4. “Is the Buddha incapable of rage and passion himself? From the coolness of enlightenment as he described it, could you not use rage and passion skillfully? Like you’re acting but aware of it for the liberation of all beings, using it in a skillful way, dispassionately full of compassion. Does that make sense?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Buddha] [Aversion] [Desire] [Liberation] [Compassion] // [Fierce/direct teaching] [Vinaya]
Vinaya: Bhikkhu Pārājikā 4.1.2: A harsh rebuke by the Buddha.
3. “It sounds relatively common that people became enlightened. Do we take that as true? Did it happen afterwards? Does it happen now that people can become enlightened by listening to you?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Liberation] // [Buddha/Biography]
Sutta: MN 69.29.
5. Comment: The story of Patācārā realizing the end of suffering [in Thig 112-116, The Island by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, pp. 54-55] illustrates the possibility of samādhi while going about daily activities. [Great disciples] [Liberation] [Concentration] [Monastic life]
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Jhāna] [Buddha/Biography] [Similes] [Liberation] [Mahāyāna]
Vinaya: Khandhaka 21.1.5: Ānanda realizes arahantship the dawn before the First Council while just beginning to lie down. [Arahant] [Postures] [Psychic powers]
2. “You could have a reasonable intention to stop a habit or stop seeing someone. By telling yourself, ‘I want to stop,’ you identify with the object. But you can go round and round and round thinking about it. ...” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Spiritual friendship] [Volition] [Self-identity view] [Proliferation] // [Right Effort] [Mindfulness] [Discernment] [Attitude] [Becoming]
Sutta: Snp 2.4: Maṅgala Sutta.
Simile: Stinging nettles and dead nettles together in the same hedgerow. [Similes]
Quote: “I am an unenlightened person who has to do something now to become enlightened in the future.” — a paradigm based on self-view pointed out by Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Liberation]
Follow-up: “The only arbiter [of whether intention is based on self-view or wisdom] is your own experience ...” [Self-reliance]
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Teaching Dhamma]
Sutta: AN 9.3 Meghiya Sutta.
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities]
2. “Could you clarify what you said about the mind and objects of awareness and how freedom from attachments is possible?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Knowing itself] [Liberation] // [Non-identification] [Insight meditation] [Ajahn Mun]
Simile: Oil and water. — Ajahn Chah. [Similes] [Ajahn Chah]
Follow-up: “I like flowers, but I need to stop buying flowers. How can this help?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Clinging] [Feeling] [Volitional formations]
3. Story: Ajahn Amaro’s insight his first day at Wat Pah Nanachat: “I didn’t get the pineapple and nothing is missing!” Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro ] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Desire] [Eating after noon] [Impermanence] [Insight meditation] // [Liberation]
Quote: “Desire is a liar.” [Craving]
Ajahn Pasanno recollects Ajahn Amaro’s arrival at Wat Pah Nanachat.
6. “If worldly experiences are based on previous conditions, how is it possible to reach the world beyond our experience?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Conditionality] [Liberation ] // [Insight meditation] [Cessation] [Knowing itself]
Sutta: DN 11.85: “Where long and short, coarse and fine, pure and impure find no footing ...”
Sutta: SN 2.26: The end of the world.
2. “When Ajahn Chah reached full liberation, did he wait two years just to be sure?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Liberation] // [Delusion] [Doubt]
Simile from Ajahn Chah: “To me that’s just the chattering of the birds.” Related by Ajahn Amaro. [Liberation] [Similes]
Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: People get infatuated and enthralled by attainment. [Craving] [Meditation/Results] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “[Ajahn Chah’s] duty was to try to teach people Dhamma, as opposed to being something for anybody.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Becoming]
4. “How did the Buddha deal with this issue of people becoming enlightened contemporaneous with him and getting a little bit crazy? His contemporaries also had siddhis [psychic powers] and practices? How did he distinguish between Buddhist and non-Buddhist attainments?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Buddha/Biography] [Liberation] [Delusion] [Psychic powers] // [Cessation of Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] [Becoming]
Sutta: AN 6.48: A proper declaration of full knowledge does not include a sense of me and mine.
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 1.38: Rules for wanderers of other sects wanting to become bhikkhus.
7. “You hear about the teachings about the different stages of enlightenment—these fetters going at these stages. When I first heard about it, it was kind of helpful, but it sounded so complicated. Luang Por [Sumedho] would teach that it is here and now, it’s right now, and that was so liberating. ... How can you use this talk of the fetters and different stages in a way that is helpful?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stages of awakening] [Fetters] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Liberation] // [Relinquishment] [Direct experience]
8. Reflection by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno: Our strongest habit is to practice Dhamma in accordance with self-view. [Habits] [Self-identity view] [Practicing in accordance with Dhamma] // [Factors for stream entry] [Dhamma]
Quote: “I am an unenlightened person who has got to do something now in order to become enlightened in the future.” — a wrong framework for practice pointed out by Ajahn Sumedho. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Liberation]
Sutta: AN 3.40: Three traits that can predominate (adhipatteyya).
5. “What do you treasure most among what you/we have inherited from Luang Por Chah?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “He had given himself completely, and he had reaped the fruits completely.” [Relinquishment] [Liberation]
5. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: If you see the steadfastness and orderliness of the Dhamma, of the truth, it can free the heart. [Lawfulness] [Naturalness] [Liberation] [Impermanence] // [Pāli]
10. “Is liberation impermanent?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Liberation ] [Impermanence] // [Nibbāna]
3. “Could you speak about the practice of being mindful of craving and allowing it to pass?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unskillful qualities] [Mindfulness] [Craving] [Cessation] // [Hindrances] [Relinquishment] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Faith] [Memory]
Quote: “If we don’t understand the obstacle, we can’t be free from it.” [Discernment] [Liberation]
Quote: “You’ve got to be really careful because the mind is a liar and a cheat.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Nature of mind] [Heedfulness]