Abhayagiri Talks

Ajahn Cunda discusses his experiences on retreat. He gives advice on how to transition out of a retreat period and how to skillfully relate to events in the world. He gives guidance on seeing the mind’s tendencies of planning, becoming, and forming expectations. This talk was offered on March 15, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko reflects on the natural environment at Abhayagiri and the evolving nature of both the deer and practitioners, emphasizing the timelessness of the Buddha’s teachings. He explores mindfulness, especially mindfulness of the body, and the importance of contemplating impermanence to gain insight into the nature of existence. Ajahn Nyaniko encourages the community to engage fully in their practice, cultivating harmony and teamwork, while making the most of their remaining time during the winter retreat. This talk was offered on March 8, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko talks about his continuing experiences with pain resulting from Sciatica. He talks about the mental suffering that results from wishing that things were different from the way they are. He also discusses the suffering that arises from endless, self-referential, proliferating thoughts, especially around planning and doubt. He covers various antidotes to this suffering, like how to overcome it by continually bringing the mind back to the clear, expansive nature of the present moment, and continually rooting awareness in the body. This talk was offered on March 6, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko talks about his recent experiences with pain resulting from Sciatica. He discusses various ways in which pain can be a useful tool for dhamma practice, how it can be used to build equanimity, how feeling is a mental phenomenon instead of physical, and the unsatisfactory nature of having a body. This talk was offered on March 1, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko talks about saddha, which is a Pali word that can be translated as faith or trust. He discusses how we can develop it and use it to overcome doubt in our practice. He talks about having the ability to drop things in our life if they no longer serve us, even when we’ve been holding onto them for a long time. He also points out that practice that cultivates a sense of well-being and trends upward over time is better than a meditation practice that seeks out peak experiences. He also emphasizes the value of being at a monastery and how it provides opportunities to cultivate virtue. This talk was offered on February 22, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Cunda talks about distraction. He discusses how it affects our practice and ways to overcome it, as well as the process of learning how we are causing our own suffering, how to use the tools of the Buddha’s teaching to examine our experience, and how our practice should progress in a positive direction over time. This talk was offered on February 15, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko gives a talk that discusses the importance of patient endurance, which can help us overcome defilements, mental difficulties, and trauma. He also gives examples of how being in uncomfortable situations can be an aid to spiritual growth. He concludes by discussing the principles that are necessary to abide by in order to live the holy life as taught by the Buddha. This talk was offered on Magha Puja, on February 12, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Nyaniko summarizes some of the themes of the teachings over the first month of the winter retreat. He talks about the importance of perseverance, the benefits of ordinary practice in everyday life, and the suffering inherent in blissful states. He also gives advice on living in community and on not judging other people by outward appearances. This talk was offered on February 8, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Sudhiro talks about right effort, overcoming the hindrances, the importance of developing a balanced mind, maintaining continuous mindfulness, and the use of various meditation subjects, including mantras like “Buddho”. This talk was offered on February 1, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Cunda talks about how to deal with expectations in our practice, the importance of having right view, the suffering that results from believing things should be the way we want them to be, and the inevitability of aging, illness, and death. This talk was offered on January 25, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.