Wat Nong Pah Pong
Wat Nong Pah Pong
2. Story: How I met Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Types of monks] [Wat Pah Pong] [Seclusion]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to be here for five years.” — Ajahn Chah [Sequence of training]
3. Quote: “Ajahn Chah was a wonderful teacher, but more important, he was a trainer. He trained people how to live.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Māghā Pūjā at Wat Pah Pong. [Festival days] [Lunar observance days] [Wat Pah Pong] [Meditation] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Lay life] [Saṅgha]
1. Teachings to Marjorie by Ajahn Chah, Part 2. Thai audio with English translation read by Kittisaro. [Thai audio] [Ajahn Chah] // [Dispassion] [Nibbāna] [Unconditioned] [Cessation of Suffering]
Continued from Part 1.
Reference: “Living with the Cobra,” Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 233.
Quote: “If the tears don’t come, we don’t really accept truth.” [Suffering] [Truth] [Wat Pah Pong]
Note: “Living with the Cobra” omits this quote and other more personal aspects of Ajahn Chah’s teaching to Marjorie.
2. Context of “Living with the Cobra.” Recollection by Ajahn Amaro. [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah]
2. I was the first Westerner at Wat Pah Pong. Recollection by Ajahn Sumedho. [Wat Pah Pong] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Military] [Culture/Thailand] [Aversion] [Rains retreat] [Types of monks]
5. Story: “Sumedho, Wat Pah Pong, is it suffering?” Told by Ajahn Sumedho. [Wat Pah Pong] [Suffering] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Lunar observance days] [Work] [Monastic crafts] [Aversion] [Cleanliness]
Quote: “To want something that’s not present, something you don’t have, is suffering.” [Craving] [Cause of Suffering] [Culture/Natural environment] [Saṅgha] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Culture/West]
3. Story: Ajahn Sundarā stays with a nun who lived at Wat Pah Pong with Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Sundarā. [Ajahn Sundarā] [Mae Chee] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: The first nun at Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Artistic expression] [Determination] [Sequence of training] [Eight Precepts]
Story: The Wat Pah Pong nuns go pindapat. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsround]
Quote: “Does anyone find having nuns around difficult?” – “Yes.” – “Well, you can go then.” — Ajahn Chah [Wat Pah Pong] [Pāṭimokkha] [Women in Buddhism]
Story: A woman brings only enough food for the monks, so Ajahn Chah asks the nuns to chant the blessing. [Generosity] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Chanting] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Ajahn Chah’s inner freedom. [Liberation] [Courage] [Conventions] [Unconditioned] [Teaching Dhamma] [Dhamma books] [Personal presence]
The confidence to be totally yourself. [Faith] [Self-reliance] [Gratitude] [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Aversion]
2. Context of the reading: walking into Wat Pah Pong. Reflection by Joseph Kappel. [Ajahn Chah] // [Joseph Kappel] [Wat Pah Pong] [Culture/Natural environment] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Shelter] [Posture/Walking] [Dōgen] [Ajahn Amaro]
4. When I first went there, the town monks were very critical of Ajahn Chah. Reflection by Ajahn Sumedho. [Forest versus city monks] [Wat Pah Pong] [Aversion] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Rains retreat] [Forgiveness] [Jealousy] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Ajahn Mun]
2. “Why did Ajahn Chah found Wat Pah Pong?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Wat Pah Pong] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Ajahn Chah] // [Tudong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Personal presence] [Seclusion] [Compassion] [Family] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
