46 events, 209 sessions, 1688 excerpts, 95:49:48 total duration
Most common topics:
Monastic life
(112)
Ajahn Chah
(104)
Ajahn Pasanno
(98)
Mindfulness of breathing
(72)
Jhāna
(57)
Death
(56)
Directed thought and evaluation
(52)
Suffering
(52)
Goodwill
(51)
Happiness
(50)
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1. “Please explain more how did the Buddha cross the flood, by neither going forward nor standing still. What does this mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Becoming] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Middle Path ] [Saṃsāra]
Sutta: SN 1.1
2. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah ] [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Language] // [Culture/Thailand] [Patience] [Wat Pah Pong] [Novices]
Quote: “It’s just like teaching buffaloes.” — Ajahn Chah [Western Ajahn Chah lineage] [Similes]
Quote: “Dhamma is not about the words, about the concepts, about the ideas. It’s about the experience.” — Ajahn Chah [Dhamma ] [Direct experience ]
3. “You often talk about gladdening and lightening the mind. How do I do that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gladdening the mind ] // [Recollection] [Divine Abidings] [Empathetic joy] [Competitiveness] [Three Refuges] [Perception of light]
4. “Could you speak a little about the structure of the Pali Canon? How much was written down in the Buddha’s time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tipiṭaka] [History/Early Buddhism] [Dhamma books] // [Culture/India] [Memory] [Chanting] [Vinaya] [Sutta] [Abhidhamma]
5. “Could you talk about woman’s ordination (nuns) during the Buddha’s time and in modern times?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Women's monastic forms] [History/Early Buddhism] // [Buddha/Biography] [Bhikkhunī] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Culture/Thailand]
6. “Could you talk about the role memory plays in perception?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Memory] [Perception ] // [Thai]
7. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Sickness] [Ageing]
8. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Deva] [Buddha]
9. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Entertainment and adornment]
10. “Appreciation for becoming aware of consciousness as a nutriment.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Consciousness] [Nutriment]
11. “Please demonstrate how to bow. Are there any cultural differences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bowing ] [Cultural context] // [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Tranquility] [Continuity of mindfulness]
Story: Ajahn Chah corrects a candidate’s bowing posture at his ordination ceremony. [Ordination]
12. “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.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Consciousness] [Nutriment] [Not-self] [Clinging]
13. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nutriment] [Consciousness] [Volition] [Suffering]
14. “Would you share one of Pooh’s many nuggets of wisdom to inspire?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Winnie-the-Pooh]
15. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire ] [Volition ] [Clinging] [Cause of Suffering] // [Pāli] [Kamma] [Craving ] [Bases of Success] [Sensual desire] [Energy]
Sutta: SN 22.22: Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (Chanting Book translation)
1. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Four Noble Truths] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Kamma] // [Suffering] [Pāli] [Happiness]
2. “To abandon the cause, does it mean in that moment or completely?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cause of Suffering ] // [Memory]
3. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind]
4. “Could you talk more about the two levels of understanding the true nature of karma: mundane and transcendent?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Kamma] [Conventions] [Unconditioned] // [Right View ] [Four Noble Truths] [Impermanence] [Conditionality]
Quote: “Outside of cause, beyond effect; outside of suffering, beyond happiness.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah]
5. “Competitiveness feels so pervasive here in America. What are your thoughts for working with it or healing it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Competitiveness ] [Culture/West] // [Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] [History/America] [Proliferation]
Reflection: The nine bases of conceit. [Conceit]
6. “Could you describe the progression of anagarika and samanera training?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sequence of training ] [Postulants] [Novices] [Abhayagiri] // [Eight Precepts] [Not handling money] [Ordination] [Saṅgha decision making] [Dependence] [Ajahn Chah monasteries]
7. “The Middle Way – It is not 50% becoming and 50% annihilation, right? What is it the middle of?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Middle Path ] // [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering]
8. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/Unusual experiences]
9. “In this afternoon’s talk, Ajahn Karunadhammo mentioned the benefits of the bhava that results from practice or the Eightfold Path, but he described a consciousness that doesn’t land in or on a self and results in freedom. Is that a consciousness that results in neither arising nor non-arising. Could you elaborate? The moment between in and out breaths seems to hold potential for this kind of consciousness.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path] [Becoming] [Unestablished consciousness] [Self-identity view] [Liberation] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Proliferation] [Consciousness] [Relinquishment] [Fear]
Quote: “You want to pay attention to the experience rather than the idea about it.” [Direct experience]
Suttas: DN 11.85, MN 49.25: Consciousness luminous all around.
