2015 Abhayagiri Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat

Friday, November 20

Evening – A Container for Non-Complication
After giving the refuges and precepts, Ajahn Pasanno explains the retreat as an opportunity and support to delight in non-complication.

Saturday, November 21

Morning – Establishing Alertness and Presence
While giving basic instructions in mindfulness of breathing, Ajahn Pasanno emphasizes enlivening and embodying awareness to avoid drifting or obsessive mind states.
Afternoon – Eight Thoughts of a Great Being
Reflecting on Anuruddha's insights into the Dhamma (AN 8:30), Ajahn Pasanno reminds us to restrain the proliferating mind and cultivate contentment; the conditions we have are good enough for enlightenment.
Evening – Questions and Answers 1 (Index)
Ajahn Pasanno offers answers to questions provided by the retreatants.

Saturday, November 21

Questions and Answers 1 Index

[1:09] Equanimity. ...your thoughts?
[6:16] Please explain wise action. How can one see that it is not influenced by craving?
[9:49] This morning you talked about crossing the floods of obsessive thought by not holding on to or pushing them away. I get that, but it feels like there's something missing – a hole that needs to be filled up with something – a solution?
[12:27] What should we do during eating? How to eat with meditation?
[15:36] Could you please repeat the name of he sutta you mentioned this morning that laid out the “whole spiritual path” in a conversation with the devas?
[16:29] What is the difference between piti and sukha? Also equanimity and emptiness as a felt sense?
[22:02] I volunteer in hospice and was in attendance for the passing of my parents. I notice vast differences in the way people experience their passage. What can we do, while still alive, to prepare for a peaceful and “wakeful” passing? Other than “being present,” is there anything that can be of benefit to others?
[34:01] Would you tell us again the name of the sutta you spoke of last night and in today's Dhamma talk?
[34:44] What is the best approach to deal with guilt?
[43:00] For those of us who need to routinely rest more due to aging, illness, or disability, could you share some suggestions and advice for how to optimize ths time as mediation in a lying down posture?

Sunday, November 22

Morning – A Spider in its Web
Drawing on the first tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118), Ajahn Pasanno describes attending to the breath centered on a particular point while experiencing the entire body.
Afternoon – The Heart of Monastic Retreat
Recalling his initial impressions of Ajahn Chah's monastery, Ajahn Pasanno describes monastic practice as incorporating Dhamma into all aspects of life: formal practice, eating, chores, and interactions with others. Such practice naturally leads to continuity of mindfulness and skillful action.
Evening – Questions and Answers 2 (Index)
Ajahn Pasanno offers answers to questions provided by the retreatants.

Monday, November 23

Questions and Answers 3 Index

[0:22] As inspiration for the rest of us, would you please talk about some of your milestone insights over your years of practice and what kept you going over the years, especially when you hit roadblocks?
[6:27] Inclining mind toward happiness, joy, lightness, exhilaration, the good, sometimes feels a bit Polyanna-ish. What about all the wars, refugees, my job, illness, pain, etc. Aren't these also the way things are – unpleasant, dark, and negative?
[11:03] You spoke of using the body as reference, backdrop for the breath. Always coming back to the body. Doesn't this foster a sense of attachment to the body as mine? And what if the body is not in good shape, ill, and hurting?
[13:22] I am doing well when sitting or walking – my container of mindfulness is filling. However, it seems to be leaking during every other activity. Walking to the meal, in my room, going to the bathroom, eating. Help! I seem to be defeating my own efforts.
[18:50] How can we apply the law of cause and effect in daily life? How can we apply this law to such a simple thing to remove suffering?
[21:02] Would you remind us what “the four pairs, the eight kinds of noble beings” means and perhaps in a nutshell what is the English translation of the meal blessing?
[25:53] Could you offer a bit of advice on how to deal with the apparent dichotomy between seeing people (including myself) as real & solid (for example when sending them metta), and the doctrine of no-self whereby there is no such imagined solidity at all – just an ever-changing combination of the khandas?
[30:44] What if a short breath never comes? Am I stuck on the long breath or can I create a short breath and move on? Are the steps to anapanasati sequential, and do I observe them, cultivate them, or both?
[35:54] How does one avoid controlling the breath when observing it?
[38:39] In addition to being aware of our body, is it acceptable to use visual imagery? For example, seeing oneself standing by the ocean breathing in air created by the waves.
[42:29] Could you describe the meaning of abide, pervading, and imbued in the phrase “I will abide pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with lovingkindness?”
[46:46] Does the breath body exist as an object of mind? As the Buddha mentions it so specifically, I would be grateful for more clarification on the “breath body.”
[51:02] I notice that the calmer my mind becomes, the more imperceptible my breath is – to the point of feeling a suspension of breathing and at times a complete cessation. This sometimes seems to lead to sleepiness and torpor. How can I bring my mind back to a state of focus without manipulating my breath?
[56:05] When negative feelings arise, whether they be fear, anxiety, loneliness, etc., how do we investigate them? Does breathing into these feelings and being fully present (without trying to push them away) help to become aware of the true cause of these feelings? Is the cause of these feelings always craving of some kind?
[60:30] In a Dhamma talk at Abhayagiri, you quoted Luang Por Chah as saying “Nibbana lies on the shores of death.” Could you say more about this?
[63:45] How are you satisfied and/or dissatisfied with students?

