Tisarana Buddhist Monastery

By Tisarana Buddhist Monastery

What's Tisarana Buddhist Monastery about?

Dhamma talks by Ajahn Viradhammo at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery. In the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho, and Amaravati Monastery.

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Tisarana Buddhist Monastery episodes:

03.06.2021
Luang Por Sumedho – Magha Puja Dhamma Talk
This Dhamma reflection was given by Ajahn Sumedho on the 26th of February at Amaravati Monastery, UK. … Read the rest
02.19.2021
Practicing when your Attention is Like the Weather
Venerable Khemako discusses how calmness and stillness associated with meditation is a means to a higher end, not the end itself. He describes how one’s attention is variable like the weather, and how one can start with a coarse object...
02.05.2021
How to Disempower Difficult Mind States through Contrasts
Ajahn Viradhammo explains how to disempower difficult states of mind. He discusses how instilling contrasting states of mind can be helpful in becoming aware of and bearing with, for example, the self-critical mind. These contrasting states include body awareness and...
01.22.2021
Let Go of Self-criticism by Trusting in Change
Ajahn Viradhammo discusses how our misperceptions of ourselves are strongly conditioned, and feel very real. However, through trusting in the changing nature of mental phenomena, trusting in awareness, and patiently bearing with these difficult self-perceptions, we find the space to...
01.15.2021
Investigating how Opinions Underlie Uncertainty
Venerable Khemako describes how views and opinions are quick sketches and shortcuts for the fullness of the present moment. Once we see this, we can hold our opinions more tentatively and recognize their uncertainty. He encourages us to investigate how...
01.08.2021
Opening the Heart in Difficult Times
In this question and answer session, Ajahn Viradhammo discusses how to overcome biases by opening the heart. He also describes how to be socially relevant in difficult times, while inclining the mind towards silence. He also comments on practice-related questions...
01.01.2021
Trust in Awareness
In this wrap up of the online retreat, Ajahn Viradhammo encourages us to trust in awareness, rather than defaulting to a habit of, for example worry. He explains that a willingness to witness our reaction to being in an emotionally...
12.25.2020
Question and Answer: How to Investigate the Root of Fear
In this Question and Answer session,Venerable Khemako explains that while part of what we experience as fear is primal and rooted in our human physiology, part of the experience is rooted in a self-schema driven by desire (e.g., wish to...
12.18.2020
Mindfulness, Metta, and Self View
Ajahn Viradhammo discusses how important it is for mindfulness to be in the context of Sila (morality) and Panna (wisdom). Each has our own predicament where mindfulness is lost, and Metta (loving-kindness) supports bearing witness to difficult mind states which...
12.11.2020
Achieving Peace Through Observing Non-equanimity
Ajahn Viradhammo makes a distinction between conventional truths and the stream of consciousness. Both are important to attend to, but witnessing where your stream of consciousness gets preoccupied is the challenge for which meditation helps you prepare. Seeing the silence...
12.04.2020
Don’t be Fooled by the Illusion of Self
Venerable Khemako outlines how craving to present one’s self in a certain way is common because of the pressures and reinforcement of earning a living and societal messages. He discusses how practicing the 8-fold path allows us to lift the...
11.27.2020
Peaceful Coexistence with all Mind States
Ajahn Viradhammo discusses developing receptive awareness and the cessation of mind states. He explains how witnessing one’s mental reaction to difficult people and situations inclines the mind to cessation, and to realizing that the mental reaction is not who one...
11.20.2020
Knowing Opinions as Uncertain is Liberating
Ven. Khemako discusses how holding tightly to fixed views and opinions is taking refuge in the unreliable. He explains how, by framing opinions in terms of the 3 characteristics (i.e., Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta), you are taking refuge in the Dhamma....
11.13.2020
Training in Equanimity
Ajahn Viradhammo describes three types of equanimity. He explains how sila and dhamma vijaya are essential to training in equanimity. (Dhamma talk recorded via Zoom on 3 July 2020. Duration 34:11)… Read the rest
11.06.2020
Witnessing versus Attaching to Views and Opinions
Ajahn Viradhammo describes how attachment to opinions leads to Dukkha. He then explains how seeing an opinion simply as an object in awareness allows the heart to be open in difficult situations (Dhamma talk recorded via Zoom on 26 June...
10.30.2020
The Trap of Intellectualism
Ajahn Viradhammo discusses the difference between having a clever, confident position on Buddhist concepts versus the use of awareness to discover an existential Right Understanding of reality as we live it. (Dhamma talk recorded via Zoom on 20 June 2020....
10.23.2020
What Will the Mind Think Next?
Tan Khemako responds to some Dhamma questions, including how to deal with one’s mind when it is obsessed by memories of a disagreement at work (Q&A recorded at Tisarana via Zoom on 20 August 2020. Duration 31.08)… Read the...
10.16.2020
Touching the Transcendent via the Brahmaviharas
Luang Por Viradhammo explains how the realization of the Transcendent is a process of tuning into the heart more than controlling your emotional reactions through mindfulness. (Dhamma talk recorded via Zoom on 18 September 2020. Duration 36:46)… Read the rest
10.09.2020
Floor it With Thought
Ajahn Viradhammo gives a Dhamma talk and reflects on how expectations can condition disappointment (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery on 25 September 2020. Duration 58.03)… Read the rest
10.02.2020
The 3 Magicians
Tan Khemako depicts a spiritual story to explain the conditional process of sense-consciousness, perception, and mental proliferation in the human mind (Dhamma talk via Zoom recorded on 20 August 2020. Duration 33.38)… Read the rest
09.30.2020
Is this the Truth?
Tan Khemako offers some reflections on the Buddha’s teaching that all phenomena are rooted in desire (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana via Zoom on 20th August 2020. Duration 33.21)… Read the rest
09.11.2020
The Deva Realms
Tan Khemako gives a Dhamma talk about the Deva realms (talk recorded at the Arnprior retreat in Ontario on 29 November 2019. Duration 1:03:37)… Read the rest
