Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, and Ajahn Ñāṇiko take turns reading suttas and teachings regarding the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The structure often follows Right Mindfulness by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro. There are noteworth slideshows illustrating the 32 parts of the body.
External websiteIntroductory Talks: Ajahn Pasanno, January 6 – 9
Mindfulness of the Body: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno, January 10 – 22
Thirty-two Parts of the Body slideshows: January 14 – 15
Mindfulness the Gatekeeper: Ajahn Pasanno, January 23 – February 1
The Structure of Breath Meditation: Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāniko, February 2 – 9
The Urgency of Practice: Ajahn Ñāniko and Ajahn Pasanno, February 10 – 19
Flesing Out the Four Tetrads: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno, February 20 – March 10:
Mindfulness of Feeling and Mind: Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāniko, March 15 – 29
Note: Page numbers in Right Mindfulness by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro refer to the print edition and do not match the pdf.
[Session] Dhamma talk: After the Abhayagiri community begins the retreat with the ceremony of taking dependence, Ajahn Pasanno explains the meaning of dependence, the importance of mindfulness, and how mindfulness connects with the eightfold path. He explains how to look after both oneself and others with mindfulness using the Simile of the Acrobat (SN 47.19). [Ceremony/ritual] [Dependence] [Mindfulness] [Right Mindfulness] [Eightfold Path]
[Session] Dhamma talk: Ajahn Pasanno reflects upon the question: “What kind of effort do we need to conform with what the Buddha means by mindfulness?” He answers in terms of the four aspects of right effort, the seven qualities of Dhamma the Buddha taught to Upali (AN 7.79), and the Buddha’s description of how he crossed the flood (SN 1.1). [Right Effort] [Mindfulness] [Dhamma]
[Session] Dhamma talk: The commentary explains sampajañña (clear comprehension / alertness) as clear comprehension of purpose, suitability, domain, and non-delusion. Ajahn Pasanno describes how each of these factors relate to the practice of mindfulness. [Clear comprehension] [Mindfulness]
[Session] Dhamma talk: Cautioning against trusting our assumptions about the nature of mindfulness, Ajahn Pasanno reviews several key passages in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10). [Ardency] [Clear comprehension] [Mindfulness] [Right Mindfulness]
[Session] Readings from Body Contemplation: A Study Guide by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro. [Mindfulness of body]
AN 4.184: Janussonī; AN 10.60: Girimananda; SN 35.247: Six Animals; AN 4.45: Rohitassa; Thag 1.104: Khitaka.
Dhp 259, Dhp 299, Dhp 46; Ud 3.5.
AN 1.575 and onward, Mindfulness immersed in the body (SuttaCentral numbering).
AN 1.616 and onward, Deathless (SuttaCentral numbering).
1. [12:40] “Do you need to be a non-returner to be free from the fear of death?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Non-return] [Fear] [Death] [Sensual desire] // [Arahant] [Conceit] [Stream entry] [Faith]
2. [15:21] “In this passage where the Buddha lists illnesses and calamaties (AN 10.60), he separates kamma out as a cause of those things. However the cause of being subject to these things is because of making good or bad kamma. Is kamma [in this list] a direct, proximate cause?” [Kamma] [Sickness] [Conditionality]
Sutta: SN 36.21 Sīvaka: The Buddha refutes the notion that kamma causes everything.
3. [30:18] “Is mindfulness of the body fabricating a wholesome mental image of the body as opposed to an unwholesome image? But how can we know the body in any way other than vedanā?” [Mindfulness of body] [Visualization] [Feeling] // [S. N. Goenka] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Postures] [Clear comprehension] [Right Mindfulness] [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation] [Delusion] [Characteristics of existence]
Quote: “The availability of insight is through stepping back from the assumptions that we make, whether it’s around the body or feeling or mind or the sense of self.” [Relinquishment]
4. [36:49] Discussion of which excercises described as mindfulness of the body (MN 10) are reflective techniques and which are based on vedanā. Led by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Mindfulness of body] [Recollection] [Feeling] // [Elements] [Unattractiveness] [Insight meditation] [Liberation]
Comment about S.N. Goenka’s use of the term vedanā. Contributed by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [S. N. Goenka] [Contact] [Sense bases] [Aggregates]
[Session] Reading: MN 119: This sutta describes the development of mindfulness of the body through mindfulness of breathing, the four postures, full awareness, bodily parts, elements, corpse contemplation, and the four jhānas. [Mindfulness of body]
1. [28:00] “What is mesentery?”
Reference: Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 37.
2. [29:26] “Why are some body parts omitted from this list?” // [Commentaries] [Sensual desire] [Self-identity view]
Reference: Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 37.
3. [32:32] Comment: This reminds me of Ajahn Anan’s practice. [Ajahn Anan] [Nimitta] // [Thai Forest Tradition] [Concentration] [Sutta]
4. [34:06] “What do the Pāḷi terms translated as impurity and foulness mean?” [Pāli] [Translation] [Aversion] // [Etymology] [Sensual desire]
Simile: MN 119.7: Sack of grains.
