Quotes
"Only one book is worth reading: the heart."
"Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with mustache. You won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you."
"We don't meditate to see heaven, but to end suffering."
"Remember you don't meditate to 'get' anything, but to get 'rid' of things. We do it, not with desire, but with letting go. If you 'want' anything, you won't find it."
"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, shouldn't 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. It's all a deception."
"You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important."
"A madman and a [wise soul] both smile, but the [wise one] knows why, while the madman doesn't."
"I am like a tree in a forest. Birds come to the tree, they sit on its branches and eat its fruits. 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."
"If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good."
--Ajahn Chah