Story: The first Rains Retreat with Ajahn Chah. [Rains retreat] [Devotion to wakefulness]
5. Teachings hanging in the trees at Wat Pay Pong. Recollection by Ajahn Amaro. [Wat Pah Pong] [Culture/Natural environment] [Teaching Dhamma]
1. Story: My experiences with Ajahn Chah. Told by Nan Meister. [Gratitude] [Faith] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Liem] [Suffering] [Commerce/economics] [Sense of urgency] [Joseph Kappel] [Bowing] [Wat Pah Pong] [Mae Chee Kumfah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Mae Chee] [Ghost] [Conceit] [Fierce/direct teaching]
3. Story: Ajahn Chah’s failing heath and Rains Retreat at Tam Saeng Pet. Told by Joseph Kappel. [Sickness] [Health care] [Rains retreat] [Wat Tam Saeng Pet] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Shelter] [Seclusion] [Generosity] [Joseph Kappel]
Story: “Pabakkaro, make me a Communist.” [Culture/Natural environment] [Medicinal requisites] [Contentment] [Sensual desire]
Story: Venerable Pabakkaro attends to Ajahn Chah. [Upatakh] [Humility]
Story: Ajahn Chah visits the branch monasteries for the last time. [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Vinaya] [Saṅgha]
4. Recollection: The June 2000 Saṅgha Meeting discusses allowable sweets and protecting Ajahn Chah’s name. Recounted by Ajahn Sumedho. [Wat Pah Pong] [Saṅgha] [Saṅgha decision making] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Seclusion] [Personality] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Medicinal requisites] [Technology]
5. Story: Wat Pah Pong monks develop malnutrition when Ajahn Chah goes away for several months. Told by Ajahn Sumedho. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsfood] [Sickness] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah] // [Mae Chee] [Food] [Almsround] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Liem] [Fierce/direct teaching]
6. Recollection: The June 2000 Saṅgha Meeting concludes in harmony. Recounted by Ajahn Sumedho. [Wat Pah Pong] [Saṅgha] [Saṅgha decision making] [Communal harmony] [Ajahn Chah] // [Views] [Harsh speech] [Forgiveness] [Three Refuges] [Culture/West]
Quote: “Luang Por Chah wasn’t giving us views and opinions....[He gave] us all a confidence in the unspoken unity of our humanity.” [Faith] [Human]
4. “Would you say a bit about the benefits of practicing loving-kindness during the dying process, both for the one who is dying as well as for the caregiver?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] [Death] [Health care] // [Gladdening the mind] [Fear] [Clear comprehension] [Energy] [Community]
Quote: “These bodies are really high maintenance when they don’t work.” [Sickness]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah was unable to look after himself for the last nine years of his life. [Ajahn Chah] [Respect for elders] [Wat Pah Pong] [Gratitude]
10. “Would you share some of your personal journey, including the time before you became a monk, and why you became a monk, and how the holy life can help people grow and change?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Monastic life] // [Culture/West] [Travel] [Culture/Thailand]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno begins meditation with a month-long Mahasi Sayadaw retreat. [Meditation retreats] [Mahasi Sayadaw] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit to Wat Pah Pong. [Ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah [Wat Pah Pong] [Sequence of training]
Reflection: “Five years is five years. I’ll go back and give myself to Ajahn Chah.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Relinquishment] [Mentoring]
Quote: “There’s no such thing as the ideal monastic or the ideal practitioner.” [Idealism] [Lay life] [Faith] [Disrobing] [Suffering] [Energy] [Patience] [Long-term practice]
1. Recollection: My connection with Ajahn Chah. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah [Wat Pah Pong] [Sequence of training]
Jack Kornfield arrives with a large picture of Ajahn Chah.
