Dependent origination (3) Ignorance (1) Volitional formations (3) Consciousness (2) Name and form (2) Sense bases (1) Contact (1) Feeling (2) Craving (3) Clinging (2) Becoming (3)
“Could you please explain again the differences between sañña, saṅkāra, and viññana? I’m still not getting it.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness] // [Memory] [Sense bases] [Dependent origination ] [Conditionality] [Suffering]
Quote: “All the details of the process of dependent origination....It’s like falling out of a tree. As you go down, you’re not really counting branches. You just know that when you hit the bottom, it’s going to hurt.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
Abhayagiri Monastic Retreat 2013, Session 4, Excerpt 10
“Could you please talk about different places in the chain of dependent origination can be broken? For example, does contact always result in vedanā? If the intention to be conscious is let go of, is that breaking the chain of ignorance conditioning saṅkhāra and saṅkhāra conditioning viññana?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dependent origination ] [Contact] [Feeling] [Ignorance] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness] // [Craving] [Clinging] [Becoming] [Relinquishment]
Abhayagiri Monastic Retreat 2013, Session 2, Excerpt 4
“Thank you for this opportunity to practice and your guidance. Can you explain nirodha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation ] // [Nibbāna] [Suffering] [Language] [Dependent origination ] [Relinquishment] [Release] [Thai]
Sutta: MN 118 Ānāpānasati Sutta. [Mindfulness of breathing]
Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 3, Excerpt 3
“The āsavas: Why does the mind leave (“go out”) its still center?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Outflows] [Proliferation] // [Translation] [Ignorance ] [Craving]
Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 4, Excerpt 13
“Can you define / explain saṅkhāras—mental formations? For example, what phenomena does it include? How can one evaluate what is or is not a saṅkhāra? How does it differ from the hindi / yogic samskara? Thank you.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations ] [Hinduism] // [Pāli] [Nature of the cosmos] [Nibbāna] [Aggregates] [Abhidhamma] [Emotion] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 23
2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 6, Excerpt 5
“Can you repeat the aspect of sankharas other than mental volitional energy?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations ] // [Nibbāna] [Aggregates] [Volition]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 13
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 10
“I was interested to hear the definition of mental formations as volitional. When I look at my mind, it sometimes seems like an undirected random generator of flashing images and unbidden thoughts, sometimes embarassingly perverse. I can only rest easily when I recollect not-self. Can you help me reconcile that with volitionality?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations ] [Volition] [Heart/mind] [Proliferation] [Not-self] // [Perception] [Relinquishment] [Mindfulness] [Discernment]
Abhayagiri Monastic Retreat 2013, Session 3, Excerpt 18
“Can you please explain mindfulness or awareness of consciousness? I can understand consciousness arising as a result of stimuli entering the sense doors, but how does one become aware of consciousness itself? Or is this the right question about consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of mind] [Consciousness ] [Sense bases ] [Nature of mind] // [Language] [Pāli]
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 19
“Can you please explain whether there is a difference between ‘mind’ and ‘consciousness,’ because everything seems to be experienced in the mind; the body is experienced in the mind; feelings also seem to be experienced by the mind, as well as perceptions, sensations, etc. Thank you for your teaching and explanation.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind ] [Consciousness ] [Aggregates] [Nature of mind] // [Sutta] [Sense bases]
2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 6, Excerpt 15
Body and mind are not separate things. Teaching by Ajahn Pasanno. [Form] [Heart/mind] // [Aggregates ] [Dependent origination] [Consciousness]
Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing (2005), Session 8, Excerpt 1.2
“If the list of the five khandas is intended to be linear, why is sense-consciousness the final one?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aggregates ] [Consciousness] [Feeling] [Perception]
Sutta: MN 43.9: “Conjoined not disjoined”
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 12
“Can you please explain mindfulness or awareness of consciousness? I can understand consciousness arising as a result of stimuli entering the sense doors, but how does one become aware of consciousness itself? Or is this the right question about consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of mind] [Consciousness ] [Sense bases ] [Nature of mind] // [Language] [Pāli]
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 19
Reading: “Its Easy if You are not Attached,” Gifts He Left Behind by Ajahn Dune, p. 77. Read by Ajahn Ahiṃsako. [Ajahn Dune] [Wat Burapha] // [Rains retreat]
Quote: “It’s the nature of light to be bright; it’s the nature of noise to be loud.” [Contact ] [Sense restraint] [Discernment]
Our Roots in the Thai Forest Tradition (2014), Session 24, Excerpt 7
“Could you talk about the difference between experiencing an unpleasant feeling and perpetuating an unpleasant feeling?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Feeling ] [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Compassion] [Mindfulness] [Patience] [Suffering]
Simile: Two arrows (SN 36.6).
