Waves Coming Ashore

Suffering and mental stress aren’t for sure. They’re inconstant. Keep this point in mind.

When these things arise, we know them right now and we let them go. This strength of mind will gradually see more and more. When it’s grown more resilient, it can suppress defilements extremely fast.

As time passes, whatever arises right here disbands right here, like waves on the sea coming ashore. As soon as they reach the shore they simply dissolve. A new wave comes and it dissolves too. It can’t go beyond the shore.

Inconstancy, stress, and not-self are the shore of the sea. As for the sense objects that come passing in, that’s all there is to them.

This reflection by Ajahn Chah is from the book, In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes, (pdf) pp. 47-48, translated in to English by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.