Teaching Dhamma
Includes tags: Teaching Dhamma, Gradual Teaching, Questions, Dhamma discussion, Stories, Symbolism/metaphor
See also: Similes
9. “I find myself struggling with staying in the moment. [I can’t] stop planning for the future. There are so many recent catastrophes: storm Sandy, floods in Thailand, earthquakes, etc. My ageing parents are worried. Emergency preparedness kits stir up more anxiety. It seems never enough. To what extent does one plan for a disaster, and how do I gently and compassionately explain that to my parents using wise words from Dhamma?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Disasters] [Proliferation] [Parents] [Restlessness and worry] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Winnie-the-Pooh]
6. “How does one practice with perception of light? I was told to ignore it (as a nimitta) and that it was a metaphor.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception of light] [Nimitta] [Symbolism/metaphor] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Sutta: AN 4.41: Four kinds of concentration. [Concentration]
23. “I understand that it isn’t okay for any monk or human being to say that they are enlightened. How come the Buddha himself proclaimed the enlightened one, the knower of the world? Did people write this down or quote the Buddha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Liberation] [Buddha] // [Devotional practice] [Buddha/Biography] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: MN 26.25: The Buddha’s encounter with Upaka.
Vinaya: Bhikkhu Pācittiyā 8: The rule against revealing superior human states. [Vinaya] [Gain and loss]
9. “Ajahn Chah mentioned ‘know the mind within the mind.’ Is it just as effective to share Dhamma with a person who is actively dying, but the person is in a state of mental confusion or simply unconscious? Would their ‘mind’ hear the Dhamma? Please share your experience.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Heart/mind] [Death] [Teaching Dhamma ] // [Compassion] [Personal presence ] [Chanting] [Recollection/Dhamma]
Story: “Richard, be quiet.” [Ram Dass] [Parents] [Teaching Dhamma ]
12. Quote: “I’m feeling a bit like a prisoner. People take me upstairs to stay and then they bring me down from time to time for questioning.” — Ajahn Chah leading the 1979 retreat at Insight Meditation Society. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Insight Meditation Society] [Questions]
Quote: “I’m getting old and my knees hurt.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ageing] [Pain]
12. “If you had to pick one of the following, which one would be more important: Understanding/insight into kamma or understanding/insight into anicca?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowledge and vision] [Kamma] [Impermanence] // [Liberation] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: AN 6.63.33: Kamma formulated in the pattern of the Four Noble Truths. [Four Noble Truths]
15. “I’ve always felt a draw to the Fire Sermon (SN 35.28). Could you expound a bit more on this teaching?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sutta ] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Sense bases] [Similes] [Unwholesome Roots] [Disenchantment] [Buddha/Biography]
The three cardinal suttas give different frameworks for investigation: [Insight meditation]
Sutta: SN 56.11: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta; Amaravati Chanting Book Volume 2, p. 2. [Four Noble Truths]
Sutta: SN 22.59: Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta; Amaravati Chanting Book Volume 2, p. 14. [Not-self] [Aggregates]
Sutta: SN 35.28: Ādittapariyāya Sutta; Amaravati Chanting Book Volume 2, p. 24.
2. “What are other possible translations of the recurring question [in the suttas], ‘What do you think?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Pāli] [Translation] // [Questions]
Sutta: SN 22.59 Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (Chanting book translation).
1. Discussion of the symbolism in MN 23. [Symbolism/metaphor] // [Sensual desire] [Hindrances] [Thai] [Doubt]
3. Reflections by Ajahn Pasanno on SN 42.13: The Buddha’s clarity with definitions and bringing doubts about views back to conduct. [Teaching Dhamma] [Doubt] [Views] [Virtue]
3. “Have any teachers explained the meaning of the questions in MN 109?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions] [Aggregates]
Commentarial explanation of the context of MN 109. [Questions] [Teaching Dhamma] [Culture/India] [Views] [Culture/West] [Christianity]
Sutta: DN 1: Brahmajāla Sutta.
