Ayyā Medhānandī

How blessed we are to walk this path of awakening into the vast frontier of the mind. We discover unimaginable treasures using our inheritance from the Buddha and directing ourselves with the compass of compassionate wisdom. This walk is internal, silent, hidden. We are learning to actually see with new eyes – clear and far-sighted – but well-attuned to our penetrating task of exploration and discernment. What has felt painful and fearsome really holds powerful antidotes to pain and fear. What we most valued pales when compared to the joys of pure awareness, and of knowing and sharing the true gifts of our humanity. An Ottawa Buddhist Society, Galilee retreat talk, Nov. 18, 2022

Harmlessness is a gift to ourselves and to others. The child of courage and the mother of true peace, it relies on core practices of virtue and  nonviolence. To abandon anger and its retinue of hatred, ill-will, fear and blame is to protect ourselves and all beings in this world. We walk the moral high ground of forgiveness, tolerance, loving-kindness and compassion. These shall serve as the bedrock of our inner disarmament. A talk at the 10th Global Conference on Buddhism, Neuroscience, and Mental Health, Toronto 2017.

The Dhamma, the Buddha's teaching, guides us to a moral awakening, a realization of ultimate truth. We have forever searched for eternal peace in the world of fleeting promises where happiness never lasts. And now we turn to pure conscious awareness, stopping as witness in the silence of the heart. Seeing all as empty, fleeting, free from wanting, free from suffering, we rest in knowing the timeless, boundless, transcendent presence that runs through all things. This is the reality of what we are – unconditional love. Sati Saraniya Sunday talk, Sept 1, 2024

Let faith be our foundation for a mindfulness that never tires of examining how we are within us. We may eat well, dress well, and look good but what is the real state of the mind? Day by day, finding safety in virtue, aware of the right qualities that direct, protect, and teach us to root out unworthy habits, let us harvest the profound joy and goodness of this life. It’s not how much we work or gain but how well we honour the noble Dhamma as servants of selflessness and human kindness. Morning reflections at Sati Saraniya Hermitage, 2024

Whether we live as laity or in a monastery, there is a sacred path open for all to explore. Yet few would brave its fierce tests. How we train and incline the mind will naturally determine our spiritual growth. So the Buddha encouraged us to go to the forest, to seek seclusion from devices, worldly concerns and attachments. These cannot rescue us from mental sufferings; nor from ageing, disease or dying. . . because it’s about pure love – an unearthly love that never dies – and the gift of true safety, peace, and transcendent awareness of our true nature. As this knowing dawns in the heart, we are freed from every kind of suffering. No riches, no power, nothing in this wide universe can offer such blessings. Ottawa Buddhist Society, May 2017

We humans share this journey of birth, old age, sickness and death. Sometimes we succumb to fear or sorrow; sometimes we are exhausted or disoriented as if lost on a perilous path. Seeing this universality of suffering and knowing its causes, we ask: "What will set us free?" With the lens of refined moral aptitude, in silent witness, we stop to listen and directly know for ourselves the inner joy and peace of true harmlessness. In the safety of true refuge, our noble guides of benevolent compassion and wise reflection steer the heart to its liberation – awakening to Unconditional Love.  A talk given at Sati Saraniya Hermitage, June 30, 2024

We are on a miraculous voyage in the fragile vessel of a body that ultimately dies. This is the Noble Truth of our suffering. To unravel its mystery and rescue ourselves, we must navigate the inner sea of the heart. We explore how in the world of objects, devices, ideas and experiences – whether exotic or excruciating, we are bound up with joy, fear or any point between. But there is a freedom from this cycle and it comes when we brave the great quiet of that vast interior universe. Blessed is the silence that opens our eyes to the Deathless, the Truth of what we are. A talk for the Toronto Theravada Buddhist Community (TBC), Sept, 2010

How can we rescue ourselves from the obstacles to our happiness? We must not disregard the power of awareness in the present moment to vanquish suffering. For in this very moment is everything we need to know. All moments, whether tainted or blessed, are conditioned by their predecessor. Without care and discernment, vigilance and integrity, we could easily fall into states of decline. Ill-will begets enmity, while joy begets ease and serenity, and each moment is the mother of the next. So too, stepping into the joys of life as it unfolds, we live by the best qualities we can reap. One bare insight into truth and we know what we truly are. Then we open the gates to the Deathless. Morning Reflections at Sati Saraniya Hermitage, Sept. 2024

We are on a mountain with a tremendous view. Let the breath speak to us. Stay present and watch both the joy and the suffering.  We investigate wisely and patiently like a parent whose child may object or run away. Trying to see the breath clearly, our mindfulness is like the sunlight on a flower. Attentive, receptive, timeless, and still, we gently soften and mellow – just knowing, observing, and selflessly aware of pure presence. To trust the breath is to let go moment by moment, discovering its hidden truths – and our true home here and now. Guided meditation and reflections, Heart of Wisdom retreat, Insight Meditation Society, Mass. USA, April, 2019.

We are on a mountain with a tremendous view. Let the breath speak to us. Stay and watch, both the joy and the suffering. We investigate patiently like a parent whose child may object or run away. But we stay connected, wisely and patiently present. We persevere, trying to see the breath clearly, with mindfulness that is like the sun upon a flower. Attentive and receptive, timeless, and still, we gently soften and mellow – just knowing, observing, and selflessly giving the mind back to pure presence. To trust the breath is to let go moment by moment, discovering its hidden truths – our true home here and now. Guided meditation and reflections, Heart of Wisdom retreat, Insight Meditation Society, IMS, MA. USA, April, 2019.