Ajahn Chah

Then you will find some real peace.

To experience peace of mind, you have to clearly see the disadvantages and dangers in such forms of behavior.

This is practicing in the correct way.

If you do a silent retreat for seven days where you don't have to speak or get involved with anybody, and then go chatting, gossiping and overindulging for another seven months, how will you gain any real lasting benefit from those seven days of practice?

I would encourage all the lay people here who are practicing to develop awareness and wisdom, to understand this point.

Try to practice consistently.

See the disadvantages of practicing insincerely and inconsistently.

and try to sustain a more dedicated and continuous effort in the practice.

It can then become a realistic possibility that you might put an end to the impurities of the mind.

But that style of not speaking and not playing around for seven days, followed by six months of complete sensual indulgence, without any mindfulness or restraint, will just lead to the squandering of any gains made from meditation.

There won't be anything left.

It's like if you were to go to work for a day and earn 200 baht, but then went out and spent 300 baht on food and things in the same day.

How would you ever save any money?

The whole reason for studying the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, is to search for a way to transcend suffering and attain peace and happiness.

Whether we study physical or mental phenomena, the mind or its psychological factors,

It's only when we make liberation from suffering our ultimate goal that we're on the right path.

Nothing less.

Please clearly understand that when the mind is still, it's in its natural, normal state.

As soon as the mind moves, it becomes conditioned, sankhara.

When the mind is attracted to something, it becomes conditioned.