Volitional formations (saṅkhāra)
Volitional formations (saṅkhāra)
6. “For most of the time on this retreat, I’ve tried to work with a persistent problem from a variety of angles, but as I work with it it seems to get worse; it seems obsessional. Any suggestions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation retreats] [Everyday life] [Goodwill] [Proliferation] // [Volitional formations] [Habits] [Spiritual friendship] [Patience]
9. “What is the difference between awareness and consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowing itself] [Consciousness] // [Aggregates] [Sense bases] [Volitional formations] [Volition] [Conditionality] [Discernment]
17. “What is the difference between ‘meditating on’ versus ‘contemplating’ or just thinking about something. Can you give some examples how one may skillfully meditate on something versus unskillfully? What does saṅkhāra mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Recollection] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Skillful qualities] [Volitional formations] [Pāli] // [Concentration] [Progress of insight] [Self-identity view] [Aggregates]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 11: A passage to arouse urgency.
4. Reading: One Seat. [Similes] [Ajahn Chah] // [Mindfulness] [Buddho mantra] [Volitional formations]
9. “I have an internal voice that’s concerned whether I’m doing it right; if I’m not doing it right, then I won’t get where I want to go. Is this delusion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eightfold Path] [Perfectionism] [Delusion] // [Suffering] [Fear] [Mindfulness of body] [Volitional formations]
2. “Could you clarify the difference between perception (sanna), mental formations (sankara) and conscousness (vinnana)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness]
10. “Would you please elaborate on mental formations and volition.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Volition]
18. “I was interested to hear the definition of mental formations as volitional...Could you help me reconcile (random and unbidden thoughts) with volitionality?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations]
10. “Could you please explain again the differences between sanna, sankara, and vinnana? I’m still not getting it.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness]
2. “Have you heard of sañña and saṅkhara being translated as short-term and long-term memory?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Translation]
4. “What Pāli word do you think Ajahn Geoff is translating as thought formations?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pāli] [Translation] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] // [Volitional formations] [Thai]
8. “Would it be possible to give a working definition of saṅkhāra? It seems that saṅkhāra is used by different people in different ways.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Aggregates] // [Conditionality] [Form]
Reference: Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 23: “All conditions are impermanent.”
2. “The citta is sometimes defined as pure awareness, and it being in the fourth khanda, but it sounds like here he’s talking about the activity of awareness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Heart/mind] [Knowing itself] [Volitional formations] // [Rebirth]
Quote: “There is that which is beyond birth and death. And then you start asking, ‘Well, what is it and how is it? How should it be?’ It’s just the same as in the Sabbāsava Sutta (MN 2.7)...As soon as you get into conceiving, you’ve already started the process of dukkha.” [Unconditioned] [Proliferation] [Conceit] [Suffering]
Follow-up: “So is it better to hear what he said and let it go when I notice awareness that’s good, but I don’t have to make anything out of it?” [Volitional formations]
Quote: “The investigation is not a conceiving. The best investigation is when the mind is exceedingly still and not conceiving, not creating concepts.” [Discernment] [Concentration]
Follow-up: “So is it a realizing, not a conceiving?” [Knowledge and vision]
9. “Regarding thought fabrications, in daily life we have to focus on our work. How can we intergrate the principles of anatta and dukkha into daily life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Everyday life] [Work] [Not-self] [Thai Forest Tradition] [Suffering] // [Right Livelihood] [Restlessness and worry] [Energy] [Impermanence] [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment]
10. “In the reading, Upasikā Kee Nanayon says the mind takes the fabrications itself as the object. Is that similar to Ajahn Sumedho’s ‘It’s like this?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Volitional formations] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Knowing itself] [Thai Forest Tradition]
11. “As the mind takes fabrications as its object, does the mind expand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Upasikā Kee Nanayon] [Volitional formations] [Heart/mind] [Mindfulness of mind] [Thai Forest Tradition] // [Relinquishment]
10. “If unwholesome thoughts arise and it creates fear and a repeating pattern, what is the best method for breaking the patterns? For instance, mettā meditation replacing the fear or attention with something else? Thank for the inspiration.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Goodwill] [Unskillful qualities] [Volitional formations]