5. “Why does Sāriputta recommend teaching the aggregates to people who don’t know about Buddhism (SN 22.22)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Aggregates] // [Questions] [Culture/India]
6. “Was the word saṅkhāra used before the Buddha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Pāli] // [Language] [Teaching Dhamma] [Aggregates]
10. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: In SN 22.3, Venerable Mahākaccāna extrapolates from the literal to the figurative. [Great disciples] [Teaching Dhamma] [Symbolism/metaphor] // [Commentaries] [Aggregates] [Sense bases] [Proliferation]
3. “Why does SN 22.26 say both impermanent and subject to change?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Impermanence] // [Sutta] [Abhidhamma] [Translation] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Teaching Dhamma] [Language]
Sutta: SN 22.59 Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (Chanting book translation).
1. Comment: MN 35 demonstrates how the Buddha asks questions to elicit people’s reactions and train them. [Buddha/Biography] [Questions] [Teaching Dhamma]
Reference: Skill in Questions by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro.
2. “Why do the Buddha’s listeners immediately reply that what is impermanent is suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions] [Impermanence] [Suffering] // [Translation]
Sutta: SN 22.59 Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (Chanting book translation).
3. Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno: The conclusion that what is not under our control can’t be self isn’t immediately obvious. [Volition] [Not-self]
Follow-up: “How have you come to understand this over time?” [Self-identity view] [Feeling]
Follow-up: “How does the chant, ‘I am the owner of my kamma’ relate to this?” [Kamma] [Language] [Conventions]
Sutta: AN 5.57 Five Recollections (Chanting Book translation).
Comment by Ajahn Jotipālo: The suttas are summaries rather than transcripts. [Sutta] [Teaching Dhamma]
4. Reflection by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: SN 22.86 is a classic exposition of the unapprehendability of the Tathāgata at death. [Buddha] [Death] [Non-identification] // [Right View] [Aggregates] [Teaching Dhamma]
1. “Is there another sutta not spoken by the Buddha in which as many people become enlightened as SN 22.89?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Great disciples] [Teaching Dhamma] [Liberation]
29. Story: The head of Lalanka Water invites monks to stay above his office and teach the employees. Told by Ajahn Yatiko. [Work] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Teaching Dhamma] [Right Livelihood] // [Lunar observance days] [Eight Precepts] [Meditation] [Dhamma discussion] [Respect]
Story: The ultra-competent assistant who wants to ordain. [Monastic life/Motivation]
Story: The king’s assistant who dives into the water to get 20 pounds of gold (DN 17).
5. “What is your take on satisfaction, being in tune, and stagnation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Contentment ] [Energy] [Ardency ] // [Skillful qualities] [Discernment] [Buddha/Biography] [Spiritual search] [Right Effort]
Sutta: AN 2.5: Effort and non-contentment with wholesome states.
Story: The Thai government made it illegal for monks to teach contentment. [History/Thai Buddhism] [Monastic life] [Teaching Dhamma]
Comment about the simile of the lute. [Middle Path] [Similes]
Sutta: AN 6.55: Soṇa Sutta
6. Comment: I find that the experience of uncertainty and loss can give rise to compassion. [Impermanence] [Grief] [Compassion]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right View] [Emotion] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ardency]
11. “Would you please describe the four ways of skillfully answering or asking questions or the different types of questions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions]
15. “What would you say to someone who committed suicide if you could?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suicide] [Teaching Dhamma]
13. “Would you kindly review the four ways to respond to questions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions]
Reference: Skill in Questions by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro.
4. “Was this talk given on a formal occasion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai sects]
1. “Ajahn Chah took Ajahn Mahā Amon and Ajahn Sumedho to visit Luang Ta Mahā Boowa and Ajahn Kaew. What happened?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Mahā Amorn] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Khao] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Simplicity]
Story: Ajahn Chah turned on a tape recorder, but the only part of the conversation that was recorded was when Ajahn Kaew farted. [Technology] [Psychic powers]
Note: A partially similar story appears in Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 189.
