Even One Word Is Enough1 |
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We have been relying on becoming, on self-grasping, since the day of our birth. When someone talks about non-self, it's too strange; we can't change our perceptions so easily. So it's necessary to make the mind see this through practice, and then we can believe it: ''Oh! It's true!'' When people are thinking, ''This is mine! This is mine!'' they feel happy. But when the thing that is ''mine'' is lost, then they will cry over it. This is the path for suffering to come about. We can observe this. If there is no ''mine'' or ''me,'' then we can make use of things while we are living, without attachment to them as being ours. If they are lost or broken, that is simply natural; we don't see them as ours, or as anyone's, and we don't conceive of self or other. This isn't just talking about a mad person; this is someone who is diligent. Such a person really knows what is useful, in so many different ways. But when others look at him and try to figure him out, they will see someone who is crazy. When Sumedho looks at lay people, he will see them as ignorant, like little children. When lay people consider Sumedho, they will think he is someone who's lost it. You don't have any interest in the things they live for. To put it another way, an arahant and an insane person are similar. Think about it. When people look at an arahant, they will think he is crazy. If you curse him, he doesn't care. Whatever you say to him, he doesn't react - like a crazy person. But crazy and having awareness. A truly insane person may not get angry when he is cursed, but that's because he doesn't know what's going on. Someone observing the arahant and the mad person might see them as the same. But the lowest is mad, the very highest is arahant. Highest and lowest are similar, if you look at their external manifestation. But their inner awareness, their sense of things, is very different. Think about this. When someone says something that ought to make you angry and you just let it go, people might think you're crazy. So when you teach others about these things, they don't understand very easily. It has to be internalized for them to really understand. For example, in this country, people love beauty. If you just say, ''No, these things aren't really beautiful,'' they don't want to listen. ''Ageing'' - they're not pleased. ''Death'' - they don't want to hear about it. It means they aren't ready to understand. If they won't believe you, don't fault them for that. It's like you're trying to barter with them, to give them something new to replace what they have, but they don't see any value in the thing you are offering. If what you have is obviously of the highest value, of course they will accept it. But now why don't they believe you? Your wisdom isn't sufficient. So don't get angry with them: ''What's wrong with you? You're out of your mind!'' Don't do that. You have to teach yourself first, establish the truth of the Dhamma in yourself and develop the proper way to present it to others, and then they will accept it. Sometimes the Ajahn teaches the disciples, but the disciples don't believe what he says. That might make you upset, but instead of getting upset, it's better to search out the reason for their not believing: the thing you are offering has little value to them. If you offer something of more value than what they have, of course they will want it. When you're about to get angry at your disciples, you should think like this, and then you can stop your anger. It's really not much fun to be angry. In order to get his disciples to realize the Dhamma, the Buddha taught a single path, but with varying characteristics. He didn't use only one form of teaching or present the Dhamma in the same way for everyone. But he taught for the single purpose of transcending suffering. All the meditations he taught were for this one purpose. |
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