Venerable Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo
11 May 2025
Wat Suan Santidham, Thailand
Translated by Shi Ne Ling
This body is nothing but a burden.
Just reflect on our hair—
Even a single strand brings so much burden.
Just the hair on our head alone—
How much burden is already there?
We must wash it, dry it,
Apply oils or gels,
Style it this way, style it that way.
When it turns grey, we have to dye it again.
When it falls out in patches, we worry how to fix it…
Just this hair alone bears so much burden.
What then of the entire body?
Its burdens are immense, day after day.
The moment we wake up,
We must take it to eliminate waste.
If it doesn’t, can we be at ease? Certainly not.
This body is entirely a burden.
By continuously observing reality,
with mindfulness (sati) present with the body,
we come to see the truth of the body:
The body is a burden. The body is dukkha (suffering).
Not worthy of clinging,
Not worthy of infatuation.
If we observe the mind,
At first we’ll see—
A happy mind is impermanent.
A suffering mind is also impermanent.
A wholesome mind is impermanent.
An unwholesome mind is also impermanent.
We see thus.
Then we’ll gradually see—
Whatever kind of mind arises,
All kinds of mind
Are impermanent, are suffering, are non-self.
“Non-self” means—we cannot command it.
We cannot order it to always be the knowing mind. It will not obey.
We cannot say, “Do not listen!” It won’t obey.
We cannot say, “Do not see!” It won’t obey.
Keep observing continuously, and we’ll see—
The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind
Inevitably contact sense-objects.
We cannot prevent it. We cannot control it.
We cannot tell them to contact only pleasant objects—it doesn’t work.
Even when contact is made,
we cannot command happiness to arise—it is not possible.
We cannot command it to be calm—it won’t be.
We cannot restrain it from reaching outward toward object—it won’t comply.
Nothing can truly be commanded.
One day, we will clearly know—
The mind itself is dukkha,
It is immense suffering.
To know dukkha is to know the Dhamma.
Without knowing dukkha,
One cannot see the Dhamma.
Statement from Shi Ne Ling:
While we try our best, this translation may not fully convey the message of Luangpu’s teachings. Any mistakes or shortcomings are solely our responsibility.
Chinese Translation:
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