Sutta: SN 12.64: Simile of the western wall. [Similes]
10. “Did the Buddha perform any miracles?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Psychic powers ] [Buddha]
Sutta: Sutta AN 3.60: The greatest miracle is teaching the Dhamma. [Dhamma] [Right View]
11. “Can the monastics speak about the skillful use of caffeine for their practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Medicinal requisites]
12. “Can you please explain the asavas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Outflows ] // [Rebirth] [Suffering] [Translation]
13. “Please speak a little about kataññu.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude ] // [Human] [Pāli] [Merit]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 33: Verses of Sharing and Aspiration
Story: Ajahn Liem gives Abhayagiri a handwritten essay about gratitude. [Ajahn Liem] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Personality] [Generosity] [Abhayagiri] [Asking forgiveness ceremony] [Dhamma books]
Reference: English translation: Gratitude by Ajahn Chah Saṅgha, p. 9.
14. “How can I continue to deepen my practice in the absence of a living teacher?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Long-term practice] [Teachers]
15. “Is it useful to investigate how we can only experience one conscious moment at a time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Consciousness] [Investigation of states]
1. “I was just reading a talk of Ajahn Chah’s. He mentions ‘vipassanu.’ Could you explain this more?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Insight meditation]
2. “An Ajahn visiting Abhayagiri spoke of you receiving an honor. Would you elaborate on what it was, who bestows it, and what it means for you and the community?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic titles] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri]
3. “Could you talk a bit about the kilesas? How to see them clearly and work with them skillfully without falling into discouragement and self-judgment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots ] [Right Effort] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] // [Mindfulness] [Discernment] [Recollection/Virtue] [Perception]
4. “Can you repeat the Thai words for ‘Is it worth it?’ that you mentioned this morning? I’d like to use it as a mantra.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Thai]
5. “Are there any suttas in the Majjhima Nikaya that you recommend that lay people study?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sutta] [Learning ]
6. “Can you give me some ideas for antidotes to restlessness? So far the best I have is to give myself a set time and not move one iota from sitting or standing. Another is not to fight it but use it for imaginative contemplation.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Restlessness and worry ] [Determination] [Recollection] // [Perfections] [Patience] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Happiness] [Mindfulness of body] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Tranquility]
Quote: “It’s the continuity of wholesome mental states that allows the mind to become settled and steady.” [Skillful qualities]
7. “Why is the Buddha referred to in the present tense in the chants? Is it because we are referring to the present potential within us?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha ] [Chanting] // [Three Refuges] [Liberation] [Knowing itself] [Ajahn Chah]
8. “When bowing three times, do you say something in your mind like taking refuge or anything else?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bowing ] [Three Refuges] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of body] [Buddho mantra]
9. “Can you say more about trusting the seeds of meditation practice after Alzheimer’s/dementia kick in? What do you mean by going beyond liberation or consciousness? What do you mean by ‘many deeper layers’ are affected by the practice and the fruits of it will express naturally?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness] [Consciousness] [Long-term practice] // [Happiness] [Proliferation] [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view]
Story: A monk with psychic abilities investigates Ajahn Chah’s mind after Ajahn Chah loses his mental faculties. [Ajahn Chah] [Psychic powers]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno brings the Wat Pah Nanachat community to Ajahn Chah’s nursing kuti to chant verses including Dependent Origination. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Chanting] [Dependent origination]
Quote: “The fruits of practice arise through the simple quality of being the one who knows, taking the Buddha as refuge.” [Knowing itself] [Buddha] [Three Refuges]
10. “After forty years of meditating, what do you still find that is interesting?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Long-term practice] // [Mindfulness of breathing] [Gladdening the mind] [Learning]
Quote: “Practicing Dhamma...sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s always interesting.” [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Purpose/meaning]
11. “I am so grateful for the peace I am developing here and in my life. It feels like a refuge. Is it the fourth refuge?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Gratitude] [Three Refuges] // [Buddha images]
Quote: “That farang Buddha is really like a farang. He’s really tense and stressed.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/West ] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Thai] [Restlessness and worry] [Humor]
12. “Several months ago, I started to use the phrase: ‘I’d rather be loved than right.’ This small shift has had a tremendous impact in my life as I relinquish my need to be right, to control and to assert my ego into things.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Views]
13. “How important is chanting for one’s practice? Do you have any tips for how to recite/remember the Pali chants?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Chanting ] [Memory] [Pāli] // [Monastic life] [Recollection] [Devotional practice] [Energy] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Long-term practice] [Dhamma recordings] [Posture/Walking] [Almsround] [Mindfulness]
Story: Ajahn Mun would chant for over an hour each evening before he started meditating. [Ajahn Mun] [Monastic routine]
Suttas: AN 10.60 Girimānanda Sutta; SNSN 22.22: Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (Chanting Book translation).
