[12/10/2022 UPDATE: This post was originally published 1/23/2022. I recently discovered that at that time I did not include the audio file here for the podcast so I had to change the blog post publishing date in order for WordPress to push this out as a new podcast.]
Five short excerpts of some questions I asked from the 8/11/2021 Ajahn Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu zoom event with Mid-America Buddhist Association about potential paradox with the Cetana Sutta; advice for preserving and/or unifying various Buddhist schools & lineages; strategies for fear of annihilation; on effort involved with vittaka & the relationship with vicara; and if there’s “Right Jhana” and the Buddha’s instructions for Jhana
The questions individually:
- About the potential paradox of some suttas instructing various uses of will with the refrain of “no need for an act of will” in the Cetana Sutta: An Act of Will:
2. About pros and cons for both maintaining individual Buddhist schools and lineages and for unifying them:
3. I wonder about how to deal with fear of annihilation even if cognitively knowing this is an extreme:
4. I stumble with my question that I wrote before hand but didn’t read verbatim: How does effort for vitakka wax & wane? How does vitakka turn into, or allow, or go along with vicāra?
On effort involved with vittaka & the relationship with vicara:
5. On if there is a “Right Jhana” mentioned in the suttas and if the Buddha ever gave specific instructions for achieving Jhana:
Full event:
Integrating Presence 