4. “I’ve enjoyed practicing with connecting the breath to whatever is conditioning the mind. Twice however, when evaluating, I’ve come across something new: a plain, white, fizzy, barrier. It’s not un-friendly and I can feel a faint tug from whatever is behind it but that’s as far as I get. Have my saṅkhāra’s developed a new stealth technology? Are they allowed to do that? Any advice on how to proceed (or secret passwords)? Gratefully appreciated.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Meditation/Unusual experiences] [Volitional formations]
9. “1. What is meant by “releasing” the mind? Releasing it from any hindrance? Can you place illustrate with examples? 2. How is “calming mental fabrication” different from “releasing the mind?” Any examples to illustrate? 3. When mental fabrication causes a bodily or verbal fabrication such as in anxiety or sensual desire, it it too late to breathe and calm fabrications?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Tranquility] [Volitional formations] [Release]
9. “What is the difference between directed thought and verbal fabrication? Thank you for showing us patience.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Volitional formations]
5. “Can you define / explain saṅkhāras—mental formations? For example, what phenomena does it include? How can one evaluate what is or is not a saṅkhāra? How does it differ from the hindi / yogic samskara? Thank you.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Culture/India]
4. “What does “know the mind as mind; know feeling as feeling” mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness] [Relinquishment] // [Proliferation]
Comment: Self-view forms around the feeling from sense contact. [Sense bases] [Contact] [Feeling] [Self-identity view]
Sutta: MN 18: Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, The Honeyball.
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations] [Perception]
Sutta: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta. [Mindfulness of breathing]
1. “In Right Mindfulness, Ajahn Ṭhānissaro focuses on how the first three tetrads apply to high states of concentation. How can these be useful in more mundane levels of meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Mindfulness] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Jhāna] // [Investigation of states] [Rapture] [Volitional formations] [Heart/mind]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 137: Five levels of pīti.
2. “What are mental formations and consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Aggregates] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness] [Not-self] // [Sense bases] [Contact]
Sutta: MN 44: Cūḷavedalla Sutta
6. “If there isn’t an intention, [meditation] isn’t useful for the goal?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Volition] [Jhāna] // [Volitional formations] [Kamma]
24. “In the jhāna similies (MN 39.15), ‘He makes...’ seems very active. In dropping away things, is it a conscious dropping or an allowing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Right Concentration] [Relinquishment] [Jhāna] // [Volitional formations] [Conditionality] [Right Effort]
Quote: “Ajahn Chah emphasizes the doing within a sphere of detachment and letting go.” [Ajahn Chah]
9. “Do monks on retreat feel as much pain as we do? Is pain sankharas?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pain] [Volitional formations]
10. “Can you repeat the aspect of sankharas other than mental volitional energy?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations]
21. “In the Anapanasati Sutta, what is meant by “breathing in/out tranquilizing the mental formation?”” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Volitional formations]
12. Comments about ongoing Dhamma practice and coming back to the heart. [Long-term practice] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]
Quote: “We’re making choices all the time anyway; we may as well choose to be happy.” [Volitional formations] [Happiness]
8. “In the mindful breathing sutta, what is the difference between “mind” and “mental fabrication”? And what is meant by “satisfying the mind” in step 10?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Heart/mind] [Volitional formations] [Gladdening the mind]
15. “Would you please give some advice on how to deal with obsessive compulsive thoughts that cause fear in the mind and tension in the body? I have tried to remember that “mental formations” are not self, but this doesn’t seem to alleviate the problem or help much.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Habits] [Fear] [Volitional formations] [Not-self]
11. “Will you please define bodily formations and mental formations again?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volitional formations]
3. “You spoke of experiencing the breath and experiencing feelings and mind. Are you suggesting that we experience the mind knowing the breath or when it’s doing other things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Mindfulness of feeling] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Right Mindfulness] [Volitional formations] [Conditionality]
Suttas: MN 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta; MN 10: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta