1. “In reference to the fragrance of the flower....There are many roses in the courtyard across the street....Why do we cultivate beauty? Where does beauty arise from?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Beauty] // [Clinging] [Happiness] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Empathetic joy] [Unconditioned]
Sutta: MN 37: Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya. (Nothing whatsoever should be clung to.)
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s mother sends his old letters to Abhayagiri. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah was unshakeable in the midst of all the things that were happening around him and responded warmly and compassionately to the people around him. [Ajahn Chah] [Equanimity] [Compassion] [Family] [Monastic life/Motivation]
2. “Did you get a little bit [of Ajahn Chah’s equanimity and warmth]? What’s it like?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Monastic life/Motivation]
2. “What is meant by skillful?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities ] // [Unskillful qualities] [Happiness] [Tranquility] [Kamma] [Discernment]
Quote: “The language of Dhamma is the language of feeling.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma] [Feeling]
4. “Am I what I feel? We have a lot of feelings as humans, and then a lot more feelings have come up since COVID. There’s a lot of depression, hurt feelings, regret, death, end of relation and of income, end of status. A lot of us want to know how to work with this or even change these really hard emotional states.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Emotion] [Human] [Self-identity view] [Pandemic] [Grief] // [Suffering] [Spiritual friendship] [Compassion]
Recollection: “Sometimes Ajahn Chah would consciously make things difficult for us....He’s always pointing back to the heart.” [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Heart/mind]
6. “Is there a right speed to silent walking?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Posture/Walking] // [Abhayagiri] [Postures] [Continuity of mindfulness]
Story: Jack Kornfield asks Ajahn Chah, “Whenever you teach walking meditation, you always teach the monks to walk slowly. But whenever you walk meditation, you walk really fast. [Ajahn Chah] [Jack Kornfield] [Teaching Dhamma] [Exercise]
Translations of sampajañña (clear comprehension) and its role in Dhamma practice. [Clear comprehension ] [Translation] [Mindfulness]
3. “Is there a time and place for intentionally breathing or using the breath as a means of calming the mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volition] [Calming meditation] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Tranquility] [Energy]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta.
Recollection: To deal with the restless mind, Ajahn Chah taught to breath in deeply and not breathe out. [Restlessness and worry] [Ajahn Chah]
1. “How do Hsu Yun’s reflection ‘Who’s the guest and who’s the host?’ and Ajahn Chah’s metaphor of the one seat of awareness fit with [meditation practice]?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Master Hsu Yun] [Ajahn Chah] [Similes] // [Knowing itself] [Discernment] [Equanimity]
1. “After the mind has settled and I’m with the breath, the boundaries of the body disappear and the breath starts to be barely perceptible. When anxiety arises in this situation, is it a feeling or a sensation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Restlessness and worry] [Feeling] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Pāli] [Emotion] [Volitional formations]
Quote: “You’re falling out of a tree. You don’t have to count all the branches as you go down. You just have to know it’s going to hurt when you hit the bottom.” Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Dependent origination] [Similes] [Suffering]
Follow-up: “So I can just feel the feeling tone as unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral...?” [Noting]
2. “Tibetan Buddhism seems to have a stronger emphasis on compassion and emptiness as a practice. Can you talk about this from the perspective of the Ajahn Chah lineage, including steps as to how it is done?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Vajrayāna] [Compassion] [Emptiness] [Ajahn Chah lineage] // [Ajahn Chah] [Eightfold Path]
Quote: “What is the mind of an Arahant like?” – “Only compassion” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Arahant]
4. “Please speak about sense consciouness and how the release of attachment is acheived.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Consciousness] [Clinging] [Relinquishment] // [Delusion] [Insight meditation] [Knowledge and vision] [Feeling] [Contact] [Drawbacks] [Compassion]
Quote: “Dhamma practice is not difficult. There are only two things you need to do: know and let go.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma]
5. “How does one know the difference between appropriate grieving and honoring the memory of a beloved versus clinging and attachment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief ] [Clinging] // [Cause of Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Spiritual urgency]
Recollection: Grieving for Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Recollection/Saṅgha]