Comment: Words themselves like “impure” are culturally loaded. [Language] [Cultural context] [Culture/India]
5. [39:00] Comment: I find it helpful to think about all the different cells of the body. How could any of them be me? [Form] [Not-self]
[Session] The contemplation of the parts of the body can be used to reduce sexual craving, to still the mind, and to induce insight into the nature of the body. In the first slideshow, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo gives a brief description of the structure and function of each of the thirty-two parts. The Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 37 lists the thirty-two parts in Pali and English. Many of the slide show images come from 32parts.com, an internet resource for body contemplation. [Sensual desire] [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation]
Reference: Video of the slideshow.
1. [29:04] “What is the length of an average small intestine?”
2. [29:24] “How long does it take food to make its way through the digestive tract?” [Food]
3. [35:58] “Is blood only red when it’s outside the body?”
4. [38:30] “Is there a biological function for tears?” // [Emotion]
5. [40:17] “How does phlegm relate to mucus?”
6. [42:41] Comment: When I go though the list [of the 32 parts], I separate the object from my body and evision my body with it absent. [Visualization]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Chah] [Not-self] [Sensual desire] [Calming meditation] [Sloth and torpor]
[Session] Ajahn Karuṇadhammo reviews the slideshow again with an emphasis on internal contemplation and insight. [Recollection] [Insight meditation]
Reference: Video of the slideshow.
1. [9:28] “Why is there no liquid blood in the photographs of flesh and sinews?”
Reference: Thirty-two parts slideshow video.
2. [15:20] “Where does a stomach ache originate from?” [Sickness]
3. [15:52] “Is there a particular orientation for the intestines?”
Story: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo’s first surgery as a nursing student. [Health care]
4. [16:59] “During the meditation, is it appropriate to envision the stomach itself with undigested food?” (The stomach isn’t listed in the 32 parts.) [Visualization] [Food]
5. [17:47] Comment: Perhaps the thirty-one parts were part of the medical culture at the time of the Buddha.
Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: The brain had a lot less significance in those days. [History/Early Buddhism]
6. [29:55] Comment: I cultivate saṁvega by contemplating the heart. [Sense of urgency]
7. [30:25] “Why are the first five parts chosen for special contemplation?” // [Ajahn Mun] [Sensual desire]
1. [0:32] Description of the Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] // [Devotional practice] [Gratitude]
2. [2:28] Reading from the draft biography of Ajahn Chah: The founding of Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Sao]
Reference: Stillness Flowing p.123 .
3. [46:10] Readings from the Introduction to Listening to the Heart by Kittisaro and Ṭhānissarā (commercial).
Story: Kittisaro’s first meeting with Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Conceit] [Body scanning] [Humor]
Stories: The Squirrel Story and the Donkey Story. [Learning]
[Session]
Reading: Nine point death meditation from the Lam Rim.
Reading: AN 6.19: Mindfulness of Death (1).
Reading: AN 6.20: Mindfulness of Death (2).
Reading: MN 10: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, The Foundations of Mindfulness, Charnel ground contemplations.
Reading: “Only the Practice of Dharma Can Help Us at the Time of Death,” Larry Rosenberg, Tricycle, Summer 2000.
1. [29:03] Comments by Beth Steff about the Lam Rim teachings. [Vajrayāna] [Bhikkhu Bodhi]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
2. [30:13] Recollections of visiting the morgue in Thailand. Recounted by Debbie Stamp.
[Session]
Reading: MN 10: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, The Foundations of Mindfulness, Elements.
Reading: MN 62: Mahārāhulaovāda Sutta, The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rāhula.
Reading: “Wholehearted training” in Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 635 (excerpt).
Reading: “Why Are We Here?” in Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 131 (excerpt).
1. [29:26] “Has there been discussion of getting a skeleton for Abhayagiri?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness] [Abhayagiri]
2. [30:28] “Is it common for body contemplation to veer towards aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Mindfulness of body] [Unattractiveness] [Aversion] // [Translation] [Not-self] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: MN 62: Mahārāhulaovāda Sutta, The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rāhula.
[Session] Reading: “Theory: Elements,” Meditation: A Way of Awakening by Ajahn Sucitto, pp. 128-138.
[Session] ““How you develop four-elements meditation,” Knowing and Seeing by Pa Auk Sayadaw, pp. 116-120.”
1. [21:33] “Does the imbalance mentioned [in Knowing and Seeing by Pa Auk Sayadaw, pp. 120] come from focusing in too much on a single element?”
2. [22:12] Appreciation for the elements meditation in Knowing and Seeing by Pa Auk Sayadaw, pp. 116-120. Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna. // [Mindfulness of body]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Investigation of states] [Delusion]
3. [24:54] “What did Winnie-the-Pooh say about intellect versus understanding?” [Winnie-the-Pooh] [Nature of mind] [Humor]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness pp. 8-12.
Reading: Iti 34: Ardour. [Ardency]
1. [13:16] Comment: Venerable Analayo points out that present moment awareness and remembering the past are not mutually exclusive. [Present moment awareness] [Ven. Analayo]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
References: Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization by Venerable Analayo, Chapter 3; “On some definitions of Mindfulness,” Rupert Gethim, Contemporary Buddhism Vol. 12, No. 1, May 2011.
