Why Practice?

Throughout just one day we meet with many sights and sounds that tug at our hearts. If we haven't cultivated much mindfulness or wisdom, our minds become exhausted through chasing after them all. Furthermore, the things of this world don't last. If we cling tightly, we'll suffer a lot. In these eight short teachings, we learn how we can be wise to the nature of the world, and find the true peace and happiness that lies beyond it.

Transcript

Why Practice?

A collection of short Dharma teachings by Venerable Ajahn Anand.

Searching for Something Real Even if we seek out all the pleasures and material comforts that the world has to offer,

One day we'll have to leave it all behind.

When we really contemplate this,

We can clearly see that these things we search for have no real lasting essence.

The motivation to practice comes from searching for something that is real and lasting.

That thing is enlightenment or nirvana.

It's an unchanging happiness that never dies,

The perfect place of peace.

It's natural when we begin to practice that there will be uncertainties and doubts about some aspects of the teachings.

But what we should do is keep an open mind and carry on practicing.

We don't have to fully believe or fully reject.

We learn to internalize the teachings and develop our own understanding through the practice.

Ultimately,

That is the place where we can understand these truths in our own mind.

A Sense of Separation The mind's natural tendency is to grasp of whatever it contacts,

Whatever objects it experiences.

Between the eye-seeing forms,

The ear-hearing sounds,

The nose-smelling odors,

The tongue-tasting flavors,

The body contacting various tangible feelings,

And mental impressions arising,

We can see how much sense contact and stimulation goes through the mind in just one day.

Whether at work or in a quiet place of meditation,

We're usually overrun by sense impingements.

If we have no awareness at these points of contact,

The mind will continuously chase after and cling to these impressions.

However,

If we develop mindfulness at this point,

We'll experience a coolness,

A detachment from sense impressions.

The more we maintain a sense of separation,

The mind cool in observing things as they are,

The less we'll keep falling into moods of attraction and aversion that have a very hot effect on the mind.

Whether it's moods based on greed,

Anger,

Or delusion,

They heat up the mind,

Confuse it,

Bring it to discontent.

Ajahn Chah said,

This is where we have to contemplate,

To really watch this process and see how suffering arises.

So in the practice of developing mindfulness and wisdom,

Our task is observing the mind.

Every moment that there's sense contact,

We observe the mind.

When our eyes contact forms,

Our ears contact sounds,

Our tongue contacts taste,

Our nose contacts smells,

Our body has touch,

And the mind itself contacts concepts and ideas.

We observe this process where attraction or aversion arises.

This is where we have to learn to establish mindfulness and watch over the mind with a sense of detached knowing.

Just as a child needs someone to watch over it,

To teach it,

To protect it,

So it is with the mind,

Because an unguarded mind will get itself into all sorts of trouble.

If we keep bringing up and developing mindfulness,

Then we'll see the true nature of every mental state,

Every mood,

And every thought is something that's not sure.

If we like something,

It's not sure,

It can change.

If we dislike something,

It's not sure,

It can change.

We love,

We hate.

All these different moons we have are impermanent.

They aren't anything real,

Anything substantial that we should believe in or attach to.

If we see this truth and keep applying mindfulness and wisdom in daily life,

The unwholesome mental tendencies which lead us to stress and suffering will begin to lose their power over us.

And as they keep fading away and disappearing,

We keep replacing them with more mindfulness and wisdom,

Bringing the mind to a state of peace.

When we see this result from our practice,

Then we'll know,

Ah,

So this is the way.

I am able to develop more calm and clarity in my life.

This is what keeps us practicing,

Moving towards the realization of the end of suffering.

This is the purpose of the practice.

The fullness of the Dhamma.

There was one time a group of Korean Buddhists came to visit Ajahn Chah.

They had been visiting many teachers around Thailand,

Asking the same set of questions.

Why do we practice the Dhamma?

How do we practice the Dhamma?

And having practiced the Dhamma,

What result can we expect from the practice?

But Ajahn Chah didn't just answer directly.

He answered by giving them another set of questions.

He said,

Why do you eat food?

How do you eat?

And having eaten,

How do you feel?

This made the group very happy.

