Desire For Enlightenment

In this talk, Ajahn Anan discusses how a desire for awakening can be an obstacle in one's practice. The talk includes a zen-like story of a teacher with his disciples. The topics of impermanence, chanting, and more are discussed.

Transcript

Welcome to all of you from your centres.

Last week,

I talked on the Dhamma topic of an Abhichhada Buddha,

The children that make their family's lineage prosper.

We looked at Lady Vaisakha,

The foremost lay female disciple of the Buddha,

Who at just seven years of age could attain to Sotapanna,

The first level of enlightenment.

She attained this by listening to Dhamma from the Buddha.

When I hear this story,

It doesn't seem something that is overly difficult.

But it's just that for us to attain Dhamma,

It requires the building of barami or our spiritual development.

We have to build this over a long span of time and through the present as well,

Or the time following the correct practice of the Noble Eightfold Path or the Middle Way.

So this Dhamma practice is the most important thing.

Why is this?

It's because most of us already tend to be ones who are building barami often,

Usually the barami of generosity.

It is in our character and spiritual development as Buddhists.

But we have to practice to have mindfulness and wisdom to know the Dhamma like Lady Vaisakha.

So we must build greater barami,

That is we need to learn about Dhamma.

When we listen to Dhamma,

Our minds may be able to see the Dhamma,

Or we may contemplate into the Dhamma and our mind may see the Dhamma,

Or we may explain the Dhamma to others and when we contemplate along with it,

We attain to Dhamma.

It is important to be able to enter the stream of the Dhamma of the Buddha,

And for us to become an Arya-pugala,

A noble being in the Buddha-sasana.

But when we practice Dhamma,

We have desire arise.

This desire becomes an obstacle that obstructs goodness and obstructs the paths and fruits of Nibbāna.

For instance,

Sometimes we desire to have happiness,

We desire to go to heaven,

Or we desire to attain to Dhamma.

But when we do it with desire and we can't make mindfulness and samādhi or concentration arise,

Then the mind becomes very unsettled.

The mind becomes confused and discouraged.

A depressed state of mind arises.

This is the guillaces or the mental defilements fighting back because we have set our expectations too high.

When we can't achieve it,

Then we become discouraged and we don't want to practice.

Then we go back to looking for happiness in the ways that we used to in the past.

We need to have wisdom and clear understanding arise,

Because the desire that arises is like a rock that lies on top of our hearts and makes it heavier.

And it makes Dhamma practice progress slowly.

The real practice must purify this mind or it takes away the heaviness.

We have heard that the five saṅkaras or the five aggregates that we take as a self is heavy.

The five aggregates are the form,

Feelings,

Perceptions,

Mental formations and consciousness.

This heap is heavy.

The first is the form which is our body.

Feelings are that we feel happiness and suffering.

Recognition are the memories,

Recognition and labeling.

Mental formations are those of the demeritorious or neutral type.

Consciousness is the awareness through the sense doors,

Through the eyes,

Ears,

Nose,

Tongue,

Body and mind.

These are the five aggregates that we attach to as me and mine and are something heavy.

But when we want to get rid of this heaviness,

We have a lot of desire.

This is like we are unknowingly adding on to the heaviness.

We are deluded in the path.

It makes us have a lot of doubt and confusion in our mind.

Every day we have an unsettled mind,

Because we want to achieve,

We want to know and see the Dhamma.

It becomes more unsettled every day.

We can't stop thinking,

We can't stop doubting.

But however it is,

Even if we have a lot of doubts or we think a lot,

The great teacher Ven.

Moolajan Chah would say that if we don't stop practicing Dhamma,

Then we will get there all the same.

When we hear this,

We gain a lot of strength of mind that even if we are someone who doubts a lot,

But if we keep practicing without stopping,

Then we will still get there all the same.

Today let us watch a short video together and contemplate together.

What are you doing there?

Ven.

Moolajan,

We want to all attain the Dhamma and each of us has different expectations.

So what level of Dhamma do you want to attain to?

I want to attain to Sotapanna.

I want to attain to Sakadagami.

I want to attain to Anagami.

As for me,

I want to attain to Arahant for sure.

To attain to Dhamma of each level is difficult.

If it's like that,

Then I will give you something to do.

Carry this sand.

If you want to attain to Sotapanna,

Carry one bag of sand.

If you want to attain to Sakadagami,

Carry two bags of sand.

If you want to attain to Anagami,

Then carry three bags of sand.

If you want to attain to Arahant,

Then carry four bags of sand.

Go try carrying it.

Ajahn,

I want to attain to Sotapanna.

I want to attain to Sakadagami.

I want to attain to Anagami.

As for me,

I want to attain to Arahant for sure.

So after chanting,

How is it?

This chanting,

It isn't just about chanting the words,

But you have to be able to chant it properly as well.

You need to know the meaning of the chants.

This is when it's called Dhamma practice.

It's not only being able to chant,

But it's knowing how to chant too,

And also knowing the meaning of the chants.

Then you'll understand.

How is it carrying the sand?

Venerable Ajahn,

I've carried the sand until I'm so tired.

I don't have any strength left.

I don't think I'll attain to anything.

Then go chant first.

From this example that we have watched,

Can we see that in this Dhamma practice,

Whether we are a lay person or monastic,

When we become determined to practice,

We have lots of desire.

That we want to practice and we want to see and know the Dhamma.

This makes our mind not be with the present moment.

So the teacher,

He gave a skillful method to teach his disciples.

Why carry doubts?

It is for them to know that the Dhamma practice is not for carrying more.

Carrying more of all types of things,

This is heaviness.