2. [28:23] “How can one be mindful of the beginning of thought?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Kaccāna and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness] // [Appropriate attention] [Perception] [Proliferation]
Comments about observing proliferating thoughts. [Conditionality] [Right Effort] [Restlessness and worry] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Feeling]
Sutta: MN 118 Ānāpānasati Sutta.
3. [35:55] “Could you clarify the last two foundations of mindfulness?” [Mindfulness of mind] [Mindfulness of dhammas] // [Heart/mind] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Emotion]
4. [37:26] “Could you clarify “the body in the body?”” [Mindfulness of body] // [Translation] [Pāli] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Direct experience] [Self-identity view]
References: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 91; Right Mindfulness by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro. [Elements] [Proliferation] [Perception]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness pp. 12-14. [Right Mindfulness]
Reading: AN 10.58: Roots.
Reading: SN 51.15: The Brahmin Uṇṇabha.
1. [11:37] “What does “headed by” refer to?” [Concentration] [Translation] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Pāli]
2. [23:15] “Is the Buddha quoted as saying “I teach a path of the application of effort?”” [Buddha] [Energy] [Right Effort] [Eightfold Path] // [Aids to Awakening]
Sutta: AN 3.137: Doctrine of energy (vīriyavādā)
Sutta: DN 16: Mahāparinibbāna Sutta
3. [26:25] “Is there a distinction between viriya and vayama?” [Energy] [Right Effort]
4. [26:51] “Can you speak about the roots of wholesome and unwholesome desire?” [Energy] [Desire] [Becoming] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] // [Discernment] [Right Effort] [Learning] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: AN 10.58.
Reference: Listening to the Heart by Kittisaro and Ṭhānissarā (commercial).
5. [30:48] “How can you strive without becoming tense and grim?” [Right Effort] [Humor] // [Mindfulness of body] [Ajahn Chah]
6. [33:10] Story: Ajahn Sumedho brings a “farang Buddha” to Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Buddha images] [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/West]
7. [34:18] Ajahn Sucitto speaks of feeling water washing through you [as a way of releasing tension related to effort]. Comment by Debbie Stamp. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Elements] [Right Effort]
Story: Khun Kesari’s brother enters concentration by visualizing drinking a glass of water. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Concentration] [Visualization]
Story: Kesari’s mother walked into Wat Ban Tad before there was a road. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Ban Tat] [Relics]
[Session] Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 14-21.
1. [23:22] Comment: The phrase “ancestral territory” [mentioned in SN 47.6] doesn’t carry oomph for (non-Native) Americans. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Culture/West] [Culture/Native American]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Technology] [History/America]
2. [26:26] “Why is the intellect not included in the five cords of sensual pleasure?” [Sense bases] [Sensual desire] // [Culture/West] [History] [Culture/Thailand] [Craving]
Sutta: SN 47.6-7.
Follow-up: “Are the pīti and sukha of samādhi considered mano (intellect) states?” [Rapture] [Happiness] [Concentration] [Aversion]
3. [32:42] “Why doesn’t the passage (SN 47.7) mention obsession with painful objects?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Desire] [Aversion]
4. [34:45] “Could it be that the five cords of sensual pleasure need an outside stimulus to be activated while the mind is an internal frame of reference?” [Sensual desire] [Sense bases] [Heart/mind] // [Craving] [Concentration]
Sutta: MN 137: Replacing sensual pleasure with the pleasure of samādhi.
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 21-22.
Reading: AN 4.245: Training.
Reading: Sn 1.4: The Farmer Bhāradvāja.
1. [8:05] “If you observe that you are angry, do you use effort to abandon anger or just watch it?” [Aversion] [Right Effort]
2. [9:23] “Does the term mindfulness always imply right mindfulness?” [Mindfulness] // [Abhidhamma] [Aggregates]
Reference: Right Mindfulness p. 21-22
3. [33:12] “What word does the translator (Saddhatissa) render as “immortality?”” [Translation] [Deathless]
Reference: Sn 1.4: The Farmer Bhāradvāja
4. [33:40] “What is a plowshare? ...So mindfulness is both the goad and the plowshare?” [Mindfulness] [Similes]
Reference: Sn 1.4: The Farmer Bhāradvāja
5. [34:07] “How does mindfulness relate to choice?” (continuing the anger question) [Volition] [Aversion] [Mindfulness] [Right Effort] // [Discernment] [Language]
6. [36:56] Comments by Abhayagiri Saṅgha about the nature of practice. [Forgiveness] [Similes] [Aversion]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Habits] [Idealism] [Patience] [Ajahn Chah] [Goodwill] [Long-term practice]
Comment: Patience remind me of going through deep grief. Contributed by Beth Steff. [Grief]
7. [43:11] Quote: “Do you still have anger?” “Yes, but I don’t take it.” — Ajahn Dune. Quoted by Debbie Stamp. [Ajahn Dune] [Aversion]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Arahant]
Follow-up: “Do we know if the Buddha had anger?” [Buddha] [Sutta]
Comment: Māra cam to the Buddha many times after the Buddha’s enlightenment. Contributed by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Māra] [Buddha/Biography]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Idealism] [Culture/West]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 23-24.
