All excerpts
76 events, 551 sessions, 4287 excerpts, 235:05:52 total duration
Most common tags:
Ajahn Chah
(975)
Ajahn Pasanno
(465)
Suffering
(361)
Relinquishment
(320)
Self-identity view
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Abhayagiri
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Mindfulness of breathing
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Discernment
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Teaching Dhamma
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Monastic life
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1. Reading: Overview of the Girimānanda Sutta. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha/Biography] [Great disciples] [Sickness] [Recollection] [Healing]
2. The meaning of perception (saññā) in the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60). Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Recollection] // [Meditation] [Tranquility] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Discernment]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno gives instruction from the Girimānanda Sutta to the monks on the first four-week retreat at Dtao Dum. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: MN 43.8-9: Conjoined, not disjoined. [Feeling] [Consciousness]
Sutta: AN 10.57: Ten perceptions culminating in the Deathless. [Deathless]
3. Lifting up the perception of the aggregates as impermanent or uncertain. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Impermanence] [Aggregates] // [Directed thought and evaluation] [Jhāna] [Ajahn Chah] [Habits]
Sutta: AN 10.60.5.
4. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: The Buddha rarely divided meditation practice into samatha and vipassanā. [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation]
5. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Seeding the mind with perceptions that hold our attention in a skillful way allows wise attention (yoniso manasikāra) to function. [Perception] [Skillful qualities] [Appropriate attention]
6. “To sustain [these perceptions] you need energy, but habitual patterns seem to waste energy so that isn’t available. Any thoughts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection] [Energy] [Habits] // [Skillful qualities] [Lunar observance days] [Devotion to wakefulness]
7. Question about the meaning of perception, feeling, and consciousness being conjoined (MN 43.8). Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Feeling] [Consciousness]
8. “Is one aspect of this toolkit trying to parse where turmoil is coming from, what you’re holding on to?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Investigation of states] // [Perception] [Recollection]
Quote: “Usually once we start analyzing it, it’s a rabbit hole.”
9. “In daily life, there may not be enough space to apply the perception of not-self. How can one skillfully solidify the sense of self, and when should one not do this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Everyday life] [Not-self] // [Suffering] [Protective Meditations] [Recollection] [Perception] [Recollection/Buddha] [Goodwill] [Recollection/Death] [Unattractiveness]
10. “What did the Buddha mean by lovingkindness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] // [Thai]
11. “How does the aggregate of perception relate to the activity of perception?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aggregates] [Perception]
12. The Buddha taught monastics to develop the perception of being a religious seeker. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception of a samaṇa ] [Monastic life]
Sutta: MN 39: Mahā-Assapura Sutta.
13. “In working with perceptions like unattractiveness and dispassion (AN 10.60.7 and AN 10.60.10), if I don’t feel those things, do I have to conjure them up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Recollection]
14. Contemplating the unattractive nature of the body (AN 10.60.7) soothes the mind and inclines it towards dispassion. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unattractiveness ] [Tranquility] [Dispassion]
15. “What about the energetic perception [of people]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Sense bases] // [Unattractiveness]
16. AN 10.60.8 describes the dangers inherent in the human body. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Drawbacks] [Sickness] // [Aspects of Understanding] [Benefit/gratification] [Escape]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno visits a hospital library. [Ajahn Pasanno]
17. The Buddha describes the perception of abandoning (AN 10.60.9) as putting down the three wrong thoughts/intentions. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Right Intention] [Unskillful qualities]
18. The perception of dispassion (AN 10.60.10) is the opportunity to experience what is truly peaceful. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dispassion] [Recollection/Peace] // [Etymology] [Nature of mind]
19. The perception of cessation (AN 10.60.11) can be experienced as the non-arising of becoming. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Recollection/Peace] [Becoming] // [Translation] [Clinging]
20. “Can the perceptions of abandoning, dispassion, and cessation (AN 10.60.9-11) be understood as a progression?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Dispassion] [Cessation]
Follow-up: “Do the perceptions of dispassion and cessation arise naturally as a result of the earlier perceptions?” [Conditionality]
