Beginning Our Day Volume One Dhamma Reflections from Abhayagiri Monastery Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery 16201 Tomki Road Redwood Valley, California 95470 www.abhayagiri.org 707-485-1630 © 2015 Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Interior design by Suhajjo Bhikkhu. Cover design by Sumi Shin. Cover photos by Jonathan Payne. sabbadānaṃ dhammadānaṃ jināti. The gift of Dhamma excels all gifts. This book is dedicated to our teachers and parents. Contents Preface xv Abbreviations xvii Directing Attention Skillfully 1 Luang Por Pasanno Santuṭṭhi and the Meaning of Contentment 2 Ajahn Amaro Breaking the Momentum 5 Ajahn Yatiko Examining Uncomfortable Experiences 8 Luang Por Pasanno Mindful of Right Effort 10 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo A Balanced Perspective 12 Luang Por Pasanno Don’t Fill Up the Void 14 Ajahn Jotipālo Stopping 16 Luang Por Pasanno Loving-Kindness for Ourselves 18 Ajahn Yatiko To See the True Nature of Things 20 Luang Por Pasanno v Recollecting Our Goodness 23 Ajahn Amaro Where Did That Self Go? 27 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Not Reaching for the Stars 29 Luang Por Pasanno Determined to Suffer 31 Ajahn Yatiko Containing the Chicken 33 Luang Por Pasanno Skills for Letting Go 35 Ajahn Ñāṇiko Faith Develops Energy and Wisdom 37 Luang Por Pasanno Mindfulness of Death, Appreciation for Life 39 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Truthfulness in Speech 42 Ajahn Yatiko An Auspicious Day of Blessings 44 Luang Por Pasanno Non-Contention Is Full Awareness 45 Ajahn Amaro The Simplicity of Buddho 47 Luang Por Pasanno Letting Go of a Defilement 49 Ajahn Yatiko vi The Intruding Sense of Self 51 Luang Por Pasanno Turning Inward With Patience 53 Ajahn Jotipālo Problems From Nothing 55 Ajahn Yatiko The Impact of Right Speech 57 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo The Generosity of Respect 59 Luang Por Pasanno Stopping the Papañca Mill 60 Ajahn Amaro The Present Moment and the Illusion of Time 63 Ajahn Yatiko Appreciating the Goodness of Others 65 Luang Por Pasanno Physical Therapy for the Mind 67 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo An Opportunity to Develop Mindfulness 70 Luang Por Pasanno Putting Forth Effort 72 Ajahn Yatiko Being Comfortable Is Not the End of Suffering 75 Luang Por Pasanno Abhayagiri Is Complete 77 Ajahn Amaro vii Luang Por Chah’s Approach 81 Luang Por Pasanno A Positive Encounter With Death 83 Ajahn Yatiko Clean Kuṭi, Clear Mind 85 Luang Por Pasanno Cāga: Giving Up 87 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo A Mango Tree Was My Teacher 90 Luang Por Pasanno We Don’t Have to Struggle 92 Ajahn Jotipālo Which Practice Is Right for Me? 94 Luang Por Pasanno Pūjā for Life 97 Ajahn Yatiko Developing Samaṇa Saññā 100 Luang Por Pasanno Our Collective Going Forth 102 Ajahn Amaro Our Changing Bodies 104 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Only Part of the Picture 106 Luang Por Pasanno Using the Communal Life Skillfully 108 Ajahn Yatiko viii Caring for Everything We Use 110 Luang Por Pasanno Reflecting on Interdependence 112 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Is Rock Climbing Like Meditation? 115 Luang Por Pasanno Mindfulness With Moods and Defilements 117 Ajahn Yatiko Everything Is Mind-Attended 119 Ajahn Amaro A Superior Resolve 122 Luang Por Pasanno This Is the Dissolving 124 Ajahn Sucitto Applying Effort Before Death 127 Luang Por Pasanno Toward a Reliable Refuge 129 Ajahn Yatiko Whose Is This? 131 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Escaping the Infinite Rut 134 Ajahn Amaro The Dedication of Merit and Blessings 137 Luang Por Pasanno Gestures of Respect 140 Ajahn Yatiko ix Rehearsing the Mood 143 Ajahn Jotipālo Sweep What’s in Front of Your Broom 145 Luang Por Pasanno Clinging to Solidity 147 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo The Experience of Change 149 Luang Por Pasanno Listening to Reflections 151 Ajahn Yatiko Breathing Into Busy Activity 153 Luang Por Pasanno Right Action Guided by Internal Experience 155 Ajahn Amaro According With Conditions 159 Luang Por Pasanno What Does It Mean to Listen? 161 Ajahn Yatiko Death at a Distance 163 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Earthworm Practice 166 Luang Por Pasanno If It Doesn’t Die, Make It Good 168 Ajahn Ñāṇiko A Bowl Full of Light 170 Luang Por Pasanno x Looking Back on the Effort 172 Ajahn Yatiko It’s Not a Sure Thing 174 Luang Por Pasanno Straightforward and Gentle in Speech 175 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo The Development of Equanimity 178 Ajahn Amaro An Internal Space of Mindfulness 181 Luang Por Pasanno Following Rules: What’s the Point? 