1. Welcome by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] // [Free distribution] [Hearing the true Dhamma]
1. Ajahn Amaro introduces Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Amaravati] [Abhayagiri] [Spirit Rock] [Teachers] [Meditation retreats]
1. Ajahn Amaro introduces Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Abhayagiri] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
1. Story: Ajahn Amaro tells his mother that he’s never eaten so well since he became a Buddhist monk. [Ajahn Amaro] [Food] [Monastic life]
2. Favorite verses of Ajahn Chah: “Buddhaṃ me jīvitaṃ yāva-nibbānaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.” [Mantra] [Ajahn Chah] [Three Refuges] [Nibbāna] [Chanting] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Ajahn Sundarā]
Quote: “Nibbāna is complete normality.” — Ajahn Chah [Naturalness]
2. Story: Ajahn Chah’s early life. [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Thailand] [Truth] [Leadership] [Ajahn Jayasaro]
3. Reading from the draft biography: Young Chah plays at being a monk. [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Jayasaro] [Almsfood] [Five Precepts]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 23
4. Reading from the draft biography: Chah decides to enter the village monastery at age nine. [Types of monks] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Ajahn Chah] // [Conditionality] [Conscience and prudence] [Truth] [Generosity] [Kamma] [Work]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 25
5. Story: Novice Chah disrobes at age 16. [Novices] [Disrobing] [Ajahn Chah] // [Sensual desire] [Restlessness and worry]
6. Reading from the draft biography: Chah falls in love. [Relationships] [Ajahn Chah] // [Family] [Commerce/economics] [Restlessness and worry]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 34
7. Story: Ajahn Chah ordains at age 20. [Ordination] [Ajahn Chah] // [Monastic life/Motivation] [Sense of urgency] [Forest versus city monks]
8. Reading from the draft biography: Ajahn Chah’s dying father asks him to remain in robes for life. [Sickness] [Recollection/Death] [Parents] [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah] [Determination] // [Learning] [Culture/Thailand] [Unattractiveness] [Forest versus city monks] [Sutta] [Sense of urgency]
Quote: “I dedicate my body and mind, my whole life, to the practice of the Lord Buddha’s teachings in their entirety. I will realize the truth in this lifetime … I will let go of everything and follow the teachings. No matter how much suffering and difficulty I have to endure I will persevere, otherwise there will be no end to my doubts. I will make this life as even and continuous as a single day and night. I will abandon attachments to mind and body and follow the Buddha’s teachings until I know their truth for myself.” — Ajahn Chah [Buddha] [Dhamma] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Knowledge and vision] [Truth] [Relinquishment] [Suffering]
Reflection: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 40 [Energy] [Doubt] [Continuity of mindfulness]
1. “What is the daily schedule like?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Joseph Kappel. [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Amaro] [Joseph Kappel] [Chanting] [Meditation] [Almsround] [Work] [Abhayagiri] [Teaching Dhamma] [Upatakh]
3. Story: “Sleep is delicious.” [Admonishment/feedback] [Goodwill] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Joseph Kappel] [Upatakh] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Robes] [Mentoring] [Faith]
2. Context of “Living with the Cobra.” [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah]
1. In the Vinaya (monastic discipline) there’s no role of abbot. [Vinaya] [Abbot] [Saṅgha decision making] [Ajahn Chah] // [Respect] [Confession]
2. “How are conflicts between [audio unclear] resolved?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Conflict] [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah] // [Admonishment/feedback]
1. The vicar Christopher Boxley is still an avid supporter of Chithurst. [Christianity] [Chithurst] // [Ajahn Sucitto]
2. “I noticed a monk cutting a tree [in The Buddha Comes to Sussex]. Isn’t that against the Pāṭimokkha?” [Pāṭimokkha] [Vinaya] [Chithurst]
3. “How is the relationship between Chithurst Monastery and the local community now? What about other branch monasteries?” [Community] [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Chithurst] // [Conflict] [Vinaya] [Almsround] [Goodwill] [Tudong]
4. Stories about the people who criticized Chithurst Monastery in the early days. Told by Joseph Kappel and Ajahn Amaro. [Conflict] [Chithurst] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Anando] [Culture/West] [Communal harmony]
5. “What about the relationship with the evangelical [in The Buddha Comes to Sussex]?” [Christianity] [Chithurst]
7. “Everything that’s placed in your bowl... [audio unclear]?” Answered by Ajahn Sundarā and Ajahn Amaro. [Almsfood] // [Killing] [Eating after noon] [Medicinal requisites]
