Dhamma with Ajahn Sujin

(Excerpt from the English-Viet Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket on Zoom (Wed Nov 23rd 2022). Suitable for beginners.) 0.00 - The fragile Truth [A. Sujin] When you have wrong understanding and wrong idea and you cling to it so much that you speak against the truth, isn't that kamma? Everything needs more careful considering even this: we all have ditthi, how strong it is, or can it listen to the truth carefully and change its idea from wrong to right? Or it just keeps on having such idea, not having any careful considering at all about what is true and what isn't and just destroying the truth by just saying something against the truth, is that not kamma? Any word in the Teachings, when there is careful considering, can be known more and more, very subtle, a little more, until it can be understood clearly, no matter what subject is there to be considered. Isn't there today so much wrong understanding? And it hurts the truth by saying that this is rig...

(Excerpt from a Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket on Zoom on Sat Nov 19th 2022.) 00:00 - Is there now? [A. Sujin] I think that we shouldn't forget that a newcomer is a newcomer, no idea at all about the truth about life about any moment. That’s why if we just give her or that person many many things, many many words not familiar to that person at all, what would that be? That's why I think that the question or food for thought for considering is most important for anyone's own understanding even it seems... sometimes one may think like it's too easy, or crazy or not suitable at all, but in truth, can there be the answer to: is there now? Just very simple [question], is there now? Newcomer, can someone stand for the newcomer? For the newcomer, what's that "is there now?". What is "now"? What is the meaning of "is there now?" Is it true or not true? Beginning to consider the truth, what is the answer for this...

(Excerpt from the EN-CN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun Nov 6th 2022. Reflections on the Bhudda's Teachings in Magandiya Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya #75 of the Pali Tipitaka.) [Vincent] Ajahn, would you like to comment (about Pal's lost and found/new cat). [A. Sujin] Yes, just talk about the truth, to understand what one takes for something: I or things like cat or I. Isn't now everyone sick? What's the answer? The truth is the answer. [Pal] Yes, we are sick. [A. Sujin] So, would you like to see the doctor, to get the medicine for the disease or sickness? [Yes] Okay, that's why, in order to go to the doctor, if one doesn't know that one is sick, would one go to see the doctor? [No] So the truth is that no one realizes that one is always sick of a different kind of disease, [not] covid or cancer or anything, but the symptoms are not strong enough to be known. In the old days at the time of the previous Buddha, He talked about si...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat Nov 5th 2022.) [A. Sujin] I think that we'd better understand what vinaya means, what is vinaya? Without any understanding of the danger of akusala, to live a more pure life than the lay life, can there be a monk, the follower of the Buddha? That's why those who have confidence in the truth of the Teachings about reality understand their own accumulations, how much ignorance, attachment and all kinds of akusala have been accumulated on and on and more and more and more when there is no understanding. So vinaya is for those who understand the truth: that is so very very difficult to live the lay life, to understand that there can be the way to live like the Buddha, away from lay people's life. That's why those who have confidence in the Teachings can be monk or lay people, not only monks because pañña, right understanding, can be developed at any time or in any place, everywhere. That's...

(Excerpt from the EN-VN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun Oct 16th 2022.) [A. Sujin] Today we've heard about the progress of understanding the path leading to the letting go of the very deep attachment and ignorance of whatever is there now and anytime. The understanding of the truth of what is there now is not lost at all, it is gradually enrooted, the firm confidence of the truth that nothing can be done. Why not? It's already there, by conditions. So, before there can be thinking of changing it, trying not to make it [to be] this way or that way... it's there already, by conditions. Considering carefully, even it's just a little word, it can be enrooted, to develop on and on together with other understanding at any other moment. So pañña has to be with another reality like effort and patience, to develop, to understand the truth which is deeply down there arising and falling away. The most important thing is not to underestimate the very ve...

(Excerpt from the EN-VN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun Oct 9th and 16th 2022.) [Giao] Ajahn always said that our understanding is the not enough, so I think I can improve my understanding by reading from the suttas, from the books... [A. Sujin] Does the book say anything about now or not at all? [Giao] The Buddha always talked about what appears at this moment. [A. Sujin] So, the word is for sañña to remember is what is there now, it's so real, it's true, so it's the truth and what is the truth of what is there, for example, just where is vitakka? Is it far away or it's so close, very close... the innmermost, the citta, and vitakka is there with the citta... where and when the reality is, no matter what it is. There are different realities, some are rupas and some are namas, and citta and cetasikas are namas, but citta is the chief of experiencing and vitakka arises with citta and some cetasikas do not arise with the moment of citta, no...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat Oct 15th 2022. Suitable for beginners. [Maeve] Ajahn, may I ask a question about effort, guarding against unwholesome thoughts, abandoning them, developing and maintaining wholesome thoughts and the idea of someone who does that, who does the abandoning, who does the guarding etc. [A. Sujin] The idea of self? Apply[ing] or understand[ing] what is the nature of effort: is it real, is it there? For example we understand the reality, the cetasika which is viriya, by word: viriya is such and such, but at what moment is there? At moment of akusala is there viriya or effort? Or, at moment of kusala is there viriya? Or, at moment of thinking is there viriya? And so on. To understand it more, what is meant by viriya: very very little, very very weak, until it's so strong, sharp enough, because of right understanding, to understand that: effort for what? To understand the truth or effort to try to know it, to exp...

