All you need is Kindfulness

A Collection of
Ajahn Brahm Quotes








This collection is dedicated to:

VENERABLE ACHARIYA BUDDHARAKKHITA
WHO PASSED AWAY ON THE 23
RD
OF SEPTEMBER 2013.
I am grateful for his advice and guidance.
Bada Bhante (as we lovingly used to call him)
gave me my monastic name Bodhidhaja
in 2003, when I temporarily ordained
in Bangalore (South India).


ALSO TO MY FATHER KAREL VRTICKA
WHO PASSED AWAY ON THE 2
ND
OF APRIL 2013.
With gratitude for his love and care
and for supporting me even though he could
not fully understand the path I chose in life.
Thank you Daddy for allowing me to be
so close to you during the last
two months of your life.







































Preface

The 64 quotes from Ajahn Brahm's teachings in this
collection have been gathered from various talks delivered
between 2009 and 2013. The teachings were either given
to the lay people at Nollamara Centre and Jhana Grove
Meditation Retreat Centre or to monastics at Bodhinyana
Monastery and overseas in Sri Lanka. The background
photos have been taken over the last seven years in
Germany, New Zealand, Ladakh (North India),
Australia, Switzerland, England and the Czech
Republic.

To give this work a bit of structure, the sayings have
loosely been put under the three headings of Sila,
Samadhi and Panna. These are respectively, the Pali
terms for Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which
constitute the basic structure of the Buddhist path. These
terms are explained briefly at the beginning of each
section.

May this collection of quotes inspire you to be kind, calm
and wise!


Bodhinyana Monastery
Perth, December 2013








































Sila

Sila is the Pali term for virtue. It is the cultivation of harmlessness, kindness,
generosity and care by body, speech and mind. It could also be translated as
character, habit or morality. Your understanding of what is skilful and what is
unskilful, and the inspiration you get from your own heart or from seeing
living examples, will enable you to let go of unwholesome habits and tendencies
and to develop the wholesome qualities in your mind. The practise of morality
makes your heart pure, and a pure heart is a happy heart well prepared for the
practise of meditation.

























If you want to have a good time, be good.





















Real beauty does not lie in perfection,
but in embracing and accepting imperfection.




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..
























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,
,



































develop the beautiful
attitude of gratitude.

t th ha at t i is s w wh ha at t w wi il ll l d de ev ve el lo op p a an nd d g gr ro ow w. .























W Wh ha at te ev ve er r y yo ou u v va al lu ue e, ,
w wh ha at te ev ve er r y yo ou u t th hi in nk k i is s r re ea al ll ly y i im mp po or rt ta an nt t, ,





Water the flowers in your garden,




















don't water the weeds.






What you see in others,

that's what they will show you back.
























Don't worry too much about what
goes into your mouth.

Its much more important to worry
about what comes out of it.
























































A lot of anger comes from not
seeing the full picture, from not
understanding the truth of the matter.
























being right or living in harmony together?

Whats more important,

Its never his/her problem or my problem,
its always our problem. We are in this together.

Thats how you solve problems.
























If there is nothing
you can do, do nothing.

If there is something
you can do, give it all you've got.


































Y Yo ou u c ca an n' 't t a al lw wa ay ys s c cu ur re e, , b bu ut t y yo ou u c ca an n a al lw wa ay ys s c ca ar re e. .
























Whenever there is a tragedy, it gives us the
opportunity to care, to give, to help and to serve.
























A
A
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l
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n
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g
.
.



































Little acts of kindness are huge.
They make both you and others very happy.
























This is what we call instant karmic rewards.

Merit is not something you store up for a future
life, its what you put in your heart for now.
























Real generosity is giving,
expecting nothing back in return.
























I
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p
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a
a
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.
.



































A lot of the time you learn the most from osmosis,


by just hanging around good people.

























When you cultivate a beautiful mind
throughout the day, you will have a
beautiful mind in meditation.






























