Includes tags: Meditation, Meditation/General advice
“How often and for how long do you recommend practicing meditation at home? Daily, twice a day, 45 minutes, 30 minutes? Thank you!!!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice ] [Lay life] [Time management] // [Idealism]
2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 2, Excerpt 7
“Persistent physical pain. Not chronic, just from sitting. How do I work skillfully with it? Right now the meditations feel swamped with it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain] [Meditation/General advice ] // [Posture/Walking] [Excercise] [Chi Gong] [Mindfulness of breathing]
3. Quote: “Ajahn Chah was a wonderful teacher, but more important, he was a trainer. He trained people how to live.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Teaching Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Māghā Pūjā at Wat Pah Pong. [Festival days] [Lunar observance days] [Wat Pah Pong] [Meditation] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Lay life] [Saṅgha]
[Session] Reading: “Meditation” from Living Dhamma by Ajahn Chah, pp. 50-53. Read by Ajahn Jitindriyā. [Meditation]
“Cultivate the tree right from the seed.” [Similes] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma]
“To practice in a way that’s peaceful means to place the mind neither too high or too low, but at the point of balance.” [Middle Path] [Ajahn Chah]
“So many teachers, so many teachings.” [Teachers] [Doubt] [Meditation/Techniques]
“Where there is knowing, there is no need to think.” [Knowing itself] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Tranquility] [Mindfulness] [Discernment] [Proliferation]
“Resolve that right now is the time for training the mind and nothing else.” [Ardency] [Determination] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Body scanning] [Relinquishment] [Sense restraint]
“Sometimes there may be doubt, so you must have sati, to be the one who knows, continually following and examining the agitated mind.” [Continuity of mindfulness] [Restlessness and worry] [Heedfulness] [Concentration] [Feeling]
Simile: Chicken in a coop.
8. Ajahn Chah emphasized sīla and precepts when teaching in the West. Recollection by Joseph Kappel. [Virtue ] [Five Precepts] [Teaching Dhamma] [Culture/West] [Ajahn Chah] // [Communal harmony] [Meditation] [Sensual desire] [Long-term practice]
3. “When I went to stay with Luang Por Chah, he said, ‘Don’t read anything.’” Recollection by Ajahn Sumedho. [Learning] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] // [Abhidhamma] [Rains retreat] [Meditation]
4. Story: Half a million people attend Ajahn Chah’s funeral. Told by Ajahn Sundarā. [Funerals] [Ajahn Sundarā] [Ajahn Chah] // [Food] [Free distribution] [Meditation] [Stupas/monuments] [Chanting]
Quote: “The heart of [Ajahn Chah’s] teaching is the ability to bring people together.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Saṅgha] [Community]
Story: The cremation pyre catches fire and number 16 wins the lottery. [Humor]
1. “How did Ajahn Chah relate to the lay community around him and tailor the Dharma to their own circumstances?” Answered by Ajahn Sumedho and Ṭhānissarā. [Lay life ] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma]
Story: Thai villagers tell Ajahn Sumedho that they never understood Buddhism until they met Luang Por Chah. Told by Ajahn Sumedho. [Culture/Thailand] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Monastic life] [Generosity] [Meditation] [Community] [Family] [Mindfulness]
Quote: “He didn’t respond to the external cues but went to the heart and grabbed you in that way.” — Ṭhānissarā [Conventions] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Not-self]
2. Guided meditation offered by Ajahn Sundarā. [Meditation] // [Posture/Sitting] [Body scanning] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Present moment awareness]
11. Story: Ajahn Chah suffers on tudong. Told by Jack Kornfield. [Suffering] [Tudong] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ardency] [Meditation] [Sickness] [Patience]
