{50} “I’m curious about your pre-monastic life and specifically what led you to the monastic life.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Temporary ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Sequence of training]
Tudong Stories at Spirit Rock [2011], Session 2, Excerpt 11
{110} “Would you be willing to share memories of Ajahn Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Temporary ordination] [Personality] [Not-self] [Equanimity]
When asked about the core essence of the Buddha’s teachings, Ajahn Chah replies, “Is this a big stick or a little stick?” [Teaching Dhamma] [Conventions] [Cause of Suffering]
Story: Ajahn Chah pretends to forget simple questions in order to embarrass his translator. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Forest versus city monks] [Media] [Aversion] [Questions] [Translation] [Similes]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno writes to his family that he’s staying in Thailand because Ajahn Chah is peaceful, solid, clear, and unshakeable in the midst of all that’s going on around him. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Family] [Tranquility] [Clear comprehension]
Madison Insight Retreat 2023, Session 3, Excerpt 4
{120} “How did you come to be abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Ajahn Pasanno ] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Jāgaro] [Ajahn Puriso] [Ajahn Brahmavaṃso] [Wat Keuan] [Ajahn Chah]
Follow-up: “How did you feel about it?” [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Culture/West] [Fear] [Trust]
Following the Path of a Forest Monk [2023], Excerpt 8
{130} “How did you come to join Ajahn Amaro as co-abbot of the newly established Abhayagiri Monastery in California?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno ] // [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Jack Kornfield] [Elders' Council] [Chithurst]
Following the Path of a Forest Monk [2023], Excerpt 12
{140} “In 2018 you stepped away from the role of abbot of Abhayagiri, passing the role to Ajahn Karunadhammo and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. Both these monks are American and have mostly trained in the United States at Abhayagiri. How do you feel about this milestone?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abhayagiri] [Abbot] [Retirement] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Culture/West] // [Monastic life]
Following the Path of a Forest Monk [2023], Excerpt 17
{170} “After forty years of meditating, what do you still find that is interesting?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Long-term practice] // [Mindfulness of breathing] [Gladdening the mind] [Learning]
Quote: “Practicing Dhamma...sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s always interesting.” [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Purpose/meaning]
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 7, Excerpt 10
{200} “What makes you keep on moving?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Energy] // [Liberation] [Human]
Interreligious Retreat-Seminar on Dhamma and Non-duality [2023], Session 1, Excerpt 4
1. Ajahn Amaro introduces Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Abhayagiri] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
2. Story: How I met Ajahn Chah. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Types of monks] [Wat Pah Pong] [Seclusion]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to be here for five years.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training]
5. The sea of faith in Northeast Thailand. Recollection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Faith] [Culture/Thailand ] [Ajahn Chah] // [Poverty] [Culture/Natural environment] [Geography/Thailand] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Self-reliance] [Patience] [Teaching Dhamma] [Suffering]
In Central Thailand, lay people don’t come to the monastery on observance days. [Lay life] [Lunar observance days] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Tudong]
8. Ajahn Chah used the forest environment to train us. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Natural environment ] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Pace of life]
Story: Two mating lizards fall out of a tree. [Almsround] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Animal] [Sensual desire] [Suffering]
3. You weren’t there to prepare for something else. Reflection by Paul Breiter. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Sequence of training] [Everyday life] [Disrobing] [Kamma] [Monastic life] [Ascetic practices] [Suffering] [Happiness] [Saṃsāra]
Quote: “Talk about the benefits of lay life....on paper you can make a good case for it. In practice it’s a constant challenge just to keep your head above water and remember how you’re supposed to deal with things. I urge people in robes to stay there.” [Lay life] [Right Action]
Quote: “Ajahn Pasanno doesn’t want me sending everyone to ordain with him, but I think you do better following his way than my way.” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Paul Breiter]
3. Ajahn Chah’s illness: his last teaching. Reflection by Paul Breiter. [Sickness] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Paul Breiter] [Health care] [Grief] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Respect for elders] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Upatakh] [Almsfood] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
