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by Vatana Supromajakr, M.D.
If you had
had the chance to meet Luangpor Teean, you would probably have seen him as
just another elderly monk, one who was calm and spoke little, very like
other elderly monks that can be met with in this country. But if you had
given some attention to observing him, you would have noticed that, along
with his calmness, he was at all times very collected, alert and aware of
himself.
When we
had the chance to ask him about various problems, we experienced the
uniqueness of this ordinary monk, a person who was nearly illiterate and
who emphasized and taught the single subject of sati (sustained
awareness of oneself) at all times. He exhibited very clear wisdom of the
most penetrating kind in responding to our questions. His answers to all
questions were remarkable to such an extent that we could label it
'incredible' that a person lacking the formal education that we so value
had the ability to answer and explain in a way that was at once so simple,
clear, deeply meaningful, precise and clearly understandable, explanations
capable of fully putting our doubts to rest.
How we
label or categorize Luangpor Teean is of no importance. What is important
is his teaching. His answers, even to very simple and basic questions, are
full of value, just like the lighting of a lamp in a dark place: they
dispel the darkness, creating a brightness that helps us to see the way
and gives rise to the illumination of wisdom. His answers will be of
benefit, to a greater or lesser extent, to those who aspire and are in
search, those who are lost in darkness: unknowing, doubtful, not
understanding.
During
the final five years of Luangpor Teean's life, I and my medical colleagues
who were caring for him asked him questions from time to time in order to
ease our doubts. The following answers, teachings and views have been
gathered and recorded in order to make them available to those who might
find them of use. There is no intention here to praise or display devotion
to Luangpor Teean, nor to promote or try to create faith in him: it is the
reader's responsibility to consider the following with deliberation and
discrimination, to examine and understand by oneself -- this is a
responsibility and a right that we should all respect.
1. Religion
Luangpor
Teean said of religion that "religion is the person". When we heard or
read this, we failed to understand, therefore we asked him, "Is religion
really 'the person' or not?"
He
answered as follows: "'Religion' is merely a word that we use to label the
teaching of a person by a person who is considered to understand the truth
or nature of human life. Such teachings are various. If we speak of
'religion', it might give rise to doubts and arguments and disputes,
therefore please allow me to not speak of this. But if you want to know
about the actuality, the true nature of our life (Dhamma), I will tell
you; when you have understood, your doubts about 'religion' will
disappear."
2. Why Did He Search For Dhamma?
I once asked
Luangpor Teean how it came about that he was inspired to search for
Dhamma. He explained that he had strictly followed traditional practices
his whole life, had observed the moral precepts devoutly, made merit and
practised generosity at every opportunity, and offered Kathina robes each
year, but that on the last occasion that he had organized the Kathina
offerings, a dispute concerning the merit-making arose between him and
members of his family.
"I
therefore," he continued, "considered as follows: how was it that, having
kept the precepts, made merit, and practised generosity to the fullest, I
could still have suffering arise within my mind? In light of this, I
decided from that moment on to seek true Dhamma, that which would free me
from the grasp of dukkha (Suffering)."
3. Dhamma Is Not Clothing
Luangpor
Teean once told us that for a long time he had believed, incorrectly,
that Dhamma was something outside our body, something external like
clothing that has to be sought for and then put on and worn. But in
actuality, Dhamma is already present within us right now.
4. The Study Of Dhamma
Referring to
the study of Dhamma, Luangpor Teean said, "To study the Dhamma merely for
the purpose of discussion and debate is of little use. We have to apply
and use it, and practise it to the fullest, then it will yield great
benefit."
5. The Story Of Venerable Ananda
I was always
in doubt as to why the Venerable Ananda, in spite of listening to, hearing
and knowing the teachings of the Buddha (i.e. the Dhamma) more completely
than anyone else, was not fully Awakened to actual Dhamma.
Luangpor
Teean explained: "Venerable Ananda knew a lot about the Buddha, that is
true, but he did not yet know himself. After the Buddha passed away,
Ananda studied to really know himself, and therefore succeeded in
attaining full Awakening."