18. Story: Jack Kornfield ask Ajahn Chah for permission to leave Wat Pah Pong. Told by Jack Kornfield. [Jack Kornfield] [Monastic life] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Other Theravāda traditions] [Seclusion] [Meditation] [Work] [Teachers] [Liberation]
Quote: “If I look like the Buddha to you, then you’ll still thing the Buddha is out here somewhere.” Ajahn Chah [Buddha] [Conventions]
4. Stories: The Chipmunk Story and The Donkey Story. Told by Kittisaro. [Kittisaro] [Depression] [Humor ] [Similes] [Ajahn Chah] // [Recreation/leisure/sport] [Perfectionism] [Meditation] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Sickness] [Animal] [Learning] [Health care] [Self-identity view] [Joseph Kappel] [Compassion] [Energy] [Right Effort] [Equanimity] [Lawfulness]
2. Story: “This is Ajahn Varapañño.” Told by Paul Breiter. [Paul Breiter] [Translation] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation] [Ardency] [Monastic life] [Humor] [Goodwill]
3. Question related to age and ordination (audio unclear). Answered by Ajahn Sumedho. [Ordination] [Older monks] [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Mae Chee] [Relationships] [Liberation] [Culture/West]
Story: A doctor ordains later in life. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Health care]
11. Story: Ṭhānissarā visits Ajahn Chah in Thailand, meets Mae Chee Kumfah, then stays at Chithurst. Told by Ṭhānissarā. [Ṭhānissarā] [Mae Chee Kumfah] [Chithurst] [Ajahn Chah] // [Travel] [Fear] [Meditation] [Mae Chee] [Wat Pah Pong]
9. The sea of faith: Ajahn Chah’s funeral. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Faith] [Funerals] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation] [Chanting] [Almsfood]
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] [Meditation] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
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.
17. “What is the difference between ‘meditating on’ versus ‘contemplating’ or just thinking about something. Can you give some examples how one may skillfully meditate on something versus unskillfully? What does saṅkhāra mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Recollection] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Skillful qualities] [Volitional formations] [Pāli] // [Concentration] [Progress of insight] [Self-identity view] [Aggregates]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 11: A passage to arouse urgency.
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Context of Ajahn Chah’s early efforts at meditation. [Meditation] [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai sects] [Ajahn Mun] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma]
2. Teaching by Ajahn Chah: Skillful effort in meditation. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Determination] [Right Effort] [Ajahn Chah] // [Conceit] [Posture/Sitting] [Relinquishment] [Equanimity] [Tranquility] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Restlessness and worry] [Clinging] [Craving] [Judgementalism]
Reference: Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 467 “Unshakeable Peace”
3. Reading: Catching a Lizard. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Similes] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation/General advice] [Sense restraint] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension]
7. Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s tudong practice. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Seclusion] [Tudong] // [Meditation] [Sickness] [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] [Patience]
29. Story: The head of Lalanka Water invites monks to stay above his office and teach the employees. Told by Ajahn Yatiko. [Work] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Teaching Dhamma] [Right Livelihood] // [Lunar observance days] [Eight Precepts] [Meditation] [Dhamma discussion] [Respect]
Story: The ultra-competent assistant who wants to ordain. [Monastic life/Motivation]
Story: The king’s assistant who dives into the water to get 20 pounds of gold (DN 17).