Samadhi

Samadhi is the Pali term for deep meditation, or for collectedness and
unification of mind. It is not achieved through force or striving, but through
restraining and relinquishing unwholesome qualities and through the
cultivation and development of wholesome ones. Mindfulness and kindness will
allow a positive and happy mind to settle down, and to enter deeper and deeper
into stillness and peace. The purification that happens through the practise of
meditation will give your mind the strength and clarity required to uncover, to
face and to penetrate to the truth.







Your real home is not the
house you live in, but the
stillness and peace in
your heart.
























Forget about the results.
Creating the causes, thats your work.
The results will come by themselves.


































T Th he e e es ss se en nc ce e o of f m me ed di it ta at ti io on n i is s y yo ou ur r a at tt ti it tu ud de e. .
























but how you are meditating.

Its not important
what you are meditating on,

























































All you need is kindfulness.




Whatever you are aware of, you need
that magical ingredient of kindness.












W Wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e k ki in nd d t to o w wh ha at t y yo ou u a ar re e w wa at tc ch hi in ng g, ,
i it t r re el la ax xe es s a an nd d s so o d do o y yo ou u. .



































Put a lot of
attention in
the space
between you
and whatever
you are
aware of.
And make
sure there are
wholesome
qualities in
that space:
Kindness,
gentleness,
peace and
patience.























Can you make peace?
Can you be kind?
Can you be gentle?
If you can do these three
things, you can
meditate.























Right intention makes
the present moment a pleasant moment.


Delight is the glue that makes

your attention stick to the object.






















Yes, being a control freak and using
will-power may give you mindfulness.
But its not the type of mindfulness that
will lead to happiness, stillness or insight.
Playfulness, joy, the power of wisdom -
that creates great mindfulness.


































The way of meditation is not force
and will-power, but wisdom power.

































The energy of the mind
can be directed in two ways:
It can go into reacting,
doing, thinking,
struggling and striving;
or it can go into letting go,
not being involved
and getting entangled,
into just being aware,
without reacting.


































t th he e m mo or re e y yo ou u w we ea ar r y yo ou ur r m mi in nd d o ou ut t. .

T Th he e m mo or re e y yo ou u d do o, , t th he e m mo or re e y yo ou u s st tr ri iv ve e, ,
























Dont do letting go, let go of doing.

























































Right effort is the effort to stop,
to restrain, to give up,

to let go, to renounce.




T Th he e n na at tu ur re e o of f t th he e h hu um ma an n m mi in nd d i is s t to o b be e s st ti il ll l. .













I It t o on nl ly y m mo ov ve es s b be ec ca au us se e o of f t th he e w wi in nd d o of f w wa an nt ti in ng g. .




but about letting go of things
and becoming more free.

Meditation is not
about attaining more things,


































When you want something more,
you cannot enjoy what you already have.
























Its very
hard to
progress in
meditation,
when you
have a fault-
finding
mind. You
always see
whats
wrong, you
never see the
beauty.
























W Wh he er re ev ve er r y yo ou u h ha ap pp pe en n t to o b be e o on n t th he e p pa at th h o of f
m me ed di it ta at ti io on n, , p pl le ea as se e w wa an nt t t to o b be e t th he er re e. .

I If f y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o b be e s so om me ew wh he er re e e el ls se e, ,
t th ha at t s s t th he e e en nd d o of f p pr ro og gr re es ss s. .
























Its the nature of contentment to deepen -
to become more brilliant, more happy,

more blissful, more profound and empty -
if you just stay with it long enough.






























Panna

Panna is the Pali term for wisdom or insight; seeing the world clearly without
distortion. It is the deep understanding of the human condition that emerges
out of the pure and peaceful mind. Panna is always born of silence and
stillness, of an open, receptive and unbiased heart. A mind full of thoughts is
not ready to listen deeply enough. Insight into the nature of things, whether
small or huge and life changing, always sets you free and fills your heart with
unconditional love and compassion for all beings.