6. Luangpor Teean Teaches "Outside the
Texts"?
I once
mentioned to Luangpor Teean that, whereas people generally hold strongly
to the Tipitaka (the Pali Canon) as the authoritative text when
studying Buddhism, when he himself taught he hardly ever mentioned the
Tipitaka.
Luangpor
pointed out, "The Buddha's Teaching was recorded in the Tipitaka
several hundred years after the Buddha passed away, and this text was then
copied and recopied over a period of thousands of years. The teachings
were probably recorded very well, but it is possible to doubt that the
reader will now understand what those who recorded the teachings meant.
For me to refer merely to the texts all the time would be like
guaranteeing the truth of the claims of another, claims of which I am not
certain. But the things that I tell you I am able to guarantee, because I
speak from my own direct experience.
"The text
is like a map: it is suitable for those who don't know the way to go, or
have not yet arrived at the destination. For one that has arrived, the map
no longer means anything.
"Another
point about the Tipitaka is that it was written in the language
used in a certain region of India, and was consequently appropriate for
people from that area or for those who have learned to read that language.
But Dhamma taught by the Buddha is not something that can be monopolized
by anybody: it transcends language, race, gender, and era. If we really
know Dhamma, we will teach it and express it in our own language, in our
own words.
"The
study of the Tipitaka is good in itself, but don't attach to and
get lost in the specific words used. Mangoes, for example, are referred to
by different words in different languages; don't fall into dispute over
words and interpretations or become obsessed with the notion that only one
word correctly names the fruit, while meanwhile neglecting the mango and
letting it go rotten. Anyone that eats a mango must know the actual taste
of the fruit, no matter what name it is given, or even if it is given no
name at all."
7. Deceived By Thought
Luangpor
Teean said that we human beings are always thinking, just like the
ever-flowing current of a river. Being lost in and deceived by thought is
like scooping out water and storing it up. But if we have sati
(awareness) seeing thought immediately as it really is, it is like the
water flowing freely up and passing on by. Being lost in and deceived by
thought gives rise to suffering.
8. Suffering
Someone once
asked Luangpor Teean to explain what suffering was. Luangpor placed an
object on his hand and then clenched the hand tightly, making a fist. He
then turned the fist over and opened the hand. Indicating the thing that
had dropped from his hand to the ground, he pointed out, "This is
suffering."
The
questioner understood immediately that suffering is a thing that we
conceive and assume and then seize hold of firmly, and that it can be
released. Luangpor said that someone who can understand this quickly is
one with wisdom.
9. What Is It Like When "The Rope
Breaks"?
In reading
Luangpor Teean's account of his experience of practising Dhamma, it is
difficult to understand what is meant when, in describing the final stage
of his practice, he uses the simile of it being as if a rope that had been
stretched tightly between two posts suddenly broke in the middle and could
never again be reattached.
When
questioned about this, Luangpor elaborated: "Words are merely sounds that
are used by convention to mean certain things, but the words that can
explain the 'state' about which you are asking don't exist. If we were to
place a certain amount of white paint one centimetre away from a similar
amount of black paint and to mix them until they were thoroughly blended,
we would name the colour in the middle 'gray', wouldn't we? But if the
white paint were placed ten metres away from the black paint and the two
were gradually mixed until well-blended, you would find that there were no
words to explain the shade of the colour at any one point in such a way
that another person would know that shade: the colour must be experienced
directly.
"Have you
ever looked at rain clouds? They appear to be different shapes and forms.
But if we are in an aircraft and fly into the clouds, we don't see them as
we did before we entered.
"There
are no words to explain the 'state' you are asking about: it is beyond
language. It's useless speculating or trying to imagine it, or thinking to
oneself that it has to be like this, like that: you must know for
yourself, you must see for yourself, you must experience it."