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]
9. “For me, the practice starts with concentration to get to a place of well-being. Is there a missing piece here?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Concentration] [Happiness] // [Cultural context] [Generosity] [Precepts] [Culture/West] [Western psychology] [Meditation]
Quote: “It is helpful to get a picture of the whole path and realize how integrated and mutually nourishing those path factors are.” [Eightfold Path] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma]
10. “Could you clarify whether having more than one meditation object is a help or a hindrance?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice]
14. “How does one reconcile the apparent complete lack of control that is experienced in meditation...with the apparent need to control one’s circumstances off the cushion. Is it possible to live with complete non-contention and still have an organized life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Everyday life] [Meditation] [Volition] [Non-contention]
2. “Over the last couple of years, I’ve been noticing that memory retention isn’t quite what it used to be...In your experience, has meditation practice helped sharpen the memory?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Memory] [Ageing] [Meditation]
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]
27. “After 20 plus years of having a daily practice and Dharma being first priority, I just up and stopped meditating one day about 2 years ago...Can you talk about this ‘rolling up the mat’ [phenomenon]? Why it happens, how and when, etc?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Long-term practice ] // [Idealism] [Purpose/meaning] [Right Effort] [Spiritual friendship]
13. “Also, What are the 4 aspects of bhavana that you mentioned?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation]
1. “I see what you’re saying about the hindrances, but it seems like that’s everything I called my life....So you’re saying keep on working at it and it [the mind] gets used to focusing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hindrances] [Proliferation] [Meditation] // [Mindfulness] [Goodwill] [Recollection/Virtue] [Recollection/Generosity] [Gladdening the mind]
2. “What do you think about the idea of secular Buddhism? Earlier you spoke about bhāvanā versus meditation, that meditation is not a useful translation [of bhāvanā]. Do you think secular Buddhism is useful or not?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Secular Buddhism] [Meditation] // [Human] [Suffering] [Cultural context] [Buddhist identity] [Culture/West] [Learning]
Quote: “Anything is useful if it’s picking up the actual teachings of the Buddha and applying [them] in a skillful way.” [Eightfold Path] [Skillful qualities]
5. “When is it useful to determine to stick with a single practice, even when it doesn’t seem to work, instead of exploring other options?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Pain] // [Suffering] [Right Effort] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Mindfulness of mind] [Discernment] [Direct experience] [Self-identity view]
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. “With your meditation object, when you turn to contemplate it in terms of the three characteristics: anicca, dukkha and anatta, and that doesn’t come up, does that mean you need to stabilize the mind more to see the object more clearly?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Disenchantment] [Characteristics of existence] [Concentration] // [Self-identity view] [Knowledge and vision] [Relinquishment] [Dhamma]
2. “In the Pure Land tradition, there are practices that prepare one for death. Are there are specific recommendations that yourself or Ajahn Chah would give for preparation for that last moment before death?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pure Land] [Ajahn Chah] [Death] [Recollection/Death] // [Buddho mantra]
Story: Family members try to encourage a drunkard to recollect “Arahaṃ“ in his last moments. [Mantra] [Humor]
Story: Ajahn Chah’s response to Paul Breiter’s desire to teach meditation to dying people. Told by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Paul Breiter] [Meditation] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Story: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo advises Iris Landsberg to recollect “sorrowless, spotless, secure.” Told by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Recollection]
Sutta: Sn 2.4: Maṅgala Sutta (English chanting translation).
Story: A couple asks Master Hua what kind of dog they should get. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Animal] [Rebirth]
3. “Was there a time in Thai history when meditation was a routine part of childhood education?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Thai Buddhism] [Children] [Learning] [Meditation] // [Three Refuges] [Chanting] [Right View]
Reflection: Ajahn Liem’s mother and sister were nuns with similar demeanor. [Ajahn Liem] [Family] [Mae Chee] [Wat Pah Pong] [Personality]
