4. “The Buddha said, ‘I teach one thing.’ If one overcomes the hindrances, eliminating the conditions that lead to dukkha, what is the focus on the Four Noble Truths, Three Characteristics, Foundations of Mindfulness, etc.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hindrances] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Four Noble Truths] [Characteristics of existence] // [Eightfold Path] [Happiness]
Sutta: AN 6.63.42: Two results of suffering.
Note: SN 22.86 and other suttas where the Buddha says, ‘I teach suffering and the end of suffering,’ do not mention ‘one thing.’
5. “Regarding the four responsibilities [corresponding to the Four Noble Truths]: 1) Are the three kinds of dukkha equivalent to fully understanding dukkha, anatta, and anicca? 2) Is full understanding of the First Noble Truth equivalent to full realization of the Third?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Four Noble Truths] [Suffering] [Characteristics of existence] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Nibbāna]
11. “Hypothetically, a meditator through practice gains an experiential understanding of the Four Noble Truths and is established in mindfulness and equanimity. Life is good, and the glass is half full. However, there isn’t a belief in rebirth and that suffering will end in this lifetime. Why should the meditator continue of the path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Four Noble Truths] [Happiness] [Rebirth] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Relinquishment]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 6: Opanayiko: Leading inwards/onwards. [Recollection/Dhamma] [Translation]
15. “You mean all I have to do is drop dukkha from the mind? Why didn’t you tell me that years ago?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Teaching Dhamma]
3. “When there is no movement in the mind, I think you referred to this as a cessation of dukkha. However, spaciousness is impermanent. Is it thus not dukkha also?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Cessation of Suffering] [Spaciousness] [Impermanence] [Suffering] // [Feeling] [Characteristics of existence]
3. Comment: In the practice, we use gladdening the mind to balance the perception of suffering. [Gladdening the mind] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Recollection]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Four Noble Truths]
3. Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna: In contrast to the commentary, Venerable Anālayo describes the aggregates as a tool for getting free of suffering. [Commentaries] [Ven. Anālayo] [Cessation of Suffering] [Aggregates]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
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.
6. “Is the following correct? -The Three Characteristics can be seen as verbs? The end of dukkha occurs when the Three Characteristics are fully understood so that it is realized that there is no subject or I to whom the object is ‘dukkha-ing’? Dukkha in the outside world continues but one who realized the truth is not ‘dukkha-ed’ because anatta is understood?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Characteristics of existence] [Cessation of Suffering] [Not-self]
19. “Could you please talk a bit more about the 3 types of liberation (signless, desireless, not self?). Is it a liberation in the sense of being free from suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Release] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Emptiness] [Concentration]
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?”
5. “How much did the Buddha encourage his disciples to become enlightened to ‘get off the wheel’ versus experiencing freedom from suffering in this lifetime?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering ] [Rebirth]
14. “She talks about virtue being the other hand of discernment in the meditation experience, and whenever discernment discerns stress, virtue is what lets go of the cause of stress, that virtue does the disbanding of it. Is virtue an unusual word to use there?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upāsikā Kee Nanayon] [Virtue] [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering] [Dispassion] // [Pāli] [Conscience and prudence] [Ajahn Chah]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 14: Many levels of sīla. [Commentaries] [Eightfold Path]
5. “What is the difference between abandoning craving and realizing the abandoning of craving?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Impermanence] [Aggregates] [Cause of Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Commentaries] [Doubt] [Relinquishment] [Concentration] [Gladdening the mind] [Desire] [Becoming] [Non-return] [Right View]
Sutta: SN 56.11.6 Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. [Four Noble Truths]
Sutta: AN 9.36 Jhāna Sutta: Passion for Dhamma leads to non-return. [Dhamma] [Rapture]
Sutta: MN 121 Cūḷa Suññatā Sutta: The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness [Emptiness]
Quote: “The characteristic of cessation is not just ending something and annihilating [it], but it’s being willing and able to stop. The nature of the mind is that it doesn’t like to stop. And it’s [through] that not stopping that we keep creating that sense of me.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation] [Nature of mind] [Self-identity view]
2. Comment about the purpose and function of the path. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Eightfold Path] [Cessation of Suffering] [Concentration] [Discernment]
Responses by Ajahn Ñāṇiko and Ajahn Pasanno. [Right View] [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view]
