Part of key topic Skillful Qualities
42 excerpts, 3:12:15 total duration
2. “Did Ajahn Chah pass his teaching style to you or do you use your own separate style?” Answered by Ajahn Sumedho and Paul Breiter. [Personality] [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma]
Story: Ajahn Sumedho, first abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. Told by Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Abbot] [Wat Pah Nanachat ] [Sequence of training] [Culture/West] [Joseph Kappel] [Aversion] [Suffering] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Humor]
Quote: “The special thing about Luang Por Chah was that he was at ease and completely himself.” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Contentment]
Response by Paul Breiter: “The elements are there, but different teachers are expressing them in a living way.”
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 95.20: 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]
3. Comment by Ajahn Cunda about noticing restlessness even in peaceful meditation. [Restlessness and worry] [Tranquility]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] [Contentment] [Patience] [Impermanence] [Dispassion] [Cessation] [Mindfulness of dhammas]
5. “What is a useful way to hold the image of beating the bull that wanders into the barley field in SN 35.246?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Cunda. [Similes] [Sense restraint] // [Contentment] [Tranquility] [Conscience and prudence]
3. “Everyone in our group is struggling with issues about livelihood. Does anyone here feel their livelihood is in tune?” Answered by Ajahn Yatiko and Ajahn Pasanno. [Work] [Idealism] // [Contentment] [Eightfold Path] [Kamma]
Quote: “Maybe it would be better phrased ‘Right-enough livelihood.’” — Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Right Livelihood]
Story: An upright career police officer in Thailand transfers in and out of a corrupt assignment. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Community] [Crime] [Corruption] [Family] [Precepts]
Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: Even monks face moral dilemmas. [Monastic life] [Vinaya]
2. Comment: The more we become like monks and nuns, the more we will be helping the climate change situation. [Monastic life] [Environment]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Simplicity] [Contentment] [Generosity] [Human]
1. “Thank you for your talk. Can you flesh out: ‘dispassionate about what?’ Also, trying to encourage dispassion along with arousing energy.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dispassion ] [Energy] // [Craving] [Sense bases] [Body/form] [Emotion] [Contentment] [Tranquility]
Quote: “When there’s a coolness towards the world around one, that frees up a lot of energy for directing attention to what’s actually useful and beneficial.” [Discernment]
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]
3. “I love clues that help identify that some experience is or is not what I thought it is. For example, Ajahn Ñāṇiko’s point that just a blank purely absorbed state is not jhāna, (a wrong conclusion anybody any get to) and that instead it should be more ‘broad-based’ and mettā-bhāvanā is very useful for that. This sort of ‘TEST’ for the labels we may jump to apply to our experience is very useful insight—‘cool’ if I may say. Are there more such ‘tests?’ P.S. This is to help prevent my mind from becoming too proud, or thinking I have attained some state when not.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Jhāna] [Meditation/Results] // [Conceit] [Suffering] [Contentment]
Sutta: MN 113.21: “For however one conceives it, it is always other than that.”
11. “How are the jhāna factors causal bases for awareness to release into Nibbāna? Do they diminish craving all the way?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Release] [Nibbāna] [Craving] [Jhāna] // [Contentment]
8. “What chants would you recommend as suitable to use for patients who may be in hospice or close to death? Can Buddhist monks give last rites?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Chanting] [Ceremony/ritual] // [Goodwill] [Three Refuges] [Protective chants] [Culture/Thailand] [Buddho mantra] [Recollection/Saṅgha]
Story: Ajahn Chah requests an army truck to pick up Por Puang’s body. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Contentment] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Recollection/Death]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 662.
8. “What factor leads into Right Effort? How does inspiration relate to Right Effort?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Right Effort] [Faith] // [Factors of Awakening] [Investigation of states] [Energy] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Disenchantment]
Reference: MN 95.16 Caṅkī Sutta.
