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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 9

Ajahn Chah (seated) with his western disciples

Really, the teachings of the Buddha each posture. When you hear such a know these conditions for what they
all make sense. Things you wouldn’t teaching, you can’t figure out what are. Your awareness is steady and
imagine really are so. It’s strange. At it really means, because it’s talking continuous, and you are letting go
first I didn’t have any faith in sitting in the way of Dhamma, not in the steadily and continuously. You are
in meditation. I thought, what value ordinary sense. ‘’OK, I’ll sit for two not fooled by good conditions. You
could that possibly have? Then hours, stand for two hours and aren’t fooled by bad conditions. You
there was walking meditation - I then lie down for two hours’’ You remain on the straight path. This
walked from one tree to another, probably think like this. That’s what can be called ‘making the postures
back and forth, back and forth, and I did. I tried to practice in this way, even.’ It refers to the internal, not the
I got tired of it and thought, ‘’What but it didn’t work out. external; it is talking about mind.
am I walking for? Just walking
back and forth doesn’t have any It’s because of not listening in the If we do make the postures even
purpose.’’ That’s how I thought. right way, merely listening to the with the mind, then when we are
But in fact walking meditation words. ‘Making the postures even’ praised, it is just so much. If we are
has a lot of value. Sitting to refers to the mind, nothing else. It slandered, it is just so much. We
practice samādhi has a lot of value. means making the mind bright and don’t go up or down with them but
But the temperaments of some clear so that wisdom arises, so that remain steady. Why is this? Because
people make them confused about there is knowledge of whatever we see the danger in these things.
walking or sitting meditation. is happening in all postures and We see equal danger in praise and
situations. Whatever the posture, in criticism; this is called making the
We can’t meditate in only one you know phenomena and states postures even. We have this inner
posture. There are four postures for of mind for what they are, meaning awareness, whether we are looking
humans: standing, walking, sitting that they are impermanent, at internal or external phenomena.
and lying down. The teachings unsatisfactory and not your self.
speak about making the postures The mind remains established in In the ordinary way of experiencing
consistent and equal. You might get this awareness at all times and in things, when something good
the idea from this that it means you all postures. When the mind feels appears, we have a positive reaction,
should stand, walk, sit and lie down attraction, when it feels aversion, and when something bad appears,
for the same number of hours in you don’t lose the path, but you we have a negative reaction.