1. Recollection: Saṅgha gatherings at Wat Pah Pong on Ajahn Chah’s birthday. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Pong] [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Protocols] [Meditation]
Recollection: Inspecting almsbowls after the meal to see if there was any food left. [Almsbowl] [Food]
11. “Is there a meditation practice to use with someone who is dying?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Death] // [Faith] [Simplicity] [Happiness] [Recollection/Death] [Ageing] [Sickness]
Story about Ram Dass’s dying mother: “Richard, shut up!” [Ram Dass] [Fear] [Restlessness and worry]
14. “I can’t imagine not having meditation as part of this practice. How does Buddhism exist without it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [History] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Ceremony/ritual] [Generosity] [Faith] [Devotional practice]
15. “A list of ten misconceptions about Buddhim in Tricycle magazine included ‘All Buddhists meditate.’ It said that historically this wasn’t true. Is this accurate?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [History] [Culture/West] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Monastic life] [Lay life] [Devotional practice] [History/Thai Buddhism]
16. Comment about Asian and Western Buddhist perspectives regarding meditation and other aspects of practice encountered at Abhayagiri Monastery. [Cultural context] [Culture/West] [Meditation] [Devotional practice] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Ajahn Chah] [Abhayagiri]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Learning]
4. “Does the current interest in meditation in Thailand extend to the villages around forest monasteries as well as urban areas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days] [Festival days]
5. “So the whole country [Thailand] meditates?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Thai Forest Tradition]
6. Comment: I appreciate Ajahn Liem saying, ‘I didn’t make much of it.’ It’s a contradiction between being very active and not being active at the same time. [Ajahn Liem] [Middle Path] [Thai Forest Tradition]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Meditation] [Concentration] [Proliferation] [Nature of mind] [Faith]
8. “How can we balance happiness and ease with the desire to accomplish something using meditation techniques?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Happiness] [Desire] [Middle Path] // [Recollection/Dhamma] [Hearing the true Dhamma]
21. “How do you not objectify this awareness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowing itself] [Mindfulness] [Proliferation] // [Four Noble Truths] [Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Investigation of states]
Quote: “If you objectify awareness, you’re going to suffer.” [Nature of mind]
Quote: “These Four Noble Truths are not an endpoint, they are something that you’re internalizing and using in your meditation practice and in your daily life.” [Meditation] [Everyday life]
3. “Is walking meditation as ‘good’ as sitting meditation. Can one achieve the level of undistractedness that one needs to be able to investigate the human experience? Or is it part of the bigger picture of mindfulness for seven full days to experience stream entry?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Posture/Walking] [Posture/Sitting] [Insight meditation] [Stream entry] // [Meditation/General advice] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Concentration]
Stories about Ajahn Khao. [Ajahn Khao ]
Story: Walking meditation was Ajahn Khao’s preferred mode of practice.
Story: Ajahn Khao’s relics were purple, clear, and incredibly beautiful. [Relics] [Abhayagiri]
Recollection: Ajahn Khao expresses gratitude for the place he realized Awakening. [Liberation] [Gratitude] [Lodging] [Bodhi Tree]
7. “How often and for how long do you recommend practicing meditation at home? Daily, twice a day, 45 minutes, 30 minutes? Thank you!!!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice ] [Lay life] [Time management] // [Idealism]
15. “The problem of extremes. Yesterday, pīti. This morning, the horrors of the bait and craving for annihilation in all their ugliness. Then, pīti again. The only thing I’ve figured is to back off from meditation when things get too extreme. Any other suggestions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Rapture] [Craving not to become]
1. “During my meditation, I can occasionally calm the mind to the point where it seems devoid of thought. It is temporary, like a door opening. How should I use this opportunity? Concentrate on the breath? Wait for thoughts to arise and watch them? Explore / investigate a topic that is causing my suffering? Other? With gratitude.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Meditation/General advice] [Concentration] // [Investigation of states] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] [Right Effort] [Discernment] [Self-reliance]
5. “Should the sixteen steps be practiced simultaneously?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Meditation/General advice] [Right Effort]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta.
6. Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko: There is the concern that we practice meditation to make something happen. [Meditation/General advice]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Neutral feeling] [Delusion]
Sutta: MN 44: Cūḷavedalla Sutta, The Small Discourse Giving an Elaboration. [Feeling] [Unwholesome Roots]
2. “Why did the Buddha ask the monk to develop meditation in many ways [in AN 8.63]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Meditation/General advice] [Buddha/Biography] // [Directed thought and evaluation] [Rapture] [Happiness] [Equanimity] [Jhāna] [Calming meditation] [Cessation of Suffering]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah would rarely label meditation states. [Ajahn Chah]
13. “Is bhavadiṭṭhi the same word as cultivation (bhāvanā)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Becoming] [Views] [Meditation] [Pāli] [Not-self] // [Etymology]
9. “Could you speak to how we sink into a place and you lift yourself with brightness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gladdening the mind] // [Concentration] [Meditation] [Language] [Spaciousness]
13. “Should someone who follows the five precepts and meditates but has their own faith and belief call themselves a Buddhist?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Five Precepts] [Meditation] [Faith] [Spiritual traditions] [Buddhist identity] // [Dhamma] [Truth] [Eightfold Path] [Happiness]
18. Story: A woman likes Buddhist teachings and principles, follows the precepts, and meditates, but hates when people identify with this and call themselves Buddhist. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Dhamma] [Precepts] [Meditation] [Aversion] [Buddhist identity] [Clinging] [Self-identity view]
1. “What do you do when things like knee pain arise?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Meditation/General advice] [Pain] [Aversion] [Hindrances] // [Compassion]
5. “Is jhāna only in meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
Quote: “Only farangs [Westerners] go into meditation rock climbing! Does he contemplate the Four Noble Truths?” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/West] [Recreation/leisure/sport] [Meditation] [Four Noble Truths] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Relinquishment]
6. “If there isn’t an intention, [meditation] isn’t useful for the goal?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Volition] [Jhāna] // [Volitional formations] [Kamma]
9. “Isn’t rapture and joy a sensual pleasure?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Rapture] [Happiness] [Sense bases] [Jhāna] // [Dhamma] [Virtue] [Generosity] [Compassion] [Recollection/Virtue]
Quote: “You can actually give yourself permission to enjoy the meditation.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Meditation]
10. “I meditate. Pleasure arises, and I enjoy that. Does that mean it’s Dhamma practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Happiness] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Jhāna] // [Investigation of states] [Feeling] [Mindfulness of mind]
19. Quote: “There are a lot of confusing views and opinions about jhāna and meditation. It’s helpful to ask, ‘What’s the Buddha actually say? How does he put it?’ I have a lot more faith in him than in a lot of what’s out there.” — Ajahn Pasanno [Meditation] [Faith] [Views] [Buddha] [Jhāna]
23. “When we drop directed thought and evaluation, do we drop the object of our concentration and just abide in mindfulness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Concentration] [Mindfulness] [Meditation] [Jhāna] // [Knowing itself]
5. “Is the purpose of jhāna aand meditation to build up the strength of the mind so we will be able to contemplate the Four Noble Truths?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Heart/mind] [Four Noble Truths] [Jhāna] // [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation]
Sutta: AN 4.170: In Conjunction
7. “Can you tell us your story of when you decided to become a monk?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Learning] [Travel] [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] [Mahasi Sayadaw] [Temporary ordination] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah [Wat Pah Pong] [Sequence of training] [Determination]
7. “Persistent physical pain. Not chronic, just from sitting. How do I work skillfully with it? Right now the meditations feel swamped with it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain] [Meditation/General advice ] // [Posture/Walking] [Excercise] [Chi Gong] [Mindfulness of breathing]
11. “Is it better to stick to one mode of breath meditation (visualizations, a mantra, etc.) for a while during the course of a 30-45 minute sit rather than jumping around to various modes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Mindfulness of breathing]
13. “How important is chanting for one’s practice? Do you have any tips for how to recite/remember the Pali chants?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Chanting ] [Memory] [Pāli] // [Monastic life] [Recollection] [Devotional practice] [Energy] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Long-term practice] [Dhamma recordings] [Posture/Walking] [Almsround] [Mindfulness]
Story: Ajahn Mun would chant for over an hour each evening before he started meditating. [Ajahn Mun] [Monastic routine]
Suttas: AN 10.60 Girimānanda Sutta; SNSN 22.22: Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (Chanting Book translation).
Story: The evening program at Wat Fah Krahm is three hours of chanting followed by a three-hour sit. [Wat Fah Krahm] [Meditation]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 138: Rhythm of the Pāli language.
Sutta: SN 48.9: Mindfulness related to memory.
