Confusing the mind, whether it is alcohol or drugs, too much coffee, for some people too much sugar, this is what we don't want to do. We want to be present; we want to be aware. For most of us here, if not everyone of us, there was a time in our life when we got drunk, we got super-stoned, something happened in that way and we lost awareness of what is.
Now, what's the one certain thing that's going to happen to every one of us, do any of you know the one certain thing that will happen to every one of us? Ok, it's death. When is death coming? You've heard me say that before, you don't know. Would you like to be in control when you are dying? I would, some people don't. Some people want to die in their sleep. They think it is peaceful to die in their sleep. Have you ever had a nightmare? I mentioned nightmares yesterday. A lot of people are going to have a nightmare while they are dying in their sleep, they are not going to be peaceful at all. So, do you want to be there at the moment of death? Would you like to be present, would you like to be aware?
We met some Vietnamese people, whose grandfather died sitting in meditation. We also know a person in Thailand whose father died sitting in meditation. Nice, nice. To be present, to be aware. Now if you've got your mind affected by alcohol or other stimulants, then it's possible that you won't be in control when you die. Anything could happen. If you don't know, part of the theory of Buddhism is that what your thoughts are at the moment of death help create the conditions for your next life. So, if you are in control at the moment of death you have a good opportunity to actually get a good rebirth. Take it for what you want, this is the theory of Buddhism.
However, as much as this is the theory from death of the body to a possible next life, it's very much true in the moment-to-moment birth and death. Your thoughts right now are going to create who you are in the next moment. If you can keep your thoughts centered on good, kind, wise, loving thoughts then that means in the next moment you are going to be good, kind and wise, loving. If your mind gets clouded by alcohol or other things then there is a good chance that your mind will not be nice, kind and wise, loving and so on. It is possible, especially with too much alcohol, that you get very angry. Whether it happened to you or not, I don't know, but in a past life when I was about twenty, I put my best friend on the floor. Ok, I just swung, I hit him good, he was out. I was drunk, got angry about one little thing he said. That's what alcohol did to me back then, it does it to a lot of people. Even if we think, oh, but I am only a little social drinker, I only have a little bit, you know, dinner, or whatever, does it affect your mind? Also, by doing it with other people you are encouraging other people to continue drinking alcohol, which might not be as controlled as what you think yours is.
Now, if that's not enough, if the Compassion can't open on this level, think of money. A bottle of grape juice, a bottle of wine. What's the difference in price? I don't personally know because I've never bought a single bottle of wine in my life, beer I know, a few other things I know from way, way back, and I know it was more expensive than a bottle of grape juice. So money itself, what could you do with that extra money that you are spending in this way?
These are some different ways to consider, but the biggest thing about alcohol and any stimulant that confuses the mind is that it simply does that. It helps confuse the mind and we would like to stay more aware. Isn't it hard enough to deal with our hindrances when we are aware? Let alone if we cloud it with alcohol?