64 excerpts, 3:45:43 total duration
Story: “Sleep is delicious.” Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Admonishment/feedback] [Goodwill] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Amaro ] [Joseph Kappel] [Upatakh] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Robes] [Mentoring] [Faith]
Remembering Ajahn Chah Weekend (2001), Session 12, Excerpt 4
2. Quote: “I met Ajahn Chah through the eyes and hearts of those who lived with him.” — Ajahn Jitindriyā. [Amaravati] [Meditation retreats] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Chah]
4. Story: Ajahn Amaro meets Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Jitindriyā. [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Chah] // [Work] [Monastic life] [Faith]
5. Story: “Sleep is delicious.” Told by Ajahn Jitindriyā. [Ajahn Amaro] [Sloth and torpor] [Ajahn Chah] // [Fear] [Discernment]
1. Story: Ajahn Amaro tells his mother that he’s never eaten so well since he became a Buddhist monk. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Food] [Monastic life]
4. Story: “Sleep is delicious.” Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Admonishment/feedback] [Goodwill] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Amaro ] [Joseph Kappel] [Upatakh] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Robes] [Mentoring] [Faith]
7. Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s tudong practice. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Seclusion] [Tudong] // [Meditation] [Sickness] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] [Patience]
16. “Do you miss Ajahn Amaro?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro]
7. “What do monks do with Pāli study levels?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Learning] [Pāli] [Culture/Thailand] [Types of monks] // [P. A. Payutto]
Story: Tan Chao Khun Prayoon Dhammacitto, the head of the Buddhist University in Bangkok, visits Wat Pah Nanachat. [Chao Khun Prayoon] [Thai sects] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
Story: Ajahn Mahā Adisak, a ninth-degree Pāli scholar, spends a year at Amaravati. [Ajahn Mahā Adisak] [Amaravati] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Story: He found it difficult to translate Ajahn Amaro’s teachings to Westerners into Thai. [Ajahn Amaro] [Culture/West] [Translation] [Dhamma books]
27. “Ajahn Amaro writes about transforming the energy of sense contact into compassion and metta. How does this work?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Contact] [Compassion] [Goodwill] // [Aversion] [Relinquishment] [Four Noble Truths] [Happiness]
8. “In one of Ajahn Amaro’s first tudongs in England, the laypeople often knew where he was going to be. Is that accepted in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [History/Western Buddhism] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Culture/Thailand] [Tudong] // [Culture/Natural environment]
5. “I understand that there is a council of Theravada elders who are a ‘decision making panel’ guiding the tradition. Who exactly is part of this council and who or what determines their eligibility? Will the honor being bestowed upon you and Ajahn Amaro next month make you eligible? Are there other monks in modern times who have received this honor?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Thai Buddhism] [Saṅgha decision making] [Monastic titles] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Chah] // [Politics and society] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Sumedho] [P. A. Payutto] [CALM Group]
2. Story: Ajahn Pasanno attends Dharma Mastery Heng Lyu’s ordination. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ordination] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Weather]
6. Recollections: Ajahn Pasanno’s motivations for moving to Abhayagiri; twenty years went by quick. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] // [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Amaro] [Community]
2. Story: Inviting monks to California to start a monastery. Told by Debbie Stamp. [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Generosity] [Saṅghapāla] // [Views] [Ajahn Amaro] [Faith]
3. Story: Ajahn Sucitto’s explanation of saṅghakamma redefines the focus of Saṅghapāla Foundation. Told by Debbie Stamp. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Vinaya] [Saṅghapāla] // [Ajahn Amaro]
1. Gratitude to Joseph Kappel. Reflection by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Joseph Kappel] [Gratitude] // [Wat Pah Nanachat]
3. Story: Ajahn Amaro hears of Master Hsuan Hua through Ajahn Sumedho. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Chithurst] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas]
Quote: “I always thought I would never meet anyone else like Luang Por Chah, but I just met another one.” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Chah]
4. Story: Ajahn Sumedho asks Ajahn Amaro to go to California. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro] // [Master Hsuan Hua] [Elders' Council] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas] [Ordination] [Jack Kornfield]
5. Recollection: The virtual monastery in San Francisco. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] // [Ajahn Amaro]
6. Recollection: Ajahn Sumedho delays the opening of a San Francisco vihara in 1992. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Ajahn Chah] [Disrobing]
7. Story: Master Hua offers land to Ajahn Sumedho the day after the Elders’ Council approves a land search. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Elders' Council] [Abhayagiri ] // [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude] [Amaravati] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Viradhammo] [Sickness]
Quote: “It had been the dream of my life to bring the Northern and Southern Traditions together again, and I never thought I was going to be able to do it until I met Sumedho.” — Master Hsuan Hua. [Mahāyāna] [Theravāda] [Communal harmony]
8. Testing times: Saṅghapāla Foundation scrambles to purchase the plot of land adjacent to Master Hsuan Hua’s gift.Recollected by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Faith]
9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude]
11. Recollection: Origins of the Abhayagiri co-abbotship. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro. [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] // [Master Hsuan Hua] [Three Conditions Monastery] [Jealousy] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Leadership]
Quote: “You can’t have two tigers living in the same cave.” — Ajahn Mahā Prasert. [Culture/Thailand]
7. “What is the role of admonishement? How do we admonish skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback ] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Right Intention] [Goodwill] [Mentoring] [Respect for elders]
Vinaya: Kd 18.11.14, Kd 18.12.8: Mutual admonishment between teacher and student.