Tuesday, November 24

Questions and Answers 4 Index

[0:07] What are the consequences of breaking a precept?
[8:51] Some meditators associate “peak experiences” with spiritual progress. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this approach?
[10:33] Of the four elements, please explain wind element.
[13:28] “Luminous is the mind.” Is the luminous mind conditioned or unconditioned? If unconditioned, then it's Nirvana. If conditioned/impermanent, then Nirvana is beyond the mind? Yet it can be known by the mind?
[15:02] Did you say the defilements are advantageous? (The questioner misheard “adventitious.”)
[15:45] Do any of you who reside at the monastery vote in local or national elections? I also wonder if you get involved in public discussions on local policies as they pertain to or potentially affect the monastery?
[18:43] Persistent physical pain. Not chronic, just from sitting. How do I work skillfully with it? Right now the meditations feel swamped with it?
[21:52] Could you talk about how to manage doubt when it arises?
[24:07] Do monks on retreat feel as much pain as we do? Is pain sankharas?
[26:17] Can you repeat the aspect of sankharas other than mental volitional energy?
[27:56] Is it better to stick to one mode of breath meditation (visualizations, a mantra, etc.) for a while during the course of a 30-45 minute sit rather than jumping around to various modes?
[31:28] If the list of the five khandas is intended to be linear, why is sense-consciousness the final one?
[34:19] What is the difference between a fetter and a hindrance?
[39:49] One of the books I have read suggests to practice the last moment of life every night. What would you suggest for practicing marananussati?
[42:45] There is a mean streak in my family, a tendency to be dishonest and manipulative. I can see how it has been passed down over generations. I have worked hard to overcome these habits in myself. At this stage of life my familiar relationships are mostly positive and harmonious, but I still sometimes run across their manipulation or dishonesty. I would like to discuss or address it within my family, but there is no apperent recouse or means of addressing the situation. Any questions?
[48:38] Sitting with the Sangha, I am learning how to feel joy.
[48:47] Please say more about what a monastic retreat offers compared to an “ordinary” retreat. What are the differences?
[53:53] If mind and consciousness are impermanent, what/who is aware? Also, who/what is it that experiences the results of karma, especially after the body dies and perhaps is reborn?
[56:02] Can you please explain mindfulness or awareness of consciousness? I can understand consciousness arising as a result of stimuli entering the sense doors, but how does one become aware of consciousness itself? Or is this the right question about consciousness?
[58:19] Last night you spoke about balancing tranquility of mind with investigation or a theme for contemplation. Can you clarify how this can be accomplished without getting into the usual mind states of planning, associating, etc.?
[65:09] Can you say something about the difference between “the mind” and the brain?
[67:30] Is there a distinction between observing the mind and observing what arises?
[69:51] It seems that nimittas can appear before the mind is fully settled in concentration. Is it useful to understand what that is happening? Should one ignore the nimitta until concentration is firmly established? Or is there some other response or skillful way to work with the nimitta while establishing samadhi?

Wednesday, November 25

Questions and Answers 5 Index

[0:01] Please explain more how did the Buddha cross the flood, by neither going forward nor standing still. What does this mean?
[2:15] How could you accomplish studying Buddhism in Thailand with Luang Por Chah? How did Luang Por Chah teach you as a you were a foreigner new monk? How did you cope with the language issue?
[9:32] You often talk about gladdening and lightening the mind. How do I do that?
[14:01] Could you speak a little about the structure of the Pali Canon? How much was written down in the Buddha's time?
[21:55] Could you talk about woman’s ordination (nuns) during the Buddha's time and in modern times?
[26:40] Could you talk about the role memory plays in perception?
[29:16] I'm concerned about Alzheimer's disease and getting stuck between life and death, loosing all I've learned about mindfulness practice and all my dignity. Where is the silver lining in this life's challenge?
[33:00] Please explain the hierarchy of devas, gods, etc. in relation to the Buddha. How is it that a mortal being can be more evolved or enlightened than gods? Do gods and devas create karma? Are they born again as gods or devas or humans?
[38:07] If a lay person wants to follow the seventh precept in daily life, refraining from entertainment seems fairly straightforward. Would you please explain more specifically refraining from “beautification and adornment?” Does owning artwork fall anywhere into precept seven?
[41:58] Appreciation for becoming aware of consciousness as a nutriment.
[43:59] Please demonstrate how to bow. Are there any cultural differences?
[51:42] As I've been pondering about consciousness as nutriment, which pointed me to the self. I am wondering, is the self attachment? But attachment is not permanent either. So could we say the self can be either attachment and/or non-attachment, the owner or non-owner? Not trying to find self, rather understanding self? Perhaps pure self as opposed to impure self? Please comment.
[55:23] I was a little confused this morning about the nutriments. I'm assuming the nutriments nourish our suffering. What are the nutriments? How would consciousness and mental volition differ in feeding dukkha?
[60:14] Would you share one of Pooh's many nuggets of wisdom to inspire?
[62:06] Can you clarify the difference between desire and intention? It seems that either could lead to suffering due to attachments to the results. Yet we are encouraged to have intentions for well-being, health, happiness, etc. Isn't our intention also a desire?