183 Ajahn Yatiko The Natural Result 187 Luang Por Pasanno You’re a Warrior Aren’t You? 189 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Mindfully Waiting in the Present Moment 193 Ajahn Yatiko Solitude and Engagement 196 Luang Por Pasanno Death: A Cause for Brightness 197 Ajahn Amaro Comfortable With Uncertainty 200 Luang Por Pasanno Beyond Determinations 202 Ajahn Yatiko xi A Mirror on Desire 204 Luang Por Pasanno This Is Who I Am 206 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Being With Resistance 208 Ajahn Jotipālo The Breath Through the Fog 210 Ajahn Yatiko Inner Stillness 213 Luang Por Pasanno The Path of Non-Contention 215 Ajahn Amaro Becoming a Somebody Forgetting About Everybody 218 Luang Por Pasanno Reversing the Tendency to Decline 220 Ajahn Yatiko Facilitating Harmony 222 Luang Por Pasanno Punching the Clock 223 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo The Right Balance of Effort 225 Luang Por Pasanno Cultivating Present-Moment Perception 227 Ajahn Yatiko The Protective Power of Truth 229 Ajahn Jotipālo xii One-Pointedness of Mind 231 Luang Por Pasanno What the Body Is Supposed to Do 233 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo Bringing Sampajañña and Paññā to Work 235 Ajahn Amaro The Dhamma of Contentment 239 Luang Por Pasanno The Trump Card 241 Ajahn Yatiko Embodying Experience 244 Luang Por Pasanno Practicing With the Five Hindrances 246 Ajahn Karuṇadhammo The Khanti Pāramī 249 Luang Por Pasanno Reestablishing What Is Foundational 251 Ajahn Yatiko Striking at the Heart of Renunciation 253 Luang Por Pasanno Full Awakened Awareness 255 Ajahn Amaro Glossary 257 xiii Preface “Beginning our day . .” These quintessential words are spoken by Luang Por Pasanno before he begins each of his morning reflections. Five days a week, at Abhayagiri’s morning meeting, work tasks are assigned to the residents and guests living in the monastery. Shortly thereafter, one of the senior monks offers a brief Dhamma reflection so that the residents and guests have something meaningful to recollect throughout their day. These talks are given spontaneously and often address an event that is about to occur, a condition that is already present in the monastery, or a general teaching on Dhamma. The most common thread through all the reflections is that of practi- cality: distilling the most important teachings of the Buddha into pertinent and applicable practices. Though many different teachings are touched upon, the fundamental aim is to encour- age the abandonment of the unwholesome, the cultivation of the wholesome, and the purification of the mind. While several of these teachings may be read together at one time, readers might find it more useful to focus on a single reflection so they can easily recollect, contemplate, and make use of it throughout their day. This book was made possible through the contributions of many people. More than ten years ago, Pamela Kirby ini- tiated the project when she placed a recorder in front of one of the senior monks during a morning reflection and pro- posed that a book be written. Matthew Grad, Jeff Miller, Ila xv Lewis, Ray Peterson, and Laurent Palmatier were the main sub- stantive editors of the material, enduring the long and diffi- cult process of editing the transcripts into compact and well- written teachings. Pamela Kirby generously offered assistance at various stages of the editing process. Ruby Grad helped with the copy editing. Shirley Johannesen helped with the glos- sary. David Burrowes, Dee Cope, Josh Himmelfarb, Evan Hirsch, Jeanie Daskais, Anagārika John Nishinaga, and members of the Lotus Volunteer Group: Wendy Parker and Viveka all helped with further refining of the text. Sumi Shin designed the cover. Jonathan Payne took the cover photos. Michael Smith tumbled the stones for the back cover. For several years, Khemako Bhikkhu recorded the se- nior monks’ reflections. Kovilo Bhikkhu and Pesalo Bhikkhu provided corrections on an early draft of the book. Suhajjo Bhikkhu generously dedicated a significant amount of time on the overall book design and typesetting of the text. The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah published by Aruna Publications in 2011 provided many of the terms in the glos- sary. Anonymous supporters of Abhayagiri generously funded the printing of this book. Any errors that remain in these reflections are my own re- sponsibility. May these teachings bring insight into the nature of Dhamma and provide a pathway toward the development of true peace and contentment. Cunda Bhikkhu Abhayagiri Monastery May 2014 xvi Abbreviations DN Dīgha Nikāya MN Majjhima Nikāya SN Saṃyutta Nikāya AN Aṅguttara Nikāya Sn Sutta Nipāta Cp Cariyāpiṭaka Jā Jātaka xvii Directing Attention Skillfully Luang Por Pasanno • April 2005 Learning how to meditate—how to develop the mind—is learn- ing how to direct attention in a skillful way. Whatever we di- rect our attention toward becomes our reality. If we like, we can direct attention to all the chaos in the world or to the chaos of our own personal dramas. But we don’t have to do that. We can instead direct our minds to contemplate our experiences as merely form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and con- sciousness. We can direct our attention in other skillful ways as well—toward objects that soothe the mind and conduce to peace and clarity. It’s simple: We can incline the mind toward what is wholesome or what is troublesome.