Story: The evening program at Wat Fah Krahm is three hours of chanting followed by a three-hour sit. [Wat Fah Krahm] [Meditation]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 138: Rhythm of the Pāli language.
Sutta: SN 48.9: Mindfulness related to memory.
1. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants ] // [Determination] [Sense restraint] [Gratification]
2. “When you spent time with family, did you notice any old habits resurfacing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Family] [Habits]
3. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Faith ] [Long-term practice] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Language] [Ajahn Chah] [Patience] [Mindfulness]
4. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit] [Prayer] [Rebirth] // [Theravāda] [Mahāyāna] [Vajrayāna] [Science] [Faith] [Selfishness]
Stories told by Ajahn Paññānanda about dedication of merit. [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Culture/Thailand] [Superstition] [Death]
5. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Thai Buddhism] [Saṅgha decision making] [Monastic titles] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Chah] // [Politics and society] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Sumedho] [P. A. Payutto] [CALM Group]
6. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Not-self] // [Clinging] [Doctrine-of-self clinging] [Self-identity view] [Aggregates]
Sutta: MN 72.15: I-making and my-making (aṅkārama-maṅkāra). [Conceit]
7. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection] // [Learning] [Four Noble Truths] [Right Effort] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Quote: “The most effective contemplation takes place when the mind is still.” [Tranquility]
8. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Chanting] [Ceremony/ritual] // [Goodwill] [Three Refuges] [Protective chants] [Culture/Thailand] [Buddho mantra] [Recollection/Saṅgha]
Story: Ajahn Chah requests an army truck to pick up Por Puang’s body. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Contentment] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Recollection/Death]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 662.
9. “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?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling] [Proliferation] [Neutral feeling]
10. “Can you tell us what you find interesting about the breath? What insights have arisen for you from watching the breath?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Ajahn Pasanno]
11. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dhamma] [Work] [Right Speech] // [Goodwill] [Trust] [Clear comprehension] [Truth]
12. “Have you ever put a publication together on the retreat questions? Are the talks of this retreat being recorded?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation retreats] [Questions] [Dhamma recordings] // [Internet] [Dhamma books]
Reference: Abundant, Exalted, Immeasurable by Ajahn Pasanno transcribes the talks and questions from the 2008 Metta Retreat.
13. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Food] [Suffering] [Craving] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Patience]
14. “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 matter of showing compssion towards myself?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Forgiveness] [Compassion] // [Kamma]
15. “Could you explain what your ordination names mean and how they were chosen?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ordination] [Monastic titles] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Ajahn Pasanno]
16. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic titles] [Ajahn Pasanno]
17. “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 your teachings say the expression and effects can be changed by practice. Please comment.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Science] [Health] [Kamma]
18. “I often feel overwhelmed with the greed, hatred, ill-will, and delusion that the corporate world exerts over the masses to the benefit of only themselves and that is destroying the planet’s ability to renew itself. Could you speak about Buddhist involvement in social change movements?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Activism ] [Unwholesome Roots] [Commerce/economics] [Selfishness] [Environment] // [Truth] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Non-profit organizations]
Ajahn Pasanno reflects on the results of his efforts to preserve forests in Thailand. [Geography/Thailand] [Learning] [Greed] [Corruption]
Quote: “Can I set an example myself and can I help encourage other people who are interested?”