Story: The needlepoint Ajahn Chah portrait at Abhayagiri. [Abhayagiri] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Devotional practice]
3. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: The impact and inspiration of Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day] [Wat Pah Pong]
3. Story: A group of military generals ask Ajahn Chah to bless amulets to create a kitchen fund. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Amulets] [Ajahn Chah] [Military] [Almsfood] [Wat Pah Pong] // [Culture/Thailand] [Saṅgha decision making] [Festival days] [Almsbowl] [Stupas/monuments]
Quote: “The Buddha set up the foundation 2,500 years ago with just one baht.” — Ajahn Chah [Buddha] [Saṅgha]
2. “When you and other Western seekers went to Thailand [and returned to teach], are the teachings of lay and monastic disciples of Ajahn Chah the same or different? How can we as laypeople relate to the teachings and tradition of the monastic establishment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Lay teachers] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah] // [History/Thai Buddhism] [Military] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Virtue] [Right View]
Story: Abhayagiri’s bell is an American bomb casing. [Abhayagiri]
Diligent lay meditators attend Wat Pah Pong’s all-night vigil on the lunar observance days. Recollection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Ardency] [Wat Pah Pong] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Lunar observance days]
5. Story: Ajahn Chah’s practice matures and he receives permission to teach. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Rapture] [Almsround] [Ajahn Kinaree]
9. Reading: Ajahn Chah’s first Western disciple. [Ajahn Sumedho] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Ajahn Chah] // [Military] [Humor] [Monastic life] [Wat Pah Pong]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 486
10. Reading: Ajahn Gavesako’s first impressions of Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Gavesako] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] // [Almsround] [Perception of a samaṇa] [Cleanliness] [Humor] [Unwholesome Roots] [Dhamma] [Gratitude] [Upatakh]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 502
11. “I’m curious about your pre-monastic life and specifically what led you to the monastic life.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Temporary ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Pasanno [Wat Pah Pong] [Sequence of training]
2. “In the analogy of the accountant (MN 107), it seems that the training works linearly. Are there basic practices that are important to focus on in the beginning? Are ther other practices which should not be attempted in the beginning?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Similes] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Gradual Teaching] // [Faith] [Kamma] [Unconditioned] [Learning] [Relinquishment] [Concentration]
Story: A monk carrying money asks to stay at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Not handling money]
2. “Was there much contact between the sphere of Wat Pah Pong and the sphere of Wat Asokaram (Ajahn Lee’s monastery)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Asokaram] [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo] // [Ajahn Anan] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Thai sects] [Conflict]
1. “Where was this Dhamma talk given?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Mahā Amorn] [Dhamma books] [Study monks]
2. Ajahn Ñaniko speaks about the time Luang Por Liem spent at Suan Mokh. [Wat Suan Mokkh] [Ajahn Liem]
Recollection: The Thai translations in the Wat Pah Pong chanting book come from Ajahn Buddhadāsa. [Chanting] [Wat Pah Pong] [Thai] [Translation] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa]
Recollection: Ajahn Liem reads and comments on the monthly poem in the Ajahn Buddhadāsa calendar. [Artistic expression]
3. “Do you think all those rules were written down like Ajahn Chah regulations?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Protocols] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong]
2. “Did Venerable Araññabho stay at Wat Pah Nanachat?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong]
3. “How long did Venerable Varapañño spend in robes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Disrobing] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Story: “I need a lawyer!”
Comment by Ajahn Pesalo: Even living for years in close proximity to Ajahn Chah isn’t enough to guarantee people will remain in robes.
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
5. “Was there much coming and going between Wat Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
3. “Was there a time in Thai history when meditation was a routine part of childhood education?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Thai Buddhism] [Children] [Learning] [Meditation] // [Three Refuges] [Chanting] [Right View]
Reflection: Ajahn Liem’s mother and sister were nuns with similar demeanor. [Ajahn Liem] [Family] [Mae Chee] [Wat Pah Pong] [Personality]
7. “Does Ajahn Liem attend morning and evening pūjā?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Liem] [Pūjā] // [Culture/Thailand] [Wat Pah Pong]
Story: Ajahn Liem silently walks around and looks at the monks during morning pūjā. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko.
