--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How many times have you tried to solve…" description: "\"How many times have you tried to solve “the problem”? you’ll be trying to solve it not just until you die but for many more lifetimes. Instead, underst..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/ajahn-brahm-22720_lifetime_how-many-times-have-you-tried-to-solve-t_1468386.png" --- # How many times have you tried to solve “the problem”?… ![“How many times have you tried to solve “the problem”? you’ll be trying to solve it not just until you die but for many more lifetimes. Instead, understand that this world is just the play of the senses. It’s the five khandhas doing their thing; it has nothing to do with you. It’s just people being…” quote by Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/ajahn-brahm-22720_lifetime_how-many-times-have-you-tried-to-solve-t_1468386.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/ajahn-brahm-22720_lifetime_how-many-times-have-you-tried-to-solve-t_1468386.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/ajahn-brahm-22720_lifetime_how-many-times-have-you-tried-to-solve-t_1468386.png) > “How many times have you tried to solve “the problem”? you’ll be trying to solve it not just until you die but for many more lifetimes. Instead, understand that this world is just the play of the senses. It’s the five khandhas doing their thing; it has nothing to do with you. It’s just people being people, the world being the world.” [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The problem is endless; recognizing the world as mere sensory play frees us from personal attachment. **In simple terms:** Seeing life as sensory illusion reduces suffering. Key Takeaway Detach from personal identification with problems. Themes impermanence attachment mindfulness Mood calm reflective Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - Meditation - daily stress - relationship conflicts - grief processing Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy five aggregates Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing the world as sensory play change your reaction to problems? - What habits keep you attached to outcomes? A Different Perspective The insight may be hard to accept during intense emotional pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) [Solve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solve/) [Solve Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solve-just-1272142/) [Solve Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solve-problem/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tried Solve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried-solve-5322183/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Solve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-solve-427345/) [Understand World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Don't stare into a mirror when you are trying to solve a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/don-t-stare-into-a-mirror-when-you-are-trying-to-solve-a-problem/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/don-t-bother-people-for-help-without-first-trying-to-solve-the/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [There is but one special interest that we should be working for, and that would solve just about all of our problems, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/there-is-but-one-special-interest-that-we-should-be-working-for-and/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [If it's a problem you cant solve.. Just let the problem solve itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-it-s-a-problem-you-cant-solve-just-let-the-problem-solve-itself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are times when the only access I have to the truest person that I am is when I'm alone and trying to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/there-are-times-when-the-only-access-i-have-to-the-truest-person-that/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [You have to sometimes just run with the problem rather than trying to solve it with hi-tech wizardry and lots of planning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/you-have-to-sometimes-just-run-with-the-problem-rather-than-trying-to/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [Open your mind up to things that have no connection with the problem you're trying to solve: subscribe to an unusual magazine; spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/open-your-mind-up-to-things-that-have-no-connection-with-the-problem/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [Whether you were talking about Pillsbury, Burger King, Godfather's, the National Restaurant Association, in each one of those situations, I had a daunting problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/whether-you-were-talking-about-pillsbury-burger-king-godfather-s-the/) [Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/) > [Thank you for helping me solve this problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/thank-you-for-helping-me-solve-this-problem/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [“That is not how you do it; you do not solve one problem with another, greater problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/that-is-not-how-you-do-it-you-do-not-solve-one-problem-with-another/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Love didn't always solve the problem; sometimes it became the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-gotti/love-didn-t-always-solve-the-problem-sometimes-it-became-the-problem/) [Victoria Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-gotti/) > [“Solve the problem; find the solution. It's a simple equation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshbosh/solve-the-problem-find-the-solution-it-s-a-simple-equation/) [ToshBosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshbosh/) > [The government doesn't have to solve everyone's problem here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/the-government-doesn-t-have-to-solve-everyone-s-problem-here/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) ## More by Ajahn Brahm > [The secret of life is... everything is out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/the-secret-of-life-is-everything-is-out-of-control/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Complaining is finding faults, wisdom is finding solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/complaining-is-finding-faults-wisdom-is-finding-solutions/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [My first meditation teacher told me that there is no such thing as a bad meditation. He was right. During the difficult meditations you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/my-first-meditation-teacher-told-me-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [The selfless giving, the service, the kindness which you give out into this world that is the currency of (the) meaning (of life).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/the-selfless-giving-the-service-the-kindness-which-you-give-out-into/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Love, oneness, is no separation between you and life. It is a progressive letting go, a progressive not fault finding. Just do nothing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/love-oneness-is-no-separation-between-you-and-life-it-is-a/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/meditation-is-like-a-gym-in-which-you-develop-the-powerful-mental/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [“Another simile is that of the man who was born and raised in a prison and who has never set foot outside. All he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/another-simile-is-that-of-the-man-who-was-born-and-raised-in-a-prison/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Understand the place of love in a spiritual life. A powerful and blissful type of love has no conditions, no ownership and no people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/understand-the-place-of-love-in-a-spiritual-life-a-powerful-and/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [“We should always be grateful for the faults in our partner because if they didn't have those faults from the start, they would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/we-should-always-be-grateful-for-the-faults-in-our-partner-because-if/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity in thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/silence-is-so-much-more-productive-of-wisdom-and-clarity-in-thinking/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Peace is the most valuable commodity. And it's free!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/peace-is-the-most-valuable-commodity-and-it-s-free/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Why seek revenge? Karma is going to get the bastards anyway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/why-seek-revenge-karma-is-going-to-get-the-bastards-anyway/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [“Better lite a candle than complain about the darkness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/better-lite-a-candle-than-complain-about-the-darkness/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [Love is not liking somebody. Anyone can do that. Love is loving things that sometimes you don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/love-is-not-liking-somebody-anyone-can-do-that-love-is-loving-things/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) > [What are people searching for in life? God. In the christian scriptures, it says 'Be still and know you are God.' What is this?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-brahm/what-are-people-searching-for-in-life-god-in-the-christian-scriptures/) [Ajahn Brahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) [Explore all 25 Ajahn Brahm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-brahm/) ## More Lifetime quotes > [It's sort of the American way to go up and down the ladder, maybe several times in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/it-s-sort-of-the-american-way-to-go-up-and-down-the-ladder-maybe/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The number of ways you can live in one lifetime is limitless. So why limit yourself? The sky is not the limit. Beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-number-of-ways-you-can-live-in-one-lifetime-is-limitless-so-why/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [With all the technology we're inventing and what they're coming up with scientifically, people are having longer lifetimes. It's scary, but in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-murphy/with-all-the-technology-we-re-inventing-and-what-they-re-coming-up/) [Brittany Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-murphy/) > [Real chessplayers think about chess more or less 24 hours a day. It is a passion and a fate that one has to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simen-agdestein/real-chessplayers-think-about-chess-more-or-less-24-hours-a-day-it-is/) [Simen Agdestein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simen-agdestein/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [“A life is about twenty-five thousand days, and a finding occurs about once every twenty-five thousand days. In other news, once in a lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/a-life-is-about-twenty-five-thousand-days-and-a-finding-occurs-about/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. 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What's needed is a sound intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/to-invest-successfully-over-a-lifetime-does-not-require-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) [Browse all 2,943 Lifetime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How many times have you tried to solve “the problem”? you’ll be trying to solve it not just until you die but for many more lifetimes. Instead, understand that this world is just the play of the senses. It’s the five khandhas doing their thing; it has nothing to do with you. 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