Restrain and be cautious
about the six sense faculties of the eye seeing forms, the ear hearing sounds,
and so forth. This is what we are constantly teaching about in so many
different ways. It always comes back to this. But to be truthful with
ourselves, are we really aware of what goes on? When the eye sees something,
does delight come about? Do we really investigate? If we investigate, we will
know that it is just this delight that is the cause for suffering to be born.
Aversion is the cause for suffering to be born. These two reactions actually
have the same value. When they occur, we can see the fault of them. If there is
delight, it is merely delight. If there is aversion, it is merely aversion.
This is the way to quell them.
For example, we attach
special importance to the head. From the time we are born, in this society, we
learn that the head is something of the utmost significance. If anyone touches
it or hits it, we are ready to die. If we are slapped on other parts of our
body, it's no big deal, but we give this special importance to the head, and we
will get really angry if anyone slaps it.
It's the same with the
senses. Sexual intercourse excites the minds of people, but it really isn't
different from sticking a finger in your nostril. Would that mean anything
special to you? But worldly beings have this attachment to the other entrance;
whether it is animals or humans, it has special importance to them. If it were
a finger picking a nostril, they wouldn't get excited over that. But the sight
of this one inflames us. Why is this? This is where becoming is. If we don't
attach special importance to it, then it's just the same as putting a finger in
your nostril. Whatever happened inside, you wouldn't get excited; you'd just
pull out some snot and be done with it.
But how far is your
thinking from such a perception? The ordinary, natural truth of the matter is
just like this. Seeing in this way, we aren't creating any becoming, and
without becoming there won't be a birth - there won't be happiness or suffering
over it, there won't be delight coming about. There is no grasping attachment
when we realize this place for what it is. But worldly beings want to put
something there. That's what they like. They want to work in the dirty place. Working
in a clean place is not interesting, but they rush to work in this place. And
they don't even have to be paid to do it!
Please look at this.
It's just a conventional reality that people are stuck in. This is an important
point of practice for us. If we contemplate the holes and entrances of our nose
and ears and the rest, we can see that they are all the same, just orifices
filled with unclean substances. Or are any of them clean? So we should
contemplate this in the way of Dhamma. The truly fearful is here, nowhere else.
This is where we humans lose our minds.
Just this is a cause, a
basic point of practice. I don't feel that it's necessary to ask a lot of
questions of anyone or interview a lot. But we don't investigate this point
carefully. Sometimes I see monks heading off carrying the big glot1, walking
here and there under the hot sun, wandering through many provinces. When I
watch them, I think, 'It must be fatiguing'.
''Where are you going?''
''I'm seeking peace.''
I don't have any answer
for that. I don't know where they can seek peace. I'm not disparaging them; I
was like that too. I sought peace, always thinking it must be in some other
place. Well, it was true, in a way. When I would get to some of those places, I
was a little bit at ease. It seems people have to be like this. We always think
some other place is comfortable and peaceful. When I was traveling I saw the
dog in PabhÄkaro's house2. They
had this big dog. They really loved it. They kept it outside most of the time.
They fed it outside, and it slept out there too, but sometimes it wanted to
come inside, so it would go and paw at the door and bark. That bothered the
owner, so he would let it in, then close the door behind it. The dog would walk
around inside the house for a while, and then it would get bored and want to go
out again: back to the door, pawing and barking. So the owner would get up and
go to let it out. It would be happy outside for a little while, and then want
to come back in, barking at the door again.
When it was outside, it
seemed like being inside would be better. Being inside was fun for a spell,
then it was bored and had to go out again. The minds of people are like that -
like a dog. They are always in and out, here and there, not really
understanding where the place is that they will be happy.
If we have some
awareness of this, then whatever thoughts and feelings arise in our minds, we
will make efforts to quell them, recognizing that they are merely thoughts and
feelings. The grasping attachment to them is really important.