10. Trivial Problems
Luangpor
Teean once commented that many of the people who came to see him asked him
only about trivial problems, such as how much merit they would
acquire by doing such-and-such, or whether it was true that they would be
reborn to a new life after death, and so on. It was seldom that somebody
would ask what Buddhism really teaches and how that teaching was to be
applied in practice, or would ask what it was that needed to be done in
order to reduce suffering. Luangpor responded only to what he was asked:
it would, he felt, have been inappropriate for him to himself raise and
answer questions of substance.
11. Reality And Supposition
Luangpor
Teean said that humans are long-lived, and think and remember much more
than do animals. When people live together in large communities, it
becomes necessary to establish rules and conventions for the sake of
social harmony. As time passes, however, later generations come to regard
these conventions that have been created by the human mind as being
independent reality. When someone points out that, far from being reality,
these things are actually shared suppositions, most people will refuse to
see this: this refusal is very common.
"What is
called 'money', for example, is actually paper," Luangpor remarked. "When
we try to use it, people accepting it gives it its value; if people won't
accept it, then it is no more than paper. In our current society we use
money as a means of exchange. Anyone who has no money will find it
difficult to live. With money we can buy convenience and comfort, but the
extinction of dukkha (Suffering) is something no amount of money
can buy."
12. The Practice Of Dhamma
I once asked
why Dhamma is taught and practised differently in different meditation
centres, even though we all have the Buddha in common as our original
teacher.
Luangpor
Teean replied, "This is quite normal. It is said that even in the Buddha's
time there were 108 different groups, each one claiming that its teaching
was correct and that the other 107 groups were following wrong views. We
must use our intelligence and consider carefully for ourselves. To be
either gullible or sceptical and of closed mind, each is equally
misguided. Any way of practice that leads to the extinguishing of
dukkha (Suffering) is proper and correct. As far as Dhamma itself is
concerned, all who know its actuality will have the same perception."
When
somebody asked whether various forms of Dhamma practice other than the one
he taught were good or not, Luangpor answered, "Good for them, but not for
us."
13. Does Practising Insight Meditation
Lead To Madness?
We once asked
Luangpor Teean whether it was true, as some psychiatrists had charged,
that practising vipassana (insight) meditation caused people to
become mad.
Luangpor
answered, "A person who doesn't know and isn't truly familiar with his or
her own mind as it actually is, that is a mad person. Practising
vipassana meditation is studying to know one's own real mind. If
practising meditation ever does lead to madness, it is not vipassana."
14. Nibbana
Luangpor
Teean told us of a conversation he had once had with a layman who, after
an act of making merit, expressed the wish that his merit-making result in
him entering nibbana (the extinction of Suffering) in the future.
Luangpor
asked him, "When do you expect to arrive at nibbana?"
"After I
have died," the villager replied.
"Do you
really want to get to nibbana?" Luangpor inquired.
"Yes, I
really want to get there."
Luangpor
then said, "Well if that's the case then you should die as soon as
possible and then you'll reach nibbana very quickly."
The
villager was bewildered: "But I don't want to die yet."
"But
since you want to go to nibbana, why don't you want to die
quickly? This shows that you have misunderstood," Luangpor pointed out to
the villager. "The Buddha never taught people to go to nibbana
when they had already died, but he taught living people to reach
nibbana while still alive."
15. Why Did He Ordain?
Since
apparently Luangpor Teean had understood Dhamma while he was still a
layman, why had he ordained as a monk? "The monkhood serves as the
institution representing or symbolizing those who practise the Buddha's
Teaching well, the true Sangha," Luangpor explained. "Being a monk makes
it much easier to teach people about dukkha (Suffering) and its
extinction."
16. A Rock Pressing Down The Grass
I once asked
Luangpor Teean about the usefulness of sitting practising concentration
meditation. He replied that this kind of meditation was widely practised
before the time of the Buddha. "Such meditation gives rise to a tranquil
state of mind, but that is only temporary. When we emerge from the
concentrated state, our mind is still subject to greed, anger and
delusion, it has not really changed. It is like placing a rock upon the
grass. Even though the grass under the rock may wither, as soon as it is
exposed to sunlight the grass will grow again. This is different from
insight meditation (vipassana), which gives rise to knowing and
understanding, to wisdom, the mind changing to a fundamentally better,
more normal condition."
