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A madman and an arahant both smile, but the arahant knows why while the madman doesn’t.

Ajahn Chah

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.
AJAHN CHAH

Ask Born Day Every Good Morning Night Practice Question Sincerely Yourself
If you have time to be mindful, you have time to meditate.
AJAHN CHAH

Meditate Mindful Time
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
If you want to understand suffering you must look into the situation at hand.
AJAHN CHAH

Hand Lying Run Situation Suffer Teaching Understand
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
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
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
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.
AJAHN CHAH

Anything Arahant Bodhisattva Suffer
You will have a steady awareness within yourself.
AJAHN CHAH

Awareness Steady Within Yourself
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
The only way to experience it is to put the teachings into practice. Once you taste it, you are no longer in any doubt about its flavour and you do not have to ask anyone else. The problem is solved.
AJAHN CHAH

Anyone Ask Experience Flavour Longer Practice Problem Solve Taste Teaching
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
Once you understand non-self, then the burden of life is gone. You’ll be at peace with the world. When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness and we can truly be happy.
AJAHN CHAH

Burden Cling Go Gone Happiness Letting Life Struggle Understand
The Dharma Path is to keep walking forward. But the true Dharma has no going forward, no going backward, and no standing still.
AJAHN CHAH

Backward Forward Path Practice Standard Standing Still Walking
We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things. Enlightenment appears when you stop wanting anything.
AJAHN CHAH

Enlightenment Holding Increase Learn Let Go Practice Thing
Difficult or easy, the Buddha said not to be heedless. Just that–don’t be heedless. Why? Because life is not certain.
AJAHN CHAH

Buddha Certain Difficult Easy Just Life

A madman and an arahant both smile, but the arahant knows why while the madman doesn’t.

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A madman and an arahant both smile, but the arahant knows why while the madman doesn’t.

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