1. Guided meditation: Lifting up perceptions that culminate in the Deathless. Offered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Recollection] [Deathless] // [Right Effort] [Impermanence] [Not-self] [Unattractiveness] [Drawbacks] [Dispassion] [Cessation] [Recollection/Peace]
1. “Is the purpose of the perception of danger (AN 10.60.8) to change up our usual perception of, ‘Oh, it’s a human body, it’s wonderful, and it’s going to last forever?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Drawbacks] [Perception] [Body/form] // [Sickness]
2. “When meditating on perception (AN 10.60), is the perception a lens through which you view a meditation object?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Meditation]
3. “Could you speak some more about drowsiness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] // [Energy] [Recollection]
4. “Could you talk about the skillful use of perception of abandoning (AN 10.60.9) so that it doesn’t move into aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Aversion] [Suffering] // [Relinquishment]
5. “What about the second part of the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60.19) about healing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Healing] [Sickness] // [Dhamma] [Desire] [Body/form] [Gladdening the mind] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Concentration]
Story: Ajahn Toon meditates through a malarial fever. [Ajahn Toon]
6. “How would you use any of the perceptions in AN 10.60 in a demanding and fast-paced workplace where performance is important?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Recollection] [Work] // [Tranquility] [Happiness]
7. “We often seem to be unconsciously looking for eternal existence. Have you seen that happening in Asia as well?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Culture/Asia]
8. “The mind goes into automatic perceptions based on survival instincts. How do you work with this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] // [Habits] [Recollection] [Skillful qualities]
Follow-up: “Does this question refer to perception in terms of the aggregates (a noun) while AN 10.60 refers to perception as an activity?” [Aggregates] [Conditionality]
1. The perception of non-delight (AN 10.60.12) means stepping back from clinging and self-identity. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Clinging] [Self-identity view] // [Relinquishment] [Dispassion] [Habits]
2. The ninth perception of the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60.13) re-emphasizes the importance of the transient nature of all internal and external phenomena. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Impermanence] // [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering]
Sutta: Dhp 277-279 (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 72; A Dhammapada for Contemplation by Ajahn Munindo, p. 102).
3. The last perception of the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60.14), ānāpānasati, neatly ties up the sutta and is equivalent to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Right Mindfulness] // [Calming meditation] [Discernment]
Simile: “The still, meditative mind like a tree stump.” [Similes] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Wrong concentration]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 85).
4. The ten perceptions in the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60) can be proactively tuned to our own practice to lead to peace, clarity, and understanding. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Recollection] // [Healing]
5. “Why didn’t the Buddha visit Girimānanda himself (AN 10.60.1)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Buddha/Biography] // [Great disciples] [Personal presence] [Healing] [Recollection/Dhamma]
6. Comment by Jeanne Daskais: The Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60) is also a sutta about Saṅgha. [Saṅgha]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
7. Comment: In teaching [the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60)], the Buddha is teaching us to change our views and opinions. [Views]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Outflows] [Proliferation] [Perception] [Recollection]
Sutta: MN 2.8: The thicket of views …
8. “When I first read the perception about non-delight in the world, (AN 10.60.12), my first reaction was, ‘I don’t like that one.’ But when I return home after an extended time at Abhayagiri, everything looks fresh and more subtle. Would it be helpful to actively take on a perception like this in meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dispassion] [Direct experience] [Perception] // [Proliferation] [Spaciousness] [Liberation]
1. Guided meditation based on the Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118). Offered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Mindfulness of body]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Working with internal and external aspects of our speech. [Right Speech] // [Conditionality] [Mindfulness] [Volition]
Sutta: MN 44.14: The root level of speech is vitakka-vicāra. [Directed thought and evaluation]
2. Comment: Dr. Saddhatissa’s translation of the Sutta Nipāta uses common language. [Dr. Saddhatissa] [Translation]
Story: Ajahn Chah told Ajahn Sumedho to take Dr. Saddhatissa as the Saṅgharāja of England. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Elders' Council]
3. Comment by Ajahn Jotipālo: Discerning what to say based on skillful and unskillful mental qualities (AN 4.183) seems tricky. [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] [Right Speech]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Suffering]
Sutta: AN 4.192: Facts.
