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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This is the story of the Buddha's greatest miracle presented by Ajahn Moneyyo: The Fire Sermon (Adittapariyaya Sutta) and the conversion of the three Kassapa brothers and their 1000 disciples. Chapters:0:00 Let's start...0:24 The three Kassapa Brothers6:23 The Buddha arrives at Uruvela Kassapa's ashram09:04 The fiery battle with the Naga King14:22 Sakka and Brahma come to visit the Buddha16:07 Spending an afternoon in the Himalayas19:17 The great flood - The 1000 ascetics take refuge24:35 The greatest Miracle: The Miracle of instruction27:40 The Fire Sermon31:54 The most successful discourse of the Buddha33:02 How to practice to make the mind uninflammableby desire, aversion and delusion36:32 One thing to develop - Wise attention51:10 The next big move of the Buddha...For more Dhammatalks about the life of the Buddha, click on the link below:   • The Life of the Buddha  After the Buddha sucessfully lead his first 60 monk disciples to awakening in the Deer Park of Isipatana a few month after his awakening he sends them out in all directions to proclaim his teaching so that as many people as possible get an opportunity to hear it.The Buddha himself goes to Uruvela because he knows that there is a large group of people who are capable to understand his teaching quickly: The three brothers Uruvela-Kassapa, Gaya-Kassapa and Nadi-Kassapa - Three fire worshipping ascetics who live there together with their 1000 disciples.The Buddha is arriving at Uruvela-Kassapa's hermitage as an unknown recluse, just a few months after his awakening, while Uruvela-Kassapa is a famous spiritual teacher who believes that he is already a spiritually perfected person with a very large group of disciples.The Buddha is using his psychic powers on many occasions to undermine Uruvela-Kassapa superiority conceit until he finally takes refuge and submits to the Buddha as his teacher - and his brothers and all their 1000 disciples with him! The Buddha is then leading his 1000 new monk disciples to Gaya Sise, a hill to show them the greatest miracle: The miracle of instruction, the possibility to teach others the path of awakening - by teaching them the Fire Sermon.In the "Fire Sermon" (Adittapariyaya Sutta) the Buddha is teaching 1000 former fire worshipping ascetics that our five senses, the mind and the sense objects are burning in the fire of desire, aversion and delusion. However, the Buddha is also teaching the way of practice how to extinguish the fire and he says if we understand one thing deeply we can make our mind uninflammable for desire, aversion and delusion, so that our mind can never be set on fire again and has realized complete peace. This one thing that we have to understand is wise attention and unwise attention (yoniso manasikara and ayoniso manasikara)...more about it in this Dhamma-Talk. A translation of the Adittapariyaya Sutta: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN... A few discourses about yoniso manasikara and ayoniso manasikara: Majjhima Nikaya 2 https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN... Samyutta Nikaya 46:51 https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN...

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Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to give more importance to developing forms of wholesome joy. Like muditā, rejoicing in other beings good actions and accomplishments.

However dark the world sometimes may appear to us, if we look carefully, we can still find countless acts of goodness, kindness and beauty occurring all around us. Rather than focussing on problems, and indulging in the faultfinding mind, we can discover so many admirable deeds in this world.

When we focus on rejoicing in all the good that is done around us, we have a never ending source of happiness available to us.

Ajahn also relates the story how Lady Visākhā requested 8 favours from the Buddha. The Buddha granted her request, as he recognized her deep understanding of the mental process to cultivate Bhāvanā:

She was using her amazing generosity not just to generate good karma and attain a fortunate rebirth. Instead, she deliberately used the joy she experienced when reflecting on her good acts as a support to develop rapture and samādhi. Next, she would then use samādhi to develop the factors of enlightenment (satta bojjhangā) to attain Nibbāna.

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Ajahn Dhammasiha provides some advice for those who are just starting their meditation practice:

• If sitting crosslegged is too difficult, just sit on a chair or stool
• Do lots of walking meditation, if you feel restless or struggle with the posture
• Try to maintain mindfulness ('sati') not only in formal meditation, but throughout the day
• Purify your practice of virtue ('sīla') by keeing the five precepts consistently
• Do act of kindness and generosity to generate plenty of good karma to brighten the mind and make it happy. 

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#meditation #buddhistmeditation #dhamma #relaxation #calm #samatha

This talk gives an overview of the Anattā-Lakkhana Sutta, the Buddha's second discourse and how we can use the Buddha's teaching on Non-Self (Anattā) to free our hearts from clinging to what is impermanent, decaying and inherently unsatisfactory and suffering.

For a complete playlist of "The Life of the Buddha" series on YouTube, click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbxbuMjfRsvxKRNGf2OpxFD322oyZzfWk

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to the Discourse on Non-Self

3:16 Overview of the content of the Discourse

10:02 The purpose of the teaching on non-self

10:24 What creates our sense of "I'am"?

15:28 The perception of non-self can be developed

17:45 How can the perception of non-self be developed?

18:23 Giving/Sharing

20:10 Contentment

28:13 Body contemplation

45:03 Seeing Will/Desire (Sankhārā) as non-self

MORE INFO:

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Dhammagiri YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@dhammatalksatdhammagiri8724

Dhammagiri Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/

newsletter⁠

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After the Buddha realized awakening he remained for several weeks meditating at Bodhgaya to fathom his realization in all aspects. Hear more about how the Buddha reflected, how he saw the cosmos and who were the beings who met the Buddha first after his awakening.

0:00 The first week after awakening: The Buddha reflects about dependent origination.

