The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart
Mon, 31 March 2025
Q: What is the difference between boredom and restlessness and how to overcome those states of mind?
Than Ajahn: They are different forms of unhappiness. Boredom is a form of unhappiness. Restlessness is another form of unhappiness or suffering. In Buddhism, we use the term ‘suffering’ to cover every form of unhappiness or sadness. To overcome them you have to stop your mind from thinking, make your mind calm. When your mind becomes calm, all boredom and restlessness will disappear. So you have to learn how to meditate. Before you can meditate, you have to have mindfulness first. You have to try to develop mindfulness all the time. Stop your mind from thinking aimlessly or uselessly. Only think about what you have to do or what is necessary to think, otherwise, use a mantra to stop it or focus on your body actions.
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Q: I’ve heard that teachers who have not attained nibbāna but teach others meditation will not get bad kamma because they are doing it with good intention. What is the repercussion of such teachers who teach others even though they themselves are not Ariyas? And what would be our approach to those teachers who are teaching meditation but clearly they themselves are not Arahants?
Than Ajahn: Well, if they teach what they know and what they know is not wrong, then there is nothing wrong with that because there are many different levels of knowledge that you can teach. You can teach about keeping the precepts, you can teach about how to develop mindfulness. But if you are trying something that you don’t know then you can mislead other people. So don’t try to teach something that you don’t know. Only teach people what you know then there will be no problem. You will not mislead other people into the wrong direction.
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Q: What is the best method to stay calm and avoid becoming quick-tempered in daily life situation?
Than Ajahn: If you can recite a mantra, this is the easiest way. Just keep reciting the mantra when you feel uneasy. When you feel restless, keep reciting ‘Budho Budho Budho’ for a few minutes. It can calm your mind very quickly.
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Q: When a person wants to develop meditative path but he/she keeps on getting disturbed by many obstacles, what cause him or her to keep getting those obstacles? Does it happen due to his bad karmic effect from previous birth?
Than Ajahn: Sometimes your past kamma can also become a hindrance or obstacle but there are also other things that can become obstacles. It’s not the point to figure out what causes the obstacles, the point is to figure out how to overcome the obstacles. Whatever obstacles you have, try to overcome them. If you don’t know how to overcome them then you should seek advice from those who know how to overcome the obstacles. This is better than to think what causes these obstacles to appear in the first place.
“Dhamma in English, Nov 12, 2019.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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