Abhayagiri Talks

With a group of teens visiting the monastery on a weekend retreat, Ajahn Pasanno explains the Buddha's reasoning behind having the lay community periodically take eight precepts for “a day and a night.” He then gives a clear, detailed talk on the meaning, the nature, and the types of dukkha, and on the practical ways the Four Noble Truths can liberate us from it. This talk was offered on August 29, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File

To begin the Abhayagiri Benefit and Community Event, Ajahn Pasanno reflects upon the significance of practicing together with monks from the forest. This talk was given on August 23, 2015 at the Mindfulness Care Center in San Francisco. Download File

Continuing the Abhayagiri Benefit and Community Event, the community chants the Morning Chanting and the Buddha's Words on Lovingkindness. The text of the chanting can be found in the Abhayagiri Chanting Book. This chanting occurred on August 23, 2015 at the Mindfulness Care Center in San Francisco. Download File

Ajahn Pasanno gives meditation instructions contemplating the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as qualities of the heart. These meditation instructions were given on the August 23, 2015 Abhayagiri Benefit and Community Event at the Mindfulness Care Center in San Francisco. Download File

The interdependence of the monastic and lay Buddhist communities reflects the lack of separation between the transcendent and “the real world.” Ajahn Pasanno goes on to explain the structure of the Buddha's path. This talk was offered on the August 23, 2015 Abhayagiri Benefit and Community Event at the Mindfulness Care Center in San Francisco. Download File

In contemplating the importance of water in our lives, Ajahn Ñaniko reflects on gratitude as the root of our wholesome qualities. He stresses that since one's own views are really the only thing one can change, the practice of gratitude can be foundational, especially in our relationships with others. This talk was offered on August 22, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File

After introducing the topic of Buddhist identity in the modern world, Ajahn Pasanno leads a discussion around this theme. This discussion occurred on the August 16, 2015 Upasika Day at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File

Ajahn Jotipālo contemplates the value of devotional practices and explores some practical uses of them, all in the context of a metaphor about the range of ways to start a fire. This talk was offered on August 15, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File

One of the recollections of the Buddha chanted at the monastery nearly every day is that of lokavidu – the quality of his being a “knower of the worlds.” But what exactly does that mean? Ajahn Pasano defines the term and reflects on the iddhipadas – the four bases of success – as a way in for each of us to become a knower of the worlds. This talk was offered on August 14, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File

Ajahn Karuṇadhammo reflects on the choice between a worldly profession of right livelihood, and going forth as a samaṇa as Anāgārika Armand did the night before. Ajahn reminds us that whether one is a lay practitioner or a monastic we must keep what is truly important at the center of our lives – these teachings that point us in the direction of freedom. He then recounts a simile from the suttas to emphasize that while the practices of generosity, virtue, and meditation are all necessary “chariots” to reach that goal, they are not the goal in and of themselves. This talk was offered on August 8, 2015 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Download File