6. “With development (bhavana), is one able to shape the course of sickness or heal oneself to a degree?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Sickness] [Health] // [Happiness] [Medicinal requisites]
Comment: I’ve been reflecting on how AN 5.48 applies to environmental and collective well-being–engaging without the expectation that actions will have a certain result. [Environment] [Politics and society]
Response [History/Thai Buddhism]
8. Comment: Michael Olds translates sutta as ‘magical spell.’ The format, repetition, and structure of the suttas has a certain potency. When I read the suttas after meditating, it’s completely different. [Sutta] [Psychic powers] [Meditation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha] [Teaching Dhamma]
6. Story: Ajahn Pasanno visits the elderly Cambodian monk Mahāgossānanda who has Alzheimer’s disease. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Preah Mahāghosānanda] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] // [Dalai Lama] [Divine Abidings] [Ajahn Chah] [Heart/mind]
Quote: “That thing you learn in meditation—that you don’t lose.” — Ajahn Fuang [Ajahn Fuang] [Meditation] [Liberation]
Story: A monk known for psychic powers visits Ajahn Chah’s sick room and reports: “You don’t have to worry about Ajahn Chah. His heart is so bright.” [Psychic powers] [Dependent origination] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days]
5. “Could you tell us your stories related to the King Rama 9 of Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [King Rama IX] [Culture/Thailand] // [Leadership] [Meditation] [Recreation/leisure/sport] [Commerce/economics]
Story: Thai lay supporters remember King Rama IX at Abhayagiri’s 2016 Kaṭhina. [Abhayagiri] [Kaṭhina]
Story: King Rama IX attends Ajahn Chah’s funeral. [Ajahn Chah] [Funerals] [Wat Pah Pong] [Tranquility]
Story: King Rama IX asks President Nixon for understanding. [Politics and society] [Communal harmony] [Listening]
2. “I often find it hard to stay settled on the breath. Though I’ve been meditating for some time, my mind does not seem to focus well. When things are going “well”, I feel sense of joy but my mind jumps from topic to topic quickly (as though excited it’s going well). When things aren’t going well, my mind shifts into work mode, trying to “fix” the situation and bring the joy back. This results in a lot of tension in my face and long, difficult sittings. Do you have any advice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Meditation/General advice] [Meditation/Results]
14. “I remember reading some stories of Ajahn Chah teaching lay people about herbal medicines. I know some Tibetan monks practice medicine. Is there such a tradition in Thailand? Are there any stores of Ajahn Chah healing people physically with traditional medicines?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Health care] [Medicinal requisites ] [Culture/Thailand] // [Thai Forest Tradition] [History/Thai Buddhism] [Vinaya] [Right Livelihood] [Almsfood]
Recollection: Walking around the forest with Ajahn Chah. [Culture/Natural environment]
Story: Bung Wai villagers walk to Wat Pah Pong to practice meditation all night on Wan Phra. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong] [Lunar observance days] [Monastic routine] [Meditation]
Story: Por Am argues with Ajahn Chah for three days. [Doubt] [Precepts]
Story: Ajahn Chah teaches Por Am to be a herbal doctor so he can keep the precepts.