Quote: “It’s that personalization of experience that gets us into trouble over and over again in different ways.” [Suffering]
8. “Can you offer practical advice for working with hindrances and cultivating sīla without taking it personally, that is, trying to perfect the personality?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hindrances] [Virtue] [Self-identity view] // [Dhamma] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “Kae nun lae (Thai) – It’s just this much.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Suchness]
17. “Fifty vassas! Highs, lows? What are you contemplating these days?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] // [Dhamma] [Abbot] [Mentoring] [Ajahn Chah]
21. “My husband died 10 years ago. There was sadness but also relief that his journey was over and sadness and relief for myself. I can still hear his advice regarding my medications. Is this clinging? He lives in my heart. What do you do with memories and teachings yourself?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Death] [Grief] [Memory] [Clinging]
Recollection: I still hear Ajahn Chah’s voice. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Dreams] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa]
4. “Would you be willing to share memories of Ajahn Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Temporary ordination] [Personality] [Not-self] [Equanimity]
When asked about the core essence of the Buddha’s teachings, Ajahn Chah replies, “Is this a big stick or a little stick?” [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Conventions] [Cause of Suffering]
Story: Ajahn Chah pretends to forget simple questions in order to embarass his translator. [Ajahn Chah] [Forest versus city monks] [Media] [Aversion] [Questions] [Translation] [Similes]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno writes to his family that he’s staying in Thailand because Ajahn Chah is peaceful, solid, clear, and unshakeable in the midst of all that’s going on around him. [Family] [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility] [Clear comprehension]
1. “I know that everything changes, and the only thing we can do is accept or be fine with that. But then you have a lot of resistance to acceptance. What can we do with that resistance?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Impermanence] [Clinging] // [Naturalness] [Suffering] [Truth] [Patience] [Continuity of mindfulness]
Quote: So often Ajahn Chah would respond with the advice, “Just be patient.” [Ajahn Chah]
2. “When that flower is new, if we’re aware of its impermanence and we accept that and we know that it’s coming, is there any reason not to love the flower, appreciate its beauty, and accept it as a blessing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Impermanence ] [Beauty]
Quote: A group of experienced Western Buddists ask Ajahn Chah about Right View. He replies, “Right View is knowing that this cup is broken.” [Ajahn Chah] [Right View]
3. “Have you ever regretted choosing the monastic life? Has your mother ever thought you made a wrong choice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Doubt] [Parents] // [Gratitude] [Retirement] [Energy] [Mentoring] [Christianity] [Abhayagiri]
Reflections on leadership. [Leadership ] [Ajahn Chah] [Abbot] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Discernment]
Quote: “You can’t lead just by telling people what to do and they are going to obey. Forget it!” [Leadership ]
Quote: “Everybody else is a mirror for oneself if one is willing to learn in teaching or leading others.” [Leadership ] [Learning]
7. “At the San Francisco Zen Center, they chant the Heart Sutra daily: ‘No path, no knowledge, no attainment.’ Could you help me understand the paths we’re talking about here and Zen no-path?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Zen] [Eightfold Path] [Liberation] // [Unconditioned] [Relinquishment] [Buddha] [Truth] [Worldly Conditions]
Reference: The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra
Reference: Vijjācaraṇa-sampanno in the Morning Chanting. [Recollection/Buddha]
Quote: “Right view is knowing that this is a broken glass.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Right View] [Impermanence]
3. “Does the concept of refuge in Buddhism contain an element of grace?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Three Refuges ] [Theravāda] [Hinduism] // [Relinquishment] [Knowing itself] [Truth]
Quote: “Did you come here to die?” — Ajahn Chah’s greeting to newcomers.. [Ajahn Chah] [Death] [Liberation] [Self-identity view]
Quote: “If you really understood refuge in Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, there wouldn’t be a time when you bowed without bursting into tears of gratitude and devotion.” [Ajahn Chah] [Bowing ] [Gratitude] [Ajahn Jayasaro]
1. “What should one consider when looking for a teacher or guru to guide one’s personal journey?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teachers ] [Mentoring] [Discernment] // [Ajahn Chah] [Determination] [Truth] [Perfectionism] [Personality]
Quote: “I saw many people show up [at Wat Pah Pong] with their list of what they thought a perfect teacher should be....and they would leave.” [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “It is only when we are willing to give ourselves to truth or reality that the teacher makes sense.”