(Excerpt from the EN-CN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun Oct 9th 2022.) [A. Sujin] Is there only one problem, only the problem of Ukraine? Or there are other problems too? Can anyone stop problems from arising? [No] So, why think about it, worry about it? Is there problem now? The problem [now] is that no one can stop thinking about the Ukraine problem... And can it be solved, any problem? Any answer, for solving Ukraine's problems? [Irene] In the absolute truth, in the world of dhammas no one can prevent any problem, no one can do anything because there's no one [A. Sujin] ...as it is. So, should we keep on thinking about the Ukraine problem? [Irene] It's not necessary to think about the problem of Ukraine but [that] also cannot be controlled. [A. Sujin] That's why, if one dies thinking about Ukraine's problems, [would] that be worthwhile? [No] So, what is the real problem? Otherwise there must be problems after problems after pr...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat Sep 24th 2022) [Sundara] Tan Ajahn, when you talk about attending to the characteristic how is that different from thinking about it, can you elaborate a little bit about that? [A. Sujin] At first we have to know what attention (manasikara cetasika) is, is it real, is it a reality? And who knows that it arises each moment, together with the arising of citta, no matter what kind of citta, it's there performing its function, at moment of seeing attention is there, attending to the object for [sañña to] mark, to remember it, right? attention arises with each citta, this is the difference, but seeing is not thinking. So, attention is there together with seeing when seeing sees, a reality attends to the object for sañña to mark and remember it. So it (seeing) isn't the moment of thinking, that's why there has to be the right understanding of the difference between seeing and thinking because thinkin...

Transcript by Huong from 2016-01-21-am Dhamma discussion, edited by Alberto. A Sujin : We have to understand the function and characteristic of each cetasika, they arise together, so how can they be known? Because at this moment they arise together and fall away together, but by studying carefully, it is the beginning of understanding each cetasika, the difference between cetasikas. For example , phassa is not vitakka, right? And phassa arises with each citta, it's a condition for the arising of citta, so we try very hard to think about vitakka, if [we think that] it's only thinking that's not right at all, but if we think about touching, just a little after phassa because phassa is just the very first moment of touching and of experiencing the object, that is not enough, just phassa, that's why it (citta) needs other cetasikas, even [it's just] for a moment. And vitakka is there, after seeing or the ten consciousnesses which see, hear and so on. So, as muc...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Mon, May 10th 2021) [A. Sujin] I don't think that it's easy to talk about Dhamma to those who are not interested in understanding the truth yet, like the prisoners (Jeff had mentioned his involvement in "Doing time, doing vipassana" courses), but we can be friendly and help them, be kind, and then talk about that which can be understood by them, little by little because in my life, many people, so many people do not have interest in studying, learning the truth, they just want to get what they want, trying to have something helping them to be successful, but that is gone, not permanent at all, in life, just [there] for a moment and then gone, but they wish so much to have that, one moment of that. So it's not for all, but only for those who have accumulation to understand, to see the value of learning about it, not just the words but the truth which is now. So the words of the Buddha who h...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Mon, May 10th 2021) [Jeff] I think one of the most interesting parts that are introduced early on someone who studies Dhamma that's kind of complicated hard to understand would be the dependent origination. [A. Sujin] Do you read Tipitaka often? [Jeff] Not always directly, I have read the first couple books of the Abhidhamma. [A. Sujin] Do you read it just once or read it again and again and again? [Jeff] Just once, I've only read it once and that's definitely something to read again and again. [A. Sujin] And do you think that the first time you read is different from later times? [Jeff] Yeah, every time I read something straight from Tipitaka, the second time is always much better. [A. Sujin] [What] about just one word or one passage, about the truth of it? [Jeff] Yeah, and I think that's one of the things, reading Tipitaka like I read any other book, I sit down and I read a large ...

(Excerpt from the EN-VN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Wed, Sep 14th 2022) [Jonothan] Ajahn, the subject was either phassa or judging others... [A. Sujin] And phassa is arising with ignorance now, about the truth of what is there, just keep on thinking, judging and so on, no understanding of what is there at all. And can anyone just keep on thinking about that or is it gone? Would anyone like to understand it, the moment when it's there and gone, or just keep on thinking about this and that all the time? Is it now thinking about, judging again? Why not? Nothing is permanent, [but] depending on conditions only. Would you like to judge again and again? There are many things to be known rather than thinking about the past and the future. What is there now? Is it still thinking about judging? What is there now is so close, closer than thinking about people and things, even someone is so close, but it's not as close as seeing right now. Can anyone just se...

[A. Sujin] I think that each word of truth about reality right now should be understood clearer and clearer, otherwise it [would] seem like there is enough understanding of it, but in truth not enough, never enough at all as long as there is no understanding of: just one reality by conditions, at moment when it's there. For example right now, why do [we] begin again and again? Begin again to talk about seeing because seeing is there almost all the time, or we can say like many people would say, that there's seeing all the time because we don't talk in details about each moment and because seeing is there, it seems like it doesn't go away at all. That's why, what is the truth? Clearer than that, otherwise there cannot be different stages of understanding, hearing any word, not just following it, not just no interest in it, but what is the truth and how much truth it is, to have more confidence of the truth that the truth is the truth, that is sacca parami. ...