Comment about maintaining continuity of mindfulness of breathing. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Continuity of mindfulness] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Tranquility]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire] [Contentment] [Happiness]
12. “What is the most important thing we can do to help the next generation in terms of the environment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Environment ] // [Simplicity] [Contentment] [Greed]
15. “What qualifies as helping a parent make progress on the path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Parents ] [Gratitude] [Eightfold Path] // [Learning] [Happiness] [Contentment] [Teaching Dhamma]
6. “Bhāvanā means ‘bring into being.’ How do I balance this with making the mind clear or peaceful?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Tranquility] [Calming meditation] [Recollection] // [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Contentment] [Insight meditation] [Sloth and torpor] [Patience]
5. “Can you say more about recollection of renunciation? How can this be used skillfully or not?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Recollection/Generosity] [Renunciation] [Recollection] // [Contentment] [Self-pity] [Sickness] [Equanimity] [Buddha/Biography] [Fasting] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Lunar observance days] [Abhayagiri]
Recollection: Going without in the early days of Abhayagiri Monastery. [Almsfood] [Contentment]
1. “What is your favorite thing you’ve gotten from monastic life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Virtue] [Teachers] [Contentment]
Quote: “You really get to see the best of the human condition as a monastic. That’s a real treat.” [Human] [Monastic life]
3. “I have trouble taking refuge in the Buddha in the here and now as it is an abstract concept for me. Can you explain the line in the Homage to the Buddho ‘Buddho bhagavā,’ translated as ‘He is awake and holy’ (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 4)? Tonight’s planned Verses on Respect for the Dhamma (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 77) also refers to this concept: ‘All the Buddhas of the past / All the Buddhas yet to come / The Buddha of this current age.’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Three Refuges] [Buddha] [Previous Buddhas] [Chanting] // [Aversion] [Self-identity view] [Proliferation] [Contentment] [Pāli] [Translation] [Liberation] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Culture/India] [Compassion] [Culture/West] [Time]
Sutta: AN 4.36: Doṇa Sutta: “Know me as one who is awake.” [Realms of existence]
Reflections on the translation of Buddha in the Thai chanting book. [Thai] [Knowing itself] [Happiness]
Sutta: AN 3.136: “Whether a Buddha appears in the world or not …” [Characteristics of existence]
3. “I’ve been thinking for a long time about how looking to practice in a comfortable way can really become a hindrance and also how hard it is to let go of practicing in a way I want, how I want. On one hand, I feel like I am finding my way and creating what works best for my personality and lay life conditions, but I’m afraid I’m avoiding the difficult things to look at or to do. Can you offer any advice or give me courage to meet the uncomfortable?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Long-term practice] [Relinquishment] [Personality] [Lay life] [Spiritual bypass] // [Contentment]
7. “If one were to become a Buddhist nun or monk and use indigenous shamanic practices to heal self and others rather than pharmaceuticals and modern-day Western medical advice and procedures, would that be permitted in a Buddhist monastery? I read that original Buddhist medicine, just as with shamanic healing, was based on the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Also that alchemy and spirit guides such as Guan Yin were used to help heal. This is the same way with shamanism also. Do modern-day Buddhist monastic communities in the West only use pharmaceuticals and Western medical practices, and are there understandings and restrictions in place in regard to how the monastic community take care of their health and how they can support each other with health matters?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Monastic life] [Healing] [Health care] [Elements] [Medicinal requisites] // [Vinaya] [Intoxicants] [Contentment]
3. “I know people who have seen the fruits of the fully-developed Eightfold Path in someone [else] or have been to a monastery and felt what it feels like to live in line with that. They find the life they return to at home is very distant from that. Because of obligations or kammic ties, they aren’t able to bring their life into alignment with the Dhamma in the way they would want. What would you tell someone with one foot in the monastery and the other foot on a banana peel?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path] [Monastic life] [Lay life ] // [Doubt] [Spiritual friendship] [Factors for stream entry] [Association with people of integrity] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Idealism] [Contentment]
Story: “I could cry every day, but what’s the point? It’s better to just get on with life.” [Retirement] [Pain] [Purpose/meaning]
7. “You mentioned how much Ajahn Chah emphasized the importance of letting go. As a lay person, how do we do that? And how do we reconcile letting go with being kind to ourselves? For instance, it could be seen as a kindness to oneself to listen to one’s favorite music or eat one’s favorite foods.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment] [Lay life] [Compassion] // [Right Effort] [Idealism] [Eight Precepts] [Contentment]
Story: A monk practices letting go by not fixing his roof. [Lodging]
7. “Many people think monastic life is a training in meditation. You mentioned Ajahn Chah’s approach to training was trying to inculcate virtue and Right View. How do you teach these to others?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Virtue] [Right View] [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] // [Happiness] [Contentment] [Gratitude] [Self-identity view] [Idealism] [Spaciousness] [Relinquishment]
7. “I notice that I would go after something like getting a degree, but after I got there, the excitement dissipated. Any suggestions on being present in the moment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Purpose/meaning] [Drawbacks] [Disenchantment] [Present moment awareness] // [Contentment] [Becoming]
Quote: “Desire is not quenchable.” [Craving]
Sutta: Dhp 251: There is no river as wide as taṇhā. [Similes]
Quote: “I’ve never seen any wealthy people come to the monastery. … They still don’t have enough.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Greed ] [Contentment]