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Things are simply the way they are. They don’t give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering?

Ajahn Chah

Dharma is in your mind, not in the forest. Don’t believe others, just listen to your mind. You don’t have to go anywhere else.
AJAHN CHAH

Belief Forest Listen Mind Other Sweet
We protect virtue so that virtue will protect us.
AJAHN CHAH

Protect Us Virtue
To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, ‘Don’t cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.’
AJAHN CHAH

Actuality Anything Buddhism Cling Lot Phrase Word
Things are simply the way they are. They don’t give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering?
AJAHN CHAH

Doe Giving Sharp Suffering Way
Wisdom is in yourself, just like a sweet ripe mango is already in a young green one.
AJAHN CHAH

Already Green Mango One Ripe Sweet Young
What’s so great about brightness? My flashlight has it. It can’t help us rid ourselves of our suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Brightness Flashlight Great Help Ourselves Suffer
Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect praise or reward.
AJAHN CHAH

Everything Expectation Generosity Go Letting Mind Praise Reward
This is the nature of the mind. We must find our own practice and persevere.
AJAHN CHAH

Mind Nature Own Persevere Practice
Why do we suffer? Because we stepped on it. So the suffering comes from us.
AJAHN CHAH

Come From Suffering
Remember you dont meditate to get anything, but to get rid of things.
AJAHN CHAH

Anything Let Go Meditate Remember Rid Thing
We need to develop meditation so that the understanding arises clearly within oneself. It is not the case that merely by listening to another’s explanation our defilements will disappear.
AJAHN CHAH

Another Arise Defliment Develop Disappear Explain Listen Meditation Need Oneself Understanding
Hear the bird’s song then let go. If you know nature, you’ll know truth. If you know truth, you’ll know nature.
AJAHN CHAH

Bird Go Hear Know Nature Song Truth
You will have a steady awareness within yourself.
AJAHN CHAH

Awareness Steady Within Yourself
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 CHAH

Effort Happen Meditation Overcome Particular Proper Something
When the heart truly understands, it lets go of everything.
AJAHN CHAH

Everything Heart Let Go Truly Understand
Practicing meditation is just like breathing. While working we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while sitting down we breathe…
AJAHN CHAH

Breath Down Meditation Practice Sleep Work
Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are – no holding on, no attachment, free.
AJAHN CHAH

Attachment Free Just Learn No Simply Struggle
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.
AJAHN CHAH

Bowl Falling Full Inside never Outside Right Touch Water Way
Holding on to anger as a personal possession will cause suffering. If anger really belonged to us, it would have to obey us. If it doesn’t obey us, that means it’s only a deception.
AJAHN CHAH

Anger Belong Deception Hold Obey Personal Possession Suffering
Happiness and suffering do not depend on being poor or rich, they depend on having the right or wrong understanding in our mind.
AJAHN CHAH

Depend Mind Poor Rich Suffer Understanding
Just know what is happening in your mind – not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer see it, know it, and be empty. It’s like a letter – you have to open it before you can know what’s in it.
AJAHN CHAH

Attach Happen Letter Mind Open Sad Suffer
Meditation is like a single log of wood. Insight and investigation are one end of the log; calm and concentration are the other end. If you lift up the whole log, both sides come up at once. Which is concentration and which is insight? Just this mind.
AJAHN CHAH

Calm Concentration End Insight Investigation Long Meditation Mind Other Single Wood
You will witness all kinds of scenes and actors, all kinds of temptations and stories, everything imaginable.
AJAHN CHAH

Actor Everything Kind Scene Story Temptation Witness
If you reflect in this way, you will have peace. Wherever you are, you will have this attitude of practice with you constantly.
AJAHN CHAH

Attitude Constantly Peace Practice Reflect Way
Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.
AJAHN CHAH

Animal Clear Course Forest Let Mind Mindful Natural Surround Thing Trying
You should think about your own death 3 times per day at the very least.
AJAHN CHAH

Day Death Least Per Think Three Time Very
If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer
AJAHN CHAH

Bound Certainty Suffer Suffering Uncertain

Things are simply the way they are. They don’t give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering?

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Things are simply the way they are. They don’t give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering?

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