7. “Upon awakening one morning, I found my mind was locked open in awareness. It seems this was stable as long as I did not do any conceptual thinking. Is this a feature of samādhi? Can it be cultivated?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation/Unusual experiences] [Present moment awareness] [Spaciousness] [Concentration] // [Right Concentration] [Mindfulness]
8. Quote: “Samādhi is the one-pointed mind fixed on the point of balance.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Concentration ] [Unification] [Equanimity]
Quote: “Samādhi is a holiday for the heart.” — Ajahn Chah. [Concentration ] [Heart/mind] [Ajahn Sumedho]
3. “Could you talk about the practicalities of reflective meditation for someone who hasn’t done much of this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection] // [Mindfulness] [Translation] [Concentration] [Impermanence] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “The point that includes” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Unification] [Spaciousness] [Concentration]
8. “When practicing to get out of the world, how does one avoid slipping into unhappiness with the world?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Escape] [Suffering] [Happiness] // [Saṃsāra] [Not-self] [Divine Abidings] [Unattractiveness] [Equanimity] [Gladdening the mind] [Concentration] [Knowledge and vision]
Sutta: MN 10.10: Contemplating the body as if it were a sack of grains.
Suttas: AN 6.10, AN 10.2: Causal chains yielding gladness (pāmojja) with different starting points.
5. Comment: The story of Patācārā realizing the end of suffering [in Thig 112-116, The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, pp. 54-55] illustrates the possibility of samādhi while going about daily activities. [Great disciples] [Liberation] [Concentration] [Monastic life]
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Jhāna] [Concentration] [Buddha/Biography] [Similes] [Mahāyāna]
Vinaya: Khandhaka 21.1.5: Ānanda realizes arahantship the dawn before the First Council while just beginning to lie down. [Arahant] [Postures] [Psychic powers]
3. Story: Ajahn Mahā Boowa argues with Ajahn Mun, then can’t access higher states of concentration. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa ] [Ajahn Mun] [Concentration] // [Conceit] [Insight meditation]
Story: Mae Chee Kaew insisted that meditation connected with [supernatural] beings was the right way; Ajahn Mahā Boowa threw her out. Told by Ajahn Sundarā. [Mae Chee Kaew] [Non-human beings] [Fierce/direct teaching]
2. “In practice, how do you know if you are tending towards laziness or restlessness, etc.?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Investigation of states] // [Concentration] [Direct experience] [Clear comprehension] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Sutta: AN 3.102: “The mind becomes malleable, wieldy, luminous, not brittle...”
1. Comment: Some of the links [in AN 10.2] seem more natural than others....For example, the Bodhisattva was really good at concentration, but he wouldn’t have described himself as having knowledge and vision of the way things are back when he was studying with Āḷāra Kālāma. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Conditionality] [Naturalness] [Concentration] [Knowledge and vision] [Bodhisattva]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right View] [Concentration]
3. “For good or right contemplation, do you need some amount of samādhi so that it won’t proliferate in thinking?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Discernment] [Concentration] [Proliferation] // [Thai Forest Tradition]
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] [Concentration] [Ajahn Sumedho]
Simile: Samādhi is like a chicken in a bamboo coop. [Concentration] [Similes] [Spaciousness] [Mindfulness]
Sutta: MN 44.12: The bases of samādhi.
Simile: Unification of mind is like a bowl of fruit. [Unification]
8. “Is that [developing samādhi; refer to the previous question] possible to do in a 24-hour period? I find it difficult to continuously do what you said, especially when I’m asleep.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Concentration] [Continuity of mindfulness] // [Long-term practice]
10. “Do you think the knowing of the peace of samādhi is always something which will be remembered? It gives a kind of confidence.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Concentration] [Tranquility] [Faith] // [Purpose/meaning]
5. “It seems like I’m using physical tension to block out emotion. When I try to put my attention on it, the mind goes blank or starts thinking about work. I don’t know what I’m avoiding. Any suggestions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain] [Emotion ] // [Mindfulness of body] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Concentration] [Translation] [Spaciousness] [Body scanning]