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Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Ñaniko, and Debbie Stamp
Angela Center, Santa Rosa, California
November 22 – December 1, 2013
Friday, November 22
Ajahn Pasanno – Taking Precepts, Introduction, and Chanting
After giving the refuges and precepts, Ajahn Pasanno begins the retreat with some announcements, general encouragement and a basic introduction to the retreat life.
Saturday, November 23
Ajahn Pasanno – Experimenting with the Breath
Ajahn Pasanno leads the group in a guided breath meditation and encourages us to experiment to find out what works for ourselves.
Ajahn Pasanno – Walking Meditation not Wandering Meditation
Ajahn Pasanno describes walking meditation as just a change in posture where we maintain the same level of mindfulness as when sitting.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: Mindful Awareness while Eating
Ajahn Pasanno encourages us to take and to eat the meal with mindful awareness.
Ajahn Pasanno – The Eight Standards of the Dhamma
Ajahn Pasanno describes this retreat as a way to simulate the monastic training. In the course of the talk he introduces the “8 Standards of Dhamma” as it was given to Maha Pajapati Gotami and encourages us not to be intimidated by circumstances and to learn how to get out of the way.
Ajahn Pasanno – Walking: Being The One Who Knows
Ajahn Pasanno encourages us to do walking meditation while “being the one who knows.”
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 1
Sunday, November 24
Ajahn Pasanno – The Kindest Thing We Can Do For Ourselves
Ajahn Pasanno talks about various “jhana factors” giving especial emphasis to the qualities of vitakka and viacra – directed thought and evaluation. Also touched upon is the capacity for developing confidence in our ability to know and let go – “the kindest thing we can do for ourselves.”
Ajahn Pasanno – Walking: There's Really No Difference
Ajahn Pasanno emphasizes the importance of walking meditation explaining that “There's really no difference” between one posture and another.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: Letting Go of Anticipation and Worry
Ajahn Pasanno gives a meal reflection on knowing and letting go of the common anticipation and worry about food.
Ajahn Pasanno – Giving Attention to the Ordinary
Ajahn Pasanno reflects on the five subjects for frequent recollection and the Tibetan four thoughts that turn the mind as ways to induce spiritual urgency. He employs Ajahn Chah's similes of life being like a chicken who will eventually go to market or like an ice cube in the sun.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 2
Monday, November 25
Ajahn Pasanno – Pliant, Malleable, Luminous
Ajahn Pasanno emphasizes starving the five hindrances and feeding the seven factors of awakening in order to relinquish the grip of self.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: Meal Blessing
Ajahn Pasanno explains the meal blessing chant and urges us to contemplate and appreciate our food.
Ajahn Karuṇadhammo – There is No Quick
Ajahn Karuṇadhammo reflects upon the importance of truthfulness for long-term practice. We can turn our attention to the long-term benefits of practice and see the “space of goodness” which is always present.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 3
Tuesday, November 26
Ajahn Pasanno – Uncomplicating the Four Noble Truths
Ajahn Pasanno encourages us to tune in to experiencing the Four Noble Truths which are like the ground floor of a two-story house and a pivot point for seeing things clearly.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: To Allay Dukkha
Ajahn Pasanno describes the monastic meal reflection: food is eaten not for enjoyment but only to relieve the pain of hunger.
Debbie Stamp – Bring to Life the Contemplation of Death
Debbie Stamp reflects with deep gratitude on her practice of the recollection of death, how it has enriched her life, and how it helped her to be present for her own mother's passing.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 4
Wednesday, November 27
Ajahn Pasanno – Engaging the 16 Steps of Breath Meditation
When beginning meditation, Ajahn Pasanno suggests clarifying our aspiration for happiness to set the mood/tone for our practice. He further expounds upon each of the 16 steps of breath meditation and encourages us to be flexible and experiment with this inexhaustable meditation.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: Element Meditation
Ajahn Pasanno urges us to reflect on food as merely elements of nature.
Ajahn Ñaniko – Tomorrow, Who Knows, Death May Come
After reflection on community-retreat harmony and the desire to be understood, Ajahn Ñaniko relates his experience of the unexpected death of a friend in a cave in Thailand and urges heedfulness, quoting the sutta “One Excellent Day.”
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 5
Thursday, November 28
Ajahn Pasanno – Thanksgiving: Gratitude and Balance
Ajahn Pasanno relates a story of great generosity shown to him as a young monk and goes on to reflect on the importance of balance, tuning the factors of the path “just right,” and immediacy of view in order to practice well.
Ajahn Pasanno – Meal Reflection: Sharing the Blessings
Ajahn Pasanno talks a about the importance of “sharing the blessings” of our practice by dedicating our wholesome actions unto others.
Ajahn Karuṇadhammo – Deeply Contemplating the Three Characteristics
Ajahn Karuṇadhammo notes how different people tend to resonate most with one of the three characteristics. Whether we're “dukkha-people,” “anicca-people,” or “anatta-people,” when any one characteristic is penetrated, all three become apparent.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 6
Friday, November 29
Ajahn Pasanno – It's Up to Us to Experiment
Ajahn Pasanno encourages us to use the practices of tranquility and insight to nurture a “stillness within conditions” and to cultivate an “inner witness” which reflects on the anicca, dukkha, and anatta aspects of all things. In this way, our path will develop incrementally until reaching a fundamental shift in experience.
Debbie Stamp – Remembering to Remember
Debbie Stamp speaks about the importance of continually evaluating the validity of our assumptions about people, places, and time and urges us to keep questioning our practice to keep it honest and fresh.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 7
Saturday, November 30
Ajahn Pasanno – Defining and Balancing the Five Spiritual Faculties
After describing the dukkha which leads to more dukkha and the dukkha which leads to a spiritual search, Ajahn Pasanno defines the five spiritual faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and discernment as the tools needed for this search.
Ajahn Ñaniko – Cultivation: Planting Pāramīs
Ajahn Ñaniko examines the assertion “I don't hate myself” as an antidote to guilt as he outlines the ten pāramīs as a framework for long-term cultivation.
Ajahn Pasanno – Questions and Answers 8
Sunday, December 1
Ajahn Pasanno – Refuges and Precepts: A Fundamental Toolkit for Being in the World
Ajahn Pasanno speaks of the three refuges, five precepts, and the monastery as resources for living a harmless and beautiful life. Paritta chanting follows the concluding exhortation.
Ajahn Pasanno – Making Offerings, Giving Joy
Ajahn Pasanno praises giving time, giving gifts, and giving forgiveness as simple ways to generate happiness and form bonds of warmth.