19. “Who are the most senior monks in the Theravāda/Thai Forest Tradition? Can you speak about the lineage? Are there Thai teachers of your seniority who come to the West?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Theravāda] [Thai Forest Tradition]
Quote: “Sometimes people assume that the Thai Theravāda Forest Tradition is one thing. – No.” [Culture/Thailand]
20. “What is the pill in the little vial that sits next to you?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Medicinal requisites] [Health]
21. “I have attended many deaths and that last breath appears to be really difficult to relinquish. Does this training really help? I have trouble relinquishing the small aches and pains in my body.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Relinquishment] [Long-term practice] [Pain]
Quote: “The holding on is way more painful than the relinquishing.” [Clinging] [Suffering]
22. “In the Ānāpānasati Sutta, what is meant by ‘breathing in/out tranquilizing the mental formation?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Volitional formations]
23. “Can you recommend a reflection or phrase to use immediately upon awakening in the morning or the last thing before sleep?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection] // [Buddho mantra ] [Recollection/Buddha] [Ajahn Chah]
24. “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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic titles] [Ajahn Pasanno]
25. “If one were to choose a life partner who was not practicing the Dhamma as we know it but had some spirited lightness about them, what are some qualities we should look for in them that would make them a good partner?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relationships] // [Faith] [Virtue] [Generosity] [Discernment]
26. “What did you plan to say [on this retreat]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Meditation retreats] // [Ajahn Chah]
27. “Do you think it’s possible to experience Nibbāna before becoming fully awakened - ‘moments of enlightenment?’ But if Nibbāna is beyond consciousness, would you remember that it happened?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nibbāna] [Stages of awakening] [Consciousness] // [Stream entry ]
28. “Is there a way to measure concentration, mindfulness, and awareness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness] [Right Concentration] [Present moment awareness] // [Tranquility] [Happiness]
1. “You mentioned suttas about meditation and practical life issues. Are there any other general categories of suttas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sutta] [Human]
2. “How do these particular teachings (AN 5.48: Situations) fit with kamma?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Kamma] [Sickness] [Sutta] [Human] // [Lawfulness] [Characteristics of existence]
3. Comment: I appreciate that AN 5.48 includes devas and Māra. [Deva] [Māra] [Realms of existence] [Sutta] [Human]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
4. “In the West, we personalize every bit of suffering. Is it different in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Culture/West ] [Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Culture/Thailand] // [Language] [Liberation]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate guilt into Thai. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Thai] [Translation]
Quote: “That’s really suffering. Tell them not to do that.” — Ajahn Paññānanda [Ajahn Paññānanda]
Reference: Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (commercial). [Ageing] [Sickness] [Parents] [Health care]
5. “In this sutta (AN 5.48), there’s the assumption that everyone has enemies. It’s making me a little paranoid.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Sutta] [Human] // [Judgementalism]
6. “With development (bhavana), is one able to shape the course of sickness or heal oneself to a degree?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Sickness] [Health] // [Happiness] [Medicinal requisites]
Comment: I’ve been reflecting on how AN 5.48 applies to environmental and collective well-being–engaging without the expectation that actions will have a certain result. [Environment] [Politics and society]
Response [History/Thai Buddhism]
7. Comment: I find it difficult to find the line between what you can change and what you can’t. [Politics and society] [Everyday life] [Equanimity]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clear comprehension] [Delusion]
8. Comment: Michael Olds translates sutta as ‘magical spell.’ The format, repetition, and structure of the suttas has a certain potency. When I read the suttas after meditating, it’s completely different. [Sutta] [Psychic powers] [Meditation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Teaching Dhamma]
2. Comment: When I practice and share Dhamma as a lay person, others complain when I make mistakes. [Lay life] [Virtue] [Buddhist identity]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
4. Comment: When I hear the word “shame,” it’s.a cousin of guilt. But in this context (AN 7.6), it seems more acceptable. [Treasures] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Conscience and prudence]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Language] [Christianity]
5. “This year my whole family got lice. How do we respond to this skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Family] [Killing] [Animal] // [Human] [Patience]
8. “Is the list of Seven Treasures sequential?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Treasures] // [Stream entry] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Conditionality] [Eightfold Path]
9. “I like the translations ‘conscience’ and ‘concern’ for hiri and otappa. Having done unskillful actions in the past that create suffering, and being aware of the tendency to personalize, how can it be over and done?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Treasures] [Conscience and prudence ] [Unskillful qualities] [Suffering] [Kamma] [Self-identity view] // [Four Noble Truths] [Divine Abidings]
Quote: “As a human being, I have the opportunity to learn from the past and move on to skillful action in the future. I don’t have to be like a dog that barfs stuff up and goes back and eats it again.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Human] [Learning] [Skillful qualities] [Similes]
Quote: “The not-self refrain, ‘This is not me, this is not mine, this is not what or who I am,’ is not an abdication of responsibility but an understanding, ‘This is the way I can put things down and move on, move past the things that are still creating suffering.’” — Ajahn Pasanno [Not-self] [Relinquishment]
Suttas: SN 42.8 The Conch Blower; AN 3.100: A Lump of Salt.