4. “Why does the Abhaya Sutta (MN 58) mention the possibility of speech that is beneficial but disagreeable but Snp 3.3 does not?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Speech] // [Sutta] [Teaching Dhamma] [Buddha]
Comments contrasting the context of the two suttas.
5. Comment: If you become a monk or live a more simple life, it would be easier to speak right speech. [Monastic life] [Simplicity] [Right Speech]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Teaching from Ajahn Chah: Don’t admonish anyone before the meal. [Ajahn Chah] [Admonishment/feedback]
6. Story: Ajahn Sumedho admonishes a misbehaving monk at Pāṭimokkha when Ajahn Chah was away. The monk disappears the next day. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Admonishment/feedback] [Pāṭimokkha] [Right Speech] // [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “True but not right; right but not true.” — Ajahn Chah. [Truth]
7. Story: Ajahn Amaro waits three years before admonishing a senior monk. Told by Ajahn Jotipālo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Speech]
8. “When is it useful to discuss the conduct of another person?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Malicious speech] [Virtue] [Right Speech]
Sutta: AN 4.183: Speak when unwholesome qualities decrease and wholesome qualities increase.
9. “If you have said something unskillful, what is the best way to face that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Right Speech] // [Forgiveness] [Truth]
10. “My dad says, ‘Reprimand in private; reward in public.’ What would the Buddha say about that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Speech]
Follow-up: “Are there stories of the Buddha coming down on people for a good reason?” [Buddha/Biography] [Pāli]
11. Reflection by Ajahn Jotipālo: The importance of asking permission before asking forgiveness or admonishing someone. [Forgiveness] [Admonishment/feedback] [Right Speech]
Reference: Criteria for admonishment in the Buddhist Monastic Code’s discussion of Bhikkhu Saṅghādisesā 8.
12. “Could you speak more about the list of topics for speech to remind you of practice (AN 10.69)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Idle chatter] [Right Speech]
Follow-up: “What about the worldly topics of conversation?”
13. Comment: The constant chatter in the mind is also part of Right Speech. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Right Speech]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness] [Conditionality]
14. “Is there any place for small talk/social lubricant in Right Speech?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Idle chatter ] [Right Speech]
1. Reading and commentary on MN 18: The Ball of Honey. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conflict] [Conditionality] [Proliferation] // [Self-identity view] [Translation] [Sense bases]
Reference: Introduction to Ajahn Ṭhānissaro’s translation of MN 18.
2. “In meditation, why does the Buddha tell us to deliberately shut down the voices of papañca as opposed to just sitting?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Proliferation] // [Self-identity view]
Quote: “There’s only two things you have to do: know and let go.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Relinquishment]
3. Comment: There’s an attachment to these proliferations to make them mine and to make me right. [Clinging] [Self-identity view] [Proliferation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
4. “Is ‘sights without a watcher, sounds without a listener, thoughts without a thinker,’ a fair formulation of what we’re trying to cultivate?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Not-self] // [Non-identification]
5. Comment: I’m trying to clarify objectification and proliferation [as translations of papañca]. Objectification seems to be closing down possibility; proliferation is multiplication of possibilities. [Translation] [Proliferation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
6. “In light of the conversation we’re having about [the identity of] the thinker and the thoughts …, are we aiming at a state of pure consciousness, a sense of beauty …?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view] [Consciousness] [Sense bases] [Beauty] [Proliferation] [Knowing itself] // [Non-identification]
7. “Is visualising the unattractive parts of the body in meditation a skillful form of papañca?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unattractiveness] [Skillful qualities] [Proliferation] // [Directed thought and evaluation] [Meditation/Techniques] [Protective Meditations]
1. “Is there a way to have wholesome intentions around topics such as wars and politics?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Speech] [Politics and society] [Idle chatter ]
2. Question about using the brahmavihāras to counteract covetousness compared to the approach described in MN 18. Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Greed] [Divine Abidings] // [Right Effort] [Discernment] [Learning]
3. Comment: “One of the greatest challenges of Right Speech is when you know something is wrong, and it’s right in your face …” [Right Speech]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
4. Comment: It’s only through relating to past experience that we become wise, so there is a kind of proliferation that goes on. [Learning] [Discernment] [Proliferation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
5. “Could you clarify the Pāli terms papañca, āsava, and saṅkhāra?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pāli] [Proliferation] [Outflows] [Volitional formations] // [Translation] [Cessation of Suffering]
6. Comment: Some people may need to restrain their speech; others may need to push themselves to speak up. [Right Speech] [Community] // [Politics and society]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual bypass]
Sutta: AN 5.198: Speech.