17. Vessantara
We once asked
about the case of Vessantara, who is traditionally held up as the very
model of the perfection of generosity. Yet what he did seems to be an act
of great irresponsibility towards his wife and children. Is it true that
his act of giving away his family led to him being reborn as the Buddha?
Luangpor
Teean answered, "The story of Vessantara is a story that has been passed
down through many, many generations. If you think that it is true, then
you should follow his example, and give your wife and children to the
labourers or farmers in order to help them in their work, and thus you
will perfect yourself and become a Buddha. But let me present to you the
following comparison: that what you have with you now, what you are as
bound to as to your children or wife, are greed, anger and delusion: give
them away, relinquish them completely: are you able to understand this?"
18. Believing
Luangpor
Teean always said that we should neither believe something immediately nor
reject it immediately: we should consider and deliberate very carefully
first, or put it to the test, and then either believe it or not.
Luangpor
remarked that the history of the Buddha provides examples on this point.
Angulimala was someone who believed too readily. He always followed his
teacher's instructions, and even when ordered to kill a great number of
people, he did so. On the other hand we have the case of the recluse Upaka,
who was the first person to meet the Buddha after the Buddha's Awakening.
Even though Upaka recognized in the Buddha characteristics that aroused
trust and confidence, he was not willing to believe that the Buddha had
become Awakened by himself, and so went on his way, and missed the
opportunity to learn from the Buddha.
19. Those Who Understand His Teaching
We once asked
Luangpor Teean about the number of people who, after hearing him teach
Dhamma or after having been instructed by him, could understand his
teaching. "Probably no more than ten to fifteen percent," Luangpor
answered. "This is quite normal. A person who is developed will be ready
and able to understand. But most people interested in Buddhism are still
firmly attached to customary practices, such as the making of merit."
20. People Protect Morality / Morality
Protects People?
Luangpor
Teean often asked, "Why do we observe moral precepts in a manner similar
to taking care of a glass so as to prevent it from breaking? Why don't we
live and practise to have morality, that is, the mind that is normal,
truly in our lives? Morality will then take care of us, rather than we
having to worry about looking after morality."
21. Merit
I asked
Luangpor Teean, "Does making merit really give me merit?"
Luangpor
asked in turn, "What do you understand merit to be?"
When I
told him that I understood merit to be a good outcome or destiny that we
receive after we die, in exchange for the good that we have done, he
asked, "Have you ever heard the monks' chant that lists the benefits of
making the Kathina offering, that it will lead to us reaching heaven where
the sprites, numbering 500 or 1000 beings, will be our dedicated
followers? Now consider the number of temples that there are in Thailand.
If there is a Kathina offering every year in every temple, where could
enough sprites be found for everyone who made merit? We imagine in this
way that monks are like bank accountants responsible for calculating the
interest owed to us after we die, do we?"
I further
inquired of Luangpor, "If this is so, what is your view of the making of
merit by giving material things, as is generally done nowadays?"
He
answered as follows: "Making merit by giving material things is a good
thing to do, but it is like husked rice, which is of use only for growing
seedlings. If we are to benefit from eating rice, we must eat boiled or
steamed rice, not uncooked or husked rice. To be attached to making merit
by giving material things in a superstitious way is one form of delusion:
to be lost in darkness, even if in this case it is a white darkness.
"Merit at
its highest, in its consummation, is to really know oneself, to be without
dukkha (Suffering)."
22. Inflexible
I once
invited Luangpor Teean to go to teach a man whom I respected, a person who
had strong faith in and attachment to traditional forms of merit-making.
When Luangpor returned after meeting the man, I asked about their
encounter.
"That man
is inflexible," Luangpor responded, "a person of closed mind. Have you
read the history of the Buddha? When the Buddha was newly Awakened, before
he went to Benares to teach his former companions, the Five Ascetics, he
had thought to seek out his former teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka
Ramaputta, in order to teach them the liberation he had attained, but then
he came to know that both these teachers had already died. This is
something I have some doubt about; since the Buddha-to-be had parted from
his two teachers not so long before, I am not certain whether their deaths
were physical or not: but what had certainly died were their minds."
