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If you haven’t cried deeply a number of times, your meditation hasn’t really begun.

Ajahn Chah

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
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
All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things.
AJAHN CHAH

Animal Clearly Drink Kind Nature Pool Thing Wonderful
If we see suffering then we don’t have suffering.
AJAHN CHAH

Have See Suffer
Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.
AJAHN CHAH

Actual Run Suffer Toward Try
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
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?
AJAHN CHAH

Battle Come Course Down Dozen Giving Just Let Meditation Technique
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 forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you.
AJAHN CHAH

Cause Confuse Confusion Go Hold Letting Peaceful Song
You will witness all kinds of scenes and actors, all kinds of temptations and stories, everything imaginable.
AJAHN CHAH

Actor Everything Kind Scene Story Temptation Witness
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
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
We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things. Enlightenment appears when you stop wanting anything.
AJAHN CHAH

Enlightenment Holding Increase Learn Let Go Practice Thing
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 Wisdom Young Yourself
If we only make merit but have not stopped doing bad things, then we will never have a day of completion. It is like an overturned bowl which is left outside in the rain.
AJAHN CHAH

Bad Bowl Completion Day Doing Make Merit Outside Overturn Rain Stop Thing
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
You should settle the issue right there. One who runs away from suffering out of fear is the most foolish person of all. He will simply increases his stupidity endlessly.
AJAHN CHAH

Endlessly Foolish Increase Issue Most One Right Settle Stupid Suffer
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
If you let go a lot you will have a lot of happiness. If you let go completely you will be free.
AJAHN CHAH

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

Arahant Both Know Madman Smile
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
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
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
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
You will have a steady awareness within yourself.
AJAHN CHAH

Awareness Steady Within Yourself
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
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

If you haven’t cried deeply a number of times, your meditation hasn’t really begun.

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If you haven’t cried deeply a number of times, your meditation hasn’t really begun.

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