Ajahn Pasanno   Tag [Ajahn Pasanno]
2138 excerpts, 129:39:43 total duration


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Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 12 – Jan. 20, 2016

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[Session] Reading: “Cultivating Gratitude” by Ajahn Pasanno in Gratitude by Ajahn Chah Saṅgha, p. 53. Read by Tan Jāgaro. [Gratitude]


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3. Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno consults the group rather than dictating decisions. Recounted by Ajahn Jotipālo. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] [Saṅgha decision making] [Leadership]

Quote: “Sometimes it’s better to be harmonious than to be right.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Communal harmony] [Views]

Quote: “I must hurry, for there they go, and I am their leader.” — Sign above a boss’s desk. Quoted by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Humor]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 13 – Jan. 21, 2016

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2. Quote: “Sumedho will teach you about Nibbāna. I can teach you how to look after your bowl.” — Ajahn Chah to young Ajahn Vajiro. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Vajiro] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Nibbāna] [Almsbowl] [Protocols]


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3. “Can you recommend a book of koans for inspiration?” [Zen] [Koan] [Dhamma books] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Hua tou] [Master Hsu Yun]

Story: Ajahn Chah encourages Ajahn Sumedho to develop the hua tou technique. [Ajahn Chah] [Mahasi Sayadaw] [Ven. Ñāṇatiloka]

Reference: Word of the Buddha by Ñāṇatiloka Mahāthera.


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4. Story: Harata Rōshi’s response to a question about koans. Told by Ajahn Jotipālo. [Harata Rōshi] [Koan] // [Translation]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowing itself]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 14 – Jan. 22, 2016

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1. Question about the idea of punishment in the Vinaya. [Vinaya] [Disciplinary transactions] // [Thai] [Translation] [Kamma]


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2. “Where does the story in the reading come from?” [Stories] // [Commentaries]

Reference:Khanti – Patient Endurance” from The Real Practice by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 20.


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3. “Could you give some guidance on when to patiently endure and when to use discernment to deal with something?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Patience ] [Discernment] // [Right Effort] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities]

Story: A fortune teller reads Ajahn Chah’s palm. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Aversion]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 16 – Jan. 26, 2016

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2. “Did Ajahn Chah emphasize generosity and service more for Westerners than for Thais?” [Ajahn Chah] [Generosity] [Service] [Culture/West] // [Culture/Thailand]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 17 – Jan. 27, 2016

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4. “How has work with prisoners affected Ajahn Khemadhammo?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Ajahn Khemadhammo] [Prisons] // [Determination] [Service] [Truth]


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5. “Where does Ajahn Khemadhammo live?” [Ajahn Khemadhammo] // [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]


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6. Story: Ajahn Khemadhammo creates Buddha groves in prisons. [Ajahn Khemadhammo] [Prisons] [Buddha images] // [Ceremony/ritual] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Tranquility]


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7. Story: The inmate leading the Buddhist group was caught selling drugs. [Ajahn Khemadhammo] [Prisons] [Intoxicants]

Comments about intoxicants, crime, and prisons. Contributed by Beth Steff and Ajahn Pasanno. [Crime]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 18 – Jan. 28, 2016

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[Session]

Reading: “Hindrances and their Cessation” from The Anthology Vol. 2 by Ajahn Sumedho pp. 47-51. An older version is available online in Mindfulness: The Path to the Deathless. Read by Ajahn Ñāṇiko.

Reading: “Emptiness and Form” from The Anthology Vol. 2 by Ajahn Sumedho pp. 53-57. An older version is available online in Mindfulness: The Path to the Deathless. Read by Ajahn Ñāṇiko.


