Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment, the effort to overcome laziness and merit, the effort to make each activity of our day meditation.
AJAHN CHAHWhere does rain come from? It comes from all the dirty water that evaporates from the earth, like urine and the water you throw out after washing your feet.
More Ajahn Chah Quotes
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Learn to see that it is not things that bother us, that we go out to bother them.
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It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering.
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If we want to really see the Buddha, we should observe his virtuous qualities.
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A good practice is to ask yourself very sincerely, ‘Why was I born?’ Ask yourself this question in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night…every day.
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If your mind is happy then you are happy anywhere you go. When wisdom awakens within you, you will see Truth wherever you look.
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Do not be a bodhisattva, do not be an arahant, do not be anything at all. If you are a bodhisattva, you will suffer, if you are an arahant, you will suffer, if you are anything at all, you will suffer.
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Don’t think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.
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All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things.
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Even if the water is falling right on it, it only touches the outside and not the inside. In this way the bowl will never get full.
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I touch it and it rings! One day the wind may blow it off the shelf, or my elbow may knock it from the table.
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When sitting in meditation, say, “That’s not my business!” with every thought that comes by.
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Happiness and suffering do not depend on being poor or rich, they depend on having the right or wrong understanding in our mind.
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Some people are afraid of generosity. They feel they will be taken advantage of or oppressed.
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Practicing meditation is just like breathing. While working we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while sitting down we breathe…
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No. It’s simply a thorn. It doesn’t give suffering to anybody. If we step on it, we suffer immediately.
AJAHN CHAH