The Teachings of Ajahn Chah - Buddhism

1 EBUDDHANET'SBOOKLIBRARYE-mail: site: Dharma Education Association collection of Dhamma TalksThe Teachings of Ajahn ChahThe Teachings of Ajahn ChahTHETEACHINGS OFAJAHNCHAH- A collectionofAjahnChah's translatedDhammatalks-TheTeachingsofAjah nChah- A collectionofAjahnChah's translatedDhammatalks-Copyrightc 2004 TheSangha,Wat NongPahPongForfreedistribution Itis thespiritofd ana, freelyofferedgenerosity, whichhaskepttheentireBuddhisttraditional ive formorethan2,500years. Sabbad ana mdhammad ana mjin ati`ThegiftofDhammaexcelsallgifts'Thisco mputereditionof`TheTeachingsofAjahnChah' maybefreelycopiedandredistributedelectro nically, providedthatthe lecontents(includingthisagreement)arenot alteredinany wayandthatit is distributedat ; reproduction(inwholeorpart,inanyform)for sale,pro tormaterialgainis NongPahPongTambonNonPeungAmpherWarinCham rabUbonRachathani34190 ThailandThis( rst)edition:november2004 Futureeditionswillincludenew translationsofAjahnChah's Dhammatalks,if NoteonTranslation9 AboutTeachingsforMonks11 Translator's Forewordto`EverythingIsTeachingUs'13 AboutAjahnChah16 PicturesofAjahnChah18 LearningtoListen20II Bodhinyana 22 Fragmentsofa Teaching23A GiftofDhamma28 DhammaNature32 TheTwo FacesofReality37 TheTrainingoftheHeart,46 LivingWiththeCobra53 ReadingtheNaturalMind56 JustDoIt!

2 ,673 QuestionsandAnswers72 III A TasteofFreedom 82 TrainingthisMind83 OnMeditation84 ThePathinHarmony88 TheMiddleWayWithin92 ThePeaceBeyond97 OpeningtheDhammaEye104 ConventionandLiberation113 NoAbiding118 RightView- thePlaceofCoolness122 Epilogue125IV LivingDhamma 127 MakingtheHeartGood128 Why Are We Here?133 OurRealHome140 TheFourNobleTruths147 Meditation154 LivingintheWorldwithDhamma161 VenerableEmpty-Scripture166 Still,FlowingWater174 TowardtheUnconditioned182V FoodfortheHeart 193 DhammaFighting1944 UnderstandingVinaya198 MaintainingtheStandard206 RightPractice SteadyPractice212 Samm a Sam adhi theFountofWisdom247 NotSure! TheStandardoftheNobleOnes257 Transcendence266VI ThePathtoPeace 276 ThePathtoPeace277 EveningSitting292 VII ClarityofInsight 299 ClarityofInsight300 SufferingontheRoad315 VIII UnshakeablePeace(TheKeytoLiberation) 334 UnshakeablePeace,335IX EverythingIsTeachingUs 363 AboutBeingCareful364It CanBeDone375 MonasteryofConfusion385 UnderstandingDukkha395 WholeheartedTraining40156 KnowingtheWorld417 TheDhammaGoesWestward426 ListeningBeyondWords435X More DhammaTalks 438 RightRestraint439 EvenOneWordIsEnough448A MessagefromThailand,456 QuestionsandAnswerswithAjahnChah458 XIGlossaryofPaliWords464 GlossaryofPaliWords465 PartIIntroduction7 PrefaceTHE FOLLOWINGDHAMMABOOKSofAjahnChahhave beenincludedinthiscollec-tionofAjahnChah 's Dhammatalks.

