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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

To know existence as this flow, empty of lasting pleasure, void of self, is to find that which is stable and free of suffering, to find true peace in the world.
AJAHN CHAH

Empty Existence Flow Lasting Peace Pleasure Self Stable True Vold World
You will have a steady awareness within yourself.
AJAHN CHAH

Awareness Steady Within Yourself
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
Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect praise or reward.
AJAHN CHAH

Everything Expectation Generosity Go Letting Mind Praise Reward
If you haven’t wept deeply, you haven’t begun to meditate.
AJAHN CHAH

Begun Buddhist Deeply Feeling Freedom Meditate
Investigate yourself to find the truth – inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important.
AJAHN CHAH

Find Important Inside Investigate Knowing Most Outside Truth
If it shouldn’t happen, it wouldn’t happen.
AJAHN CHAH

Happen
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
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
Where does peace arise? Peace arises whenever we let something go.
AJAHN CHAH

Arise Doe Peace Something
The mind of one who practises doesn’t run away anywhere, it stays right there. Good, evil, happiness and unhappiness, right and wrong arise, and he knows them all.
AJAHN CHAH

Anywhere Away Evil Mind Practice Right Run Running Stay
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
When coming out of sitting, don’t think that you’re coming out of meditation, but that you are only changing postures.
AJAHN CHAH

Change Coming Meditation Out Posture Sit
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
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

Attitude Close Eye Lying Practice Quick Sit
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
I am like a tree in a forest. Birds come to the tree, they sit on its branches and eat its fruits.
AJAHN CHAH

Bird Branch Come Eat Forest Fruit Sweet Tree View
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

Blind Bother Death Feast Fine Food Idea Ignore Party People Toilet
Sati is life. Whenever we don’t have sati, when we are heedless, it’s as if we are dead.
AJAHN CHAH

Dead Heedless Ifs Life Mindfulness Sail Sati
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
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
When suffering arises, where does it arise from? The cause is wrong view, the fruit of that being suffering. If it was right view it wouldn’t cause suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Arise Cause Fruit Right Suffer View Wrong
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
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

Bowl Falling Full Inside never Outside Right Touch Water Way
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

Anger Ask Deal Fall Mean Mind Want Woman
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

Book Bottle Memory Outside Read Wisdom Yourself
The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there. Where suffering lies is right where non-suffering will arise, it ceases at the place where it arises.
AJAHN CHAH

Arise Cease Lie Problem Right Settle Suffer Teaching

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.

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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.

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Popular Authors

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