7 excerpts, 19:24 total duration
22. “Following the rapture/bliss of realization of deep insight of the sort the questioner posed last night, there inevitably seems to follow a ‘spiritual narcissism’ and other vipassanā defilements. Perhaps these are the same old obstructions, just repackaged, but they seem more insidious. Any special advice or experience to share working through these?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rapture] [Insight meditation] [Conceit] [Defilements of insight] // [Suffering]
4. “With age, contentment and gratitude and even joy come swiftly and easily to my meditation. I’ve good reasons for them. They can also seem like roadblocks to mindfulness, slowing my mind, which is still proliferating and not investigating. What should I do when I feel this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Contentment] [Gratitude] [Happiness] [Proliferation] [Mindfulness] [Defilements of insight] // [Equanimity] [Protective Meditations]
17. “One practice is to cultivate joy, happiness, and the peaceful mind. But if these are ‘defilements of insight,’ I feel empty. Any comment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gladdening the mind] [Happiness] [Insight meditation] [Defilements of insight] [Characteristics of existence] // [Clinging] [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] [Discernment]
1. “I was just reading a talk of Ajahn Chah’s. He mentions ‘vipassanu.’ Could you explain this more?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Insight meditation] // [Defilements of insight]
1. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: The contrast between the vipassanūpakkilesa (defilements of insight) and the vipassanāñāṇa (insight knowledges). [Insight meditation] [Defilements of insight] [Knowledge and vision] // [Perception of light] [Characteristics of existence]
3. “When you contemplate some situation, as long as there is still some tension or some feeling, does that mean that you did not come to the right understanding of it, but once you understand the situation, there would be no unpleasant, painful feelings about it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Pain] [Recollection] [Discernment] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Defilements of insight] [Clinging] [Suffering] [Grief]
Sutta: SN 36.6: Simile of the two arrows. [Similes]
Suttas: MN 53.5; AN 10.67: The Buddha stretches his back. [Buddha/Biography]
Sutta: SN 47.14: “The assembly appears empty to me now.” [Great disciples] [Death] [Characteristics of existence]
6. “How do you find it best to differentiate between true insights and insight defilements?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Cittapālā. [Insight meditation ] [Defilements of insight] // [Tranquility] [Relinquishment] [Simplicity]
Quote: “A really true insight—you don’t get anything from.” — Ajahn Pasanno.