2. “Luang Ta Mahā Boowa often says, “You kill the kilesas” whereas Ajahn Chah in this talk [”Unshakeable Peace”] speaks of the path doing battle with the kilesas. Is this just the translation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Chah] [Unwholesome Roots ] [Eightfold Path] [Teaching Dhamma]
Recollection: When Ajahn Chah would use personal pronouns, he often used we as opposed to you. [Teaching Dhamma] [Language] [Naturalness]
7. Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno describes Ajahn Mun’s skillful use of language. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun ] [Thai] [Language] [Artistic expression] [Teaching Dhamma]
Reference: Venerable Ācariya Mun Bhūridatta Thera: A Spiritual Biography by Ajahn Mahā Boowa [Fierce/direct teaching]
Reference: Regarding the photo in Abhayagiri’s Dhamma Hall: “This is the most warm and fuzzy picture of Ajahn Mun.”
5. “Was the biography compiled from what Luang Ta wrote or stories from his students?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Dhamma books]
Story: Ajahn Mahā Boowa types Dhamma books and writes letters to practitioners. [Technology] [Teaching Dhamma]
2. “Did Ajahn Chah tend to emphasize certain Dhammas for Westerners and for Thais?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Culture/West ] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah]
4. “Do you have any advice about how to hold a particularly strong “fighting spirit” teaching, like Ajahn Dtun?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fierce/direct teaching] [Teaching Dhamma ] [Ajahn Dtun] // [Culture/Thailand] [Ardency] [Right Effort] [Restlessness and worry] [Heedfulness] [Discernment] [Goodwill]
Sutta: AN 1.49: The mind is radiant.
Quote: “If you invite visitors into your home [the mind] and they just make a mess, then you want to close the door on them before they come in. You can’t be too polite.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Similes] [Unwholesome Roots]
5. “Ajahn Pasanno, did I hear correctly the other day that you met Luang Por Dune?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Dune] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Burapha] [Personality] [Teaching Dhamma]
5. “Did Ajahn Chah ever tell a student to study?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Learning ] // [Eightfold Path] [Study monks] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma]
Quote: “These are not absolute statements. When Ajahn Chah says something, he’s pointing. He just doesn’t work that way. And we take it as an absolute.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Proliferation]
Story: Ajahn Chah monks who became study monks. [Ajahn Bunjong] [Ajahn Mahā In]
4. “When and why did Ajahn Chah talk about his past?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Stories]
5. “Did Ajahn Chah say, “I’m such a good teacher because I had so many defilements?”” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Unwholesome Roots]
Story: Ajahn Chah explains that he had a lot of defilements to work with. [Ajahn Viradhammo]
1. “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]
1. “Are there any stories you can share from the times when you were attendant to Luang Por Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Upatakh] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Mentoring]
Quote: “I never asked him for anything. It never occured to me to ask Ajahn Chah for anything.” [Contentment]
Story: Ajahn Chah makes fun of Ajahn Pasanno’s first Pāṭimokkha chanting. [Pāṭimokkha]
Quote: “He would be unrelenting if you were stuck in some aversion....He wouldn’t indulge it. It was inevitably painful if one did.” [Aversion] [Fierce/direct teaching]
6. Recollection: Traditions around dying in Thailand. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Death] // [Tranquility] [Chanting] [Teaching Dhamma] [Clear comprehension] [Rebirth]
7. Readings: MN 143, SN 2.20: Death of Anāthapiṇḍika Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Great disciples] [Death] // [Sense bases] [Relinquishment] [Teaching Dhamma] [Lay life] [Deva]
14. “Ajahn Pasanno, in your Dhamma talk “Letting Go of the Wheel,” you described a driver who saw an oncoming car cross into his lane and let go of the wheel. Is this a metaphor?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Symbolism/metaphor] [Death]
Quote: “When there’s death in your face, you don’t start negotiating. You have to be willing to let go.”
