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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

When nature finally calls, they have no idea where to go and are in a mess.
AJAHN CHAH

Call Finally Idea Mess Nature No
Don’t fall for it. Whenever the mind is happy or sad, don’t fall for it. Its all a deception.
AJAHN CHAH

Deception Fail Fall Happy Mind Sad
To practice Dhamma means to observe and examine oneself.
AJAHN CHAH

Examine Mean One Oneself Practice
See the world as a mirror. It is all a reflection of the mind. When you know this, you can grow in every moment, and every experience reveals truth and brings understanding.
AJAHN CHAH

Experience Mind Mirror Moment Reflection Reveal Truth Understanding
Things are simply the way they are. They don’t give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering?
AJAHN CHAH

Doe Giving Sharp Suffering Way
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
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
If we see suffering then we don’t have suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Have See Suffer
Whatever he taught, we should practise it. Only bowing to him is not enough. We need to renounce, give up, stop, so that we may see the Buddha.
AJAHN CHAH

Bowing Buddha Enough Need Practice Renounce Teach
If you let go completely you will have complete peace.
AJAHN CHAH

Complete Dharma Guy Ifs Let Go Peace
The forms of the world have their place, but in another way, there is nothing there. To be free, we need to respect both of these truths.
AJAHN CHAH

Another Both Form Need Nothing Place Respect Truth World
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
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

Anybody Celebrate Confidence Going Keep Know Mind Simply
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
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 meditator simply knows them, they don’t enter his mind. That is, he has no clinging. He is simply the experiencer.
AJAHN CHAH

Cling Enter Experience Meditator Mind Simply
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
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
We should conquer ourselves, rather than conquer others. Whether coming or going, standing, sitting or lying down, our mind should be focused in this way.
AJAHN CHAH

Coming Conquer Down Focus Going Laying Ourselves Sitting Standing Way
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
You say that you are too busy to meditate. Do you have time to breathe? Meditation is your breath. Why do you have time to breathe but not to meditate?
AJAHN CHAH

Breathe Busy Meditation Practice Time
Practicing meditation is just like breathing. While working we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while sitting down we breathe…
AJAHN CHAH

Breath Down Meditation Practice Sleep Work
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
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
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
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

Ask Blow Happy Illness Loved Master Philosophy Protect Wind
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

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?

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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?

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