Join us on Sunday as Ajahn Sona answers Dhamma questions from listeners around the world. Questions may be submitted during the live chat (opens ~3:00pm day of stream) or in advance, here: bit.ly/LivestreamQnA
Ajahn Sona Podcast:
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Index of Questions:
For a directory of questions from previous livestreams, please visit: birken.ca/qaa/qaa.php
00:00 - INTRODUCTION
01:08 - SUFFERING/HINDERANCES: After old age, sickness & death, the Buddha describes suffering as sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief & despair. Why do these not make a direct appearance as one of the hindrances?
6:25 - 'DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL': Do you have any advice to people who may be going through a 'dark night' in their Buddhist practise? What is going on with the mind during a dark night? Is it part of spiritual growth? Is it a side effect of Buddhist insight? What can be done to bring relief? Especially when it is hard to practise right effort, generate joy, or feel much interest in anything worldly or unworldly.
11:02 - WHO EXERTS?: When Right Effort is exerted, what is doing the exerting? Not a self, I assume. Is it the Dhamma or citta? From the Buddhist point of view, are there no Subjects, only verbs or predicates?
14:00 -STAGES OF ENLIGHTENMENT: Can a stream-enterer or once-returner experience severe grief in future lives? Is it necessary that the future lives proceeding from these stages be difficult in order to progress further on the path?
20:12 - WISDOM & COMPASSION: Please speak on the cultivation of the parami of wisdom and the virtue of compassion in an ever-evolving fast-paced technological world?
24:38 - MATERIAL ATTACHMENT: There is a commentary about a monk named Tusita who liked his robes so much that when he died, he was reborn as a louse on his robes. If a renunciate in search of wisdom can fall so deep so easily, what's the hope for the average householder and their so many attachments despite how good and moral they try to be?
27:40 - SUFFERING: There is a common instruction to "turn towards" suffering, rather than using distraction or denial. How does this reconcile with instructions for removing distracting thoughts?
31:19 - BREATHING: Who's breathing in my body? Sometimes when meditating/swimming, I feel confused and can't breathe normally. This non-self is tough to grasp. Other times it's quite easy to just accept it.
37:40 - CAUSE & EFFECT: Can you elaborate the difference between paticca-samuppada and the western view of causality?
44:13 - WHY HIDE FROM SUFFERING?: Is suffering underrated? It motivates us, encourages betterment, and in some ways, it can even be enjoyable. Why hide from suffering?
47:51 - LIVELIHOOD: Do you have advice for a 40yr old who tried 20 different jobs in 20 years? I'm categorized as lazy but I find it hard to do something that "isn't me", the problem is I don't know what that would be.
50:17 - KAMMA: What did the Buddha mean by kamma that was neither dark nor bright and that we should seek that one? Why not seek good kamma instead?
52:53 - JHANA: Why does the Buddha still practice jhana after his enlightenment?
54:38 - SILA: How important is sila (particularly the fifth precept) in order to experience the jhanas? Could you please give me some advice to help me to not break this precept? Thank you so much for your teachings.
7 авг 2024
