3. “Would you say that way of reflecting using non conceptual thought is more effective or more penetrative than using verbalisation?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Insight meditation] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Jāgaro] [Culture/West]
Reference: “What is Contemplation?”, Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 475.
2. “Could you clarify what you said about the mind and objects of awareness and how freedom from attachments is possible?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Knowing itself] [Liberation] // [Non-identification] [Insight meditation] [Ajahn Mun]
Simile: Oil and water. — Ajahn Chah. [Similes] [Ajahn Chah]
Follow-up: “I like flowers, but I need to stop buying flowers. How can this help?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Clinging] [Feeling] [Volitional formations]
4. Question about associating with and clinging to wholesome and conducive environments. Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [Clinging] [Spiritual friendship] // [Suffering] [Knowing itself] [Discernment] [Amaravati] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “If you seek for security in what is insecure, you are bound to suffer.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Impermanence]
Quote: “Wanting what’s good without stop. That’s a disease of the mind.” — Ajahn Mun, Ballad of Liberation from the Khandhas. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Mun] [Craving]
Quote: “Live simply; be natural.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Simplicity]
Story: A sincere practitioner’s family complains about his way of being mindful. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Mindfulness] [Everyday life] [Pace of life]
1. Comment: The separation between the mind and the sense/mind objects can be helpfully contemplated at multiple levels of acuity. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Nature of mind] [Knowing itself] [Sense bases] // [Nibbāna] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: AN 11.9.
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, pp. 90-91.
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Perception] [Etymology]
Quote: “The Five Khandhas exist, but they aren’t real. The Dhamma is real, but it doesn’t exist.” — Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho. [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] [Aggregates] [Dhamma]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Quote: “Bright, loud, and mobile is the false; subtle and indistinct is the true.” — Master Hsuan Hua to Ajahn Amaro in a dream. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Amaro] [Dreams] [Truth]
10. “If you are constantly around someone who engages you with prolonged and agitated discussion, how do you handle that?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Idle chatter] // [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Admonishment/feedback]
Sutta: MN 2: Sabbāsava Sutta.
Quote: “Never give feedback to your fellow samaṇas before the meal.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Monastic life]
Quote: “We can be completely mindful of taking initiative. Our capacity to act is part of the way things are.” — Ajahn Amaro. [Right Action ] [Discernment] [Right Mindfulness] [Buddha/Biography]
7. “What is the difference between unsupported and unsupportive [consciousness]?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Unestablished consciousness] // [Direct experience] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Self-identity view] [Appropriate attention]
Reference: The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, p. 133.
Quote: “We say the mind is empty, but it’s actually full of wisdom.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Emptiness] [Discernment]
Reference: Wisdom Develops Samādhi by Ajahn Mahā Boowa
3. “Is there a difference between citta and poo roo?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Heart/mind ] [Knowing itself] [Nature of mind] // [Thai] [Language] [Proliferation] [Dhamma] [Buddha] [Ajahn Amaro] [Dhamma books]
Quote: “If there’s anything left, just throw it to the dogs.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment]
4. Story: Huineng evades his pursuers with a koan. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Koan] [Huineng]
Follow-up: “Do you know why Huineng returned after sixteen years?”
Recollection: Ajahn Buddhadāsa translated a few Chinese Buddhist texts into Thai. [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Translation] [Ajahn Chah]
4. “Are mindfulness of mind and contemplating a subject such as impermanence two different approaches?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of mind] [Recollection] // [Ajahn Chah] [Language] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Appropriate attention] [Lawfulness]
Reference: “What is Contemplation?”, Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, pp. 475-479.
Quote: “Your best contemplation is quite thoughtless.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility]
Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Yoniso manasikāra is a way of paying attention to the process of experience. [Pāli] [Characteristics of existence]
7. Comment: The translation of the Nibbāna Sutta (Ud 8.3) in The Island renders paññāyati as ‘discerned;’ the Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 49 translates it as ‘possible.’ Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Discernment] [Translation] [Chanting]
Response by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno.
Quote: “If you can’t go forward, if you can’t go backwards, if you can’t stand still, where do you go?” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Koan]
Sutta: Ud 8.1.