Thursday, November 26

Questions and Answers 6 Index

[0:00] In working with the Four Noble Truths, to understand suffering, does the Buddha mean knowing for instance the pain in your heart, the stress around your eyes, or does he also mean to see with insight its karmic effect on yourself and others?
[3:29] To abandon the cause, does it mean in that moment or completely?
[4:46] All the stories you told us this morning made me realize the fact that what we are seeking is just right here in our mind. What do you think?
[8:38] Could you talk more about the two levels of understanding the true nature of karma: mundane and transcendent?
[12:49] Competitiveness feels so pervasive here in America. What are your thoughts for working with it or healing it?
[20:26] Could you describe the progression of anagarika and samanera training?
[26:04] The Middle Way – It is not 50% becoming and 50% annihilation, right? What is it the middle of?
[26:34] Toward the end of this morning sitting meditation, my body started shaking from left to right for about a minute or so. While this was happening, I was observing it without getting panicked or trying to stop it and then it stopped shaking. How do you explain this experience?
[28:29] In this afternoon's talk, Ajahn Karunadhammo mentioned the benefits of the bhava that results from practice or the Eightfold Path. Could you elaborate on this?
[35:50] Did the Buddha perform any miracles?
[36:57] Can the monastics speak about the skillful use of caffeine for their practice?
[40:05] Can you please explain the asavas?
[43:57] Please speak a little about kataññu.
[50:41] How can I continue to deepen my practice in the absence of a living teacher?
[55:40] Is it useful to investigate how we can only experience one conscious moment at a time?
[63:51] In Hinduism there is a belief that we choose our parents in order to work though some karma. Is there a similar belief in Buddhism? How much volition can we exert over future rebirths?

Saturday, November 28

Morning – Turning to Relinquishment
Ajahn Pasanno describes some of his history with Ajahn Chan and reflects upon the teaching “all things not worth clinging to (AN 7.58).”
Afternoon – Let the-Retreat Be a Part of You
In the last afternoon Dhamma talk, Debbie Stamp reflects on the theme of being with uncertainty and encourages the retreatants to remember their insights and bring them into the world as they depart.
Evening – Questions and Answers 8 (Index)
Ajahn Pasanno offers answers to questions provided by the retreatants.

