The Way to Practice

Q: A lot of times it seems that many monks here are not practising. They look sloppy or unmindful. This disturbs me.

It is not proper to watch other people. This will not help your practice. If you are annoyed, watch the annoyance in your own mind. If others' discipline is bad or they are not good monks, this is not for you to judge. You will not discover widsom watching others. Monks' discipline is a tool to use for your own meditation. It is not a weapon to use to criticize or find fault. No one can do your practice for you, nor can you do practice for anyone else. Just be mindful of your own doings. This is the way to practice.

-Ajahn Chah, "Bodhinyana"


Were to compare myself to other Buddhists, I would engage in the evils resulting from judging other people.

So what if a person looks like they are not practising? Who cares if they look sloppy or unmindful? It's none of my business.

For few times I have heard so-called Buddhists complaining about other Buddhists, I'd like to just tell them, "Stop comparing yourself to other people!"

Instead, I just return to quietly chanting the Nembutsu.

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Originally posted: February 25, 2006 11:45 PM PST

Where's the Horse?

Q: I can observe anger and work with greed, but how does one observe delusion?

A: You're riding a horse and asking "Where's the horse?" Pay attention.

-Ajahn Chah

In this quote by the Buddhist monk Ajahn Chah, the horse refers to the fettered mind, full of delusion.

For the purpose of meditation is to relieve the mind of spiritual delusion, leaving it unfettered.

Thus, the question - "How does one observe delusion?" - shows inattention.

Like a rider on a horse,
I ride in control of my mind.
I rise above anger, greed, and delusion
with attentive concentration.

Like a rider on a horse,
I ride in control of my mind.
Free of fetters, the mind cares
for the body to become as one.

Like a rider on a horse,
I ride in control of my mind.
In taking care of the body,
the mind discovers unconditional love.