---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness…"
description: "\"“It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they are just like us. They flee from suffering..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg"
---

#  It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the…

![“It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they are just like us. They flee from suffering and run towards happiness. They also have fear. They fear for their lives just as we do. When we see according to truth, we see that all animals…” quote by Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg)

> ““It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they are just like us. They flee from suffering and run towards happiness. They also have fear. They fear for their lives just as we do. When we see according to truth, we see that all animals and human beings are no different. We are all mutual companions of birth, old age, sickness, and death.””

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Mindfulness reveals that all beings share the same fundamental experiences of fear, suffering, and desire for happiness.

**In simple terms:** All beings share fear and hope for happiness.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate compassion through mindfulness.

Themes

compassion mindfulness interconnectedness

Mood

reflective calm

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- meditation
- animal welfare
- ethical decisions
- end‑of‑life care

Key Concepts

dhamma impermanence shared humanity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing shared suffering affect your actions?
- What practices deepen your empathy?

A Different Perspective

Mindfulness alone may not change external conditions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-human-343562/) [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Dhamma Mindfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dhamma-mindfulness-4225873/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mindfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindfulness/) [Mindfulness Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindfulness-animals-4225872/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/)

## Related quotes

> [My own experience of over 60 years in biomedical research amply demonstrated that without the use of animals and of human beings, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-sabin/my-own-experience-of-over-60-years-in-biomedical-research-amply/)

[Albert Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-sabin/)

> [To endow animals with human emotions has long been a scientific taboo. But if we do not, we risk missing something fundamental, about both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/to-endow-animals-with-human-emotions-has-long-been-a-scientific-taboo/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [It is not how we breed, keep and kill animals for human consumption that has been the impetus for vegetarianism for thousands of years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-patrick-goudreau/it-is-not-how-we-breed-keep-and-kill-animals-for-human-consumption/)

[Colleen Patrick-Goudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-patrick-goudreau/)

> [That afternoon he told me that the difference between human beings and animals was that human beings were able to dream while awake. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-millhauser/that-afternoon-he-told-me-that-the-difference-between-human-beings/)

[Steven Millhauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-millhauser/)

> [Like all animals, human beings have always taken what they want from nature. But we are the rogue species. We are unique in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/like-all-animals-human-beings-have-always-taken-what-they-want-from/)

[Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/)

> [“Have you ever wondered if death is the same for all living beings, be they animals, human beings included, or plants, from the grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/have-you-ever-wondered-if-death-is-the-same-for-all-living-beings-be/)

[José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/)

> [“Consider the cattle, grazing as they pass you by: they do not know what is meant by yesterday or today, they leap about, eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/consider-the-cattle-grazing-as-they-pass-you-by-they-do-not-know-what/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [In scripture God brings the animals to the human for naming. In that simple act the human is brought to recognize the particular personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/in-scripture-god-brings-the-animals-to-the-human-for-naming-in-that/)

[Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/)

> [Ich glaube sogar, durch Leidensk a« mpfe k o« nnten dieTiere zu Menschen werden. I believe that by suffering even animals could be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/ich-glaube-sogar-durch-leidensk-a-mpfe-k-o-nnten-dietiere-zu-menschen/)

[Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/)

> [“Emotional attachments to and functions of animals in human families are highly variable — and not always positive. Some family pets are surrogate children,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-pierce/emotional-attachments-to-and-functions-of-animals-in-human-families/)

[Jessica Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-pierce/)

> [I saw deep in the eyes of the animals, the human soul look out upon me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-carpenter/i-saw-deep-in-the-eyes-of-the-animals-the-human-soul-look-out-upon-me-2/)

[Edward Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-carpenter/)

> [“When we make friends then we change from being animals to being human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-we-make-friends-then-we-change-from-being-animals-to-being-human/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [Animals aren't property, and the law generally finds it acceptable to use and kill animals for human gain, imposing prison terms and steep fines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-laws/animals-aren-t-property-and-the-law-generally-finds-it-acceptable-to/)

[Charlotte Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-laws/)

> [It's part of our pop culture to give animals human personalities and talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/it-s-part-of-our-pop-culture-to-give-animals-human-personalities-and/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We do not ask what hope of gain makes a little bird warble, since we know that it takes delight in singing because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/we-do-not-ask-what-hope-of-gain-makes-a-little-bird-warble-since-we/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

## More by Ajahn Chah

> [If you have time to be mindful, you have time to meditate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/if-you-have-time-to-be-mindful-you-have-time-to-meditate/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/letting-go-a-little-brings-a-little-peace-letting-go-a-lot-brings-a/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Mindfulness is life. Whenever we don’t have mindfulness, when we are heedless, it’s as if we are dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/mindfulness-is-life-whenever-we-don-t-have-mindfulness-when-we-are/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [We don't meditate to see heaven, but to end suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/we-don-t-meditate-to-see-heaven-but-to-end-suffering/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Some people are afraid of generosity. They feel they will be taken advantage of or oppressed. In cultivating generosity, we are only oppressing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/some-people-are-afraid-of-generosity-they-feel-they-will-be-taken/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Anything which is troubling you, anything which is irritating you, THAT is your teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/anything-which-is-troubling-you-anything-which-is-irritating-you-that/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Know and watch your heart. It's pure but emotions come to colour it. So let your mind be like a tightly woven net to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/know-and-watch-your-heart-it-s-pure-but-emotions-come-to-colour-it-so/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [A woman wanted to know how to deal with anger. I asked when anger arose whose anger it was. She said it was hers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/a-woman-wanted-to-know-how-to-deal-with-anger-i-asked-when-anger/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Sati is life. Whenever we don't have sati, when we are heedless, it's as if we are dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/sati-is-life-whenever-we-don-t-have-sati-when-we-are-heedless-it-s-as/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [In practice, some come to see easily, some with difficulty. But whatever the case, never mind. Difficult or easy, the Buddha said not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/in-practice-some-come-to-see-easily-some-with-difficulty-but-whatever/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [When sitting in meditation, say, "That's not my business!" with every thought that comes by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/when-sitting-in-meditation-say-that-s-not-my-business-with-every/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment, the effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/proper-effort-is-not-the-effort-to-make-something-particular-happen/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Regarding this Dhamma, it is not something that we can simply talk about or take another's word for it. We need to develop meditation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/regarding-this-dhamma-it-is-not-something-that-we-can-simply-talk/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [These days people don't search for the Truth. People study simply in order to find knowledge necessary to make a living, raise families and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/these-days-people-don-t-search-for-the-truth-people-study-simply-in/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Things are simply the way they are. They don't give us suffering. Like a thorn: Does a sharp thorn give us suffering? No. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/things-are-simply-the-way-they-are-they-don-t-give-us-suffering-like/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

[Explore all 105 Ajahn Chah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

## More Animals quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

> [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/)

[Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/)

> [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/)

[Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/)

> [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/)

[Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/)

> [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/)

[Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/)

> [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/)

[Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/)

[Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they are just like us. They flee from suffering and run towards happiness. They also have fear. They fear for their lives just as we do. When we see according to truth, we see that all animals and human beings are no different. We are all mutual companions of birth, old age, sickness, and death.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ajahn Chah"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-when-we-see-the-animals-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-when-we-see-the-animals-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/ajahn-chah-4829_animals_it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-w_1294027.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It’s all Dhamma if we have mindfulness. When we see the animals that run away from danger, we see that they…” — Ajahn Chah",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ajahn Chah",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It’s all Dhamma if we have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-when-we-see-the-animals-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/it-s-all-dhamma-if-we-have-mindfulness-when-we-see-the-animals-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
