Question: A friend of mine went to practise with a Zen teacher. He asked him, ‘When the Buddha was sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, what was he doing?’ The Zen master answered, ‘He was practising zazen!’ My friend said, ‘I… Read More ›
Thai Forest Tradition
Do you know what this mind is? by Ajahn Chah
In our practice it isn’t necessary to talk of samatha or vipassanā; just call it the practice of Dhamma, that’s enough.
Switching on the Light of Awareness, by Ajahn Sumedho
Question: Would you call awareness ‘enlightenment’?
Questions of monks to their teacher Ajahn Chah
Greed and hatred are the same in an Eastern or a Western mind. Suffering and the cessation of suffering are the same for all people.
The teaching grates against our desires, by Ajahn Chah
So, if there’s friction in your practice, then it’s right. If there’s no friction it’s not right, you just eat and sleep as much as you want. When you want to go anywhere or say anything, you just follow your desires. The teaching of the Buddha grates.
People Want the World to be Safe, by Ajahn Sumedho
The Buddha, on the other hand, takes down all the barriers and leaves an empty space. As you let go of your emotional habits you find it is very peaceful, it’s universal, it’s what you really are; you’re not the limitations that you identify with. You are not the human body. What does that mean?
Both Happiness and Unhappiness are Unsatisfactory, by Ajahn Chah
The Buddha knew that because both happiness and unhappiness are unsatisfactory, they have the same value. When happiness arose he let it go. He had right practice, seeing that both these things have equal values and drawbacks.
If you don’t let go, there will be suffering, by Ajahn Chah
In the field of conventional reality, one side is right and the other side is wrong, and there can never be complete agreement. Arguing till the tears fall, however, is of no use whatsoever. The Buddha taught non-clinging.