7. Story: The Quail’s Protection told by Ajahn Jotipālo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Truth]
Commentary: Ja 35: The Bodhisatta is born as a baby quail (The Birth Stories revised by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu, p. 293-296). [Jātaka Tales]
Reference: Vaṭṭaka-paritta.
8. “What if you’re in a situation with multiple people involved and you want to say something disagreeable to an individual that would be skillful for the group?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Right Speech] [Community] // [Truth] [Goodwill]
Quote: “The intention has a big impact on how it lands.” [Right Intention]
Sutta: MN 26.25: The Buddha’s encounter with Upaka. [Buddha/Biography]
1. Reading and commentary on the definition of Right Speech in MN 41.13. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Speech] // [Unskillful qualities] [Skillful qualities] [False speech] [Malicious speech] [Harsh speech] [Idle chatter]
2. “In World War II, people hiding Jews in away in their home to protect them—how does this relate to [the precept about] lying?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [False speech]
Sutta: AN 1.183: Not everything true needs to be spoken. [Truth]
Commentary: Vyaghri Jātaka Jatakamala No. 1: The Bodhisatta feeds himself to a hungry tigress. (This story does not occur in the Pāli Jātaka.) [Jātaka Tales]
3. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno on Iti 25: “For the person who tells a deliberate lie, there is no evil that is not to be done.” [False speech] [Right Action] // [Bodhisattva] [Jātaka Tales]
4. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Snp 4.11 indicates that arguments, quarrels, tears, anguish, arrogance, and insults come from having preferences. [Conflict] [Conditionality] [Craving] // [Goodwill] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Right Speech]
Reflection: Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication prioritizes compassion. [Nonviolent Communication] [Compassion] [Desire] [Listening]
5. “I notice that you have a very compassionate way of answering questions that are not in line with the Dhamma. Is there a trick that monks undergo to do this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Questions] // [Patience] [Energy]
6. Comment: The sutta in which there is a war that is going to happen, and the Buddha tries to mediate it in some way and is unable to stop it from happening .... There’s something touching about this when I look at my own life … [Buddha/Biography] [Conflict] [Politics and society]
Note: This question may refer to the story in the Commentary to Dhp 47 of the Buddha being unable to prevent Viḍūḍabha’s massacre of the Sakyans (Dhamma Verses Commentary translated by E. W. Burlingame and Ānandajoti Bhikkhu, p. 258-276).