10. “What is a good balance between listening to Dhamma and practicing more deeply? How long should one keep one’s practices, and when to expand or shink them?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Determination] // [Four Noble Truths] [Direct experience] [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma books] [Mindfulness of mind] [Learning]
11. Comment: I listen to the Abhayagiri Dhamma talks, focusing more on the timbre of the voice rather than trying to get an intellectual grasp of what was said. That projects me into a dimension of well-being. [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Abhayagiri] [Happiness] [Learning]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility]
12. Comments about ongoing Dhamma practice and coming back to the heart. [Long-term practice] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]
Quote: “We’re making choices all the time anyway; we may as well choose to be happy.” [Volitional formations] [Happiness]
13. “When you’re living on the precepts, how do I relate to (for example) a friend who tells me about an affair they are having?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Precepts] [Spiritual friendship] [Sexual misconduct] // [Skillful qualities] [Admonishment/feedback] [Discernment] [Right Speech] [Vinaya] [Abhayagiri]
Quote: “Don’t admonish your fellow monks before the meal.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life] [Food] [Eating after noon]
14. “Could you comment on the tendency to use one aspect of the teaching to bypass another?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual bypass] // [Four Noble Truths] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “With some things, letting go means you’re willing to commit to hard work, and other times you’re willing to put down what is burdensome.” [Ardency]
15. “AN 5.38 says, ‘Not by sorrow can even the slightest good come.’ How does this work with the natural process of grieving?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Skillful qualities] // [Cultural context] [Family] [Ajahn Chah] [Death] [Characteristics of existence]
16. “Part of the sense of loss and sorrow is the joys that have created attachment. How to approach this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Happiness] [Clinging] // [Naturalness] [Human] [Spaciousness]
Sutta: Thag 1062: Mahākassapa delights in nature. [Great disciples] [Culture/Natural environment]
1. “I am guessing that accountant had little chance of finding his way to Nibbana - unless he ordained? Do you know if he did?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sutta]
Sutta: MN 107: Gaṇakamoggallāna Sutta
2. “I have a cancer and finished my treatment and am afraid it will come back if I don’t take care of myself as doctor told. So it is my stress. How can I think about my stress to hold it in my mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] [Fear] // [Happiness] [Gratitude]
3. “What is the difference between yoniso manasikara and insight?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Appropriate attention ] [Insight meditation] // [Conditionality]
4. “What do you do when there are ants at the monastery? Is there a way to get rid of them naturally without killing them? I had to get rid of some a week ago and witnessed 3 ants die somewhat painfully by what I used which caused both sadness and remorse in me and I don’t want to do it again. But what is “right action” (ie. the precepts) versus what is practical?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Killing] [Monastic life]
5. “Could you tell us your stories related to the King Rama 9 of Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [King Rama IX] [Culture/Thailand] // [Leadership] [Meditation] [Recreation/leisure/sport] [Commerce/economics]
Story: Thai lay supporters remember King Rama IX at Abhayagiri’s 2016 Kaṭhina. [Abhayagiri] [Kaṭhina]
Story: King Rama IX attends Ajahn Chah’s funeral. [Ajahn Chah] [Funerals] [Wat Pah Pong] [Tranquility]
Story: King Rama IX asks President Nixon for understanding. [Politics and society] [Communal harmony] [Listening]
6. “Does the Buddha say all beings are inherently good? How about generosity? Do all human beings have the capacity for generosity?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind ] [Generosity ]
Sutta: AN 1.51-52
Story: A Mafia boss stays under Ajahn Chah’s kuti and helps out at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah] [Crime] [Wat Pah Pong] [Precepts]
Quote: “Generosity is an important doorway for many reasons.”
