Story · Ajahn Chah

Venerable Empty-Scripture and the muddy bog

From a talk by Ajahn Chah, “Tuccho Pothila – Venerable Empty-Scripture”

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A traditional tale: A traditional tale from the Buddhist tradition that Ajahn Chah retold in his talk, not something that happened to him.

Retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk “Tuccho Pothila – Venerable Empty-Scripture”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 231–236. Read the original talk

In the Buddha's time a monk named Tuccho Pothila was so learned and famous that he oversaw eighteen monasteries and no one dared question him. When he visited the Buddha, the Buddha greeted him as 'Venerable Empty Scripture' and, when he left, said 'Leaving now, Venerable Empty Scripture?' — nothing more. Puzzled, Pothila reflected until he saw it was true: he studied but did not practise, and inwardly wanted what lay people wanted. He resolved to practise, but every teacher nearby was his own student, so he asked an enlightened young novice to teach him. The novice accepted only if he was sincere, had him put on all his fine robes, and told him to run into a muddy bog and not stop or come out until told. Pothila plunged in until he was completely covered in mud, then stopped and came out on command, showing he had given up his pride. The novice then taught him to watch the senses and the mind, like a man catching a lizard in a termite mound with six holes: seal five, guard the one, and wait. Pothila followed the instruction, mindful of each breath, until he saw the lying, proliferating mind as it arose, and realized the truth — grasping the essence of practice like a man grasping the lizard's tail.

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

Knowing a lot can quietly become a place to hide. Ajahn Chah tells this story to point from the shelf of books to the mind itself. Being willing to be a beginner again, even in fine robes and covered in mud, is where real learning starts, and it is never too late to begin.

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)

A famous scholar monk is greeted by the Buddha as 'Empty Scripture', sees that he studies but does not practise, and humbles himself before a young novice who teaches him to watch his own mind.

Teaching point

Learning about the Dhamma is not the same as practising it; the real work is watching this one mind.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Chah in the talk “Tuccho Pothila – Venerable Empty-Scripture”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 231–236

