Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Ajahn Nissarano is a Western Australian monk who ordained with Ajahn Brahm in the 1990s. In this talk and guided meditation he gives advice on how to develop values and attitudes that lead to happiness and success.

This talk was arranged by Ajahn Brahm Society Sri Lanka and recorded by Dharmavahini Foundation, Sri Lanka.

Ajahn uses humour, jokes, funny stories and common sense to teach us how to meditate.  We forget that being physically comfortable is very important to a good meditation.  If we are physically uncomfortable it is difficult to be mentally comfortable, we can't focus.  Talk to your body, ask it if it is comfortable, fidget, squirm, cough but get comfortable.  Then move on to relaxing mentally.  Leave your heavy past in the past, forget your concerns about your future and just live in the moment.

Focus your attention on your breath and breath in "peace", out "let go".

After the guided meditation, Ajahn talks about mental health as well as general health and the benefits of meditation.

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Ajahn Santutthi says that meditation is like marinating an olive. It takes time for the olives to become delicious. In the same way, it takes time and patience for our mind to settle down.

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Where does your personality come from? Buddhism says that it carries over from your previous lives. Ajahn Brahm shares some fantastic anecdotes about reincarnation.

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Ajahn Brahm guides a meditation for approximately 30 minutes.

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Ajahn Brahm explains how the Buddha’s teaching on “The Middle Way” relates to our daily life. Ajahn cautions us to be careful with the extremes of life; from fame to feeling worthlessness and he suggests we find the middle way. Also we don’t have to change the world, we just have to make peace with the world.

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Ajahn Brahmali guides a meditation for approximately 30 minutes.

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We all have different views, conditioned by different experiences. Arguments are inevitable, but argue with kindness and respect which will encourage growth and bring us one step closer to truth, by Ajahn Brahm.

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This talk and guided meditation addresses the role of thinking in meditation and in our daily life, and how we can make peace with thinking in meditation.

This talk was recorded by the Ajahn Brahm Society of Sri Lanka at the Dhammavahini Foundation in Sri Lanka.

Bhante begins with an explanation of present moment awareness.  Reminding all of us of those moments we all have in our lives that we can clearly remember in detail.  Where we were, who we were with, what was happening at that moment in time.  We often reflect to such moments when we hear a song or tune.  At the time you first heard the song or tune, you experienced present moment awareness.  Bhante explains why we need such awareness to meditate.

Bhante then guided the group in a 30min meditation using the breath as our meditation object, or point of focus.

Briefly after the meditation, Bhante opened to Q&A before giving us a talk on the things that will hinder [hinderances], our meditation practice.

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