Reading: AN 4.41: Concentration. [Concentration]
1. [8:29] “What are the rewards for the skillful monk?” [Monastic life] [Skillful qualities] // [Happiness] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Concentration]
Sutta: SN 47.8: Simile of the skillful cook. [Similes] [Similes]
Story: Ajahn Mun criticizes Ajahn Mahā Boowa for developing meditation like a tree stump. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Admonishment/feedback]
2. [10:38] Outline of AN 4.41 Samādhibhāvanā: Four types of concentration. [Concentration] // [Psychic powers] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Liberation] [Outflows] [Perception of light] [Impermanence] [Aggregates]
Comment about the difference between the third and fourth developments of concentration. [Conditionality]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 24-28. [Right Mindfulness] [Right Concentration]
Reading: MN 19: Dvedhavitakka Sutta, Two Kinds of Thought.
1. [20:43] “How does cruelty differ from ill will?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ill-will] // [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Right Mindfulness] [Concentration] [Right Effort]
Sutta: MN 19: Dvedhavitakka Sutta, Two Kinds of Thought.
2. [22:35] “When Ajahn Ṭhānissaro talks about Right Concentration, are Right Concentration and jhāna one and the same?” [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Right Concentration] [Jhāna]
3. [24:01] “What are antidotes to the strained, tired mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Sloth and torpor] // [Directed thought and evaluation] [Skillful qualities] [Mindfulness of body] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Sutta: MN 19: Dvedhavitakka Sutta, Two Kinds of Thought.
4. [30:20] “Is pain an obstacle to reaching right concentration?” [Pain] [Right Concentration] // [Happiness] [Postures] [Direct experience]
Quote: “What’s really painful about pain is the way we hate it.” [Aversion]
5. [34:23] “Can jhana occur in walking meditation?” [Jhāna] [Posture/Walking] // [Concentration] [Ajahn Viradhammo]
Sutta: AN 5.29: Walking Meditatation.
[Session] [Right Mindfulness] [Right Concentration]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 28-31.
Reading: SN 47.40: Analysis.
1. [6:40] “What is your experience of directed thought and evaluation?” [Directed thought and evaluation]
Quote: “Directed thought [vitakka] is like lifting up the object in the mind. Evaluation is then looking at it from different angles.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Similes]
2. [9:25] “Does the consistency of vicara correlate with samadhi?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Concentration] // [Rapture] [Happiness] [One pointedness]
Sutta: MN 119: Simile of the bathman. [Similes]
3. [15:11] “What does Ajahn Geoff mean by “frames of reference?”” [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Right Mindfulness]
4. [20:07] “Is “arising and vanishing” the same as “arising and ceasing?”” [Impermanence] // [Pāli] [Conditionality]
5. [25:09] “How does the general sense of awareness fit into the jhana factors?” [Jhāna] [Present moment awareness] // [Clear comprehension] [Right Mindfulness]
[Session] [Right Mindfulness] [Right Concentration]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 31-34.
Reading: SN 47.4: At Sālā.
Reading: Iti 90: Foremost Faith.
1. [5:50] “Is it easy for a person with attainments to deal with the world?” [Stages of awakening] [Everyday life] // [Discernment] [Conceit] [Culture/West] [Wrong concentration]
Quote: “To push away the world is also to reifying it. One gives it power when one is afraid of it.” [Craving not to become] [Proliferation] [Fear]
Laypeople with highly developed meditation practice function well in the world. Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Lay life] [Meditation/Results] [Energy]
2. [22:06] “What is the Pāli word translated as disjoined or detached [in SN 47.4]?” [Translation]
Comment: SuttaCentral would have the translation.
Note: The Pāli word is visaṁyuttā (SuttaCentral).
[Session] Reading: The Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) describes how the sixteen steps of mindfulness of breathing fufill the four foundations of mindfulness, which in turn fufill the seven factors of enlightenment. [Mindfulness of breathing]
1. [23:35] “Which Pāli word is translated as “fading away?”” [Pāli] [Translation] [Dispassion] // [Cessation]
2. [24:38] “How does nirodha differ from arising and ceasing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Cessation] [Impermanence] [Pāli] [Translation] // [P. A. Payutto] [Dependent origination]
3. [27:52] “How do you practice with painful feeling?” [Pain] [Mindfulness of feeling] [Suffering] // [Emotion] [Blame and praise] [Happiness] [Proliferation]
Sutta: SN 36.6: Sallatha Sutta, The Arrow.
4. [30:54] “What does “know the mind as mind; know feeling as feeling” mean?” [Right Mindfulness] [Relinquishment] // [Proliferation]
Comment: Self-view forms around the feeling from sense contact. [Sense bases] [Contact] [Feeling] [Self-identity view]
Sutta: MN 18: Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, The Honeyball.
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Perception]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta. [Mindfulness of breathing]
5. [35:11] “Should the sixteen steps be practiced simultaneously?” [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Meditation/General advice] [Right Effort]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta.
