Retreat, Oct. 13, 2023 to Oct. 15, 2023
Madison Insight in Wisconsin
3 sessions, 36 excerpts, 2:36:55 total duration
A weekend residential retreat organized by Madison Insight held at Pine Lake Retreat Center in rural Wisconsin.
External websiteSessions: 1 2 3
1. [1:12] “In the dialogue between Ānanda and Sariputta (AN 4.179), could you say more about the reason people don’t become enlightened in this lifetime?” [Stages of awakening] // [Perception] [Conditionality] [Progress of insight]
2. [4:05] “Tibetan Buddhism seems to have a stronger emphasis on compassion and emptiness as a practice. Can you talk about this from the perspective of the Ajahn Chah lineage, including steps as to how it is done?” [Vajrayāna] [Compassion] [Emptiness] [Ajahn Chah lineage] // [Ajahn Chah] [Eightfold Path]
Quote: “What is the mind of an Arahant like?” – “Only compassion” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant]
3. [7:50] “Can you expand more on the seeing through of vipassanā?” [Insight meditation] // [Characteristics of existence] [Conditionality]
4. [12:26] “Please speak about sense consciouness and how the release of attachment is acheived.” [Sense bases] [Consciousness] [Clinging] [Relinquishment] // [Delusion] [Insight meditation] [Knowledge and vision] [Feeling] [Contact] [Drawbacks] [Compassion]
Quote: “Dhamma practice is not difficult. There are only two things you need to do: know and let go.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma]
5. [18:20] “How does one know the difference between appropriate grieving and honoring the memory of a beloved versus clinging and attachment?” [Grief ] [Clinging] // [Cause of Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Spiritual urgency]
Recollection: Grieving for Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Recollection/Saṅgha]
Quote: “It’s that personalization of experience that gets us into trouble over and over again in different ways.” [Suffering]
6. [27:31] “Could you give a Dhamma talk about the Five Aggregates?” [Aggregates] // [Cause of Suffering] [Form] [Feeling] [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness]
Simile: A dog tied to a post (SN 22.100). [Similes] [Self-identity view]
7. [32:09] “I’m a mother to four kids, one of whom has special needs. I’m lucky if I can meditate 10-15 minutes a day. Are there practices one can do when one is frequently around little ones?” [Children ] [Meditation/General advice] // [Posture/Sitting] [Three Refuges] [Precepts] [Recollection/Virtue] [Recollection/Generosity] [Gladdening the mind] [Mindfulness of body] [Clear comprehension]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 104: Forty subjects of meditation.
Sri Lankan Buddhists keep a book of good deeds which is read near the time of death. [Culture/Sri Lanka] [Merit] [Death]
Story: Debbie Stamp served as primary caregiver to her father during the pandemic. [Parents] [Pandemic]
1. [0:33] “By moving to lovingkindness [meditation], I may be missing some of the deeper insights and wisdom that are present in feelings of angher, ill-will, and resentment. I think this is what is referred to as spiritual bypassing. Can you speak to this distinction or provide suggestions for accessing the wisdom that may be present within or underneath the hindrances?” [Goodwill] [Aversion] [Ill-will] [Spiritual bypass ] [Discernment] [Hindrances] // [Truth] [Suffering] [Gratification]
Quote: “Sensual desire is just trying to get a relief from suffering. Even anger and ill-will...and the same with all the rest of the hindrances. They are looking for some relief from suffering in some way, shape, or form.” [Sensual desire]
2. [5:00] “Would you speak about your response to the events in Israel and Gaza?” [Conflict] [Politics and society] // [Grief] [Human] [Suffering] [Idealism]
Quote: “The world has been a sad place for a long time.” [Nature of the cosmos]
3. [6:50] “Could you please elaborate on how you generate the images and feelings of metta? My metta practice phrases always seem a bit dry.” [Goodwill ] // [Commentaries] [Heart/mind] [Visualization] [Nimitta] [Bhante Gunaratana]
4. [14:46] “I have trouble maintaining wakefulness and alertness in the afternoon. What guidance would you give to cultivate more skillfulness?” [Sloth and torpor] [Devotion to wakefulness] // [Buddho mantra] [Recollection] [Unattractiveness] [Posture/Walking] [Posture/Standing]
5. [22:11] “I have had many losses over the year, and both my parents passed away six years ago. I found that taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, keeping the precepts, and having daily meditation practice helps. There is peacefulness and gratitude. I have heard that if one wants to share merits with the deceased, one could. What is the proper way? Could you give some guidance?” [Death] [Grief] [Parents] [Merit ] // [Recollection/Virtue] [Goodwill] [Translation] [Three Refuges] [Precepts] [Generosity] [Happiness]
Sutta: Iti 22: “Do not be afraid of puñña.”
