Live from Birken: Dhamma Q&A with Ajahn Sona (03.17.2024)

Join us on Sunday as Ajahn Sona answers Dhamma questions from listeners around the world. Questions may be submitted during the live chat (opens ~8:00am day of stream) or in advance, here: bit.ly/Livestr...
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Question & Answer Archive
birken.ca/qaa/...
Index of Questions
00:00 - INTRO
00:19 - PORNOGRAPHY: Does the Buddha have anything to say about pornography?
17:49 - TIBETAN BUDDHISM: My friend who studies Tibetan Buddhist texts time after time tells me that The Buddha gave the discourses on Prajnaparamita in the second year of his teaching career. How come?
24:56 - HOMESICKNESS: Any advice for dealing with homesickness when traveling to a new place?
27:39 - MEDITATION POSTURES: I'm only able to sit upright during meditation for 15 minutes, until back pain forces me to lay down for the rest of the day's meditations. I never fall asleep while lying down to meditate. Are there any other benefits to sitting upright during meditation?
32:05 - REACHING POTENTIAL IN MEDITATION: I’ve been meditating for 20 years, but feel like a beginner each time I sit down. I feel that I can’t reach my full potential with the challenges of lay life. How to make peace with this?
34:30 - ENLIGHTENMENT: Does Theravada claim monopoly on enlightenment? I've had a great time lately reading about different saints & sadhus - some of them seem very advanced - maybe even enlightened.
40:15 - PAIN IN MEDITATION: I feel a constant knot at the solar plexus area and I think it's related to an underlying sense of fear of life, an ancient fear of not coping. Sometimes this sensation stops when I meditate and when I'm laughing over something funny. Do you think that meditation and the Noble Eightfold Path will eventually unroot this painful sensation or is it wise to add other practices aimed at healing the nervous system?
44:45 - TINNITUS: Any advice on how to deal with tinnitus, especially during meditation?
50:03 - MERIT: How important is acquiring merit in our practice? And what is Merit in Theravada Buddhism?
52:36 - VISUALIZATION IN MEDITATION: As someone with aphantasia (mind blindness), I struggle with visualization and kasinas, but wonder if I should just focus on the formless?