29 excerpts, 2:11:18 total duration
5. Ajahn Chah taught us to speak without preparation. Recollection by Joseph Kappel. [Teaching Dhamma ] [Ajahn Chah] // [Trust] [Human] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Spaciousness]
10. Story: Applying Ajahn Chah’s teachings to lay life in South Africa. Told by Ṭhānissarā. [Lay life] [Ajahn Chah] // [Monastic life] [Abuse/violence] [Self-reliance] [Discernment] [Compassion] [Spaciousness] [Liberation]
How would Ajahn Chah have responded to issues like feminism, democracy, engaged Buddhism, interfaith, and materialism that we’ve had to meet? [Women in Buddhism] [Politics and society] [Spiritual traditions] [Greed]
7. “What is loving kindness? What is the body and mind’s experience when I feel metta for myself and others?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] // [Idealism] [Culture/West] [Right Intention] [Aversion] [Thai] [Happiness] [Translation] [Bhante Gunaratana] [Tranquility] [Spaciousness]
Quote: “The base of loving-kindness is dwelling in non-aversion.”
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 Behaivor; 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]
9. “It seems that every year I expect less from myself at a retreat. It seems also, by and large, that every year retreat becomes easier, happier, and more peaceful. Would you say this is because: 1) I am getting wiser? 2) I am abandoning all intentions? or 3) I am running out of hormones?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Long-term practice ] [Meditation retreats] [Happiness] // [Spaciousness]
13. Comment: We can’t know the kamma or state of mind of someone who is dying. Because the dying person’s consciousness can be very open, it’s useful to remind them of their wholesome actions. Contributed by Jeanne Daskais. [Kamma] [Consciousness] [Spaciousness] [Recollection/Virtue] [Death]
Story: Sri Lankans keep a lifelong record of the good things they have done. Friends and relatives read this to them at the time of death. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism]
12. Comment: In Western culture, we’re not given enough space to be with death. [Culture/West] [Spaciousness] [Grief] [Death]
Story: Hospice workers took the body of my father-in-law away too quickly. [Health care]
Story: When my husband died, we kept and washed the body. [Ceremony/ritual]
Response by Debbie Stamp.
13. “I am still very attached to my husband and children. I don’t want to relinquish the intimacy I share with my husband. I will suffer when they are gone. How do I reconcile this practice of relinquishment with the reality that I am a wife, mother and householder? With love.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Family ] [Lay life] [Relinquishment ] // [Spaciousness] [Suffering] [Clinging] [Cause of Suffering] [Communal harmony]
Quote: “Relinquishment is a skillful acknowledgement of the areas where we do create suffering.”
Story: Visākhā, the stream enterer who raised 20 children. [Great disciples] [Stream entry] [Culture/India]
Quote: “Families that grow up with strong spiritual models are an incredible blessing.” [Mentoring]
5. “The guidance through seeing the non-self in relationship to the elements was very helpful. Can you explain what to look for in order to see the non self in relationship to strong emotions like grief. When do you look for the emptiness in emotions and when do you experience or express them. How does one balance the two?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Not-self] [Elements] [Emotion ] [Grief ]
Ajahn Pasanno reflects on his feelings after Ajahn Chah died. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Death] [Sickness] [Gratitude] [Respect]
Ajahn Pasanno’s response to his father’s death. [Parents] [Spaciousness]
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]
2. “Could we say that it [unification] is expansive?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unification] [Spaciousness] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
16. “Part of the sense of loss and sorrow is the joys that have created attachment. How to approach this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Happiness] [Clinging] // [Naturalness] [Human] [Spaciousness]
Sutta: Thag 1062: Mahākassapa delights in nature. [Great disciples] [Culture/Natural environment]
8. “Kataññu-katavedi refers to receiving kindness and the recognition of the gift of kindness. How are we to understand cultivating the intention to offer kindness to others?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude] [Compassion] [Generosity] [Ajahn Chah] // [Happiness] [Mindfulness of feeling] [Aversion] [Contact] [Spaciousness] [Direct experience]
Story: Villagers ask Ajahn Chah how he can teach Westerners when they don’t speak Thai. [Culture/West] [Language]
Quote: “Dhamma is the language of experience.” — Ajahn Chah. [Dhamma]
18. “Before we relinquish the self, there needs to be a recognition of what’s going on. I often realize this minutes or hours later. Any suggestions for this initial step of noticing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view] [Mindfulness] // [Investigation of states] [Mindfulness of feeling] [Cessation] [Spaciousness]
4. “There are teachings about different levels of generosity (e.g. AN 7.49). Are there similar teachings about love or attachment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Generosity] [Goodwill] [Clinging] // [Dhamma] [Desire] [Teaching Dhamma] [Aggregates] [Mindfulness] [Relationships] [Spaciousness]
8. “Did the Buddha ever say to send lovingkindness to oneself?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Goodwill] [Tipiṭaka] // [Heart/mind] [Spaciousness]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 43.