Quote: “Puñña is accomplished through the heart itself.” [Heart/mind] [Cultural context]
Quote: “A spark of merit is worth more than a mountain of effort.” — Tibetan saying [Vajrayāna] [Self-identity view]
6. [30:15] “In practicing mindfulness day-to-day, which category of mindfulness is most important at varying times? Body, feelings, mind, or dhammas?” [Mindfulness] [Everyday life] [Right Mindfulness] // [Continuity of mindfulness]
7. [31:23] “Upon awakening one morning, I found my mind was locked open in awareness. It seems this was stable as long as I did not do any conceptual thinking. Is this a feature of samādhi? Can it be cultivated?” [Meditation/Unusual experiences] [Present moment awareness] [Spaciousness] [Concentration] // [Right Concentration] [Mindfulness]
8. [34:05] “Can you offer practical advice for working with hindrances and cultivating sīla without taking it personally, that is, trying to perfect the personality?” [Hindrances] [Virtue] [Self-identity view] // [Dhamma] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “Kae nun lae (Thai) – It’s just this much.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Suchness]
9. [37:28] “Please offer your thoughts on how to cultivate the brahmavihāras on and off the cushion.” [Divine Abidings ] [Everyday life] // [Spaciousness] [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Empathetic joy] [Equanimity] [Generosity]
Ajahn Vajiro defined the brahamavihāras as the mature emotions. [Ajahn Vajiro] [Emotion]
10. [41:43] “What are the words or practices to develop equanimity? In this difficult, divisive period, it’s helpful to have as much non-ill-will as possible.” [Equanimity] [Conflict] [Goodwill] // [News] [Kamma] [Conditionality]
Quote: “[News] is not there to inform you. It’s there to create a reaction....Their job is to try to get click baits.” [Internet] [Advertizing]
11. [46:12] “Can you be a Buddhist and yet an I-don’t-know agnostic about reincarnation?” [Buddhist identity] [Rebirth ] [Atheism/agnosticism] // [Faith] [Merit] [Kamma]
Sutta: MN 60: The Safe Bet
12. [51:22] “How does one navigate choices and self-advocacy and also equanimity? I often find myself feeling relatively content yet defaulting slightly to people-pleasing and being quiet to get along.” [Equanimity] [Non-contention] [Blame and praise] // [Discernment]
13. [53:44] “I am in a challenging situation at work and thinking of moving to a different position. How can I tell whether this is skillful or unskillful?” [Work] [Discernment] // [Spiritual friendship]
14. [55:18] “The world looms large. This is the source of most of my turmoil. How does one see all this strife as neutral when we know that the damage to the world is so great? How do we maintain acceptance when our children and grandchildren will suffer?” [Conflict] [Politics and society] [Environment] [Equanimity] // [Right Effort] [Community]
15. [58:36] “Any suggestions for managing dizziness or nausea from the energy on retreat? I’m feeling a little overwhelmed today.” [Meditation retreats] [Health] // [Posture/Lying down] [Posture/Walking] [Goodwill] [Mindfulness of body]
16. [1:01:45] “How does one reconcile perceived imperfections and unskillful behaivor in Buddhist institutions and interactions with teachers?” [Unskillful qualities] [Teachers] // [Monasteries] [Monastic life] [Admonishment/feedback] [Blame and praise]
Quote: “The Buddha set up an institution that was not assuming infallability.” [Buddha] [Lay life] [Human]
Sutta: Dhp 227: Nobody lives without criticism.
