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Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah

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I read a lot of Buddhist books, and they all have value in one way or another. But never have I read a book that had ALL of the value of the other books between just one set of covers. This is that book.

Ajahn Chah of course was (and through his students still is) a marvelous teacher, with the gifts of humor and directness. Even in translation, you get a full feeling of what it must have been like to listen to this man talk. (Although, as Brahmavamso says, we laypeople get the jewels of sometimes all-night talks. Sorry, Ajahn Brahm!) This book is like having Luang Por speak directly to you, with kindness and toughness at the same time.

I "sipped" a chapter of this book a week, never wanting it to end. I have been reading it for six months now and finally finished it, and I will probably start over from the beginning and do it again. It is not overstating the point to say that this book is a gift to humanity.

Also, and this is less important but still nice, Food for the Heart is a truly handsome book. It's technically paperback, but with jacket tabs and a strong cover. The paper is thick and creamy--sorry if I'm enjoying my senses too much! :) And the typography is very pleasing. It's just a wonderful, wonderful book.

This collection of talks from Ajahn Chah is well done. His first book, "A Still Forest Pool" was a breath of fresh air. The 'chapters' we short, some just a few sentences long, and were filled with deep teachings. 'Food for the Heart" offers long chapters and the incredibleness that was Ajahn Chah seems to jump off the pages. These talks have been translated from Thai and whoever did the translation did such a great job that often I feel as though I am 'hearing' the teaching instead of reading it.

"If you want to know the Dhamma, where do you look? You must look within the body and the mind. You won't find it on a bookshelf. To really see the Dhamma you have to look within your own body and mind - there are only these two things. The mind is not visible to the physical eye, it must be seen with the "mind's eye." The Dhamma that is in the body must be seen in the body. And with what do we look at the body? We look at the body with the mind. You won't find the Dhamma by looking anywhere else, because both happiness and suffering arise right here. Or maybe you've seen happiness arising in the trees? Or from the rivers, or the weather? Happiness and suffering are feelings that arise in our own bodies and mind." From Food for the Heart - page 336

So direct! This is Ajahn Chah really teaching and encouraging us to practice the Dhamma. His style of teaching truly encourages me to get on the cushion, and also to practice when I'm not on the cushion. There is no 'down time.'

If you are new to Buddhism you might really enjoy his first offering, 'A Still Forest Pool' but if you have some background and are seeking a teacher who can inspire and really point the way to the Buddha's teachings, this is a wonderful book.

I hope you enjoy it!

Ajahn Chah (1919-1992) is Thailand's best-known Buddhist monk. Committed to a life of simplicity and renunciation, Chah became a monastic at age nine, and after the death of his father, he lived in Thailand's caves, forests and charnal grounds as an ascetic, wandering monk until his death at age 73. More than one million people visited Chah's monastery at the time of his funeral ceremony ten years ago (p. 36). Jack Kornfield calls Chah "the wisest man" he has ever met (p. 7).

Breiter's BEING DHARMA (2001) provided readers with a good introduction to Chah's teachings, and FOOD FOR THE HEART is a wise book for students interested in integrating a serious dharma practice into their lives. Organized into three parts, "Conduct," "Meditation," and "Wisdom," FOOD FOR THE HEART is the first definitive collection of Chah's simple, yet profound teachings about practicing "the Dhamma" continuously. Chah taught that no matter what life you live, practicing "the Dhamma" will transform your life (p. 8). "The mind is similar to a leaf;" it trembles and flutters in the winds of suffering (p. 136). Studying books without meditation practice, he says, brings no results (pp. 154; 395) to calm the mind. One who reads books without practicing is like a ladle in a pot that doesn't know the flavor of the soup (p. 396). In this book, Chah not only encourages us to read our hearts through meditation practice (p. 154), he shows us how to meditate so that we may find "the path of a peaceful sage" (p. 205) and live our lives mindfully.

G. Merritt

According to the introductory material in this book, it was published so that Achaan Chah's teachings would reach a wider audience. Certainly, this is a worthy goal if successful.


Achaan Chah never charged anyone anything for his teachings ... after all the dhamma is priceless. He also worked to preserve the forest around his monestary in Thailand--one of the last forested regions in Thailand.


