Jul 26, 2026 · 14 min · 8 segments
This episode is a talk given by Ajahn Chah called “The Place of Coolness”. It was published as part of “The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah”. You can find the original text in the description below…
The truth goes against our desires, so there is difficulty in the practice.
Some things which we understand as wrong may be right, while the things we take to be right may be wrong.
Why is this? Because our minds are in darkness.
We don't clearly see the truth.
We don't really know anything and so are fooled by people's lies.
They point out what is right as being wrong, and we believe it.
That which is wrong they say is right, and we believe that.
This is because we are not yet our own masters.
Our moods lie to us constantly.
We shouldn't take this mind and its opinions as our guide because it doesn't know the truth.
Some people don't want to listen to others at all, but this is not the way of a man of wisdom.
A wise man listens to everything.
One who listens to Dhamma must listen just the same whether he likes it or not and not blindly believe or disbelieve.
He must stay at the halfway mark, the middle point, and not be heedless.
He just listens and then contemplates, giving rise to the right results accordingly.
A wise man should contemplate and see the cause and effect for himself before he believes what he hears.
Even if the teacher speaks the truth, don't just believe it because you don't yet know the truth of it for yourself.
It's the same for all of us, including myself.
I've practiced longer than you.
I've seen many lies before.
The truth goes against our desires, so there is difficulty in the practice.
Some things which we understand as wrong may be right, while the things we take to be right may be wrong.
Why is this? Because our minds are in darkness.
We don't clearly see the truth.
We don't really know anything and so are fooled by people's lies.
They point out what is right as being wrong, and we believe it.
That which is wrong they say is right, and we believe that.
This is because we are not yet our own masters.
Our moods lie to us constantly.
We shouldn't take this mind and its opinions as our guide because it doesn't know the truth.
Some people don't want to listen to others at all, but this is not the way of a man of wisdom.
A wise man listens to everything.
One who listens to Dhamma must listen just the same whether he likes it or not and not blindly believe or disbelieve.
He must stay at the halfway mark, the middle point, and not be heedless.
He just listens and then contemplates, giving rise to the right results accordingly.
A wise man should contemplate and see the cause and effect for himself before he believes what he hears.
Even if the teacher speaks the truth, don't just believe it because you don't yet know the truth of it for yourself.
It's the same for all of us, including myself.
I've practiced longer than you.
I've seen many lies before.
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