About This Teaching
Training the mind is not simply sitting quietly, Ajahn Chah says; if the mind has samadhi, then walking, standing and lying down are all practice. Those who claim they are too restless and must first use up their bad kamma are like a naughty schoolboy refusing his homework: the restless, wandering mind is exactly the lesson to study.
His central image is a monkey. Someone who has raised a monkey at home is not bothered by the monkeys at the monastery, because they know what monkeys are like. Sensations are the same: pleasant or unpleasant, they are uncertain, transient and ownerless, and knowing this is peace. Just as one cannot only breathe in or only breathe out, life depends on change, and without sensations there could be no wisdom. When a mood changes, simply note that it is not sure. Seeing uncertainty is seeing the Dhamma, and seeing the Dhamma is seeing the Buddha.