Answer offered by Venerable Ajahn Jayasaro to the question ‘What advice do you have for not reacting in that split nanosecond that it takes [when there’s something distressing or upsetting]?’ which was asked during a Q&A session.

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‘How to Deal with Distressing Situations’
11th December, 2018
Activity Hall
Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives, Bangkok

Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection:
“I am of the nature too age
I have not gone beyond ageing

I am of the nature to sicken
I have not gone beyond sickness

I am of the nature to die
I have not gone beyond dying

All that is mine beloved and pleasing
Will become otherwise
Will become separated from me

I am the owner of my kamma
Heir to my kamma
Born of my kamma
Related to my kamma
Abide supported by my kamma
Whatever kamma I shall do
For good or for ill
Of that I will be the heir

Thus we should frequently recollect”

(Source: ‘Buddhist Chanting’ at https://www.watpahnanachat.org/)

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For other videos of Ajahn Jayasaro, see:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgeFTePFzP7pKfeFbxTUU_o3R1DcHBlBt

For other teachings by Ajahn Jayasaro, please visit:
https://www.jayasaro.panyaprateep.org/th
https://forestsangha.org/teachings/audio/speakers/ajahn-jayasaro

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About Ven. Ajahn Jayasaro:

Ajahn Jayasaro (Shaun Michael Chiverton) was born on the Isle of Wight, England in 1958.  In 1978 he became a disciple of Ajahn Chah, one of Thailand’s most renowned Buddhist monks and meditation masters, at Wat Pa Pong forest monastery in Northeast Thailand.  He took full ordination, with Ajahn Chah as his preceptor, in 1980.

After his initial five year monastic training Ajahn Jayasaro went on extended solitary retreat before taking on teaching and administrative duties. Over the next several years he alternated between periods of retreat and service to his monastic lineage. During this time he was entrusted by the elders of his order with writing the official biography of his teacher, Ajahn Chah. In 1997 he assumed the position of abbot of Wat Pa Nanachat, the international monastery of Ajahn Chah’s lineage, where he remained until the end of 2002.

Since early 2003 Ajahn Jayasaro has been living in a hermitage at the foot of Khao Yai Mountain National Park. The Dhamma teachings and meditation retreats he gives at regular intervals at a nearby retreat centre offer inspiration to both lay Buddhists and monastics. He is also a key figure in the movement to integrate Buddhist developmental principles into the Thai education system.  Many of his Dhamma talks are broadcast on radio and television.

Ajahn Jayasaro has written many books on Buddhist themes in the Thai language, a number of which have been translated into other languages, including Chinese, French, Italian and Portuguese. His latest English work, ‘without and within’ is a general introduction to the Theravada Buddhist tradition. In 2011 Ajahn Jayasaro was granted an honorary doctorate in Buddhist pedagogy by Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya University. In 2019 Ajahn Jayasaro received the ecclesiastical title of Phra Rajpacharamanit.