Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked about the importance of faith in the Buddha's teaching.

The Pali term for the first of five spiritual faculties is 'saddha'. It could also be translated as 'confidence', 'conviction' or 'trust'.

Ajahn discusses various conditions that nurture our conviction and make it very strong.

He also explains that faith and knowledge are not contradictions, but can support each other in our Dhamma practice.

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#faith #saddha #buddhism #confidence #conviction #knowledge #dhammatalk

Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked:

"How do we observe the mind?"

Ajahn offers some reflections on superficial layers of the mind (like thinking) and deeper layers that can only be accessed in Samādhi.

Ajahn also responds to a second question on mindfulness of feelings:

"How to Distinguish wordly and spiritual feelings?"

Spiritual happiness generated through good karma, generosity, virtue, sense retraint and samādhi/jhāna is so important, as it provides us with a superior happiness than sensuality.

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#mind #consciousness #happines #mindfulness #sati

Ajahn Dhammasiha responds to a question about Euthansia.

He explains that the Buddha never encouraged or condoned the killing of other human beings at all, never mind the supposed motive or justification.

The first precept to abstain from intentionally killing of living beings is unambiguous - it has no 'exceptions' under any circumstance.

Any killing of human beings is very serious karma.

However, if we participate in, or encourage, the killing ("euthanasia") of our mother or father (which can easily occur in the context of "euthanasia"), we're getting involved in what the Buddha declared as one of the five worst forms of evil karma possible (5 Anantarika Kamma - see e.g. Anguttara Nikāya Fives No 129).

It's not compassionate at all to kill.

Compassionate is to look after dying people, to provide them with excellent palliative care and really good pain management. Compassionate is to spiritually console dying persons, to prepare them for the transition to the next life, and to encourage them to let go of all attachments.

If we normalize killing of human beings ("euthanasia"), those suffering from a chronic and expensive-to-treat disease will feel pressure to have themselves killed ("euthanized") to reduce expenses and burden of looking after them.

As physicians are the ones doing the killing ("euthanasia"), the ethic foundation of the whole medical profession is undermined. A doctor should first of all do no harm. We must be able to fully trust our physicians and nurses that they are committed to preserving our lives, to cure us from disease and to wish us to live.

How can we trust the medical profession if they are now the ones who are also killing us?

Ajahn points out that a completely materialistic philosphy underlies modern Westen medical science. They simply don't know about consciousness/mind, they only know and describe course material phenomena. They believe that after death there's simply nothing.

Of course, in reality there NOT nothing after death, but what we call mind or consciousness survives death and continues on to a new life.

Consequently, killing any being does not 'free them from suffering', it only means that we can not see their suffering anymore. Only an Arahant attaining Nibbāna is truly free from suffering.

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#euthanasia #nonviolence #compassion #precepts #ethics #nonharming

Āsāḷhā is the full moon marking the beginning of the 3 months rains retreat (Vassa). It's also the day commemorating the first formal teaching of the Buddha, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta ('Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma').

Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the 4 Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariya-Saccāni) that the Buddha expounded in that discourse. In particular, he points out that these 4 Noble Truths are not just some theoretical concepts, but they are a pragmatic teaching, they are applicable ('opanayiko'), we have to do something with them in order to realize the intended result: Freedom from Suffering.

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#suffering #nobletruth #buddha #buddhism #dhammacakka

On occasion of Asalha Full Moon, Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the Four Noble Truths.

Whenever we experience pain and disappointment; when we feel hurt, offended, depressed, upset; we usually search for some EXTERNAL cause for all this suffering.

Maybe we come to the conclusion that our boss, or our mother in law, or our spouse, or the kids, or the politicians and those in power are to blame for the fact that we are hurting.

Or else it's the weather; or some sickness, some virus; or perhaps the mozzies or this or that...

This conclusion is not necessarily wrong. We may even be able to eliminate some specific suffering we experience by changing or manipulating the behaviour of the people that cause us harm.

However, this approach will never get us out of suffering completely:

First of all, often we don't have the power to change the persons that cause us pain. There are so many external causes of our suffering that are completely outside of our control.

Secondly, even if we can change one person, then someone else will come along and do things we don't like. Removing external causes will only give us a short break, it never removes suffering permanently.

Instead, the Buddha looked at the INTERNAL causes of suffering, namely craving, attachment, clinging, delusion of ownership, ignorance and so on.