2. Quote: “Nibbāna is realizing the reality of non-grasping.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Nibbāna]
3. “Why don’t we concentrate not so much on personal liberation, but think more about our practice? What are your thoughts about the Bodhisattva ideal, thinking of others all the time rather than achievement or personal liberation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Liberation] [Bodhisattva] [Compassion] [Nibbāna]
Quote: “Thinking of yourself is isolating. Thinking of others is proliferating....Suffering is an experience rather than a conceptualization.” [Self-identity view] [Proliferation] [Suffering]
Quote: “Don’t be an arhant. Don’t be a Bodhisattva. Don’t be anything at all. As long as you’re anything or anybody, you are going to suffer. And as long as you’re suffering, you’re going to be sharing that out with everyone else as well.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Arahant]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: There is no such thing as the Ajahn Chah method of meditation. [Meditation/Techniques] [Ajahn Chah] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Self-reliance]
2. Quote: “Be very careful what you build, because you’ve got to look after it.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Building projects] [Lodging] // [Simplicity]
3. Ajahn Chah emphasized the importance of sīla during his second trip to the West. [Culture/West] [Virtue] [Ajahn Chah] // [Communal harmony]
Quote: “Teaching Buddhism without sīla is like sending someone out in the open sea in a leaky boat.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Similes]
Simile: A millipede’s many legs all work together in harmony.
5. Reading: Ajahn Mun answers Ajahn Chah’s questions about Vinaya. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Vinaya] [Ajahn Chah] // [Commentaries] [Conscience and prudence] [Simplicity] [Mindfulness]
Reference: “Understanding Vinaya,” Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, pp. 533-534.
The meaning of hiri-otappa. [Translation] [Respect]
6. Recollection: Ajahn Chah taught that the precepts are a mirror for the mind to understand the intention behind actions of body, speech, and mind. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Precepts] [Virtue] [Volition] [Ajahn Chah]
8. Ajahn Chah greets Jack Kornfield: “I hope you’re not afraid to suffer.” [Ajahn Chah] [Jack Kornfield] [Suffering] [Fear] // [Isan] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Relinquishment] [Faith]
10. Quote: “You can go back to your cave and learn to be peaceful there, or you can stay here and learn how to be peaceful anywhere.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility] [Seclusion] [Equanimity] // [Upatakh]
1. “Please tell us where the nuns [attending this event] are from?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bhikkhunī] // [Aranya Bodhi Hermitage] [Dhammadharini Monastery] [Ayya Tathālokā] [Ajahn Mahā Prasert] [Lodging]
Story: Ajahn Chah tells the early Wat Pah Nanachat monks to clear the underbrush. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
4. “How did Ajahn Chah speak about non-self and consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Not-self] [Consciousness] // [Impermanence] [Doctrine-of-self clinging] [Language] [Thai ] [Pāli] [Sense bases] [Unestablished consciousness] [Knowing itself] [Cessation of Suffering]
Quote: “One of the beauties of the Thai language is that it is wonderfully imprecise....it’s a feeling language.” [Thai ] [Proliferation]
Story: George Sharp asks Ajahn Chah why he teaches “Buddho” all the time. Ajahn Chah responds, “Namo viññāṇa dhātu” [Homage to the element of consciousness].
5. “Can you give some context to the story of Ajahn Chah getting angry and yelling at a monk and then regretting it, practicing with it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Aversion] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Protocols]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah said that it wasn’t until he took on the responsibility of teaching others that he really gained wisdom. [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Discernment]
Reference: “Toilets on the Path,” Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 723.
6. “You mentioned that often Ajahn Chah pushed his students through their suffering in order to help them let go. Can you share specific examples of this happening?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Suffering] [Teaching Dhamma] [Relinquishment]
Story: A restless ex-monk asks to reordain. Ajahn Chah says he will keep him as an anagārika for seven years. [Ajahn Chah] [Restlessness and worry] [Postulants] [Sequence of training]
Story: After one year, the restless monk asks to go tudong. [Tudong] [Ajahn Chah]
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. [Ajahn Chah] [Lodging]
9. “I’m struggling with the concept of unshakiness, as “I” am falling into the trap of envisioning an unshakeable self. How can letting go be allowed without an I that lets go?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Equanimity] [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] // [Knowing itself] [Human] [Ajahn Chah] [Three Refuges]
1. Quote: [Ponting to his heart] “It’s all here” — Ajahn Khao to Ajahn Sumedho. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Khao] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Knowing itself] // [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Mahā Amorn] [Isan]
4. Quote: “Mindfulness is the graveyard of all things.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Cessation] // [Self-identity view] [Proliferation] [Compassion]
5. Story: A woman asked Ajahn Chah if she would have to give up listening to music to practice Buddhism. Ajahn Chah replied that learning to listen to the peaceful heart would be more pleasurable and satisfying. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Artistic expression] [Tranquility] [Happiness] // [Cessation] [Nature of mind]
Reference: Recollections of Ajahn Chah by various authors, p. 52.