So even though we are
living in the monastery, we are still far away from correct practice - very far
away. When I went abroad I saw a lot of things. The first time, I gained some
wisdom from it to a certain extent, and the second time to another extent. On
my first trip, I made notes of what I experienced in a journal. But this time, I
put down the pen. I thought, if I write these things down, will the people at
home be able to bear it?
It's like us living in
our own country and not being very comfortable. When Thai people go abroad,
they think they must have some very good kamma to have gotten
there. But you have to consider, when you go to a place that is strange to you,
will you be able to compete with those who have lived their whole lives there?
Still, we go there for a little while and we feel it is so great, and that we
are some special kind of people who have such good kamma. The
foreign monks were born there, so does that mean they have better kamma than
we do? This is the kind of ideas people get from their attachment and grasping.
What it means is that when people contact things, they get excited. They like
being excited. But when the mind is excited it is not in a normal state. We see
things we haven't seen and experience things we haven't experienced, and the
abnormality occurs.
When it comes to
scientific knowledge, I concede to them. As far as Buddhist knowledge goes, I
still have something to tell them. But in science and material development, we
can't compete with them....
In practice, some people
have a lot of suffering and difficulty, but they keep on in the same rut that
has been making them suffer. That's someone who hasn't made up his mind to
practise and get to the end; it's someone who doesn't see clearly. The practice
isn't steady or continuous. When feelings of good and bad come, the person
isn't aware of what is happening. ''Whatever is disagreeable, I reject'' - this
is the conceited view of the Brahmin. ''Whatever is pleasing to me, I accept.''
For example, some people are very easy to get along with if you speak
pleasingly to them. But if you say things that disagree, then there's no
getting along. That's extreme conceit (ditthi). They have strong
attachment, but they feel that's a really good standard to live by.
So the ones who will
walk this path are few indeed. It's not different with us who live here; there are
very few who have right view. SammÄ-ditthi, right view: when we
contemplate the Dhamma, we feel it's not right. We don't agree. If we agreed
and felt it were right, we would give up and let go of things. Sometimes we
don't agree with the teachings. We see things differently; we want to change
the Dhamma to be different from what it is. We want to correct the Dhamma, and
we keep working at that.
This trip made me think
about many things.... I met some people who practice yoga. It was certainly
interesting to see the kinds of postures they could get into - I'd break my leg
if I tried. Anyhow, they feel their joints and muscles aren't right, so they
have to stretch them out. They need to do it every day, then they feel good. I
thought they were actually giving themselves some affliction through this. If
they don't do it, they don't feel good, so they have to do it every day. It
seems to me that they are making some burden for themselves this way and are
not really being aware.
That's the way people
are - they get into the habit of doing something. I met one Chinese man. He
didn't lie down to sleep for four or five years. He only sat, and he was
comfortable that way. He bathed once a year. But his body was strong and
healthy. He didn't need to run or do other such exercises; if he did, he
probably wouldn't feel good. It's because he trained himself that way.
So it's just our manner
of training that makes us comfortable with certain things. We can increase or
decrease illness through training. This is how it is for us. Thus the Buddha
taught to be fully aware of ourselves - don't let this slip. All of you, don't
have grasping attachment. Don't let yourselves be excited by things.
For example, living here
in our native country, in the company of spiritual friends and teachers, we
feel comfortable. Actually, there isn't really anything so comfortable about
it. It's like small fish living in a large pond. They swim around comfortably.
If a large fish is put in a small pond, it would feel cramped. When we are here
in our own country, we are comfortable with the food and dwellings we have, and
many other things. If we go somewhere everything is different, then we are like
the big fish in the small pond.
Here in Thailand we have
our distinct culture, and we are satisfied when everyone acts properly
according to our customs. If someone comes here and violates our customs, we
aren't happy about that. Now we are small fish in the large pond. If large fish
have to live in a small pond, how will it be for them?
It's the same for
natives of other countries. When they are in their home land and everything is
familiar, they are comfortable with those conditions - small fish in a big
pond. If they come to Thailand and have to adapt to different conditions and
customs, it can be oppressive for them - like the big fish in the small pond.
