— 244 — Dhamma in English 2014 & 2015 The Buddha said that you should be greedy in acquiring thing which you can keep with you forever, that is the peace of mind. You should seek peace of mind as much as possible. The way to do it is to be charitable, to be morally upright – not hurting other people, and to meditate – to keep your mind peaceful and calm. A peaceful mind brings eternal happiness because the mind is eternal. The mind doesn’t die with the body. When the mind doesn’t have peace, it has to come back and is reborn again because it needs to seek happiness through the body. When this body dies, it has to look for a new body to seek more happiness from the body. Once the mind has peace, it has happiness on its own. It doesn’t need to have a body. So it doesn’t have to come back and be reborn again, like the minds of the Buddhas and his noble disciples. They have found peace of mind, therefore they don’t need to use the body to find happiness because the happiness from peace of mind is much better than the happiness you get from the body. This is the goal of Buddhism, to seek peace of mind by giving generously, by not hurting other people and by meditating. In order to meditate successfully, you need to be alone. If you live with other people, you tend to socialise, to do activities which hinder the peace of mind. This is the summary of the teaching of the Buddha. - End
— 245 — “...We are all looking for eternity, but we don’t know where to find it. We have eternity right within ourselves but we just don’t see it..” Phra Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
— 247 — Phra Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto was born on 2 November 1947. His father put him under the care of his grandmother, who was living in Suphanburi, when he was two years old due to his father’s demanding work schedule. Phra Ajahn Suchart had an interest in the Dhamma since he was in grade school at the Seventh Day Adventist Ekamai School in Bangkok, which is now Ekamai International School. After graduating high school, he went to study Civil Engineering at California State University, Fresno (USA). He returned to Thailand once he had completed his degree and was running an ice-cream parlour for a short while. An English Dhamma book on impermanence (anicca)— translated by a foreign monk from the Buddhist Canon (Tipiṭaka)—inspired him to search for a true happiness through ordination. Phra Ajahn Suchart decided to become a monk when he was 27 years of age. He was ordained at Wat Bovornives in Bangkok on 19 February 1975 with Somdet Phra Ñāṇasaṅvara—the late Supreme Patriarch (Somdet Phra Saṅgharājā)—as his preceptor. His parents had no objection to his ordination as it was his choice. About six weeks after ordination, Phra Ajahn Suchart travelled to Wat Pa Baan Taad to stay for the rains retreat with Luangta Mahā Boowa Ñāṇasampanno in Udon Thani. He stayed there for nine years from his first to his ninth rains retreat. After his time at Wat Pa Baan Taad, Phra Ajahn Suchart returned to Pattaya and stayed at Wat Bodhi Sampan, Chonburi, for one year. He then moved to Wat Yansangwararam in 1984 and has resided there until present. Phra Ajahn Suchart was conferred a monastic title along with an emblematic fan on 5 December 1993. Biography Phra Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
— 248 — 6:00—7:30 Alms round at Baan Amphur (approximate time depending on the season). 8:00—10:00 Morning meal and conversation with visitors afterwards at the dining hall (except for Uposatha Days, weekends, and national holidays). 14:00—16:00 Dhamma talk and conversation with visitors at Chula-dhamma Sālā on Khao Chi-On. Kindly visit Phra Ajahn within the scheduled time only. Daily Schedule
— 249 — Alms Route