6. [36:49] Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko: There is the concern that we practice meditation to make something happen. [Meditation/General advice]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Neutral feeling] [Delusion]
Sutta: MN 44: Cūḷavedalla Sutta, The Small Discourse Giving an Elaboration. [Feeling] [Unwholesome Roots]
7. [39:43] Quote: “How do I get me some of that non-grasping stuff?” — Ajahn Sucitto. Quoted by Beth Steff. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Clinging] [Self-identity view] [Humor]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Story: “Do I look macho?” Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Chithurst]
[Session] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 93-96.
Reading: Book of the Discipline Part 1 p. 116-121, Pārājika 3 origin story.
Reading: AN 9.36: Jhāna.
Reading: SN 54.8: Simile of the lamp.
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 96-99 [Mindfulness of breathing]
Reading: SN 22.79: Being Devoured.
Reading: SN 36.11: Alone.
1. [31:49] “Why does the Buddha describe perception in terms of colors but consciousness in terms of tastes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Perception] [Consciousness] [Sense bases] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Commentaries] [Ven. Analayo] [Memory] [Feeling]
Sutta: SN 22.79: Being Devoured; footnote 114 in Bhikkhu Bodhi translation.
Follow-up: “Could you say that perception is identification whereas consciousness is more refined?” [Aggregates] [Not-self] [Self-identity view] [Rebirth] [Translation] [Similes]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 99-100. [Mindfulness of breathing]
Reading: Forest Desanas p. 52.
Reading: Unpublished Luang Por Baen talks.
1. [5:36] “In Right Mindfulness, Ajahn Ṭhānissaro focuses on how the first three tetrads apply to high states of concentation. How can these be useful in more mundane levels of meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Jhāna] // [Investigation of states] [Rapture] [Volitional formations] [Heart/mind]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 137: Five levels of pīti.
2. [10:01] Comment: Ajahn Ṭhānissaro encourages mindfulness of the body. [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Mindfulness of body] // [Delusion]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Jhāna]
[Session]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 100-105. [Mindfulness of breathing]
Reading: SN 46.53: Fire.
1. [16:46] “Can you speak about when to use which aspects of satipatthāna?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Right Effort]
2. [18:22] “Could anyone give examples of how to apply the enlightenment factor of pīti when the mind is sluggish?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko and Ajahn Pasanno. [Rapture] [Sloth and torpor] // [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Gladdening the mind] [Investigation of states]
[Session] Reading: Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, pp. 225-231: “A Gift of Dhamma.”
1. [16:01] “What is the Thai that is translated as “mind” and “mind objects?”” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Thai] [Translation] [Heart/mind] [Moods of the mind] // [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Chah]
[Session] Reading: Chapter 2, “The Method of Developing Calm” in The Natural Character of Awakening by Chao Khun Upāli, p. 30-39. [Right Mindfulness]
1. [22:00] Discussion of the reading and Tan Chao Khun Upāli as a scholar, administrator, and practitioner. Led by Ajahn Ñāṇiko, Ajahn Kaccāna and Ajahn Pasanno. [Chao Khun Upāli] [Study monks] [Types of monks] // [Ajahn Mun] [Tudong] [Geography/Thailand]
[Session]
Reading: MN 9: Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta, Right View (excerpt).
Reading: Readings on the suffering of birth and aging from Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche (commercial). [Birth] [Ageing]
1. [19:28] “Do the mental faculties of meditators diminish as they age?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ageing] [Memory] [Long-term practice] // [Ajahn Chah] [Sickness] [Preah Mahāghosānanda] [Personal presence]
Story: H. H. The Dalai Lama meets Preah Mahāghosānanda. [Dalai Lama]
[Session] Ajahn Pasanno reads email from Ruth Denison’s caretakers describing her declining health condition and leads the Abhayagiri community in chanting blessings for this elder teacher followed by a ten-minute meditation and dedication of merit. Ruth passed away on February 26. [Ruth Denison] [Sickness] [Death] [Goodwill]
1. [3:18] Chanting: Paritta chanting for Ruth Denison. [Protective chants] [Ruth Denison]
[Session] [Right Mindfulness]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 109-112.
Reading: SN 51.20: “Analysis.”
1. [17:30] Discussion of Ajahn Ṭhānissaro’s translation “practice jhāna.” [Jhāna] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Translation] [Pāli]
Sutta: SN 47.10 Bhikkhunūpassaya Sutta, At the Nun’s Residence.
2. [35:12] “What is a synonym for lassitude?” [Language] // [Sloth and torpor]
[Session] [Right Mindfulness]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 112-113.
Reading: MN 44, Cūḷavedalla Sutta, The Shorter Series of Questions and Answers.
Reading: AN 8.63: “In Brief.”
Reading: MN 101: Devadaha Sutta, At Devadaha.
Reading: AN 8.81: “Training.”
1. [12:36] Comment: Explanation of ambiguous Aṅguttara Nikāya numbering. [Sutta] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro]
2. [13:26] “Why did the Buddha ask the monk to develop meditation in many ways [in AN 8.63]?” [Meditation] [Meditation/General advice] [Buddha/Biography] // [Directed thought and evaluation] [Rapture] [Happiness] [Equanimity] [Jhāna] [Calming meditation] [Cessation of Suffering]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah would rarely label meditation states. [Ajahn Chah]
3. [33:56] “Are the Four Frames of Reference the same as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness?” [Right Mindfulness] [Translation] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro]
[Session] [Right Mindfulness] [Concentration] [Formless attainments]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 113.
