Saṅgha (Monastic community)
Saṅgha (Monastic community)
1. “Realized beings abound these days. Care to comment? When the conditions are conducive and the inquiry is in earnest, is it possible to wake up quickly?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stages of awakening] [Saṅgha] [Progress of insight] [Ardency] [Conditionality] // [Patience] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Quote: “Buddhism hasn’t come to America yet.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/West] [Insight Meditation Society]
17. “One of the great gifts I’ve received over the last few years spending more time with the Bhikkhu Saṅgha is a sense of devotion, how it opens the heart. Is there a Pāli word or teaching around that principle?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Devotional practice] [Saṅgha] [Gratitude] [Pāli] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Faculties] [Faith] [Energy]
13. “Is the decision to ordain a novice by democratic vote?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sequence of training] [Abhayagiri] [Saṅgha] [Saṅgha decision making] // [Vinaya] [History/Early Buddhism]
15. “How often does the community reject someone who wants to go forth?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sequence of training] [Abhayagiri] [Saṅgha] [Saṅgha decision making] // [Vinaya]
1. “What meaningful impact do Buddhist monks have on the community?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Community] [Saṅgha] // [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abhayagiri]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit to Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Saṅgha]
2. “How closely do you and the other monks live together?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Chah] [Communal harmony] [Vinaya] [Seclusion] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand]
29. “Do monastics talk with each other about the precepts they have broken or having wrong thoughts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Vinaya] [Saṅgha] [Christianity] // [Pāṭimokkha] [Confession] [Rains retreat] [Learning] [Abhayagiri] [Faith]
1. “How does upatakhing fit into our training and what can we learn from it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upatakh] [Vinaya] [Respect for elders] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Culture/Thailand] [Conceit] [Generosity] [Protocols] [Discernment] [Mindfulness]
Vinaya: Cv 8: Vattakkhandhaka - Protocols
Story: Ajahn Lee upataks Ajahn Mun. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo]
2. “I assume at Abhayagiri the upatakh sleeps in his own dwelling place? (in contrast to the previous story of Ajahn Lee)” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abhayagiri] [Upatakh] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Sickness] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Other Thai monastics]
3. “What is the value of living in community?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Self-identity view] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Tongrat] [Views] [Requisites] [Not handling money]
5. Comment: It’s important for the Saṅgha to look after all members in terms of sickness and ageing. [Sickness] [Ageing] [Death] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism]
Vinaya: Kd 8.26.1-8: The Monk with Dysentery [Buddha/Biography]
3. “Can you talk about Ajahn Chah’s use of bowing, communal pūjās, and chores?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Chanting] [Saṅgha] [Work] [Monastic life] [Bowing] // [Becoming] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Respect for elders]
Story: A Westerner asks Ajahn Chah, “Why do we bow?”
4. “Can you clarify what “field of merit” means?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Saṅgha] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Generosity] [Recollection/Generosity] [Monastic life] [Merit]
1. “Ajahn Chah encouraged his monks to all come together for communal chores and stay until the chores are finished. Why is that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Work] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Communal harmony] [Relinquishment] [Clinging] [Culture/West]
2. “What does morning pūjā contribute?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Chanting] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Devotion to wakefulness]
3. “Will practice as a group help us in solitude?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Seclusion] [Meditation/General advice] [Community] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
4. “How do we balance solitude and communal aspects of practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Seclusion] [Community] [Meditation/General advice] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
5. Comment: Some deep-seated patterns may be more visible to others than ourselves. [Community] [Outflows] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aversion] [Self-identity view]
6. “Is there a place to point out others’ difficulties?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Speech] [Community] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma]
7. “What is the role of admonishement? How do we admonish skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Intention] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Respect for elders]
Story: Ajahn Amaro waits a year before giving feedback. [Ajahn Amaro]
8. “Does the proper timing of admonishment depend on the severity of the offense?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Vinaya] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
9. “When and how should one respond to offenses of middling severity?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Vinaya] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
10. “I’ve heard that someone asked Ajahn Chah if he could read his students’ minds. He replied that he didn’t need to; he just watched how they walked in the door and bowed. Do you get a feel for this over time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Psychic powers] [Teaching Dhamma] [Mindfulness of body] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Bowing]
12. “Have you found it necessary to recommend psychotherapy or medication for monks who have deep-seated ruts of suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Western psychology] [Suffering] [Long-term practice] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
15. “Does the stability of monastic community help prevent spiritual bypassing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual bypass] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
17. “Abhayagiri’s daily and yearly schedule provide a good balance of individual and communal practice. How did this happen?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Seclusion] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [History/Western Buddhist monasticism]
10. “Did you mention what the trancendent truth of the Saṅgha was?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Saṅgha] [Truth] [Three Refuges] // [Eightfold Path] [Stages of awakening] [Conventions] [Chanting] [Recollection/Saṅgha]