1. Story: My experiences with Ajahn Chah. Told by Nan Meister. [Gratitude] [Faith] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Liem] [Suffering] [Commerce/economics] [Spiritual urgency] [Joseph Kappel] [Bowing] [Wat Pah Pong] [Mae Chee Kumfah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Mae Chee] [Ghost] [Conceit] [Fierce/direct teaching]
1. Ajahn Amaro introduces Joseph Kappel and Ajahn Pasanno. [Joseph Kappel] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Health care] [Funerals]
7. Story: Mute, wheelchair-bound Ajahn Chah meets a mother and her young son. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness] [Children] [Bowing] [Compassion] [Ajahn Chah] // [Health care] [Joseph Kappel] [Ajahn Pasanno]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Long-term effective strategies for dealing with pain. [Pain ] [Long-term practice] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of feeling] // [Mindfulness] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Aversion]
2. Simile: Ill-will is like being sick. (MN 39.14) — Ajahn Pasanno. [Ill-will ] [Hindrances] [Similes] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] [Happiness]
1. Meditation instruction: Be present with the physical experience of the breath. Bring a sense of ease into the body. Ground awareness in the body. Offered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of body]
Quote: Keeping the breath in mind is like getting the spoon into the mouth and the mouth onto the spoon. — Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo. [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo] [Similes]
Story: “The body understands!” [Direct experience] [Zen] [Koan] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Body and mind are not separate things. [Body/form] [Heart/mind] [Aggregates ] [Dependent origination] [Consciousness]
Water similes for the mind with and without hindrances. (SN 46.55) [Hindrances] [Sensual desire] [Ill-will] [Sloth and torpor] [Restlessness and worry] [Doubt]
Sutta: DN 2.98: “These are shoals of fish...”
Quote: “You can get a lot of wisdom from walking meditation.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Posture/Walking] [Discernment]
3. Story: “I’m not very peaceful, but I don’t have any excuses anymore.” Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Poo Jum Gom] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Natural environment]
3. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: If this were the last moment of my life, is this the kind of mental state I want to carry into death? [Recollection/Death] [Dispassion] // [Mindfulness of breathing] [Ajahn Pasanno]
5. Story: A group of Thai villagers are afraid to dig up their dead in order to conduct funeral rites. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Funerals] [Fear] [Death] [Recollection/Death] [Dispassion] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum]
1. Recollection: Total relinquishment was a characteristic of Ajahn Chah’s practice. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment ] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dhamma]
5. “How would you describe the jhana states and do you teach this kind of meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Jhāna] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Concentration] [Energy] [Clear comprehension] [Knowledge and vision] [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment] [Craving] [Conceit]
6. “When there is a lot of pain in the body, it is difficult to maintain ‘right effort,’ yet sometimes through patient endurance the pain lessens or dissipates. Could you speak about right effort and the connection between right effort and samadhi?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain ] [Right Effort] [Patience] [Concentration] // [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] [Fear] [Aversion] [Discernment] [Naturalness]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno learned from pain and illness in his early monastic life. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] [Monastic life]
8. Quote: “I appreciate people’s questions. I enjoy the questions, and I never quite know what’s going to come out when people present a question. It’s interesting to me as well.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Questions ] [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. “What happens when someone carefully builds the fire, but it turns into a forest fire–uncontrollable–and the person experiences mania, delusions, and paranoia? What is the spiritual treatment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mental illness] [Delusion] // [Precepts] [Association with people of integrity] [Generosity] [Becoming] [Medicinal requisites] [Thai] [Work]
Quote: “One of the first spiritual treatments is to get them to stop meditating.” [Meditation]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno learned by experience that meditation is not a panacea. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
1. “Realized beings abound these days. Care to comment? When the conditions are conducive and the inquiry is in earnest, is it possible to wake up quickly?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stages of awakening] [Saṅgha] [Progress of insight] [Ardency] [Conditionality] // [Patience] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Quote: “Buddhism hasn’t come to America yet.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/West] [Insight Meditation Society]