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Non-identification] [Worldly Conditions]
Quote: “Do you think the forests in Thailand can be saved?” — “No.” [Environment] [Culture/Thailand] [Dtao Dum]
7. Comment: The sobering theme of the Four Dhamma Summaries (MN 82.35) suggests that you can’t be sure that [positive] change will happen. [Impermanence]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Benefit/gratification] [Conditionality] [Not-self] [Virtue]
8. “In the case of the war the Buddha couldn’t stop (likely the Commentary to Dhp 47), would the Buddha encourage an individual to pull back from the war?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conflict] [Politics and society] [Military] // [Hinduism]
9. “Could you provide some guidance on when to implement the teaching of preferences leading to conflict (Snp 4.11)? It seems we need preferences for wholesome dhammas and to structure our lives so that wholesome dhammas increase.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Craving] [Conflict ] [Conditionality] [Skillful qualities] // [Conventions] [Self-identity view] [Unskillful qualities] [Proliferation] [Appropriate attention]
10. “I’m trying to wrap my mind around the idea of mandating goodness. It explains my background and the United States …” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Virtue] [Culture/West] // [Idealism] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]
Follow-up: “Can you give an example comparing Thailand and Western cultures?” [Culture/Thailand] [History/America] [Conflict] [Greed]
1. “I am guessing that accountant had little chance of finding his way to Nibbāna - unless he ordained? Do you know if he did?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sutta]
Sutta: MN 107: Gaṇakamoggallāna Sutta
2. “I have a cancer and finished my treatment and am afraid it will come back if I don’t take care of myself as doctor told. So it is my stress. How can I think about my stress to hold it in my mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] [Fear] // [Happiness] [Gratitude]
3. “What is the difference between yoniso manasikāra and insight?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Appropriate attention ] [Insight meditation] // [Conditionality]
4. “What do you do when there are ants at the monastery? Is there a way to get rid of them naturally without killing them? I had to get rid of some a week ago and witnessed 3 ants die somewhat painfully by what I used which caused both sadness and remorse in me and I don’t want to do it again. But what is “right action” (ie. the precepts) versus what is practical?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Killing ] [Monastic life] // [Lodging] [Culture/Thailand]
5. “Could you tell us your stories related to the King Rama 9 of Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [King Rama IX] [Culture/Thailand] // [Leadership] [Meditation] [Recreation/leisure/sport] [Commerce/economics]
Story: Thai lay supporters remember King Rama IX at Abhayagiri’s 2016 Kaṭhina. [Abhayagiri] [Kaṭhina]
Story: King Rama IX attends Ajahn Chah’s funeral. [Ajahn Chah] [Funerals] [Wat Pah Pong] [Tranquility]
Story: King Rama IX asks President Nixon for understanding. [Politics and society] [Communal harmony] [Listening]
6. “Does the Buddha say all beings are inherently good? How about generosity? Do all human beings have the capacity for generosity?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind ] [Generosity ]
Sutta: AN 1.51-52
Story: A Mafia boss stays under Ajahn Chah’s kuti and helps out at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah] [Crime] [Wat Pah Pong] [Precepts]
Quote: “Generosity is an important doorway for many reasons.”
7. “At the Friday evening talk, you mentioned the three poisons/kleshas of greed, hatred and delusion. But you also added fear. Fear seems to me more like a result. Please explain.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots ] [Fear] [Conditionality] // [Biases] [Sensual desire] [Abhayagiri]
1. “Isn’t desire needed for lay life, starting a family, a business etc? And what about polio? Would there be things like a vaccine for polio without desire? Did the Buddha have something else in mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire ] [Health care] [Lay life] // [Cause of Suffering] [Craving] [Aids to Awakening] [Bases of Success] [Hindrances] [Sensual desire] [Language]
2. “I was wondering since you are a monk of 40 years, you are happy and mindful. How can you know of the issues, problems, etc., of people’s’ lives in the current modern times? We are worried about Trump’s presidency!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Lay life] [Politics and society] // [Monasteries] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support ] [Abhayagiri] [Views] [Conditionality] [Dhamma]
3. “Though unskillful mind states may come up, as long as we don’t pick them up and feed them, they are just ideas/thoughts that will end.’ Can you comment on the effectiveness of this practice? Are there situations where you would definitely recommend it? Definitely not recommend it? Do you see this relating to metta?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Impermanence] [Meditation/Techniques] [Goodwill] // [Right Effort]
4. “I am so grateful for your generous teachings. I am training my mind and am so glad for the dhamma in my life. However, I am experiencing migraine attacks almost daily, and therefore therefore a lot of uncertainty and dukkha. “Will I be able to function today?” “How bad will it be?” “Will I throw up?” “Which medicine will be the most beneficial today?” “Which side effects can I deal with today?” Working with my mind under these conditions is challenging, but I am up for the challenge, at least some of the time. I could use some encouragement, please.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] // [Gladdening the mind] [Compassion] [Patience] [Idealism]
5. “Can I be aware of my mind states while I am aware of my breath? It doesn’t seem so.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Right Mindfulness]
6. “Luang Por, for this ten day retreat, what is your Dhamma wish for us?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats] // [Tranquility] [Clear comprehension] [Faith]
7. “In practice we are often doing battle with our defilements. Can you speak about ways of “gladdening” the heart?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Gladdening the mind] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Conflict] [Self-identity view] [Skillful qualities]
Quote: “Quit picking a fight with them.” [Right Effort]
8. “In the mindful breathing sutta, what is the difference between “mind” and “mental fabrication”? And what is meant by “satisfying the mind” in step 10?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Heart/mind] [Volitional formations] [Gladdening the mind] // [Pāli]
Sutta: MN 118.19-20 Ānāpānasati Sutta.