Follow-up: “So do you let your merit carry you?” [Merit]
2. The current popularity of the Thai Forest Tradition can be attributed to Ajahn Mun. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Teaching Dhamma] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Tudong] [Ajahn Chah] [Spiritual search] [Culture/Thailand]
13. “Ajahn Mun spent a lot of time teaching the devas. Can you share any thoughts on this relevant to Western culture?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Teaching Dhamma] [Deva ] [Doubt] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Culture/West] // [Faith] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Nature of the cosmos]
Reference: Venerable Ācariya Mun Bhūridatta Thera: A Spiritual Biography by Ajahn Mahā Boowa
2. “So both Ajahn Mahā Boowa and Ajahn Chah were students of Ajahn Mun? Did they have similar experiences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Thai sects] [History/Thai Buddhism]
7. “Was Ajahn Liem’s focus mindfulness of breathing but he was also aware of the moods of the mind passing through and sometimes getting kicked around by the hindrances?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Liem] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of mind] [Hindrances] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Patience]
3. Comment: I tend to make things harder for myself. I come up with some big projections. [Proliferation] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Simplicity] [Buddha]
9. “How does tudong help you on the spiritual path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tudong ] // [Simplicity] [Craving] [Teaching Dhamma] [Faith]
10. “Is there a requirement for monks in the Forest Tradition to walk tudong?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Thai Forest Tradition] [Tudong ] // [Ascetic practices] [Ajahn Chah] [Restlessness and worry]
Story: Ajahn Chah tells a monk to pack his gear and walk tudong within Wat Pah Pong.
Story: Ajahn Chah lets a restless three-Vassa Western monk go tudong. [Teaching Dhamma]
22. “Ajahn Mun’s biography describes a constant fierce vigilance, watching the mind. But meeting you guys, you’re so peaceful and calm. How does this work in terms of practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Right Effort] [Tranquility] // [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Culture/Thailand] [Dhamma books] [Teaching Dhamma]
Quote: “Any great teacher is not monochromatic.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Buddha] [Arahant]
Sutta: AN 4.243: “But Ānanda, when has Anuruddha ever concerned himself with disciplinary issues in the midst of the Saṅgha?” [Great disciples] [Personality]
23. “So what about the Bodhisattva practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bodhisattva ] // [Theravāda] [Mahāyāna] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Generosity] [Ajahn Chah] [Upatakh] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: AN 4.17-20: Practice that benefits self, others, both or neither.
Quote: “What are the mind states of an enlightened being?” “Only compassion.” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant] [Compassion] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
4. “I just wanted to share my gratitude for Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Ñāniko, and Debbie (you too Luang Por) for giving each day, very needed and timely encouragements—sometimes immediately answering a question I had just posed to myself. It’s like you are all just reading my mind / heart. Questions go deeper and so do your reflections on Dhamma. (Bow, bow, bow, añjali.)” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Debbie Stamp] [Teaching Dhamma]
5. “There is a borderline between being fierceful (in a wholesome way) and being aggressive. I can’t say anything about Dhamma teachers as I have never experienced Thai Ajahns, but a few yoga teachers I’ve studied with in my opinion were rather just exercising their power over students. How to tell the difference between a teacher who genuinely means well to their students while acting fierce-fully from someone on a power trip?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Fierce/direct teaching ] [Abuse/violence] // [Truth] [Compassion] [Generosity] [Personality ]
Recollection: On the surface, Ajahn Liem appears disinterested in the human condition. [Ajahn Liem] [Wat Pah Pong] [Leadership]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah could be very forceful, but the bigger picture was compassion. [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “What is the mind of an enlightened being like?” — “Only compassion” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
Sutta: AN 4.243: ‘But Ānanda, since when has Anuruddha been involved in disciplinary issues in the midst of the Saṅgha?’ [Buddha/Biography] [Great disciples] [Conflict]
7. “It was such a joy to hear Khun Debbie give a Dhamma talk at the retreat along with the monastics. She is a jewel. Actually you all are…(triple gem). Thank you.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Debbie Stamp] [Teaching Dhamma]
3. “Are any of the lists in this sutta (MN 95) explained in other suttas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Sutta] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi]
Reference: P.A. Payutto’s Dictionary of Numerical Dhammas (in Thai). [P. A. Payutto] [Tipiṭaka] [Pāli]
Explanation of volume and page numbers in the Pāli Tipitaka.
Comment by Debbie Stamp: Similar listings often refer to the gradual training. [Gradual Teaching]
Sutta: MN 107: Gaṇakamoggallāna Sutta.
Sutta: MN 47: Vīmaṃsaka Sutta.
