28 excerpts, 2:01:00 total duration
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]
5. Reflection by Debbie Stamp: Caring for dying and grieving Abhayagiri supporters and family members. [Abhayagiri] [Sickness] [Family] [Parents] [Death] [Grief] [Health care] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Christianity] [Forgiveness] [Fear] [Impermanence] [Merit] [Doubt]
Reference: Debbie transcribed Ajahn Pasanno’s 2008 Metta Retreat, published it as Abundant, Exalted, Immeasurable, and dedicated the merit to her mother. [Meditation retreats] [Dhamma books]
Story: Ajahn Ñāṇiko hikes to the top of Mount Dana to dedicate merit to deceased relatives. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko]
4. “I just wanted to share my gratitude for Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Ñāniko, and Debbie (you too Luang Por) for giving each day, very needed and timely encouragements—sometimes immediately answering a question I had just posed to myself. It’s like you are all just reading my mind / heart. Questions go deeper and so do your reflections on Dhamma. (Bow, bow, bow, añjali.)” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Teaching Dhamma]
3. “Is there a particular orientation for the intestines?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
Story: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo’s first surgery as a nursing student. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Health care]
7. Quote: “How do I get me some of that non-grasping stuff?” — Ajahn Sucitto. Quoted by Beth Steff. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Clinging] [Self-identity view] [Humor]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Story: “Do I look macho?” Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Chithurst] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
15. “Could you explain what your ordination names mean and how they were chosen?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ordination] [Monastic titles] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Ajahn Pasanno]
3. Further discussion about the role of desire in practice. Led by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Desire] [Sensual desire] [Naturalness] [Craving] // [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Conditionality] [Human] [Monastic life] [Judgementalism]
Comment: If you aren’t willing to see desire as a dhamma, then you’ll never see Dhamma. [Dhamma] [Culture/West] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]
Reference: “Why Come to a Monastery?” by Ajahn Candasiri in Friends on the Path by Ajahn Sundarā and Ajahn Candasiri, pp. 13-21.
A practitioner tells Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho that sexual desire is natural. He replies, “So is the Dhamma.” [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho]
Recollection of Ajahn Karuṇadhammo’s advice to an anagārika about different approaches to dealing with lust. Recounted by Ajahn Pesalo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Unattractiveness] [Characteristics of existence]
1. “During the development of Abhayagiri over the years, has there been a shift in how strictly some practices, activities are followed?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Debbie Stamp. [Amaravati] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ascetic practices] [Culture/West] [Divine Abidings] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Chah] [Devotion to wakefulness] [Work] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Admonishment/feedback] [Protocols] [Ajahn Amaro] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]
Story: Can we ask for soymilk? [Food] [Simplicity]
Recollection: The effects of the gap in seniority between Ajahn Amaro and (then) Tan Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Sequence of training]
Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno is lighter and softer now. Recounted by Debbie Stamp. [Personal presence]
Recollection: The gung-ho early days of Chithurst and Amaravati. Recounted by Debbie Stamp. [Chithurst] [Disrobing]
Recollection: The beginning of sharing circles. Recounted by Debbie Stamp. [Sharing circles] [Culture/Thailand]
1. Ajahn Pasanno introduces Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] // [Abhayagiri] [Ordination]
9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude]
10. “If you lose the firm center of lovingkindness, how do you reestablish it?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Goodwill ] [Concentration] [Right Effort] [Recollection] // [Visualization] [Mantra] [Seclusion] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
4. Stories: The day before Abhayagiri opened; Ajahn Pasanno moves to Abhayagiri. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Festival days] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
6. Recollection: Generous contributions in the early days of Abhayagiri. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay supporters] [Generosity] [Abhayagiri] // [Lodging] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
11. Recollections of early Abhayagiri monks. Recounted by Ajahn Sudanto. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Sudanto] [Internet]
9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Lodging] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Postulants] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Lay supporters]
9. “Does Luang Por Pasanno know what happened to Ajahn Visuddhi or Christine Lee?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Disrobing]
2. “What would be the most difficult thing if you were to go back to lay life? What would be the most enjoyable, fun, nice thing about lay life?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Lay life] // [Disenchantment] [Happiness]
4. “Why do you think we sometimes don’t know what to do with our lives? Did you experience this before becoming a monk and do you sometimes still experience it? What helped you when you felt that way?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Purpose/meaning] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Monastic life] // [Delusion] [Sensual desire] [Māra] [Impermanence] [Clinging] [Truth] [Determination]
17. “In 2018 you stepped away from the role of abbot of Abhayagiri, passing the role to Ajahn Karunadhammo and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. Both these monks are American and have mostly trained in the United States at Abhayagiri. How do you feel about this milestone?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abhayagiri] [Abbot] [Retirement] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Pasanno ] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [History/Western Buddhist monasticism] [Culture/West] // [Monastic life]
1. Reflections by Ajahn Pasanno on 28 years. [Community] [Monasteries] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Lay supporters] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
Reflection: It’s the community and the people that really creates the monastery.
4. Description of Eric Erikson’s eighth stage of psychological development: Integrity versus Despair by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Western psychology] [Recollection] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ageing]
5. How I decided to ordain at Abhayagiri. Recollection by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Monastic life/Motivation] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
6. Story: The first few years of Abhayagiri. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Visuddhi] [Lodging] [Ajahn Pasanno]
8. I arrived when Abhayagiri turned five. Recollection by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Ñāṇiko ] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Sudanto] [Ordination] [Sīladharā]
Recollection: The little house was the beating heart of Abhayagiri. [Lodging] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Questions] [Gratitude] [Goodwill]
Quote: “I want to ordain. What do I do?” — Ajahn Ñāṇiko’s first email to the Abhayagiri guestmonk. [Ajahn Achalo] [Idealism]
Story: “Look, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to practice.” [Spiritual friendship]
Quote: “Don’t think about it too much.” — Ajahn Pasanno to Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Monastic life/Motivation] [Proliferation]
9. Recollection: When I first arrived at Abhayagiri. Recounted by Ajahn Cunda. [Abhayagiri] // [Lodging] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Wat Metta]
11. Story: Living down the street from Abhayagiri for Winter Retreat 2006. Told by Ajahn Cunda. [Abhayagiri] // [Lodging] [Weather] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
13. Reflection by Ajahn Cunda: Training under the co-abbots. [Abbot] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Abhayagiri] [Mentoring] // [Craving] [Teaching Dhamma] [Communal harmony] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]
Quote: “Two tigers in one cave.” — Thai saying. [Leadership] [Culture/Thailand]
2. “Any advice for an upāsikā who is able to spend long periods on retreat but finds herself tossed around when at home?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Everyday life] [Meditation retreats] // [Three Refuges] [Spiritual friendship] [Online community]
Story: Ajahn Amaro advises a layman having difficulty with his Theravāda group to practice with Thubten Chodron. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Amaro] [Thubten Chodron] [Vajrayāna]