3 Bodhinyana(1982) A TasteofFreedom( fthimpression 2002) LivingDhamma(1992) FoodfortheHeart(1992) ThePathtoPeace(1996) ClarityofInsight(2000) UnshakeablePeace(2003) Everythingis TeachingUs(2004)Theformattingusedinthese booksvaries,sosomechangeswerenecessaryto make rstchapterof`ATasteofFreedom'(Trainingth isMind) `EverythingisTeachingUs'theoriginal,more completetranslationwaspreferredabove thepublished, beenincludedinthelastsectioncalled`MoreD hammaTalks'.We hopeoureffortsincompilingthiscollectiono fDhammatalksofAjahnChahwillbeofbene ;`KnowingtheWorld',`UnderstandingDukkha' and`MonasteryofConfusion'8A NoteonTranslationMostofthetalksinthiscol lectionwereoriginallytakenfromoldcassett etaperecordingsofVenerableAjahnChah,some inThaiandsomeintheNorth-EasternDialect, cultyintheworkoftranslation, ,thevarioustranslatorshave triedtobeasexactaspossiblewiththecontent oftheteachingsbut have ,inthecourseoftime, ,theThai arome referstothePali senseobjectormentalimpression,butitscomm onmeaningis mood or emotion.

4 TheVenerableAjahnusesthesewordsinbothway sandwehave occasionallybeenleftasthey are, ThosePaliwordswhichwereconsideredshorten oughoffa-miliarenoughtothereaderalreadyc onversantwithBuddhistterminologyhave culty, asthey ,orwordsconsid-eredtobeprobablyunfamilia rtotheaveragereader, have ,therearetwo whichareparticularlynoteworthy. They areK amasukhalik anuyogoandAttakil-amath anuyogo, whichhave beentranslatedas IndulgenceinPleasure and IndulgenceinPain respectively. Thesetwo wordsoccurinnolessthan ve ofthetalksincludedinthisbook,andalthough thetranslationsprovidedherearenotthosege nerallyusedforthewords,they areneverthelessinkeepingwiththeVenerable Ajahn 's dull,over-literalapproachanda more owing,butlesspreciserenderinghasn't alwaysbeeneasy. managedtobringoutboththeclearsimplicity, thedirectnessandthehumorofthesetalksonth eonehand,andatthesametime, histalksinsimple, wastoclarifytheDhamma, 's toapologizeforany passageswhichremainunclear, NOTEONTRANSLATION10 TheSangha,Wat OF THE MOSTNOTABLEFEATURESofVenerableAjahnChah' s teachingwastheemphasishegave totheSangha,themonasticorder, anditsuseasa hisuniquegiftforteachinglaypeople,whiche nabledhimtocommunicatebrilliantlywithpeo plefromallwalksoflife,bethey monasterieswhichgrewuparoundhim,bothwith inThailandand,later, in England,Australia, a collectionoftalkshegave tobothlaypeopleandmonks1.

5 Thetalkshegave to monksareexhortationsgivento thecommunitiesofbhikkhus, orBuddhistmonks,athisownmonastery, WatPahPong, ,andindeedcannot,serve aremonasticteachings, ofthesetalkswillthusseemstrangeandevenda untingtothelayreader, tomonksinThailand,then,itisessentialtobe arinmindtheenvironmentwithinwhichtheseta lksweregiven therugged,austere,poverty-strickenNorth- EastcornerofThailand,birthplaceofmostofT hailand's ruggedsimplicityandgentlepatiencewhichma ke themidealcandidatesfortheforestmonk's ,insmallhallsdimlylitbyparaf nlamps,surroundedbytheassemblyofmonks,Aj ahnChahgave , themonks' slacknessinthepractice,confusionaboutthe rules,orjustplain unenlightenment. Ina lifestylecharacterizedbysimplicityandcon tentmentwithlittle,complacency isanongoingtendency, ectbackonhisownpracticeaccordingly,1 Alltalkshave a footnoteonthe rstpage, monasticresident beonea monk,nunornovice theinterestedlayreaderwillnodoubtobtainm any 'sownpracticewhichaboundthroughoutthem; ,it willbeseenthatthetrainingofthemindis not,asmany believe, simplya matterofsittingwiththeeyesclosedorperfec tinga meditationtechnique,butis,asAjahnChahwou ldsay, a greatrenunciation.

