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1. “What is the difference between ekaggatā and vitakka?” [One pointedness] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Pāli] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
2. “Could we say that it [unification] is expansive?” [One pointedness] [Spaciousness] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
4. “Before the Buddha practiced the ascetic way, he already learned the seventh and eighth levels of jhāna. Why didn’t that lead to his awakening?” [Buddha/Biography] [Formless attainments] [Liberation] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration] [Right View] [Suffering] [Middle Path] [Characteristics of existence]
5. “Is the purpose of jhāna aand meditation to build up the strength of the mind so we will be able to contemplate the Four Noble Truths?” [Meditation] [Heart/mind] [Four Noble Truths] [Jhāna] // [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation]
Sutta: AN 4.170: In Conjunction
6. “The jhānas seem foundational to the practice, yet Ajahn Chah was reluctant to talk about them. Is this a view that was pervasive among the other Krooba Ajahns?” [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Jhāna] // [Desire]
7. “If the jhānas aren’t accessible to everyone, can you still go far along the path without them?” [Eightfold Path] [Jhāna] // [Desire] [Right Effort] [Right Concentration] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Self-identity view]
8. “I practice the brahmavihāras, and not just on the cushion. How do these relate to jhāna?” [Divine Abidings] [Posture/Sitting] [Posture/Walking] [Jhāna] // [Continuity of mindfulness] [Skillful qualities]
Quote: “You can sit on your cushion for a long time. Chickens sit for a long time, and they don’t get enlightened!” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Liberation] [Animal]
9. “What would you respond to the perspecitve, ‘Those jhānas seem impossible to attain, so I’m going to forget about them.’” [Jhāna] // [Continuity of mindfulness] [Skillful qualities] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Self-identity view] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Goodwill] [Happiness]
10. Comment: Hearing about vitakka and vicāra, I just realized that they’re not exclusive to getting jhāna. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Jhāna]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Becoming]
11. Comment: This wanting mind becomes doing something... [Desire] [Jhāna]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling] [Craving] [Ardency] [Happiness] [Tranquility] [Mindfulness of body]
12. Comment: In mindfulness of breathing, you feel the breath throughout the body. This suffusion is similar in jhāna. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of body] [Jhāna]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness]
Suttas: MN 10: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta
13. “Ajahn Chah talks about the one who knows. Is this a purely mental excercise or is it embodied?” [Ajahn Chah] [Knowing itself] [Mindfulness of body] [Jhāna] // [Culture/West] [Nature of mind]
Quote: “The Thai Krooba Ajahns translate ‘Buddho’ as ‘being the one who knows.’” [Thai Forest Tradition] [Buddho mantra] [Translation]
14. “So the one who knows includes the other five sense bases?” [Knowing itself] [Sense bases] [Jhāna]
1. “Equanimity. ...your thoughts?” [Equanimity]
2. “Please explain wise action. How can one see that it is not influenced by craving?” [Discernment] [Craving]
3. “This morning you talked about crossing the floods of obsessive thought by not holding on to or pushing them away. I get that, but it feels like there’s something missing – a hole that needs to be filled up with something – a solution?” [Proliferation] [Becoming]
4. “What should we do during eating? How to eat with meditation?” [Food]
5. “Could you please repeat the name of the sutta you mentioned this morning that laid out the “whole spiritual path” in a conversation with the devas?”
6. “What is the difference between piti and sukha? Also equanimity and emptiness as a felt sense?” [Rapture] [Happiness] [Equanimity] [Emptiness]
7. “I volunteer in hospice and was in attendance for the passing of my parents. I notice vast differences in the way people experience their passage. What can we do, while still alive, to prepare for a peaceful and “wakeful” passing? Other than “being present,” is there anything that can be of benefit to others?” [Death] [Grief]
8. “Would you tell us again the name of the sutta you spoke of last night and in today’s Dhamma talk?”
9. “What is the best approach to deal with guilt?” [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]
10. “For those of us who need to routinely rest more due to aging, illness, or disability, could you share some suggestions and advice for how to optimize ths time as mediation in a lying down posture?” [Posture/Lying down]
1. “What are the general similarities and differences between the practice of anapanasati and satipatthana? Are they the same practice?” [Right Mindfulness] [Mindfulness of breathing]
2. “Praise for the question and answer session. Every question is important; can you answer them all?”