The desire is like carrying something heavy on top of what we are already carrying.

Can we see that this is the physical heaviness in terms of the body?

It becomes heavy like that.

But carrying in terms of the heart is this greater desire.

When we have more and more desire,

It gets more and more heavy.

The things that we are already attached to are already heavy as it is.

So the Dhamma practice is for us to get rid of the heaviness that's already there.

We do this until we can get to the end of the path that is which we are aiming for.

Can we see that when the disciple put down the thing that was heavy bit by bit and came back to chant and meditate,

That was so that the mind could be more in the present moment.

But this chanting of the Pali verses,

Being able to chant well until we can memorize and recite them clearly,

This is called being able to chant.

But when we chant,

Maybe the mind goes here and there.

The mind thinks of all sorts of things and only later comes back.

Or it's just the mouth that chants,

But the mind is thinking of other things at the same time.

The mind is so quick.

Even when chanting,

But the mind is thinking as well,

The mind is so quick.

This is called being able to chant but not knowing how to chant.

One doesn't contemplate on the verses that one is chanting.

Knowing how to chant means to contemplate in the Dhamma that one is chanting.

Know what meaning the chanting has.

Even if we can't remember all the chanting,

But we can remember short lines like,

Ru Pang Ani Chang,

Form is impermanent.

Just this much,

We think and contemplate,

Is the body really permanent?

Our body,

The bodies of animals,

Of physical objects in the world,

Are they really permanent?

If we contemplate to clearly understand and we see impermanence,

Then we can understand the Dhamma and can let go of attachments.

This is called knowing how to chant.

It isn't just being able to chant on the outside,

That is simply being able to chant,

But it's not knowing how to chant.

If we know how to chant,

Then the Dhamma that we are chanting goes deep into the heart.

Practicing Dhamma like this makes Dhamma practice not difficult.

We just have mindfulness to know in the present.

Even when we are working or doing our duties,

Whether as a layperson or monastic,

We do it and contemplate Dhamma at the same time.

We can all practice like this.

It isn't that we only practice while we are sitting meditation with our eyes closed or when we are doing walking meditation.

And if our strength of mind isn't much and our Bhara-mi isn't full,

Then we may walk meditation all day but the mind thinks here and there all day.

This is not really practicing yet.

We can sit meditation and walk meditation,

But we don't know how to sit meditation and walk meditation.

We don't know how to practice.

When we know how to practice,

Then when we are working or doing our other activities,

We can have mindfulness with that and contemplate till it enters the heart.

Here we look at an example.

One monk who has fulfillment in doing the work in the monastery orchards.

He plants trees,

Looks after the trees,

Waters them,

Gives them fertilizer,

Protects them from pests,

And then the trees grow and flower well.

And the fruits that grow are able to be given for all the monks to eat.

He likes doing this.

He develops spiritually this way and he can practice Dhamma in this way as well.

How is this so?

Let us interview him.

What are his feelings in doing this type of work and can he practice Dhamma like this?

Let us watch one more video together.

Working in the orchards,

This is held to be sacrificing for the benefit of others.

I have ordained in the Buddha sasana and I have my venerable teacher.

When I look after the orchards,

This is practicing Dhamma in one way,

In the way that we sacrifice and help to benefit the community of monks.

The thing is that doing work in the orchards is like practicing Dhamma in oneself,

Keeping the monastic discipline well and in whatever posture,

Walking,

Sitting,

Standing,

Lying down to have mindfulness all the time.

And this sacrificing for others requires patience.

It has the quality of not being selfish and not being envious of others when those people are not doing this or helping or are not interested in this.

This is developing equanimity and establishing the mind in the right way.

The Dhamma practice or the mind can be developed when we sit,

Walk,

Stand or lie down.

Then we use the work that we are doing to have samadhi or concentration and then when we sit and meditate,

The mind is joyous that we are able to have gratitude to our venerable teacher.

As we can see,

The Dhamma practice is not difficult.

Many people think the Dhamma practice is so difficult.

Venerable Ajahn Chah asked us,

Do we have time to watch the breath?

If we have time to watch the breath,

Then we have mindfulness in the present moment.

We will be able to meet with truth.

Here let us understand that the practice is for putting down and for giving up attachment bit by bit.

And it's not that we need to give up all attachments,

That we have to be monks only.

It's not like that.

It's not that we have to let go of everything.

It's not like that.

We need to make the present good first.

We have to find the way to protect first,

To think first.

In all situations,

We find the way to do it properly first and then we can have equanimity.

It's not just that we don't do anything at all,

That we become indifferent to everything.

It's not that when we have a problem arise and then we're indifferent and we don't do anything in response.

In our work that we have to do,

We need to associate with people,

Meet with many different things,

So we must do it and do it properly.

And if we really can't do anything about it,

That it's above our ability,

Then we can be indifferent about it.

Let us understand this first.

There was once a disciple of Venerable Ajahn Chah and when the rain came in through the broken roof of his hut,

He didn't fix it,

He just let go and moved to the other side of the hut.

The sun and the rain came into his hut but he didn't do anything.

This is the letting go of someone without wisdom.

But Ajahn Chah said it more harshly,

That to let go like this is absent of wisdom.

It's the letting go of a stupid person.

It's like this.

May we understand and practice with this.

Listen and know the Dhamma bit by bit until we see Dhamma clearly in our hearts.

May you all grow in blessings.

Reviews

Letting go of the desire for enlightenment is not easy as it is the motivation that brings us to the practice. Thanks Ajahn to explain letting go of it is just like putting down another bag of sand. Very insightful.

Excellent teaching of the Dharma.
Sadhu Sadhu

So grateful for this teaching!