Eating, getting around, everything is different. The big fish is in a small
pond now, and it can't swim freely anymore.
The habits and
attachments of beings differ like this. One person may be stuck on the left
side, another is stuck on the right side. So the best thing for us to do is to
be aware. Be aware of customs in the different places we go. If we have Dhamma
custom, then we can smoothly adapt to society's customs, abroad or at home. If
we don't understand Dhamma custom, then there's no way to get along. Dhamma
custom is the meeting point for all cultures and traditions.
I've heard the words of
the Buddha that say, ''When you don't understand someone's language, when you
don't understand their way of speaking, when you don't understand their ways of
doing things in their land, you shouldn't be proud or put on airs.'' I can
attest to these words - they are a true standard in all times and places. They
came back to me when I traveled abroad, and I put them into practice these last
two years when I was outside of our country. They're useful.
Before I held tightly;
now I hold, but not tightly. I pick something up to look at it, then I let it
go. Before, I would pick things up and hold on. That was holding tightly. Now
it's holding but not tightly. So you can allow me to speak harshly to all of
you or get angry at you, but it's in the way of ''holding but not tightly,''
picking up and letting go. Please don't lose this point.
We can be truly happy
and comfortable if we understand the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha. So I am always
praising the Buddha's teachings and practising to unite the two customs, that
of the world and that of the Dhamma.
I gained some
understanding on this trip that I'd like to share with you. I felt that I was
going to create benefit, benefit for myself, for others, and for the sÄsanÄ;
the benefit of the populace in general and of our Sangha, every one of you. I
didn't just go for sightseeing, to visit various countries out of curiosity. I
went for good purpose, for myself and others, for this life and the next - for
the ultimate purpose. When you come down to it, everyone is equal. Someone with
wisdom will see in this way.
Someone with wisdom is
always traveling good paths, finding meaning in their comings and goings. I'll
give an analogy. You may go to some place and encounter some bad people there.
When that happens, some folks will have aversion to them. But a person with
Dhamma will come across bad people and think, ''I have found my teacher.''
Through that one comes to know what a good person is. Encountering a good
person, one also finds a teacher, because it shows what a bad person is.
Seeing a beautiful house
is good; we can then understand what an ugly house is. Seeing an ugly house is
good; we can then understand what a beautiful house is. With Dhamma, we don't
discard any experience, not even the slightest. Thus the Buddha said, ''O
Bhikkhus, view this world as an ornamented and bejeweled royal chariot, by
which fools are entranced, but which is meaningless to the wise.''
When I was studying Nak
Tham Ehk3 I
often contemplated this saying. It seemed really meaningful. But it was when I
started practising that the meaning became clear. ''O Bhikkhus'': this means
all of us sitting here. ''View this world'': the world of humans, the ÄkÄsaloka,
the worlds of all sentient beings, all existing worlds. If one knows the world
clearly, it isn't necessary to do any special sort of meditation. If one knows,
''The world is thus'' according to reality, there will be nothing lacking at
all. The Buddha knew the world clearly. He knew the world for what it actually
was. Knowing the world clearly is knowing the subtle Dhamma. One is not
concerned with or anxious about the world. If one knows the world clearly, then
there are no worldly dhammas. We are no longer influenced by the
worldly dhammas.
Worldly beings are ruled
by worldly dhammas, and they are always in a state of conflict.
So whatever we see and
encounter, we should contemplate carefully. We delight in sights, sounds,
smells, tastes, touches, and ideas. So please contemplate. You all know what
these things are: forms the eye sees, for example, such as the forms of men and
women. You certainly know what sounds are, as well as smells, tastes, and
physical contacts. Then there are the mental impressions and ideas. When we
have these contacts through the physical senses, mental activity arises. All
things gather here.
