Q&A session, Sep. 2, 2017
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, California
29 excerpts, 1:41:20 total duration
Show featured excerpts (10)
This question and answer session was offered as part of the Teen Weekend on September 2, 2017 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.
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1. [17:34] “What meaningful impact do Buddhist monks have on the community?” [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support ] [Community] [Saṅgha] // [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days] [Abhayagiri]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit to Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Temporary ordination] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries]
2. [30:07] “How closely do you and the other monks live together?” [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Chah] [Communal harmony ] [Vinaya] [Seclusion] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic routine]
Quote: “Human beings. Those are beings with issues.” — Ajahn Chah [Human] [Conflict]
3. [36:44] “When you first ordained, you were just starting to learn about Buddhism. What changed that made you want to dive in?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Meditation/Results] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: “If you want to stay with me, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah
4. [41:28] “Will we get to see your kuti today?” [Abhayagiri] [Lodging]
Story: Early history of Abhayagiri Monastery. [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Seclusion] [Culture/Natural environment]
5. [47:22] “What was the hardest thing to give up?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Renunciation] // [Family]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit back to Canada.
6. [49:22] “In a Latin American country, the government privatized the water supply and passed a law making it illegal to collect rainwater. Everyone had to buy their water from Nestlé. Does this count as taking what is not given?” [Stealing] [Politics and society] [Environment] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand]
7. [53:17] “I have doubts about the concept of personal property. How does activism following the Five Precepts work in a country whose water supply has been bought out by private interests?” [Politics and society] [Environment] [Five Precepts] // [Community] [Virtue] [Discernment]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno investigates a logging operation at Dtao Dtum. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand] [Dtao Dum]
8. [1:00:18] “If you could give your younger self one piece of information, what would it be?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Restlessness and worry] [Fear]
9. [1:00:41] “What were you like when you were 18?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Delusion] [Spiritual search] [Intoxicants] [Relationships]
10. [1:04:22] Comment: I haven’t heard any Buddhist teachers talk about wholesome romantic relationships. [Relationships] [Skillful qualities]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Treasures]
Sutta: AN 4.55 Samajīvī Sutta [Virtue]
11. [1:06:30] “Can you talk about your environmental work in Thailand? What qualities of heart and inner strength help us live without being completely overwhelmed?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Environment ] [History/Thai Buddhism] // [Politics and society] [Culture/Thailand] [Greed] [Teaching Dhamma] [Panyaprateep School] [Food] [Dtao Dum] [Activism]
Story: Sri Lankan monastic kidney donors. [Health] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Generosity]
12. [1:18:48] “What is the most important thing we can do to help the next generation in terms of the environment?” [Environment ] // [Simplicity] [Contentment] [Greed]
13. [1:20:17] Story: Ajahn Pasanno teaches communication skills to Thai villagers. [Ajahn Pasanno] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Media] [Community] // [Environment] [Politics and society]
14. [1:21:38] “What are the biggest misconceptions about being ordained?” [Monastic life] // [Selfishness ]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno visits Ajahn Buddhadāsa: “Don’t be selfish!” [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Ajahn Pasanno]
15. [1:25:49] “What was your greatest desire as a kid?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Desire] // [Monastic life/Motivation] [Truth]
16. [1:26:47] “Are there monastics who wander around the world without any home base or destination?” [Monastic life] [Tudong ] // [Ajahn Sucitto] [Sequence of training] [Rains retreat] [Abhayagiri] [Requisites] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Almsround] [Culture/West] [Almsfood] [Not handling money] [Generosity]
17. [1:33:26] “Have you broken any precepts where only you know if you broke them?” [Vinaya] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Right Speech]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s uncle offers him alchohol. [Intoxicants] [Truth]
18. [1:35:50] “For the sake of the precepts, what’s the definition of gossip?” [Precepts] [Malicious speech] [Idle chatter]
19. [1:36:45] “Does gossip include talking about someone who is not present for entertainment value?” [Malicious speech ] [Idle chatter] // [Communal harmony] [Abhayagiri]
20. [1:38:26] “Is the point of the precepts to create as much well-being and as little pain in your environment as possible?” [Precepts ] [Happiness] // [Non-contention] [Communal harmony] [Trust]
21. [1:40:16] “Is the philosophy of this community totally against fun?” [Monastic life] [Entertainment and adornment] [Happiness] [Recreation/leisure/sport] // [Association with people of integrity] [Culture/Natural environment]
22. [1:42:00] Comment: Some of the things that monastics avoid due to their precepts can be really beautiful. [Monastic life] [Vinaya]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
23. [1:43:19] “Apart from cheating in a relationship or sexual assault, what is sexual misconduct?” [Sexual misconduct ] // [Relationships]
24. [1:45:26] “When all of the solar panels will be put in, how much of the monastery’s energy needs will be met?” [Environment] [Abhayagiri]
25. [1:48:16] “When’s your birthday?” [Ajahn Pasanno]
26. [1:48:39] “Do the monks give each other massages?” [Monastic life] [Health] // [Culture/Thailand]
27. [1:50:00] “What do you think of our president right now?” [Politics and society] // [Right Speech]
28. [1:52:42] “What precepts don’t most people know about that have a big effect on your life?” [Monastic life] [Vinaya ] // [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Requisites] [Mindfulness] [Communal harmony]
29. [1:55:52] “Do monastics talk with each other about the precepts they have broken or having wrong thoughts?” [Monastic life] [Vinaya] [Saṅgha] [Christianity] // [Pāṭimokkha] [Confession] [Rains retreat] [Learning] [Abhayagiri] [Faith]