08.21.2020
Die Before You Die
Ajahn Viradhammo offers some Dhamma reflections on death and dying (talk recorded at Pak Chong retreat, Thailand, on 1st December 2019. Duration 35.26)… Read the rest
08.14.2020
Zoom Dhamma talk recorded on 3rd July 2020
Ajahn Viradhammo gives some Dhamma reflections on the subject of the Brahma-Viharas. … Read the rest
08.07.2020
Zoom Session recording (MP3) from 24th July 2020
Ajahn Viradhammo gives some Dhamma teachings on using skillful language during meditation to maintain present moment awareness.… Read the rest
07.31.2020
Zoom Dhamma Talk from 6th June 2020 (MP3 recording)
Ajahn Viradhammo offers some Dhamma reflections on the theme of uncertainty.… Read the rest
07.24.2020
Zoom Teaching from 20th June 2020 (MP3 recording)
Ajahn Viradhammo gives some Dhamma reflections on the topic of letting go and non-desire.… Read the rest
07.18.2020
Zoom Meeting 19th June 2020 (MP3 recording)
Ajahn Viradhammo offers some reflections on Dhamma. He talks about bringing our desires into awareness so that we can let them go. … Read the rest
07.10.2020
The Fifth Precept
Ajahn Viradhammo answers questions at the Pak Chong retreat. These include; How do I stop drinking alcohol? Are there any studies about what happens to the brain after many years of meditation? How do I practice ‘choice-less awareness’? (Q&A...
07.03.2020
Free Will?
Tan Khemako answers questions from the retreatants including; What are the qualities of Enlightenment? Do we ever make decisions? What are the four foundations of mindfulness and the seven factors of awakening? What are the five aspects of the grasping...
06.26.2020
Sadhu Sadhu ‘sadu’!
Ajahn Viradhammo talks about the four heavenly messengers: the old person, the sick person, the corpse, and the sadu (religious seeker). He recommends that we frequently reflect on these because they will rouse in us a sense of urgency...
06.19.2020
The Five Khandas
Tan Khemako reflects on the five khandas that constitute a ‘human being’, often talked about by the Buddha. Tan Khemako talks about how they feature in the Four Noble Truths teaching, and how we can learn to recognize them...
06.12.2020
Investigation or Ice Cream Cones
On Asalha Puja Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on the word ‘practice’, used nowadays by many monastics and lay meditators to refer to our cultivation of the Path. He suggests the terms investigation, reflection, and enquiry are more fitting for the...
06.05.2020
Thought is Natural
Ajahn Viradhammo answers some more questions during the retreat. He reflects on the pali term Sotāpanna in respect to the first three fetters, and the disadvantage of simply repressing thoughts with a meditation technique. (Talk recorded at Pak...
06.01.2020
Zoom Dhamma Talk – 29th May 2020
Luang Por Viradhammo offers some Dhamma reflections via a Zoom meeting on the subject of doubt, the fifth hindrance to samadhi and also the third fetter to stream-entry. … Read the rest
05.29.2020
You Turkey!
Ajahn Viradhammo talks about the way our minds attach to views and opinions, and answers a question about how to embrace fear. He gives the example that if we attach to self-criticism after making a mistake, we are simply...
05.23.2020
Zoom Dhamma Talk – 22 May 2020
A recording of Ajahn Viradhammo giving a Dhamma talk via Zoom organized by supporters in Singapore and Malaysia.… Read the rest
05.22.2020
The Mind Knowing the Mind
Ajahn Viradhammo answers a couple of questions from the retreatants. The first is ‘What is the mind knowing the mind?’ The second is about Metta practice. He then leads a guided meditation on how he deals with drowsiness....
05.15.2020
Tiger Balm Heart
Ajahn Viradhammo answers questions from some of the retreatants. He reflects on the importance of abiding in wholesomeness, the difference between Tanha and Chanda, and the fact that some of our desires are based on natural, biological requirements of...
05.12.2020
OBS Friday Evening Zoom Meet with Ajahn Viradhammo May 08
Ajahn Viradhammo gives a Dhamma talk and answers questions from members of the Ottawa Buddhist Society via Zoom for their Friday night meditation on May 08. This new way of communication has proven beneficial for it allows more access for...
05.08.2020
The Beautiful Dhamma
Tan Khemako explains the meaning of the phrase “The Dhamma is beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, and beautiful in the end”. This is a line from the Pali Canon that we recite during the morning chanting....
05.01.2020
Patience WITH WISDOM
On the second day of this retreat Ajahn Viradhammo talks about the Middle Way of dealing with unpleasant bodily feeling. He reflects that it is important not to attach to aversion for the pain, and not to change posture...
04.24.2020
Liberation Through Suffering
Tan Khemako gives a reflection on how our minds are continually creating the past in the form of memories, or creating an imagined future. If we are able to bring our mind back to the present moment and recognize...
04.20.2020
Limited Mobility, Limitless Consciousness, Luang Por Sumedho, April 16, 2020
… Read the rest
04.17.2020
Vipassana Romances
On the first day of this retreat in Thailand Ajahn Viradhammo gives a talk on the five Jhana factors. He reflects that all five can be employed as a method, rather than expecting Piti and Sukha to be the...
04.10.2020
Changing Climate; Solid Views
Tan Khemako gives a reflection on how our minds cling to views and beliefs. He uses the example of climate change, explaining that we filter everything we read/hear about the subject to fit in with our view. (Talk...
04.03.2020
Happiness as a Method
Ajahn Viradhammo gives a reflection about whether happiness is something a meditator should be trying to achieve from his/her meditation, or whether it is more skillful to cultivate wholesome thoughts that are inherently ‘happy’. He gives examples of thoughts...
03.27.2020
A Gem on the Garbage Pile
Tan Khemako delves deeper into this simile in response to a question from a retreat attendee. He explains how our minds have been conditioned to create a conceptual overlay covering the raw phenomena that we experience. Clinging to...
03.22.2020
Awareness Is Your Refuge
All of us are being affected by the current Coronavirus pandemic, and we can see how difficult this is for many people around the world. This stress and uncertainty in our lives can help us to see what we really...
03.20.2020
Monitoring Craving
On the first day of this retreat in Thailand Ajahn Viradhammo gives a 20 minute reflection on the importance of being heedful of the three types of craving. He then gives a guided meditation on body awareness, encouraging mindfulness...

