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
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Index of Questions:
JHANA & THE SOTAPANNA: I saw your video on the Stages of Enlightenment and I left with an idea that Sotapatti does not require Jhana to achieve it because only fetters of View are broken. On the contrary, Ajahn Brahmali in a talk said that Jhana is required for Sotapatti, and Sotapannas can easily enter Jhanas. What are your thoughts?
A STORY: Please Ajahn, will you tell us a story?
LISTENING TO DHAMMA: Is it unhealthy for the mind if one listens to too many Dhamma talks? I listen to about 3 hours of your talks everyday.
THE NEED TO BE RIGHT: Do you have any guidance on how one can let go of the need to be right? I've realized that I have trained myself to have a hypercritical mindset over the years, and it makes it impossible to get out of the old, unbeneficial habits.
WORRY: How does one deal with worry? Can it be described as over-preparing emotionally to face negative outcomes? Are some people born to worry & others less so? How can “incessant worriers”, find strength of mind?
INFORMATION OVERLOAD: Im having difficulty balancing the seemingly endless amount of information in Buddhism to the reality of present moment practice. It seems impossible to remember all of these lists and concepts and apply them in real time. Ajahn Sumedho has a talk titled “right effort is no effort”.I know this is slightly in jest, but but I find the mid point between trying to hard and not enough to be challenging, and frequently I find trying to “do” Buddhism ”correctly” feels unattainable and overly idealistic. Any advice?
DEFILEMENTS: What’s the relationship between dosa/lobha and kamacchanda/byāpāda, and why aren’t dosa/lobha used as words for the hindrances? Is it because dosa/lobha are described as underlying characteristics, similar to the fetters?
SOCIAL JUSTICE: I would like to know Buddha's thoughts on social justice. If someone has wronged the other, is it important to seek justice in courts or s/he should let it go according to law of nature and karma?
CONSCIOUSNESS: Will you please say a little about if we are our perceiving consciousness? We're not our thoughts, but are we the consciousness witnessing them?
MEDITATION PRACTICE: I’m struggling in the summer to practice. There’s something very activating about long days and sunlight. In the rainy winter, I was much more able to be mindful and meditate deeply…Is this normal or is there something I can do to regain my practice.
26 июл 2024