15:54 The second week after awakening: The Buddha surveys the cosmos and sees all beings burning with desire, aversion and delusion and afflicted by becoming.

24:25 The third week: The Buddha meets a Brahmin and gives him a short teaching about how to become a true Brahmin.

26:02 The fourth week: A great rainstorm comes and the Naga-King Mucalinda (A Serpent or Dragon like spirit from the lowest heavenly realm) protects the Buddha from the weather.

28:24 The fifth week: Two Merchants, Bhallika & Tapussa, meet the Buddha, offer him the first meal after his awakening and become the first two male lay disciples of the Buddha.

31:46 The sixth week: Mara, the evil one tries to challenge the Buddha, but has to leave sad and dejected because he has been defeated.

33:56 The seventh week: The Buddha reflects about the practice that lead him to awakening The five spiritual faculties (Indriyas) and the four foundations of mindfulness (Satipatthana).Brahma Sahampati, a non-returner from Suddhavasa realm appears to the Buddha and expresses his approval.

42:53 The Buddha sees that there is no other being with a higher spiritual attainment than him that he could honour, so he decides to dwell honouring and venerating the Dhamma, the law of nature that he discovered and taught.

47:41 Brahma Sahampati requests the Buddha to teach.He surveys the cosmos with the eyes of a Buddha out of compassion and sees that there are being that are easy to teach and difficult to teach, some with good attributes and some with bad attributes. Just like lotus plants in a pond where some lotus plants are growing under the water and some have emerged from the water and stand unsullied by the water.After the Buddha sees that there are beings who are capable to understand him, he makes the momentous decision to teach the path to awakening that he found himself to others out of compassion, which influenced the lives of billions of people in the last 2500 years.

The Suttas can be found in Udana 1;1-4, Udana 2;1 and Udana 3;10.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/index.htmlIn

the Mahavagga of the Vinaya Pitaka:https://www.dhammatalks.org/vinaya/Mv/MvI.html#burmese4

Samyutta Nikaya 4;1 and S 4;24 and 25

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN4_1.html

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN4_24.html

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN4_25.html

Samyutta Nikaya 47;43 and 48;57 where the Buddha reflects about the practice that led him to awakeningSamyutta Nikaya 6;2 where the Buddha decides to live revering the Dhamma itself

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN6_2.html

MORE INFO:

Dhammagiri Website: ⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net⁠

Dhammagiri YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@dhammatalksatdhammagiri8724

Dhammagiri Newsletter: ⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/newsletter

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The account of the Buddha's awakening according to the most ancient sources, the Sutta and Vinaya Pitaka told by Ajahn Moneyyo. Hear how the Buddha was striving and succeeded in his quest to realize awakening - the deathless, ultimate liberation.Chapters:0:00 Introduction and the practice of the Budhisatta before awakening30:33 The first true knowledge - remembering his previous lives37:41 The second true knowledge - seeing how beings arise and pass away according to their kamma39:53 How did the first two true knowledges lead to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints, the third true knowledge and the four noble truth, unshakable liberation?49:00 What are the "taints" (Pali: Asava)?54:52 Bodhgaya - The place where the Buddha realized the supreme awakeningFor more Dhammatalks about the life of the Buddha, click on the link below:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbxbuMjfRsvxKRNGf2OpxFD322oyZzfWk Quoted discourses where the Buddha talks himself about his practice and his realization of awakening:Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya) Sutta Nr. 4, 12, 26, 36, 128https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya) Sutta No. 5;28 and 10;81https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN...Udana 1:1-3Long Discourses of the Buddha (Digha Nikaya) Sutta Nr. 9Two recommended Sutta Anthologies about the life of the Buddha are available for free download:"The Life of the Buddha according to the Pali Canon" by Bhikkhu Nyanamoli Therahttps://www.bps.lk/library-search-sel..."Noble Warrior" by Ajahn Thanissarohttps://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#No...If you are interested to visit the places where the Buddha lived, walked and taught you can read "Middle Land, Middle Way" by Ven. S. Dhammika, the best travel guide about the buddhist holy sites in India:https://www.bps.lk/library-search-sel...

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Hear about the spiritual quest for awakening of the Buddha - His noble search for peace & liberation beyond birth, ageing and death. What motivated the Buddha to leave behind his life in luxury as prince and his family and kingdom and become a spiritual seeker?

A few discourses where the Buddha himself relates his life story that are quoted in the Dhammatalk:Middle Lenght Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya) Sutta No. 26 and 36

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN...

Numerical Dicourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya) Sutta No. 3:39, 5:57https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN...https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN...

Sutta Nipata SN 3:1, Verses 407-426https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN...

For more Dhammatalks about the life of the Buddha click on the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0N6FD5zQpY&list=PLbxbuMjfRsvxKRNGf2OpxFD322oyZzfWk

Two recommended Sutta Anthologies about the life of the Buddha are available for free download:"The Life of the Buddha according to the Pali Canon" by Bhikkhu Nyanamoli Therahttps://www.bps.lk/library-search-sel...

"Noble Warrior" by Ajahn Thanissarohttps://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#No...

If you are interested to visit the places where the Buddha lived, walked and taught you can read "Middle Land, Middle Way" by Ven. S. Dhammika, the best travel guide about the buddhist holy sites in India:

https://www.bps.lk/library-search-sel...

MORE INFO:

Dhammagiri Website: ⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net⁠

Dhammagiri YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@dhammatalksatdhammagiri8724

Dhammagiri Newsletter: ⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/newsletter

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