Upāsikā Day, Jun. 14, 2014
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, California
3 sessions, 42 excerpts, 2:33:52 total duration
Show featured excerpts (8)
Stories and readings about the origins and characteristics of the Thai Forest tradition.
External websiteSessions: 1 2 3
1. [0:00] Devotional practice and the context and history of the Thai Forest Tradition. [Devotional practice] [Culture/Thailand] [Types of monks] // [Vinaya]
2. [4:56] The current popularity of the Thai Forest Tradition can be attributed to Ajahn Mun. [Ajahn Mun] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Tudong] [Ajahn Chah] [Spiritual search] [Culture/Thailand]
3. [8:04] Structure the June 2014 Upasika Day: The Thai Forest Tradition.
Reference: Winter Retreat 2014 DVD: Our Roots in the Thai Forest Tradition [Abhayagiri]
4. [11:04] “What shaped the Thai Forest Tradition and gave it its flavor?” [Culture/Thailand] // [Simplicity] [Vinaya] [History/Early Buddhism] [Ajahn Mun] [Attachment to precepts and practices]
5. [13:57] “Was there much contact between Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka at the time of Ajahn Mun?” [History/Thai Buddhism] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [History/Other Theravāda traditions] [Ajahn Mun] // [Language] [Dhamma books]
6. [16:15] “Could you review the transmission of the ordination between Sri Lanka and Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [History/Thai Buddhism ] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism ] [Ordination] // [Royalty] [History/Other Theravāda traditions] [Commerce/economics] [History/Mahāyāna Buddhism]
7. [20:53] “Could you say a few words about the structure of the Thai Saṅgha and where the Thai Forest Tradition fits in?” [History/Thai Buddhism ] [Thai sects ] [Thai Forest Tradition ] // [Somdet Vajirañāṇavarorasa] [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Kinaree] [Ajahn Tongrat] [Ajahn Chah]
Story: Ajahn Chah asks Ajahn Mun, “Shall I reordain in the Dhammayut Order to live with you?” He responds, “Mahānikāya needs good monks also.” [Ordination]
8. [23:22] “So then technically Abhayagiri belongs to the Mahānikāya?” [Abhayagiri] [Thai sects] // [History/Western Buddhist monasticism]
9. [24:03] Story: Ajahn Mun becomes enlightened and goes back to teach his teacher. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Sao] [Liberation]
Story: Ajahn Mun’s relics [Relics] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Abhayagiri]
10. [25:48] Reading: “The Ballad of Liberation from the Khandas,” from A Heart Released by Ajahn Mun, p. 37 // [Ajahn Mun] [Culture/Thailand]
Quote: “The Dhamma stays as the Dhamma, the khandas stay as khandas. That’s all.” [Dhamma] [Aggregates]
11. [34:54] “What language was ‘The Ballad of the Liberation from the Khandas’ written in?” [Dhamma books] [Ajahn Mun] [Language] // [Thai]
12. [36:05] “Was Ajahn Mun well respected by the Buddhist establishment or was he more of a renegade?” [Ajahn Mun] [History/Thai Buddhism] // [Thai sects] [Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo]
Story: Ajahn Mun leaves the day after he is appointed abbot. [Abbot] [Seclusion]
13. [39:19] “Ajahn Mun spent a lot of time teaching the devas. Can you share any thoughts on this relevant to Western culture?” [Ajahn Mun] [Teaching Dhamma] [Deva ] [Doubt] [Culture/West] // [Faith] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Nature of the cosmos]
Reference: Venerable Ācariya Mun Bhūridatta Thera: A Spiritual Biography by Ajahn Mahā Boowa
14. [41:34] “I can’t imagine not having meditation as part of this practice. How does Buddhism exist without it?” [Meditation] [History] // [Ceremony/ritual] [Generosity] [Faith] [Devotional practice]
15. [43:18] “A list of ten misconceptions about Buddhism in Tricycle magazine included ‘All Buddhists meditate.’ It said that historically this wasn’t true. Is this accurate?” [Meditation] [History] [Culture/West] // [Monastic life] [Lay life] [Devotional practice] [History/Thai Buddhism]
16. [46:35] Comment about Asian and Western Buddhist perspectives regarding meditation and other aspects of practice encountered at Abhayagiri Monastery. [Cultural context] [Culture/West] [Meditation] [Devotional practice] [Ajahn Chah] [Abhayagiri]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Learning]
17. [48:35] “One of the great gifts I’ve received over the last few years spending more time with the Bhikkhu Saṅgha is a sense of devotion, how it opens the heart. Is there a Pāli word or teaching around that principle?” [Devotional practice] [Saṅgha] [Gratitude] [Pāli] // [Faculties] [Faith] [Energy]
18. [50:14] Story: Ajahn Mahā Boowa bows to a newly-discovered photograph of Ajahn Mun. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa ] [Devotional practice] [Bowing] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
[Thai Forest Tradition]
1. [0:00] Reading: “Visions of a Sāmaṇa” from Samaṇa by Ajahn Mahā Boowa, p. 11. Read by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] // [Monastic life/Motivation] [Ajahn Mun]
2. [13:44] “So both Ajahn Mahā Boowa and Ajahn Chah were students of Ajahn Mun? Did they have similar experiences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Chah] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Thai sects] [History/Thai Buddhism]
3. [18:02] “Are there modern monasteries associated with Ajahn Sao, Ajahn Mun, and Ajahn Mahā Boowa?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Sao] [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Monasteries] // [History/Thai Buddhism] [Ajahn Chah]
