Realms of existence
Includes tags: Realms of existence, Brahma gods, Deva, Human, Ghost, Animal, Hell, Non-human beings, Recollection/Devas
2. “What are spontaneously reborn beings? [in the context of Right View, e.g. MN 117]” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Realms of existence] [Right View] // [Deva] [Birth] [Ghost]
4. “I’m left with a deep sadness about the state of the world. I suppose that’s no different than struggling with sadness about the human condition?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Suffering] [Human] [Politics and society] // [Compassion] [Depression] [Desire] [Right Effort] [Disenchantment] [Conventions]
2. “How closely do you and the other monks live together?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Chah] [Communal harmony ] [Vinaya] [Seclusion] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic routine]
Quote: “Human beings. Those are beings with issues.” — Ajahn Chah. [Human] [Conflict]
1. “How do we make sense of the whirlpool of assumptions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Proliferation] [Clinging] // [Discernment] [Perception] [Impermanence] [Ajahn Chah] [Views]
Quote: “Welcome to the human existence.” [Human]
6. Story: An elderly Sri Lankan monk chants to calm a wild elephant. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Animal] [Three Refuges] [Chanting]
Story: Chanting ‘Itipi so’ 108 times. [Abhayagiri] [Anandagiri]
6. Story: A monk at Poo Jum Gom dislodges a viper by chanting the Khandhaparitta despite believing that it won’t work. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Animal] [Poo Jum Gom] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Faith] [Chanting] [Protective chants]
4. “What about animal euthanasia?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Euthanasia] [Killing] // [Compassion] [Sickness] [Ageing]
1. “What is your favorite thing you’ve gotten from monastic life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Virtue] [Teachers] [Contentment]
Quote: “You really get to see the best of the human condition as a monastic. That’s a real treat.” [Human] [Monastic life]
5. “How to reach the state of peace and serenity when we’re just human beings and we strive to be good people?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Equanimity] [Human] [Virtue] // [Happiness] [Generosity] [Association with people of integrity] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Hindrances]
Sutta: DN 2: Sāmaññaphala Sutta - Fruits of the Holy Life
Quote: When asked about his attainments as a monk, “I’m just really happy about all the things I didn’t do.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Stages of awakening] [Monastic life] [Sense restraint]
1. Story: In 1995, the Saṅgha in England finally gives permission for a more permanent monastic residence in California. Master Hua offers Ajahn Sumedho 125 acres in Redwood Valley the next day. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Saṅghapāla] [Elders' Council] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Abhayagiri] // [Deva]
4. “Am I what I feel? We have a lot of feelings as humans, and then a lot more feelings have come up since COVID. There’s a lot of depression, hurt feelings, regret, death, end of relation and of income, end of status. A lot of us want to know how to work with this or even change these really hard emotional states.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Emotion] [Human] [Self-identity view] [Pandemic] [Grief] // [Suffering] [Spiritual friendship] [Compassion]
Recollection: “Sometimes Ajahn Chah would consciously make things difficult for us....He’s always pointing back to the heart.” [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Heart/mind]
7. “How to turn grief of the planet and humankind into creative action?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Environment] [Human ] [Activism] // [Generosity] [Gratitude] [Purpose/meaning] [Community] [Aversion]
Quote: “If you think you’ve got to solve the problem completely yourself, that stirs one into inaction.”
Recollection: The nonprofit organization founded by Ajahn Pasanno to protect forests in Thailand is still operating. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Non-profit organizations] [Culture/Thailand]
16. “How does one reconcile perceived imperfections and unskillful behavior in Buddhist institutions and interactions with teachers?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Teachers] // [Monasteries] [Monastic life] [Admonishment/feedback] [Blame and praise]
Quote: “The Buddha set up an institution that was not assuming infallibility.” [Buddha] [Lay life] [Human]
Sutta: Dhp 227: Nobody lives without criticism.
1. “From the Christian perspective, I understand we get knowledge or wisdom from God, but it is through our human effort that we get a taste of the wisdom. You mentioned [neither] moving backward, forward, or being still. In Zen meditation, they taught being present. Is this grace or effort?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Christianity] [Discernment] [God] [Human] [Right Effort] [Zen] // [Relinquishment] [Faith ] [Three Refuges]
Sutta: SN 1.1
Quote: “To me it’s much more faith that surrenders, that relinquishes, that’s willing to let go.” [Faith ]
Quote: “Suffering and being stuck in saṃsāra and in the world is just a bad habit.” [Suffering] [Saṃsāra] [Habits]
4. “The urge to become—is it just inherent in us as a species or is it inherent everywhere in life?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Becoming] [Human] // [Animal] [Benefit/gratification] [Buddha/Biography]
Sutta: MN 26.19.