10. “Would you share some of your personal journey, including the time before you became a monk, and why you became a monk, and how the holy life can help people grow and change?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Monastic life] [Long-term practice ] // [Culture/West] [Travel] [Culture/Thailand]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno begins meditation with a month-long Mahasi Sayadaw retreat. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats] [Mahasi Sayadaw] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first visit to Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training]
Reflection: “Five years is five years. I’ll go back and give myself to Ajahn Chah.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Ajahn Pasanno] [Relinquishment] [Mentoring]
Quote: “There’s no such thing as the ideal monastic or the ideal practitioner.” [Idealism] [Lay life] [Faith] [Disrobing] [Suffering] [Energy] [Patience]
11. “It’s been so helpful to hear stories from your own experience. Could you talk about some of the more challenging moments in your practice and how you worked with them?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Long-term practice] // [Doubt ] [Patience]
Quote: “It’s not me resolving doubt, but it’s allowing the practice or the Dhamma to work.” [Self-identity view] [Dhamma] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Faith] [Three Refuges]
Simile: “Getting in the vehicle and allowing it to carry you.” [Similes]
12. “What is the Pali word for letting go or relinquishment? Is this the opposite of upādāna?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pāli] [Relinquishment] [Clinging] // [Release] [Progress of insight ] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Sutta: MN 37: Sabbe dhammā nālaṁ abhinivesāya–All dhammas are not to be clung to. [Conditionality]
Sutta: SN 46.1: ...based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release.
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta [Mindfulness of breathing]
14. “Do you think being introduced to Buddhism guided you to the contemplative life or would you have become a monk in any tradition?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Spiritual traditions] // [Meditation]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s aunt remembers that he said he wanted to be a priest when he was young. [Ajahn Pasanno]
16. “I had an experience yesterday in which I may have seen a group of beings above us, particularly above you....I don’t think I’m crazy, but I’m very interested in what the Dhamma says about otherworldly/non-material beings.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Deva] [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Mental illness] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand] [Realms of existence] [Culture/Natural environment]
Recollection: Spirits at Wat Pah Nanachat would request Ajahn Pasanno to dedicate merit. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Funerals] [Ghost] [Merit]
Quote: “They always had to use an intermediary because I was thick, thick, thick.” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Psychic powers]
Story: Ajahn Plien declares Casa Serena free of ghosts. [Ajahn Plien] [Abhayagiri] [Rebirth]
1. “In the palm reader story, you mentioned that Ajahn Chah still had a lot of anger, but he chose not to act from it. So does this mean that if there was a troublesome monk, Ajahn Chah would still experience a flare of anger but have the wisdom to set it aside and consider what to do with a cool head? This sounds similar to something Ram Das said about his practice....” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Aversion ] [Discernment] [Ram Dass] [Unwholesome Roots] // [Personality] [Kamma]
Story: Ajahn Jayasaro is massaging Ajahn Chah’s feet when a monk undergoing a disciplinary procedure walks by. [Ajahn Jayasaro] [Vinaya] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Emotion]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno observes Ajahn Mahā Boowa’s fierce behavior. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Rapture] [Goodwill]
Quote: “You never quite knew...you were always very careful around [Ajahn Chah] because you never knew which side was going to come out. It wasn’t as if he was just playing with you, but he always responded to the situation or the person.” [Heedlessness] [Personal presence] [Teaching Dhamma]
3. “Reflecting on your 35 years in robes, do you have any strong lessons that stand out?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Long-term practice] [Discernment] // [Patience ] [Ajahn Chah] [Virtue] [Meditation retreats]
Quote: “Oftentimes we don’t really recognize the goodness that we’re doing.” [Perfectionism] [Judgementalism]
Quote: “Patience isn’t just enduring. It’s being able to be present with experience.” [Direct experience] [Present moment awareness]
10. “What does Pasanno mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Translation] // [Faith]
Story: Why Ajahn Pasanno’s name is mispronounced. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
11. “Can I give a metta hug to the cute little Ajahn?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] [Ajahn Pasanno]
16. “What could American culture learn from Thai culture?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand ] // [P. A. Payutto] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cultural context]
Quote: “Mai bpen rai.”