1. Ajahn Amaro explains the structure of the second day.
1. Introduction to the reading by Ajahn Amaro. [Joseph Kappel] [Ajahn Chah]
2. “Why did Ajahn Chah found Wat Pah Pong?” [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]
3. Question related to age and ordination (audio unclear). Answered by Ajahn Sumedho. [Ordination] [Older monks] [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Mae Chee] [Relationships] [Liberation] [Culture/West]
Story: A doctor ordains later in life. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Health care]
4. Story: A hit man hired to kill Ajahn Chah ordains instead. [Crime] [Killing] [Ordination] [Ajahn Chah] // [Older monks]
5. Teachings hanging in the trees at Wat Pay Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Culture/Natural environment] [Teaching Dhamma]
2. Story: Ajahn Anando tries to heal Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Anando] [Health care] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Sickness] [Fierce/direct teaching]
3. Quote: “If I’ve developed any wisdom, it’s because I had such gigantic defilements.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Discernment] [Unwholesome Roots] // [Restlessness and worry] [Aversion] [Doubt] [Sensual desire]
4. Story: Ajahn Chah vows not to look at a woman for the duration of the Rains Retreat. [Determination] [Sensual desire] [Sense restraint] [Rains retreat] [Ajahn Chah] // [Discernment]
5. Story: Ajahn Chah hallucinates female sexual organs for ten days. [Sensual desire] [Mental illness] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Kinaree] [Posture/Walking] [Determination] [Patience] [Rebirth]
6. Story: When asked about the potential for sacred sexuality, Ajahn Chah picks his nose. [Sensual desire] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Ajahn Chah] // [Insight Meditation Society]
Quote: “There’s nothing more to it than that except what your mind adds to it.” — Ajahn Chah [Proliferation]
1. Ajahn Amaro introduces Jospeh Kappel and Ajahn Pasanno. [Joseph Kappel] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Health care] [Funerals]
1. Ajahn Amaro explains the Sharing of Blessings chant. [Chanting] [Merit] // [Kamma] [Goodwill] [Ajahn Chah]
2. Chanting: Sharing of Blessings. [Chanting] [Merit]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 33.
3. Chanting: Paying respects to the shrine and Ajahn Chah. [Chanting] [Bowing] [Three Refuges] [Ajahn Chah]
[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.
3. “How do I know what is the Middle Path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Middle Path] // [Four Noble Truths] [Direct experience]
Quote: “It’s not a concept. It’s like are you on your bike or are you on the ground?” — Ajahn Amaro
4. “You spoke about the teachings and the training. What is the training for a lay practitioner other than the Five Precepts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Dhamma] [Vinaya] [Lay life] [Five Precepts] // [Meditation] [Communal harmony] [Right Livelihood] [Family] [Work] [Politics and society] [Spiritual friendship]
5. “Could you speak more about how to prevent feelings from becoming aversion or desire? How does this relate to Dependent Origination?” [Feeling] [Aversion] [Craving] [Dependent origination] // [Arahant] [Buddha] [Pain] [Mindfulness] [Birth] [Impermanence] [Happiness] [Direct experience] [Proliferation] [Master Hsuan Hua]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno breaks his pelvis in Thailand. [Ajahn Pasanno]