4. [20:16] “Does the current interest in meditation in Thailand extend to the villages around forest monasteries as well as urban areas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Lunar observance days] [Festival days]
5. [23:29] “So the whole country [Thailand] meditates?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/Thailand] [Meditation]
6. [23:54] Ajahn Pasanno describes Upasika Kee Nanayon’s life and teachings. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Women in Buddhism] // [Ajahn Wanchai] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Community] [Virtue] [Simplicity]
Quote: “An inward-staying unentangled knowing, all outward-going knowing cast aside.” — Upasikā Kee Nanayon. [Knowing itself]
7. [28:21] Reading: “Discernment versus self-deception” from An Unentangled Knowing by Upasikā Kee Nanayon, p. 102. Read by Ajahn Pasanno. [Discernment] [Delusion]
8. [39:32] Quote: “There’s only two things you have to do in practice: know and let go.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Knowing itself] [Relinquishment]
9. [40:21] “Regarding thought fabrications, in daily life we have to focus on our work. How can we integrate the principles of anatta and dukkha into daily life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Everyday life] [Work ] [Not-self] [Suffering] // [Right Livelihood] [Restlessness and worry] [Energy] [Impermanence] [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment]
10. [44:49] “In the reading, Upasikā Kee Nanayon says the mind takes the fabrications itself as the object. Is that similar to Ajahn Sumedho’s ‘It’s like this?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Volitional formations] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Knowing itself]
11. [45:18] “As the mind takes fabrications as its object, does the mind expand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Volitional formations] [Heart/mind] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Relinquishment]
12. [46:50] Comments by Ajahn Pasanno about being aware of awareness itself. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Knowing itself] // [Tranquility] [Becoming] [Cessation] [Fear] [Relinquishment]
13. [49:22] Comment: I’m reminded of the encouragement to come back to the body as a basis. [Mindfulness of body]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Knowing itself]
1. [0:25] Biography and role of Ajahn Liem. [Ajahn Liem ] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Ajahn Chah] [Abbot] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Leadership]
Quote: “He’s in the middle of all of this duty and projection. Whatever comes his way, he doesn’t pick up any of it. It’s quite delightful to be around him.” [Proliferation]
2. [8:05] Reading: Santi – Peace Beyond Delusion by Ajahn Liem, p. 17. Read by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Liem]
3. [22:12] Being able to recognize the difference between the mind itself and the moods or objects of the mind. [Knowing itself] [Moods of the mind ] // [Heart/mind]
4. [23:25] “When Ajahn Liem says, ‘Practice is just for practice,’ what arises for me is that any time I put a meaning on practice, there has to be an ego state that arises around that meaning. ... It’s like letting go even of the idea of practicing in order to become enlightened.” [Ajahn Liem] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma ] [Self-identity view] [Becoming] [Liberation] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “Practicing for Nibbāna is just another kind of desire.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Nibbāna] [Desire]
5. [24:49] “In an earlier reading, Ajahn Mun mentioned the primal mind. Is that what you’re discussing here?” [Ajahn Mun] [Nature of mind] // [Knowing itself] [Ajahn Chah]
Reading: Questions and answers regarding the primal mind from Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 478.
6. [28:09] Comment: I appreciate Ajahn Liem saying, ‘I didn’t make much of it.’ It’s a contradiction between being very active and not being active at the same time. [Ajahn Liem] [Middle Path]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relinquishment] [Meditation] [Concentration] [Proliferation] [Nature of mind] [Faith]
7. [30:30] “Was Ajahn Liem’s focus mindfulness of breathing but he was also aware of the moods of the mind passing through and sometimes getting kicked around by the hindrances?” [Ajahn Liem] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of mind] [Hindrances] // [Teaching Dhamma] [Patience]
8. [33:39] Story: Ajahn Toon tries to disrobe repeatedly, but Ajahn Chah won’t let him. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Toon] [Disrobing] // [Patience] [Three Refuges] [Ajahn Tongrat] [Posture/Walking] [Gratitude] [Respect]
9. [39:55] Reading: Excerpt from “The Training the Heart,” Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 509. // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Translation]
10. [49:18] “You mentioned how Ajahn Chah cultivated the brahmavihara of metta and Ajahn Liem cultivated the brahmavihara of equilibrium. Could you talk about this?” [Ajahn Chah] [Goodwill] [Divine Abidings] [Ajahn Liem] // [Personality] [Judaism]
Quote: “Lots of lovingkindness is really tiring. I’m putting more attention on equanimity.” — Ajahn Liem. [Equanimity]
11. [54:36] “How is there clinging to personality?” [Clinging] [Personality] [Self-identity view] // [Suffering] [Great disciples]
Sutta: The Buddha to Ānanda: “When did Anuruddha ever take an interest in Saṅgha issues?” – AN 4.243: Schism [Saṅgha decision making]