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1. “Is Ajahn Sumedho saying that art is always coming from a place of ego?” [Artistic expression] [Self-identity view] // [Doubt]

Quote: “How do we respond to doubt? ...out of fear, out of worry? How do we try to make things certain and sure? That’s what we have to figure out.” [Fear] [Impermanence]


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2. Comment about the arising of self even in abstract thought. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Proliferation] [Self-identity view]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cause of Suffering]


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3. Comments by Ajahn Jotipālo, Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko about self in creative endeavors. [Artistic expression] [Self-identity view] // [Christianity] [Discernment] [Tranquility] [Buddha/Biography] [Ajahn Liem]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 20 – Jan. 30, 2016

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1. “At what point does it become unskillful to continue to reflect on one’s own good deeds?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Beth Steff. [Recollection/Virtue] [Unskillful qualities] // [Self-identity view] [Right Effort] [Recollection/Generosity] [Culture/West] [Christianity] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]

Quote: “In Buddhism, we don’t believe in original sin. We believe in original purity.” — King Rama IX to a BBC interviewer. [King Rama IX] [Nature of mind]

Reference: The 1979 BBC interview on YouTube.

Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 104: Forty subjects of meditation.

Story: Western researchers find Tibetans who have been tortured don’t suffer post-traumatic stress. [Abuse/violence] [Vajrayāna] [Three Refuges] [Compassion]

Story: God’s finger over the “Smite” button. [God] [The Far Side]

Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: The Dalai Lama emphasizes the effect of faith in the law of kamma. [Dalai Lama] [Kamma] [Faith]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right View]


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2. Discussion about evaluating the results of practice. [Meditation/Results] [Right Effort] // [Faith] [Investigation of states] [Self-identity view] [Not-self]

Comment: I notice that I have preconceptions about the way I evaluate my practice.

Response: Ajahn Pasanno distinguishes between investigation and evaluation.

The very pattern, “What will make me good enough?” is suffering. Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Habits] [Cause of Suffering]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno.

Story: Aversion towards the nada sound and the importance of having a teacher. Told by Ajahn Jotipālo. [Teachers] [Ajahn Jotipālo] [Sound of silence] [Aversion] [Insight Meditation Society] [Ajahn Amaro]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 23 – Feb. 4, 2016

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1. “Ajahn Pasanno, did you have a chance to spend much time with Ajahn Paññavaddho?” [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] [Ajahn Pasanno]


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2. “Can you say anything about the “voice of dhamma” Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho describes [in the reading “Self”] versus the voice we hear inside our head? is it like the voice of conscience?” [Dhamma] [Conscience and prudence] // [Knowing itself]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 24 – Feb. 5, 2016

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[Session] Reading: “Attammayata,” The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, pp. 110-122. Read by Ajahn Khantiko. [Not-made-of-that]


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1. “Can you provide guidance on the contemplation of conceiving, and name and form?” [Conceit] [Aggregates] [Proliferation] // [Suffering] [Nature of mind] [Advertizing] [Impermanence] [Relinquishment] [Not-made-of-that] [Four Noble Truths]

Sutta: Ud 3.10: “For however one conceives it, it is always other than that.”

Quote: “The mind is a liar and a cheat.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [False speech]

Reference: Ajahn Buddhadāsa’s Nine Eyes, The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, p. 116. [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Characteristics of existence]

Sutta: UD 1.10 Bāhiya Sutta: “In the seen there is only the seen...” [Sense bases] [Perception]

Quote: “You can hurt yourself even with really good tools.” [Meditation/Techniques] [Right Effort]


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2. “Can you restate Luang Por Dune’s rendering of the Four Noble Truths?” [Ajahn Dune] [Four Noble Truths] // [Thai]


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3. “What does the phrase “beyond good and evil” mean in reference to the mind of an arahant?” [Arahant] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] // [Thai]

Quote: “Above cause, beyond effect. Above good, beyond evil. Above merit, beyond demerit.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Conditionality] [Merit]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 25 – Feb. 9, 2016

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1. “Do the Thai Forest masters emphasize hair, teeth, nails, and skin in their body contemplation because those are more obvious to cultivate?” [Thai Forest Tradition] [Mindfulness of body] [Unattractiveness] // [Ordination]


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2. “Do you contemplate the body before you contemplate mind?” [Thai Forest Tradition] [Mindfulness of body] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Culture/West] [Nature of mind] [Sense bases] [Aggregates]

Follow-up: “Do you need to let go of the body before you can go deep into the mind?”