We may be walking along
together with the Dhamma a whole year or a whole lifetime without recognizing
it; we live with it our whole lives without knowing it. Our thinking goes too
far. Our aims are too great; we desire too much. For example, a man sees a
woman, or a woman sees a man. Everyone is extremely interested here. It's
because we overestimate it. When we see an attractive member of the opposite
sex, all our senses become engaged. We want to see, to hear, to touch, to
observe their movements, all sorts of things. But if we get married, then it is
no longer such a big deal. After a while we may even want to get some distance
between us - maybe even go and ordain! - but then we can't.
It's like a hunter
tracking a deer. When he first spots the deer, he is excited. Everything about
the deer interests him, the ears, the tail, everything. The hunter becomes very
happy. His body is light and alert. He is only afraid the deer will get away.
It's the same here. When
a man sees a woman he likes, or a woman sees a man, everything is so
intriguing, the sight, the voice - we fixate on them, can't tear ourselves
away, looking and thinking as much as we can, to the point where it takes
control of our heart. Just like the hunter. When he sees the deer, he is
excited. He becomes anxious that it will see him. All his senses are
heightened, and he takes extreme enjoyment from it. Now his only concern is
that the deer might get away. What the deer really is, he doesn't know. He
hunts it down and finally shoots and kills it. Then his work is done. Arriving
at the place where the deer has fallen, he looks at it: ''Oh, it's dead.'' He's
not very excited anymore - it's just some dead meat. He can cook some of the
meat and eat it, then he will be full, and there's not much more to it. Now he
sees the parts of the deer, and they don't excite him so much anymore. The ear
is only an ear. He can pull the tail, and it's only a tail. But when it was
alive, oh boy! He wasn't indifferent then. Seeing the deer, watching its every
movement, was totally engrossing and exciting, and he couldn't bear the thought
of it getting away.
We are like this, aren't
we? The form of an attractive person of the opposite sex is like this. When we
haven't yet captured it, we feel it is unbearably beautiful. But if we end up
living together with that person, we get tired of them. Like the hunter who has
killed the dear and can now freely touch the ear or take hold of the tail.
There's not much to it anymore, no excitement once the animal is dead. When we
are married, we can fulfill our desires, but it is no longer such a big thing,
and we end up looking for a way out.
So we don't really
consider things thoroughly. I feel that if we do contemplate, we will see that
there isn't really much there, not anything more than what I just described.
It's only that we make more out of things than they really are. When we see a
body, we feel we will be able to consume every piece of it, the ears, the eyes,
the nose.... The way our thinking runs wild, we might even get the idea that
the person we are attracted to will have no shit. I don't know, maybe they
think that way in the West.... We get the idea there won't even be shit, or
maybe just a little.... We want to eat the whole thing. We over-estimate; it's
not really like that. It's like a cat stalking a mouse. Before it catches the
mouse, the cat is alert and focused. When it pounces and kills the mouse, it's
not so keen anymore. The mouse is just lying there dead, and the cat loses
interest and goes on its way.
It's only this much. The
imagination makes it out to be more than it is. This is where we perish,
because of our imagination. Ordained persons have to forbear more than others
here, in the realm of sensuality.KÄma means lusting. Desiring evil
things and desiring good are a kind of lusting, but here it refers to desiring
those things that attract us, meaning sensuality. It is difficult to get free
of.
When Ānanda asked the
Buddha, ''After the TathÄgata has entered NibbÄna, how should we practice
mindfulness? How should we conduct ourselves in relation to women? This is an
extremely difficult matter; how would the Lord advise us to practise
mindfulness here?''
The Buddha replied,
''Ä€nanda! It is better that you not see women at all.''
Ä€nanda was puzzled by
this; how can people not see other people? He thought it over, and asked the
Buddha further, ''If there are situations that make it unavoidable that we see,
how will the Lord advise us to practice?''
''In such a situation,
Ä€nanda, do not speak. Do not speak!''
Ä€nanda considered
further. He thought, sometimes we might be traveling in a forest and lose our
way. In that case we would have to speak to whomever we met. So he asked, ''If
there is a need for us to speak, then how will the Lord have us act?''