Reading: AN 4.94: “Concentration.”
Reading: AN 9.36: “Jhāna.”
1. [6:33] “Does AN 4.94 undercut the whole debate about whether to practice insight meditation or samādhi first?” [Insight meditation] [Calming meditation] // [Views] [Buddha] [Suffering] [Human]
Quote: “Just work with what you’ve got and try to free the mind. It’s pretty straightforward.” [Liberation]
2. [17:45] Commentary on AN 9.36, “Jhāna.” [Jhāna] [Formless attainments] [Characteristics of existence] [Aggregates] [Liberation] [Deathless] [Progress of insight] [Relinquishment] [Nibbāna]
3. [22:20] “Does the Buddha mean [in AN 9.36] that one can enter and emerge from these attainments at will?” [Jhāna] [Formless attainments] [Volition] // [Similes]
4. [23:30] “After emerging from these attainments, can one function in the world?” [Jhāna] [Formless attainments] [Everyday life] // [Discernment] [Relinquishment] [Spiritual bypass]
Comment: If you happen to exist in a body, it seems you need to learn how to live in a body. [Form]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of body] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Liberation]
5. [26:40] “Related to the need to emerge from neither-perception-nor-non-perception and cessation of perception to contemplate the five khandhas [in AN 9.36], don’t some of the commentaries imply that that’s what you do with first jhāna; that insight is not possible even in first jhāna?” [Formless attainments] [Aggregates] [Insight meditation] [Commentaries] [Jhāna] // [Views]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah emphasized that every step of the way there has to be awareness. Awareness has to form the basis of the whole practice. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Right Concentration] [Right View]
6. [28:44] Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo comparing putting the mind towards the Deathless with Dzogchen practice. [Deathless] [Vajrayāna] [Emptiness] [Progress of insight]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual bypass]
7. [30:50] “Why is the Deathless described as an element?” [Deathless] [Elements]
8. [32:27] “Do you have to emerge from jhāna to contemplate the characteristics of the aggregates?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Jhāna] [Insight meditation] [Aggregates] // [Mindfulness] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Knowing itself]
Sutta: AN 9.36: “Jhāna.”
Quote: “Contemplation gets really good when you stop thinking.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Directed thought and evaluation]
9. [35:35] Comment: Sometimes I find applying awareness exhausting. [Mindfulness] [Sloth and torpor]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Faith]
[Session] [Right Mindfulness]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 113-115.
Reading: MN 101: Devadaha Sutta, At Devadaha (Right Mindfulness p. 43).
Reading: MN 95: Cankī Sutta, With Cankī.
1. [13:30] Comments by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo contrasting the cannonical and commentarial approaches to breath meditation. [Sutta] [Commentaries] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Pa Auk Sayadaw] [Culture/Sri Lanka] [Culture/Thailand] [Pāli] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Sutta: MN 44 identifies in-and-out breathing as the bodily fabrication/conditioner (saṅkhāra).
2. [31:20] Reflections on the value of samaṇas in Indian culture. [Culture/India] [Perception of a samaṇa] // [Commentaries] [Buddha] [Virtue] [Truth] [Hospitality]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno was really cared for during his tudong in Northern India. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Tudong] [Not handling money]
3. [36:07] “What is the significance of sitting to one side of the Buddha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Debbie Stamp. [Sutta] [Buddha] [Posture/Sitting] // [Respect] [Cultural context] [Robes]
[Session] Reading: MN 95: Cankī Sutta, With Cankī.
1. [24:25] Commentary on the Cankī Sutta (MN 95). [Views] [Right Effort] [Truth]
2. [27:00] “Was it commonly accepted that the composers of the Vedas could not assert “I know, I see?”” [Culture/India] [History/Indian Buddhism] [Ceremony/ritual] [Spiritual traditions]
Sutta: MN 95: Cankī Sutta.
3. [31:05] “Are any of the lists in this sutta (MN 95) explained in other suttas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Sutta] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi]
Reference: P.A. Payutto’s Dictionary of Numerical Dhammas (in Thai). [P. A. Payutto] [Pāli]
Explanation of volume and page numbers in the Pāli Tipitika.
Comment by Debbie Stamp: Similar listings often refer to the gradual training. [Gradual Teaching]
Sutta: MN 107: Gaṇakamoggallāna Sutta.
Sutta: MN 47: Vīmaṃsaka Sutta.
[Session] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of body]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 115-119.
Reading: MN 80: Vekhanassa Sutta, To Vekhanassa.
Reading: Ud 7.8: “Kaccāna.”
Reading: MN 62: Mahārāhulaovāda Sutta, The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rāhula.
1. [29:40] “Does MN 140 define the external elements?” [Elements]
2. [31:06] “Are people experiencing jhāna in different ways?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Jhāna] // [Views] [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility] [Self-identity view] [Suffering] [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo]
[Session] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of body] [Elements] [Mindfulness of feeling]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 119-121.
Reading: MN 28: Mahāhatthipadopama Sutta, The Greater Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint.