Story: Ajahn Amaro waits a year before giving feedback. [Ajahn Amaro] [Patience]
Quote: “Don’t admonish somebody before the meal.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
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]
2. Story: Ajahn Pasanno offers to help Ajahn Amaro with the California monastery project. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] // [Chithurst] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Saṅgha decision making]
3. The property next door: “You can either buy it or forget it.” [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
4. Stories: The day before Abhayagiri opened; Ajahn Pasanno moves to Abhayagiri. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Festival days] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
1. Story: Anagārika Lief requests to become a novice. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Postulants] [Abhayagiri] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Sequence of training] [Lunar observance days] [Ajahn Amaro]
4. Story: Ajahn Sumedho visits the Bay Area in 1990 and chooses Ajahn Amaro to lead the California project. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Sundarā]
5. Story: Ajahn Amaro leads a series of temporary California vihāras. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Elders' Council] [Disrobing]
6. Story: In May 1994, the English Saṅgha Trust gives Ajahn Amaro permission to start looking for property in California. Master Hua offers 125 acres of forest in Mendocino County the next day. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Elders' Council] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Abhayagiri] [Generosity] // [Amaravati] [Ajahn Viradhammo]
7. Story: Ajahn Amaro visits the Abhayagiri property for the first time. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Lodging] [Culture/Natural environment] [Abhayagiri] // [Master Hsuan Hua] [Funerals] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas] [Lay supporters] [Simplicity] [Holy Tranfiguration Monastery]
8. Story: Buying the property next to the land Master Hua donated. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Commerce/economics] [Generosity] [Lodging] [Abhayagiri] // [Lay supporters] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro]
9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Lodging] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Postulants] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Lay supporters]
10. Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s involvement in the Abhayagiri project. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] // [Forest versus city monks] [Humility] [Ajahn Amaro] [Personality] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas] [Hua tou] [Three Conditions Monastery] [Communal harmony]
12. Quote: “Ajahn, maybe if you just taught Theravāda Buddhism, that would be great.” — A Saṅghapāla board member to Ajahn Amaro. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Amaro] [Theravāda ] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/West] [Spiritual traditions] [Monastic life] [Idealism]
Quote: “It wasn’t sensible to try to be all things to all people.”
13. Quote: Abhayagiri ethos: “We all live in the forest. Everyone’s in a kuti.” — Ajahn Amaro. [Lodging] [Culture/Natural environment] [Abhayagiri] // [Amaravati] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Weather]
Quote: “Mindfulness of the body is an absolute necessity.” [Mindfulness of body]
15. Shedding, impermanence, and not-self: Reflections on moving to Amaravati by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Impermanence] [Not-self] [Amaravati] [Abhayagiri] [Relinquishment] // [Lodging] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Travel] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Spaciousness]
Quote: “Die before you die.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Death]
Quote: “The tone and flavor of Dhamma is bittersweet.” [Dhamma] [Grief] [Happiness]
16. Reflection by Ajahn Amaro: Do you miss Abhayagiri? [Ajahn Amaro] [Grief] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Relinquishment] [Nibbāna] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Sutta: Snp 5.11: The island you cannot go beyond.
9. Quote: “When you go to Thailand, you will realize how American you are.” — Ajahn Pasanno or Ajahn Amaro. Quoted by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: Conscious effort towards communal harmony beginning with the co-abbots. [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abbot] [Communal harmony] [Leadership] // [Community] [Respect]
9. “How did you come to join Ajahn Amaro as co-abbot of the newly established Abhayagiri Monastery in California?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno ] // [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Jack Kornfield] [Elders' Council] [Chithurst]
5. How I decided to ordain at Abhayagiri. Recollection by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
6. Story: The first few years of Abhayagiri. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Visuddhi] [Lodging] [Ajahn Pasanno]
8. I arrived when Abhayagiri turned five. Recollection by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Sudanto] [Ordination] [Sīladharā]
Recollection: The little house was the beating heart of Abhayagiri. [Lodging] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Questions] [Gratitude] [Goodwill]
Quote: “I want to ordain. What do I do?” — Ajahn Ñāṇiko’s first email to the Abhayagiri guestmonk. [Ajahn Achalo] [Idealism]
Story: “Look, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to practice.” [Spiritual friendship]
Quote: “Don’t think about it too much.” — Ajahn Pasanno to Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Monastic life/Motivation] [Proliferation]
12. Story: What “duly noted” means in English. Told by Ajahn Cunda. [Language] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro]
13. Reflection by Ajahn Cunda: Training under the co-abbots. [Abbot] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Abhayagiri] [Mentoring] // [Craving] [Teaching Dhamma] [Communal harmony] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
Quote: “Two tigers in one cave.” — Thai saying. [Leadership] [Culture/Thailand]
14. Reflections by Ajahn Cunda on my early training. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Monastic life]
Quote: “Don’t worry. The first 20 years are the hardest.” — Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Sequence of training] [Suffering]
17. Why do some people stay and some people go? Reflection by Ajahn Ṭhitapañño. [Ajahn Amaro] [Monastic life] [Abhayagiri] // [Worldly Conditions]