Right Intention (sammā-saṅkappa)
Right Intention (sammā-saṅkappa)
7. “What is loving kindness? What is the body and mind’s experience when I feel metta for myself and others?” [Goodwill] // [Idealism] [Culture/West] [Right Intention] [Aversion] [Thai] [Happiness] [Translation] [Bhante Gunaratana] [Tranquility] [Spaciousness]
Quote: “The base of loving-kindness is dwelling in non-aversion.”
5. “How will I know if I’m experiencing loving-kindness?” [Goodwill] // [Right Intention] [Aversion]
2. “In the example you gave of the snake (MN 22), can you give an example of how the Dhamma can bite you?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Yatiko. [Similes] [Gradual Teaching] // [Abhidhamma] [Conflict] [Meditation/Techniques] [Clinging] [Unwholesome Roots] [Right Intention] [Learning]
Story: The teachings of Dhammakaya. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view] [Commerce/economics] [Nibbāna] [Generosity]
Story: An Abhidhamma teacher visits Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah]
3. “How does one look at intention?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Yatiko. [Volition] [Right Intention] // [Four Noble Truths] [Discernment] [Delusion]
Quote: “Sometimes you don't want to look at intention too closely because you'll convince yourself of anything.” — Ajahn Pasanno
16. “Some people want to help but find themselves in situations in which profit dictates the priorities. How can they protect their integrity in such situations?” [Compassion] [Health care] [Commerce/economics] [Right Intention] [Right Livelihood] // [Learning] [Idealism] [Requisites] [Happiness]
Story: Ajahn Karuniko studies engineering, then quits a job in the arms industry to become a monk. [Military] [Monastic life/Motivation]
4. “If my sister has unwholesome friendships, how can I help her redirect these?” [Family] [Spiritual friendship] // [Compassion] [Judgementalism] [Right Intention] [Right Speech] [Admonishment/feedback]
Story: An Abhayagiri monk skillfully conveys concerns to his father. [Abhayagiri]
20. “Please explain the inner workings of right intention and its karmic effect.” [Right Intention] [Kamma] [Volition]
2. “Can sharing merit with many types of beings tie one to society?” [Merit] // [Right Effort] [Right Intention]
Story: Lama Zopa delights in sharing merit. [Lama Zopa]
19. Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko: I keep coming back to true principle–what are we doing it all for? [Dhamma] [Killing] [Right Intention] [Buddhist identity]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Attachment to rites and rituals] [Suffering] [Happiness] [Skillful qualities]
7. “Generally, is right intention a subset of kamma or is it the whole enchilada?” [Right Intention] [Kamma]
3. “I got a little confused about the part [of MN 19] where it says, 'these thoughts are not to be feared.'” [Fear] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Right Intention] [Calming meditation] [Happiness]
Quote: “In trying to stop thinking, there's an incredible tension that is created in the mind.” [Suffering]
Follow-up: “[MN 19] mentioned that these thoughts might make you tired.” [Sloth and torpor]
8. “All these practices [in MN 20] have been useful to calm the thoughts in the moment, but with ill-will and forgiveness, it hasn't genuinely changed the underlying emotion. I thought I had forgiven somebody, but ill-will comes up towards that person six months later. When do you genuinely change the underlying emotion?” [Calming meditation] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Unwholesome Roots] // [Right Intention] [Conditionality] [Perfectionism]
16. Comment: My experience with method five [of MN 20] is that it works when the mind doing the crushing is compassion mind, wisdom mind. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Compassion] [Discernment] [Right Intention]
Responses by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
7. “What is the role of admonishement? How do we admonish skillfully?” [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Intention] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Respect for elders]
Story: Ajahn Amaro waits a year before giving feedback. [Ajahn Amaro]
11. “Is refining the Five Precepts sufficient for lay practice to be transformative?” [Five Precepts] [Lay life] [Ajahn Chah] // [Vinaya] [Mindfulness] [Right Intention] [Relinquishment] [Compassion] [Truth]
8. “Can we approach chanting as praying for someone in a difficult situation?” [Christianity] [Devotional practice] [Family] [Health] [Chanting] // [Skillful qualities] [Compassion] [Right Intention] [Merit] [Abhayagiri] [Nature of the cosmos]
5. “Years ago I considered the Buddha someone wbo practiced harm reduction. But having worked in the field, I've started to have a lot of conflict around when people request paraphanelia to help them use [drugs]. The idea is to keep them alive, but now it's become very complicated because people are still dying. Is this a violation of right livelihood? Could you speak about wisdom and compassion?” [Intoxicants] [Health care] [Death] [Right Livelihood] [Discernment] [Compassion] [Gratitude] // [Right Intention] [Crime] [Politics and society]
Quote: “As a person who is trying to help, you have to learn harm reduction to yourself.” [Depression]
8. “Could you say some more about the process of change?... You can have a big tool kit and apply it with the best of intentions. Sometimes magical things happen, and sometimes nothing happens.” [Right Effort] [Conditionality] [Right Intention] [Progress of insight] // [Goodwill] [Relinquishment] [Ajahn Chah] [Impermanence] [Long-term practice] [Learning] [Dependent origination] [Not-self] [Mindfulness]
2. “Early on in practice, I learned that practicing sīla (virtue) leads to the bliss of the blamelessness life and creates the conditions for samādhi. What is the Pāli word that translates to 'the bliss of the blameless life?'” [Virtue] [Happiness] [Concentration] [Pāli] // [Right Livelihood] [Generosity] [Right Intention]
Quote: “Sīla is the opportunity to rise up to a life of integrity.”