Bowing
Bowing
4. Story: When I met Ajahn Chah. Told by Ṭhānissarā. [Ṭhānissarā] [Ajahn Chah] // [Meditation retreats] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Personal presence] [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Liberation] [Happiness]
Story: Ajahn Chah bows to a small, neglected Buddha image in a secular meditation center and inspires Ṭhānissarā‘s faith. [Bowing] [Buddha images] [Perception of a samaṇa] [Human] [Faith]
Quote: “If you’ve been listening to this and you think this is good or you think this is bad, then you haven’t been listening properly.” — Ajahn Chah [Judgementalism] [Appropriate attention]
1. Story: My experiences with Ajahn Chah. Told by Nan Meister. [Gratitude] [Faith] [Ajahn Chah] // [Ajahn Liem] [Suffering] [Commerce/economics] [Sense of urgency] [Joseph Kappel] [Bowing] [Wat Pah Pong] [Mae Chee Kumfah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Mae Chee] [Ghost] [Conceit] [Fierce/direct teaching]
7. Story: Mute, wheelchair-bound Ajahn Chah meets a mother and her young son. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness] [Children] [Bowing] [Compassion] [Ajahn Chah] // [Health care] [Joseph Kappel] [Ajahn Pasanno]
3. Chanting: Paying respects to the shrine and Ajahn Chah. Offered by Ajahn Amaro. [Chanting] [Bowing] [Three Refuges] [Ajahn Chah]
4. Recollections of Ajahn Chah charming people. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Personal presence]
Story: “I’ll have her bowing before the end.” — Ajahn Chah speaking of George Sharp’s daughter who travelled with George to Thailand. [George Sharp] [Bowing]
Note: Compare to George Sharp’s version in The Chithurst Story by George Sharp, p. 67.
Quote: “Thank you. That was the most delicious meal I’ve had here.” — Ajahn Chah to an anxious English donor. [Food] [Gratitude] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand]
18. Story: Ajahn Mahā Boowa bows to a newly-discovered photograph of Ajahn Mun. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Devotional practice] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Bowing]
11. “Please demonstrate how to bow. Are there any cultural differences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bowing]
8. “When bowing three times, do you say something in your mind like taking refuge or anything else?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bowing] [Three Refuges]
3. “Can you talk about Ajahn Chah’s use of bowing, communal pūjās, and chores?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Chanting] [Saṅgha] [Work] [Monastic life] [Bowing] // [Becoming] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Respect for elders]
Story: A Westerner asks Ajahn Chah, “Why do we bow?” [Bowing]
5. “Why do we bow to images?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha images] [Bowing] [Monastic life] // [History/Early Buddhism] [Abhayagiri]
10. “I’ve heard that someone asked Ajahn Chah if he could read his students’ minds. He replied that he didn’t need to; he just watched how they walked in the door and bowed. Do you get a feel for this over time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Psychic powers] [Teaching Dhamma] [Mindfulness of body] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] [Bowing]
8. Comment: Devotion is what keeps rituals from becoming empty motions. [Devotional practice] [Ceremony/ritual]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Bowing]