Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Ajahn Brahm elaborates on one of the pillars of Buddhism: The Middle Way, pointing out that it is very easy to wander off on a path of too much harshness to your body and mind (asceticism) or too much indulgence. Ajahn starts off by reflecting upon his time as a young western monk in Thailand.

Ajahn Brahm gives a guided meditation for advance meditators. Ajahn starts off by reminding us while meditating to stop trying to get somewhere and talks about the how the judgemental mind and conceit hinder our meditation progress.

Ajahn Brahm reminds us that the core teaching of the Buddha is suffering and the end of suffering and in this talk he covers a trilogy of topics:

How to deal with disasters, such as a recent oil spill in California.

How to interpret this middle path as a way of dealing with the disasters of life, and the middle way between indulgence and asceticism.

How to apply the Buddhist teachings to your daily life.

Ajahn Brahm reflects upon people’s entanglement with possessions, views & opinions and the past & future. Ajahn explains why and how we get entangled, as well as why and how we can let it go, so that we can live a much more peaceful, free existence. In this talk Ajahn also advises us how to let go of grief.

 

On the actual day of Vesak (birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha) in 2010, Ajahn Brahmali gives a teaching on the life and qualities of the Buddha and how his example can be an inspiration for our own practice. Ajahn reminds us that the person who sees the Buddha, also sees the Dhamma, and the person who sees the Dhamma, also sees the Buddha.

Ajahn Brahm muses about a famous old saying coined by Thomas Gray: ignorance is bliss. Ajahn also looks at whether running away and ignoring the world brings peace and happy.

Should we follow tradition or change it? What are the advantages of keeping or changing tradition? What actually is the tradition we should follow anyway? And does it have a place in our modern world? Ajahn gives an in depth answer in this talk and advises us most importantly to search for truth and meaning.

Ajahn Appi guided the group through a beginners meditation with the focus on breath and the sensations caused by breathing.  Ajahn then spoke on the benefits of meditation and concluded the session with a recital of a Tibetan Mantra.

Ajahn Brahm talks about the flip side of positivity and offers an even more skilful approach rather than just trying to be positive. Ajahn describes the highs and lows of life as being natural and not something that we should try and avoid, but things we should investigate with wisdom.

Is Buddhism an atheistic religion? Does it believe in a God? And what do Buddhists worship? Ajahn Brahm takes on this topic, pointing out the consequences of believing in a supernatural being and looking into who created our universe or world. Ajahn goes deeper by talking about meditation experiences (jhanas) and how the mind is chief and more powerful than anything else in the world.