A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah (Quest Book) Paperback – January 1, 2004

There is more to this book than I could ever cover in a review, This is the first time I have rated a book as 5-star.Perhaps it was the time I read it, i.e. after reading several books related to Buddhism and meditation. I'm not sure; but whatever the case, this book spoke to me in a special way.For one thing, I appreciated how Achaan Chah suggested that many, if not all, great world religions have much in common. As a Christian, I found myself calling to mind some words of Jesus that paralleled some words of the Buddha. Of course, there are many differences between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. But there are many similarities. Consider: When Achaan Chah wrote of material things being empty and impermanent, I thought of Jesus telling his followers to not "...lay up for themselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume..." That is just one example of many that could be cited. When I began reading Buddhist writings awhile ago, I was interested in Buddhism as a way to help deepen my practice of meditation and prayer. This volume by Achaan Chah offers that kind of help and more. I commend it.

Really appreciate Ajahn Chah's simplicity. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in Buddhist philosophy, he gets rid of all of that and talks only about what is needed for awakening. Onwards with the practice :)

This is a beautiful book. Achaan Chah's instructions are simple, clear, and direct. There is no theory here, only practice instructions delivered in no-frills, no fuss language. The Introduction by translators and former students (now highly respected teachers) Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter helps set the tone and scene for learning from one of the late recent Buddhist master practitioners.The editors/compilers present the teachings in short, easy-to-digest sections and the occasional lovely simple line-drawing. There is also a very helpful teacher Q&A section at the end of the book from when Chan taught a retreat at IMS in Massachusetts before he died.If you are going to buy one book on Theravadan mindfulness meditation instructions, let this be the one. It is outstanding, worth reading again and again and again.

This book is a collection of short dharma talks given by meditation master Achaan Chah.Achaan Chah was abbot of one of the largest monastery complexes in the Thai Forest tradition. He welcomed and trained many western seekers who later returned to the west, becoming influential dharma teachers in their own right.In this book, Achaan Chah largely eschews "theory" in favor of encouraging his students to practice. Don't expect academic discourses on Buddhist psychology or other esoteric topics. These talks are short (rarely more than a couple of pages), direct, and very inspiring.Take your time reading this book. If you allow yourself a little time to digest the meaning of each piece, you might experience more benefit than attempting to read the book through in one sitting.

The book's contents are amazing, but my copy of it looks like someone's printer ink was running out with words looking very light and not as legible as you would like. For a treasure like this, you simply have to do better.

I LOVE the writings of Achaan Chah and this book is no exception! A Still Forest Pool is filled with Chah's wonderful insights, humor and deep love of the Dharma. I found this book so encouraging in my own practice. It really is a must have. You will not regret buying it.

I am new to Theravadin Buddhism but not to Buddhism itself. This book has nearly answered all of the questions I had during my 12 years as a Mahayanist. Ajahn Chah explains everything in simple, everyday language which is what I really like. He goes right to the heart of the teaching and makes it so easy. He also has quite a sense of humor. I would highly recommend this publication for a Buddhist of any denomination.

I ordered a used copy and the cover was different than this one, but it was cooler so I liked it already. After I got done judging the book by its cover I started reading. As a fan of Jack Kornfield's work, I was excited to read something by his teacher. I was not disappointed. Easy to read. Hard to put down. It gives you much to contemplate.