Recollection: The hunter-gatherer culture of Northeast Thailand. [Food] [Killing] [Geography/Thailand]
4. “It seems I have returned to remedial meditation practice. I can’t seem to find ease in my body, let alone my breath. It feels like I’m stuck in physical pain - an invisible barrier I can’t seem to penetrate. Acceptance and loving kindness are being applied, but without much movement. I am trying to develop concentration on breath - so far no piti or sukha. What to do?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Pain] [Goodwill] [Mindfulness of breathing]
3. Discussion about the meaning of quarrels in meditation and in daily life. [Conflict] [Meditation]
3. “Will practice as a group help us in solitude?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Seclusion] [Meditation/General advice] [Community] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha]
4. “How do we balance solitude and communal aspects of practice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Seclusion] [Community] [Meditation/General advice] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. Reading: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 40-41: Ajahn Chah’s father’s dying request Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Parents] [Death] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation]
7. Comment: The essence of Ajahn Chah’s teaching was virtue and Right View. [Teaching Dhamma] [Virtue] [Right View ] [Ajahn Chah ] // [Meditation] [Mindfulness] [Concentration]
Reading: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 594-596: “Sammādiṭṭhi”
3. Comment: I’m trying to move away from the concept of formal and informal practice. It’s just how I’m practicing in practice this moment. [Continuity of mindfulness] [Meditation] [Present moment awareness] [Everyday life]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ardency] [Tranquility] [Middle Path] [Eightfold Path]
16. “These readings give the sense that the Northeastern Thai Isan culture is the soil that supports the living tradition. Are there cultural attitudes or ingredients that would be helpful for laypeople in addition to the key things of sīla and Right View?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Culture/West] [Virtue] [Right View] // [Generosity] [Meditation] [Precepts] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Happiness]
1. Recollection: Ajahn Mun chants for an hour before meditating. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Meditation] [Devotional practice] [Chanting]
6. “How do you handle physical sensations like an itch during meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Contact] // [Mindfulness] [Patience] [Pain]
8. Story: The cook assigned to look after Ajahn Pasanno doesn’t understand what he can and needs to eat. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Almsfood] [Food] // [Industry] [Meditation] [Energy] [Health] [Patience] [Culture/Natural environment]
10. “I find a lot of meditation time is taken up with psychoanalyzing aand thinking, ‘Oh, this is a discovery!’ What is the line between realizing that you’re caught again?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Western psychology] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Mindfulness of feeling] [Proliferation] [Clear comprehension]
1. “Do you feel metta is to be developed or do you feel metta is just an outcome of your life and your practice?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Goodwill] [Right Effort] [Conditionality] // [Meditation] [Precepts] [Calming meditation] [Suffering] [Aversion] [Appropriate attention] [Gratitude]
3. Comment: Practicing meditation, keeping precepts, and developing metta for myself help me love others more and more, but it isn’t easy. [Goodwill] [Meditation] [Precepts]
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]
10. Comment by Ajahn Pasanno: Throughout the whole teaching (DN 16) there is the sense of the ordinary and the transcendant together all the time. [Conventions] [Unconditioned] [Sutta] [Buddha/Biography] // [Nature of mind] [Ceremony/ritual] [Precepts] [Meditation] [Devotional practice] [Middle Path] [Release]
Sutta: Aniccā vata saṅkhārā... (SN 6.15) [Cessation] [Happiness] [Recollection/Peace]
8. “Any advice to guide me after retirement? How to get rid of the fear of death?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ageing] [Fear] [Death] // [Happiness] [Merit] [Generosity] [Virtue] [Meditation] [Mindfulness]
6. “Why do the monks keep their eyes closed during meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/General advice] [Postures] // [Sense bases] [Seclusion] [Sloth and torpor] [Restlessness and worry]
4. “You spoke about the teachings and the training. What is the training for a lay practitioner other than the Five Precepts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Dhamma] [Vinaya] [Lay life] [Five Precepts] // [Meditation] [Communal harmony] [Right Livelihood] [Family] [Work] [Politics and society] [Spiritual friendship]
7. “I’m a mother to four kids, one of whom has special needs. I’m lucky if I can meditate 10-15 minutes a day. Are there practices one can do when one is frequently around little ones?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Children ] [Meditation/General advice] // [Posture/Sitting] [Three Refuges] [Precepts] [Recollection/Virtue] [Recollection/Generosity] [Gladdening the mind] [Mindfulness of body] [Clear comprehension]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 104: Forty subjects of meditation.
Sri Lankan Buddhists keep a book of good deeds which is read near the time of death. [Culture/Sri Lanka] [Merit] [Death]
Story: Debbie Stamp served as primary caregiver to her father during the pandemic. [Parents] [Pandemic]