Ajahn Chah

Once you understand non-self, then the burden of life is gone. You'll be at peace with the world. When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness and we can truly be happy. Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are - no holding on, no attachment, free.

When sitting in meditation, say, "That's not my business!" with every thought that comes by.

If you haven't wept deeply, you haven't begun to meditate.

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.

Meditation is like a single log of wood. Insight and investigation are one end of the log; calm and concentration are the other end. If you lift up the whole log, both sides come up at once. Which is concentration and which is insight? Just this mind.

The heart is just the heart; thoughts and feelings are just thoughts and feelings. Let things be just as they are.

Happiness and suffering do not depend on being poor or rich, they depend on having the right or wrong understanding in our mind.

Read yourself, not books. Truth isn't outside, that's only memory, not wisdom. Memory without wisdom is like an empty thermos bottle - if you don't fill it, it's useless.

A madman and an arahant both smile, but the arahant knows why while the madman doesn't.

Just know what is happening in your mind - not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer see it, know it, and be empty. It's like a letter - you have to open it before you can know what's in it.

To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, 'Don't cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.'

All that I have said up to now has merely been words._x000D_ When people come to see me, I have to say something._x000D_ But it is best not to speak about these matters too much._x000D_ Better to begin practice without delay. _x000D_ I am like a good friend inviting you to go somewhere._x000D_ Do not hesitate, just get going. You won't regret it.

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

The Dhamma has to be found by looking into your own heart and seeing that which is true and that which is not, that which is balanced and that which is not balanced.

With even a little intuitive wisdom we will be able to see clearly the ways of the world. We will come to understand that everything in the world is our teacher.

Things are simply the way they are. They don't give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering? No. It's simply a thorn. It doesn't give suffering to anybody. If _x000D_ we step on it, we suffer immediately. _x000D_ Why do we suffer? Because we _x000D_ stepped on it. So the suffering comes from us.

Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment, the effort to overcome laziness and merit, the effort to make each activity of our day meditation.

The Dhamma has to sink deeply into the mind so that whatever we do, the mind has always goodness within it. All the ways of making merit are aiming at this. Goodness lies in the right view that is established in the mind. Then we don't have to celebrate it or let anybody know about it, simply let the mind have firm confidence in the goodness and keep going like this.

To give up doing evil is more important than making merit.

The Dharma Path is to keep walking forward. But the true Dharma has no going forward, no going backward, and no standing still.

Where does peace arise? Peace arises whenever we let something go.