Quote: “‘If there was a culture that was steeped in Buddhism, that would really solve all the problems of the world.’ No it wouldn’t. There are still human beings there. They’ll create suffering wherever they go.” [Politics and society] [Human] [Suffering]
1. Recollection: My connection with Ajahn Chah. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training]
Jack Kornfield arrives with a large picture of Ajahn Chah. [Jack Kornfield]
Story: The needlepoint Ajahn Chah portrait at Abhayagiri. [Abhayagiri] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Devotional practice]
2. “Did you as a Westerner have any difficulties meeting Ajahn Chah either with Buddhism or with Thailand? How did it get resolved or did it get resolved?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/West] [Theravāda] [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Chah replies evasively when asked three straightforward questions to teach his translator (Ajahn Pasanno) a lesson. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Aversion] [Questions] [Simplicity] [Teaching Dhamma] [Food] [Suffering]
3. “As an abbot taking care of a community, how do you handle it when a kerfluffle comes up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abbot] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Community] [Conflict ] // [Patience] [Views] [Skillful qualities] [Four Noble Truths]
Follow-up: “What are the antidotes to the next two Noble Truths?”
1. “What can we say to someone who is terminally ill? It seems the living can only offer sympathy. When I try to think of some way to comfort their mind, my words seem so out of touch and trivial.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Right Speech] // [Fear] [Recollection/Death] [Compassion] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Sutta: AN 5.57: Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection Chanting Book translation.
Quote: “You can’t go with a program you’ve thought out ahead of time.”
6. “Do you think it’s possible to have fear decrease by coming back to the breath?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Tranquility] [Mindfulness of body] [Hindrances]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno smells a tiger on the walking path. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Animal] [Posture/Walking] [Dtao Dum]
Sutta: MN 4.20: Fear and Dread.
8. “Can you offer some more suggestions about dealing with sleepiness when it is very strong?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] // [Postures] [Energy] [Posture/Walking] [Posture/Standing] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
Story: An hour walking, an hour standing, and an hour sitting. [Monastic routine] [Ajahn Pasanno]
5. “Ajahn, can you see into our minds?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Psychic powers]
10. “Can you speak about intuitive/esoteric meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/Techniques] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
Sutta: SN 47.9.4: The Buddha never taught with a closed fist. [Teaching Dhamma]
7. “My breath seems to have a mind/ego of its own. Whenever I start to pay attention to it, it will breathe unnaturally. Sometimes my breathing gets laborious. Lately I even have a hard time breathing naturally when I’m not sitting. How do I approach my breath gently so that it won’t mind me watching it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Meditation/Unusual experiences] // [Present moment awareness] [Tranquility]
Story: When he was a young monk, Ajahn Pasanno’s breath becomes comfortable after he stops meditating. [Ajahn Pasanno]
12. “If the Buddha were alive today, what question would it be most important for you to ask of him?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Meditation]
7. “It seems that letting go is a process, and it doesn’t happen quickly. Is this true for you, or can you let go immediately?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Ajahn Pasanno]
10. “Can, and if so, how, may one formally take refuge as your lay disciple? Do you think it is useful if one is genuine and sincere about it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ceremony/ritual] [Teachers] [Lay life] [Three Refuges] // [Buddha/Biography] [Ordination]
Quote: “As we continue to explore these refuges, it forms the core or kernel of liberation.” [Liberation]
Recollections of Ajahn Māha Boowa responding to Dhamma questions by mail. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Teaching Dhamma] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Ajahn Pasanno]
12. “Kindly share another story of Ajahn Chah. They delight and inspire.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Stories]
Story from Ajahn Chah: Two mating lizards fall out of a tree. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Almsround] [Sensual desire] [Drawbacks]
Quote: “Is it suffering?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Admonishment/feedback]
14. “I can know and let go of a past hurt, but what is a good Buddhist to do when the hurt is direct and in your face? For example, repeated verbal abuse by my partner? Lovingkindness can only go so far.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Abuse/violence ] [Buddhist identity] [Harsh speech] [Relationships] [Goodwill] // [Buddha/Biography] [Vinaya] [Admonishment/feedback]
Ajahn Pasanno recounts the mistakes he made admonishing monks as a new abbot. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abbot] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Right Speech]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah was the person with the most lovingkindness I ever met, but if somebody was out of line, they would know about it. [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Chah admonishes a big Western monk. [Truth]