7. “At the Friday evening talk, you mentioned the three poisons/kleshas of greed, hatred and delusion. But you also added fear. Fear seems to me more like a result. Please explain.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots ] [Fear] [Conditionality] // [Biases] [Sensual desire] [Abhayagiri]
1. “Isn’t desire needed for lay life, starting a family, a business etc? And what about polio? Would there be things like a vaccine for polio without desire? Did the Buddha have something else in mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire ] [Health care] [Lay life] // [Cause of Suffering] [Craving] [Aids to Awakening] [Bases of Success] [Hindrances] [Sensual desire] [Language]
2. “I was wondering since you are a monk of 40 years, you are happy and mindful. How can you know of the issues, problems, etc., of people’s’ lives in the current modern times? We are worried about Trump’s presidency!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Lay life] [Politics and society] // [Monasteries] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support ] [Abhayagiri] [Views] [Conditionality] [Dhamma]
3. “Though unskillful mind states may come up, as long as we don’t pick them up and feed them, they are just ideas/thoughts that will end.’ Can you comment on the effectiveness of this practice? Are there situations where you would definitely recommend it? Definitely not recommend it? Do you see this relating to metta?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Impermanence] [Meditation/Techniques] [Goodwill]
4. “I am so grateful for your generous teachings. I am training my mind and am so glad for the dhamma in my life. However, I am experiencing migraine attacks almost daily, and therefore therefore a lot of uncertainty and dukkha. “Will I be able to function today?” “How bad will it be?” “Will I throw up?” “Which medicine will be the most beneficial today?” “Which side effects can I deal with today?” Working with my mind under these conditions is challenging, but I am up for the challenge, at least some of the time. I could use some encouragement, please.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] // [Gladdening the mind] [Compassion] [Patience] [Idealism]
5. “Can I be aware of my mind states while I am aware of my breath? It doesn’t seem so.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Right Mindfulness]
6. “Luang Por, for this ten day retreat, what is your Dhamma wish for us?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats] // [Tranquility] [Clear comprehension] [Faith]
7. “In practice we are often doing battle with our defilements. Can you speak about ways of “gladdening” the heart?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Gladdening the mind] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Conflict] [Self-identity view] [Skillful qualities]
Quote: “Quit picking a fight with them.” [Right Effort]
8. “In the mindful breathing sutta, what is the difference between “mind” and “mental fabrication”? And what is meant by “satisfying the mind” in step 10?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Heart/mind] [Volitional formations] [Gladdening the mind] // [Pāli]
Sutta: MN 118 Ānāpānasati Sutta.
9. “Can Ajahn Pasanno teach us how Ajahn Chah teaches or gives techniques on physical states and mental states? Can you tell us more about Ajahn Chah’s biography, for example, when and how Ajahn Chah wanted to become a monk?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Form] [Heart/mind] // [Christianity] [Conditionality]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah engaged in conversation with the villagers before the meal to reveal the junior monks’ desires around food. [Idle chatter] [Food] [Sensual desire]
Advice from Ajahn Chah: “Don’t admonish anybody before the meal.” [Admonishment/feedback]
Update about the progress on the new Ajahn Chah biography. [Dhamma books] [Ajahn Jayasaro]
Reference: Stilness Flowing
Story: Nine year old Ajahn Chah goes to the monastery after getting fed up with household chores. [Culture/Thailand] [Geography/Thailand] [Faith] [Monasteries] [Family] [Work]
10. “Can you talk about working with the practice in what seems like perilous times?, e.g. the rise in overt expressions of hatred toward sectors of society and the associated change in national leadership? How does one cultivate equanimity while also not turning away?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society ] [Ill-will] [Equanimity ] // [Divine Abidings] [Goodwill] [Conflict] [Aversion] [Judgementalism] [King Rama IX]
Sutta: Dhp 5: Hatred is never overcome by hatred...
11. “It seems I can quiet my mind easier in the midst of noise. It’s been one continuous monkey mind. Please help.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Calming meditation] [Proliferation] [Restlessness and worry] // [Tranquility] [Culture/Natural environment] [Suffering] [Investigation of states]
Story: Spending the Vassa at quiet Poo Jum Gom [Poo Jum Gom] [Geography/Thailand]
Quote: “I’ve got nobody to blame anymore.” — A junior monk
12. “With virtuous leaders passing away and unvirtuous ones coming into power, is the world entering a dark period? Was there any predictions from the Forest Masters about this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Leadership] [Virtue] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Self-reliance]
13. “What about aversions that have a message, as a signal to understanding something? How is one to trust that from regular aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aversion ] // [Conditionality] [Unskillful qualities] [Skillful qualities] [Heedfulness]
14. “When talking with friends, sometimes the topic of faith and religion comes up. Normally, I find this topic pleasant and enjoyable, but on occasion, I find myself in conversation with somebody who believes (often quite insistently) that their faith is “the only way”. Do you have an advice on how I might skillfully navigate these situations?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Faith] [Right Speech] [Spiritual traditions]
15. “Ajahn, what is your instruction regarding the Noble Eightfold Path and the most useful attitude toward the word “right”?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path ] // [Pāli] [Cessation of Suffering]
16. “During the Christmas holiday, I’m going to be spending some time with relatives who do not share my same political views. In the spirit of wanting to understand their views and wanting to heal the divide that exists in our country, I want to talk about the election with them. How do I have this conversation skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Politics and society ] [Right Speech ] // [Judgementalism] [Listening] [Human] [Sense restraint]