Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samādhi The Skill of Release The Autobiography of Phra Ajahn Lee
“Could you recommend a book about ānāpānasati or mindful approaches to the jhānas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Jhāna] [Dhamma books]
Reference: Mindfulness with Breathing by Ajahn Buddhadāsa.
Reference: Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation by Larry Rosenberg (commercial).
Reference: Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory Guide to Deeper States of Meditation by Bhante Gunaratana (commercial).
Note: More recent books about mindfulness of breathing from the Thai Forest Tradition include Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samādhi by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, With Each and Every Breath by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, and Breathing like a Buddha by Ajahn Sucitto.
Thanksgiving Retreat 2004, Session 13, Excerpt 9
Reading: “Introduction” and “The Art of Letting Go” from Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samādhi by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo pp. v-viii and 28-30. Read by Ajahn Jotipālo.
Our Roots in the Thai Forest Tradition [2014], Session 5
Reflecting on the third and fourth steps of the Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118.18), Ajahn Pasanno describes entering into the bodily sensations of the breath (kāyasaṅkhārā) as a foundation of training that prepares the mind to receive Dhamma. [Mindfulness of breathing]
Reference: Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samādhi by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, particularly “Method Two“.
Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing [2005], Session 2
Reflecting on the second tetrad of the Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118.19), Ajahn Pasanno describes meditation as relaxing so that awareness comes to the fore and explains the importance of perception in relating to painful, pleasant, and neutral feeling. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of feeling]
Reference: Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samādhi by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, particularly “Method Two“.
Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing [2005], Session 3
Comment: Comparison of Ajahn Lee going to Bangkok with Venerable Puṇṇa going to Sunāparanta (SN 35.88). [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Great disciples] [Teaching Dhamma]
Comment: Ajahn Lee discovered breath meditation method 2 while coping with a heart attack in the wilderness. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Sickness]
The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness [2013], Session 40, Excerpt 3
Reading: “By Way of Introduction” and “Why Meditate?” from The Skill of Release by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo pp. 1-3 and pp. 20-31. Read by Ajahn Suhajjo.
Our Roots in the Thai Forest Tradition [2014], Session 34
“Ajahn Lee’s biography contrasts the lives of city and forest monks. Is the lifestyle here (Abhayagiri) similar to the dhutaṅga monks?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo] [Forest versus city monks] [Abhayagiri] [Ascetic practices] // [Vinaya] [Saṅgha] [Culture/Thailand] [Learning] [Merit] [Nibbāna]
Questions and Answers with Dharma Realm Buddhist University [2014], Excerpt 2
“How does upatakhing fit into our training and what can we learn from it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upatakh ] [Vinaya] [Respect for elders] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Culture/Thailand] [Conceit] [Generosity] [Protocols] [Discernment] [Mindfulness]
Vinaya: Cv 8: Vattakkhandhaka - Protocols
Story: Ajahn Lee upatakhs Ajahn Mun. The Autobiography of Phra Ajahn Lee translated by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, p. 23. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo]