Q&A at Sudhana Center
Ajahn Pasanno
Q&A session, Jul. 12, 2023
Sudhana Center in Ukiah, California
9 excerpts, 23:02 total duration

Ajahn Pasanno – Jul. 12, 2023 Download audio (23:37)

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1. [0:00] “In reference to the fragrance of the flower....There are many roses in the courtyard across the street....Why do we cultivate beauty? Where does beauty arise from?” [Beauty] // [Clinging] [Happiness] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Empathetic joy] [Unconditioned]

Sutta: MN 37: Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya. (Nothing whatsoever should be clung to.)

Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s mother sends his old letters to Abhayagiri. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri]

Recollection: Ajahn Chah was unshakeable in the midst of all the things that were happening around him and responded warmly and compassionately to the people around him. [Ajahn Chah] [Equanimity] [Compassion] [Family] [Monastic life/Motivation]


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2. [8:12] “Did you get a little bit [of Ajahn Chah’s equanimity and warmth]? What’s it like?” [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Monastic life/Motivation]


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3. [8:51] “Is there a plan to publish the letters [that Ajahn Pasanno wrote home during his travels]?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dhamma books]


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4. [9:58] “I notice that some of the monks at Abhayagiri use social media. As a youngster, I use a lot of social media. You grew up when there was none. What’s your view on how it’s affecting our mind?” [Social media] [Monastic life] [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno]


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5. [11:58] “I feel that a lot of people are disconnected with the reality world. They don’t have a place of social, and they withdraw themselves and go on the internet. So I think the fundamental problem is people [audio unclear] in this real world. Do you have any comments on how to connect people in the real world so there can be a replacement of social media?” [Community] [Social media] [Internet] // [Dhamma online] [Pandemic] [Online community] [Abhayagiri] [Lunar observance days]

Sutta: SN 55.5: Spiritual friendship as a condition for Right View. [Spiritual friendship] [Right View] [Conditionality] [Appropriate attention]


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6. [15:43] Comment: Since the pandemic, I have been in better communication with my family. [Pandemic] [Family] [Internet] [Communal harmony]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Discernment]


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7. [17:04] “What’s the feeling of wearing the same color for 50 years?” [Monastic life] [Robes] // [Culture/West]


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8. [17:50] “My understanding is that it is not good to indulge the five senses. But is there a way to make that help with your cultivation?” [Sense bases] [Sense restraint] // [Appropriate attention] [Discernment] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities]

Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 6: Recollection of the Dhamma [Recollection/Dhamma]

Sutta: SN 35.23: The six senses are the all.

Sutta: SN 35.116: A perceiver of the world, a conceiver of the world.


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9. [20:33] “It’s understandable that we crave happiness through the senses. Attaching to a certain type of happiness through the senses is not helpful for cultivation. But there’s also the emphasis on joy in the Buddha’s teachings. So there should be a balance, and where to find that?” [Sense bases] [Sensual desire] [Happiness] [Gladdening the mind] // [Four Noble Truths]

Quote: “All the elements of the path are a source of happiness and well-being.” [Eightfold Path]

Follow-up: “What about the joy that comes from enjoying sensual things like music, painting, scents, and water?” [Artistic expression] [Beauty] [Clinging] [Spaciousness]