In December 2009, I had the pleasure a few days stay in a Buddhist monastery founded in the forest. It was established by venerable Ajachn Chah, to provide English-speaking people the opportunity to train and practice in the way the Buddha taught his monks in the forests 2600 years ago.
Photoes from monastery, here
For those interested - page of monastery WAT PAH NANACHAT
'We have to talk about the Dhamma like this, using similes, because the Dhamma has no form. Is it square or is it round? You can't say. The only way to talk about it is through similes like these.'
Ajahn Chah used to say, 'The Dhamma is revealing itself in every moment, but only when the mind is quiet can we understand what it is saying, for the Dhamma teaches without words.' Ajahn Chah had this uncanny ability to take that wordless Dhamma and convey its truth to his listeners in the form of a simile that was fresh, easy to follow, sometimes humorous, sometimes poetic, but always striking a place in the heart where it would jar or inspire the most: 'We are like maggots; life is like a falling leaf; our mind is like rain water.'
The teachings of Ajahn Chah teem with similes and comparisons like these. We thought it would be a good idea to collect them all in the form of a book as a source of inspiration for those who may want some respite from the 'heat' of the world and seek some rest in the cool and abundant shade of 'a tree in the forest'.
More comparisons of Ajahn Chah below in pdf:
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