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3. “When you are sick, the body is not happy, so it is not that easy to meditate, right?” [Sickness] [Happiness] [Meditation]


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5. Story: Ajahn Kalyano instructs monks to memorize the organs while watching an autopsy. Told by Ajahn Jotipālo. [Ajahn Kalyāṇo] [Unattractiveness] [Mindfulness of body] // [Aversion]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Disenchantment] [Dispassion] [Skillful qualities]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 26 – Feb. 10, 2016

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1. “I’m half expecting the earth to shake.” Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko after the reading of “Five Piles of Bricks.”

Response by Ajahn Pasanno: All five of the Buddha’s first disciples were liberated when listening to the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (SN 22.59; Chanting Book translation). [Buddha/Biography] [Liberation] [Aggregates] [Not-self]


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2. ““Is Ajahn Ṭhānissaro the first voice in a couple thousand years to propose that the khandas may not be a self, or is he drawing from another tradition?”” [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Commentaries] [Aggregates] [History] // [Buddha]


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3. “Could you talk about practicing with intention?” [Volition] // [Pāli] [Ajahn Chah] [Precepts]


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4. “Is volition the same as becoming or an aspect of becoming?” [Volition] [Becoming]


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5. “How shall we listen to the Dhamma talks [read during Winter Retreat]?” [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Learning] // [Volition]


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6. “In trying to create separation between self and the khandas, are there other tools that can help around the act of becoming?” [Aggregates] [Self-identity view] [Becoming] // [Knowing itself] [Volition] [Tranquility] [Investigation of states]


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7. The Buddha taught not-self by ecouraging his disciples to ask these questions. [Teaching Dhamma] [Not-self] [Questions] [Philosophy]

Sutta: SN 22.59 Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta questionaire (Chanting Book translation).

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [Ajahn Chah]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 27 – Feb. 11, 2016

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[Session]

Reading: “Happiness Forever,” The Anthology Vol. 2 by Ajahn Sumedho, pp. 9-10. Read by Tan Jāgaro.

Reading: “Patience,” The Anthology Vol. 2 by Ajahn Sumedho, pp. 65-68. Read by Tan Jāgaro.

Reading: “All the Time in the World,” The Anthology Vol. 2 by Ajahn Sumedho, pp. 51-52. Read by Tan Jāgaro.


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1. “Why is trying to conquer pain a disaster?” [Pain] // [Self-identity view] [Craving not to become] [Suffering]


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2. “At what point in the Forest Tradition do you use a “warrior strategy” to conquer pain, defilements?” [Unwholesome Roots] [Pain] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Determination] [Self-identity view] [Spaciousness] [Right Effort]

Comment: The Krooba Ajahns can get intense and fiery, but what they are actually doing is making their minds calm and then contemplating and understanding pain and defilements. [Fierce/direct teaching] [Tranquility] [Discernment]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/West] [Abuse/violence] [Culture/Thailand]

Story: A gung-ho five vassa monk tears down the spirit house in a southern Thai fishing village. [Superstition] [Rains retreat] [Ajahn Chah]


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3. “Ajahn Sumedho talks about Ajahn Chah making him miserable, testing him. Was that your experience when you were practicing with Ajahn Chah?” [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Mentoring] [Ajahn Pasanno]


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4. “When dealing with pain, could you give examples of the questions you would ask yourself?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kaccāna. [Pain] [Questions] [Investigation of states] // [Visualization] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Elements]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 28 – Feb. 12, 2016

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[Session]

Reading: “In the Mood,” Meditations Vol. 1 by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, pp. 30-32. Read by Tan Suddhiko.

Reading: “Imagine,” Meditations Vol. 1 by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro, pp. 24-29. Read by Tan Suddhiko.


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1. “In working with the breath, when I try to spread well-being throughout the body, it seems to diminish. How do I discern whether to maintain this feeling or go back to the more intense feeling?” [Rapture] // [Concentration] [Volition]


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2. “Does insight arise from deeper concentration or can it also arise from different things?” [Concentration] [Insight meditation] // [Tranquility]

Story: Ajahn Pasanno experiences insight on a bus in Bangkok. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Contact]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 32 – Feb. 19, 2016

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1. “Can I respond to my thoughts in ways that I think are useful?” [Directed thought and evaluation] [Self-identity view] // [Right Effort] [Cause of Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Knowing itself]

Reference: “Identity” in The Sound of Silence by Ajahn Sumedho (Anthology volume 4 or commercial).

