Everything Gathers in the Ocean

The water in the ocean comes from little rivers. They flow into the ocean from different directions, but they all come together there.

It’s the same when we meditate. We all bring the mind to stillness, and then we practice not clinging. Big rivers, small rivers, all gather in the same ocean. It doesn’t matter where they come from, they all gather in the ocean.

We practice meditation to make the mind quiet and to stop clinging to the five aggregates. It’s all the same, so you don’t have to worry about it. If you see that this method is easier than that one, you can take this one. If you see that another method is easier, you can take that one. It’s just a matter of what’s right for your propensities.

This reflection by Ajahn Chah Subhaddo is from the book, It’s Like This: 108 Dhamma Similes, (pdf) pp. 14-15, translated into English by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.