16. “I had an experience yeserday in which I may have seen a group of beings above us, particularly above you....I don't think I'm crazy, but I'm very interested in what the Dhamma says about otherworldly/non-material beings.” [Deva] [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Mental illness] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand] [Realms of existence] [Culture/Natural environment]
Recollection: Spirits at Wat Pah Nanachat would request Ajahn Pasanno to dedicate merit. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Funerals] [Ghost] [Merit]
Quote: “They always had to use an intermediary because I was thick, thick, thick.” [Psychic powers]
Story: Ajahn Plien declares Casa Serena free of ghosts. [Ajahn Plien] [Abhayagiri] [Rebirth]
1. “What would be a way to connect with the deva-like humans?” [Human] [Deva] [Recollection/Devas] // [Realms of existence]
10. “In the article 'Consciousnesses' by Ajahn Lee, he talks about beings that inhabit the mind and body...What are your thoughts on this? When seeing unusual phenomena that can be interpreted in this way, what is a good course of action?” [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo] [Psychic powers] [Realms of existence]
17. “Is there a difference in doing a good deed for a monastic versus a lay-person in regards to generating merit? Can only humans create merit..devas..animals?” [Kamma] [Merit] [Realms of existence]
29. “What is the '10,000 fold universal world system mentioned in The Discourse on Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma'” [Realms of existence]
22. “I read about the advice given to dying devas. Should more people know about the cosmological background of the Buddha's teachings?” [Deva] [Realms of existence] [Death]
Sutta: Iti 83: Five omens that appear when a deva is about to pass away. [Rebirth]
24. “If beings are reborn immediately, how does ritual [sharing of merit] benefit the person who has passed?” [Rebirth] [Ceremony/ritual] [Merit] [Death] // [Theravāda] [Realms of existence] [Goodwill]
Sutta: AN 10.177: Jāṇussoṇī
25. Comment: Merit is faith driven, so there aren't any limitations to where that can take you, and it has real value. [Merit] [Faith] [Realms of existence] [Death]
Story: Two Thai doctors take temporary ordination to make merit to rejoin their deceased brother in a future life. [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Temporary ordination] [Family] [Rebirth]
Story: The mother of a woman killed in a bus crash dedicates merit so that the dead woman will be reborn in the family. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ghost] [Relinquishment] [Ceremony/ritual] [Kamma] [Volition]
Quote: “We live in a fairly limited concept of the world; it's very material in the West. There's a lot more happening than what we can see.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Nature of the cosmos] [Culture/West] [Realms of existence]
3. Comment: I appreciate that AN 5.48 includes devas and Māra. [Deva] [Māra] [Realms of existence] [Sutta] [Human]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
2. “What are spontaneously reborn beings? [in the context of Right View, e.g. MN 117]” [Rebirth] [Realms of existence] [Right View] // [Deva] [Birth] [Ghost]