Appreciation for Ajahn Sumedho’s image of the wheel. [Similes]

Sutta: MN 24: The purpose of Buddhist practice. [Liberation]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 33 – Feb. 21, 2016

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1. Comment about the meaning of sanna as memory. [Perception] [Memory]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pāli]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 35 – Feb. 25, 2016

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1. Comments on skillful happiness and the need for patient endurance. [Skillful qualities] [Happiness] [Patience]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Discernment] [Faith]


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2. “Regarding internal happiness, is part of our problem that we don’t have enough means to access it?” [Happiness] [Gladdening the mind] // [Culture/West] [Learning] [Faith]


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3. Discussion about the importance of spiritual friendship. [Spiritual friendship] [Renunciation] [Happiness]

Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 46: The Highest Blessings (Maṅgala Sutta, SN 2.4).

Ajahn Pasanno reflects on his intention in coming to America. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/West] [Perception of a samaṇa] [Abhayagiri]


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5. “Do people confuse the definitions of ego and self?” [Western psychology] [Self-identity view] // [Four Noble Truths]

Story: An applicant to Wat Pah Nanachat writes a letter avoiding all personal pronouns.


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6. Discussion about psychotherapy models, attachment, and self. [Western psychology] [Self-identity view] [Clinging] // [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Four Noble Truths]

Story: Meditation helps a psychiatrist treat other psychiatrists. [Meditation] [Language]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 36 – Feb. 26, 2016

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1. Ajahn Pasanno recollects visiting the Japanese temple in Vesali described in Chapter 9 of Rude Awakenings by Ajahn Sucitto and Nick Scott. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Visiting holy sites] // [Ajahn Jayasaro] [Nichiren Buddhism]


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2. “Contemplating the decline of Vesali, how can we distinguish saṃvega from sadness that has no purpose?” [History/Indian Buddhism] [Spiritual urgency] [Depression] // [Principles of non-decline] [Naturalness]

Reference: “The Deathless Drum,” Chapter 9 of Rude Awakenings by Ajahn Sucitto and Nick Scott.

Sutta: AN 7.21: Seven principles of non-decline.

Comments by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Pesalo about Buddhism relying upon principles rather than geographic location. [Dhamma] [Geography/India] [Visiting holy sites]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 37 – Feb. 28, 2016

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1. Discussion regarding mindfulness, the brahmaviharas, and radical acceptance [Mindfulness] [Divine Abidings] // [Conditionality] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Pain] [Spaciousness] [Aversion] [Dependent origination]


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2. “What is the balance between sorting out feelings internally and expressing feelings externally, not repressing them?” [Emotion] [Western psychology] [Community] // [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Discernment] [Learning]


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3. Comment: Avoidance strategies can be both external and internal. [Pain] [Western psychology] [Meditation]

Responses by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Spiritual bypass] [Hindrances]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 38 – Feb. 29, 2016

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1. Discussion about Thai Forest Masters describing Nibbana. [Thai Forest Tradition] [Nibbāna] // [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Unconditioned] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Faith] [Direct experience]


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2. “If, in meditation, one sees thought at the point it arises, is it the sense consciousness that sees that or the pure citta?” [Directed thought and evaluation] [Sense bases] [Consciousness] [Heart/mind] // [Knowing itself]


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3. “How was “atta” defined in the Buddha’s time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Doctrine-of-self clinging] [Culture/India] // [Happiness] [Rebirth]

Reference: Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (Chanting Book translation).