Quote: “That quality of being without boundaries can be so peaceful. It’s much more compelling.” [Spaciousness]
Sutta: AN 3.32: “This is peaceful, this is sublime...”
6. Ajahn Chah’s letter to Ajahn Sumedho: “Whenever you have feelings of love or hate for anything whatsoever, these will be your aides and partners in building pārami. The Buddha Dhamma is not to be found in moving forwards, nor in moving backwards, nor in standing still. This, Sumedho, is your place of non-abiding.” [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Feeling] [Perfections] [Dhamma] [Emptiness] // [Self-identity view ] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “As long as we’re willing to be a somebody, we’ve got to be willing to suffer. We volunteered.” [Self-identity view ] [Suffering]
7. Story: When asked to teach about vipassanā, Ajahn Chah instructed practitioners to observe a wilting flower. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Insight meditation ] [Impermanence] // [Thai Forest Tradition] [Liberation] [Manjushri Institute]
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. [Ajahn Chah] [Heart/mind] [Ajahn Sumedho]
1. “What was your experience of Ajahn Chah’s personality and character? What was most inspiring about how he conducted himself?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah ] [Personality] [Personal presence] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Admonishment/feedback] [Not-self] [Equanimity] [Humor]
Quote: “If you tried to create a CV for what a Bodhisattva should be, Luang Por Chah would fit that bill.” [Ajahn Chah ] [Bodhisattva]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno chose to stay with Ajahn Chah for five years because he aspired to Ajahn Chah’s unshakeability. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah ] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
Story: Ajahn Chah gave the farang monks playful Thai names. [Ajahn Chah ] [Thai] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro]
2. “So Luang Por Sumedho had a bit of a temper in the beginning?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Aversion] // [Ajahn Chah] [Humor]
3. “What was the nickname of Ajahn Amaro?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Thai] // [Ajahn Chah]
6. “What personal obstacles, either internal or external have you used as dhammas, stepping stones to lift yourself up and go beyond it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Long-term practice] // [Fear ] [Ajahn Chah] [Impermanence] [Mindfulness of body] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “The anxious and fearful mind is always trying to find some certainty somewhere. And of course it isn’t anywhere at all except in this present moment and in the quality of awareness that we have. But the personality doesn’t believe that for a long time.” [Present moment awareness]
Quote: “Be careful of believing your mind because it’s a liar and a cheat.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Nature of mind]
10. “We can control unwholesome acts of body and speech through precepts, but whatever pops up in the mind we mostly can’t control. But how is kamma formed in the mind? Should we control that thing or should it be let go?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Precepts] [Nature of mind] [Kamma] // [Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Ajahn Chah] [Volition]
Sutta: MN 19: Two Kind of Thought
11. “Whatever you do, if you do it with care and attention, it takes longer. If I rush, the task would not be done so well. How do we give care and attention in a quick manner?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Time management] // [Right Mindfulness] [Ardency]
Story: A man moves so slowly paying care and attention that he annoys his family. [Family]
Quote: “A good thief is really mindful.” Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah]
13. “When you started teaching and taking on the role of leader of a community, did that affect the way you related to your own practice because you were being seen by others, having to be more careful about conduct?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abbot] [Leadership] // [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Ajahn Chah] [Fear] [Faith] [Culture/Thailand]
Ajahn Chah always emphasized, “Whatever you’re doing, you have to learn from it.” [Ajahn Chah] [Learning]
1. “What distinguished Ajahn Chah from other meditation teachers?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation/Techniques] [Right View] [Monastic life]
Follow-up: “Did this inspire the way you teach?” [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. “How did Ajahn Chah react to students who had studied in other Buddhist traditions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Spiritual traditions] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Master Hsu Yun] [Hua tou] [Zen] [Right Effort]
3. “It is said that each monk who know Ajahn Chah well would describe him in a different way when asked. How would you describe him?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Personality] [Personal presence] [Compassion]
Quote: “You never quite knew which Ajahn Chah you were going to get, which always kept you on your toes. And if you weren’t on your toes, it wouldn’t take long before he would call you on it.” [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] [Clear comprehension]
4. “What advice would you give to future abbots and teachers of Wat Pah Pong branch monasteries so that the communities maintain the most important characteristics of Ajahn Chah’s style of leadership?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abbot] [Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Saṅgha] [Leadership ] [Ajahn Chah] // [Dhamma] [Vinaya] [Chanting] [Translation]
Sutta: DN 16.6: Dhamma-Vinaya is your leader.
