..續本文上一頁should we investigate them or just note them coming and going

　　" If you see someone passing by who you don”t know, you may wonder, "Who is that

　　 Where is he going

　　 What is he up to

　　" But if you know the person, it is enough just to notice him pass by.

　　84

　　Desire in practice can be a friend or an enemy. As a friend, it makes us want to practice, to understand, to end suffering. But to be always desiring something that has not yet arisen, to want things to be other than they are, just causes more suffering, and this is when desire can be a foe. In the end, we must learn to let go of all our desires, even the desire for enlightenment. Only then can we be free.

　　85

　　Someone once asked Ajahn Chah about the way he taught meditation: "Do you use the method of daily interviewing to examine the mind-state of a person

　　" Ajahn Chah responded by saying, "Here I teach disciples to examine their own mind-states, to interview themselves. Maybe a monk is angry today, or maybe he has some desire in his mind. I don”t know it but he should. He doesn”t have to come and ask me about it, does he

　　86

　　Our life is an assembly of elements. We use conventions to describe things, but we get attached to the conventions and take them to be something real. For example, people and things are given names. We could go back to the beginning, before names were given, and call men "women" and women "men" - what would be the difference

　　 But now we cling to names and concepts, so we have the war of the sexes and other wars as well. Meditation is for seeing through all of this. Only then can we reach the unconditioned and be at peace, not at war.

　　87

　　Some people enter the monkhood out of faith, but later walk all over what the Buddha taught. They know better, but refuse to practice rightly. Indeed, there are not many who really practice nowadays.

　　88

　　Theory and practice - the first knows the name of the medicinal plant, and the second goes out to find it and uses it. 89

　　Noise - you like the sound of birds but not that of cars. You”re afraid of people and noises, and you like to live alone in the forest. Let go of the noise and take care of the baby. The "baby" is your practice.

　　90

　　A newly ordained novice asked Ajahn Chah what his advice was for those new to meditation practice. "The same as for those who”ve already been at it for a long time," he replied. And what was that

　　 "Just keep at it," he said.

　　91

　　People say that the Buddha”s teaching is right, but it is impossible to practice in society. They say things like, "I”m young, so I don”t have the opportunity to practice, but when I”m old I”ll practice." Would you say "I”m young, so I don”t have time to eat

　　" If I poked you with a stick that was on fire, would you say "I”m suffering, it”s true, but since I live in this society I can”t get away from it

　　"

　　92

　　Virtue, concentration, and wisdom together make up the heart of Buddhist practice. Virtue keeps the body and speech intact. And the body is the residence of the mind. So practice has the way of virtue, the way of concentration, and the way of wisdom. It”s like a piece of wood cut into three sections, but it”s really only one log. If we want to throw away body and speech, we cannot. If we want to throw away mind, we cannot. We must practice with the body and the mind. So in truth, virtue, concentration, and wisdom are one harmonious union that work together.

　　--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　Non-Self

　　93

　　A devout elderly lady from a nearby province came on a pilgrimage to Wat Pah Pong. She told Ajahn Chah she could stay only a short time, as she had to return to take care of her grandchildren, and since she was an old lady, she asked if he could please give her a brief Dhamma talk. Ajahn…

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