Featured excerpts about Monastic Life
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Monastic life (1)      Motivation (1)      Mutual support      The Four Requisites (1)      Thai Forest Tradition      Vinaya (4)      Monastic community (1)      Ascetic practices      Women's monastic forms (2)
Tag cluster: Monastic life
Cluster includes: Monastic life, Ordination, Sequence of training, Perception of a samaṇa, and 3 subtags
Related events: The Teaching and the Training (2018)

Download audio (3:34)
“Could you describe the progression of anagarika and samanera training?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sequence of training ] [Postulants] [Novices] [Abhayagiri] // [Eight Precepts] [Not handling money] [Ordination] [Saṅgha decision making] [Dependence] [Ajahn Chah monasteries]

2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 6, Excerpt 6


Motivation (Tag: Monastic life/Motivation)

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“What would be your advice when young monks are wavering in their decsion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life/Motivation ] [Doubt] // [Fear] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Delusion] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Mindfulness of body]

Recurrent refrain in the Suttas: “I know you, Māra,” e. g. SN 4.1, SN 4.5. [Māra] [Sutta] [Knowing itself]

Interreligious Retreat-Seminar on Dhamma and Non-duality (2023), Session 1, Excerpt 5


Tag cluster: Mutual support
Cluster includes: Mutual lay/Saṅgha support, Almsround

Tag cluster: The Four Requisites
Cluster includes: Requisites, Robes, Almsfood, Lodging, Medicinal requisites, and 3 subtags

Download audio (7:47)
“My heart really wanted to serve you and the rest of the Sangha food today (of all days—Thanksgiving) out of gratitude and also because I thought that food had to be directly placed in the alms bowl of a monk in order for it to be consumed. So can you please give us a quick guide on the Vinaya rules regarding the offering of food and other things / requisites to monks? Thank you for your explanation so we can better serve the Sangha.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Almsfood ] [Food] [Vinaya] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] // [Almsbowl] [Abhayagiri]

Story: Ajahn Ñāṇiko walks tudong from Fort Bragg. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Tudong] [Lodging] [Weather]

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 6, Excerpt 12


Tag: Thai Forest Tradition
Related events: Abhayagiri 2014 Winter Retreat, Thai Forest Tradition (2014)

Tag cluster: Vinaya
Cluster includes: Vinaya, Pāṭimokkha, Confession, Protocols, Not handling money, Rains retreat
Related events: The Teaching and the Training (2018)

Download audio (4:51)
“The Buddha described his teaching as Dhamma-vinaya. Can you explain why it wasn’t just Dhamma? What does this term mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Middle Path] [Monastic life] [Dhamma] [Vinaya ] // [Recollection/Buddha]

Reference: Buddhadhamma by P. A. Payutto (available at buddhadhamma.github.io) p. 1659

The Teaching and the Training (2018), Session 1, Excerpt 1


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Quote: “He made sense out of monasticism.” — Ajahn Sumedho [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Vinaya ] [Dhamma] [Trust]

Remembering Ajahn Chah Weekend (2001), Session 4, Excerpt 3


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“When you were living with Ajahn Chah, were many of his talks more related to the Korwat or practical matters, as opposed to the High Dhamma?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Teaching Dhamma] [Protocols] [Dhamma]

Quote: “There’s not really a separation.” [Vinaya ]

Comment: Ajahn Chah taught to the situation. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Learning] [Sequence of training]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma]

Abhayagiri 2014 Winter Retreat, Session 53, Excerpt 1


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“What is the role of mentors and teachers in learning to use the monastic form skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teachers] [Mentoring] [Vinaya ] [Monastic life] // [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Long-term practice] [Ajahn Pasanno]

The Teaching and the Training (2018), Session 4, Excerpt 1


Tag cluster: Monastic community
Cluster includes: Communal harmony, Fourfold Assembly, Principles of Cordiality, Saṅgha decision making, Abbot, Monastery organizational structure

Download audio (4:48)
“What is left once there is no self? Is it the same as enlightenment? Can a person still function in a daily life (drive a car for example)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view ] [Stages of awakening]

Quote: “What’s it like being the abbot of a big monastery?” — “I come out of my kuti and I do the things that I need to do, and then I go back to my kuti. And if some people want to call that being an abbot, well that’s their business.” — Ajahn Liem [Ajahn Liem ] [Abbot ] [Wat Pah Pong] [Work] [Conventions] [Simplicity]

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 6, Excerpt 2


Tag cluster: Ascetic practices
Cluster includes: Ascetic practices, Tudong, Fasting, Sitter's practice
Related events: Tudong Stories at Spirit Rock (2011), On Pilgrimage and Tudong (2015)

Tag cluster: Women's monastic forms
Cluster includes: Women's monastic forms, Bhikkhunī, Sīladharā, Mae Chee

Download audio (4:17)
“Thank you for your talk today. You mentioned giving the opportunity for everyone to practice and train. However, there seem to be no Ajahn Chah monasteries in the US and Canada where women can ordain and train. Would Abhayagiri be open to having a female monastic community at some point in the future?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Women's monastic forms ] [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Abhayagiri] // [Culture/Thailand] [Dhammadharini Monastery] [Karuna Buddhist Vihara] [Sīladharā] [Bhikkhunī] [Women in Buddhism]

Abhayagiri 25th Anniversary Retreat (2021), Session 19, Excerpt 2


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Story: Ajahn Sundarā stays with a nun who lived at Wat Pah Pong with Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Sundarā. [Ajahn Sundarā] [Mae Chee ] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah]

Story: The first nun at Wat Pah Pong. [Artistic expression] [Determination] [Sequence of training] [Eight Precepts]

Story: The Wat Pah Pong nuns go pindapat. [Almsround]

Quote: “Does anyone find having nuns around difficult?” – “Yes.” – “Well, you can go then.” — Ajahn Chah [Pāṭimokkha] [Women in Buddhism]

Story: A woman brings only enough food for the monks, so Ajahn Chah asks the nuns to chant the blessing. [Generosity] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Chanting] [Fierce/direct teaching]

Ajahn Chah’s inner freedom. [Liberation] [Courage] [Conventions] [Unconditioned] [Teaching Dhamma] [Dhamma books] [Personal presence]

The confidence to be totally yourself. [Faith] [Self-reliance] [Gratitude] [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Aversion]

Remembering Ajahn Chah Weekend (2001), Session 19, Excerpt 3