Quote: “Ajahn Chah was conservative, but he wasn’t fundamentalist.” [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life]
Story: The Dalai Lama asks the Abhayagiri monks to chant the Maṅgala Sutta (SN 2.4, Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 46) in Pāli. [Dalai Lama] [Pāli]
Story: Ajahn Chah was one of the first forest monks to ban smoking in the monastery. [Ajahn Chah] [Smoking] [Lunar observance days]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah was unique in consulting with senior monks and laypeople when making decisions. [Ajahn Chah] [Saṅgha decision making]
5. “The word toramon is sometimes associated with Ajahn Chah’s style of training. Could he be “intentionally cruel?”” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching ] // [Ascetic practices] [Teaching Dhamma] [Trust] [Compassion] [Saṃsāra] [Habits]
Quote: “Ajahn Chah was always willing to put obstructions in front of your desires, views and opinions, and habits, which was incredibly compassionate as well as courageous.” [Ajahn Chah] [Craving] [Views] [Courage] [Culture/West]
Story: Ajahn Chah lets a restless junior monk go tudong with devious stipulations. [Ajahn Chah] [Sequence of training] [Restlessness and worry] [Tudong]
6. “There are a few stories about Ajahn Chah having psychic powers, particularly reading minds. Did you ever observe anything of that sort with Ajahn Chah? What was Ajahn Chah’s position on such things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Psychic powers ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Nature of mind]
Story: Ajahn Chah describes the supernatural beings at Wat Pah Pong to a close lay follower, then refuses to talk about other realms with a group from Bangkok. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Non-human beings] [Teaching Dhamma]
7. “Were there any particular themes in Ajahn Chah’s teachings that regularly came up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah ] // [Virtue] [Right View] [Relinquishment] [Knowing itself]
8. “Many of Ajahn Chah’s direct disciples have become revered teachers themselves. Would you say the harsher conditions and more rigorous practices of the early days of Wat Pah Pong played a necessary role in their training and development or was it mostly due to Ajahn Chah being such a masterful teacher?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ascetic practices] [Wat Pah Pong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Humility] [Ajahn Mun] [Mae Chee]
Quote: “There’s this nostalgia for the good old days....To me it’s a fallacy or a fantasy.” [Suffering] [Poverty]
Quote: “To be able to lay a foundation that was carried on is really exceptional.” [Ajahn Chah] [Saṅgha] [Leadership]
9. “Can you speak about the connection Ajahn Chah had with Luang Por Tongrat and Luang Por Tongrat in general?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Tongrat ] [Ajahn Chah] // [Thai sects] [Ajahn Mun] [Monastic routine] [Almsround]
Reference: Ajahn Utane’s biography of Ajahn Tongrat. Ajahn Mudito translated this into Portuguese in 2019, and there is a machine translation from the Portuguese.
