Part of key topic Buddhist Perspectives on the World
3. “I’m interested in the theme mentioned of the body and mind being separate from each other. The questioner asks ‘Don’t they have influence on one another?’ I’m curious about how to reflect on that.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Body/form] [Nature of mind] // [Ajahn Chah] [Sickness] [Knowing itself]
Story: Ajahn Chah retreats into the peace and stability of the mind to cope with a lung infection.
17. Comment: You spoke of death as the dissolution of the body and awareness coming home. The life that we think we’re leading is not the life that we know about when we’re aware. [Body/form] [Knowing itself] [Nature of mind] [Death]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: When death comes, our life is like something that is built up out of crystal that becomes a pile of rubble in the end. It’s so important to recognize that within that there is this possibility of awareness and purity of heart. [Similes]
5. “In an earlier reading, Ajahn Mun mentioned the primal mind. Is that what you’re discussing here?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Nature of mind] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Knowing itself] [Ajahn Chah]
Reading: Questions and answers regarding the primal mind from Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 478. [Nature of mind]
21. “Is the peaceful mind your home?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Tranquility] // [Proliferation] [Suffering]
26. “What are the natural inclinations that can lead to well-being and peace?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Happiness] [Tranquility] // [Aversion] [Right Effort] [Compassion]
7. “Thank you for these wonderful teachings. I understand that ‘citta’ is both the heart and mind but my felt experience is often so different. My mind is often crabby and critical and down right mean, at least to me, but my heart is soft and sweet and easily moved. In fact, my mind can make my heart cry! Please help with this dilemma. Much mettā.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Heart/mind] [Judgementalism]
7. “Regarding yesterdays teaching that rebirth is happening every moment, could you give instructions on how to discern the preceding step, becoming (bhava)? Would you consider transition from sleep into an awakened state being as ‘rebirth’ and whether there is becoming manifesting upon waking up?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Becoming ] [Nature of mind] // [Self-identity view] [Birth]
15. “Can you please explain whether there is a difference between ‘mind’ and ‘consciousness,’ because everything seems to be experienced in the mind; the body is experienced in the mind; feelings also seem to be experienced by the mind, as well as perceptions, sensations, etc. Thank you for your teaching and explanation.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind ] [Consciousness ] [Aggregates] [Nature of mind] // [Sutta] [Sense bases]
3. “What did Winnie-the-Pooh say about intellect versus understanding?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Winnie-the-Pooh] [Nature of mind] [Humor]
3. “Ajahn Mun taught Ajahn Chah to distinguish between the mind and mind objects. Is the mind that distinguishes between these a development of ordinary mind or a larger mind that we tap into as we develop wisdom?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Mun] [Ajahn Chah] [Heart/mind] [Moods of the mind] [Not-self] [Nature of mind] [Discernment] // [Conditionality] [Liberation] [Direct experience]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: Both of these are wrong. [Proliferation]
Sutta: MN 11 Cūḷasīhanāda Sutta
4. “Are all manifestations of desire and motivation ultimately a desire for happiness or are there motivations for truly negative things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Desire] [Craving] [Volition] [Happiness] [Unskillful qualities] [Nature of mind] // [Ill-will] [Fear] [Discernment]
4. “‘Luminous is the mind.’ Is the luminous mind conditioned or unconditioned? If unconditioned, then it’s Nirvana. If conditioned/impermanent, then Nirvana is beyond the mind? Yet it can be known by the mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Unconditioned] [Nibbāna]
Sutta: AN 1.49
18. “If mind and consciousness are impermanent, what/who is aware? Also, who/what is it that experiences the results of karma, especially after the body dies and perhaps is reborn?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind] [Consciousness] [Impermanence] [Nature of mind ] [Kamma] [Rebirth] // [Conditionality] [Clinging] [Doctrine-of-self clinging]
19. “Can you please explain mindfulness or awareness of consciousness? I can understand consciousness arising as a result of stimuli entering the sense doors, but how does one become aware of consciousness itself? Or is this the right question about consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of mind] [Consciousness ] [Sense bases ] [Nature of mind] // [Language] [Pāli]
21. “Can you say something about the difference between ‘the mind’ and the brain?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind]
3. “All the stories you told us this morning made me realize the fact that what we are seeking is just right here in our mind. What do you think?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind]
6. “Does the Buddha say all beings are inherently good? How about generosity? Do all human beings have the capacity for generosity?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind ] [Generosity ]
Sutta: AN 1.51-52
Story: A Mafia boss stays under Ajahn Chah’s kuti and helps out at Wat Pah Pong. [Ajahn Chah] [Crime] [Wat Pah Pong] [Precepts]
Quote: “Generosity is an important doorway for many reasons.”