It was an answer that they'd never received before,

But they quickly understood what he was pointing to,

And were very satisfied.

They understood that we eat because we're hungry.

We eat by taking the food and consuming it,

And once we've eaten,

We feel full and our hunger is gone.

And likewise,

We practice because we're suffering.

We practice by taking the Buddhist teachings and following them,

And once we've finished the practice,

We reach the point where all our suffering is gone.

The bigger picture Whenever we experience any difficulties or problems in life,

We can see this as karma,

As the fruits of our actions.

But on a more profound level,

We can say that this is simply the suffering of life.

The Buddha talked of the four noble truths,

The first being that there is stress and suffering associated with living in this world.

And we can see in the broader picture that these kinds of things happen.

We have to earn a living,

Find food and shelter,

Interact with others.

And with this we have obstacles and challenges that come up.

This is part of our situation as a human being.

We have to live in this world,

And there's stress and suffering associated with that.

So just be aware of this.

What we are doing is bringing up awareness of the unsatisfactory side of life.

And along with that awareness,

Wisdom can arise.

But this first noble truth is warning us as well.

When we reflect on the suffering of life,

We're also getting a warning that it's probably not the only time it will arise,

That there will be more cases like this.

At the very least,

We all have to get older,

Bringing discomfort,

Sickness,

And one day,

Death.

So when we reflect wisely on a situation where suffering has arisen,

What this is doing is giving us the understanding which keeps our mind peaceful in these different situations.

In this way we see the whole picture,

Including the unsatisfactory side of our existence as human beings.

We're no longer lost in wanting everything to be perfect when it can't be.

We're making our suffering into something useful by contemplating it,

Seeing it for what it is.

This is wisdom.

The Dhamma is always here.

We could compare the Dhamma with the nature that surrounds us here at the monastery.

Trees and mountains all around.

But before we knew of this place,

Perhaps we didn't realize that there were trees and mountains here,

These very peaceful,

Quiet surroundings.

It's only after we come here and look around that we can see,

Ah,

It's like this.

The Dhamma's the same.

It's always here.

But most of the time,

We just don't see it.

What the Buddha did is rediscover that Dhamma,

Revealing the truth of our existence and then teaching it to others.

And though the teachings have been preserved in the books and scriptures,

What the Buddha was pointing to is just the true nature of reality,

That all conditioned things arise and pass away.

All things arise dependent on certain conditions,

And when those conditions change,

They cease.

Now that's a very simple teaching,

But also very profound.

It affects all aspects of life,

Both the material and the mental world.

Over and over again,

The Buddha said to look within to see this truth.

It's there all the time,

But we have to look into our own mind and understand it there.

Most people try to find happiness by developing the world materially.

We develop our countries,

Our cities,

The economy,

And every other aspect of our lives on this external,

Material level.

But too often,

We aren't looking inwardly,

Which is the way to true peace of mind.

This body and mind are conditioned things that arise and pass away.

Anything which is subject to change cannot be held onto.

When the mind sees this,

It can begin to let go.

Arising and passing away.

Since everything in the world simply arises,

Remains,

And then passes away,

How could it bring us any lasting happiness?

We have to ask ourselves,

Have we ever experienced happiness in the past?

Have we ever experienced pleasure?

What about pain and suffering?

We can see that these feelings simply arise,

Remain,

And then pass away.

There's no permanent core to any of it,

No real abiding self.

Contemplate impermanence in the body.

Contemplate the changing nature of this body as it grows and ages.

Even from moment to moment,

We can see change,

Can't we?

We breathe in,

And then we breathe out.

Just that much is teaching us that this body isn't permanent.

Or we can contemplate on the long term,

Seeing how this body evolves from infancy to adulthood,

To old age,

And eventually goes on to death.

We can contemplate to see the weakness of this body and the pains and discomfort that come through illness.

All of this is showing us impermanence.

Ultimately,

This body can't last.

When we contemplate like this,

We come to understand the truth.

And it applies to the whole world around us.

A very skilled carpenter can make something elaborate and beautiful,

Steady and long-lasting.

But in time,

It still has to deteriorate,

Break apart,

And crumble away.

