Teaching Dhamma
Includes tags: Teaching Dhamma, Gradual Teaching, Questions, Dhamma discussion, Stories, Symbolism/metaphor
See also: Similes
3. “Is it possible to repeat the preparatory stages [before the Buddha teaches the Four Noble Truths] (Mahāvagga 1.7.5)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gradual Teaching ] [Four Noble Truths] // [Generosity] [Virtue] [Deva] [Kamma] [Drawbacks] [Sensual desire] [Renunciation] [Happiness] [Teaching Dhamma]
Story: A gangster visits Ajahn Chah and begins to keep the precepts. [Crime] [Ajahn Chah] [Killing] [Five Precepts] [Stealing]
1. “What distinguished Ajahn Chah from other meditation teachers?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation/Techniques] [Right View] [Monastic life]
Follow-up: “Did this inspire the way you teach?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Teaching Dhamma]
2. “How did Ajahn Chah react to students who had studied in other Buddhist traditions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Spiritual traditions] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Sumedho] [Master Hsu Yun] [Hua tou] [Zen] [Right Effort]
3. “It is said that each monk who know Ajahn Chah well would describe him in a different way when asked. How would you describe him?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Personality] [Personal presence] [Compassion]
Quote: “You never quite knew which Ajahn Chah you were going to get, which always kept you on your toes. And if you weren’t on your toes, it wouldn’t take long before he would call you on it.” [Teaching Dhamma] [Clear comprehension]
6. “There are a few stories about Ajahn Chah having psychic powers, particularly reading minds. Did you ever observe anything of that sort with Ajahn Chah? What was Ajahn Chah’s position on such things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Psychic powers] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] // [Nature of mind]
Story: Ajahn Chah describes the supernatural beings at Wat Pah Pong to a close lay follower, then refuses to talk about other realms with a group from Bangkok. [Wat Pah Pong] [Non-human beings] [Teaching Dhamma]
7. “Were there any particular themes in Ajahn Chah’s teachings that regularly came up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah ] // [Virtue] [Right View] [Relinquishment] [Knowing itself]
8. “Many of Ajahn Chah’s direct disciples have become revered teachers themselves. Would you say the harsher conditions and more rigorous practices of the early days of Wat Pah Pong played a necessary role in their training and development or was it mostly due to Ajahn Chah being such a masterful teacher?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ascetic practices] [Wat Pah Pong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Humility] [Ajahn Mun] [Mae Chee]
Quote: “There’s this nostalgia for the good old days. ... To me it’s a fallacy or a fantasy.” [Suffering] [Poverty]
Quote: “To be able to lay a foundation that was carried on is really exceptional.” [Saṅgha] [Leadership]
8. “How did Luang Por Chah relate to the lay community around him and tailor the Dhamma to their own circumstances?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Wat Pah Pong] [Lunar observance days] [Building projects] [Cultural context] [Stories]
Story: Ajahn Chah’s talkative older brother helps with their mother’s funeral. [Family] [Funerals]
1. Background of the Amaravati Sunday Talks. [Amaravati] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Rains retreat] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah]
11. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno on Ajahn Chah’s ability to illustrate Dhamma. [Teaching Dhamma] [Similes] [Ajahn Chah]
Simile: Suffering is like continually tightening a bolt. [Suffering]
14. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: His leadership and his teaching came from his example. [Leadership] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Lunar observance days] [Devotion to wakefulness]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah sits until midnight despite having malaria. [Sickness] [Posture/Sitting] [Sitter's practice]
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]