10. “Thank you so very much for your very compassionate, clear, and useful teachings. Can you please talk a little bit about dependent origination so that we may put an end to the causes of suffering? Thank you again for your compassionate teachings and humor. We appreciate you and the rest of the Saṅgha!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Dependent origination] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Conditionality] [Suffering] [Cause of Suffering]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno writes a term paper on dependent origination at university. [Ajahn Pasanno]
Quote: “When you’re falling down from a tree, you don’t have to count the branches. You just have to know that when you hit the bottom, it’s going to hurt.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
5. “How can we apply the law of cause and effect in daily life? How can we apply this law to such a simple thing to remove suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conditionality ] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Happiness]
1. “Please explain more how did the Buddha cross the flood, by neither going forward nor standing still. What does this mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Becoming] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Middle Path ] [Saṃsāra]
Sutta: SN 1.1
12. Comments by Rik Center about ongoing Dhamma practice and coming back to the heart. [Long-term practice] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]
Quote: “We’re making choices all the time anyway; we may as well choose to be happy.” [Volitional formations] [Happiness]
3. “You have mentioned in the morning that the meditation of breathing could help with cessation of dukkha. Could you elaborate how breathing in/out can cease dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Mindfulness] [Discernment]
19. “Do you have any doubts in the Dhamma’s promise that the result of accomplished practice is total liberation from suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Doubt] [Dhamma] [Liberation] [Cessation of Suffering]
12. “Could you talk about the difference between experiencing an unpleasant feeling and perpetuating an unpleasant feeling?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling ] [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Compassion] [Mindfulness] [Patience] [Suffering]
Simile: Two arrows (SN 36.6).
1. “This morning, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo spoke of the arising and passing away of dukkha and the subsequent non-arising. Is the non-arising synchronous with knowing, spacious knowing, boundless knowing, unborn, uncreated, unformed, unconditioned, Deathless element, the amata Dhamma?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Impermanence] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Knowing itself] [Unconditioned] [Deathless] // [Liberation] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Proliferation] [Relinquishment] [Language]
8. “Mindfulness and meditation practices of the Eightfold Path have gained tremendous popularity in modern times. Can you please elaborate on how the ethics-related practices (Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood) contribute towards the end of suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path ] [Virtue] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Generosity] [Conscience and prudence] [Respect] [Language] [Pāli]
3. “When you contemplate some situation, as long as there is still some tension or some feeling, does that mean that you did not come to the right understanding of it, but once you understand the situation, there would be no unpleasant, painful feelings about it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Pain] [Recollection] [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Defilements of insight] [Clinging] [Suffering] [Grief]
Sutta: SN 36.6: Simile of the two arrows. [Similes]
Suttas: MN 53.5; AN 10.67: The Buddha stretches his back. [Buddha/Biography]
Sutta: SN 47.14: “The assembly appears empty to me now.” [Great disciples] [Death] [Characteristics of existence]
8. “When the suffering passes, but you notice fear of it happening again, how do you deal with this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Fear] // [Recollection] [Appropriate attention]
Recollection: Ajahn Sumedho reminds the Chithurst monastics of the precepts they haven’t broken. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Chithurst] [Recollection/Virtue]
4. “When did you first have faith that there was truly a way out?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering] // [Ajahn Chah]
8. “How can you acknowledge the limitations of the personality and of the circumstance but find a deeper wisdom beyond that? For those who find themselves in difficult situations with life and think that release of suffering in this life is beyond them, what thoughts would you offer?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Personality] [Discernment] [Everyday life] [Cessation of Suffering] [Suffering] // [Spiritual friendship ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Thai Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Dune] [Community] [Culture/West] [Saṅgha]
9. “Luang Por Dune reframes the Four Noble Truths. He says the cause of dukkha is ???, sending the mind out, and the result of that is dukkha. The path is ???, the mind seeing the mind, and the fruit of that is the Third Noble Truths, nirodha. Can you say more about this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Dune ] [Four Noble Truths] [Cause of Suffering] [Thai] [Suffering] [Eightfold Path] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Proliferation] [Mindfulness of mind]
16. “When you’re not dealing with suffering, where do you reside in your practice or what do you focus on?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Knowing itself] [Beauty]