6 Thetranslatorof'FoodfortheHeart' Translator's Forewordto`EverythingIsTeachingUs'INAPRI LOF2001, severalhundredpeoplegatheredinPortolaVal ley, California,fora weekendbilledas'TheLife,Times,andTeachin gsofAjahnChah.' Monks,nunsandlaypeople,disciplespresenta ndpast,alongwithmany joyfulandilluminatingdays,peoplegave personalrecollections,readfromteachings, anddiscussedAjahnChah's wasa once-in-a-lifetimemomentthatbroughtbacka lotofmemoriesforallthespeakers,perhapsca ppedbyAjahnSumedho's re ectiononhow'thisonelittleman'haddonesomu chwithhislifeforthebene wasa freaked-outyoungman,I dumpedmyselfonthedoorstepofAjahnChah's ,emotionallyimmature,andspirituallyblind ,Ihadnowheretogointhisworld, mea ,doctor, teacher,mentor, priest,andSantaClaus,comedianandtaskmast er, saviorandnemesis,alwayswaitingwellaheado fme,alwaysreadywiththeunimaginable,theun expected,andthebene alsosaw himworkhismagiconmany 've hadoccasiontorealizehowextraordinaryit wastohave theundistractedattentionofsucha great(andbusy)

7 Masterforsolongandhow lefttherobesandAjahnChahin1977,yetoverth eyearsI've gonebackagainandagain,tomonasteriesinTha iland,England, ,atthesuggestionofAjahnPasannoofAbhayagi riMonasteryinRedwoodValley, California,IcontactedShambhalaPublicatio nsandembarkedona translationofAjahnChah's teach-ingsthatendedupin2001as`BeingDharm a:TheEssenceoftheBuddha's Teachings '.Sincethen,I've foundmyselfunabletostayawayfromAjahnChah 's Teachings ,andI've hadwhatisprobablythenotuncommonexperienc eofseeingmyawe,reverence,andappreciation forthisgreatmastercontinuetogrow. Soit wasmostwelcomewhenIheardthatfriendsinMel bourne,Australia,wishedtopublishsomeofth esemorerecenttranslations.'Everythingis teachingus'summarizesAjahnChah's approachquiteneatly. Show-ingustheimmediacy oftheDhamma,hedemysti edtheconceptsofBuddhismsothatalmostanyon ewholistenedcouldgetthepoint,bethey barelyliteratefarmersorhighlyeducatedcit ypeople, ,andthroughhisunmatchedskillpeopleusuall ygotmorethanthey nances,yethemightbe13 TRANSLATOR'SFOREWORDTO `EVERYTHINGISTEACHINGUS'14justaslikelyto tellthemaboutmakingcausesforrealizationo fNibb visitinggrouponthebasicsofmorality, withoutmoralizingandina waythatwasuplifting,butwouldgentlyremind themoftheirmortalityat theendofinfusingthemwithhisinfectioushap piness.

8 DiscoursebyexpoundingthemostbasicBuddhis tideasandseamlesslymove Hewasn't ,pointingoutitsmany advantages,yethegaveprofoundteachingstol aypeopleandshowedrealrespectforanyonewit ha sincerein-terest, anaandemphasizedtheneedforconcentration, whileat othertimeshepointedoutthatmeretran-quila bidingisa deadendandthatforrealinsightpractice,sam 's monasterieswereknownforstrictnessaswella sa certain exibilityrootedin a reverenceforthepathofpracticelaiddownbyt heLordBuddha,alongwithanintenselypractic alapproachthatsoughttorealizetheessenceo fwhattheBuddhataught,whichis ;AjahnChahgivesusthe'badnews'aboutthesho rtcomingsofordinary, worldlyexistenceandemphasizesrenunciatio nasthekey, , Makingofferings,listeningtoteachings,pra cticingmeditation, forthepurposeofliberation,freedomfromall theseconditionsandphenomena. joyous,vibrantfreedomthatspoke volumesabouttheworthoftheBuddha's 't preparehistalksorteachfromnotes,nordidhe give singletalkwillcovermany oftheteachingshave a rambling,streamofconsciousness(perhaps's treamofwisdom'describesit better)quality, andit is quitevalidto gooff ontangents,onlytocomebacktoanunderlyingt heme,whileotherstake timetowarmuptothemainthemeandthendevelop it relentlessly.

