Stillness Flowing: The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahA biography about Ajahn Chah, one of the greatest meditation teachers within Theravāda Buddhism of the last century. Ajahn Chah steadily practiced the path of morality, concentration and wisdom to the highest point, the complete liberation, Nibbāna (Nirvana). His teachings on meditation and Buddhist philosophy are simple, full of humour but at the same time […]
The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahAjahn Chah’s teachings were disarming in their directness and inspiring in their relevance. He would say: “If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. And if you let go completely, you will have complete peace.” Noticing the thickness […]
Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahThe Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhaddo (June 17, 1918 – January 16, 1992) was an influential meditation teacher within Buddhism and the founder of two great monasteries in the Thai Buddhist forest tradition. He was respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, and was instrumental in establishing Theravāda Buddhism in […]
The Mindful Way – Ajahn Chah
The EditorsThis short documentary, made in 1977, shows the daily life in the main monastery of Ajahn Chah, Wat Pah Pong in Ubon Rachathani, Thailand. The highlights of the film are inspirational short fragments of Ajahn Chah himself, in which he talks about life as a monk, Dhamma and meditation. We also get a glimpse of […]
Training this Mind
Ajahn ChahA Dhammatalk by Ajahn Chah. This talk was previously printed as a different translation under the title ‘About this Mind’. Training this mind… actually there’s nothing much to this mind. It’s simply radiant in and of itself. It’s naturally peaceful. Why the mind doesn’t feel peaceful right now is because it gets lost in its […]
Dhamma Nature
Ajahn ChahDelivered to the Western disciples at Bung Wai Forest Monastery during the rains retreat of 1977, just after one of the senior monks had disrobed and left the monastery Sometimes, when a fruit tree is in bloom, a breeze stirs and scatters blossoms to the ground. Some buds remain and grow into a small green […]
Living With the Cobra
Ajahn ChahA brief talk given as final instruction to an elderly Englishwoman who spent two months under the guidance of Ajahn Chah at the end of 1978 and beginning of 1979 This short talk is for the benefit of a new disciple who will soon be returning to London. May it serve to help you understand […]
Reading the Natural Mind
Ajahn ChahAn informal talk given to a group of newly ordained monks after the evening chanting, middle of the Rains Retreat, 1978 …) Our way of practice is looking closely at things and making them clear. We’re persistent and constant, yet not rushed or hurried. Neither are we too slow. It’s a matter of gradually feeling […]
Just Do It
Ajahn ChahA lively talk, in Lao dialect, given to the Assembly of newly-ordained Monks at Wat Pah Pong on the day of entering the Rains Retreat, July 1978 . Previously a different translation of this Dhamma talk was printed under the title ‘Start Doing It!’ Just keep breathing in and out like this. Don’t be interested […]
A Gift of Dhamma
Ajahn ChahA discourse delivered to the assembly of Western monks, novices and lay-disciples at Bung Wai Forest Monastery, Ubon, on the 10th of October, 1977. This discourse was offered to the parents of one of the monks on the occasion of their visit from France. I am happy that you have taken this opportunity to come […]
Samatha vs Vipassanā
The EditorsVipassanā means as much as ‘insight’ and is often translated as insight meditation. Sometimes this is seen as a separate form of Buddhist meditation. Many people immediately want this insight in the assumption that this is what it is all about. They have heard that the direct practice of vipassanā without prior high concentration is the quickest way. […]
Freedom from Buddha Nature
Thānissaro Bhikkhu“What is the mind? The mind isn’t ‘is’ anything.” — Ajahn Chah “The mind is neither good nor evil, but it’s what knows good and knows evil. It’s what does good and does evil. And it’s what lets go of good and lets go of evil.” — Ajahn Lee A brahman once asked the Buddha, […]
Bodhinyana
Ajahn ChahThis was the first compilation of a series of translated talks by Ajahn Chah. After its initial printing in 1979 it has been reprinted many times. The book contains talks on daily-life practice, formal practice as well as a session of questions and answers.
Everything is Teaching Us
Ajahn ChahThis book summarizes Ajahn Chah’s approach quite neatly. Showing us the immediacy of the Dhamma, he demystified the concepts of Buddhism so that almost anyone who listened could get the point, be they barely literate farmers or highly educated city people, Thais or Westerners. Yet nothing was compromised, and through his unmatched skill people usually […]
Food for the Heart
Ajahn ChahRenowned for the beauty and simplicity of his teachings, Ajahn Chah was Thailand’s best-known meditation teacher. His charisma and wisdom influenced many American and European seekers, and helped shape the American Vipassana community. This collection brings together for the first time Ajahn Chah’s most powerful teachings, including those on meditation, liberation from suffering, calming the […]
In Simple Terms
Ajahn ChahAjahn Chah was a master at using the apt and unusual simile to explain points of Dhamma. The translations of these similes have been polished as little as possible, for their unpolished nature is precisely what reveals unexpected layers of meaning. This book is a companion to It’s Like This.
It’s Like This
Ajahn ChahAjahn Chah was a master at using the apt and unusual simile to explain points of Dhamma. He was especially talented at exploiting the open-ended nature of the simile – using a particular image to make one point in one context, and a very different point in another. This book is a companion to In Simple Terms.
Living Dhamma
Ajahn ChahThis is a collection of nine transcribed Dhamma talks given by Ajahn Chah to the lay community as well as to the monastic community in Thailand.
