Ajahn Chah - Dedication - Forest Sangha

<!DOCTYPE html>       <html lang="en" class="no-js">  <head> <meta name="csrf-param" content="authenticity_token" /> <meta name="csrf-token" content="rlqbiSbdDRLiMhfn0+F7gMLaN8771mG0eh+mf7aNetkD8lntVaATBC2u3tMGzog14CjQefTq3w990r4i/beKPw==" /> <meta charset='utf-8' />  <title>Ajahn Chah - Dedication - Forest Sangha</title> <link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro:300,400,600&subset=latin,latin-ext' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#5bbad5"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#da532c"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://forestsangha.org/ajahn-chah/dedication" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" href="https://forestsangha-163c.kxcdn.com/assets/application-376d88cd12affe915c93f26a7f9d6ab60f7a88d7e706027c08cc8424a64e6d24.css" /> <link href="/community/news.rss" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Forest Sangha Current News" /> <link href="/teachings/audio.rss" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Forest Sangha Dhamma Talks" /> </head> <body id="dedication-page"> <header id="header" class="o-header"> <div class="container"> <header class="row header"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-lg-6 col-lg-offset-6 no-left-padding"> <nav class="navbar navbar-default" role="navigation">  <div class="navbar-header"> <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-responsive-collapse"> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> </button> </div>  <div style="height: 1px;" class="navbar-collapse navbar-responsive-collapse collapse"> <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right"> <li class=""><a href="/about">About</a></li> <li class="active"><a href="/ajahn-chah">Ajahn Chah</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/community">Community</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/teachings">Teachings</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/home">Home</a></li> <li class="dropdown"> <a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown"><img src="/assets/search_line.svg" class="search"/></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu" role="menu"> <li> <form action="/search" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="✓" /> <div class="input-group"> <input type="search" name="query" id="query" class="form-control" placeholder="Search site for..." /> <span class="input-group-btn"> <input type="submit" name="commit" value="Search" class="btn btn-default" /> </span> </div> </form> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> </header> <section id="page"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-lg-6 show__heading"> <h1>Ajahn Chah</h1> </div> </div> <div class="row show__nav__row"> <div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 show__nav"> <div class="col-md-8" style="padding-left: 0"> <ul> <li class="active" > <a href="/ajahn-chah/dedication">Dedication</a> </li> <li class="" > <a href="/ajahn-chah/biography">Biography</a> </li> <li class="" > <a href="/ajahn-chah/teachings">Teachings</a> </li> <li class="" > <a href="/ajahn-chah/gallery">Gallery</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row show__content"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 float-images"> <div class="col-xs-12 show__breadcrumbs"> <a href="/">Home</a> / <a href="/ajahn-chah">Ajahn Chah</a> / Dedication </div> <h2 class="show__content__heading">Dedication</h2> <p><em><a href="https://forestsangha-163c.kxcdn.com/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDgvMTQvOGpxeHVqcG5vYV9BamFobl9DaGFoX1VLXzAxLmpwZyJdXQ/130f6441125cc4c6/Ajahn%20Chah_UK_01.jpg" title="https://forestsangha-163c.kxcdn.com/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDgvMTQvOGpxeHVqcG5vYV9BamFobl9DaGFoX1VLXzAxLmpwZyJdXQ/130f6441125cc4c6/Ajahn%20Chah_UK_01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://forestsangha-163c.kxcdn.com/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDgvMTQvOGpxeHVqcG5vYV9BamFobl9DaGFoX1VLXzAxLmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjI1eDI1NVx1MDAzZSJdXQ/08c20ef24695110a/Ajahn%20Chah_UK_01.jpg" title="Ajahn Chah Early Days" alt="Ajahn Chah Early Days" data-rel="225x255" width="191" height="255" class="image-align-left selected_by_wym" /></a> </em> </p> <p><em style="background-color: transparent;"><br /><br /><br /><br />"yo dhammam desesi ādikalyāṇaṃ, majjhekalyāṇaṃ, pariyosānakalyāṇaṃ"</em> <span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span> </p> <p>"The Buddha has pointed out the way: excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end." </p> <p>Each morning in Theravāda Buddhist monasteries around the world, the above stanza is chanted as part of ‘The Homage to the Triple Gem’. The teaching example of the late meditation master, Venerable Ajahn Chah, or Luang Por as his disciples called him, displayed this quality of being.</p> <p>‘Excellent in the beginning’, in Ajahn Chah’s case, was his commitment to the life of a renunciant monk (<em>dhutaṅga</em> <em>bhikkhu</em>). He cultivated impeccable discipline and displayed consistent, daring effort to confront all situations, especially those from which he was inclined to turn away. He gave himself completely to the training and eventually the Way became clear.</p> <p>‘Excellent in the middle’ was the selfless sharing of his realization with all who came to be near him. Regardless of personal discomfort, he ceaselessly offered his body, speech and mind to assist his disciples, lay and ordained alike, to enter the Way. He said of his own teaching method, that it is the example that counts - not just the words. Those who were able to spend time with him know full well that this is so.</p> <p>And ‘excellent in the end’ is that which remains. It is a radiant confidence of heart for thousands of individuals who now walk the way; that verified faith which profoundly expresses <em>dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi </em>– ‘I go for refuge to the Truth of the Way Things Are.’ Without having witnessed such an example of the Way being lived, this awakening of confidence might not have happened. Hence it is said, ‘No gift excels the gift of Dhamma.’</p> </div> </div> </div> </section> <footer> <div class="col-xs-12 site__footer__show"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <style type="text/css"> .site__footer__show { background: url(/assets/trees.jpg) top center no-repeat; background-size: cover; } </style> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12"></div> </div> </div> </footer> <script src="https://forestsangha-163c.kxcdn.com/assets/application-ae26dee311073926edd0663a746190ae478f78279ac47b69591814e84954112d.js"></script> </body> </html>

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Ajahn Chah - Dedication - Forest Sangha