9 Sothisbookneednotbereadfromthebeginning, theglow ofAjahnChah's 't readina hurryormerelyenjoy AjahnChah's giftedspeaker, andthe owofhiswordscanbeentertaining,evenmesmer izing,buthisteachingsarerichinmeaning,an dthefullimportis to behadbyreadingandcontemplating, discerningspirit,nottakinganythingonhiss ay-so. Thosewhoeasilybelieve othersaresaidbytheBuddhatobefoolish, apologizeinadvanceforany ,somethingis wishtothankAjahnPasannoofAbhayagiriMonas tery, California, thisvolumecanpointTRANSLATOR'SFOREWORDTO `EVERYTHINGISTEACHINGUS'15somethingoutto helpevena few peoplelearnmoreabouttheirownmindsandenco uragethemonthepathtoliberation,theeffort stoproduceit willhave 'Everythingis TeachingUs'(PaulBreiter)AboutAjahnChahVE NERABLEAJAHNCHAH(PhraBodhi anaThera)wasbornintoa typicalfarmingfamilyin a ruralvillagein theprovinceofUbonRachathani, ,in rstpartofhislifeasany otheryoungsterinruralThailand,and,follow ingthecustom,tookordinationasa noviceinthelocalvillageWatfora numberofyears,wherehelearnedtoreadandwri te, numberofyearshereturnedtothelaylifetohel phisparents,but,feelinganattractiontothe monasticlife,attheageoftwentyheagainente reda Wat,thistimeforhigherordinationasa bhikkhu, rstfewyearsofhisbhikkhulifestudyingsomeb asicDhamma,dis-ciplineandscriptures,butt hedeathofhisfatherawakenedhimtothetransi enceoflifeandinstilledinhima desireto ndtherealessenceoftheBuddha's ,studyingthemonasticdisciplineindetailan dspendingashortbutenlighteningperiodwith VenerableAjahnMun,themostoutstandingThai for-estmeditationmasterofthiscentury.

10 FollowinghistimewithVenerableAjahnMun,he wanderedfora numberofyearsinthestyleofanasceticmonk,s pendinghistimeinforests,cavesandcrematio ngrounds, yearsoftravel andpractice,hewasinvitedtosettleina wasuninhabited,knownasa placeofcobras,tigersandghosts,thusbeinga shesaid,theperfectlocationfora 's impeccableapproachtomeditation,orDhammap ractice,andhissimple,directstyleofteachi ng,withtheemphasisonpracticalapplication anda balancedattitude,begantoattracta largemonasteryformedaroundAjahnChahasmor eandmoremonks, 's simpleyetprofoundstyleofteachinghasa specialappealto Westerners,andmany have cometostudyandpracticewithhim,quitea few formany rstwesternercametostayatWatPahPong, , ,the rstbranchmonasteryforwesternandothernon- Thainationalsinterestedinundertakingmona stictraining, 's ,andhelpedtoestablishthe rstbranchmonasteryinSussex, grownupinEngland,France,Australia,New Zealand, ,which,however, , however, forwhomtheteachingsofAjahnChahwerea ,carefullytendedbyhismonksandnovices,Ven erableAjahnChahpassedawayonthe16thofJanu ary, 1992,attheageof74,leavingbehinda thrivingcommunityofmonasteriesandlaysupo rters,bothinThailandandinEngland,Switzer land,Italy, Australia, ,wherethepractiseoftheBuddha's ,thetrainingwhichheestablishedis stillcarriedonat Wat PahPonganditsbranchmonasteries,ofwhichth erearecurrentlymorethantwo strict,enablingonetoleada simpleandpurelifeina harmoniouslyregulatedcommunitywherevirtu e, usuallygroupmeditationtwiceadayandsometi mesa talkbytheseniorteacher, but theheartofthemeditationis ,dyeandsew theirownrobes,make liveextremelysimplyfollowingtheasceticpr eceptsofeatingoncea andmeditatein solitude,andwherethey a wayoflivingandbeing,andAjahnChahhasendea voredtopreserve 's is oftenonlyafterwehave heardsomethingmany timesthatsuddenlyourmindsareripeandsome- howtheteachingtakesona.