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NO AJAHN CHAH : Reflections 
Introduction | I.Birth and Death | II.Body | III.Breath | IV.Dhamma | V.Heart and Mind |
VI.ImpermanenceVII.Kamma | VIII.Meditation Practise | IX.Non-Self | X.Peace | XI.Suffering |
 XII.Teacher | XIII.Understanding and Wisdom | XIV.Virtue | XV.Miscellaneous | Invitation | Glossary
HEART & MIND....

30. Only one book is worth reading : the heart.

31. The Buddha taught us that what ever makes the mind distressed in our practice  hits home. Defilements are distressed .It's not that the mind is distressed! We don’t know what our mind  and defilements are. What ever we aren't satisfied with it. Our way of life is not difficult. What's difficult is not being satisfied , not agreeing with it. Our defilements are the difficulty.

32. The word is in a very feverish state. The mind changes from like to dislike with the feverishness of the world. If we can learn to make the mind still, it will be the greatest help to the world.

33. If your mind is happy, then you happy anywhere you go. When wisdom awakens within you, you will see Truth wherever you look. Truth  is all there is. It's like when you've learned how to read, you can then read anywhere you  go.

34. If you're allergic to one place , you 'll be allergic to every place. But it's not the place outside you that's causing you trouble . It's the "place" inside you.

35. Look at your own mind. The one who carry things thinks he's got things, but the  one who looks on only sees the heaviness. Throw away things, lose them, and find lightness.

36. The mind is intrinsically tranquil. Out of this tranquility, anxiety and confusion are born. If one sees and knows this confusion, then the mind is tranquil once more.

37. Buddhism is a religion of the heart. Only this. One who practices to develop the heart is one who practices Buddhism.

38. When the light is dim, it isn't  easy to see the old spider webs in the corners of a room. But when the light is bright , you can see them clearly and then be able to take them down . When your mind is bright,  you be able to see your defilements clearly, too, and clean them away.
39. Strengthening the mind is not done by making it move around as is done to strengthen the body, but by bringing the mind to a halt, bringing it to rest.

40. Because  people don’t see themselves, they can commit all sorts of bad deeds. They  don’t look at their own  minds. When  people are going to do something bad, they have to look around first to see if anyone is looking : 
" Will my mother seem? " Will my husband see me? " "Will my children see me?" " Will my wife see me? 
If there's  no one  watching , then they go right ahead and do it. This is insulting themselves. They say no one is  watching , so they quickly finish their bad deed  before anyone will  see.  And  what about themselves?  Aren't they a "somebody" watching ?

41. Use your heart to listen to the Teachings, not your ears.

42. There are those to do battle with their defilements and conquer them .This is called fighting inwardly. Those who fight outwardly take hold of bombs and guns to throw and to shoot. They conquer and are conquered. Conquering others is the way of the world . In the practice of Dhamma we don't have to fight others, but instead conquer our own minds, patiently resisting all our moods.

43. Where does rain come from? It comes from all the dirty water that evaporates from the earth, like urine and the water you throw out after washing your feet. Isn't it wonderful how the sky can take that dirty water and change it into pure, clean water? Your mind can do the same with your defilements if you let it.

44. The Buddha said to judge only yourself, and not to judge others, no matter how good or evil they may be.  The Buddha merely points out the way, saying, " The truth is like this. " Now is our mind like that or not?


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