Monastic life (brahmacariyā)
Includes tags: Monastic life, Ordination, Sequence of training, Dependence, Monastic routine, Perception of a samaṇa, Simplicity
4. “How do you deal with the fear of renunciation and sacrifice that you do on the path of practice? Giving things up that are familiar and comfortable, or even that you know are uncomfortable, but there’s still that dukkha around it. Or after you’ve given up, the mind can proliferate on these subjects a lot. What has your experience been like?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Cunda. [Renunciation] [Fear] [Suffering] [Proliferation] // [Self-identity view] [Cessation of Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Discernment] [Happiness] [Monastic life]
Quote: “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” — David Foster Wallace. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging]
Story: Just sweep the leaves in front of your broom. Told by Ajahn Cunda. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Present moment awareness] [Similes]
Story: A young child struggles to give Ajahn Sumedho a candy on almsround. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Generosity] [Almsround] [Ajahn Sumedho]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pesalo: Returning to Abhayagiri after four years away. [Abhayagiri] // [Berkeley Buddhist Monastery] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training] [Beauty]
3. Reflection by Ajahn Pesalo: These monasteries support us while we succeed and fail in finding the teachings and practices that lead to a place of well-being and peace. [Monasteries] [Meditation] [Happiness] [Abhayagiri] // [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Gratitude]
Sutta: AN 10.48: “My very life is sustained by the gifts of others” (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 57).
4. Reflection by Ajahn Pesalo: The first 12 years of monastic life are an opportunity to soak in the Dhamma practice. [Sequence of training] [Learning] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Abhayagiri] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Humility] [Cleanliness] [Happiness] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Meditation/Techniques]
5. Reflection by Ajahn Pesalo: The balance between community and self-reliance. [Saṅgha] [Self-reliance ] [Abhayagiri] // [Faith] [Ajahn Chah] [Trust ] [Monastic life] [Present moment awareness]
Quote: “One’s attitude towards practice should be: ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Meditation]
Quote: “You are the awareness. All of us are the awareness.” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “Give it 40 years.” — Ajahn Sucitto. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Determination] [Patience]
2. Recollection: Friendship and consistency of training at Abhayagiri Monastery. Recounted by Ajahn Pavaro. [Birken] [Abhayagiri] [Monastic life] [Spiritual friendship]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Ahiṃsako: My monastic life was born at Abhayagiri. [Abhayagiri] [Monastic life]
2. Quote: “Monasteries are made of people.” — Ajahn Pasanno. Quoted by Ajahn Ahiṃsako. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monasteries ] [Monastic life] [Community] // [Desire] [Saṅghapāla] [Buddha] [Saṅgha] [Abhayagiri]
3. Recollection: Deciding where to ordain. Recounted by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ordination] [Abhayagiri] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Postulants]
6. Reflection by Debbie Stamp: The baton is passed on: Ajahn Ñāṇiko ordains his first bhikkhu. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Ordination] [Debbie Stamp] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri]
6. Reflection by Ajahn Sudanto: Returning to help at Abhayagiri out of gratitude. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] [Gratitude] [Ajahn Sudanto] // [Tudong]
Quote: “It’s the perfect monastery in the Dhammic sense.... But it’s maybe easier to say that not living here.”
Reflection: The baton has been passed: Ajahn Ñāṇiko’s first ordination as preceptor. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Ordination]
4. Story: Ajahn Sumedho invites Ajahn Amaro to lead the first temporary vihara in San Francisco. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro] [Pre-Abhayagiri vihāras] // [Amaravati]
Story: Master Hua invites ten of Ajahn Sumedho’s monks to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to participate in a 1989 ordination. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Elders' Council] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas] [Vinaya] [Mahāyāna] [Theravāda] [Ordination]
Quote: “It was the dream of my life to bring the Northern and Southern Traditions together. And I didn’t think I could do it until I met Sumedho.” — Master Hsuan Hua.
1. “What is the benefit of having more monks in the world?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] // [Virtue] [Saṅgha] [Vinaya] [Culture/West] [Seclusion]
Reference: Recollection of the Saṅgha (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 7). [Recollection/Saṅgha]
2. “There are stories of you taking on people for training that on the surface seem very unsuitable, for example a heroin addict at Wat Pah Nanachat who eventually stayed in robes for 20 years. What made you stick with characters like that? How do you see the secret ingredient of what’s hiding below the surface?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] // [Intuition]
3. “What have you seen be the key difference between those who blossom and those who wilt [in monastic life]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] // [Truth] [Energy] [Patience]
Quote: “The quickest way to Awakening is to look straight at the heart, point right at it, [and say] ‘Liar!’” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Liberation]
4. “There are certain monastic traditions, like the Pa Auk tradition, where monks will have an interview with their teacher every day to get meditation advice. You don’t do that; that’s not a characteristic of the Thai Forest Tradition. You mentioned that you led and trained others like a duck. Could you explain that metaphor?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pa Auk Sayadaw] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Similes] [Monastic life] // [Questions] [Dhamma]
Simile from Ajahn Chah: I teach like a duck rather than teach like a chicken. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma]
Quote: “You have to learn to teach yourself.” [Self-reliance]
5. “A lot of monks want to find ways to quantify their practice, count the number of hours they meditate or sleep or the number of spoonfuls they eat. And you don’t advocate that. How does one measure their practice if they’re not counting it in some way?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Kovilo] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] // [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities]
6. “What’s the biggest story you’ve had to work through yourself? Did you have any moments when you really had to step up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] // [Fear] [Ajahn Chah] [Delusion] [Admonishment/feedback]
Quote: “I want to live in a way that is exemplary and free. I don’t want to live under the tyranny of my own anxiety and delusions.” [Liberation]
7. “Many people think monastic life is a training in meditation. You mentioned Ajahn Chah’s approach to training was trying to inculcate virtue and Right View. How do you teach these to others?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Virtue] [Right View] [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] // [Happiness] [Contentment] [Gratitude] [Self-identity view] [Idealism] [Spaciousness] [Relinquishment]
8. “When you hear about one of your students thinking of disrobing, how do you approach that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Disrobing ] [Monastic life] // [Listening]
9. “What do you think about the practice of a monk taking lifetime vows? It’s not required in our Thai tradition, but is expected in other traditions. Do you ever encourage this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Determination] [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic life] // [Idealism]
10. “If you had to choose between having an overly greedy monk disciple and an overly aversive monk disciple, which would you choose?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Greed] [Aversion] [Monastic life]
Follow-up: “If you had to choose between a monk who eats too much versus a monk who sleeps too much, what would be preferable?” [Moderation in eating] [Devotion to wakefulness]
Quote: “We’re never going to make Abhayagiri comfortable.” [Abhayagiri]
11. “If you had to choose between having a monk who talks too much and a monk who doesn’t talk at all, which would you choose?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Idle chatter] [Monastic life]
12. “If you had to choose between a monk who is overly attached to ritual versus a monk who is totally dismissive of ritual, which would you choose?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Attachment to precepts and practices ] [Monastic life] // [Views]
14. “Has Ajahn Chah ever used physical force to discipline his stubborn disciples out of kindness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Compassion] [Monastic life] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
Story: Ajahn Chah kicks Ajahn Ñāṇadhammo in the chest. [Ajahn Ñāṇadhammo]