Self control

Introduction

            We have all disappointed ourselves through being uncontrolled mind at some time. There are many times in our life when we have to do, to go, to act. Self Control is not always staying still, not hurrying, not rushing. Everything has to be ready on time, and Self Control is the discipline and training to be able to achieve our objectives.

            Self Control brings beauty. Self Control brings strength. Self Control brings happiness.  Through Self Control we can achieve our goals.

Self Control

            It is the one thing in the world that we can never have too much of ! Some people think Monks have more Self Control than others. I'm afraid we monks are only human too, and we also have as much difficulty in remaining controlled as everyone else.

            If you compare ourselves with animals, they have much more Self Control. Human beings are very weak. How long we humans have complained about back-pain. We have complained about back pain for as long as we have been standing upright! 

Self Control can be classified under for categories:

Ø Self-Control for natural movement.

Ø Self-Control for mental suffering.

Ø Self-Control for physical suffering.

Ø Self-Control for human action.

            The first type of Self-Control is exemplified by our feelings for hot or cold weather. We need Self-Control for natural changes. If we want our hair to grow long, we must wait for it to grow. Sometimes we will be wet and sometimes we will be dry. We must wait for the weather to change before we can collect water, or perhaps before we can have a picnic. We must be Self-Controlled with the elements and accept the weather conditions.

            We need Self-Control for mental activity. Sometimes we feel so sad in our minds. We feel so alone, everything goes wrong and we feel depressed. Yet when we open our eyes at other times, our mind is happier and we can see that everywhere on this planet there is great beauty, even under the sea.

            The object of learning Buddhism is to overcome yourself. It is to realize that our mind will fluctuate through the different emotions of happiness and sadness, enthusiasm and disappointment, anger and calm, excitement and boredom.

            Some people say that they think they are being well Self-Controlled if they want to go to the pub but they don't go. we need restraint and tolerance. Sometimes we think we have well Self-Control because we stay in the pub all night! But this is not self control.

We also need Self-Control for physical suffering.

            When I was in the country as a young boy, I used to climb trees. I fell down many times but never hurt myself. But my friend next door fell out of the tree one day, hurting himself very badly. He had to stay many months in hospital. He had to control enough to allow his bones to knit together again.

            As students we have to study very hard. we will then have to earn money for our people. Afterwards, we may have to carry many heavy loads and greater responsibilities. Then we may even become our own boss. We  will be even more important and have an even greater load and responsibility.

            But having Self-Control will bring you strength. Self-Control will bring us happiness. Self-Control will bring usbeauty.

            If we don't learn to practice in this way, how can we succeed? If we have a calm body, if we have a calm mind, we will have beauty, strength, and happiness.

            we can wear necklaces and adornments over our body, but our movements and our actions are far more visible and apparent to everyone. We can't hide how our mind is behaving. Self-Control is very beautiful. Self-Control does bring strength.

            Sometimes we put chemicals on ants, and initially they die. But they have patience. After a few years they are patient enough to adapt to the poison and then it doesn't hurt them anymore.

            Our own body can also adapt. We live in Thailand, we see our friends talking together in the sun. Where it is very hot, over 35 or 40 degrees, we couldn't believe that they could stand out in the sun for several hours and talk together. They do not show any awareness of the sun or its great heat. But it is far too hot for me. The friends have the patience to adapt to the sun and now have a pigment in their skin to survive in that environment. And they are used to it. So likewise we too can adapt ourselves.

            We  have to have Self-Control to train. They say there is no gain without pain. Each year those athletes at the Barcelona Olympics have been building up their Self-Control, and training harder and harder. They have the Self-Control to succeed, Self-Control that brings           them strength, Self-Control that brings them happiness and satisfaction that they are performing well.

            we come here to learn Buddhism, and to find happiness. It is difficult but we have to have control to make small gains, and build on those gains. Some people like to run and cannot wait. Sometimes we have to be patient. If we want to grow a big tree, we have to wait. It will not grow for us in 10 minutes! If we want to improve ourselves we should realize we can not do it in 10 minutes either. Sometimes we can not get an immediate result from our actions and we all have to wait.

            We should carry our Self-Control around like the hermit crab carries its shell. Our Self-Control will also protect us and help us to survive.

            We can lose our Self-Control. Suppose in Wang noi, there are many buses and there are three destinations such as salam luang, Watshi sudharam and ransit. And suppose that we don’t know which is going to salam luang, which one is going to watshisudharam, and which one is going to Ransit. So I ask a senior monk who knows about that but unconsciously he tells me the wrong information and I do according his explanation and go to the wrong place, this is really something to get angry with but we have to have Self-Control. We have to see everyone equally, it doesn’t matter that he gave me the wrong information what is matters is not to ask him the same question again and find the bus for our own destination.

Conclusion

            If we use our wisdom, we can decide when we should use acting self control. I love self control. I love wisdom second. We can train ourselves to become more careful. Look at the earthworm. it has no eyes nor fur. Yet it must be controlled and gather its food searching through the soil.

            Practice self control and we will achieve our goals. In Barcelona, you must be fast, strong, and tough, or skilled as in soccer. But in gymnastics, they give you points according to your poise, steadiness, and control. The athletes have had to be well controlled to go to the Olympics, - all the years that they have been training and the effort they have been putting towards achieving this ambition. It didn't take them 10 minutes to get there.