I In n B Bu ud dd dh hi is sm m
w we e d do on n t t f fi ig gh ht t
o ou ur r d de ef fi il le em me en nt ts s, ,
w we e u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d
t th he em m. .


A An nd d w wh he en n
w we e k kn no ow w t th he em m, ,
t th he ey y d di is sa ap pp pe ea ar r. .























When you embrace the problem and
bring it close to you, you have a
chance to understand it.

When you run away, your face is
turned in the opposite direction.


































b bu ut t w wh he en n t th he er re e i is s t to oo o m mu uc ch h n no oi is se e
w we e j ju us st t c ca an n' 't t h he ea ar r l li if fe e t te ea ac ch hi in ng g u us s. .

W Wi is sd do om m i is s a al ll l a ar ro ou un nd d u us s
a an nd d i in ns si ig gh ht t i is s t th he er re e f fo or r t th he e t ta ak ki in ng g, ,















































All thinking
is about
something.
It is always
one step
away from
penetrating
the truth of
the matter.






Y
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.
...
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mm.
..








































N
N
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f
f
t
t
r
r
u
u
t
t
h
h
.
.


Dont bend the truth
to fit your beliefs,

bend your beliefs
to fit the truth.

































Life is a flow of
unexpected moments.


































Whatever you expect it to be,
it will always be totally different.

Your future is uncertain.


































You can either be caught up in this world and
in your desires, or you can be free from them.
















































Suffering
is asking
from the
world
what it
can never
give you.



Freedom is realising
that you can't control life.

































Pleasure is just a pause between
two moments of pain.
And pain is just the space
between two moments of pleasure.
























B
B
u
u
t
t
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f
f
y
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m
m
i
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d
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,
,

i
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m
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.
.


W
W
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w
m
m
o
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m
e
e
n
n
t
t
s
s
.
.


































We are prisoners
of our own concepts.


































Hell is a
place with an
open door.
You send
yourself
there because
of guilt. If
you know
what love
and
forgiveness
means, you
can walk out
any time.








































Its amazing how free you can be,
if you dont limit yourself to your past.


























The nature of life
is to settle down and
to find a balance all by itself.






























W Wh he er re e t th he er re e i is s
a a s se el lf f, , t th he er re e
a ar re e t th hi in ng gs s
b be el lo on ng gi in ng g t to o
a a s se el lf f. .

W Wh he er re e t th he er re e i is s
n no o s se el lf f, , t th he er re e
i is s n no o s se en ns se e o of f
o ow wn ne er rs sh hi ip p. .


When you don't have a solid sense of self, you can
adapt to whatever situation you happen to be in.
























W Wh he en n y yo ou u d di is sa ap pp pe ea ar r, , w wh he en n t th he er re e i is s n no o
t tr ra av ve el ll le er r, , t th he en n t th he e p pa at th h b be ec co om me es s a as s w wi id de e a as s a a
m mu ul lt ti i- -l la an ne e h hi ig gh hw wa ay y - - y yo ou u j ju us st t c ca an n' 't t m mi is ss s i it t. .

























































Sila
Samadhi
Panna




A Short Biography of Ajahn Brahm
Ajahn Brahm was born Peter Betts in London (UK) on
the 7th of August 1951. At the age of sixteen he regarded
himself as a Buddhist after having read his first book on
Buddhism. His interest in the teachings of the Buddha
and Meditation flourished while he was studying
Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. That was
also the time when he sat his first retreat and had some
nice meditation experiences. After completing his degree
and teaching for a year, he travelled to Thailand to
become a monk.

At the age of twenty-three he was ordained at Wat Saket
in Bangkok and received the monastic name
Brahmavamso. He subsequently spent nine years
studying and training in the forest meditation tradition
under the guidance of the renowned meditation master
Ven. Ajahn Chah in the jungles of North-East Thailand.




































In 1983 Ajahn was invited to help establish a forest
monastery near Perth in Western Australia. He is now
the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery and the spiritual
director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia
(BSWA).