3. “Can you say something about forgiveness practice?” [Forgiveness]
4. “What do you recommend for pet owners with aging, sick pets? Do they get to live out their lives or is a merciful end at the hands of a vet OK?” [Animal] [Euthanasia]
5. “Could you share some suggestions and advice for using the breath-body as an object of meditation? This seems like a skillful way of meditating when the gross physical body is experiencing a lot of pain. Is there any drawback to that?” [Mindfulness of breathing] [Pain]
6. “Can you address dependent origination and causation?” [Dependent origination] [Conditionality]
7. “Can you tell us your story of when you decided to become a monk?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation]
8. “Is it important in this practice to ask for forgiveness for intentional/non-intentional actions both in this life and in past lives?” [Forgiveness] [Rebirth]
9. “Do you have any suggestions for the position of the hands during standing meditation?” [Posture/Standing]
1. “As inspiration for the rest of us, would you please talk about some of your milestone insights over your years of practice and what kept you going over the years, especially when you hit roadblocks?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Long-term practice]
2. “Inclining mind toward happiness, joy, lightness, exhilaration, the good, sometimes feels a bit Polyanna-ish. What about all the wars, refugees, my job, illness, pain, etc. Aren’t these also the way things are – unpleasant, dark, and negative?” [Gladdening the mind] [Suffering]
3. “You spoke of using the body as reference, backdrop for the breath. Always coming back to the body. Doesn’t this foster a sense of attachment to the body as mine? And what if the body is not in good shape, ill, and hurting?” [Mindfulness of body] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Clinging] [Sickness]
4. “I am doing well when sitting or walking – my container of mindfulness is filling. However, it seems to be leaking during every other activity. Walking to the meal, in my room, going to the bathroom, eating. Help! I seem to be defeating my own efforts.” [Continuity of mindfulness]
5. “How can we apply the law of cause and effect in daily life? How can we apply this law to such a simple thing to remove suffering?” [Kamma] [Cessation of Suffering]
6. “Would you remind us what “the four pairs, the eight kinds of noble beings” means and perhaps in a nutshell what is the English translation of the meal blessing?” [Stages of awakening]
7. “Could you offer a bit of advice on how to deal with the apparent dichotomy between seeing people (including myself) as real & solid (for example when sending them metta), and the doctrine of no-self whereby there is no such imagined solidity at all – just an ever-changing combination of the khandas?” [Not-self]
8. “What if a short breath never comes? Am I stuck on the long breath or can I create a short breath and move on? Are the steps to anapanasati sequential, and do I observe them, cultivate them, or both?” [Mindfulness of breathing]
9. “How does one avoid controlling the breath when observing it?” [Mindfulness of breathing]
10. “In addition to being aware of our body, is it acceptable to use visual imagery? For example, seeing oneself standing by the ocean breathing in air created by the waves.” [Visualization]
11. “Could you describe the meaning of abide, pervading, and imbued in the phrase “I will abide pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with lovingkindness?”” [Goodwill]
12. “Does the breath body exist as an object of mind? As the Buddha mentions it so specifically, I would be grateful for more clarification on the “breath body.”” [Mindfulness of breathing]
13. “I notice that the calmer my mind becomes, the more imperceptible my breath is – to the point of feeling a suspension of breathing and at times a complete cessation. This sometimes seems to lead to sleepiness and torpor. How can I bring my mind back to a state of focus without manipulating my breath?” [Mindfulness of breathing] [Sloth and torpor]
14. “When negative feelings arise, whether they be fear, anxiety, loneliness, etc., how do we investigate them? Does breathing into these feelings and being fully present (without trying to push them away) help to become aware of the true cause of these feelings? Is the cause of these feelings always craving of some kind?” [Emotion] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Cause of Suffering] [Craving]
15. “In a Dhamma talk at Abhayagiri, you quoted Luang Por Chah as saying “Nibbana lies on the shores of death.” Could you say more about this?” [Nibbāna] [Death] [Ajahn Chah]
16. “How are you satisfied and/or dissatisfied with students?” [Teaching Dhamma]
1. “What are the consequences of breaking a precept?” [Precepts]
2. “Some meditators associate “peak experiences” with spiritual progress. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this approach?” [Long-term practice]
3. “Of the four elements, please explain wind element.” [Elements]
4. ““Luminous is the mind.” Is the luminous mind conditioned or unconditioned? If unconditioned, then it’s Nirvana. If conditioned/impermanent, then Nirvana is beyond the mind? Yet it can be known by the mind?” [Nature of mind] [Unconditioned] [Nibbāna]
5. “Did you say the defilements are advantageous? (The questioner misheard “adventitious.”)” [Unwholesome Roots]
6. “Do any of you who reside at the monastery vote in local or national elections? I also wonder if you get involved in public discussions on local policies as they pertain to or potentially affect the monastery?” [Monastic life] [Politics and society]
7. “Persistent physical pain. Not chronic, just from sitting. How do I work skillfully with it? Right now the meditations feel swamped with it?” [Pain] [Meditation/General advice]
8. “Could you talk about how to manage doubt when it arises?” [Doubt]