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

“Why?” — Ajahn Chah's answer: nothing
In brief: After an inspiring talk by Ajahn Chah, the young monk skips attending him at the sauna and sits two blissful hours in meditation behind…
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He did have psychic powers sometimes. He could read people's minds. I remember he read my mind once on a retreat. You want to hear this story? Yeah. Come on. Because this is a deep part of this talk. Many of you heard it on retreats. But when people give really good talks, I mean very deep talks, they're inspiring. And on this occasion, Ajahn came to the monastery where I was staying and he gave a talk and that day really hit the spot. Everything being explained so beautifully and just, oh, your your mind is so inspired and peaceful and joyful.
And then know. We had actually built a sauna for him, you know? Sauners were not invented in Sweden or wherever they had sauners in Buddhist monasteries in India. From the very beginning. They talk about it in the ancient books, you know, sauners for the monks and nuns. And so we built him a sauna and he came over. So he gave a talk. I was so inspired. Ajahn Chah went off to the sauna and I was basically so inspired. There's so many other monks looking after acha. I decided just to go around the back of the hall and sit quietly meditating.
I just I didn't want to waste that beautiful energy. Cross my legs two hours. Oh, just blissing my head out. Beautiful meditation. So deep, so peaceful. And of course, when you go in deep meditation, you just don't know how long, but you know, 2 hours it was. When I came out of that meditation afterwards, the first thought was you got lots of joy and peace and happiness is to do something good for your teacher.
So I decided, well, I'm probably too late. Let's go and walk see if I can be of any service to him. So off I went walking towards the sauna and I was too late because he'd already finished the sauna. He was walking back with his driver and another Thai man. And we would cross the path and as we were about to cross you he looked at me and he l you know sometimes like only great teachers can really look at you just looking right into you. And for once, for once I didn't mind him looking into my mind.
Other days, no. I'd be embarrassed. But that day, my mind was, you know, just after a very deep, beautiful meditation, so pure and so peaceful, so bright. And it's very hard for me to make you believe this, but many of you know that I'm honest. I don't gain anything out of these stories, but you can actually feel him. This is my perception, which I remember very clearly inside your mind. Just having a look, just checking around like going in somebody's room or house and just having a walk around. And I just, yeah, please come in for once, I don't.
Mind you, having looking around today is quite clean and peaceful and beautiful inside. And then when he emerged out, this is just how I felt okay, his body didn't disappear and just go up my nostrils. Or I think this was just, you know, his mind coming into my mind and reading everything, and afterwards he looked at me very. You can't say kindly, you can't say fiercely was some other expression on his face just grabbing your attention eye to eye. And of course, my name is Ajahn Brahm, but the full name is Brahma.
So he looked at me and said, Brahma, quite fiercely but kindly. And then he said why? And he looked at me with so much kindness but strength. Why? And I was still only a young monk. And my answer was, "I don't know." And he laughed his head off. These stupid Western monks. He was trying his best to try and enlighten me. He saw I was very peaceful and give it a shot anyway.
But whenever you do something stupid like that, idiotic, you know, as far as wisdom is concerned, a child just burst out laughing. Our idiotic responses and behavior cause him so much pleasure, so much laughter. I think that's why he had so many western monks in his monastery to entertain him. No, there's a lot of kindness there too. But then he became serious again and he looked at me once more. He said, "Brahmavamso, I'll tell you the answer." And wow, I was really excited. This great monk was giving me a personal teaching just after come out of a deep meditation and he asked me the question why I got it wrong.
But he wanted to tell me what the answer was. The answer to the question why from Ajahn Chah he looked at me I'll tell you the answer I was so excited and he said my me I any Thai people here oh yes you know what that means he said there's nothing there's nothing. And then he looked at me and said, "Brahmavamso, do you understand with a lot of kindness?" I said, "Yes." And he looked at me again and said, "No, you don't." And he went away. Oh, that really hurt.
But what a beautiful lesson that was. Just when he gave me that wonderful answer, what's the answer to the question? Why? Why? Answer is nothing. Do you understand? No, you don't. But one day you will. Seeds have been planted.
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The professor's overflowing cup
In brief: Japan's greatest philosopher, whom no one will debate, decides to debate the most famous meditation monk. Serving tea, the monk keeps…
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Is in that old story of the famous philosopher in Japan many, many years ago. He was a professor not just at one university, but of several universities. And he was so well known. He was the biggest intellectual in the country. And just for a bit of fun, but also for a bit of intellectual stimulation, he would hold these debates with all the other philosophers, but he was so sharp, he was so knowledgeable, that no person would enter into a debate with him because he would always win. And so wondering who to debate next, he thought I will debate a Buddhist monk.
They are said to be wise, but they're really stupid; he thought, I'll go and debate the most famous monk in the country and see who wins so he found this monk, this meditation monk and he arranged to have a debate with this monk. And so he went to the monastery with all of his students to debate with this monk, and being in Japan, before the debate actually started. It was the task of the host, the monk, to serve tea to the guest, the professor, and as he was serving tea to the professor, he poured the tea into the cup.
And when the cup was full, he carried on pouring and so the water went into the saucer, at which point the professor said to the monk, "My cup is full, you can stop now". But, the monk carried on pouring until it went over to the cup into the saucer over the saucer onto the table, at which point, the professor thought this monk must be a bit hard of hearing or a bit blind.
So, he shouted, "Monk, my cup is full! You can stop now!" At which point, the monk smiled broadly and emptied the whole teapot until it went not just over the cup into the saucer, not just over the saucer onto the table, onto the floor as well! At which point, the professor said, "You stupid monk! I've come all this way to debate with you. And you don't even know how to serve a cup of tea. What an idiot, what a fraud. I wasted my whole time." At which point that monk said, if you haven't heard this story before, it's a great story.
He said, "Professor, you are just like this cup. You're so full that no one can pour, any wisdom into you." At which point, the professor went down on his knees and said, "You've won."
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The wandering master he first misunderstood
In brief: Ajahn Chah listens with inner disrespect to a wandering meditation master, and only years later, walking the path himself, finds every…
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Retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk “Unshakeable Peace”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), p. 533.
Ajahn Chah had studied enough Buddhist theory to pass some exams, but he says he was no different from others in not yet bringing the teaching into the heart. One day he had the chance to listen to a Dhamma talk from a meditation master. As he listened, disrespectful thoughts arose; he did not know how to listen to a real Dhamma talk and could not figure out what this wandering meditation monk was talking about. The man seemed to be teaching from his own direct experience. Later, as Ajahn Chah gained firsthand experience in the practice, he saw for himself the truth of what that monk had taught. It was a long time before he realized that everything the wandering monk had said came from what he had seen for himself, not from a book. When Ajahn Chah walked the Path himself, he came across every detail the monk had described and had to admit he was right. So he continued on.
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Asking Ajahn Mun about the Visuddhimagga
In brief: 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,…
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Retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk “Understanding Vinaya”, in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2007 web edition), pp. 282–284.
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.
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The story — retold in our own words from Ajahn Chah's talk