Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu encourages us to seek the new life that is free of selfishness, and to always keep the heart of Buddhism in mind – the cessation of pain and suffering, of dukkha. He asks us to reflect on that we call ‘good’ or ‘goodness’ because if we are not careful it leads to attachment. He explains how basic stupidity of self grows into attachments to good and evil, positive and negative, which entrap life. So we need to understand this thing that we call the ‘self,’ a delusion that is imposed upon the five khandhas. He also emphasizes the three characteristics of the five khandhas that we must know – everything is changing, that change is very difficult to bear, and there is nothing which can control it. In conclusion he states that when we begin to see the pain of the life of attachment, we’ll start to think about, we’ll seriously consider getting rid of the self and selfishness.

This Dhamma teaching was offered by Tan Ajahn on 4th September 1987.
Live English translation by Santikaro Bhikkhu; 48 minutes

Ending Selfishness series

8709 – [1 of 5] Danger of Selfishness

8709 – [2 of 5] Source of Selfishness

8709 – [3 of 5] Destroying Selfishness

8709 – [4 of 5] Benefits of Unselfishness

8709 – [5 of 5] Way of Practice for Ending Selfishness

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About Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu went forth as a bhikkhu at the age of twenty in 1926. After a few years of study in Bangkok, which convinced him that “purity is not to be found in the big city,” he felt inspiration to live close with nature in order to investigate the Buddha-Dhamma. Thus he established Suan Mokkhabalarama in 1932 near his hometown of Pum Riang in Southern Thailand. At that time it was the region’s only forest Dhamma Center and one of its few places dedicated to vipassana meditation. Word of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, his work, and Suan Mokkh spread over the years so that it became “one of the most influential events of Buddhist history in Thailand.”

After the founding of Suan Mokkh, he studied all schools of Buddhism, as well as other major religious traditions. This interest served practical rather than scholarly aims. He sought to unite all genuinely religious people in order to work together to help, as he put it, “drag humanity out from under the power of materialism.” This broadmindedness won him friends and students from around the world, including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.

Ajahn Buddhadasa worked painstakingly to establish and explain the correct and essential principles of what he called “pristine Buddhism,” the original realization of the Lord Buddha before it was buried under commentaries, ritualism, and clerical politics. He based his work on extensive research of the Pali texts (Canon and commentary)—especially the Buddha’s discourses (Sutta Pitaka)—followed by personal experiment and practice with these teachings. Then he taught what he could truly say quenches dukkha (dissatisfaction, suffering). His goal was to produce a complete set of references for present and future research and practice. He always took an approach that was scientific, straight-forward, and practical.

Although his formal education only went as far as ninth grade and beginning Pali studies, he received five Honorary Doctorates by Thai universities. His books, both written and transcribed from talks, fill a room at the National Library and influence all serious Thai Buddhists. Doctoral dissertations continue to be written about him and his legacy. His books can be found in bookstores around the country and are favorites as gifts.

His teachings and selfless example inspired progressive elements in Thai society, especially the young. Since the 1960s, activists and thinkers in areas such as education, ecology, social welfare, and rural development have drawn upon his teachings and advice. He inspired monks involved in nature conservation and community development, and provided a valuable link between scriptural tradition and today’s engaged Buddhist practice.

His final project established an International Dhamma Hermitage near Suan Mokkh to provide facilities for:

1. Courses to introduce foreigners to the correct understanding of Buddhist principles and practice

2. Meetings among Buddhists from around the world to establish and agree upon the ‘heart of Buddhism’

3. Bring together leaders from all religions for the sake of mutual good understanding and cooperation to drag the world out from under the tyranny of materialism.

In addition he encouraged support of a Dhamma-Mata project, a women’s residential facility dedicated to study-practice.