[Session] [Mindfulness of feeling]
Reading: MN 14: Cūḷadukkhakkhandha Sutta, The Shorter Discourse on the Mass of Suffering.
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 121-122.
[Session] Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 122-129. [Mindfulness of feeling] [Jhāna]
1. [24:36] “Could you explain the simile of the embers in regards to sensuality?” [Similes] [Pain] // [Concentration] [Liberation]
Sutta: SN 36.6: The Dart. An undeveloped person knows no escape from dukkha other than sensual pleasure. [Suffering]
2. [27:48] “How should householders deal with sensual pleasure?” [Lay life] // [Virtue] [Happiness] [Generosity] [Skillful qualities]
Comments by Ajahn Kaccāna, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno about similies for sensual pleasures found in MN 54 and MN 75. [Similes]
3. [30:35] Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: You can use objects like renunciation and lovingkindness to work towards deep meditation. [Concentration] [Renunciation] [Goodwill]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gladdening the mind]
4. [31:54] Comment: It’s remarkable how much pleasure can come from seeing other people be kind and generous. [Happiness] [Empathetic joy] [Generosity] [Monasteries]
Responses by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko.
[Session] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Concentration] [Mindfulness of mind]
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 129-132.
Reading: MN 111: Anupada Sutta, One by One As They Occured.
1. [8:34] Commentary on MN 121: The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness. [Emptiness] [Relinquishment] [Theravāda] [Not-self]
2. [9:49] “Can sharing merit with many types of beings tie one to society?” [Merit] // [Right Effort] [Right Intention]
Story: Lama Zopa delights in sharing merit. [Lama Zopa]
3. [17:07] “Is seeing metaphysical principles the same as making something into a concept?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Nature of the cosmos] [Proliferation] // [Views]
Sutta: DN 1: Brahmajāla Sutta.
4. [36:10] Comments by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: Sariputta didn’t get distracted in fourth jhāna to develop the psychic powers. [Great disciples] [Jhāna] [Psychic powers] [Concentration]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
5. [37:24] “Are psychic powers and wisdom always clearly separated?” [Psychic powers] [Discernment] // [Buddha/Biography] [Great disciples] [Vinaya] [Admonishment/feedback]
Reference: Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master by Amy Schmidt (commercial). [Dipa Ma]
[Session] [Mindfulness of mind] [Divine Abidings]
Reading: MN 10: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, The Foundations of Mindfulness.
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 132-133, 174-175, 137.
Reading: SN 42.8: “The Conch Blower.”
[Session] [Goodwill] [Recollection]
Reading: AN 11.15: “Loving Kindness.”
Reading: AN 11.11: “Mahānāma.”
1. [15:40] Commentary on AN 11.11: “Mahānāma:” Using recollection to gladden and settle the mind. [Recollection] [Recollection/Buddha] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Recollection/Virtue] [Recollection/Devas] [Gladdening the mind] [Calming meditation]
2. [21:44] Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna: The eight qualities of sīlānussati [in AN 11.11] define what it means for virtue to be noble. [Recollection/Virtue] [Virtue] [Liberation]
3. [22:39] “How do you respond to the cynical inner voice when you recollect your own virtue?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ṭhitapañño. [Recollection/Virtue] [Judgementalism] // [Ajahn Sucitto] [Habits] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Culture/West] [Humor]
[Session] [Nibbāna]
Reading: Introduction to Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha p. 31-32 (quoted in The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, p. 36-37).
Reading: The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, p. 222-224, 30-31.
[Session] [Mindfulness of dhammas]
Reading: “Contemplation of Dhammas,” p. 182-183, 185, and “The Perceptual Process,” p. 222-223, 225-226 in Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization by Venerable Analayo.
Reading: Right Mindfulness p. 142-148.
[Session] [Mindfulness of feeling] [Feeling]
Reading: “The Perceptual Process,” p. 156-159 in Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization by Venerable Analayo.
Reading: MN 44: Cūḷavedalla Sutta, The Small Discourse Giving an Elaboration.
1. [8:41] Explanation of sāmisa and nirāmisa. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling] [Pāli] // [Translation]
2. [10:26] Examples of pleasures of renunciation? Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Happiness] [Renunciation] [Rapture] // [Skillful qualities]
Sutta: Ud 2.10: “Oh, what bliss!”
3. [11:21] Examples of unworldly, unpleasant feelings? Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling] [Suffering] [Skillful qualities] // [Sense restraint]
Sutta: MN 44: Cūḷavedalla Sutta.
4. [12:32] Clarification of underlying tendencies to unworldly, pleasant feelings? Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Happiness] [Feeling] // [Desire] [Craving]
5. [13:29] “How is nirāmisa expressed in Thai?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Question in Thai] [Thai] [Feeling]
6. [24:30] Dhammadinnā foremost in...? [Great disciples] [Bhikkhunī] // [Teaching Dhamma]
7. [25:52] Discussion about neutral feeling and delusion. Led by Beth Steff, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Neutral feeling] [Delusion] [Suffering] // [Happiness]
8. [27:10] Discussion about feeling, craving, self and kamma. Led by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling] [Craving] [Self-identity view] [Kamma] // [Dependent origination]
Sutta: MN 18: Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, The Honeyball.
