{80} Quote: “The qualities of the one pointed mind are vitakka, vicāra, pīti, sukha, and ekaggatā. ... It’s not one pointed excluding. It works together, it harmonizes, it’s balanced.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Unification ] [Right Concentration]
Our Roots in the Thai Forest Tradition [2014], Session 57, Excerpt 8.1
6. “What does deepening the practice mean? This inner sense of expansion and one-pointedness at the same time feels non-directional, and yet there are different spaces available to us.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spaciousness] [Unification] // [Discernment] [Faith]
2. Comments about translations of ekaggatā and ekodibhāvaṃ. Contributed by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unification] [Translation] [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hindrances] [Tranquility]
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]
7. “I found your explanation of the theme of ‘constancy’ in practice as a constancy in keeping a bright and awake mind more helpful and do-able than a constancy in keeping to one meditation object as is sometimes taught. Could you please say more.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Gladdening the mind] [Unification] // [Insight meditation]
8. “In that talk he [Ajahn Sim] seemed to stress doing samatha meditation before practicing vipassana. Is that strictly held within this tradition?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Sim] [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Tranquility] [Knowing itself] [Concentration] [Language]
Quote: “The qualities of the one pointed mind are vitakka, vicāra, pīti, sukha, and ekaggatā. ... It’s not one pointed excluding. It works together, it harmonizes, it’s balanced.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Unification ] [Right Concentration]
17. “Does jhāna exclusively contain the five mental states?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Rapture] [Happiness] [Unification] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
Sutta: MN 111 Anupada Sutta
25. “In concentration, you’re aware of one object. If in that state you become aware of pleasure, does that mean you’ve already left jhāna?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Concentration] [Unification] [Happiness] [Right Mindfulness] [Jhāna] // [Self-identity view] [Discernment] [Clinging]
1. “What is the difference between ekaggatā and vitakka?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unification] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Pāli] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
2. “Could we say that it [unification] is expansive?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unification] [Spaciousness] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
10. “My understanding of samādhi is the one-pointedness of attention that focuses on the ānāpāna spot, whereas vipassanā is not. When you were reading about how they were the same (Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 372), my understanding went right out the window.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Concentration] [Unification] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Insight meditation] [Ajahn Chah] // [Language]
“The firm establishing of the mind”—The Thai translation of samādhi. [Thai] [Translation]
Sutta: AN 3.102: Pliable and ready to work.
8. Quote: “Samādhi is the one-pointed mind fixed on the point of balance.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Concentration ] [Unification] [Equanimity]
Quote: “Samādhi is a holiday for the heart.” — Ajahn Chah. [Heart/mind] [Ajahn Sumedho]
3. “Could you talk about the practicalities of reflective meditation for someone who hasn’t done much of this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection] // [Mindfulness] [Translation] [Concentration] [Impermanence] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “The point that includes” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Unification] [Spaciousness]