Saṅkhārā in Theory and Practice Sutta Study with Meditation Workshop

Introduction

Organised by the Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia and facilitated by Āyasmā Aggacitta, Saṅkhārā in Theory and Practice Sutta Study with Meditation Workshops were held online for three Buddhist organisations on December 2020 and March 2021 during the Covid pandemic lockdown.

The purpose of this web page is to provide an opportunity for those who could not attend the online course to follow the best of these workshops and for those who attended one to review what they had learnt and to acquire additional information from the other workshops.

Overview

This was initially a three-day workshop but shortened to two days later. The word saṅkhāra is found frequently in the Pāli scriptures but used with different meanings and therefore translated differently according to context. For many who are not familiar with Pāli terms and Buddhist concepts, this can be bewildering. These workshops were designed to explore the different contexts of its usage in the suttas. Therefore participants are required to study the contents of a handout containing relevant excerpts from the suttas, arranged in a structured way and guided by discussion topics.

It is hoped that through these workshops, the participants can eventually appreciate that although there is an underlying common meaning of saṅkhāra, it still has to be translated differently according to context.

Structure of Handout

There are 7 sections in the handout grouped according to the usage context of saṅkhāra:

1. Second Link in Detergent Origination
2. Fourth of the Five Aggregates
3. All Conditioned Things
4. Triad in Connection with Cessation Attainment
5. Duo in Mindfulness of Breathing
6. Triads in Connection with Kammic Activity
7. Part of Several Compounds

Format of Workshop

Throughout the workshop, participants are urged to maintain an open-minded spirit of true enquiry while critically scrutinising the scriptural references and trying out the meditation techniques presented here.

Āyasmā Aggacitta gives an overview of the workshop before participants begin their discussion. Sutta study is made practical through guided open awareness meditation exercises in between discussion topics. At the end of each discussion session, a representative from each selected group will then present the group’s findings. This is followed by Āyasmā Aggacitta’s explanation of the answer to the discussion topic. His explanations are often not only based on the Pāḷi scriptures but also include other sources of ancient wisdom and from modern research findings and real-life experiences. There are also Q&A sessions whenever appropriate.