2. “Ajahn, how are you doing? Is teaching a retreat as busy as being involved at the monastery? It is so pleasant to have a group of monastics here. Chanting and the whole energy is like sweet medicine. Wishing you all well, and thank you so much for coming here.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats] [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Gratitude]
3. “I am wondering about how to address social anxiety. For me it seems important in terms of continuity of practice. However, I’ve never heard any teachings about it. Did the Buddha ever teach talking meditation or some equivalent?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Community] [Fear] [Right Speech] // [False speech] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of body] [Tranquility]
Sutta: MN 10.8. [Clear comprehension]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno gives a talk during his first trip back to Canada. [Ajahn Pasanno]
18. “Thank you for your patience and assistance to fearlessly enter the dark an untamed forest of our minds. What or how would you suggest in terms of habits and practices that we may skillfully observe or interact with the sleepy mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] // [Mindfulness of breathing] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Posture/Lying down]
Quote: “Did you fall asleep on the in-breath or the out-breath?” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno places glasses of water around his body to cultivate mindfulness while sleeping. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Determination] [Rains retreat] [Mindfulness]
20. “I could use some practical tips from the Buddhist perspective on decision making. When faced with a decision, I tend to get overwhelmed and freeze up. This can be with big life decisions and even with what meditation object to use. I feel like I have so many choices; this feels like a blessing and a curse.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Everyday life] [Doubt] [Discernment] // [Culture/West] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of body]
6. “Whenever I try mindful breathing when trying to fall asleep, I get really alert and can’t fall asleep. What is your advice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Devotion to wakefulness ] // [Tranquility] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Time management]
Quote: “That mindfulness is also a resting.” [Mindfulness]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno meets a monk who didn’t sleep for a month. [Tudong] [Seclusion] [Rains retreat] [Concentration]
7. “What do you think about caffeine consumption? I have a love/hate relationship with this substance, leaning towards dependency. It is socially acceptable, but I wonder sometimes. It can have quite an effect on the mind.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Medicinal requisites] [Addiction] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
19. “Could you share a story or reflection about your young disciple Todd?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Children] // [Sickness] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Generosity] [Health care] [Death] [Dreams]
Reference: Like a River: The Life of a Boy Named Todd by Ajahn Pasanno.
Stories about Todd’s generosity and purity of heart.
21. “As I understand Ajahn Sumedho in The Sound of Silence and Stephen Batchelor, they do not believe in rebirth or reincarnation in a literal sense. What is your belief and understanding in regards to this? Stephen in particular says this is a holdover from the society the Buddha was born into and not really his teaching. He also comments that the Buddha was more interested in creating a new civilization than individual enlightenment. Please comment.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Stephen Batchelor] [Rebirth] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/India] [Buddha/Biography] [Politics and society] // [Sutta] [Teaching Dhamma] [Liberation]
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 1.6: The Buddha’s activities after his Awakening.
25. “What is the funniest story from your life as a monk? We humans love stories.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Humor] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life]
31. “I think about sharing the Dhamma with my family. Any suggestions on where to start? Has your family taken to the teachings since you’ve been on the path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Family ] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Habits] [Non-contention] [Renunciation] [Amaravati]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s sister and her six-week-old baby attend his first meditation retreat in Canada. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats]
1. Story: Ajahn Pasanno attempts tudong in California. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] [Tudong] // [Ageing] [Health]
7. Story: Ajahn Supah chooses tudong over further studies. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Supah] [Culture/Thailand] [Study monks] [Learning] [Tudong] // [Liberation] [Goodwill] [Simplicity] [Virtue] [Recollection/Virtue]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s mother cries when she meets Ajahn Supah. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Faith] [Rapture]
Story: A python begins to eat Ajahn Supah. [Animal] [Determination]
4. “Can the practice be used in a punitive or punishing way?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] // [Culture/West] [Habits] [Clear comprehension] [Craving not to become]
Quote: “Having a human mind...it’s amazing how perverse it can be sometimes.” [Human] [Unwholesome Roots]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate guilt into Thai. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Translation] [Culture/Thailand] [Suffering]
Quote: “All you need to do is create a cage of mindfulness around [unskillful habits].” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Sense restraint] [Mindfulness] [Unskillful qualities] [Similes]
Follow-up: “What about letting the tiger go instead of keeping it in a cage?”