17. [1:07:52] “Fifty vassas! Highs, lows? What are you contemplating these days?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] // [Dhamma] [Abbot] [Mentoring] [Ajahn Chah]
18. [1:10:08] “Can you talk about fear as a cause of dukkha and how to work with it?” [Fear ] [Suffering] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Abhidhamma] [Delusion] [Mindfulness of body] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Biases]
Quote: “In terms of personality, [fear] was my go-to option.” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Personality]
19. [1:14:35] “When one moves through the world with compassion and lovingkindness, how does one avoid feeling depleted? In a world of ‘individuals,’ most take more than they give and to always be giving can be exhausting.” [Compassion] [Goodwill] [Selfishness] [Generosity] [Depression] // [Not-self] [Four Noble Truths] [Cause of Suffering]
Quote: “When we are attentive to freedom from suffering, there’s an inexhaustible well of goodness there.” [Cessation of Suffering] [Skillful qualities]
20. [1:17:25] “I wake remembering dreams my dreams often and at times in the dream I know that I am dreaming. There are interesting aspects to this, but also at times I find it intense or tiring. Meditation before bed seems to intesify this. Suggestions?” [Dreams ] // [Clear comprehension] [Relinquishment] [Mindfulness]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s Tibetan doctor insists he needs more sleep. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Health care] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Ageing]
21. [1:23:32] “My husband died 10 years ago. There was sadness but also relief that his journey was over and sadness and relief for myself. I can still hear his advice regarding my medications. Is this clinging? He lives in my heart. What do you do with memories and teachings yourself?” [Family] [Death] [Grief] [Memory] [Clinging]
Recollection: I still hear Ajahn Chah’s voice. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Dreams] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa]
1. [0:26] Ajahn Pasanno mentions the Question and Story Archive. [Questions] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] [Dhamma online]
2. [2:13] “When I go inward, I don’t feel or experience brightness. Instead it/I feel heavy. How can I get to that brightness?” [Sloth and torpor] [Gladdening the mind] [Rapture] // [Relinquishment] [Hindrances] [Devotional practice]
3. [5:07] “When one is caught in depression or negativity, how can one brighten or uplift the mind?” [Depression ] [Gladdening the mind] // [Generosity] [Virtue] [Idealism]
4. [7:18] “Would you be willing to share memories of Ajahn Chah?” [Ajahn Chah ] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Temporary ordination] [Personality] [Not-self] [Equanimity]
When asked about the core essence of the Buddha’s teachings, Ajahn Chah replies, “Is this a big stick or a little stick?” [Teaching Dhamma] [Conventions] [Cause of Suffering]
Story: Ajahn Chah pretends to forget simple questions in order to embarass his translator. [Forest versus city monks] [Media] [Aversion] [Questions] [Translation] [Similes]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno writes to his family that he’s staying in Thailand because Ajahn Chah is peaceful, solid, clear, and unshakeable in the midst of all that’s going on around him. [Family] [Tranquility] [Clear comprehension]
5. [23:05] “What’s your opinion of the secular mindfulness movement (MBSR and its associated programs)? Can mindfulness serve a useful function for people without the rest of the Dhamma?” [Secular Buddhism] [Mindfulness]
6. [25:37] “Please, a short talk on Nibbāna.” [Nibbāna ] // [Cessation of Suffering] [Cessation] [Unwholesome Roots] [Relinquishment] [Jhāna]
Quote: “Nibbāna is not a thing.”
Sutta: Ud 3.10: Yena yena hi maññati, tato taṁ hoti aññathā. – “For however one conceives it, it is always other than that.”
Reference: The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro
7. [30:26] “What exactly is reborn in Buddhist teachings?” [Rebirth ] // [Craving] [Sensual desire] [Becoming] [Craving not to become] [Consciousness] [Relinquishment]
8. [33:44] “Could you comment on the phrase in the Metta Sutta, “Not born again into this world?”” [Rebirth] [Sutta] // [Goodwill] [Skillful qualities] [Gradual Teaching] [Not-self] [Views]
Reflection: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 37
Quote: “What is the mind of an Arahant like?” – “Only compassion” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant] [Compassion]