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4. Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna: The Thai Forest Tradition is looking for something that really works. [Thai Forest Tradition] [Attachment to precepts and practices]

Quote: “If you find something you think is a diamond, smash it with a hammer and see if it’s really a diamond.” — Ajahn Lee. [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Direct experience]


Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition, Session 39 – Mar. 3, 2016

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3. “Could you say something about the problem of swinging back and forth with restraint practices?” [Sense restraint] [Determination] // [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Learning] [Becoming] [Self-identity view] [Eightfold Path] [Discernment]

Follow-up: “I remember you saying something similar in respect to sīla.” [Virtue] [Attachment to precepts and practices]


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4. “How are contact and viññāṇa nutriment?” [Contact] [Consciousness] [Nutriment] // [Feeling] [Aggregates] [Becoming]

Sutta: SN 12.63: Son’s Flesh.


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 1 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Quote: “This is what heat is like.” [Weather] [Abhayagiri]


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2. Story: Ajahn Pasanno attends Dharma Master Heng Lyu’s ordination. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ordination] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Weather]


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3. Background of the 20th Anniversary celebration. [Abhayagiri]


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4. Quote: “A monastery isn’t the buildings or the land, but it’s the people.” [Monasteries] [Community] // [Theravāda] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Ajahn Chah]


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5. Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first impressions of Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] // [Temporary ordination] [Ajahn Chah] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Lunar observance days]


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6. Recollections: Ajahn Pasanno’s motivations for moving to Abhayagiri; twenty years went by quick. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] // [Western Ajahn Chah monasteries] [Ajahn Amaro] [Community]


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7. Chanting: Explanation of paritta chanting. [Chanting] [Protective chants] // [Three Refuges] [Goodwill]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 2 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Story: Abhayagiri’s neighbors and origins of the Abhayagiri property. [Abhayagiri] [Father Damien] // [Master Hsuan Hua] [Lodging] [Christianity]


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2. Ajahn Pasanno expresses gratitude to the Saṅghapāla board members. [Abhayagiri] [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude]


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3. Reading: Reflections from Reverend Heng Sure. [Abhayagiri] // [Pacific Hermitage] [Communal harmony] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Almsround]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 6 – Jun. 4, 2016

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6. Chanting: The monks of Holy Transfiguration Monastery sing a blessing; Ajahn Pasanno expresses appreciation. Offered by Father Damien and Ajahn Pasanno. [Chanting] [Holy Transfiguration Monastery]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 14 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Ajahn Pasanno introduces Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] // [Abhayagiri] [Ordination]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 16 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Chanting: The Sharing of Blessings (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 33). [Merit]


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2. Chanting: Closing Homage (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 16). [Three Refuges]


Suttas You've Never Heard Of, Session 1 – Jun. 25, 2016

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1. “You mentioned suttas about meditation and practical life issues. Are there any other general categories of suttas?” [Sutta] [Human]


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2. “How do these particular teachings (AN 5.48: Situations) fit with kamma?” [Kamma] [Sickness] [Sutta] [Human] // [Lawfulness] [Characteristics of existence]


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3. Comment: I appreciate that AN 5.48 includes devas and Māra. [Deva] [Māra] [Realms of existence] [Sutta] [Human]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno.


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4. “In the West, we personalize every bit of suffering. Is it different in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Culture/West ] [Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Culture/Thailand] // [Language] [Liberation]

Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate guilt into Thai. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Thai] [Translation]

Quote: “That’s really suffering. Tell them not to do that.” — Ajahn Paññānanda. [Ajahn Paññānanda]

Reference: Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (commercial). [Ageing] [Sickness] [Parents] [Health care]


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5. “In this sutta (AN 5.48), there’s the assumption that everyone has enemies. It’s making me a little paranoid.” [Fear] [Sutta] [Human] // [Judgementalism]


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6. “With development (bhavana), is one able to shape the course of sickness or heal oneself to a degree?” [Meditation] [Sickness] [Health] // [Happiness] [Medicinal requisites]


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7. 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] [Sutta] [Human]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [History/Thai Buddhism]


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8. Comment: I find it difficult to find the line between what you can change and what you can’t. [Politics and society] [Everyday life] [Equanimity]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clear comprehension] [Delusion]


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9. 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]


Suttas You've Never Heard Of, Session 2 – Jun. 25, 2016

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[Session] Readings: AN 7.6: Treasures. Translated by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro. [Treasures]


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1. Story: A man in an airport asks Ajahn Chah, “If everyone is Buddhist, why are there so many thieves in Thailand?” [Ajahn Chah] [Culture/Thailand] [Stealing] [Virtue] [Precepts]


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2. Comment: When I practice and share Dhamma as a lay person, others complain when I make mistakes. [Lay life] [Virtue] [Buddhist identity]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno.


