49 excerpts, 3:20:13 total duration
“What are the commentaries? How do they know stuff that isn’t in the suttas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Commentaries ] [Sutta] [History/Early Buddhism] // [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Culture/Thailand] [Direct experience]
The Middle Way of Not-Self [2015], Session 1, Excerpt 1
“You referred to the Visuddhimagga by Buddhagosa a few times this week. Is this a principle source of suttas and discourses? Would it be valuable for a layperson to study, assuming it has been translated into English?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Commentaries ] [Sutta] [Translation] // [Tipiṭaka] [History/Early Buddhism] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism]
Reference: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli.
13. “Is the experience of Nibbāna (that is the cessation of all formations) the same for a stream enterer, once-returner, etc., or does the experience manifest differently depending on the level of realization? Do the suttas or commentaries touch on this subject? Any stories from the Forest Tradition related to it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nibbāna] [Stages of awakening] [Sutta] [Commentaries] // [Cessation] [Becoming] [Relinquishment]
2. “You referred to the Visuddhimagga by Buddhagosa a few times this week. Is this a principle source of suttas and discourses? Would it be valuable for a layperson to study, assuming it has been translated into English?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Commentaries ] [Sutta] [Translation] // [Tipiṭaka] [History/Early Buddhism] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism]
Reference: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli.
3. Comment by Ajahn Kaccāna: In contrast to the commentary, Venerable Analayo describes the aggregates as a tool for getting free of suffering. [Commentaries] [Ven. Anālayo] [Cessation of Suffering] [Aggregates]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
7. “Was metta taught as a concentration earlier than Buddhaghosa? Also, how is it taught in the Thai Forest Tradition now?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] [Commentaries] [Thai Forest Tradition]
5. “Related to the need to emerge from neither-perception-nor-non-perception and cessation of perception to contemplate the five khandhas [in AN 9.36], don’t some of the commentaries imply that that’s what you do with first jhāna; that insight is not possible even in first jhāna?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Formless attainments] [Aggregates] [Insight meditation] [Commentaries] [Jhāna] // [Views]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah emphasized that every step of the way there has to be awareness. Awareness has to form the basis of the whole practice. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Right Concentration] [Right View]
1. Comments by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo contrasting the canonical and commentarial approaches to breath meditation. [Sutta] [Commentaries] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Pa Auk Sayadaw] [Culture/Sri Lanka] [Culture/Thailand] [Pāli] [Ajahn Pasanno]
Sutta: MN 44 identifies in-and-out breathing as the bodily fabrication/conditioner (saṅkhāra).
1. “What are the commentaries? How do they know stuff that isn’t in the suttas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Commentaries ] [Sutta] [History/Early Buddhism] // [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Culture/Thailand] [Direct experience]
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?”” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Commentaries] [Aggregates] [History] // [Buddha]
8. Story: The original Abhayagiri Monastery. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abhayagiri (Sri Lanka)] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism ] // [Theravāda] [Mahāyāna] [Commentaries] [Study monks] [Conflict] [Royalty] [Stupas/monuments] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Abhayagiri]
Reference: The Path to Freedom (Vimuttimagga), translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇatusita.
1. Story: Reprinting The Enlightened Nuns from the Time of the Buddha by Panadure Vajira Silmatha. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Dhamma books] [Bhikkhunī] [Buddha/Biography] // [Ajahn Candasirī] [Ajahn Amaro] [Artistic expression] [Non-return] [Bodhisattva]
Story: The wanderer Upaka falls in love with Cāpā, marries her, then returns to the Buddha, ordains as a monk, and becomes a non-returner. [Commentaries]
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 1.6: Upaka meets the Buddha.
Sutta: Thig 13.3: Cāpātherīgāthā (Upaka is apparently called Kāḷa here).
Reference: Upaka, The Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names by G P Malalasekera.
Sutta: SN 2.24 mentions Upaka as a non-returner.
1. Teaching from the commentaries: Only the Buddha overcomes all personality tendencies. Contributed by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Buddha] [Personality] [Commentaries] // [Arahant] [Great disciples]
1. Story: Ajahn Buddhadāsa gives up formal studies and returns to the forest and the suttas. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Buddhadāsa ] [Learning] [Commentaries] [Sutta] // [Spiritual traditions] [Geography/Thailand]