Quote: “Oh, Chah, you’ve come.” — Ajahn Tongrat’s first words to Ajahn Chah.. [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Tongrat makes a racket under Ajahn Mun’s kuti in order to provoke a Dhamma talk. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Story: Ajahn Tongrat dies in the Dhamma seat. [Death]
10. “What would Ajahn Chah say if he visited our Western monasteries today in 2025? Would he recommend any changes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Chah] // [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [History]
Quote: “Be careful about getting too comfortable.” [Heedlessness]
Suttas: SN 17: Be cautious about gain, honor, and fame. [Worldly Conditions] [Fierce/direct teaching]
11. “Could you tell us your very first encounter with Luang Por Chah? How did it happen? What did he say to you? What impression did you have then?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Temporary ordination] [Wat Pah Pong] [Culture/Natural environment] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno is impressed by handwritten notes about Ajahn Chah’s teaching by a visitor to Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Phleng Vipassanā] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “The place itself [Wat Pah Pong] was a reflection of Ajahn Chah.” [Ajahn Chah] [Lay life] [Lunar observance days]
Story: The branch monasteries and lay community gather for Māgha Pūjā. [Festival days] [Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Chah] [Community]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Ajahn Chah inspired people to be willing to commit to practice and training. [Monastic life/Motivation] [Determination] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Fourfold Assembly] [Relinquishment]
2. Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno writes to his parents that he will stay with Ajahn Chah for five years because he wants to pick up Ajahn Chah’s peace and unshakeability. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Sequence of training] [Equanimity] [Ajahn Chah]
3. “When Luang Por Chah’s physical condition deteriorated and he was no longer physically active, how did the Saṅgha and lay community react to it? And how did you feel about it? How did the Saṅgha manage to organize new leadership? Any challenges, confusions, or conflicts?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness] [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Leadership] [Ajahn Chah] [Conflict] // [Impermanence] [Saṅgha decision making] [Grief] [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Liem]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah told the Saṅgha that his illness was incurable and they would have to look after him. [Ajahn Chah] [Health care ]
I did my grieving when Ajahn Chah was still alive and sick. Recollection by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Death]
Recollection: Caring for Ajahn Chah as a community. [Ajahn Chah] [Health care ] [Mae Chee] [Communal harmony]
Recollection: Preparing for Ajahn Chah’s funeral. [Funerals] [Building projects]
Quote: “His example was always one of giving himself to what was of benefit to the Dhamma, to the Vinaya, to others. There was so little personal agenda and personal preferences ever shown.” [Ajahn Chah] [Generosity]
4. Story: A group of military generals ask Ajahn Chah to bless some medallions. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Amulets] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Food] [Saṅgha decision making] [Relics] [Funerals]
5. “What do you treasure most among what you/we have inherited from Luang Por Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “He had given himself completely, and he had reaped the fruits completely.” [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment] [Liberation]
6. “What were the criteria for founding new branch monasteries at Ajahn Chah’s time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Saṅgha decision making] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Keuan] [Environment] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Anek] [Wat Pah Sai Ngam] [Faith] [Wat Phu Din Dang]
7. “How did Luang Por Chah cultivate his wisdom (satipañña)? How did he generate his energy (viriya)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Discernment] [Energy] [Ajahn Chah] // [Doubt] [Teaching Dhamma]
Quote: “He was always curious to reflect, to investigate, to experiment, to try out things and to see what worked and what didn’t work.” [Ajahn Chah] [Personality] [Appropriate attention]
8. “How did Luang Por Chah relate to the lay community around him and tailor the Dhamma to their own circumstances?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Lunar observance days] [Building projects] [Cultural context] [Stories]
Story: Ajahn Chah’s talkative older brother helps with their mother’s funeral. [Ajahn Chah] [Family] [Funerals]
9. “Is there a story about when Ajahn Chah wanted to give feedback to a senior monk and he waited 20-30 years?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Admonishment/feedback] [Ajahn Chah] // [Culture/Thailand]
10. “Were there any memories from the period of training with Ajahn Chah that really stand out in your mind? In what ways did you find it difficult?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno skips morning pūjā to meditate diligently at his kuti. Ajahn Chah calls him lazy. [Monastic routine] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno sits vigil at a cremation and makes a bathing cloth from the cloth used to wrap a corpse. [Funerals ] [Robes ] [Wat Pah Pong] [Recollection/Death]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno joins the Wat Pah Pong Saṅgha, exchanges his requisites, and excitedly attends his first Pāṭimokkha at Wat Pah Pong. Ajahn Chah keeps the monks sitting until 3 am. [Vinaya] [Ajahn Chah] [Requisites] [Not handling money] [Pāṭimokkha] [Compassion] [Relinquishment]