''Ä€nanda! Speak with
mindfulness!''
At all times and in all
situations, mindfulness is the supremely important virtue. The Buddha
instructed Ānanda what to do when it was necessary. We should contemplate to
see what is really necessary for us. In speaking, for example, or in asking
questions of others, we should only say what is necessary. When the mind is in
an unclean state, thinking lewd thoughts, don't let yourself speak at all. But
that's not the way we operate. The more unclean the mind is, the more we want
to talk. The more lewdness we have in our minds, the more we want to ask, to
see, to speak. These are two very different paths.
So I am afraid. I really
fear this a lot. You are not afraid, but it's just possible you might be worse
than me. ''I don't have any fear about this. There's no problem!'' But I have
to remain fearful. Does it ever happen that an old person can have lust? So in
my monastery, I keep the sexes as far apart as possible. If there's no real
necessity, there shouldn't be any contact at all.
When I practised alone
in the forest, sometimes I'd see monkeys in the trees and I'd feel desire. I'd
sit there and look and think, and I'd have lust: ''Wouldn't be bad to go and be
a monkey with them!'' This is what sexual desire can do - even a monkey could
get me aroused.
In those days, women
lay-followers couldn't come to hear Dhamma from me. I was too afraid of what
might happen. It's not that I had anything against them; I was simply too
foolish. Now if I speak to women, I speak to the older ones. I always have to
guard myself. I've experienced this danger to my practice. I didn't open my
eyes wide and speak excitedly to entertain them. I was too afraid to act like
that.
Be careful! Every samana has
to face this and exercise restraint. This is an important issue.
Really, the teachings of
the Buddha all make sense, they are true in every aspect. Things of which you
wouldn't imagine that they could be so - they really are so. It's strange....
At first I didn't have any faith in sitting meditation with my eyes closed. I
thought, what value could that possibly have - what purpose could it possibly
serve? Then there was walking meditation - I walked from one tree to another,
back and forth, back and forth, and I got tired of it and thought, what am I
walking for? Just walking back and forth doesn't have any purpose. That's how I
thought. But in fact walking meditation has a lot of value. Sitting to practise samÄdhi has
a lot of value. But the temperaments of some people make them confused about walking
or sitting meditation.
We can't meditate in
only one posture. There are four postures for humans: standing, walking,
sitting, and lying down. The teachings speak about making the postures
consistent and equal. You might get the idea from this that it means you should
stand, walk, sit, and lie down for the same number of hours in each posture.
When you hear such a teaching, you can't figure out what it really means,
because it's talking in the way of Dhamma, not in the ordinary sense. ''OK,
I'll sit for two hours, stand for two hours, then lie down for two hours....''
You probably think like this. That's what I did. I tried to practice in this
way, but it didn't work out.
It's because of not
listening in the right way, misinterpreting the words, merely listening to the
words. ''Making the postures even'' refers to the mind, nothing else. It means
making the mind bright and clear so that wisdom arises, so that there is
knowledge of whatever is happening in all postures and situations. Whatever the
posture, you know phenomena and states of mind for what they are, meaning that
they are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not your self. The mind remains
established in this awareness at all times and in all postures. When the mind
feels attraction, when it feels aversion, you don't lose the path, but you know
these conditions for what they are. Your awareness is steady and continuous,
and you are letting go steadily and continuously. You are not fooled by good
conditions. You aren't fooled by bad conditions. You remain on the straight
path, your practice remains straight. This can be called ''making the postures
even.'' It refers to the internal, not the external; it is talking about mind.
If we do make the
postures even with the mind, then when we are praised, it is just so much. If
we are slandered, it is just so much. We don't go up or down with them, but
remain where we are - we remain steady. Why is this? Because we see the danger
in these things. We see equal danger in praise and in criticism, we are steadily
aware of the danger of good and bad phenomena, and this is called making the
postures even. We have this inner awareness, whether we are looking at internal
or external phenomena.
