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The forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you.

Ajahn Chah

When we sit in meditation and hear a sound, we think, ‘Oh, that sound’s bothering me.’ If we see it like this, we suffer. But if we investigate a little deeper,
AJAHN CHAH

Bother Deeper Hear Investigate Meditation Sound Suffer Think
If we want to really see the Buddha, we should observe his virtuous qualities.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddha Giving Need Observe Quality Up Virtue
You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddha Come Happiness Many Strange Thing Wonderful
Well, if it really was her anger, then she should be able to tell it to go away, shouldnt she? But it really isn’t hers to command.
AJAHN CHAH

Anger Away Command Really Tell Well
A madman and an arahant both smile, but the arahant knows why while the madman doesn’t.
AJAHN CHAH

Arahant Both Know Madman Smile
Time is our present breath.
AJAHN CHAH

Breath Our Present Time
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
Mental activity is like a deadly poisonous cobra. If we don’t interfere with a cobra, how poisonous it may be, it simply goes its own away.
AJAHN CHAH

Activity Cobra Deadly Interface May Mental Own Poisonous Way
At some point your heart will tell itself what to do.
AJAHN CHAH

Heart Inspirational Itself Motivational Point Some Tell
All that I have said up to now has merely been words. When people come to see me, I have to say something. But it is best not to speak about these matters too much.
AJAHN CHAH

All Friend Good Matter Merely Practice Regret Something Speak Word
You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can’t solve your own doubts.
AJAHN CHAH

Doubt Knowing Look Own Teach Teacher
Investigate yourself to find the truth – inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important.
AJAHN CHAH

Find Important Inside Investigate Knowing Most Outside Truth
Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: You won’t be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.
AJAHN CHAH

Able Find Heart Looking Mustache Peace Turtle
If we see suffering then we don’t have suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Have See Suffer
Why do we suffer? Because we stepped on it. So the suffering comes from us.
AJAHN CHAH

Come From Suffering
If you want a chicken to be a duck, and a duck to be a chicken, you will suffer.
AJAHN CHAH

Chicken Children Duck Suffer Want
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
We have limited time in our life, therefore we should try to teach ourselves, not to teach others.
AJAHN CHAH

Limited Lying Mind Other Ourselves Practice Teach Try
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 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
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
When we gain some understanding we need to chew on it again so that we see it for ourselves with certainty: paccattam.
AJAHN CHAH

Certainty Chew Need Ourselves Some Understanding
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
You should know both the universal and the personal, the realm of forms and the freedom to not cling to them.
AJAHN CHAH

Both Cling Form Needs World Personal Realm Universal Way
We do it, not with desire, but with letting go. If you want anything, you wont find it.
AJAHN CHAH

Anything Desire Find Letting
To the birds, the fruit may be sweet or sour or whatever. The birds say sweet or they say sour, but from the tree’s point of view, this is just the chattering of birds.
AJAHN CHAH

Bird Chatter Fruit Point Sour Sweet Tree View Whatever
The heart of the path is quite easy.
AJAHN CHAH

Easy Equity Hate Letting Go Love Path

The forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you.

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The forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you.

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