1. Background of the Amaravati Sunday Talks. [Amaravati] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Rains retreat] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah]
2. Recollection: Ajahn Chah was a memorable person; his influence has spread around the world. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Chah] // [Faith] [Ajahn Sumedho]
3. Recollection: My introduction to Ajahn Chah. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Temporary ordination] [Travel] [Wat Phleng Vipassanā] [Forest versus city monks]
4. Recollection: Ajahn Chah’s community in 1975. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong ] [Western Ajahn Chah lineage] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Isan] [Personal presence]
5. Recollection: Ajahn Chah taught by example, but put the focus on the monastic training and community. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Ajahn Chah] // [Humility]
Quote: “He was unique in his ability to draw people in without it having to be about him.” [Ajahn Chah] [Personal presence ] [Personality]
6. Recollection: Why I stayed with Ajahn Chah. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Determination] [Ajahn Chah] // [Family] [Sequence of training] [Equanimity] [Personal presence]
7. Recollection: He was always willing to push us beyond what we thought we could do. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fierce/direct teaching] [Ajahn Chah] // [Intuition]
Quote: “I hope you’re not afraid of suffering....If you’re afraid of suffering, you’re not going to grow in wisdom here.” — Ajahn Chah to Jack Kornfield. [Ajahn Chah] [Jack Kornfield] [Fear] [Suffering] [Discernment]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training] [Determination]
Story: Ajahn Chah asks the young Ajahn Pasanno to become abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Sickness]
8. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Amaravati and other monasteries are offshoots of Ajahn Chah’s gift of monastic training where people can continue to practice. [Monastic life] [Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Chah]
9. Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno’s first lunar observance night at Wat Pah Pong. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] [Lunar observance days] [Ajahn Chah] // [Monastic life] [Pace of life] [Patience]
Quote: “You learn as you go. You expand your ability to go beyond the limitations you set for yourself.” [Learning]
Quote: “The more you resist and complain in your mind, the more you suffer.” [Aversion] [Suffering] [Habits]
10. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Ajahn Chah used the Vinaya rules as a basis to train in mindfulness and clear comprehension. [Vinaya] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Ajahn Chah] // [Volition] [Perception of a samaṇa] [Protocols ] [Sense restraint] [Beauty] [Faith]
Story: Ajahn Chah demonstrates how to put down a yahm (monk’s shoulder bag). [Ajahn Chah] [Requisites] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Vinaya: Kd 1.23: Sariputta gains faith from Venerable Assiji’s demeanor. [Great disciples]
11. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno on Ajahn Chah’s ability to illustrate Dhamma. [Teaching Dhamma] [Similes] [Ajahn Chah]
Simile: Suffering is like continually tightening a bolt. [Suffering]
12. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Ajahn Chah’s compassion and empathy. [Compassion] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “I’ve been like that.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Munindo] [Suffering]
13. Recollection: Ajahn Chah enjoyed teasing people and playing with words. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Humor] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Gavesako] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Compassion]
Stories: The Squirrel Story and the Donkey Story. [Kittisaro] [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life] [Patience]
Note: Kittisaro tells these stories himself here.
14. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: His leadership and his teaching came from his example. [Leadership] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Lunar observance days] [Devotion to wakefulness]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah sits until midnight despite having malaria. [Ajahn Chah] [Sickness] [Posture/Sitting] [Sitter's practice]
15. “When you first arrived at Ajahn Chah’s monastery, how did you communicate with him?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Language] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Translation] [Paul Breiter] [Thai] [Isan]
Story: Venerable Varapañño could recite the Pāṭimokkha perfectly. [Pāṭimokkha]
16. “Can you tell us more about Ajahn Chah’s background?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Geography/Thailand] [Education] [Novices] [Ordination] [Ajahn Sao] [Forest versus city monks] [Death] [Ajahn Mun] [Thai sects]
Story: Six-year-old Chah plays at being a monk. [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life]
17. “Can you speak about Luang Por Chah’s opinion about Thai superstitions and amulets?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Superstition] [Amulets] [Ajahn Chah] // [Humor] [Ghost] [Generosity]
Story: A young supporter drafted into the military asks Ajahn Chah for protection. [Ajahn Chah] [Buddha images]
20. “Nowadays we have so much information about Dhamma, whereas when you began, you talked about following an example. How much did being in the presence of someone like Ajahn Chah mean? Could we now overlook this since we have so much information?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dhamma online] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Mentoring] [Personal presence] [Ajahn Chah] // [Amaravati] [Aspects of Understanding]
22. “People say that Westerners are much more individualistic than Asians. Do you think Ajahn Chah was good at understanding the Western way of thinking?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/West] [Culture/Asia] [Ajahn Chah]