black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Read yourself, not books. Truth isn’t outside, that’s only memory, not wisdom. Memory without wisdom is like an empty thermos bottle – if you don’t fill it, it’s useless.

Ajahn Chah

Whatever he taught, we should practise it. Only bowing to him is not enough. We need to renounce, give up, stop, so that we may see the Buddha.
AJAHN CHAH

Bowing Buddha Enough Need Practice Renounce Teach
Breathing is something vital to peoples lives. If you see that Dhamma practice is vital to your life, then you will feel that breathing and practising the Dhamma are equally important.
AJAHN CHAH

Born Breathing Feel Important Life Live Morning People Practise Question Something
Where does peace arise? Peace arises whenever we let something go.
AJAHN CHAH

Arise Doe Peace Something
We see that the sound is simply sound. If we understand like this, then there’s nothing more to it. We leave it be.
AJAHN CHAH

Leave Like More Nothing Simply Sound Understand
Know and watch your heart. It’s pure but emotions come to colour it.
AJAHN CHAH

Colour Emotion Heart Pure Watch
When one does not understand death, life can be very confusing.
AJAHN CHAH

Confuse Doe Life Death Understand
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 Wisdom Young Yourself
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
The forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you.
AJAHN CHAH

Cause Confuse Confusion Go Hold Letting Peaceful Song
Then we don’t have to celebrate it or let anybody know about it, simply let the mind have firm confidence in the goodness and keep going like this.
AJAHN CHAH

Anybody Celebrate Confidence Going Keep Know Mind Simply
If you are still following your likes and dislikes, you have not even begun to practise Dhamma.
AJAHN CHAH

Begun Dhamma Dislike Follow Like Still
Therefore we have to train our mind. The meditation practice in Buddhism is all about training one’s own mind.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddhism Meditation Mind Own Practice Train
If we want to really see the Buddha, we should observe his virtuous qualities.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddha Giving Need Observe Quality Up Virtue
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
The sound is just sound, why should you go and grab it? You see that actually it was you who went out and disturbed the sound.
AJAHN CHAH

Actually Distribute Grab Out Sound Went
To observe and watch one’s own mind is something really interesting. The untrained mind will run and follow its old habit patterns. Because it has not been trained and taught, it will get lost in all kinds of stories and issues.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddhism Habit Interest Issue Meditation Mind Observe Own Pattern Practice Running Solve Story Untrained Watch
If we only make merit but have not stopped doing bad things, then we will never have a day of completion. It is like an overturned bowl which is left outside in the rain.
AJAHN CHAH

Bad Bowl Completion Day Doing Make Merit Outside Overturn Rain Stop Thing
All religions are like different cars all moving in the same direction. People who don’t see it have no light in their hearts.
AJAHN CHAH

Car Different Direction Heart Light Moving Religion Same
One day some people came to the master and asked: How can you be happy in a world of such impermanence, where you cannot protect your loved ones from harm, illness or death?
AJAHN CHAH

Ask Blow Happy Illness Loved Master Philosophy Protect Wind
Wherever we start to think that things are certain, uncertainty is lurking right there. Heedlessness is just holding things as certain. It is grasping at certainty where there is no certainty and looking for truth in things that are not true. Be careful! They are likely to bite you sometime in the future!
AJAHN CHAH

Bite Careful Future Grasp Hold Lurk Sometimes Thing Think Truth Uncertainty
The master held up a glass and said: Someone gave me this glass; It holds my water admirably and it glistens in the sunlight.
AJAHN CHAH

Admire Gave Glass Glinten Hold Master Someone Sunlight Water
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 should think about your own death 3 times per day at the very least.
AJAHN CHAH

Day Death Least Per Think Three Time Very
No. It’s simply a thorn. It doesn’t give suffering to anybody. If we step on it, we suffer immediately.
AJAHN CHAH

Anybody Come Immediate Simply Suffering Thron
The forms of the world have their place, but in another way, there is nothing there. To be free, we need to respect both of these truths.
AJAHN CHAH

Another Both Form Need Nothing Place Respect Truth World
Where 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.
AJAHN CHAH

Come Dirty Earth Evaporate Rain Sky Through Urine Wash Water
Why are we born? We are born so that we will not have to be born again.
AJAHN CHAH

Again Born

Read yourself, not books. Truth isn’t outside, that’s only memory, not wisdom. Memory without wisdom is like an empty thermos bottle – if you don’t fill it, it’s useless.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Read yourself, not books. Truth isn’t outside, that’s only memory, not wisdom. Memory without wisdom is like an empty thermos bottle – if you don’t fill it, it’s useless.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ajahn Chah Quotes