Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Chah

Asking Ajahn Mun about the Visuddhimagga

From a talk by Ajahn Chah, “Understanding Vinaya”

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The story — retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk

Retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk “Understanding Vinaya”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 282–284. Read the original talk

When Ajahn Chah had just begun to practice, he could follow the Pubbasikkha reasonably well, but reading the Visuddhimagga — with its extremely meticulous books of precepts, mind-training and understanding — made him feel his head would burst. It seemed beyond human capacity. He reflected that the Buddha would not teach the impossible, yet he felt stuck, at a dead end, and full of doubt. He then had a chance to see Venerable Ajahn Mun and asked what he should do, saying the texts seemed completely impractical and impossible to memorize. Ajahn Mun replied that there was a lot, but really only a little: the detailed rules had evolved from the human mind; if one trained the mind in a sense of shame and a fear of wrong-doing, restraint and caution would follow, and one would be content with little. Whatever one doubted, one should not say or do; if one did not understand, one should ask the teacher. The point was whether one was prepared to admit one's faults. As Ajahn Chah sat and listened, he saw that the teaching fitted the traditional marks of the true Dhamma, and understanding arose.

A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Chah's talk)

When a path looks impossibly detailed, it helps to find its heart. Ajahn Mun showed the young Ajahn Chah that a mind trained in care and conscience carries the whole rulebook inside it. Whatever feels overwhelming in your own life, there may be a lot, and really only a little.

Reflection written by Being Mindful Stories with AI help, in the spirit of the talk. These are not Ajahn Chah's own words.

In brief (our summary)

Overwhelmed by the endless detail of the monastic texts, the young Ajahn Chah asks Ajahn Mun what to do, and is told that there is a lot, but really only a little: train the mind.

Teaching point

The many rules grow from the mind; train the mind in a sense of shame and fear of wrongdoing and the rest follows.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Chah in the talk “Understanding Vinaya”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 282–284

1 other telling of this story

  • the talk “Understanding Vinaya”, in Food for the Heart (2007 edition), pp. 20–22
    The same talk, reprinted in this book (not a separate telling).

The book is © The Sangha, Wat Nong Pah Pong, offered for free distribution. Read the talk free at ajahnchah.org.

The story text is Being Mindful Stories's retelling in our own words of how Ajahn Chah tells it in this talk, not his own words and not a quotation. Read the talk in the book for his exact words. The title, summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk in the book. Markdown version

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