# Running off to live alone

- Teacher: Ajahn Chah
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/chah-running-away-to-live-alone
- Themes: solitude, judgement, wisdom, mindfulness
- Life situations: irritation with companions, wanting to run away, living alone, difficult people

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Fed up with companions, Ajahn Chah runs off to live alone, and within a fortnight catches his mind wanting a 'good' novice, and sees that goodness has to be found within.

## The story, retold in our own words (a paraphrase, not Ajahn Chah's words)

_Retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk “Right Practice – Steady Practice”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 311–312._

After about five years of practice, Ajahn Chah felt that living with others was a hindrance: people kept coming by his hut to chat and disturbed his meditation. Fed up, he ran off to live alone in a small, deserted forest monastery near a village, speaking to no one because there was no one to speak to. After about fifteen days the thought arose that it would be good to have a novice or pa-kow to help with small jobs. He caught the thought and argued with it: he had left because his companions were no good, and now he wanted a novice — a good one, the mind said. Where, he asked himself, were all the good people to be found? He must have been the only good person, to have run away. Following the thought, he saw that goodness must be found within: if he was good in himself, wherever he went would be good. As soon as he saw this, the feeling of wanting to run away disappeared. From that day on he took it as true, and later, whenever the desire arose, he was aware of it and let it go.

## Teaching point

You take yourself with you; good and bad must be seen within ourselves.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Chah's talk)

When other people seem to be the whole problem, running away can feel like the answer. Ajahn Chah tried it and found his mind looking for better people within days. It is a kind, funny honesty. However others are, that is their concern; our part is to see clearly what is going on inside.

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

## Source

- Talk "Right Practice – Steady Practice", in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 311–312 — https://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Right_Practice_Steady.php

_The book is © The Sangha, Wat Nong Pah Pong, offered for free distribution; read the talk free at its source link. No book text is reproduced here._

Other tellings of this story:

- Talk "Right Practice – Steady Practice", in Food for the Heart (2007 edition), pp. 53–54 — https://www.ajahnchah.org/pdf/food_for_the_heart.pdf (The same talk, reprinted in this book (not a separate telling).)