This approach has two huge advantages:

First, as it's internal, we actually have control over it - it may not be easy to abandon craving and attachment, but at least it's possible.

Secondly, once we get rid of craving and attachment completely, all suffering is gone as well; and even better, it can never come back, we've found a permanent solution 😊⁠⁠Dhammagiri Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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#suffering #buddhism #dhamma #fournobletruths #attachment #craving #vipassana

Ajahn Dhammasiha recently spent at few days in Bodh Gaya, India, to visit and mediate at the Mahabodhi Temple.

This is the very spot where the Buddha attained supreme awakening. In fact, it is said that the 3 previous Buddha's in our aeon, also realized Sambodhi in this same spot.

Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the amazing strength of the spiritual energy one can experience at the 'Vajirāsana' ('Diamond Throne'), the seat under the Bodhi tree where the Buddha defeated Māra and the defilements and released his heart from all attachment, craving and ignorance.

He explains that he can not recommend too highly the value of going on pilgrimage to this sacred site; the impact on one's Dhamma practice is often profound.

Ajahn also talks about the fetter of Sīlabbataparāmāsa ('clinging to rites and rituals' / 'believing in purification through external actions of body and speech'). Whether on pilgrimage, or in our regular meditation practice, it's not about the body and the movements, rituals and activities the body performs; instead it's about the impact these external activities have on our mind.

If we sit meditation, or perform puja at a sacred site, but the mind is actually developing unwholesome states of desire or aversion, we're wasting our time.

We always have to observe carefully what is the effect of any activity on our mind, does it really lead to a diminishing of unwholesome states, and an increase in wholesome states.

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#bodhgaya #vajirasana #buddha #enlightenment #mahabodhitemple #silabbataparamasa #dhamma

Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked about supportive conditions to make our Metta Meditation (Loving Kindness) stronger and more successful:

1. Loving Kindness to Oneself! Make sure you really include yourself when you extend Mettā to all beings
2. Compassion (Karuna). Use other Divine Abidings (Brahmavihāra) as appropriate, in particular Compassion/Karunā. If we struggle to extend metta to anyone, we may be more successful with Karuna. The most difficult people often have a lot of pain themselves. Once we see that, it's easier to have compassion to them.
3. Contemplating Karma (Kamma). What I experience is the result of my own karma, my own actions, including actions in past lives. On a deeper level, the person hurting me is simply returning my own bad karma to me. Also, they will have to bear the painful result of their own karma in future, no need for me the avenger or punisher, they will get their karma anyhow.
4. Contemplating Impermanence (Anicca-Saññā). What we're so upset with today, we may not even be able to remember in a years time. Why getting worked up about anything so evanescent
5. Contemplating Death. If I were to die today, would I really bother about all these irritations I experience? Compared to the reality of our & our 'enymies'' mortality, what we're angry about appears so irrelevant.
6. Sense Retraint (Indriya-samvara/Indriyesu Guttadvāra). Simply avoid persons and situations that make you angry, and don't even think about or remember them.Don't look at the tweets of a politician you can't stand. Don't watch that video, or those news, if they make you angry.
7. Wise Attention (Yoniso Manasikāra). Focus on what's beautiful in others and yourself. Give attention to your own and others' kind and admirable qualities and actions.
8. Contentment. Count your blessings. Appreciate what you have already, rather than hankering after things other have, and which may be difficult to obtain.
9. Gratitude (Kataññū-Katavedi). Remember all the good you have received from others. Focus on that, rather than on the hard times other have given you.
10. Good Friends (Kalyāṇamittatā). Don't hang out with angry people, spend time and become friends with those who practise Loving Kindness themselves

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#metta #lovingkindness #compassion #contentment #meditation #dhamma #buddhism

In our meditation, we usually hope to find calm, happiness, bliss and enlightenment. But what we often encounter instead are all kinds of challenging and highly disagreeable mindstates. Defilements and distractions of all sorts assail the heart.

Ajahn Dhammasiha reminds us that these negative states are very normal to encounter in meditation. Unless we're someone with great pāramī, like Venerable Sāriputta, who's heart was was already very pure from practice in previous lifetimes, we have a lot of cleaning up to do in our mind.

In fact, that's exactly the point of our meditation: It's a little bit like tackling a really difficult and long delayed cleaning job. Finally getting into the attic or the basement room that hasn't been sorted for years. Or finally pulling the washing machine off the wall and cleaning out all the grime and mold behind and underneath it.