23. Monastic Ranks
In the time
of the Buddha there were no such things as monastic ranks. Why, we asked
Luangpor Teean, do we make so much of hierarchy and rank in modern
Thailand? Is it a good thing or not? He answered, "Monastic rank is the
creation and concern of society. You could call it either good or bad,
whichever you wanted to, but we have to live in their society."
24. Can Studying Buddhism Make Somebody
A Bad Person?
We once
inquired why it was that some of the men who ordained as monks, studied to
a high level, and subsequently left the monkhood, could later behave in
evil ways, often worse than ordinary people who had never ordained and
studied Buddhism.
Luangpor
Teean answered, "Such a person studies only books, studies only theory,
but never studies himself and therefore never knows himself."
25. Bowing In Respect To The Orange
Robe
I once
mentioned to Luangpor Teean that it is hard for us to know whether a monk
really is a true monk or merely a parasite upon the religion; we simply
see someone with his head shaved and wearing the orange robes, and we
immediately pay respect.
Luangpor
gave his point of view: "If we bow in respect only to the orange robe
itself, then when we pass through Sao Ching Cha, where the whole length of
the road is lined with shops selling monks' requisites, wouldn't we have
to bow to each and every such shop, from one end of the road to the
other?"
26. Auspicious
Luangpor
Teean told us how on one occasion, while leading the ceremonial chanting
for auspiciousness in a villager's house, he had asked for a very large
bowl to use in place of his small alms-bowl in the making of holy water,
an integral part of the ceremony.
When the
chanting had been completed, and the water in the bowl had been made into
holy water, instead of sprinkling it over the people present, as is
customarily done, Luangpor took the large bowlful of holy water and threw
it all over the floor of the house, saying, "Everybody, please join
together and help to put things in order, help to clean the floor: this is
what is auspicious. Using holy water merely to sprinkle upon ourselves, we
might suffer allergic reactions to the leaves floating in the water, break
out in an itching rash, and have to waste money on buying medicine to
treat ourselves: now how could something like that be auspicious!"
27. The Funeral Ceremony
Once we asked
Luangpor Teean, "When we hold a funeral ceremony, does the dead person
benefit from the ceremony that we perform for him?"
Luangpor
answered, "The funeral ceremony is just a tradition created by those who
are still alive because they are greatly perturbed by the death of a
person. Whether the dead person will benefit from the ceremony or not is
something that will always be open to doubt. But what is certain is that
the officiating monks will benefit. Do we think that the monks can fulfil
the functions of postmen?"
28. A Monk Bows To A Layperson
Luangpor
Teean related how once, when he was in Laos, he accepted an invitation
from a villager to take part in a ceremony where traditional chants for
extending a person's lifespan were to be performed for the villager's
mother. But at the ceremony Luangpor did not chant, so the sponsor did not
offer him the usual requisites.
Luangpor
then explained to the villagers that in order to extend the lifespans of
our parents we must behave well towards them -- it's not enough to merely
invite the monks to chant, in the hope that our parents will consequently
live long lives. And he then led the children in bowing to their parents
for the first time, he himself setting the example.
The
villagers present at that time immediately became very agitated,
considering what Luangpor had done to be a violation of tradition: they
had never seen or heard of a monk bowing to laypeople. Luangpor therefore
explained to them, "When I led the children to follow me in bowing to
their parents to pay them respect, I did not bow to the laypeople at all;
rather I bowed to myself, because I was capable of teaching people to
understand the true way to actually prolong life."
29. The Spirit House
I once asked
Luangpor Teean about the guardian spirit of the land one's house is built
on, who is considered to reside in the spirit house that we provide for
it. Does, I wanted to know, the spirit really have supernatural powers
such that it can either benefit or severely punish the person that owns
the house?
