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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

Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment, the effort to overcome laziness and merit, the effort to make each activity of our day meditation.
AJAHN CHAH

Effort Happen Meditation Overcome Particular Proper Something
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
To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, ‘Don’t cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.’
AJAHN CHAH

Actuality Anything Buddhism Cling Lot Phrase Word
Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are – no holding on, no attachment, free.
AJAHN CHAH

Attachment Free Just Learn No Simply Struggle
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

Buddha Come Happiness Many Strange Thing Wonderful
All religions are like different cars all moving in the same direction. People who don’t see it have no light in their hearts.
AJAHN CHAH

Car Different Direction Heart Light Moving Religion Same
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
Don’t be attached to visions or lights in meditation, don’t rise or fall with them.
AJAHN CHAH

Attach Fall Light Meditation Rise Vision
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
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
If we see suffering then we don’t have suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Have See Suffer
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
I touch it and it rings! One day the wind may blow it off the shelf, or my elbow may knock it from the table.
AJAHN CHAH

Blow Day Elbow Knock Ring Shelf Table Touch Wind
The ultimate truth is like the flavour of an apple which you can’t see with the eye or hear with the ear.
AJAHN CHAH

Apple Ear Eye Flavour Hear Like Teaching Ultimate
The mind is intrinsically tranquil. Out of this tranquility, anxiety and confusion are born. If one sees and knows this confusion, then the mind is tranquil once more.
AJAHN CHAH

Anxiety Born Confusion Mind Tranquil
We can always find time to breathe. In the same way, if we see the importance of meditation practice we will find the time to practice.
AJAHN CHAH

Always Breath Important Meditation Practice Time

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ajahn Chah Quotes