9. “Can Ajahn Pasanno teach us how Ajahn Chah teaches or gives techniques on physical states and mental states? Can you tell us more about Ajahn Chah’s biography, for example, when and how Ajahn Chah wanted to become a monk?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Body/form] [Heart/mind] // [Christianity] [Conditionality]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah engaged in conversation with the villagers before the meal to reveal the junior monks’ desires around food. [Idle chatter] [Food] [Sensual desire]
Advice from Ajahn Chah: “Don’t admonish anybody before the meal.” [Admonishment/feedback]
Update about the progress on the new Ajahn Chah biography. [Dhamma books] [Ajahn Jayasaro] [Ajahn Kovilo]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro
Story: Nine year old Ajahn Chah goes to the monastery after getting fed up with household chores. [Culture/Thailand] [Geography/Thailand] [Faith] [Monasteries] [Family] [Work]
10. “Can you talk about working with the practice in what seems like perilous times?, e.g. the rise in overt expressions of hatred toward sectors of society and the associated change in national leadership? How does one cultivate equanimity while also not turning away?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society ] [Ill-will] [Equanimity ] // [Divine Abidings] [Goodwill] [Conflict] [Aversion] [Judgementalism] [King Rama IX]
Sutta: Dhp 5: Hatred is never overcome by hatred. …
11. “It seems I can quiet my mind easier in the midst of noise. It’s been one continuous monkey mind. Please help.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Calming meditation] [Proliferation] [Restlessness and worry] // [Tranquility] [Culture/Natural environment] [Suffering] [Investigation of states]
Story: Spending the Vassa at quiet Poo Jum Gom [Poo Jum Gom] [Geography/Thailand]
Quote: “I’ve got nobody to blame anymore.” — A junior monk.
12. “With virtuous leaders passing away and unvirtuous ones coming into power, is the world entering a dark period? Was there any predictions from the Forest Masters about this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Leadership] [Virtue] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Self-reliance]
13. “What about aversions that have a message, as a signal to understanding something? How is one to trust that from regular aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aversion ] // [Conditionality] [Unskillful qualities] [Skillful qualities] [Heedfulness]
14. “When talking with friends, sometimes the topic of faith and religion comes up. Normally, I find this topic pleasant and enjoyable, but on occasion, I find myself in conversation with somebody who believes (often quite insistently) that their faith is “the only way”. Do you have an advice on how I might skillfully navigate these situations?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Faith] [Right Speech] [Spiritual traditions]
15. “Ajahn, what is your instruction regarding the Noble Eightfold Path and the most useful attitude toward the word “right”?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path ] // [Pāli] [Cessation of Suffering]
16. “During the Christmas holiday, I’m going to be spending some time with relatives who do not share my same political views. In the spirit of wanting to understand their views and wanting to heal the divide that exists in our country, I want to talk about the election with them. How do I have this conversation skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Politics and society ] [Right Speech ] // [Judgementalism] [Listening] [Human] [Sense restraint]
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