Similarly, a big part of meditation is to allow all the difficult stuff to rise into awareness, and then to consciously contemplate it as impermanent, not me, not mine, unsure, not my self. This process usually has to be repeated many times. Each contemplation will weaken the issue only slightly, and the process of overcoming it tends to be very gradual, taking numerous repetitions over many years. 

Responding to a question, Ajahn points out that in case of severe trauma, it may not be possible straight away to follow the above process. The trauma may be too overwhelming. Rather than beneficially contemplating it, the mind may latch onto it and fully absorb into it, a form of 'wrong concentration' ('micchā-samādhī'). That may just reinforce the trauma, making it worse.

If that's the case, it's better not to focus the mind internally. One has to start by training the mind in external activities. We gradually brighten the mind and fill it with more goodness and happiness. It's better to interact, to make good karma in interaction with other beings. Whenever we do something good for others (kindness, generostiy), we make our mind happy and brighter. We develop wholesome self esteem. We keep precepts ('sīla'), not harming or hurting ourselves or any being.

Once the mind has been uplifted and lightened through kindness, good karma and virtue, it will gradually be able allow the trauma into awareness. The mind is now bright and confident enough to address the trauma with wisdom and insight, weakening and abandoning it step by little step.

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The Buddha has given us the following amazing promise:

"In the Dhamma well proclaimed by me thus, which is clear, open, evident, and free of patchwork, those who have sufficient faith in me, sufficient affection for me, are all going to be reborn in heaven."

(The Buddha, Majjima Nikāya/Middle Length Discourses, #22 'Alagaddāpama Sutta'/'The Simile of the Snake)

Even if we can not attain full Nibbāna yet, and do not yet have the insight of a stream-enterer either, just by having a sufficient amount of confidence, faith and affection to the Buddha, we're already assured a heavenly rebirth as a deva!

This extraordinary promise of the Buddha is something we can bring to mind whenever fear or anxiety threaten to overwhelm our mind. The ultimate fear is usually the fear of death. But if we understand that death is not the end, but simply the transition to a new rebirth; and if we are confident that we have sufficient faith and affection for the Buddha to be reborn in devaloka, then death can no longer terrify us. When the fear of death can't overwhelm our mind any more, then all anxiety will be dramatically diminished.

When we're no longer controlled by fear and anxiety, we are able to clearly discern what's beneficial for ourselves and others. Fear can no longer be used to manipulate us to do harmful things to ourselves and others. Free from fear and filled with faith and conficence, the mind is bright and joyful. With a bright and joyful mind, our immune systems work at peak performance. With our immune systems strong, we will have less symptoms and better recovery if we catch any virus, or any other form of sickness.

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Ajahn Dhammasiha explains how to contemplate the Four Noble Truths ('Cattāri Ariyasaccāni') within the framework of Breath Meditation ('Ānāpāṇasati'):

1. We start by mindfully observing, feeling and experiencing every inbreath and outbreath
2. We allow our mind to gradually settle down, simply being mindful of each and every breath
3. We mindfully observe when Craving ('Taṇhā') arises in our mind
4. We notice that it is this very craving that causes our mind to get pulled away from our meditation object, the breath, and to follow all kinds of thoughts, phantasies, worries, memories, feelings, emotions...
5. We wisely recognize how the mind loses it's calm and peace once it get's pulled away from the breath, and becomes agitated/worried/excited
6. Agitation/Worry/Excitement is a form of 'Dukkha' ('Suffering', 'Disappointing', 'Unsatisfactory')
   • We have now observed in our own immediate experience, here and now, how craving causes disappointment/suffering (= First and Second Noble Truth)

1. We contemplate all these distractive thoughts, phantasies, worries, memories, feelings and emotions as impermanent ('anicca'). Often we can even directly observe them changing and becoming otherwise right here and now
2. As we wisely recognize their impermanent, changing nature, our craving and attachment to them diminishes
3. As craving and attachment become weaker, it's easier to stay attentive to the breath
4. As we stay focussed on the breath, agitation and worry are replaced by joyful tranquillity
5. This is a reduction of suffering, at least some aspects of dukkha have come to a (temporary) end

• We have now observed in our own immediate experience, here and now, how letting go of craving (at least partially) through contemplation of impermanence reduces our suffering (= Third Noble Truth, at least to some extend)

Finally, Ajahn Dhammasiha indicates how all eight path factors of the Middle Way ('Majjimā Paṭipadā') are being activated as we meditate in the way discribed above (= Fourth Noble Truth)

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