What's Tisarana Buddhist Monastery about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Tisarana Buddhist Monastery episodes:

Luang Por Sumedho – Magha Puja Dhamma Talk

Practicing when your Attention is Like the Weather

How to Disempower Difficult Mind States through Contrasts

Let Go of Self-criticism by Trusting in Change

Investigating how Opinions Underlie Uncertainty

Opening the Heart in Difficult Times

Trust in Awareness

Question and Answer: How to Investigate the Root of Fear

Mindfulness, Metta, and Self View

Achieving Peace Through Observing Non-equanimity

Don’t be Fooled by the Illusion of Self

Peaceful Coexistence with all Mind States

Knowing Opinions as Uncertain is Liberating

Training in Equanimity

Witnessing versus Attaching to Views and Opinions

The Trap of Intellectualism

What Will the Mind Think Next?

Touching the Transcendent via the Brahmaviharas

Floor it With Thought

The 3 Magicians

Is this the Truth?

The Deva Realms

Die Before You Die

Zoom Dhamma talk recorded on 3rd July 2020

Zoom Session recording (MP3) from 24th July 2020

Zoom Dhamma Talk from 6th June 2020 (MP3 recording)

Zoom Teaching from 20th June 2020 (MP3 recording)

Zoom Meeting 19th June 2020 (MP3 recording)

The Fifth Precept

Free Will?

Sadhu Sadhu ‘sadu’!

The Five Khandas

Investigation or Ice Cream Cones

Thought is Natural

Zoom Dhamma Talk – 29th May 2020

You Turkey!

Zoom Dhamma Talk – 22 May 2020

The Mind Knowing the Mind

Tiger Balm Heart

OBS Friday Evening Zoom Meet with Ajahn Viradhammo May 08

The Beautiful Dhamma

Patience WITH WISDOM

Liberation Through Suffering

Limited Mobility, Limitless Consciousness, Luang Por Sumedho, April 16, 2020

Vipassana Romances

Changing Climate; Solid Views

Happiness as a Method

A Gem on the Garbage Pile

Awareness Is Your Refuge

Monitoring Craving