9. [29:58] “Is the goal (Nibbāna) a thought-less state of mind?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Nibbāna] [Heart/mind] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Formless attainments] // [Cessation of Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Impermanence]
“Who is the only person who doesn’t think? An arahant? A Buddha?” “No. The only person who doesn’t think is a dead person.” – Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Arahant] [Buddha] [Death]
10. [34:18] Comment: Sīla requires quite a bit of thinking. [Virtue] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Vinaya] [Arahant]
Sutta: AN 3.86: An arahant can commit offenses.
[Session]
Reading: SN 36.4: “The Bottomless Abyss.”
Reading: SN 36.6: “The Dart.”
Reading: MN 74: Dīghanakha Sutta, To Dıghanakha.
1. [9:35] “Is the second dart the self we create around feelings?” [Self-identity view] // [Aversion]
2. [22:27] “How is it that when one feels a pleasant feeling, one cannot feel an unpleasant or neutral feeling?” // [Consciousness] [Similes]
[Session]
Reading: SN 36.7: Gelañña Sutta, “The Sick Ward.”
Reading: SN 36.21: “Sivaka.”
Reading: “The End of Rebirth,” The Stillness of Being by Ajahn Viradhammo, p. 67-77.
1. [8:00] Meaning of “will become cool right here?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. // [Characteristics of existence] [Knowledge and vision] [Nibbāna] [Pāli]
2. [12:21] Discussion about kamma and the results of kamma. Led by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Kamma] [Conditionality] // [Abuse/violence] [Abhidhamma] [Ajahn Chah] [Vajrayāna] [Sickness] [Compassion] [Culture/India] [Equanimity] [Disasters] [Christianity]
Quote: “Too much Dhamma.” — Ajahn Buddhadāsa. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Buddhadāsa]
Sutta: AN 4.77 Acinteyya: “Vexation or madness.”
Story: Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Munindo: “If it wasn’t supposed to be this way, it wouldn’t have been this way.” Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Munindo] [Self-pity]
Thai saying: “That’s as far as their merit takes them.” [Culture/Thailand] [Death] [Merit] [Thai]
[Session]
Reading: MN 18: Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, The Honeyball.
Reading: “Categorical Answers,” Skill in Questions by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, p. 85.
Reading: AN 8.30: “Anuruddha.”
1. [21:06] Discussion of the meaning of papañca in AN 8.30 and various other suttas. [Pāli] [Translation] // [Great disciples] [Liberation] [Conditionality] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Language]
Suttas: Sn 4.11: Pāsāṇa and DN 21: Sakkapañha Sutta in which papañca precedes thinking.
Reference: Skill in Questions by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, p. 85.
Suttas: MN 19: Dvedhāvitakka Sutta; MN 20: Vitakkasaṇṭhāna Sutta.
Reference: Concept and Reality in Early Buddhist Thought by Bhante Ñāṇananda
[Session]
Reading: MN 18: Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, The Honeyball.
Reading: “The Perceptual Process,” p. 222-223, 225-226 in Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization by Venerable Analayo.
1. [3:28] Comparison of causality in MN 18 and dependent origination. [Conditionality] [Dependent origination] // [Similes] [Suffering]
2. [6:10] Translation of phassapaññattiṃ paññāpessatīti (manifestation, delineation). Teaching by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Pāli] [Translation] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Commentaries] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro]
3. [10:57] Comment: Dependent origination is not necessarily time-based. [Dependent origination] [Conditionality]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
4. [16:21] “Can one sense-bases that starts the proliferation process lead to different sense-bases?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Conditionality] // [Feeling] [Heart/mind]
5. [29:08] Examples of signs and secondary characteristics of sense objects? Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] // [Ven. Analayo] [Sensual desire] [Conditionality] [Food] [Appropriate attention]
Sutta: Thig 14.1: Subhā.
Comment about the feedback loop of perceptions looking for reinforcing perceptions. [Views] [Clinging]
Quote: “The underlying tendency to aversion is like a search engine.” — Ajahn Sucitto. Quoted by Beth Steff. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Aversion] [Similes]
[Session] Reading: “The Peace Beyond,” Collectd Teachings p. 9-19.
1. [24:24] “What was the context in which this reflection was given by Ajahn Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] // [Leadership] [Culture/Thailand] [History/Thai Buddhism]
Recollection: When Ajahn Pasanno first became abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat, he gave monthly teachings at the World Fellowsip of Buddhists. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Teaching Dhamma]
[Session] Reading: “Santi,” Santi – Peace Beyond Delusion by Ajahn Liem, p. 39-53.
[Session] Reading: “Santi,” Santi – Peace Beyond Delusion by Ajahn Liem, p. 53-63.
1. [20:19] “When did Luang Por Liem come to Wat Pah Pong?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Wat Pah Pong] // [Ajahn Chah]
Reference: No Worries by Ajahn Liem. [Tudong]
[Session]
Reading: “A Matter of Life and Death,” p. 205-212 in The Mind and the Way by Ajahn Sumedho (commercial).
Reading: “Towards the Future,” p. 215-220 in The Mind and the Way by Ajahn Sumedho (commercial).