Ajahn Chah.


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I received these four books as a gift parcel from my cousin Shankar who had a fascinating tale to tell me about them.

Shankar was quite attached to a young lad who was his nephew’s classmate from school. This young lad is now 41 and having emigrated to Canada some years ago, for the past few years has been a Buddhist Monk there.

The monk has returned to India for a short visit to meet up with his past and had invited Shankar over to his family’s home to meet him and some other friends who have also come from Canada with him.

Shankar bought some of the books that the school to which the young monk belongs and sent them to me for the simple reason that he felt that I was the only one in the family who would enjoy reading them and also perhaps understand the contents.

I was quite intrigued as to his motivation and asked him on the phone as to what made him decide to choose me to receive the gifts and he said something that has been resonating with me since our talk. He said that I was the only one that he knew who had gone deeply into matters spiritual and also the only one who has more or less become very comfortable being on his own with his books and spiritual pursuits. Obviously, this is the image that I have in my family and I am very pleased that I am thought of as being like this.

Coming to the books, I had never heard of Ajahn Chah. My son Ranjan had a few Thai classmates in college who used to come home often and one of them even became a monk. I therefore knew that Thailand has a vibrant Buddhist environment and that there are many schools of Buddhism there.

I am intrigued enough with the new books to drop all other reading material that I have in the pipe line to read all these four books. If at the end of it all, I find anything interesting, I shall blog again about my impressions.

22 thoughts on “Ajahn Chah.”

  2. diane in her comment has said it for me also!
    i think you have the awareness that we all seek to achieve.
    or should be trying to achieve anyway.
    and i continue to learn just from the way you approach life itself.
    will look forward to your post on the books. i would think … either way will be interesting to your readers. 🙂
    tammy j recently posted..moving on old bean

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  4. interesting that we never really know what others imagine of us… we don’t see something because it’s just the way we are – that seems to be something your family feel as well…

    it’s a it’s a bit like me and the driveway – took some photos of the actual ground last evening and on looking at them, found the weirdness of the ground, interesting in an art-way.

    btw it’s now well after 8am (no workmen have appeared, so when prop manager office open, I will be phoning]

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  6. Try again:
    It turns out Jack Kornfield was a student of Ajahn Chah, and I read some of Kornfield’s books years ago. I still laugh at his title, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. Integrating the ideas/practices into our everyday life is the important part.
    Cheerful Monk recently posted..The Tax Overhaul as a Test

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    1. One of my favorite Kornfield quotes is,

      Over the years of teaching, I’ve found a growing need for profound lovingkindness and compassion–a transformation of the heart–to underlie the insights and understandings that come out of the practice. An opening of the mind needs to be supported by compassion from the heart if the practice is to be integrated, fulfilled, and lived in our lives.

      Cheerful Monk recently posted..The Tax Overhaul as a Test

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