The Teachings of Venerable Ajahn Chah What’s That?

The Teachings of Venerable Ajahn Chah
What’s That?

With the Dhamma, it’s not the case that you’ll awaken because someone else tells you about it. 

You already know that you can’t get serious about asking whether this is that or that is this. 

These things are really personal. We talk just enough for you to contemplate.

It’s like a child who’s never seen anything. He comes out to the countryside and sees a chicken. 

“Daddy, what’s that over there?” He sees a duck. “Daddy, what’s that?” He sees a pig. “Daddy, what’s that over there?” 

The father gets tired of answering. The more he answers, the more the child keeps asking—because it’s never seen these things. After a while, the father simply says, “Hmm.” 

If you keep playing along with the child’s every question, you die of fatigue. The child doesn’t get fatigued. Whatever it sees, “What’s that? What’s this?” It never comes to an end. 

Finally the father says, “When you grow bigger, you’ll know for yourself.”

That’s the way it is with meditation. I used to be like that. I really was. But when you understand, there are none of those questions. You’ve grown up. 

So be intent on contemplating until you understand, and things will gradually unravel themselves. That’s the way it is. Keep watch over yourself as much as you can. Keep watch over yourself as much as you can, to see if you’re lying to yourself. That’s what’s called keeping watch over yourself.

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In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes, by Venerable Ajahn Chah, and translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.