Meditation: A Collection of Talks on Cultivating the Mind
Ajahn ChahThis compilation consists of five talks and three question and answer sessions by the renowned Thai Forest Tradition teacher Venerable Ajahn Chah. The selected talks mainly deal with the topic of meditation, both tranquility meditation as well as insight meditation. Ajahn Chah discusses the beginning steps as well as the higher stages and this book […]
Still Flowing Water
Ajahn ChahA collection of eight new or significantly revised translations of Ajahn Chah’s Dhamma talks by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. Two of them have never been translated before into English, and four of them are based on entirely new Thai transcriptions of the best and most complete source recordings available.
A Taste of Freedom
Ajahn ChahThis book contains ten Dhamma talks given by the renowned Thai meditation master Venerable Ajahn Chah. In a clear and simple yet penetrative style, the author describes how one can realize true freedom and peace through the development of one’s mind.
On Meditation
Ajahn ChahIn this short work there are some Dhamma talks by Ajahn Chah about meditation. Ajahn Chah talks about buddho, samādhi (concentration) and wisdom. It’s a good start to get a feeling for his way of teaching, which is close to Ahba’s teachings.
Clarity of Insight
Ajahn ChahTwo lessons on meditation given by Ajahn Chah. The first lesson is about meditating on buddho, the meditation method that Ajahn Chah frequently taught. Ajah Chah teaches how to make the mind pure and clear through meditation on buddho and the development of samādhi (concentration). By training the mind with samatha meditation, clear insight (vipassanā) can […]
Samatha Meditation: Foundation for Insight
adminWhen the Buddha spoke about meditation, he spoke about samādhi. The word samādhi comes from ‘sam-a-dha’, which means as much as ‘gathering’, ‘uniting’ or ‘unifying’ the mind. In other words: concentration. The word samādhi is almost synonymous with the word samatha (calm) and samatha meditation is the meditation method by which one develops samādhi. Concentration […]
Verify for Yourself
Guy E. Dubois“Verify for yourself,” the Buddha said to his followers, “whether what I teach corresponds with the truth.” He condensed this into one word: Ehipassiko – ‘Come and see’. Things are not ‘true’ because the Buddha says so. They are ‘true’ because they correspond with the truth. With Dhamma. And they correspond with the truth if […]
Still, Flowing Water
Ajahn ChahNow please pay attention, not allowing your mind to wander off after other things. Create the feeling that right now you are sitting on a mountain or in a forest somewhere, all by yourself. What do you have sitting here right now? There are body and mind, that’s all, only these two things. All that […]
Factors for Awakening Part 8: Equanimity
Thānissaro BhikkhuWhen the Buddha lists the factors for awakening, equanimity comes at the end of the list, which gives the impression that it’s the highest of the list. And in one way it is, but in many ways it’s not. It’s listed as one of the factors that’s useful on some occasions. When the mind is […]
Factors for Awakening Part 7: Concentration
Thānissaro BhikkhuFocus your attention right here. The mind will be creating other “heres” to carry you away from right here. But you don’t have to go with them. Ajahn Lee’s image is of a post at the edge of the sea. The sea rises, but the post doesn’t rise with the sea. The sea ebbs away, […]
Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas
Bhikkhu BodhiThe arahant ideal and the bodhisattva ideal are often considered the respective guiding ideals of Theravāda Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism. This assumption is not entirely correct, for the Theravāda tradition has absorbed the bodhisattva ideal into its framework and thus recognizes the validity of both arahantship and Buddhahood as objects of aspiration. It would therefore […]
Our Real Home
Ajahn ChahA Dhamma-talk by Ajahn Chah to an aging lay disciple approaching death, translated from the Thai by the Sangha at Wat Pah Nanachat: Now determine in your mind to listen with respect to the Dhamma. During the time that I am speaking, be as attentive to my words as if it was the Lord Buddha himself […]
The 16 Best Books on Buddhism & Meditation
The EditorsYou started meditating, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s a way to relax a bit more, to let go of stress, or to make suffering that you have experienced more bearable. Maybe the meditation is driven by the feeling that there is more we can access, or it is part of an investigation of reality. It […]
Venerable Empty-Scripture
Ajahn ChahThere are two ways to support Buddhism. One is known as āmisapūjā, supporting through material offerings. These are the four requisites of food, clothing, shelter and medicine. This is to support Buddhism by giving material offerings to the Sangha of monks and nuns, enabling them to live in reasonable comfort for the practice of Dhamma. This fosters the […]
Questions & Answers on Meditation
Ajahn ChahOne of the most delightful ways to receive instruction from Ajahn Chah is to sit at his cottage and listen as he answers questions for the monks of the monastery and the constant stream of lay visitors. It is here that one can see the universality of this way of practice, for although on some […]
Ahba’s Chant and Dhamma talk in Australia
The EditorsAjahn Kalyano, himself a pupil of the famous meditation teacher Ajahn Anan, in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, invited Ahba to oversee the opening of the Dhammacakka hall of his monastery in Australia. In these audio fragments we first hear an introduction by Ajahn Kalyano himself, followed by Ahba’s paritta chant, a blessing in Pali, […]
Frequently Asked Questions
The EditorsBy now you can find a lot of information on our website. That in itself is very nice, but if you came to our website with a specific question it can be quite challenging to find the fitting material. That is why we have written this reading guide. Here we try to point you to […]