Q and A at Dhammagiri in Brisbane 11/8/2024

A Q&A session held at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage in Brisbane.
00:07 Q1 - Please explain what it means to not be attached to rights and rituals.
Points covered:
02:32 Is it wrong practice to do things simply to create merit?
03:35 How does merit contribute to spiritual development?
04:56 What is key to the liberation of the mind, realizing the deathless?
07:12 What is key to seeing through the belief that rights and rituals lead to liberation?
08:07 Q2 - You were talking about wisdom. Could you say more about this please?
Points covered:
08:23 A key element of wisdom is the intention to liberate or purify the mind.
08:36 In your practice, it’s likely easiest to notice how everything is changing/impermanent. Notice what is happening in your meditation, even broadly, both physically and the emotion of mind states.
10:28 Ajahn Anan talks about “temporary liberations” from clinging to that sense of identifying with a "self" one can experience for a brief period in this way.
10:53 Noticing suffering is harder, but we notice how the mind is oppressed by things like sensuality, craving …
11:40 It is important to incline the mind to glad states through cultivating metta.
12:21 Q3 – About abandoning in the Second Noble Truth. It has a connotation of pushing something away. [He describes his practice and asks if this is correct.]
Points covered:
13:21 With increased practice we see the importance of Ajahn Chah’s metaphor of developing a stable seat of the mind. At the beginning, generating clarity is gained by relying on a meditation object.
15:20 Good mindfulness drops things. You don’t pick up things.
Some anecdotes:
15:46 Comments about his sister Jane’s recent death.
17:35 People, some who had easy and some who had a difficult death and the role of spiritual practice and especially death contemplation as a preparation.
20:00 The easy death of a Thai man who was a disciple of Ajahn Tate, dying in his lap.
21:12 The easy death of a Sri Lankan man in Australia.
22:08 Recalling his older sister Jane’s contributions to his life as a child and his gratitude.
24:49 Developing the facility to brighten the mind is useful.
26:04 Some Thai people experience requests for metta from other beings in parallel realms.

[southernfrechman]

As usual a very nice and inspiring Q&A session. Thank you, Ajahn 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[fodizi]

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu 🪷🪷🪷 Thank you LP Achalo (would be great if you can tell more stories about Devas and ghosts, it helps with some of us "faith-types" who get a bit disheartened sometimes in this materialist world) ;) Anumodana!!!

[deirdrewhelan]

Sadhu, thank you for your heartfelt encouragement, it helps me greatly.

[katherineandrew]

Sadhu, Sadhu, sadhu Ajahn 🙏 Not aware that you are in Brisbane 😅