9. “Do monks on retreat feel as much pain as we do? Is pain sankharas?” [Pain] [Volitional formations]
10. “Can you repeat the aspect of sankharas other than mental volitional energy?” [Volitional formations]
11. “Is it better to stick to one mode of breath meditation (visualizations, a mantra, etc.) for a while during the course of a 30-45 minute sit rather than jumping around to various modes?” [Meditation/General advice] [Mindfulness of breathing]
12. “If the list of the five khandas is intended to be linear, why is sense-consciousness the final one?” [Aggregates] [Consciousness]
13. “What is the difference between a fetter and a hindrance?” [Fetters] [Hindrances]
14. “One of the books I have read suggests to practice the last moment of life every night. What would you suggest for practicing marananussati?” [Recollection/Death]
15. “There is a mean streak in my family, a tendency to be dishonest and manipulative. I can see how it has been passed down over generations. I have worked hard to overcome these habits in myself. At this stage of life my familiar relationships are mostly positive and harmonious, but I still sometimes run across their manipulation or dishonesty. I would like to discuss or address it within my family, but there is no apperent recouse or means of addressing the situation. Any questions?” [Family] [False speech]
16. “Sitting with the Sangha, I am learning how to feel joy.” [Gratitude] [Happiness]
17. “Please say more about what a monastic retreat offers compared to an “ordinary” retreat. What are the differences?” [Monastic life] [Meditation retreats]
18. “If mind and consciousness are impermanent, what/who is aware? Also, who/what is it that experiences the results of karma, especially after the body dies and perhaps is reborn?” [Kamma] [Rebirth] [Impermanence] [Nature of mind]
19. “Can you please explain mindfulness or awareness of consciousness? I can understand consciousness arising as a result of stimuli entering the sense doors, but how does one become aware of consciousness itself? Or is this the right question about consciousness?” [Mindfulness of mind] [Consciousness] [Nature of mind]
20. “Last night you spoke about balancing tranquility of mind with investigation or a theme for contemplation. Can you clarify how this can be accomplished without getting into the usual mind states of planning, associating, etc.?” [Tranquility] [Investigation of states] [Recollection]
21. “Can you say something about the difference between “the mind” and the brain?” [Nature of mind]
22. “Is there a distinction between observing the mind and observing what arises?” [Mindfulness of mind] [Impermanence]
23. “It seems that nimittas can appear before the mind is fully settled in concentration. Is it useful to understand what that is happening? Should one ignore the nimitta until concentration is firmly established? Or is there some other response or skillful way to work with the nimitta while establishing samadhi?” [Nimitta] [Concentration]
1. “Please explain more how did the Buddha cross the flood, by neither going forward nor standing still. What does this mean?” [Becoming] [Cessation of Suffering]
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?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life] [Language]
3. “You often talk about gladdening and lightening the mind. How do I do that?” [Gladdening the mind]
4. “Could you speak a little about the structure of the Pali Canon? How much was written down in the Buddha’s time?” [History/Early Buddhism]
5. “Could you talk about woman’s ordination (nuns) during the Buddha’s time and in modern times?” [Women's monastic forms] [History/Early Buddhism]
6. “Could you talk about the role memory plays in perception?” [Memory] [Perception]
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?” [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?” [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?” [Entertainment and adornment]
10. “Appreciation for becoming aware of consciousness as a nutriment.” [Consciousness] [Nutriment]
11. “Please demonstrate how to bow. Are there any cultural differences?” [Bowing]
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.” [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?” [Nutriment] [Consciousness] [Volition] [Suffering]
14. “Would you share one of Pooh’s many nuggets of wisdom to inspire?” [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?” [Desire] [Volition] [Clinging]
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?” [Four Noble Truths] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Kamma]
2. “To abandon the cause, does it mean in that moment or completely?” [Cause of Suffering]
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?” [Nature of mind]
4. “Could you talk more about the two levels of understanding the true nature of karma: mundane and transcendent?” [Kamma]
5. “Competitiveness feels so pervasive here in America. What are your thoughts for working with it or healing it?” [Competitiveness] [Culture/West]
6. “Could you describe the progression of anagarika and samanera training?” [Sequence of training]
7. “The Middle Way – It is not 50% becoming and 50% annihilation, right? What is it the middle of?” [Middle Path]
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?” [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. Could you elaborate on this?” [Eightfold Path] [Becoming]
10. “Did the Buddha perform any miracles?” [Psychic powers] [Buddha]
11. “Can the monastics speak about the skillful use of caffeine for their practice?” [Medicinal requisites]
12. “Can you please explain the asavas?” [Outflows]
13. “Please speak a little about kataññu.” [Gratitude]
14. “How can I continue to deepen my practice in the absence of a living teacher?” [Long-term practice] [Teachers]
15. “Is it useful to investigate how we can only experience one conscious moment at a time?” [Consciousness] [Investigation of states]