In the ordinary way of
experiencing things, when something good appears, we have a positive reaction,
and when something bad appears, we have a negative reaction. Like this, the
postures are not even. If they are even, we always have awareness. We will know
when we are grasping at good and grasping at bad - this is better. Even though
we can't yet let go, we are aware of these states continuously. Being
continuously aware of ourselves and our attachments, we will come to see that
such grasping is not the path. We know but can't let go: that's 50 percent.
Though we can't let go, we do understand that letting go of these things will
bring peace. We see the fault in the things we like and dislike. We see the
danger in praise and blame. This awareness is continuous.
So whether we are being
praised or criticized, we are continuously aware. For worldly people, when they
are criticized and slandered, they can't bear it; it hurts their hearts. When
they are praised, they are pleased and excited. This is what is natural in the
world. But for someone who is practising, when there is praise, they know there
is danger. When there is blame, they know the danger. They know that being
attached to either of these brings ill results. They are all harmful if we
grasp at them and give them meaning.
When we have this kind
of awareness, we know phenomena as they occur. We know that if we form
attachments to phenomena, there really will be suffering. If we are not aware,
then grasping at what we conceive of as good or bad, suffering is born. When we
pay attention, we see this grasping; we see how we catch hold of the good and
the bad, and how this causes suffering. So at first we are grasping hold of
things and with awareness seeing the fault in that. How is that? It's because
we grasp tightly and experience suffering. Then we will start to seek a way to
let go and be free. ''What should I do to be free?'' we ponder.
Buddhist teaching says
not to have grasping attachment, not to hold tightly to things. We don't
understand this fully. The point is to hold, but not tightly - to hold without
grasping. For example, I see this object in front of me. I am curious to know
what it is, so I pick it up and look: it's a flashlight. Now I can put it down.
That's holding but not tightly. If we are told not to hold to anything at all,
then what can we do? We won't know what to do. We will think we shouldn't
practise sitting or walking meditation. So at first we have to hold on and
grasp, but without tight attachment. You can say this is tanhÄ,
but it will become pÄramÄ«. For instance, you came here to Wat Pah
Pong; before you did that, you had to have the desire to come. With no desire,
you wouldn't have come. We can say you came with desire; it's like holding.
Then you will return; that's like not grasping. Just like having some
uncertainty about what this object is, then picking it up, seeing it's a
flashlight, and putting it down. This is holding but not grasping, or to speak
more simply, knowing and letting go. Picking up to look, knowing and letting go;
knowing and putting down. Things may be said to be good or bad, but you merely
know them and let them go. You are aware of all good and bad phenomena, and you
are letting go of them. You don't grasp them with ignorance. You grasp them
with wisdom and put them down.
In this way the postures
can be even and consistent. It means the mind is able. The mind has awareness,
and wisdom is born. When the mind has wisdom, then what could there be beyond
that? It picks things up but there is no harm. It is not grasping tightly, but
knowing and letting go. Hearing a sound, we will know, ''The world says this is
good,'' and we let go of it. The world may say ''This is bad,'' but we let go.
We know good and evil. Someone who doesn't know good and evil attaches to good
and evil and suffers as a result. Someone with knowledge doesn't have this
attachment.
Let's consider: We are
living in this world; for what purpose are we living? We do our work; what do
we want to get from our work? In the worldly way, people do their work because
they want certain things, and this is what they consider logical4. But the
Buddha's teaching goes a step beyond this. It says, do your work without
desiring anything. In the world, you do this to get that; you do that to get
this - you are always doing something in order to get something else as a
result. That's the way of worldly folk. The Buddha says to work for the sake of
work without wanting anything.
Whenever we work with
the desire for something, we suffer. Check this out.
Footnotes
Glot: traditional forest monks' umbrella.
Ajahn Chah is here talking about his trip to
England, France and the USA in 1979
Nak Tham Ehk: The third and highest level of
examinations in Dhamma and Vinaya in Thailand.
In terms of cause and result.
© Wat Nong Pah Pong ,
2007
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