Ajahn Sucitto's most recent Dharma talks (Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center)

(Gaia House) Opening and closing happens everywhere, even with breathing. Discharging creates space for enjoyment, spontaneity and flexibility. Eventually even energy must be relinquished, so we practice recollection of death using the brahma viharas to expand awareness, closure with no regret, the deathless.

(Gaia House) (Questions are précised and read later into the file to protect participants’ anonymity) 00:11 Q1 I’ve felt a lot more alive and sensitive over the retreat, experiencing a lot of inwards and outwards connectivity. How does that affect the deepening of practice? And also are the experience of chi and piti related? What about after leaving the retreat, is the loss of sensitivity inevitable? 13:20 Q2 Can you say more about “the imaginal practices”? Please expand on how chanting can re-pattern emotional energy. 23:20 Q3 I’m having new meditative experiences that make me excited and even a bit fearful in seeing consciousness as impermanent. Can you advise please? 23:03 Q4 Is it automatic that samadhi will lead to discernment?

(Gaia House) Ajahn explores the Buddha's famous prescription: 'By not pushing forward and by not standing still, I managed to cross the floods'.

(Gaia House) Sacred images can brighten the mind and allow helpful energies to arise. We can summon the indriya through this means. With devotional practice, we dislodge the self from its center point, revealing the energy of spiritual desire (chanda).

(Gaia House) Questions are précised and some are read later into the file to protect participants’ anonymity. 00:00 Q1 How wide can the space of embracing you spoke of be for people (like prisoners for example) who may not have the present capacity for insight and who seem not ready to face trauma. Perhaps they will never be ready. O1:44 Q2 When and how in meditation and life, should we put boundaries around unhelpful things without a pushing away quality? 06:10 Q3 Could you say more about the relationship between the composed part and the part that’s in disaray as more important than either of the two. 8:52 Q4 Could we hear more about jealousy please and the associated difficult shame reactions. 16:09 Q5 Does any kind of volition disrupt bodily alignment or subtle bodily energies, or can the well instructed person conceive or even act without resultant misalignment?

(Gaia House) Discernment is easily biased by the five aggregates, especially mental constructions such as uncertainty and ‘not quite right yet’. Contemplating citta we can understand suffering rather than adopt a notion of solving it.

(Gaia House) Developing facility with the indriya – faith, energy, mindfulness, collectedness and discernment – supports awareness of skilful states flowing and fulfilling themselves within a mindful embodiment.

(Gaia House) Self massage helps body awareness arise. With mental intention, alternately directing and releasing activation energy around the body, we increase connectivity and provide a broad basis for mindfulness.

(Gaia House) Questions are précised and some are read later into the file to protect participants’ anonymity. 00:00 Q1 Please say more about sankara and their physiological / psychosomatic body links; 18:06 Q2 I have a question about tears borne from love and grieving. How does this fit with equanimity?

(Gaia House) Hindrances can be cleared through ‘mindful direct awareness’ – sati sampajañña. Such working through what blocks the potential of citta, demands humility, since it is not one’s personal self doing the work. Body is a key and potent resource.