Luang Por Liem: The Ways of the Peaceful - Wat Pah Nanachat

Contentment
During his visit to Malaysia in May 2005 Luang Por
Liem was asked the following questions about
monastic life:
Question: We’d like to know about your experiences living
together with Luang Por Chah.
Answer: Generally, Luang Por Chah taught us to conduct
ourselves practicing contentment and having few wishes.
Contentment and fewness of wishes, these words describe a
lifestyle where one doesn’t have much to worry about. It is also
the lifestyle of the “ariyavamsa” 13 , to live without ties and fetters.
Contentment and fewness of wishes is a factor of perfection. It is
one of the qualities of Dhamma that the Enlightened Ones
possess. Now, if one isn’t yet enlightened but just an ordinary
person, one still trains according to the guidelines of behaviour of
the Enlightened Ones. One takes their ways of practicing and
makes them into one’s own habits. For example: the Enlightened
Ones teach us not to become angry, so even though we want to
follow our anger, we make a point of refraining from it. Doing so
for long periods of time, becoming angry ceases to be one of our
habits, and eventually we don’t want to become angry any more.
This is an example of how we practice so that certain ways of
acting become natural. I see this as a way of life that is free from
conflict with anyone and free from dangers. This is the way I have
practiced with Luang Por Chah.
13 ariyavamsa (Pali): noble lineage – the lineage of enlightened beings;
specifically defined by the Buddha as those who possess the qualities of
contentment and fewness of wishes.
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