Quotes from Ajahn Chah

Buddhism is a religion of the heart. Only this. One who practices to develop the heart is one who practices Buddhism [...] Use your heart to listen to the Teachings, not your ears.

We never really get away with anything.

When we practice only when we're feeling good, how are we going to get anywhere like that?

Your doubts about your teacher can help you. Take from your teacher what is good, and be aware of your own practice. Wisdom is yourself to watch and develop.

If you see things with real insight, then there is no stickiness in your relationship to them. They come, pleasant and unpleasant, you see them and there is no attachment, They come and they pass. Even if the worst kinds of defilement come up, such as greed or anger, there enough wisdom to see their impermanent nature and allow them to fade away. If you react to them, by liking or disliking, that is not wisdom. You're only creating more suffering for yourself.

Love and hate are both suffering, because of desire. Wanting is suffering, wanting not to have is suffering. Even if you get what you want, it's still suffering because once you've got it, you then live in the fear of losing it. How are you going to live happily with fear?

There's only one book worth reading: the mind

The forest is peaceful, why aren't you? You hold onto things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you. Hear the bird's song then let go. If you know nature, you'll know Dhamma. If you know Dhamma, you'll know nature.

It's all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they are just like us. They flee from suffering and run towards happiness. They also have fear. They fear for their lives just as we do. When we see according to truth, we see that all animals and human beings are no different. We are all mutual companions of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.

When light is produced, we no longer worry about getting rid of darkness, nor do we wonder where the darkness has gone. We just know that there is light.

Remember you don't meditate to get anything, but to get rid of things. We do it, not with desire, but with letting go.

Give up everything, even peace.

A good practice is to ask yourself very sincerely, 'Why was I born?' Ask yourself this question in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night…every day.

At some point your heart will tell itself what to do.

Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: You won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

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

If you let go completely you will have complete peace.

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

If you let go a little you will have a little happiness. If you let go a lot you will have a lot of happiness. If you let go completely you will be free.

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

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little you a will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.

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.