Follow-up: “Did Ajahn Chah go to morning and evening pūjā?” [Ajahn Chah]
Follow-up: “In the early years of Wat Ban Tad, was it always practice on your own?” [Wat Pah Ban Tat] [Thai sects] [Ajahn Tongrat] [Ajahn Baen]
Story: Too many monks skip pūjā to massage Ajahn Liem. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Upatakh]
Recollections: Bhante Gunaratana comes to morning jūjā early. Recounted by Ajahn Jotipālo and Beth Steff. [Bhante Gunaratana]
4. The trio of Ajahn Anan, Ajahn Dtun, and Ajahn Piak. Recollection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Anan] [Ajahn Dtun] [Ajahn Piak] [Wat Pah Pong] [Spiritual friendship] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “Ajahn Dtun’s path is the path of wisdom...Ajahn Piak is gifted in samādhi. And I have very strong faith.” — Ajahn Anan [Discernment] [Concentration] [Faith]
6. “Did Ajahn Piak and Ajahn Anan leave Wat Pah Pong together to found Wat Fah Krahm?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Piak] [Ajahn Anan] [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Fah Krahm] // [Ajahn Dtun] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Sequence of training]
2. Story: Ajahn Somboon spends a vassa at Wat Pah Pong. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko and Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Somboon] [Wat Pah Pong] // [Abbot] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ardency]
9. Story: After staying up two nights in a row, Ajahn Boon Choo nods in meditation then establishes samādhi and sits without moving. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Boon Choo] [Sloth and torpor] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Concentration] // [Ajahn Kinaree] [Kaṭhina] [Wat Pah Pong]
10. “Did Luang Por Liem ask Luang Por Boon Choo to stay back when Luang Por Chah became ill?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Liem] [Ajahn Boon Choo] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Sickness] // [Wat Pahk Kut Wai] [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Geography/Thailand]
Story: Karaoke bars spring up around Wat Pahk Kut Wai. [Seclusion]
11. Story: A Saṅgha meeting decides that Ajahn Boon Choo should look after Wat Keun. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Boon Choo] [Wat Keun] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Saṅgha decision making] [Respect for elders] // [Ajahn Puriso] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong]
4. “Did any Wat Pah Pong monks spend time with Luang Por Gi?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Gi] // [Seclusion] [Ajahn Piak] [Ajahn Anek]
6. Quote: “In the future, the forest monks will be like village monks, and the village monks will be like lay people.” — Ajahn Tongrat. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Tongrat] [Forest versus city monks] // [Ajahn Liem] [Wat Pah Pong]
1. Recollection: Saṅgha gatherings at Wat Pah Pong on Ajahn Chah’s birthday. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Protocols] [Meditation]
Recollection: Inspecting almsbowls after the meal to see if there was any food left. [Almsbowl] [Food]
4. “Was your eight years living with novices like how it was described in this reading [‘Toilets on the Path‘]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Novices] // [Thai]
Story: Ajahn Preecha comes to Wat Pah Pong at the age of 11 or 12. [Ajahn Preecha] [Postulants] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
5. “Was there a cap, a certain number of novices allowed at the monastery at one time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Novices] // [Ajahn Chah] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries]
6. Comment: I got the impression from that introduction that the monastery was over-run with novices. [Wat Pah Pong] [Novices]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Rains retreat]
10. “So they do temporary ordinations in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Temporary ordination] [Novices]
Follow-up: “What would be the duration, was there a range?” [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Chah ordains 80 temporary monks for his mother’s funeral. [Parents] [Death] [Funerals]
Follow-up: “Did they come in as anāgārikas or sāmaṇeras?” [Sequence of training] [Postulants]
Story: Ajahn Chah takes on temporary ordinations for three years.