10. “There are people who tend to teach a lot about the deva realm. One story says that in the first discourse thousands of devas were enlightened. I wonder if they were non-returners?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Deva] [Buddha/Biography] [Non-return] // [Great disciples] [Stream entry] [Ven. Ananda Maitreya]
Sutta: SN 56.11: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: The devas rejoicing.
1. Comment: I heard that often when Ajahn Buddhadāsa would ist receiving guests he might have a chicken under his arm. And if a mosquito landed on him, he would gently move the chicken towards the mosquito, and that way he wasn’t breaking the Vinaya. [Ajahn Buddhadāsa ] [Animal] [Killing]
Response by Ajahn Amaro: His presence was like sitting in front of a living mountain. [Personal presence]
Story: Ajahn Amaro’s visit to Suan Mokh in 1998. [Wat Suan Mokkh] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Non-identification] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Santikaro]
2. “What about the cow that killed the arahant Bahiya (Ud 1.10)?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Animal] [Kamma] [Rebirth] // [Human] [Volition]
7. “According to the Buddha, is the maximum spiritual potential found in the human realm?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Human ] // [Stages of awakening]
Follow-up: “How do you integrate this with daily life?” [Everyday life] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Buddha/Biography] [Liberation] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Culture/West]
Comment: I work with human potential in children and their families....It’s so segregated...in the educational system there is no spiritual element. [Children] [Education ]
Response by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Western psychology] [Learning] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas]
Reference: Beyond, p. 441 in Happily Ever After by Ajahn Amaro.
3. Story: Ajahn Mahā Boowa argues with Ajahn Mun, then can’t access higher states of concentration. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa ] [Ajahn Mun] [Concentration] // [Conceit] [Insight meditation]
Story: Mae Chee Kaew insisted that meditation connected with [supernatural] beings was the right way; Ajahn Mahā Boowa threw her out. Told by Ajahn Sundarā. [Mae Chee Kaew] [Non-human beings] [Fierce/direct teaching]
3. “I don’t have any clear memory of past lives, and I’m happy not to overly speculate about that. But some monks suggested that you need to take on the doctrine of rebirth as part of Right View. Do you have any thoughts about this?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Rebirth ] [Right View] // [Self-reliance] [Ajahn Amaro] [Four Noble Truths] [Ajahn Chah] [Becoming]
Sutta: MN 117.6: Definition of Right View.
Quote: “You don’t have to believe in past lives or future lives in order to be a practicing Buddhist, do you?” — The Dalai Lama. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Dalai Lama] [Buddhist identity]
Story: Ajahn Chah describes the supernatural beings who live at Wat Pah Pong to two sincere Dhamma practitioners, then refuses to answer inquiries about this topic by a group from Bangkok. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Non-human beings] [Wat Pah Pong]
3. “What does ‘Seeing fear and blame in the other world’ refer to?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Realms of existence] // [Rebirth]
6. “In Mahāvagga 8.15, Visaka’s intentions in giving to the Saṅgha are to realize Dhamma rather than go to heaven. Does this mean it’s more in line with neither dark nor bright kamma [as described in MN 57.11]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Great disciples] [Generosity] [Happiness] [Deva] [Kamma] // [Skillful qualities] [Culture/West]
6. “There are a few stories about Ajahn Chah having psychic powers, particularly reading minds. Did you ever observe anything of that sort with Ajahn Chah? What was Ajahn Chah’s position on such things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Psychic powers] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Nature of mind]
Story: Ajahn Chah describes the supernatural beings at Wat Pah Pong to a close lay follower, then refuses to talk about other realms with a group from Bangkok. [Wat Pah Pong] [Non-human beings] [Teaching Dhamma]
15. “Is it ever acceptable to put a life out of suffering, for example when it’s dying and suffering slowly?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Euthanasia ] [Killing ] [Death] [Pain] [Animal] // [Compassion] [Unattractiveness]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno and others look after a Brahma bull that was attacked by a tiger until it dies. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Animal] [Health care] [Dtao Dum]