7. “As I get deeper insights how conditioned the mind is, there is a sense of burden being released but also a doubt began to arise: If the mind is conditioned, how is it even possible to arrive at the Unconditioned? Does free will even exist or am I just pushed around by kilesas? If the trick is to recognize that there is no free will, how can I sincerely believe that when I’m making choices to practice and do wholesome deeds, they really matter and it’s not my delusion? Please dispel my doubts!” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind ] [Doubt] [Unconditioned] [Delusion] // [Four Noble Truths] [Self-identity view] [Questions] [Conditionality]
7. “Mind is impermanent correct? So when the Buddha says that the mind is radiant and it gets obscured by defilements, does this mean that the mind that arises without defilements in that moment is radiant?....so radiance is composed of many minds arising and passing away without defilements?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind] [Impermanence] [Nature of mind]
9. “Is it true that consciousness, the universal energy in all living organisms, exists within us and outside of us? Is it everywhere?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Consciousness] [Nature of mind] [Nature of the cosmos] // [Clinging] [Proliferation]
12. “Is the ‘knowing’ awareness, presence, consciousness? Can you say more about this?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Knowing itself] [Consciousness] [Nature of mind] // [Mindfulness of breathing] [Knowledge and vision] [Four Noble Truths] [Heart/mind] [Sense bases]
10. “We can control unwholesome acts of body and speech through precepts, but whatever pops up in the mind we mostly can’t control. But how is kamma formed in the mind? Should we control that thing or should it be let go?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Precepts] [Nature of mind] [Kamma] // [Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Ajahn Chah] [Volition]
Sutta: MN 19: Two Kind of Thought
3. “Where does agati (bias) fit in the flow of the mind? Is it like an anusaya, an underlying tendency or potential, or is it when [the mind] has started to move into action as to where you put your attention?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Biases] [Nature of mind] // [Etymology] [Perception]
3. “How does atammayatā relate to Ajahn Chah’s simile about oil and water, the mind and the mind objects being separate?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Non-identification] [Ajahn Chah] [Similes ] [Nature of mind]
Quote: “Inside is Dhamma, outside is Dhamma, everything is Dhamma.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Dhamma]
Quote: “All symbols and similes are partially relevant. All analogies are partial.” — Ajahn Amaro. [Symbolism]
4. “We often speak of the mind, and we associate it with the mental mind, and we often feel that it’s in the area of the head. Then, when we feel the heart, we often feel like it’s in the area of the heart chakra. I see that in meditation, we can actually expand our field of awareness, maybe to the whole body or even more. Are there different approaches or degrees to this? How does it relate to consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind] [Nature of mind] [Spaciousness] [Consciousness] // [Translation] [Language] [Hinduism] [Emotion] [Mindfulness of mind] [Body/form]
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?” Aswered by Ajahn Amaro. [Clinging] [Feeling] [Volitional formations]
1. Comment: The separation between the mind and the sense/mind objects can be helpfully contemplated at multiple levels of acuity. Contributed by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Nature of mind] [Knowing itself] [Sense bases] // [Nibbāna] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: AN 11.9.
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, pp. 90-91.
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Hearing the true Dhamma] [Perception] [Etymology]
Quote: “The Five Khandhas exist, but they aren’t real. The Dhamma is real, but it doesn’t exist.” — Ajahn Paññavaḍḍho. Quoted by Ajahn Kaccāna. [Ajahn Paññāvaḍḍho] [Aggregates] [Dhamma]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Quote: “Bright, loud, and mobile is the false; subtle and indistinct is the true.” — Master Hsuan Hua to Ajahn Amaro in a dream. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Amaro] [Dreams] [Truth]
3. “Is there a difference between citta and poo roo?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. [Heart/mind ] [Knowing itself] [Nature of mind] // [Thai] [Language] [Proliferation] [Dhamma] [Buddha] [Ajahn Amaro] [Dhamma books]
Quote: “If there’s anything left, just throw it to the dogs.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Chah] [Relinquishment]
9. “If nothing is permanent, does that apply to the mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nature of mind] [Impermanence] // [Knowing itself] [Liberation]
Sutta: SN 12.61: You’d be better off taking the body as self.