5. “I was trying to imagine what it would be like to look into the world through the eyes of an arahant. Something like looking through The Matrix or looking at people as children ...” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Arahant]
Quote: “What is the mind of an arahant like?”—“Only compassion.” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Compassion]
Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Ajahn Chah’s form of compassion could be pretty demanding sometimes. [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Patience] [Humor]
Reflection by Ajahn Kaccāna: From the perspective of an arahant, what drives the entire world is feeble (MN 112.6). [Aggregates] [Dispassion]
3. “The connection between tathatā and suññatā—would you like to expound a bit more?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suchness] [Emptiness ] // [Proliferation] [Relinquishment] [Pāli] [Conventions] [Aggregates] [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Characteristics of existence] [Self-identity view]
Quote: “It’s just that much.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: MN 72.20: “... unfathomable like the great ocean.” [Buddha]
Sutta: Ud 8.3: “There is the unborn, the unoriginated, the uncreated, the unformed.” (Chanting Book Translation).
Reference: The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard.
11. “Is Nibbāna unconditioned? Can Nibbāna make a connection with you, or do you have to go to Nibbāna?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nibbāna] [Unconditioned ] [Impermanence] // [Characteristics of existence]
Sutta: Ud 8.3: Nibbāna Sutta (Chanting Book translation).
Quote: “The place where there’s no coming, no going, no standing still. What’s that?” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
7. “Can you offer any reflections about people’s tendency to measure samādhi, concentration, and jhāna and their doubt and discontent about how much is enough to develop insight?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Calming meditation] [Concentration] [Jhāna] [Insight meditation] // [Craving] [Relinquishment] [Etymology] [Translation] [Right Mindfulness] [Right Effort]
Quote: “Samādhi is a holiday for the heart.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Simile: Samādhi is like a chicken in a bamboo coop. [Similes] [Ajahn Chah] [Spaciousness] [Mindfulness]
Sutta: MN 44.12: The bases of samādhi.
Simile: Unification of mind is like a bowl of fruit. [Unification] [Ajahn Chah]
3. “Could you speak about the practice of being mindful of craving and allowing it to pass?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Mindfulness] [Craving] [Cessation] // [Hindrances] [Relinquishment] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Faith] [Memory]
Quote: “If we don’t understand the obstacle, we can’t be free from it.” [Discernment] [Liberation]
Quote: “You’ve got to be really careful because the mind is a liar and a cheat.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Nature of mind] [Heedfulness]
10. “How do we recognize when we’re being taken advantage of when we’re trying to offer compassion? How do we draw a line to maintain our compassion without it impeding?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abuse/violence] [Compassion ] // [Discernment] [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Suttas: SN 22.86.13; MN 22.37.
Reflection: The qualities of the Buddha: wisdom, compassion, purity. [Recollection/Buddha ] [Arahant] [Pūjā]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 3: Homage to the Buddha. [Recollection/Buddha ]
Story: A person asks the same question four times. [Questions]
12. “When someone opens up about issues or something difficult they are dealing with, when should one just listen and when should one say something that might help?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Listening ] [Right Speech] [Compassion] // [Spiritual friendship] [Trust] [Virtue] [Goodwill] [Admonishment/feedback] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abbot] [Ajahn Chah]
14. “Sometimes we hear that with practice, some qualities change, but other qualities don’t change very much over a long time of practice. When I read certain biographies [of Buddhist teachers], it seems like certain rough qualities can remain even though the mind is pure. How to know the difference in oneself and others?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Long-term practice] [Personality ] [Teachers] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Unskillful qualities] // [Suffering] [Unwholesome Roots] [Relinquishment] [Hindrances]
Ajahn Pasanno describes the personality of great teachers he has met. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Tate] [Ajahn Dune] [Ajahn Chah]
Reflection: The arahant disciples of the Buddha were able to free their minds, but they all had different personalities. [Arahant] [Buddha] [Great disciples ]
Sutta: SN 14.15 Caṅkama Sutta: Monks with different personalities gather around the great disciples.
Note: Ajahn Pasanno mentions the similarly-themed Cūḷagosiṅga Sutta (MN 31) by name, but describes the content of the Caṅkama Sutta.
2. “Is renunciation like surrender?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Renunciation] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “You let go a little, you get a little peace. You let go a lot, and you get a lot peace. Let go completely, and you get complete peace.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Tranquility]