A First Awakening to the Human Condition

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

The other day a lay Buddhist told me of the frustration she felt in trying to encourage her daughter to take an interest in the Dhamma. She said that her daughter insisted that at her age there was as yet no need to do so. Buddhism is all about suffering, the young woman said, and she had very little. At her age she was more interested in enjoying her life.

I suggested that the mother offer her daughter a three-hour job at a generous rate. All she would have to do to earn the money would be to enter an empty room without any of her devices, without a book or any other distraction, and to spend the three hours in her own company. She would have to be conscious throughout: if she sought an escape by going to sleep, she would not be paid.

This kind of experience can be life-changing. Realizing how difficult it is to be with yourself, what a challenge it is to be alive without distraction, how much of our daily activity is in fact a strategy to make sure that we are with ourselves as little as possible: all these insights can make the teachings of the Buddha come alive. A genuine interest in Buddhism doesn’t require a great leap of faith, just a first awakening to the human condition.

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"Food for the Heart", a series of Dhamma teachings handwritten weekly is posted on the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives page with Ajahn's kind permission.

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For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.