Quotes

Ajahn Chah
331 words, 16K views, 2 comments

"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

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On Jan 4, 2008 Karan Singh wrote :

Excellent thoughts

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On Jun 12, 2006 Viral wrote :

Spirituality is within We have to know the language of the heart, to read that book. Thinking outside the box experiment: listen to the chatter in a restaurant or a room; don't zoom into one conversation but hear the chatter. Like the "birds chirping" in Ajahn Chah's quote. Before I was listening to everybody but my heart. But now, everything is better -- there's beauty in the freeway even, I notice people smiling, little thing become beautiful. Letting go actually makes your happier -- kind of ironic. Your true teacher is yourself. Despite accepting a teacher, I feel like the teacher was always there. I just recognized it in this form. Being with a 3 year old, I realized I was a 3 year old. Turtle mustache made me laugh :) When squirrels ate all the tomatoes in my backyard, it would really be annoying. Eventually, I just let go. I figured it's my service to the squirrels. What a relief from anger! Chance to practice patience today: a fender bender... [View Full Comment]

Spirituality is within
We have to know the language of the heart, to read that book.
Thinking outside the box experiment: listen to the chatter in a restaurant or a room; don't zoom into one conversation but hear the chatter. Like the "birds chirping" in Ajahn Chah's quote.
Before I was listening to everybody but my heart. But now, everything is better -- there's beauty in the freeway even, I notice people smiling, little thing become beautiful.
Letting go actually makes your happier -- kind of ironic.
Your true teacher is yourself. Despite accepting a teacher, I feel like the teacher was always there. I just recognized it in this form.
Being with a 3 year old, I realized I was a 3 year old.
Turtle mustache made me laugh :)
When squirrels ate all the tomatoes in my backyard, it would really be annoying. Eventually, I just let go. I figured it's my service to the squirrels. What a relief from anger!
Chance to practice patience today: a fender bender on the road.
Challenge turns into beauty after a while. Dirty apartment stairs became clean, when I finally stopped being annoyed and asked the apartment manager.
Internal things can be let go -- what about something external? Can you really let go or are we all going to be activists?
Truly letting go of the outcome is to come from a space of love, even if you're resisting.
Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
Olympics: a cabbie in athens returend the silver medal! Cabbies have soooo many opportunities to do acts of kindness. My dream job.
Ajahn Chah's quote could be rap lyrics: if it aint' good, it'll die. if it don't die, make it good.
Paying lot of attention to the mind -- even if you see the light, can you be the light?
The more external reward you have, harder it is to do it. KG, no grades, and everyone enjoys school. High school, not quite the same.
gandhi -- what ever you do is insignificant, but it's most important that you do it.
You can't light someone's path without lighting your own.
Whatever you do, like it.

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