Anandagiri Retreat

Retreat at Anandagiri Forest Monastery

led by Ajahn Achalo

Anandagiri Retreat - Day One

4.01 - Retreat Day 1, Refuge & Precepts

4.02 - 5 Hindrances and Meditation Guidance

4.03 - Day 1, Questions & Answers

Q1 - This morning my mind became peaceful and my breath became subtle. It was hard to notice it. Then there were blue and purple circular lights appearing and then a diffused white light along with the feeling of happiness. At this stage should I focus on the light or something else? The breath is imperceptible.

Q2 - I have a strong attachment to people who I have lost and it's affecting my practice. I have a craving to meet them or talk to them. How can I release my attachment so I can practice more peacefully?

Q3 - On occasions when I have a very hectic day at work, or I'm going through a peak period with more demands and activities, it is sometimes difficult to settle down in meditation. The body is not settled. The adrenaline level can still be felt within the mind. The mind is still filled with planning activities. Kindly advise the best practice to handle this.

Q4 - I feel whenever I use something like Bhuto to focus it gives pressure on the right side of my head and jaw. Instead what has been successful for me is expensive practices like walking, long metta sits and resting attention on the breath. Is this okay?

Q5 - In my practice I am seeing more and more the unsatisfactoriness of worldly things and phenomena. Instead of dispassion [arising], it seems like my aversion increases. How do I pepper my practice with more joy or more wholesome mind states instead of feeling miserable and irritable. Comment from a yogi (indistinct): Is taking the awareness as self suffering?

Q6 - I struggle with feelings of self hatred and self-loathing. I've tried many methods, repeating phrases, imagining an environment of love and acceptance and accepting that I have these feelings etc but nothing seems to shift. Do you have any other advice?

Anandagiri Retreat - Day Two

4.04 - Day 2, The Four Noble Truths

4.05 - Day 2, Questions & Answers

Q1 - When practicing anapanasati can I combine body scanning with breathing in and breathing out?

Q2 - Yesterday I was getting some peaceful sits however there was a tinge of background suffering and unsatisfactoriness. Should I endure and continue?

Q3 - Do I need to undertake the vow of training in the five precepts every morning?

Q4 - You mentioned that once the mind has a glimpse of non-self, that gives rise to unshakable faith. This seems like stream entry. Is that what you're saying? Reactivity, anger and irritability - how should one deal with these issues especially at home?

Anandagiri Retreat - Day Three

4.06 - The First Noble Truth - by Kruba Pannasiri

4.07 - Day 3, Questions & Answers

Q1 - A person sending metta benefits from developing wholesome quantities of loving kindness and compassion. Will the receiver receive the signals and positive mental energy from a mere mortal like me? Please pardon my ignorance.

Q2 - You mentioned that that which knows suffering, mindful awareness, does not suffer. How does mindful awareness relate to the five khandas? Is it apart from it? Is mindful awareness conditioned or unconditioned, or lead to the unconditioned?

Q3 - I feel guilty that in my absence my work colleagues and family members must work extra hard to cover for me. It's feeling like my retreat is causing more suffering than it's removing. Please advise.

Q4 - The closest Buddhist centre in my area, promotes the Mahayana tradition. I have attended a few empowerment events over the years and I would just like to ask your thoughts about this. Specifically, how this would impact my practice?

Q5 - Can you say more about how the Vajrayana is for those with superior faculties?

Q6 - When I am trying to meditate my mouth secretes saliva and I have to swallow the excess saliva. Does the saliva excretion stop when one is in samadhi, similar to one's breath becomes more subtle?

Q7 - Recently we read the news about the Hamas - Israeli war while the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. As practicing Buddhists how should we respond to such news of war, people dying or living in danger of death and living under stress, anxiety and chaos. While we live in a region of relative peace, outside of financial aid will sending metta help?

Anandagiri Retreat - Day Four

4.08 - Day 4, Radiant Blissful Emptiness

4.09 - Day 4, Advice during Intensive Retreat

4.10 - Day 4, Questions & Answers

Q1 - Dear Ajahn, you mentioned this morning that an arahant can abide and meditate on emptiness, sunata. Is that something that others like stream enterers and once returners can do?

Q2 - You mentioned that stream enters have had a cessation experience. Can you elaborate?

Q3 - Is a stream enterer capable of breaking precepts in a way that an arahant is not?

Q4 - What are your thoughts on dreams and how they relate to practice and path?

Q5 - Sometimes I used to sit in meditation and experience a cool and pleasant abiding. A 3-hour sitting felt like 20 minutes. It takes only a few minutes and it's like going into an envelope and being closed inside. What kind of state is this?

Q6 - this morning you mentioned there are people with samadhi but not much mindfulness. Can you explain about this please.

Q7 - I practice giving with sincerity but I do find myself feeling reluctant at times aversive when I am the receiver. Any thoughts about this?

Anandagiri Retreat - Day Five

4.11 - Retreat Day 5, Questions & Answers

- Can you please say something about practicing with boredom.

4.12 - Day 5, Cultivation of Jhana Samadhi

- Can you please explain what leads to the first and the other relevant Jhana.

Anandagiri Retreat - Day Six

4.13 - Meditation Olympics (part one, morning)

4.14 - The Sutta of Not-Self (part two)

4.15 - Day 6, Questions & Answers

Q1 - If our mind is unwholesome during meditation can it be the case that we are transferring deep merit to beings when we share merit?

Q2 - How can we tell the difference between dispassion and indifference?

Q3 - I heard Ajahn Anan mentioned there's not much difference between an arahant and a madman. Can you please help me understand that statement.

Q4 - Can you give the long form explanation of the 12 links of dependent origination? How do we apply this teaching to the practice?

Q5 - A while ago I watched an autopsy video on youtube. Would you be interested in hosting an autopsy watching event for interested retreatants?

Q6 - Can you please tell us about a difficult time in your practice and how you got through it.