The Path of Practice (2019), Session 2, Excerpt 12
“I get stuck with subtle unpleasant moods. Any advice?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging] [Feeling ] [Emotion] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Mindfulness of body] [Goodwill] [Continuity of mindfulness]
Mindfulness of Breathing (2014), Session 1, Excerpt 10
“Can you clarify the difference between desire and intention? It seems that either could lead to suffering due to attachments to the results. Yet we are encouraged to have intentions for well-being, health, happiness, etc. Isn’t our intention also a desire?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire ] [Volition ] [Clinging] [Cause of Suffering] // [Pāli] [Kamma] [Craving ] [Bases of Success] [Sensual desire] [Energy]
Sutta: SN 22.22: Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (Chanting Book translation)
2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 5, Excerpt 15
“Is desire itself the problem or is clinging to and identifying with desire the problem?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Desire] [Clinging] [Self-identity view] [Sensual desire] [Naturalness ] [Craving ] // [Feeling] [Dependent origination]
Quote: “Taṇhā is eliminate-able.” [Cessation of Suffering]
Comment about distinguishing between hunger and taṇha at meal time. [Food] [Moderation in eating]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Views]
Western Disciples of the Thai Forest Tradition (2016), Session 9, Excerpt 2
“Does having no craving mean doing things in the world knowing they won’t bring lasting satisfaction? For example, planning a vacation realizing that it will eventually end or taking measures to cure a headache without expecting to feel completely better. I am trying to understand how this would look like in real life without one becoming apathetic and depressed about the meaninglessness of basically all activities except meditation. How to balance the ability to still enjoy life with abandoning all craving?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Craving ] [Characteristics of existence] [Depression] [Happiness] // [Cause of Suffering] [Desire] [Generosity]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno is planning to take his mother to Hawaii. “And I think I’ll enjoy it too!” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Parents] [Travel]
Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 6, Excerpt 10
Teaching: The four forms of clinging. Contributed by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging ] // [Suffering] [Sensual desire] [Impermanence] [Naturalness] [Happiness] [Neutral feeling] [Attachment to precepts and practices] [Views] [Doctrine-of-self clinging] [Not-self] [Relinquishment]
Interreligious Retreat-Seminar on Dhamma and Non-duality (2023), Session 4, Excerpt 1.1
Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Our suffering is fed and sustained by clinging. [Suffering] [Cause of Suffering] [Clinging ] [Liberation] // [Translation]
Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing (2005), Session 13, Excerpt 6
“Regarding yesterdays teaching that rebirth is happening every moment, could you give instructions on how to discern the preceding step, becoming (bhava)? Would you consider transition from sleep into an awakened state being as ‘rebirth’ and whether there is becoming manifesting upon waking up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Becoming ] [Nature of mind] // [Self-identity view] [Birth]
2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 4, Excerpt 7
Quote: “One of the things I often attend to is the juxtaposition of stillness and movement. It’s not that one is right and the other wrong. We can be still and really dull or the mind can move with clarity and acuity. But stillness and movement, what’s generating it, what’s pushing it? That bhavadiṭṭhi/vibhavadiṭṭhi is the engine behind it and the force behing the arising of a sense of self, a sense of me.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Insight meditation] [Calming meditation] [Right Concentration] [Not-self] [Clear comprehension] [Nature of mind] [Conditionality] [Becoming ] [Craving not to become] [Views] [Self-identity view ]
The Middle Way of Not-Self (2015), Session 2, Excerpt 10
“Did vibhavatanha arise in any of the monks at the loss of the Buddha? How do we notice vibhavatanha in practice, and what is a wise and compassionate response?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Craving not to become ] [Death] [Grief ] [Sutta] [Buddha/Biography] // [Stream entry] [Stages of awakening] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Three Refuges] [Precepts] [Spiritual friendship] [Devotional practice] [Suffering]
Sutta: DN 16: Mahāparinibbāna Sutta [Nibbāna]
Story: The funeral of a close Wat Pah Nanachat supporter. [Funerals] [Wat Pah Nanachat]
Honoring the Buddha: The Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (2021), Excerpt 3