Ajahn Jayasaro
Recorded with Ajahn Jayasaro at Cittaviveka on 9th April 2022
Note: The questioners were not mic-ed therefore can’t be heard on the audio so please click on the Read the Questions button.
(The questioners were not mic-ed therefore can’t be heard on the audio, so questions asked are listed below)
00:48 Q1 What can I do about people who are bullying me online?
02:29 Q2 I heard a monk on YouTube say it’s wrong thinking to be vegetarian to save animals’ lives. They are going to die anyway. What is your view on this?
08:20 Q3 My son is a teenager and not fully grown so I have doubts [about vegetarianism]… … and being vegetarian is not easy.
09:12 Q3 I try hard, set goals and fail and then I feel bad for myself [when I fail]. Do you have suggestions?
12:36 Q4 [in Thai]
15:35 Q5 Regarding equanimity, could you speak about the [seemingly inevitable] gap between how things are and how we would like them to be, or how we would like ourselves to be?
25:26 Q6 Can you explain the difference between upekkha in the bojjhangas and in the seven factors?
30:54 Q7 I am new to meditation and try most every night. Sometimes my mind is too busy. Can you explain how to keep my mind steady?
37:00 … It seems better sometimes and I try and control myself and am quite steady sometimes…
37:33 Q8 One other thing… I am involved with a friend [on a project in Thailand], do I earn that merit or just a little bit or …?
41:07 … because I’ve heard that you have to do something by yourself to earn merit. Is that true?
42:21 … my best teacher. Every time I doubt something I ask him [and he says] it doesn’t matter what other people say as long as your mind is happy. So I listen to him.
43:39 Q9 I am confused about the difference between “not holding to fixed views” and “not holding to false views”. Can you help?
45:58 Q10 How do you as a monk deal with world events that are causing so much trauma?
50:20 … There is a real tendency to cry over current events [in Ukraine]. As a monastic are you able to use your perspectives / training to let go of the tragedies happening to sentient beings?
51:26 … The one thing that would stop me from the monastic route is the absence of music, which seems such an important part of life in expressing emotion. What is your experience with renouncing music?
58:11 Q11 Talking about music, I find it helps in purifying … and the idea that [music is like] a lotus spreading in the morning… and music is not really too bad.
01:00:00 … music to me means something to give to others. It’s not food, not money but you give what somebody has written from their heart.
01:00:47 Some comments about music from Ajahn Sucitto
01:03:35 Thanks from Ajahn Ahimsako.