Follow-up: “What about the case when one feels one is the tiger trapped in a metaphorical cage. How to escape?” [Liberation] [Perception] [Self-identity view] [Spiritual friendship]
6. “Could you tell of your personal experience with a tiger?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Animal] [Tudong]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno hears and smells a tiger while doing walking meditation. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Culture/Natural environment] [Posture/Walking] [Fear] [Death] [Impermanence] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension]
Sutta: MN 4: Fear and Dread
11. “I’m curious about your pre-monastic life and specifically what led you to the monastic life.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Temporary ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Sequence of training]
13. “To what extent is spreading the teachings part of the tudong tradition?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Tudong] // [Culture/Thailand]
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 1.23: Venerable Assaji’s demeanor inspires Sariputta. [Great disciples] [Perception of a samaṇa]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno goes tudong and is asked for lottery numbers. [Ajahn Pasanno]
4. Story: Ajahn Chah struggles through lust with patience. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Sensual desire ] [Patience] [Tudong] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Human] [Meditation/Techniques] [Impermanence]
Quote: Ajahn Chah to biographer: “If you don’t put that in the book, don’t bother printing it.” [Dhamma books]
Quote: “If you ordain as a monk, your defilements ordain with you.” — Ajahn Chah. [Monastic life] [Unwholesome Roots]
6. Story: How Ajahn Pasanno became abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Tudong] // [Ajahn Chah] [Saṅgha decision making]
7. Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s tudong practice. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Seclusion] [Tudong] // [Meditation] [Sickness] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] [Patience]
8. Story: Ajahn Pasanno gets a foot infection on tudong. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] [Culture/Thailand] [Health care] [Tudong] // [Killing] [Goodwill]
9. Story: Ajahn Pasanno loses his vision on tudong. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] [Health care] [Tudong] // [Patience] [Seclusion] [Dtao Dum]
7. “In the West, there are so many religious practices from the East. How do we relate to them all.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual traditions] [Hinduism] [Gradual Teaching] // [Buddha/Biography] [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: MN 95: Caṅkī Sutta [Conditionality] [Faith]
Quote: “I’ve been an abbot for thirty years, and I’m quite happy. One of the reasons I’m happy is I don’t feel I have to go and convince anybody of anything.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Happiness] [Contentment]
1. “What’s the difference between sleep and sloth and torpor?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Translation] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Craving not to become]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first meditation retreat: “You’ve been stealing sleep!” [Ajahn Pasanno]
Story: After Ajahn Pasanno’s illness, he needs to sleep an hour more. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness]
1. “Could you tell us how you became a monk?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ordination] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation]
Quote: “I stumbled into it.” [Monastic life]
2. Comment: It’s not so easy to let go of people who have been in my life forever to cultivate new friendships. [Relinquishment] [Spiritual friendship]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Judgementalism] [Virtue] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Views]
8. “I appreciate your emphasis on clarity, stability, and spaciousness. How does concentration relate to these?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clear comprehension] [Unification] [Spaciousness] [Concentration ] // [Pāli] [Thai] [Etymology] [Tranquility] [Happiness] [Rapture] [Conditionality]
Suttas: AN 10.3: Virtuous Behavior; AN 6.10 Mahānāma [Virtue]
Quote: “The way my mind worked before was, ‘Boy, when I get my concentration together, I’m going to be happy...’” [Ajahn Pasanno]
Quote: “The happy mind is easily concentrated.” [Hindrances] [Relinquishment] [Knowledge and vision]
2. Comment: I have found your saying ‘Just don’t make a problem of it.’ very helpful. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cessation of Suffering] [Tranquility] [Proliferation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
7. “During meditation when thoughts come and want to engage me, some thoughts have the power to take me into the storyline, and I don’t even know why. I don’t even know when. Is there a point, sign,or warning that can be seen before I get lost? It’s really painful to live in a virtual reality that never delivers the promise.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Restlessness and worry] [Proliferation ] [Suffering] // [Mindfulness of body ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Feeling] [Dreams]
Quote: “Tuning into the body, I can start to feel where [the thought] is taking me.”
