleepy all the time. One of the causes of sleepiness is eating too much. The portion that you normally eat is too much for a meditator. If you want to be a meditator, you have to reduce your food consumption drastically. At most, you’re recommended to eat just two meals, and you have to have your meals before lunch. After lunch you shouldn’t eat anything so that your body becomes light and you can meditate. Because if you continue on with having meals in the evening, you’ll find that you have no time to mediate. Even if you have time to meditate, you’ll be sleepy or drowsy and lazy. So, you have to reduce your food consumption.

The Buddha has recommended monks to eat once a day. But for laypeople, as they might not be strong enough yet, the Buddha has recommended laypeople not to eat after midday. This will help to get rid of your drowsiness or sleepiness. However, if you still feel sleepy, you might have to fast. You stop eating for a day or two. If fasting is not suitable for you, you can use another method which is staying in a scary place, like in a cemetery or in a forest where you have to be alone. Then, you will not be sleepy.

The last hindrance is restlessness and agitation. You are restless and agitated because you are not focusing on something to stop you from thinking. Your restlessness and agitation arise from your thoughts. You think about this and that. So, to overcome your restlessness, you have to use mindfulness. You have to be constantly mindful, by reciting a mantra or by focusing on what your body is doing. Do those all the time, not just during meditation. If you don’t do those all the time, when you sit, your mind will still be restless. You have to get rid of restlessness before you sit in meditation.

So, these are the 5 hindrances and how to deal with them.

Youtube: “Dhamma in English, Nov 9, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g