6. Dhammadinnā foremost in...? Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Great disciples] [Bhikkhunī] // [Teaching Dhamma]
1. “What was the context in which this reflection was given by Ajahn Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] // [Leadership] [Culture/Thailand] [History/Thai Buddhism]
Recollection: When Ajahn Pasanno first became abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat, he gave monthly teachings at the World Fellowship of Buddhists. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Teaching Dhamma]
1. “You showed pictures of the statue at Bodh Gaya. It seems like the Bodhi Tree is more important. Does the statue have no historical importance?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Bodhi Tree] [Buddha images] [Visiting holy sites] // [Devotional practice] [History/Early Buddhism] [History/Indian Buddhism] [Symbolism/metaphor] [Tipiṭaka]
11. “Can tudong be understood as a metaphor for practice? When we carry a lot of heavyweight stuff for a long time, we get tired and need to drop something.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Symbolism/metaphor] [Clinging] [Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Tudong]
3. “The Buddha didn’t answer the question, ‘Is there a self?’ But this question seems more important than other questions he didn’t answer. How should we relate to not-self?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha/Biography] [Questions] [Not-self ] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Feeling] [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view] [Four Noble Truths] [Views]
7. “Why go through all the trouble to teach us how to not have a self and then refuse to tell us there is no self?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Middle Path] [Not-self] // [Relinquishment] [Suffering] [Questions] [Aggregates] [Sense bases]
9. “Is renting a good metaphor for not-self?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Symbolism/metaphor] [Not-self] // [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “We only rent this house. We don’t own it.” — Ajahn Chah. [Similes]
Reference: “Our Real Home” in Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 145
11. Comment by Manijeh Motaghy: In the classes I teach, we use the acronym R.A.I.N. – Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Not-identify. I explain not-identify by asking my students, “If you say, ‘I am angry,’ when anger goes away, what happens to you?” [Teaching Dhamma] [Self-identity view] [Not-self]
12. “The Buddha asks us to look at the things we identify with as self and notice they are not who we are. But if there’s nothing else but those things, there is no self, right?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Middle Path] [Not-self ] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Learning] [Liberation] [Suffering]
Follow-up: “Isn’t there then an implication that there is something else that could be self?” [Views]
13. Comments regarding not-self. [Nature of the cosmos] [Kamma] [Self-identity view] [Not-self]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Teaching Dhamma]
14. Comment: I’ve found it helpful to recognize that for me there aren’t any right answers, only right questions. [Culture/West] [Questions] [Not-self]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view]
2. “A film came out recently called Monk with a Camera. How does one balance between pursuing one’s artistic interests and sincerely following a path of relinquishment.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Renunciation] [Artistic expression ] // [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] [Entertainment and adornment] [Generosity] [Energy] [Devotional practice]
Story: Rev. Heng Sure uses music to teach Dhamma. [Rev. Heng Sure] [Teaching Dhamma]
Story: Two Abhayagiri monks learn icon painting from the abbot of the Ukrainian Uniate monastery next door. [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Jotipālo] [Father Damien] [Holy Transfiguration Monastery]
4. “Why did Jīvaka ask whether a virtuous lay follower is practicing for themselves or others (AN 8.26)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Great disciples] [Lay life] [Virtue] [Compassion] [Buddhist identity] // [Culture/India] [Lunar observance days] [Teaching Dhamma]
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 2.1.1: Origin of Lunar Observance Days. [Teaching Dhamma]
6. “The jhānas seem foundational to the practice, yet Ajahn Chah was reluctant to talk about them. Is this a view that was pervasive among the other Krooba Ajahns?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Jhāna ] // [Desire]
Follow-up: “If the jhānas aren’t accessible to everyone, can you still go far along the path without them?” [Eightfold Path] [Right Effort] [Right Concentration] [Self-identity view]
2. “Praise for the question and answer session. Every question is important; can you answer them all?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions] // [Meditation retreats]
16. “How are you satisfied and/or dissatisfied with students?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] // [Blame and praise]
Quote: “Whatever expectations I have are my expectations.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Suffering]
15. “There is a mean streak in my family, a tendency to be dishonest and manipulative. I can see how it has been passed down over generations. I have worked hard to overcome these habits in myself. At this stage of life my familiar relationships are mostly positive and harmonious, but I still sometimes run across their manipulation or dishonesty. I would like to discuss or address it within my family, but there is no apparent recourse or means of addressing the situation. Any suggestions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [False speech] [Habits]
Quote: “I don’t teach my family anything.” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Teaching Dhamma]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s mother visits Abhayagiri. [Parents] [Kaṭhina]
17. “Please say more about what a monastic retreat offers compared to an ‘ordinary’ retreat. What are the differences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation retreats ] [Monastic life] // [Respect] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: MN 26.20: The Brahmā Sahampati requests that the Buddha teach the Dhamma.