Quote: “You know what the quickest way to enlightenment is? Just look at the thoughts, point your finger, and say ‘Liar!’” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Liberation] [Truth]
9. “I’ve been sitting on this question for the past few days. It has to do with dispassion, shedding, simplifying and being easily satisfied on the one end of the spectrum and being engaged and active in the world, even taking an unpopular stand, on the other end. How can one practice shedding internally but still be responsive and engaged regarding the suffering from environmental and social issues? It seems that would complicate things, but that is where my heart is drawn.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dispassion] [Simplicity] [Contentment] [Politics and society ] [Environment] // [Suffering]
Quote: “When there is displassion and shedding, a clarity arises in the mind, when can then more easily be applied to something that is useful or beneficial without complicating things.” [Clear comprehension] [Compassion]
Quote: “Do you think there’s any hope for saving all the forests in Thailand?”—“I don’t think there’s hope that it’s going to make a huge impact right now. I’m just planting the seeds for the future, and maybe something will change. It’s not an option not to do it.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand]
5. “I saw one of your new publications ‘Don’t Hold Back.’ Why did you choose this title? The chapter on chanting answered many questions I had.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dhamma books] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Chanting]
2. “If this question is okay, could you please tell us any more about how Ajahn Chah challenged you in those first five years – and/or later?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno]
18. “After your 17 talks on anāpānāsati, were you out of breath?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Ajahn Pasanno]
19. “Are there any times or situations where formal practice is not particularly helpful? If so, please explain why and then some alternative practices.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Meditation ] // [Spiritual friendship] [Posture/Walking] [Chanting] [Culture/West] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cleanliness] [Restlessness and worry]
Quote: “For some mental illnesses, you really want to be very careful.” [Mental illness]
1. “Would you mind sharing some of the difficulties you have had in your practice and how you resolved them?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno]
23. “Would you be willing to tell as a little about the first steps that led you out of Northern Manitoba towards becoming an abbot in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno]
24. “Thank you for your talk today. Could you please expand further on how to maintain/practice tranquility in everyday life, especially as we ‘pick up’ many of the things in our lives.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Everyday life] [Tranquility] [Continuity of mindfulness] // [Right View] [Characteristics of existence] [Ajahn Chah] [Virtue] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of body]
2. “At what point did your practice change from serving yourself (to end your own suffering) to selfless service?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Long-term practice] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cessation of Suffering] [Generosity ]
Sutta: MN 128.12: “Why don’t I set aside what I want to do and do what’s of benefit to the others?”
16. “Do you miss Ajahn Amaro?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro]
6. “I find I do need some pleasures even though they don’t last, things like fine arts and being in nature. I’m curious, how did you manage as a monk in your early years at Ajahn Chah’s monastery where there’s almost no pleasure....How did you manage to keep going over the years until the present?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sensual desire] [Artistic expression] [Culture/Natural environment] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah] [Food] [Entertainment and adornment] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Cessation of Suffering] [Happiness ] [Simplicity ] [Association with people of integrity] [Empathetic joy] [Human] [Hindrances] [Jhāna] [Virtue] [Discernment]
Quote: “One of the extraordinary perks of being a monk is that everyone tries to be good around you.”
Sutta: MN 36.32: “Why am I afraid of that happiness?” [Buddha/Biography] [Ascetic practices] [Suffering] [Skillful qualities] [Eightfold Path]
Quote: “As a monk, I can look back on forty years of living in a way where I don’t have to feel remorseful or regret anything.”