In 2014 Ajahn Brahm will complete his fortieth year in
the robes of a Buddhist monk. Since his first talks in
Singapore in the year 2000, the release of his first book
in 2004 and the spreading of his teachings through the
BSWA homepage and YouTube, his popularity has grown
quickly. Over the years he has managed to touch the
hearts of many thousands of people all over the world and
to bring a smile to their faces. These days Ajahn is a
highly regarded Buddhist meditation teacher, giving
talks and teaching retreats around the globe. He is in
very high demand, tirelessly devoting a lot of his time
and energy to others.

His efforts have been rewarded with the gratitude and the
thanks of many, but also with the award of the
prestigious John Curtin Medal in 2004 for his vision,
leadership and community service.

May Ajahn be able to continue his selfless and invaluable
work for many more years to come!




































List of Photos
Sila
Water Lily, Metta Vihara, DE
Imperfect Gum Leaf, Bodhinyana Monastery, AU
Tree Trunk, Amaravati Monastery, GB
Tiny Bodhi Leaf, Metta Vihara, DE
Eggs In Nest, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Marvellous Rose, Metta Vihara, DE
Walnut Hearts, Ladakh, IN
Delicious Brownie, Down South, AU
Fire At Night, Lmel Hike, CH
Oystercatchers, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Crayfish In Trouble, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Tractor & Cray Pots, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Bodhi Leaf Skeleton, Bodhinyana Monastery, AU
Colourful Sunset, Metta Vihara, DE
Boys Doing Homework, Ladakh, IN
Pine Cones Heart, Metta Vihara, DE
Sunrise, Klausenpass, CH
Painted Stone, Insieme Holiday Lenzerheide, CH
Monk By Pond, Metta Vihara, DE
Reflection In Lake, Franz Josef, NZ
Beautiful Scenery, Lake Tekapo, NZ

Samadhi
Home In Ladakh, IN
Seedlings In Hand, Ladakh IN
Buddha Rupa At Devaloka, Metta Vihara, DE
Lupin Leaf, Lake Tekapo, NZ
Shell Heart, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Cute Dog, Ladakh, IN
Curious Girl, Ladakh, IN
Bird on Hand, Insieme Holiday Lenzerheide, CH
Flower After Rain, Metta Vihara, DE


































Butterfly On Flower, Metta Vihara, DE
Ocean & Cloudy Sky, Christchurch, NZ
Snowed In Metta Vihara, DE
Still Lake, Meggenhorn, CH
Overgrown Forest, Milford, NZ
Mud Bricks, Ladakh, IN
Buddha Hand At Devaloka, Metta Vihara, DE
Feather Cloud, Metta Vihara, DE
Unfolding Fern, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Rain Drops On Grass, Metta Vihara, DE
Nice Day By Kakapo Bay, NZ
Mountain Path, Ladakh, IN
Himalaya Mountains, Ladakh, IN

Panna
Buddha Rupa Outside, Metta Vihara, DE
Boy In Monster Pose, Weber, NZ
Ocean Waves, French Pass, NZ
Evening Hills, Ladakh, IN
Bodhi Leaf Close Up, Metta Vihara, DE
Sun Rays In Forest, Metta Vihara, DE
Rock Arch on Beach, Wellington, NZ
Gorgeous Rose Bud, Metta Vihara, DE
Pretty Flower, Dhammadipa Trip, DE
Yak Wool Bundle, Ladakh, IN
Soap Bubble, Hodonin, CZ
Coast Line Near Wellington, NZ
Mountains Between Clouds, Metta Vihara, DE
Braking Waves, Down South, AU
Window Out Of Darkness, Ladakh, IN
Morning Sunlight In Valley, Klausenpass, CH
Flying Sea Gull, Kakapo Bay, NZ
Quiet Beach, Down South, AU
Monk's Bowl, Bodhinyana Monastery, AU
From Solid To Liquid, Lake Tekapo, NZ
Long Shadow, Metta Vihara, DE