2. “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. [Teaching Dhamma] [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 ]
12. “Have you ever put a publication together on the retreat questions? Are the talks of this retreat being recorded?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation retreats] [Questions] [Dhamma recordings] // [Internet] [Dhamma books]
Reference: Abundant, Exalted, Immeasurable by Ajahn Pasanno transcribes the talks and questions from the 2008 Metta Retreat.
26. “What did you plan to say [on this retreat]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Meditation retreats] // [Ajahn Chah]
1. “Has anyone had personal experiences of Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho?” Answered by Ajahn Pesalo. [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] // [Dhamma] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Personal presence] [Faith]
2. You get more of the vibe of Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho by listening to recordings than reading. Comment by Ajahn Jīvako. [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] [Teaching Dhamma] [Dhamma books] [Dhamma recordings]
Reference: Many recordings of Ajahn Paññavaḍḍho are available on forestdhamma.org.
1. Appreciation for Ajahn Sucitto’s detailed descriptions of the maneuverings of the mind by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Sucitto ] [Teaching Dhamma]
Reference: Kamma and the End of Kamma by Ajahn Sucitto.
1. Ajahn Pasanno delights in Ajahn Sumedho’s ability to share Dhamma. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Teaching Dhamma] [Empathetic joy]
2. “Where does the story in the reading come from?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stories] // [Commentaries]
Reference: “Khanti – Patient Endurance” from The Real Practice by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 20.
6. The Buddha taught not-self by encouraging his disciples to ask these questions. [Teaching Dhamma] [Not-self] [Questions] [Philosophy]
Sutta: SN 22.59 Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta questionnaire (Chanting Book translation).
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions] [Skillful qualities] [Ajahn Chah]
4. “When dealing with pain, could you give examples of the questions you would ask yourself?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Pain] [Questions] [Investigation of states] // [Visualization] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Elements]
1. “How much did you have to adapt Ajahn Chah’s training for your own practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Generosity] [Mindfulness] [Discernment]
Quote: “Ajahn Chah didn’t have a template.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Meditation/Techniques]
2. “Did Ajahn Chah have a common statement about his own core practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Ajahn Chah] [Meditation/Techniques] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta.
Story: Ajahn Piak reports that Ajahn Chah reaches jhāna quickly. [Ajahn Piak] [Psychic powers] [Jhāna]
2. Discussion about how monastics and lay practitioners can navigate visiting their relatives who are not Buddhists. Led by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Family] [Lay life] [Parents] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Patience] [Right Speech] [Suffering] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Killing]
3. “How can I change my motivation around trying to get my Buddhist parents to adopt the correct Right View?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right View] [Right Intention] [Parents] // [Compassion] [Patience]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah taught in a way that made you think that you figured it out yourself. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Self-reliance]
Ajahn Ñāṇiko quotes the Dtao Te Ching regarding leadership. [Taoism] [Leadership]
3. “What does a delusion type of person look like?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Tan Jāgaro and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Delusion] // [Doubt] [Views]
Story: An anagārika with endless questions. Told by Ajahn Jotipālo. [Postulants] [Ajahn Amaro] [Questions]
1. “What is a good question to pose to yourself to investigate perception?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Questions] // [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro]
9. Comment: Michael Olds translates sutta as ‘magical spell.’ The format, repetition, and structure of the suttas has a certain potency. When I read the suttas after meditating, it’s completely different. [Sutta] [Psychic powers] [Meditation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Teaching Dhamma]
7. “As I get deeper insights how conditioned the mind is, there is a sense of burden being released but also a doubt began to arise: If the mind is conditioned, how is it even possible to arrive at the Unconditioned? Does free will even exist or am I just pushed around by kilesas? If the trick is to recognize that there is no free will, how can I sincerely believe that when I’m making choices to practice and do wholesome deeds, they really matter and it’s not my delusion? Please dispel my doubts!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind ] [Doubt] [Unconditioned] [Delusion] // [Four Noble Truths] [Self-identity view] [Questions] [Conditionality]
7. “‘Teacher of Gods and Humans’. Can you talk about this? What Gods did the Buddha teach? What other beings did the Buddha teach?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection/Buddha] [Buddha] [Teaching Dhamma] [Deva] [Human] // [Realms of existence ] [Sutta] [Buddha/Biography] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: DN 21: Sakka’s Questions.
