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Ajahn Chah

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Famous Ajahn Chah Quotes

“In practice, some come to see easily, some with difficulty. But whatever the case, never mind. Difficult or easy, the Buddha said not to be heedless. Just that--don't be heedless. Why? Because life is not certain. 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!”

ThinkingMindSaidLife IsCertainEasyDifficultPracticeCasesDifficultyCarefulCertaintyUncertaintyBitesBe CarefulGraspingLurking
Book:Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha's Teachings
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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. 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. Holding on to anger as a personal possession will cause suffering. If anger really belonged to us, it would have to obey us. If it doesn't obey us, that means it's only a deception. Don't fall for it. Whenever the mind is happy or sad, don't fall for it. Its all a deception.”

IfsKnowsShouldMindWellsMeanSaidAbleWantedSufferingFallCausesDealsKnow HowPossessionCommandDeceptionGoing AwayHolding OnWomen Want
Author:Ajahn Chah
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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. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha.”

TryingMindKindStillsCoursesNaturalAnimalClearWonderfulStrangeDrinkAll ThingsForestsAll KindsPoolWonderful ThingsSurroundingsComes And GoesMindful Living
Author:Ajahn Chah
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“To observe and watch one's own mind is something really interesting. The untrained mind will run and follow its old habit patterns. Because it has not been trained and taught, it will get lost in all kinds of stories and issues. Therefore we have to train our mind. The meditation practice in Buddhism is all about training one's own mind.”

MindKindStoriesRunningLostInterestingWatchesPracticeIssuesMeditationTaughtBuddhismHabitTrainingTrainPatternsAll KindsReally InterestingMeditation PracticeOld Habits
Author:Ajahn Chah
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“We have limited time in our life, therefore we should try to teach ourselves, not to teach others. 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. If we practise like this and develop mindfulness continuously, wisdom arises quickly and this is a fast way of practice.”

IfsWayShouldTryingMindLyingTeachPracticeOur LivesMindfulnessSittingStandingFocusedAriseConquerPractiseLying DownLimited Time
Author:Ajahn Chah
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