Note: Not all translations of this passage include the phrase “to all as to myself.” For examples, see the available online translations of AN 4.125 and AN 3.65.
9. “What would you use for someone who is extremely confused and angry? Lovingkindness seems so far away.” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Delusion] [Aversion] [Goodwill] // [Concentration] [Spaciousness]
4. “How to overcome anxiety? How always to be with Dhamma in the heart?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] // [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Generosity] [Spaciousness] [Impermanence] [Ajahn Chah] [Proliferation] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Skillful qualities]
8. “Regarding metta practice, sometimes metta is there and it helps to handle challenging situations. But sometimes there is restlessness and hostility, and I get reactive. How to work with this so the mind can be tamed?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] [Restlessness and worry] [Aversion] // [Continuity of mindfulness] [Spiritual friendship] [Emotion] [Spaciousness] [Happiness] [Tranquility]
3. “Can you please speak to the difference in beginning metta meditation with self as opposed to beginning with an external object or person? I often feel depleted when directing outwards.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] // [Chanting] [Compassion] [Politics and society] [Spaciousness]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 41: “May I abide in well-being.”
15. Shedding, impermanence, and not-self: Reflections on moving to Amaravati by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Impermanence] [Not-self] [Amaravati] [Abhayagiri] [Relinquishment] // [Lodging] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Travel] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Spaciousness]
Quote: “Die before you die.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Death]
Quote: “The tone and flavor of Dhamma is bittersweet.” [Dhamma] [Grief] [Happiness]
8. “How do you deal with anger?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Aversion ] // [Sense restraint] [Right Speech] [Mindfulness of body] [Proliferation] [Spaciousness] [Patience] [Goodwill]
5. Principle of Cordiality #1: Lovingkindness and sensitivity in bodily action. Teaching by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Principles of Cordiality] [Goodwill] [Right Action] [Communal harmony] // [Spaciousness] [Great disciples] [Protocols] [Clear comprehension] [Abhayagiri]
Suttas: MN 48: Kosambi Sutta; MN 128 Upakkilesa Sutta.
7. When and how to develop the mind of lovingkindness. Teaching by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Principles of Cordiality] [Goodwill] [Heart/mind] [Communal harmony] // [Aversion] [Conflict] [Patience] [Spaciousness]
Sutta: MN 48: Kosambi Sutta.
Quote: “Peaceful coexistence with the unpleasant.” — Ajahn Sumedho’s definition of patience. [Ajahn Sumedho]
9. “It’s understandable that we crave happiness through the senses. Attaching to a certain type of happiness through the senses is not helpful for cultivation. But there’s also the emphasis on joy in the Buddha’s teachings. So there should be a balance, and where to find that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Sensual desire] [Happiness] [Gladdening the mind] // [Four Noble Truths]
Quote: “All the elements of the path are a source of happiness and well-being.” [Eightfold Path]
Follow-up: “What about the joy that comes from enjoying sensual things like music, painting, scents, and water?” [Artistic expression] [Beauty] [Clinging] [Spaciousness]
7. “Upon awakening one morning, I found my mind was locked open in awareness. It seems this was stable as long as I did not do any conceptual thinking. Is this a feature of samādhi? Can it be cultivated?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/Unusual experiences] [Present moment awareness] [Spaciousness] [Concentration] // [Right Concentration] [Mindfulness]
9. “Please offer your thoughts on how to cultivate the brahmavihāras on and off the cushion.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Divine Abidings ] [Everyday life] // [Spaciousness] [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Empathetic joy] [Equanimity] [Generosity]
Ajahn Vajiro defined the brahamavihāras as the mature emotions. [Ajahn Vajiro] [Emotion]
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...”
3. “Could you talk about the practicalites 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]