Wisdom From Ajahn Chah

I recently began re-reading Food For the Heart, Ajahn Chah's wonderful book. The man was a gem. Here's a taste of what he was like. (From TempleNews.)

As old flowers fall from a jasmine plant let lust and hatred fall away. v.377 

Ajahn Chah was in London, staying at the Hampstead Vihara. The monks were troubled by the noise that was coming from the pub across the road. Ajahn Chah told them that the cause of suffering was their sending attention out to trouble the sound. Sound itself is just so. Suffering only arises when we ‘go out’ and add something extra. Seeing our part in creating problems, a shift in the way we view struggles takes place. Instead of blaming, we simply ‘see’ what we are doing, in the moment. Let’s not get into a fight with hatred; exercising careful restraint and wise reflection, we let ‘fall away’. 

Initially we see this only after we have reacted and created suffering. With practice we catch it sooner. One day, we will catch ourselves just as we are about to create the problem. Ajahn Munindo Reflection.