2. “There were a number of different alms routes out of Wat Pah Pong. How was it decided who went on each one and how was the food distributed for the meal?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsround] [Almsfood] [Saṅgha decision making] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Liem]
Discussion of almsfood distribution at different monasteries. Led by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Pesalo. [Ajahn Tongrat] [Wat Pah Ban Tat] [Wat Pah Pong]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno helped pass out food at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong]
Story: Ajahn Tongrat exposes a monk concealing fish in his ball of sticky rice. [Food] [Admonishment/feedback]
Comments by Ajahn Pesalo and Ajahn Pasanno about food distribution at Wat Baan Tat. [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
Quote: “It’s incredibly tiresome how organized we [Westerners] have to be....Organic spontaneity–that’s how things work in Thailand.” [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand]
3. “At Wat Pah Pong there’s a large mural of lay people eating, do you know where that came from or how long its been there?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Lay life] [Food] [Protocols]
5. Recollections: Deciding who went on the different alms routes at Wat Pah Pong. Recounted by Ajahn Ñāṇiko and Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsround] // [Rains retreat]
6. “Did the alms routes stay the same over the years?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsround]
7. “Do you try to pass most of the houses in the village?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Almsround] // [Culture/Thailand] [Culture/West]
4. “Does the current interest in meditation in Thailand extend to the villages around forest monasteries as well as urban areas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days] [Festival days]
1. Biography and role of Ajahn Liem. [Ajahn Liem] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Abbot] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Leadership]
Quote: “He’s in the middle of all of this duty and projection. Whatever comes his way, he doesn’t pick up any of it. It’s quite delightful to be around him.” [Proliferation]
8. “Do the monks at Wat Pah Pong chant “Chinnabunchon?” Would you show how to chant it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Chanting]
1. Description of the Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] // [Devotional practice] [Gratitude]
2. 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 .
1. “When did Luang Por Liem come to Wat Pah Pong?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Liem] [Wat Pah Pong] // [Ajahn Chah]
Reference: No Worries by Ajahn Liem. [Tudong]
1. “I’ve been struggling with sleepiness while trying to meditate, having the intention to be present and aware, but finding myself dozing off.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] [Clear comprehension] [Meditation retreats] // [Conditionality] [Lay life] [Craving not to become] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Story: Ajahn Boon Choo meditates through tiredness after staying up for days. [Ajahn Boon Choo] [Kaṭhina] [Wat Pah Pong] [Energy] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Ardency]
Quote: “The boundaries we set for ourselves are oftentime much smaller than what we can actually deal with, work with, or be with.” [Self-identity view] [Clinging] [Patience]
7. A diligent early support of Wat Pah Nanachat reflects, “I don’t have money, but I’m not poor.” [Treasures] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong] [Lay life] [Poverty] // [Lunar observance days] [Thai]
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]
1. “What is the role of mentors and teachers in learning to use the monastic form skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teachers] [Mentoring] [Vinaya] [Monastic life] // [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Long-term practice] [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. “Who were imporant mentors for you?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Teachers] [Mentoring] [Monastic life] // [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Jun] [Ajahn Mahā Amorn] [Ajahn Liem] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Baen] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [P. A. Payutto] [Wat Pah Pong]
Story: Ajahn Mahā Amorn goes to study with Ajahn Chah. [Learning]
2. “In Thailand, dāna (generosity) usually means giving food to a monk. But is dāna more of a mindset?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Generosity] [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic life] // [Chanting] [Upatakh] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Cleanliness]
1. “What is the purpose of dhutaṅga practices?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Ascetic practices] // [Simplicity] [Renunciation] [Almsround] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Almsfood] [Abhayagiri] [Impermanence] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Pah Ban Tat] [Long-term practice]
[Session] Ajahn Pasanno introduces the Ajahn Chah Compilation Video and Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma books] // [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Personal presence] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism]
Reference: The Ajahn Chah Compilation Video on YouTube
Reference: The Buddha Comes to Sussex (BBC, 1979) on Youtube [History/Western Buddhism] [Chithurst]
Reference: The Mindful Way (BBC, 1977) on YouTube [Wat Pah Pong]
6. Reading: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 646-647 “Por Buapah” [Ajahn Chah] // [Death] [Grief] [Personal presence]
Story: Por Buapah did the cement work for the original shine at Wat Pah Nanachat and the bell tower at Wat Pah Pong. [Stupas/monuments] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong]
8. Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko: But in a sense Por Am had wisdom, questioning Ajahn Chah from every possible angle. [Ajahn Chah] [Questions] [Discernment]
Reflection: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 647
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Thai] [Wat Pah Pong]
10. Reading: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 662-664 “Por Puang” [Ajahn Chah] // [Temporary ordination] [Wat Pah Pong] [Generosity] [Recollection/Death] [Sickness] [Death] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Three Refuges]