Featured excerpts about Meditation Practices
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Meditation (2)      Mindfulness of body      Mindfulness of breathing (2)      Walking meditation      Chanting (1)      Recollection (2)      Skillful thinking      Continuity of mindfulness (1)      Direct experience (1)      Knowing itself (1)      Long-term practice
Tag cluster: Meditation
Cluster includes: Meditation, Meditation/General advice
Related events: Developing Skill in Reflective Meditation (2019)

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“How often and for how long do you recommend practicing meditation at home? Daily, twice a day, 45 minutes, 30 minutes? Thank you!!!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice ] [Lay life] [Time management] // [Idealism]

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 2, Excerpt 7


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“Persistent physical pain. Not chronic, just from sitting. How do I work skillfully with it? Right now the meditations feel swamped with it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain] [Meditation/General advice ] // [Posture/Walking] [Excercise] [Chi Gong] [Mindfulness of breathing]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 7


Tag: Mindfulness of body
Related events: Abhayagiri 2015 Winter Retreat

Tag: Mindfulness of breathing
Related events: Mindfulness of Breathing (2014)

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“How does one avoid controlling the breath when observing it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing ] // [Mindfulness of body] [Tranquility]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 3, Excerpt 9


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“How do you use mindfulness of breathing when are doing a recollection? Do you first use mindfulness of breathing to settle the mind / body and then turn your attention to the recollection? Is the awareness of breathing in the background?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing ] [Recollection ] // [Investigation of states]

Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 3, Excerpt 10


Walking meditation (Tag: Posture/Walking)

Tag: Chanting
Related events: Chanting (2018)

Download audio (9:44)
“How important is chanting for one’s practice? Do you have any tips for how to recite/remember the Pali chants?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Chanting ] [Memory] [Pāli] // [Monastic life] [Recollection] [Devotional practice] [Energy] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Long-term practice] [Dhamma recordings] [Posture/Walking] [Almsround] [Mindfulness]

Story: Ajahn Mun would chant for over an hour each evening before he started meditating. [Ajahn Mun] [Monastic routine]

Suttas: AN 10.60 Girimānanda Sutta; SNSN 22.22: Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (Chanting Book translation).

Story: The evening program at Wat Fah Krahm is three hours of chanting followed by a three-hour sit. [Wat Fah Krahm] [Meditation]

Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 138: Rhythm of the Pāli language.

Sutta: SN 48.9: Mindfulness related to memory.

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 7, Excerpt 13


Tag: Recollection
Related events: Developing Skill in Reflective Meditation (2019)

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“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.?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Investigation of states ] [Recollection ] [Proliferation] // [Impermanence] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Discernment] [Recollection/Death] [Visualization] [Divine Abidings]

Mistaken assumption: “I think, therefore I suffer. If I didn’t think, then I wouldn’t suffer.” [Suffering]

Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 104: Forty subjects of meditation.

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 20


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“How do you use mindfulness of breathing when are doing a recollection? Do you first use mindfulness of breathing to settle the mind / body and then turn your attention to the recollection? Is the awareness of breathing in the background?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing ] [Recollection ] // [Investigation of states]

Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 3, Excerpt 10


Skillful thinking (Tag: Directed thought and evaluation)
Related events: Two Kinds of Thought and the Removal of Distracting Thoughts (2017)

Tag cluster: Continuity of mindfulness
Cluster includes: Continuity of mindfulness, Present moment awareness

Download audio (5:24)
“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.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Continuity of mindfulness ] [Meditation retreats] // [Mindfulness of body] [Gratification] [Investigation of states] [Self-identity view]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 3, Excerpt 4


Tag: Direct experience

Download audio (7:14)
“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?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah ] [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Language] // [Culture/Thailand] [Patience] [Wat Pah Pong] [Novices]

Quote: “It’s just like teaching buffaloes.” — Ajahn Chah [Western Ajahn Chah lineage] [Similes]

Quote: “Dhamma is not about the words, about the concepts, about the ideas. It’s about the experience.” — Ajahn Chah [Dhamma ] [Direct experience ]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 5, Excerpt 2


Tag: Knowing itself

Download audio (2:14)
“Is there a distinction between observing the mind and observing what arises?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of mind] [Impermanence] // [Knowing itself ] [Liberation ] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Buddha ] [Relinquishment] [Cessation of Suffering]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 22


Tag: Long-term practice