Q&A session, Sep. 2, 2017
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, California
29 excerpts, 1:41:20 total duration
Show featured excerpts (12)
This question and answer session was offered as part of the Teen Weekend on September 2, 2017 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.
Original recordings available on www.abhayagiri.org
1. [17:34] “What meaningful impact do Buddhist monks have on the community?” [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support ] [Community] [Saṅgha] // [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days] [Abhayagiri]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit to Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong ] [Temporary ordination] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries]
2. [30:07] “How closely do you and the other monks live together?” [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]
3. [36:44] “When you first ordained, you were just starting to learn about Buddhism. What changed that made you want to dive in?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Meditation/Results] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: “If you want to stay with me, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah
4. [41:28] “Will we get to see your kuti today?” [Abhayagiri] [Lodging]
Story: Early history of Abhayagiri Monastery. [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Seclusion] [Culture/Natural environment]
5. [47:22] “What was the hardest thing to give up?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Renunciation] // [Family]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit back to Canada.
6. [49:22] “In a Latin American country, the government privatized the water supply and passed a law making it illegal to collect rainwater. Everyone had to buy their water from Nestlé. Does this count as taking what is not given?” [Stealing] [Politics and society] [Environment] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand]
7. [53:17] “I have doubts about the concept of personal property. How does activism following the Five Precepts work in a country whose water supply has been bought out by private interests?” [Politics and society] [Environment] [Five Precepts] // [Community] [Virtue] [Discernment]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno investigates a logging operation at Dtao Dtum. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand] [Dtao Dum]
8. [1:00:18] “If you could give your younger self one piece of information, what would it be?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Restlessness and worry] [Fear]
9. [1:00:41] “What were you like when you were 18?” [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Delusion] [Spiritual search] [Intoxicants] [Relationships]
10. [1:04:22] Comment: I haven’t heard any Buddhist teachers talk about wholesome romantic relationships. [Relationships] [Skillful qualities]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Treasures]
Sutta: AN 4.55 Samajīvī Sutta [Virtue]
11. [1:06:30] “Can you talk about your environmental work in Thailand? What qualities of heart and inner strength help us live without being completely overwhelmed?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Environment ] [History/Thai Buddhism] // [Politics and society] [Culture/Thailand] [Greed] [Teaching Dhamma] [Panyaprateep School] [Agriculture] [Dtao Dum] [Activism]
Story: Sri Lankan monastic kidney donors. [Health] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Generosity]
12. [1:18:48] “What is the most important thing we can do to help the next generation in terms of the environment?” [Environment ] // [Simplicity] [Contentment] [Greed]
13. [1:20:17] Story: Ajahn Pasanno teaches communication skills to Thai villagers. [Ajahn Pasanno] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Media] [Community] // [Environment] [Politics and society]
14. [1:21:38] “What are the biggest misconceptions about being ordained?” [Monastic life ] // [Selfishness ]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno visits Ajahn Buddhadāsa: “Don’t be selfish!” [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Ajahn Pasanno]
15. [1:25:49] “What was your greatest desire as a kid?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Desire] // [Monastic life/Motivation] [Truth]
16. [1:26:47] “Are there monastics who wander around the world without any home base or destination?” [Monastic life] [Tudong ] // [Ajahn Sucitto] [Sequence of training] [Rains retreat] [Abhayagiri] [Requisites] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Almsround] [Culture/West] [Almsfood] [Not handling money] [Generosity]
17. [1:33:26] “Have you broken any precepts where only you know if you broke them?” [Vinaya] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Right Speech]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s uncle offers him alcohol. [Intoxicants] [Truth]
18. [1:35:50] “For the sake of the precepts, what’s the definition of gossip?” [Precepts] [Malicious speech] [Idle chatter]
19. [1:36:45] “Does gossip include talking about someone who is not present for entertainment value?” [Malicious speech ] [Idle chatter] // [Communal harmony] [Abhayagiri]
20. [1:38:26] “Is the point of the precepts to create as much well-being and as little pain in your environment as possible?” [Precepts ] [Happiness] // [Non-contention] [Communal harmony] [Trust]
21. [1:40:16] “Is the philosophy of this community totally against fun?” [Monastic life] [Entertainment and adornment] [Happiness] [Recreation/leisure/sport] // [Association with people of integrity] [Culture/Natural environment]
22. [1:42:00] Comment: Some of the things that monastics avoid due to their precepts can be really beautiful. [Monastic life] [Vinaya]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
23. [1:43:19] “Apart from cheating in a relationship or sexual assault, what is sexual misconduct?” [Sexual misconduct ] // [Relationships]
24. [1:45:26] “When all of the solar panels will be put in, how much of the monastery’s energy needs will be met?” [Environment] [Abhayagiri]
25. [1:48:16] “When’s your birthday?” [Ajahn Pasanno]
26. [1:48:39] “Do the monks give each other massages?” [Monastic life] [Health] // [Culture/Thailand]
27. [1:50:00] “What do you think of our president right now?” [Politics and society] // [Right Speech]
28. [1:52:42] “What precepts don’t most people know about that have a big effect on your life?” [Monastic life] [Vinaya ] // [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Requisites] [Mindfulness] [Communal harmony]
29. [1:55:52] “Do monastics talk with each other about the precepts they have broken or having wrong thoughts?” [Monastic life] [Vinaya] [Saṅgha] [Christianity] // [Rains retreat] [Learning] [Abhayagiri] [Faith]
On lunar observance days, monks confess offenses to each other before reciting the Pāṭimokkha. [Lunar observance days] [Confession] [Pāṭimokkha ]