black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Don’t think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Ajahn Chah

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

Arahant Both Know Madman Smile
Anything which is troubling you, anything which is irritating you, THAT is your teacher.
AJAHN CHAH

Anything Irritate Teacher Trouble
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
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
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 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
If you listen to the Dhamma teachings but don’t practice you’re like a ladle in a soup pot.
AJAHN CHAH

Pot Practice Soup Teaching
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
Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.
AJAHN CHAH

Bring Complete Go Letting Little Lot Peace
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 Dhamma has to sink deeply into the mind so that whatever we do, the mind has always goodness within it. All the ways of making merit are aiming at this. Goodness lies in the right view that is established in the mind.
AJAHN CHAH

Aim Deeply Do Establishment Goddess Lying Mind Right Sink View
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
Why are we born? We are born so that we will not have to be born again.
AJAHN CHAH

Again Born
The heart is just the heart; thoughts and feelings are just thoughts and feelings. Let things be just as they are.
AJAHN CHAH

Feeling Heart Just Thought
There are people who are born and die and never once are aware of their breath going in and out of their body. That’s how far away they live from themselves
AJAHN CHAH

Aware Body Born Breath Far Away Going Once Out People
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
Another man understands that nature of the river is to change constantly, regardless of his likes and dislikes, and therefore he does not suffer.
AJAHN CHAH

Another Chance Constant Dislike Man Nature Suffer Understand
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 CHAH

Ceaseless Change Flow Great Man Nature Pain River Self Suffering Watch Wish
If we practise like this and develop mindfulness continuously, wisdom arises quickly and this is a fast way of practice.
AJAHN CHAH

Arise Continous Develop Fast Mindfulness Practice Quick Way Wisdom
Whenever we feel that we are definitely right, so much so that we refuse to open up to anything or anybody else, right there we are wrong. It becomes wrong view.
AJAHN CHAH

Anything Definitely Doe Feel Open Refuse Right Suffering View
Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.
AJAHN CHAH

Actual Run Suffer Toward Try
We protect virtue so that virtue will protect us.
AJAHN CHAH

Protect Us Virtue
The ladle is in the soup pot every day, but it doesn’t know the taste of the soup. You must reflect and meditate.
AJAHN CHAH

Day Every Ladle Meditate Pot Reflect Soup Taste
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
Regarding this Dhamma, it is not something that we can simply talk about or take another’s word for it.
AJAHN CHAH

Another Dhamma Listen Meditation Regard Simply Something Take Understanding Word
The heart is the only book worth reading.
AJAHN CHAH

Book Heart Only Read Worth
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

Don’t think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Don’t think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ajahn Chah Quotes