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Rating: 
Summary: It's like hearing him speak!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: It's like hearing him speak!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: It's like hearing him speak!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: It's great, but available on line for free
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Chah's forest path.
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: Chah's forest path.
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: A Beloved Thai Master
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: One Source for teaching from the Thai Forest Tradition
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: There has never been a Buddhist book so valuable
Review: 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.
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