[Session] Ajahn Pasanno begins the retreat by encouraging us to return to the basics of the Noble Eightfold Path. He mentions Iris Landsberg, a long-standing lay supporter dying of lung cancer, both to set the tone for the monk’s final visit to her and to encourage us to practice while there is still time. Iris passed away February 1, 2014. [Eightfold Path] [Sickness] [Death] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Spiritual urgency] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation retreats] [Family] [Health care]
Sutta: DN 16.5.27: The world will not be devoid of awakened beings as long as people are practicing the Eightfold Path. [Stages of awakening]
Story: Ajahn Pāvaro decides to practice in Bodh Gaya after receiving worrying medical news. [Ajahn Pavaro] [Visiting holy sites] [Impermanence]
Sutta: MN 131: Bhaddekaratta Sutta (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 75)
4. “Did any of the Western monks go to Ajahn Chah to ask about their dreams?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Dreams] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. “What were the interesting practices you used so that you would get up as soon as you woke up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Devotion to wakefulness ] // [Mindfulness of body] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Sitter's practice]
3. “What about Luang Por Dune, he looks so mellow; was he ever animated?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Dune] [Personality] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/Thailand] [Humor]
Reference: Gifts He Left Behind by Ajahn Dune.
5. “I got more a sense of metta from Ajahn Dtun than warrior spirit?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Dtun] [Goodwill] [Fierce/direct teaching] // [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Spiritual urgency]
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]
8. “I was reading that Reverend Heng Sure found that his meditation object was particularly bright and clear when he was around his teacher Master Hua. I wondered if you experienced anything like that when you paid respects to various Ajahns?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rev. Heng Sure] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Meditation] // [Conscience and prudence] [Respect for elders]
1. Information about Twigs and Branches of the Bodhinyana and the sections that Ajahn Kovilo reads. [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma books] // [Translation] [Ajahn Jundee] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Sumedho]
4. “Was Ajahn Jun around when you were training?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Jun] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Liem] [Ajahn Boon Choo]
Story: Ajahn Sumedho gets upset at Ajahn Chah for not admonishing lax monks. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Admonishment/feedback]
6. Ajahn Pasanno tells how he went to Wat Pah Nanachat to make a bowl stand but got sick with scrub typhus. An extended discussion ensues. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Monastic crafts] [Sickness] // [Rains retreat] [Joseph Kappel] [Kittisaro]
1. “Did you participate in massage sessions with senior monks besides Luang Por Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Upatakh]
13. “Can you recommend any practices to develop honesty with ourselves?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Truth] [Delusion] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Direct experience]
Quote: “You can’t take yourself too seriously. That’s really deadly.” [Humor] [Self-identity view]
Quote: “Do we have to sweep all of this?” “No, just sweep what’s in front of your broom.” [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cleanliness]
6. “Were there short periods of time when you lived with Luang Por Koon?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Koon (Na Pho)] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Wat Keuan] [Ajahn Puriso]
6. “Ajahn Chah and other Thai Ajahns emphasize this quality of steady practice. Ajahn Chah showed this was the way to solve the dilemma of desire being both the root of all suffering and a necessary ingredient to being able to practice at all....It seems the main obstacle to achieving steady practice is the variability of that part of my awareness that is supervising what is going on....How does one cultivate self-supervision?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Desire] [Self-reliance] [Postures] [Continuity of mindfulness ] // [Mindfulness of body ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Quote: “The body is like a mirror for the different moods and state of the mind as we’re experiencing things.” [Similes] [Mindfulness of mind]
Follow-up: “I try to practice body awareness when my mind is being supervised...” [Long-term practice] [Ajahn Sucitto]
Sutta: MN 10 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta [Right Mindfulness]
5. “How does one work with dullness and drowsiness in sitting meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sloth and torpor] [Posture/Sitting] // [Hindrances] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Ajahn Chah] [Posture/Walking] [Culture/Natural environment] [Posture/Standing] [Continuity of mindfulness]
Sutta: AN 7.58 Capala Sutta: “Are you nodding, Moggallana?” [Great disciples]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno walks in the forest without a flashlight to dispel drowsiness. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Devotion to wakefulness]
6. “Did Ajahn Chah use asubha practice during his battle with lust?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Sensual desire] [Unattractiveness] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Impermanence] [Patience] [Conditionality]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 81.