One man watches a river flow by. If he does not wish it to flow, to change ceaselessly in accord with its nature, he will suffer great pain.
AJAHN CHAHWe should conquer ourselves, rather than conquer others. Whether coming or going, standing, sitting or lying down, our mind should be focused in this way.
More Ajahn Chah Quotes
-
-
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 -
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 -
People go through life blindly, ignoring death like revellers at a party feasting on fine foods. They ignore that later they will have to go to the toilet, so they do not bother to find out where there is one.
AJAHN CHAH -
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 -
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 -
The Dhamma is revealing itself in every moment, but only when the mind is quiet can we understand what it is saying, for the Dhamma teaches without words.
AJAHN CHAH -
The one who recognizes the uncertainty of phenomena is the Dharma within you.
AJAHN CHAH -
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 -
Don’t be attached to visions or lights in meditation, don’t rise or fall with them.
AJAHN CHAH -
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 -
You should settle the issue right there. One who runs away from suffering out of fear is the most foolish person of all. He will simply increases his stupidity endlessly.
AJAHN CHAH -
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 -
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 -
A woman wanted to know how to deal with anger. I asked when anger arose whose anger it was. She said it was hers.
AJAHN CHAH -
We have limited time in our life, therefore we should try to teach ourselves, not to teach others.
AJAHN CHAH