Online Gatherings |
Livestream Recordings - From September 2024
25 September 2024
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Q&A 25 September 2024
Q1. Dear Ajahn, may I please ask this potentially selfish question? I have experienced a lot of suffering in my life, and when we dedicate merit to others, I feel that I actually need the merit myself, to alleviate my own suffering. (In general, I feel I have been too generous to others in my life, and now I question whether that was the right thing to do).
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How does the dedication of merit work? Do others really benefit when we dedicate merit? Or is it just in imagination, to gladden one’s own heart?
Q2. Dear Ajahn, when you shared some stories of Buddhas in other universes and great bodhisattvas like Ksitigharba in parallel realms, with his optimism towards hell beings, I started crying deeply. I don’t know about Ksitigharba. I know about Avalokiteshvara a little bit. Can Ajahn give some comments on my emotional state of mind?
Q3. Lately I’ve been recognizing very intensely the dukkha characteristic; on such occasions I see everything as impermanent and suffering, everything as dangerous in that sense. The reality that my body and everybody else’s body is subject to old age, sickness, death and pain, that everything pleasant is subject to change becomes vividly intense. When this happens, my mind becomes overwhelmed but this recognition of dukkha also inclines my mind to letting go because it recognizes that there is absolutely no security in conditioned things. Can you give me advice on how to correctly direct my mind when such experiences happen? This recognition of dukkha is gradually becoming more and more frequent and constant.
Q4. Dear Ajahn, you mentioned Devanussati sometimes. How does one do this practice? Do we have arakha deva (Guardian devas) If so, how do we bring them to mind? Thank you.
Q5. My question, I want to become a Buddhist monk; however, there is no any monastery in my country Lebanon and in UAE where I'm currently living and working. May I kindly ask your advice or suggestion regarding this point? What shall I do? In fact, I know that the life of a Buddhist monk is a tough one as what I saw in YouTube as well, but it's really a dream to me to be a Buddhist monk supported by the collective energy of the sanga. Hence, I'm already 45 years old.
Q6. Our family (comprising 2 little children) has a practice of listening to Buddhist mantras before sleeping, as a method of calming the mind. Recently, we traveled to Perth and stayed in a hotel. My children wore Buddhist amulets around their necks during this trip. As usual, we listened to some Buddhist mantras for a very short while before turning in. The next morning, my child woke to find her Buddhist amulet missing. (She couldn't have dropped it when sleeping, as the necklace is short and needs to be wriggled over her face and onto her neck.) She (unjustly!!) got a scolding from all of us for losing the necklace. I said a short prayer to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva for the amulet to be recovered, as I didn't want it falling into unfriendly hands. Suddenly, when we were at the train station, we discovered the Buddhist amulet back on her neck again. This was physically impossible. All of us were shocked, and we chalk up the recovery to the Bodhisattva's grace for sparing our family further anxiety. Question - do I need to seek permission from resident spirits/pretas/devas etc before playing Buddhist mantras? I'm mindful that some of them may not like Buddhism or Buddhist mantras very much!
Q2. Dear Ajahn, when you shared some stories of Buddhas in other universes and great bodhisattvas like Ksitigharba in parallel realms, with his optimism towards hell beings, I started crying deeply. I don’t know about Ksitigharba. I know about Avalokiteshvara a little bit. Can Ajahn give some comments on my emotional state of mind?
Q3. Lately I’ve been recognizing very intensely the dukkha characteristic; on such occasions I see everything as impermanent and suffering, everything as dangerous in that sense. The reality that my body and everybody else’s body is subject to old age, sickness, death and pain, that everything pleasant is subject to change becomes vividly intense. When this happens, my mind becomes overwhelmed but this recognition of dukkha also inclines my mind to letting go because it recognizes that there is absolutely no security in conditioned things. Can you give me advice on how to correctly direct my mind when such experiences happen? This recognition of dukkha is gradually becoming more and more frequent and constant.
Q4. Dear Ajahn, you mentioned Devanussati sometimes. How does one do this practice? Do we have arakha deva (Guardian devas) If so, how do we bring them to mind? Thank you.
Q5. My question, I want to become a Buddhist monk; however, there is no any monastery in my country Lebanon and in UAE where I'm currently living and working. May I kindly ask your advice or suggestion regarding this point? What shall I do? In fact, I know that the life of a Buddhist monk is a tough one as what I saw in YouTube as well, but it's really a dream to me to be a Buddhist monk supported by the collective energy of the sanga. Hence, I'm already 45 years old.
Q6. Our family (comprising 2 little children) has a practice of listening to Buddhist mantras before sleeping, as a method of calming the mind. Recently, we traveled to Perth and stayed in a hotel. My children wore Buddhist amulets around their necks during this trip. As usual, we listened to some Buddhist mantras for a very short while before turning in. The next morning, my child woke to find her Buddhist amulet missing. (She couldn't have dropped it when sleeping, as the necklace is short and needs to be wriggled over her face and onto her neck.) She (unjustly!!) got a scolding from all of us for losing the necklace. I said a short prayer to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva for the amulet to be recovered, as I didn't want it falling into unfriendly hands. Suddenly, when we were at the train station, we discovered the Buddhist amulet back on her neck again. This was physically impossible. All of us were shocked, and we chalk up the recovery to the Bodhisattva's grace for sparing our family further anxiety. Question - do I need to seek permission from resident spirits/pretas/devas etc before playing Buddhist mantras? I'm mindful that some of them may not like Buddhism or Buddhist mantras very much!
11 September 2024
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Q&A 11 September 2024
Q1: Are you able to offer some advice to someone (both practical and spiritual) who has the intention to go forth but is unable to do so for a few years due to family obligations?
Q2: I realised that I can focus more while doing metta meditation. If that's the case, may I check if I should focus on doing metta meditation instead of breathing meditation? |
Q3: Dear Ajahn, Is there a level to reach through meditation where you'll be totally disconnected from the physical world around, like a complete switch off button where there is no feeling, no pain, nothing, just total disconnection? Also, I saw in YouTube a Buddhist monk where he was able to die consciously. Please may you kindly tell us in which stage of meditation is this? Is it Sama Samadhi?
Q4: Dear Ajahn Achalo. May I know where can I read up more on the history of the past seven Buddhas? I learnt it from the recent chanting on the ‘Homage to the past seven Buddhas.’ Will you be able to share a little more with us, so that I can make it a point to recollect all the Buddha instead of recollecting only the Lord Buddha, Shayamuni Buddha. Also, is Maitreya Buddha the eighth Buddha and there will be no more Buddha thereafter? Many thanks for your guidance.
Q4: Dear Ajahn Achalo. May I know where can I read up more on the history of the past seven Buddhas? I learnt it from the recent chanting on the ‘Homage to the past seven Buddhas.’ Will you be able to share a little more with us, so that I can make it a point to recollect all the Buddha instead of recollecting only the Lord Buddha, Shayamuni Buddha. Also, is Maitreya Buddha the eighth Buddha and there will be no more Buddha thereafter? Many thanks for your guidance.
11 September 2024
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Pilgrimage to Wutaishan, China
(Manjusri Mountain) |