Things like machinery or engines,

Even if they're made out of strong steel,

Still wear out and break down.

They have to degenerate.

All the substances and things of this world,

Vehicles,

Houses,

Halls,

Trees,

Hills,

They all come into existence,

Remain for a while,

And then at the end of their lifespan,

Break down and crumble away.

This is just the normal course of things.

Life is precious,

But very uncertain.

We've had the good fortune to be born into the world as human beings,

And yet we don't know how long we'll live.

So we should make good use of our time while we still have it,

Being careful and heedful,

Doing good.

As we develop ourselves in beneficial ways,

Practicing generosity,

Virtue,

And meditation,

We fulfill our potential as human beings.

When we think like this and consider that we don't know how long we have in this life,

Then there's no time to be careless.

The Buddha said that one who lives carelessly doesn't follow the Dhamma.

It's as if they're already dead.

Letting suffering become our teacher.

When we face suffering in life,

It's important to contemplate to gain a balanced view.

Everyone,

Without exception,

Is subject to old age,

Sickness,

Death,

And various other kinds of suffering.

Life does have its imperfections.

There are many aspects of our personal life in the world around us that are unpleasant,

And sometimes that may be due to our own mistakes.

But the thing that can make the world perfect is this path of practice.

If we apply mindfulness and wisdom to our problems,

The mind will come to see and accept the truth of existence.

This is the way to peace and an end of suffering.

In the time of the Buddha,

There was a woman named Kisa Gotemi who fell into great suffering after the death of her newborn son.

Ever come with grief and not knowing what else to do,

She brought the child to the Buddha.

Can you help me?

She asked.

My baby has died,

And I want to bring him back to life.

I can help you,

The Buddha said,

But I'll need a special ingredient.

You must go and find me a mustard seed from a house where nobody has died in the last 100 years.

She readily agreed and went about asking people if they had a mustard seed.

At every house they would rush to fetch her one,

But then she would ask if anyone had died there in the last 100 years.

And they would always reply that of course someone had died.

Grandmothers,

Uncles,

Mothers,

Children,

Somebody had always died.

In the end,

The woman couldn't find a single house untouched by death.

Only she realized what the Buddha was teaching her,

That yes,

Life isn't permanent.

We must all pass away.

We must all come to separation from the people that we love.

And as she accepted the truth of this,

Right view and wisdom were established in her mind.

The time is now.

Look on how quickly life passes by,

Day by day,

Month by month,

Year by year.

Right now we're alive,

But look back.

Look back to the past that's already gone by.

Each day,

Each month,

Each year,

Gone in a flash.

Life doesn't last long.

It's like dew on the tip of a blade of grass.

When the sun rises,

It dries up and vanishes,

Or like foam on the ocean waves.

These things arise,

And in a short time,

They disappear.

As soon as we're born,

We're moving towards old age.

Old age is followed by illness,

And illness is followed by death.

It doesn't take long.

The Buddha warned us not to be heedless.

Whatever your age,

Don't be heedless.

Even as a child,

Life isn't certain.

We can die before our time,

Not even getting to grow old.

The days and nights keep passing by,

Passing by.

Right now,

What are we really doing?

Reviews

So good to

Direct and profound thoughts. To be listened to again and again.

🙏🙏🙏

Thank you for sharing these profound teachings with us. May you know true happiness and peace!

Excellent explanation of the application of dharma to life

Lovely. Thank you.’

Wonderful. Clear. Concise. Namaste and blessings.

How very glad I am to have listened to this amazing and profound teaching. Many thanks. 🙏🏻🦋

loved the profound,,but simple and applicable wisdom offered in such an elegant way

Thank you so much for this. Much food for thought!

So true, very helpful wisdom. Thank you
I tend to take everything so personally, I need to step back and see the bigger picture. Also see the impermanence of things and let them go so they don’t keep disrupting my life. I often fret because I don’t know what to say when I see injustice or abusive acts and I don’t do anything, how to change the perspective. I have so much to learn.

Beautiful, wise, clear and practical teachings. I am very grateful.!Namaste 🙏🏻

Very insightful, not at all cheerful. Sounds about right, thank you 🙏🏻 😊