Abhayagiri Talks

Ajahn Ñaniko contemplates the importance of finding forms of dhamma practice that suit ones own temperament. He then shares in some depth a way of practice that has been of benefit to him – working with the six elements: earth, water, air, fire, space, and consciousness. This talk was offered on December 18, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

This is a 580 MB zip file of the 27 talks given by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo, Ajahn Ñāniko, and Debbie Stamp at the 2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat in Santa Rosa, California from November 20 to November 29. The zip file contents are available for online browsing (opens in new tab) and can be requested on CD.

While accompanying a fellow monastic on a trip to the emergency room, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo contemplates the fragility of all that we tend to cling to as stable and controlled by a self. This drives home for him the realization that the concept of a “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” can be just another path to suffering if striven for without right view. This talk was offered on December 12, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

พระธรรมเทศนาของอาจารย์อมโร ที่วัดป่าอัมพวันในวันที่ 6 ธันวาคม ๒๕๕๘

Beginning with a reflection on the aspects of service and gratitude found in living in community, Ajahn Ñaniko's thoughts turn to the aspect of endurance in practice. He reflects on the Buddha's encouragement to make an honest assessment of where one is at and proceed from there, then shares a poignant but illuminating experience from his own practice in Thailand. This talk was offered on December 5, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Reflecting on the morning chanting (Abhayagiri Chanting Book p.21), Ajahn Karuṇadhammo encourages us to see clearly the danger in aging, death, and instability in order to shake off complacency and make effort to realize the freedom from fear that arises when we no longer take refuge in unreliable conditions. This talk was offered on December 3, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Drawing on different layers of the Buddha's teaching, Tan Kaccāna weaves together the themes of gratitude, contentment, and generosity. This talk was offered on November 28, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Reflecting on the connections between the Five Recollections (AN 5.57; Abhayagiri Chanting Book p.39), Subrahma's Problem (SN 2.17), and the Mangala Sutta (Sn 2.4; Chanting Book p. 32), Tan Kaccāna explains the Buddha's teaching that our own skillful kamma (action) is our refuge. This talk was offered on November 21, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Rather than discovering the right “meditation technology,” Ajahn Pasanno recommends investigating the underlying attitudes we bring to practice. He explains four qualities of heart that the Buddha advises us to cultivate in conjunction with all factors of the path. This talk was offered on November 18, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

After a community work day in which monastic and lay practitioners worked together to rebuild the road to Ajahn Pasanno's kuti, Ajahn Ñaniko contemplates how this kind of offering to one's teachers is a beautiful way to repay them for the doors they have opened for us on the path. He then offers us a series of reflections based on what he has gleaned over the years from some of his teachers. This talk was offered on November 14, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.