Intoxicants (surāmeraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā)
Intoxicants (surāmeraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā)
3. “Could you talk more about the particular professions that the Buddha laid out as wrong livelihood (AN 5.177)? Why is being in the military not on the list?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Work] [Military] [Right Livelihood] // [Unskillful qualities] [Kamma] [Killing] [Intoxicants] [Rebirth]
Sutta: AN 5.177: Trades
Story: The widow of a wealthy man divests from Singha Beer. [Intoxicants] [Commerce/economics]
4. “Is growing grapes right livelihood?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [Commerce/economics] [Right Livelihood]
Story: The son of a winemaking family lives on the land but doesn’t participate in wine production. [Intoxicants] [Family]
5. “Can you speak about the people who sell these things [intoxicants] versus those who make them?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [Commerce/economics] [Right Livelihood] // [Kamma] [Volition]
Story: A clerk at an organic food store asks about selling wine. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Intoxicants]
6. “If the person selling the product enjoys selling it and the person buying it enjoys the product, what is the unpleasant consequence?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Commerce/economics] [Sensual desire] [Kamma] [Right Livelihood] // [Unskillful qualities] [Intoxicants] [Crime] [Heedlessness]
8. Comment about the nuances involved in the activities comprising wrong livelihood. [Intoxicants] [Right Livelihood]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Community]
9. “Is caffeine an intoxicant?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [Right Livelihood] // [Medicinal requisites]
7. “Would you please comment on ‘The Highest Blessings’ where is reads: ‘Avoiding those of foolish ways...and cherishing family.’ What if family members engage in foolish ways like addiction to alcohol and one can not always avoid them? Can one cherish one of foolish ways?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Family] [Spiritual friendship] [Intoxicants]
19. “Does the 5th precept include coffee or prescription drugs as drugs to avoid? Does the precept mean never drink alcohol or don’t abuse alcohol for a lay person?...Does Right Livelihood mean one cannot work in a place that serves and/or sells alcohol, coffees, or drugs? Or, does it mean don’t work where alcohol and drugs are made?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [Medicinal requisites] [Right Livelihood]
5. Reading: SN 55.24-25: Sarakāni [Stream entry] [Intoxicants] [Death]
9. “Why is the story of Sarakāni controversial in Sri Lanka?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stream entry] [Intoxicants] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism] [Death] // [Stages of awakening]
Sutta: SN 55.24-25: Sarakāni
Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo regarding the wide range of views about stream entry. [Views]
1. “How do I use the teaching today about investigating the cause of suffering when working with betrayal? Been married to high school sweetheart for 40 years. Raised children together and best of friends. Lately he has gone off the deep end. Midlife crisis? - who knows, but he started drinking and acting out sexually. The feelings of shock, betrayal, hurt, anger and fear are beyond words. If new relationship I would leave, but he has been in my life since I was a child. Impossible to accept but hard to leave. How do I find the cause of suffering (noble truth) you spoke of today? And how to bring some equanimity and space around this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cause of Suffering] [Relationships] [Family] [Intoxicants] [Sexual misconduct] [Aversion] [Equanimity]
17. “Is having a ½ glass of wine at the Christmas or special dinner breaking that precept? Does the precept mean not getting intoxicated or not ever drinking substance?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants]
1. “I’m having a hard time with alcohol (not here!). Not heavy or even daily use; a glass of wine with dinner a few nights a week or at social events. I would like to stop but have a hard time sustaining for more than a month or so. Any words of encouragement?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants]
9. “What were you like when you were 18?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Delusion] [Spiritual search] [Intoxicants] [Relationships]
17. “Have you broken any precepts where only you know if you broke them?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Vinaya] [Ajahn Pasanno] // [Right Speech]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s uncle offers him alchohol. [Intoxicants] [Truth]
5. “What about Sarakāni (SN 55.24-25), the stream enterer who took to drink?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stream entry] [Intoxicants] // [Ajahn Chah] [Precepts]
Story: Ajahn Chah takes in a gangster. [Crime]
7. Reading: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 647-648 “Por Am” [Ajahn Chah] // [Right Livelihood] [Views] [Intoxicants]
Story: Ajahn Chah teaches Por Am herbal medicine so he can avoid killing animals. [Culture/Thailand] [Food] [Precepts] [Medicinal requisites] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Health care] [Lunar observance days]
Quote: “It’s not possible to defeat the Dhamma, you know, and that’s why you fainted.” — Ajahn Chah to Por Am [Dhamma]
5. Comment: I also get tripped up chanting the fifth precept (Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 130). [Five Precepts] [Intoxicants] [Chanting] [Pāli]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Thai]
2. “For some people, death comes with extreme pain. Part of being able to navigate through the dissolution of self requires clarity of mind. My understanding is that a lot of pain management involves morphine or other mind-numbing drugs. How does one navigate the pain?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Pain] [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view] [Clear comprehension] [Health care] [Intoxicants] // [Fear]
5. “Years ago I considered the Buddha someone wbo practiced harm reduction. But having worked in the field, I’ve started to have a lot of conflict around when people request paraphanelia to help them use [drugs]. The idea is to keep them alive, but now it’s become very complicated because people are still dying. Is this a violation of right livelihood? Could you speak about wisdom and compassion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [Health care] [Death] [Right Livelihood] [Discernment] [Compassion] [Gratitude] // [Right Intention] [Crime] [Politics and society]
Quote: “As a person who is trying to help, you have to learn harm reduction to yourself.” [Depression]