"Just
think," said Luangpor."If the guardian spirit really does have
supernatural powers, why doesn't it create a house for itself, why doesn't
it create its own food to eat, why does it have to wait for people to
build a house for it and to provide it food in supplication? And the food
given to it is always such a tiny amount: would the spirit ever be able to
satisfy its hunger?"
30. Buddhist Amulets
Before I got
to know who he was, I met Luangpor Teean at a time when I was deeply
interested in Buddhist amulets. With the purpose of requesting an amulet
from him, I tried to impress him by showing him a very special and
valuable amulet that I owned, boasting that my amulet was very ancient,
having been made 700 years ago.
"What,"
he asked me, "is this amulet made of?"
I told
him that it was earthenware, made of baked clay that was extremely hard
and the fine brown colour of tamarind paste, and that it contained a rich
abundance of various minerals.
Luangpor
responded, very simply, "Earth of all kinds originated at the same time as
this planet came into being. Your amulet is actually no more ancient than
the soil we trod upon before we entered this house."
Just that
one statement alone made me free to take that amulet from around my neck,
relinquishing, with the highest confidence, my attachment to such things.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When someone
once asked if it was good to wear a Buddhist amulet around one's neck,
Luangpor replied, "It's good, but there is something much better than
wearing an amulet. Would you like that?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luangpor was
on one occasion asked by a man whether the amulet he owned really had the
supernatural, miraculous power widely attributed to it.
"Is its
maker still alive?" Luangpor asked the man.
When
informed that the amulet's maker was long dead, the amulet having been
passed down as an heirloom, Luangpor commented, "Since even its maker
himself has died, how can we hope that this thing can help us to avoid
death?"
31. Ordaining And Disrobing
I had to cut
out almost the whole of Luangpor Teean's stomach in order to remove the
malignant tumor that had developed there, so I subsequently advised him
that he should eat food in small quantities but at frequent intervals.
Luangpor stated that to do so would involve eating after midday, which
would constitute laxness in the Discipline and would invite gossip and
censure; in such circumstances he would prefer to disrobe, because it made
no difference to him whether he was a monk or not: his mind was stable and
would change no more.
32. "Do You Know Luangpor Teean?"
Luangpor
related how one day, while he was at Ramathibodi Hospital waiting for a
session of radiotherapy, a man seated nearby struck up a conversation with
him, at an early point of which he asked Luangpor whether he was
acquainted with Luangpor Teean.
Luangpor
replied, "Well, yes, I know him somewhat."
After
they had discussed Dhamma for some time, the man became suspicious and
asked, "You are Luangpor Teean, aren't you?"
"Yes,"
Luangpor admitted.
33. The Concerns Of The Buddha
We once
discussed the nature of the relics of the Buddha, whether they were bone
that had transformed itself to crystal or merely burned bone. When asked
for his opinion, Luangpor Teean remarked, "The concerns of the Buddha are
not our concerns. Our concerns are not the Buddha's concerns. But the
Buddha taught us that we should know fully all that concerns us. When you
really know about yourself, whether the Buddha is present or not is
immaterial."
34. The Awakened Individual
Luangpor
Teean said, "As regards the body, there is no difference between the
Awakened individual and the ordinary person. It is only in regard to the
mind, to the nature and quality of experience, that the Awakened
individual is better off and superior to the ordinary person."
35. Following The Way Of Others
We once asked
Luangpor Teean why people, despite nowadays studying to high levels and
having much knowledge, cannot solve the problem of their own suffering.
He
replied, "Most people follow the way of other people, they don't follow
the path of their own mind and heart, so things are as they are."
36. The Dead Can Be Of Little Use
Luangpor
Teean said that the study and practice of Dhamma needed to be pursued here
and now. We shouldn't wait until we arrive at death. "After we have died,
we can do nothing for ourselves, and our words and example can benefit
others only a little. It is while still alive that we can truly benefit
ourselves and others."
37. Abstaining From Eating Meat
I once asked
Luangpor Teean whether abstaining from eating meat would help one's
practice of Dhamma. He replied, "If we are to practise or to know Dhamma,
it doesn't depend on or concern what we eat or refrain from eating.
