To give up doing evil is more important than making merit.
AJAHN CHAHWhy do we suffer? Because we stepped on it. So the suffering comes from us.
More Ajahn Chah Quotes
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Why do we have time to breathe? Because we see the importance of the breath.
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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.
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Therefore we have to train our mind. The meditation practice in Buddhism is all about training one’s own mind.
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A woman wanted to know how to deal with anger. I asked when anger arose whose anger it was. She said it was hers.
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Of course there are dozens of meditation techniques, but it all comes down to this – just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. Why not give it a try?
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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.
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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.
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We say that to ‘give up all evil and to develop the good’ is the heart of the Buddha’s teaching.
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Know and watch your heart. It’s pure but emotions come to colour it. So let your mind be like a tightly woven net to catch emotions and feelings that come, and investigate them before you react.
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Just go into the room, sit in the centre of the room, open the doors and windows, and see who comes to visit.
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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.
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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.
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Raise families and look after themselves, that’s all. To them, being smart is more important than being wise!
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You should know both the universal and the personal, the realm of forms and the freedom to not cling to them.
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Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are – no holding on, no attachment, free.
AJAHN CHAH