This free ebook A Tree in a Forest is a collection of Ajahn Chah’s similes. Talking about Dhamma via similes is a creative way to understand the teachings.
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A Tree in a Forest: A Collection of Ajahn Chah’s Similes gathers similes from the teaching of Ajahn Chah (1918–1992) of Wat Pah Pong, Thailand. © Dhamma Garden 1994, first printing 1994, printed in Taiwan. Following Ajahn Chah’s wish that his Dhamma teachings not be sold, the PDF says the book is published for free distribution only, prohibits reproduction for sale, profit, or gain, and names Yuan Kuang Publishing House in Chungli, Taiwan, as the contact for copies or permission to reprint for free distribution. One simile, “Aimless Wanderer,” follows as an excerpt.
A Tree in a Forest Excerpt:
AIMLESS WANDERER
When we have no real home, we’re like an aimless wanderer out on the road, going this way for a while and then that way, stopping for a while and then setting off again. Until we return to our real home, whatever we do we feel ill-at-ease, just like somebody who’s left his village to go on a journey. Only when he gets home again can he really relax and be at ease.
Nowhere in the world is any real peace to be found. That’s the nature of the world. Look within yourself and find it there instead. When we think of the Buddha and how truly he spoke, we feel how worthy he is of reverence and respect. Whenever we see the truth of some thing, we see his teachings, even if we’ve never actually practised Dhamma. But even if we have knowledge of the teaching, have studied and practised them, but still have not seen their truth, then we’re still homeless like the aimless wanderer.
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More about Ajahn Chah is at ajahnchah.org.
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© Dhamma Garden 1994. Published for free distribution only; reproduction for sale, profit, or gain is prohibited, as stated in the PDF.
