Even though sticking only to ‘Buddho’ sounds simple ... - Ajahn Suchart
“Even though sticking only to ‘Buddho’ sounds simple when you hear it, you won’t be able to do it without mindfulness.”
To constantly maintain your mindfulness, you need to begin practising from the moment you wake up. You have to train your mindfulness from the moment you are awake. Whatever you do, you need to be aware of every movement and every posture involved.
For instance, when you wake up and are about to get up, you need to be aware of your actions of getting up. When you stand, you need to be aware of your standing actions. When you walk, you need to be aware of your walking actions. Whatever you do, you need to be present with it. Do not think about the time or rushing to work while you’re putting on make-up, getting dressed or bathing.
Making mistakes, such as forgetting to close the window and the door, shows a lack of mindfulness. It shows that you weren’t being present with the task at hand. You were caught up thinking about the time, the appointment and so on.
You need to stop and cut out these thoughts. Even if it comes up, you just need to cut it out by thinking ‘I have to focus on what I am doing first, on putting the most effort tin the present’.
Whatever you do, you need to do it step by step. Make sure that your mind is aware of each and every step. Do not just let your body carry out the task while your mind is thinking about something else. That’s considered ‘lacking mindfulness’. It shows that you are unable to control your mind, so it goes astray because of other things. And you need to bring it back.
The only reason for practising is so that you can control your mind – your mind being under your command. Once it is under your control, it will stick to ‘Buddho’ when you want it to. It won’t think of other things.
By sticking to ‘Buddho’, the mind will become focussed. When the mind is not thinking about anything, any feeling or emotion will calm down and so will the mind.
If you keep reciting ‘Buddho’ without mindfulness, your mind will never be calm, even if you sit for hours. You will get discouraged if your mind keeps wandering off every two words of ‘Buddho’. No matter how long you sit, there’s no result and therefore no satisfaction or fulfilment.
But if you really stick to ‘Buddho’ even just for five minutes, it is possible to enter a state of calm. If you really don’t think about other issues and just keep reciting ‘Buddho’, your mind will soon be calm. Once it is calm, it is so worth it and really wonderful. The reason for being unable to attain that calm is because you can’t stay with ‘Buddho’ even just for ten seconds. Without mindfulness, it is impossible. No matter how much you so desire, it is not possible. Even though sticking only to ‘Buddho’ sounds simple when you hear it, you won’t be able to do it without mindfulness.
Mindfulness is like an anchor. If you want to moor a boat, you have to use an anchor. That way, the boat won’t go adrift because of the current as the anchor is securing it. Your mind is just the same, that is, there needs to be mindfulness to keep it from wandering off.
Without mindfulness, your mind will be swayed by emotions and other issues. When you think of something, you will get carried away thinking about other things without paying attention to what you’re doing, such as thinking about work while having dinner and keeping going back and forth.
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