Still Mind – Stilled Mind

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Kneeler, St. Mary’s Church, Outhgill, Mallerstang

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don’t accept praise
or gain or anything else. If you let go a little you will have a
little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if
you let go completely you will have complete peace.

~Ajahn Chah

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2 thoughts on “Still Mind – Stilled Mind”

  1. Sometimes this can sail close to quietism. Letting go of complete peace too seems required. But I’m raising waves where there are none.
    In gassho

  2. Well Walter, the thing is all to do with what is understood as complete peace. Peace can be understood as an absence of that which is disturbing peace. I actually see peace, when I think about the idea in terms of training/practice/understanding it (peace) being the inclusion of everything, including that which disturbs it. And for that to be true, for somebody to realise complete peace it would be known as having peace of mind.

    It is not unusual for somebody close to death to realise this, to know peace of mind. Perhaps it is that there is no option other than to ‘let go’ of that which disturbs them. This happened close to the end of my mothers life and I know others have similar experiences passed to them by their close-to-death relatives.

    I wrote something about letting go in a previous entry. (cant find that post at the moment) I seem to remember talking about ‘letting it go’ where the it is striving and struggling. Obviously struggling and striving for peace (or anything else) thinking that will be achieved by ‘simply letting go’ is obviously not it. But many people imagine that is what our practice is.

    Sitting still in the midst of circumstances is how I describe ‘what I do’ during the day. And this is not a passive thing, because circumstances call for a response. There is just no way of getting away from that. Responding wisely is my basic intention.

    I hear you when you talk of quietism Walter. It is good to raise waves sometimes. Even when one knows there are none! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write late into the evening while I wait for a pot of rice to cook. It is cooked now, time to sleep.

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