Buddhist Society of Western Australia

How do you deal with people who are angry and violent right in front of you or towards you?

Ajahn Brahm shares his wisdom and personal experience on resolving these conflicts.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Brahmali encourages us to look at what the Buddha actually taught by reading the suttas; the word of the Buddha. Ajahn recommends we begin by reading what is inspiring, enjoyable and really captures our attention such as the similes. To inspire us to go and read the suttas Ajahn reads to us some of the similes of the Buddha from the Buddhist discourses.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Brahm offers a topical talk on winning and losing. Ajahn talks about the enormous amount of suffering and pressure we experience from living in a society where we celebrate winners and feel guilty and depressed when we are losers. Ajahn offers a different perspective to what is meant by winning and losing i.e. success versus failure and explains how the very idea of a winner and loser is totally against the spiritual path.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Are you pushing through pain during meditation? Ajahn Brahm teaches not to force ourselves but to relax and let go. 

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Sujato talks about some common problems we face in meditation, such as taking idioms too literary, trying to stop our mind from thinking and also worrying about reaching meditation stages and using meditation techniques. Ajahn looks at the process of breath meditation and explains how this is not about making your mind peaceful because that is doing and controlling.

“The breath wants you to calm down. If you only will let it, get out of the way, stop trying to control and let the breath soothe you, let peace come to you.”

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Brahm responds to a request to talk about parental alienation. Ajahn explains that parental alienation is when you are a parent of teenagers, it is like you are living with aliens, because you don’t understand what they are up to or where they are coming from and they cause you a lot of suffering.

Ajahn shares some Buddhist stories to help us get some understanding on how to raise kids and Ajahn points out that people you associate with mold your character and that is why is so important for teenagers to hang around with good influences such as parents, grandparents and so on.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Brahm discusses the significance of Vesak Day (Wesak Day) – which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha on the full-moon day in May. Ajahn talks about how we can use the teachings to make ourselves better people and to have a better world.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Brahmali discusses the difference between common sensual pleasure and spiritual pleasure. Ajahn explains how sensual pleasure is fleeting and susceptible to many external conditions out of our control, while spiritual pleasure is longer lasting and is something we can directly affect.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn joined us again this week at The Armadale Meditation Group.  He suggested that we spend much time in our busy daily lives collecting rubbish within our minds and meditation is the means to get rid of it, empty the garbage.

Ajahn then guided us through a meditation with relaxation of our bodies first.  The focus of our meditation was our breath or breathing.  Ajahn then opened the floor to questions.  Following Q&A Ajahn told us of his recent visit to Thailand were he met with Ajahn Gunhah, the original happy monk.

Having just been to Las Vegas Ajahn Brahm decides an appropriate subject to talk about is gambling. Ajahn explains the difference between gaming and gambling and recommends we game, not gamble that is go to have fun, not to win. Money is not the most important thing in life; people are, your health and your happiness are.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.