Sutta: Snp 2.4: Maṅgala Sutta (Chanting Book translation).
Vinaya: Khandhaka 17.3.11: The Buddha subdues an enraged elephant. [Animal]
Story: Ajahn Chah describes the beings inhabiting Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Non-human beings]
Story: The head being acquires faith, listens to teachings, and temporarily takes on the Eight Precepts. [Faith] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Eight Precepts]
17. “I grew up in an environment where any difference was met with hostility. I was bullied, I was robbed a few times, I didn’t feel safe. No wonder the idea of refuge always resonated with me....However, even after living in very tolerant California and generally feeling myself safe here, when I am outdoors practicing walking meditation, whenever I see or hear strangers approaching me, my mind begins rushing in anticipation that this encounter would turn hostile. Being on precepts makes me feel particularly vulnerable. Could you share some teaching about protecting qualities of the Dhamma and how I can feel less fear while keeping the precepts? Could some of the monastics share their stories of receiving unexpected kindness from seemingly hostile strangers or stories of resolving physical or verbal attacks while wearing the robes and keeping precepts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Discrimination] [Abuse/violence] [Fear] [Three Refuges] [Meditation retreats] [Precepts] [Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Stories] [Generosity] // [Human] [Truth] [Compassion] [Abhayagiri] [Almsround]
Story: A football hooligan has a sharing session with a monk on a train.
Story: Ajahn Gunha wanders into a Communist base on tudong. [Ajahn Gunha] [Tudong] [Politics and society] [Rains retreat]
Story: Ajahn Sudanto goes almsround each day in White Salmon. [Ajahn Sudanto] [Pacific Hermitage]
8. “Do you have any inspiring stories to share of practicing with strong fear (animals,etc)? I’m inspired when I hear such stories from monks of this tradition.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Stories] [Animal]
Story: A tiger circles Ajahn Pasanno’s walking path. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Posture/Walking]
Sutta: MN 4: Fear and Dread.
Story: A tiger kills a 1,500 pound Brahma bull.
10. The story of the Bodhisattva seeing the old person, the sick person, and the dead person isn’t in the scriptures. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha/Biography ] [Tipiṭaka] [Stories] // [Jātaka Tales] [Postulants]
Sutta: DN 14.2 ascribes this story to the previous Buddha Vipassī. [Previous Buddhas]
Sutta: Snp 3.1 describes the Bodhisattva’s going forth.
14. “Are devas imagery or symbolism, or are they tangible for some people? Particularly the talk around the heavenly minstrels and nagas in the water (Snp 3.11)....” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Deva ] [Symbolism/metaphor] [Realms of existence] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Recollection/Devas] [Virtue] [Kamma]
5. “Can you speak about why the number one god in the universe had to appeal to the Buddha to teach out of compassion (MN 26.20)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Brahma gods] [Buddha/Biography] [Teaching Dhamma] [Compassion] // [Symbolism/metaphor]
13. “Can you reflect about the meaning of ‘essence and conventions’ in Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 5?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conventions ] // [Buddha images] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ceremony/ritual] [Liberation]
Sutta: MN 30: Cūḷasāropama Sutta.
10. Comment: In this teaching [MN 19], the Buddha doesn’t talk about any middle ground such as neutral thoughts. [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Jhāna]
3. Comment: Our group talked about what we use to deal with our thoughts, the Four Noble Truths, and perfectionism. [Four Noble Truths] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: “You can’t go wrong by coming back to the Four Noble Truths.”
Simile: The footprint of all animals fit within the footprint of an elephant. In the same way, all the teachings of the Buddha will fit into the Four Noble Truths. — Sariputta, MN 28 [Similes] [Teaching Dhamma] [Great disciples]