itslikethis-ajahn-chah

When the Cabinet is DoneI want us all to have endurance—enduring until there’s no more endurance.In other words, as soon as you see the truth, you let go. When you let go, yousee peace arising. When peace arises, you don’t have to practice—becauseyou’ve finished practicing. It’s like a cabinet. Before, it was a tree, but therewas a problem that required making a cabinet. The tree was cut and shapedbecause there was still a reason to make the cabinet. Once the cabinet isfinished and we’ve coated it with shellac and put it on display, that’s the endof having to do anything. It ends right there in the cabinet.Before, this cabinet was a tree; now, it’s beautiful cabinet. We can say thatwhat once wasn’t beautiful has turned into something beautiful.It’s the same with all of us. All of us have been run-of-the-mill people.And not just us—even the Buddha was just the same. He started out ignorant.That’s how he came to know. Wherever there’s dirtiness, there’s cleanlinessright there. When you wash that spot, the cleanliness doesn’t arise anywhereelse. Wherever there’s disturbance, there’s peace right there. Wherever there’swrongness, there’s rightness right there. They’re together, both of them, rightthere. Wherever there’s greed, aversion, and delusion, there’s lack of greed,lack of aversion, lack of delusion right there.