Saturday, November 28

Questions and Answers 8 Index

[0:10] I'm having a hard time with alcohol (not here!). Not heavy or even daily use; a glass of wine with dinner a few nights a week or at social events. I would like to stop but have a hard time sustaining for more than a month or so. Any words of encouragement?
[3:02] When you spent time with family, did you notice any old habits resurfacing?
[5:15] Can you please speak about faith? How to develop it? How to maintain it through the ups and downs of practice? How have you maintained your faith over forty years of practice?
[9:42] I was wondering if the merit we have done for meditation practice can be dedicated to the people (dead or alive) we pray for? How do we know it? Also, I have heard that the merit from practicing meditation will accumulate and stay with ones who have practiced that, which also carries over throughout the life or the subsequent incarnations. Can you clarify this?
[21:12] I understand that there is a council of Theravada elders who are a “decision making panel” guiding the tradition. Who exactly is part of this council and who or what determines their eligibility? Will the honor being bestowed upon you and Ajahn Amaro next month make you eligible? Are there other monks in modern times who have received this honor?
[26:16] If I remember correctly, you said with practice what can be realized is not so much the abandonment of the self but the misperception of a self given there has never been a self to be abandoned, correct?
[30:43] Can you give a concrete description of how you recollect or contemplate? What's going on in your mind while you do it? What resources or mental formations do you use?
[34:16] What chants would you recommend as suitable to use for patients who may be in hospice or close to death? Can Buddhist monks give last rites?
[45:30] The Buddha said that vedana is either pleasant, unpleasant, or neither. Contemplating papañca, I noticed that it felt comfortable – familiar and unthreatening. Would a better way to “neither pleasant nor unpleasant” be “comfortable” rather than “neutral?”
[48:19] Can you tell us what you find interesting about the breath? What insights have arisen for you from watching the breath?
[49:35] Do you have any tips for embodying the Dhamma in business situations when negotiating with aggressive individuals? I tend to walk away at a certain point, but am wondering if there's another way to turn it around, make it better for everyone?
[51:57] Have you ever put a publication together on the retreat questions? Are the talks of this retreat being recorded?
[54:55] For decades, I believed the suffering was the food itself–that cake, that pastry, more food, another bowlful. But now I understand dukkha is not “the thing.” It is the overwhelming craving, the feeling itself. And now that the dukkha is understood, how do I tolerate that feeling?
[55:53] Is it possible to meditate on forgiveness for someone who died many years ago? Does forgiveness reach that person on some level, or is it more a metter of showing compssion towards myself?
[57:25] Could you explain what your ordination names mean and how they were chosen?
[59:08] How does the process work to get a title as you do? Is this title only for monks? Will you be the only one in the USA?
[60:53] I understand that our genetic disposition can't be changed, but epigenetics say that their expression can be modified by changing lifestyle. In a similar way, our kamma is given but understanding but your teachings say the expression and effects can be changed by practice. Please comment.
[62:59] Could you speak about Buddhist involvement in social change movements?
[70:01] Who are the most senior monks in the Thai Forest Tradition? Can you speak about the lineage? Are there Thai teachers of your seniority who come to the West?
[76:28] I have attended many deaths and that last breath appears to be really difficult to relinquish. Does this training really help?
[77:21] In the Anapanasati Sutta, what is meant by “breathing in/out tranquilizing the mental formation?”
[78:23] Can you recommend a reflection or phrase to use immediately upon awakening in the morning or the last thing before sleep?
[79:56] I'm curious about the ceremony to bestow the honorific title. What does it entail? What is the new title? Does it change the appropriate way for us to address or refer to you?
[82:55] If one were to choose a life partner who was not practicing the Dhamma as we know it but had some spiritual lightness about them, what are some qualities we should look for in them that would make them a good partner?
[86:25] Do you think it's possible to experience Nibbana before becoming fully awakened - “moments of enlightenment?” But if Nibbana is beyond consciousness, would you remember that it happened?
[87:48] Is there a way to measure concentration, mindfulness, and awareness?

Sunday, November 29

Morning – Closing Talk Practice Inside and Out
As the retreatants prepare to move out into their day-to-day lives, Ajahn Pasanno speaks of balancing the external and internal aspects of the practice, whether in finding the balance of spiritual friendship and inner development or in balancing the keeping of precepts and the cultivation of right view.
Morning – Closing Ceremony
Ajahn Pasanno begins the closing ceremony with an explanation of the Paritta chanting, protective chants that include the Metta Sutta, The Mangala Sutta, and the Ratana Sutta. Ajahn Ñāniko then begins the Paritta chanting by calling on the devas, forces of goodness, to witness. The Paritta chants are followed by a ceremony of blessing cords and a sprinkling of holy water. Ajahn Pasanno then offers a brief reflection on the importance of skillful endings and the retreat concludes with all retreatants chanting together the Sharing of Blessings.

About

Luang Por Pasanno and the Abhayagiri Community created a monastic environment and offered retreatants an opportunity explore the Dhamma in a setting that differs somewhat from a typical meditation retreat.

The retreatants followed the Eight Precepts, took only what is offered, and attempting to reflect on our every activity as part of our practice. In addition, there was noble silence, morning and evening chanting, sitting and walking meditation, a work period, and daily Dhamma talks and teachings.

The retreat was held from Friday afternoon, November 20, through midday Sunday, November 29, 2015, in the Ursula Hall at the Angela Center in Santa Rosa, California.

Abhayagiri

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat

Friday, November 20

Saturday, November 21

Saturday, November 21

Questions and Answers 1 Index

Sunday, November 22

Sunday, November 22

Questions and Answers 2 Index

Monday, November 23

Monday, November 23

Questions and Answers 3 Index

Tuesday, November 24

Tuesday, November 24

Questions and Answers 4 Index

Wednesday, November 25

Wednesday, November 25

Questions and Answers 5 Index

Thursday, November 26

Thursday, November 26

Questions and Answers 6 Index

Friday, November 27

Friday, November 27

Questions and Answers 7 Index

Saturday, November 28

Saturday, November 28

Questions and Answers 8 Index

Sunday, November 29

About