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4. Comment: When I hear the word “shame,” it’s.a cousin of guilt. But in this context (AN 7.6), it seems more acceptable. [Treasures] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Conscience and prudence]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Language] [Christianity]


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5. “This year my whole family got lice. How do we respond to this skillfully?” [Lay life] [Family] [Killing] [Animal] // [Human] [Patience]


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6. Story: Ajahn Pasanno visits the elderly Cambodian monk Mahāgossānanda who has Alzheimer’s disease. [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]


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7. A diligent early support of Wat Pah Nanachat reflects, “I don’t have money, but I’m not poor.” [Treasures] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Pah Pong] [Lay life] [Poverty] // [Lunar observance days] [Thai]


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8. “Is the list of Seven Treasures sequential?” [Treasures] // [Stream entry] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] [Conditionality] [Eightfold Path]


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9. “I like the translations ‘conscience’ and ‘concern’ for hiri and otappa. Having done unskillful actions in the past that create suffering, and being aware of the tendency to personalize, how can it be over and done?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Treasures] [Conscience and prudence ] [Unskillful qualities] [Suffering] [Kamma] [Self-identity view] // [Four Noble Truths] [Divine Abidings]

Quote: “As a human being, I have the opportunity to learn from the past and move on to skillful action in the future. I don’t have to be like a dog that barfs stuff up and goes back and eats it again.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Human] [Learning] [Skillful qualities] [Similes]

Quote: “The not-self refrain, ‘This is not me, this is not mine, this is not what or who I am,’ is not an abdication of responsibility but an understanding, ‘This is the way I can put things down and move on, move past the things that are still creating suffering.’” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Not-self] [Relinquishment]

Suttas: SN 42.8 The Conch Blower; AN 3.100: A Lump of Salt.


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10. “What is a good balance between listening to Dhamma and practicing more deeply? How long should one keep one’s practices, and when to expand or shink them?” [Hearing the true Dhamma ] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma ] [Determination ] [Dhamma online] // [Four Noble Truths] [Direct experience] [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma books] [Mindfulness of mind] [Learning]


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11. Comment: I listen to the Abhayagiri Dhamma talks, focusing more on the timbre of the voice rather than trying to get an intellectual grasp of what was said. That projects me into a dimension of well-being. [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Abhayagiri] [Happiness] [Learning]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility]


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12. Comments about ongoing Dhamma practice and coming back to the heart. [Long-term practice] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Mindfulness of mind]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]

Quote: “We’re making choices all the time anyway; we may as well choose to be happy.” [Volitional formations] [Happiness]


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13. “When you’re living on the precepts, how do I relate to (for example) a friend who tells me about an affair they are having?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipālo. [Precepts] [Spiritual friendship] [Sexual misconduct] // [Skillful qualities] [Admonishment/feedback] [Discernment] [Right Speech] [Vinaya] [Abhayagiri]

Quote: “Don’t admonish your fellow monks before the meal.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life] [Food] [Eating after noon]


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14. “Could you comment on the tendency to use one aspect of the teaching to bypass another?” [Spiritual bypass] // [Four Noble Truths] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Relinquishment]

Quote: “With some things, letting go means you’re willing to commit to hard work, and other times you’re willing to put down what is burdensome.” [Ardency]


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15.AN 5.38 says, ‘Not by sorrow can even the slightest good come.’ How does this work with the natural process of grieving?” [Grief] [Skillful qualities] // [Cultural context] [Family] [Ajahn Chah] [Death] [Characteristics of existence]


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16. “Part of the sense of loss and sorrow is the joys that have created attachment. How to approach this?” [Grief] [Happiness] [Clinging] // [Naturalness] [Human] [Spaciousness]

Sutta: Thag 1062: Mahākassapa delights in nature. [Great disciples] [Culture/Natural environment]


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