Consider Prince Siddhartha: in attempting to realize Dhamma he abstained
not merely from meat, he refrained from eating rice and drinking water
until he nearly died, yet this brought him no closer to knowing Dhamma.
Practising and knowing Dhamma is a matter of wisdom."
38. Attachment To Meditation Methods
Luangpor
Teean once warned, "Attaching to a technique or a method of practising
meditation, no matter what technique or method it might be, is like taking
a boat to cross a river and then, even though it has arrived at the
opposite shore, refusing to leave the boat, because of being caught up in
a continuing fascination with the boat and its engine."
39. Doing Good, Doing Bad
I once
mentioned to Luangpor Teean that some people doubt the truth of the old
saying, "Do good and you'll receive good in return, do bad and you'll
receive bad in return."
He
pointed out, "It is society that stipulates what is to be regarded as good
and bad. What is considered good in one place may be condemned as bad in
another. Rather we should establish a new and more accurate understanding,
thus: 'Do good, it's good; do bad, it's bad'."
40. Students
Luangpor
Teean once classified people who had been educated into two groups, and
compared them as follows. In the first group are those who know clearly or
really know: they are wise, and when they speak one can understand
immediately. The second group comprises those whose knowledge is a matter
only of familiarity and memorizing, so when they speak they will talk at
great length and in a way that is evasive and extravagant, or else they
will cite the texts a great deal in order to induce others to believe
them: this is because they don't really know the truth for themselves.
41. Past, Present, Future
Luangpor
Teean always said that the past is gone, incapable of being changed or
rectified, while the future has not yet arrived: whatever we do, it must
be done in the present. If we act well now, today will constitute a good
past for tomorrow. And tomorrow, when it comes, will turn out to be a good
future for this day in which we have already done good. It is useless to
worry about things that are past and cannot be put right and just as
useless to worry about things that have not yet happened: to worry about
things that cannot eliminate suffering in the only place it is found, in
the present.
42. The Resolution
According to
the texts, just before his Awakening the prince Siddhartha accepted food
from the laywoman Sujata and, having eaten, placed the tray in the nearby
river and made the following resolution: if he was to become fully
Awakened, a Buddha, the tray should float back against the current of the
river. And it happened that the tray did float back against the river's
current. I asked Luangpor Teean his opinion of this, since it seems to be
contrary to the way of nature.
Luangpor
pointed out, "Everything must drift along carried by the current of the
river. But this story refers to going against the current of the stream of
thought as it pours forth. If we were to look back to the source of
thought, then we would know the truth this story is pointing to."
43. Working With Awareness
Luangpor
Teean constantly declared, "All of us have duties and responsibilities
that the society we live in requires us to fulfil, and this is normal.
Performing our duties with sati (sustained awareness of oneself)
will produce results that are completely satisfactory, the best possible
results."
44. The Lamplight
Towards the
end of his life, when Luangpor Teean's health was deteriorating, my wife
expressed to him her deep concern about the teaching of Dhamma: what would
be the situation after his death?
Luangpor
responded, "You needn't worry about this at all. As long as humanity
exists, there will from time to time be those that come to know Dhamma,
because Dhamma is not a personal possession that can be monopolized or
owned. Dhamma was present long before the Buddha's time, but the Buddha
was the first to bring it out to teach and propagate. An individual that
knows Dhamma can be compared to a lamp that lights up brightly in the
darkness: one who is close will see clearly, while those further away will
see less clearly. After a period of time the lamp's light must be
extinguished, but then from time to time the lamp will again be lit, again
providing illumination."
45. With Whom Should We Study?
During
Luangpor Teean's final hospitalization at Samitivej Hospital, he remarked
that now his illness was very advanced all he himself needed to do was to
maintain awareness of his breathing, watching for when it would cease. I
therefore asked him quite directly, "When you are no longer available,
from whom do you recommend that we should study Dhamma in order to obtain
the best results?"
Luangpor
replied, "Go and study Dhamma from yourself: watching your own mind is by
far the best thing to do."
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