Everything in this book is available on-line for free too. It's at accesstoinsight dot org under "thai forest tradition", and at abayaghiri dot org under the heading "publications."


However, I recognize that there are still valid reasons for owning a book these days, and if you are part of the wider audience which otherwise would not read these teachings, I heartily recommend this book.

Ajahn Chah took it upon himself as a life's mission to make the Buddha Dharma accessible to absolutely anyone, be that a Harvard professor or an uneducated rice farmer ( a life he was very familiar with). For about 25 years, until his death in 1992, he taught and trained nuns and monks on the way of monastic life while delivering countless wonderful teachings to laypersons around the globe. He taught Theravada meditation and applied the teachings thoroughly into his own life; he truly was practicing what he preached. Over a half million people attended his death in Thailand, an amount which says wonders about what kind of an impact he had on that region during his lifetime.

Chah always took great comfort from the Buddha's teachings on facing our suffering, simply to pass right through it with diligent practice. This monumental work successfully gives us all access to the core of Ajahn's teachings which he gave throughout his career in one convenient place which we can go back to again and again. It has 3 sections: Conduct, Virtue, and The World of Senses (which delves into meditation & wisdom).

This text gives virtually endless teachings on how to practice meditation, ethical living, and cultivation of wisdom. And to sum the book up, practice Chah believes to be the absolute core of the Buddha's teachings. While your sure to take away a breadth of helpful knowledge on how and what it means to practice, you'll equally enjoy his simplicity and humor, as well. Enjoy the book!

Having read several of Achaan Chah's books over the years, I'm delighted to have this resource and set of teachings and reflections in one volume.

I had always been interested in Buddhism but nothing spoke to me the way the teachings of Ajahn Chah did inside this book. He offers a no nonsense look at life and what it's all about with nothing held back. I must admit that when I first read this there were many things that went against the grain of modern Western thought but the more one contemplates and puts into practice Ajahn Chah's teachings the more one comes to realize that what he says is true. I now have so much confidence in his teachings and the teachings of Theravada Buddhism in general that I'm going to take up ordination as soon as I pay off my student loans and finish helping a friend with some business. This is a book for anyone who wants to seriously put an end to suffering. As a buddhist and as a fellow human being I urge all who encounter this gem to read it, contemplate what is inside and then put it into practice. You won't be dissapointed. Also, as some other folks have said, most of these dhamma talks are free on the forestsangha.org and accesstoinsight.org websites. If you want a nice carry around version of Ajahn Chahs talks then regardless of the free reading on the aforementioned sites, I'd still suggest this book. May you all be free of suffering.

Perhaps it is not necessary to see another 5 star review on this book, but, I wish to state from another voice the value of this volume. This teacher is extremely clear on what practice is. He separates useless activity and speculative study from effective practice. He shows the logic of practice by demonstrating the identification of the causes of suffering, and how to either let go or otherwise dispense with the suffering. He also encourages us, stating that the causes of suffering are not endless for the person willing to deal with them, and that means one thing -- practice!

This is not a slender volume, so take your time getting into it. I had to get adjusted to the tone and some of the terms, which are translated in the back matter. Even though his message is ultimately simple, it might take hold only after some pages of reading. Once it is grasped and used, you have a very powerful tool for serious sadhana.

One last point -- Ajahn Chah is very humorous as he shares tales of his less than stellar pupils. As a teacher, I shared his feeling of exasperation regarding students that refuse to apply themselves. He never drifts from the Dharma however, and uses that to goad pupils to get to work independently. I loved his salt of the earth style, and his stories of what he endured during his own practice, including the mistakes he made, are useful, and even fun to read.

I highly recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. The teachings of Ajahn Chah are so simple and direct. They aren't watered down for lay people; his message to lay people and monks is basically the same. While reading there where many times when I was genuinley inspired to practice the teachings. While reading there were many times when I thought to myself "Yeah, that really is how things are" because Ajahn Chah states the obvious things in life that we all just don't seem to notice. I have a bunch of Buddhist books and this is by far my favorite.

Food for the Heart is indeed that. I have studied Dharma for many years and this is by far the best instruction I have read. Those years at the Buddhist University did not come close to what Ajahn Chah has to offer. If you have any interest in the true teachings, read this book. It might not change your life but will change how you view life.