Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

The Sangha, the Buddhist Monastic Order, is the longest continuously existing organisation or association in the history of mankind. It has operated according to the same 'constitution' ('Vinaya') since it's foundation by the Buddha himself.

On occasion of finally receiving a visiting senior monks again, after a long time, Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about how important regular contact, meeting and communal harmony are for the strength and longevity of the sangha (monastic order of monks and nuns). Similarly, hard work in establishing and maintaining the infrastructure of monasteries is an important factor for the Sāsanā to thrive.www.dhammagiri.netwww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

On occasion of our first visiting senior monk after a long time, Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the importance of hospitality to keep the Sangha strong and connected. He also reads out the protocol for receiving arriving monks from the Buddha's original instructions in the 'Vinaya', the part of the Tipitaka dealing with monastic discipline.

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On Magha Puja, the Full Moon in February, 1,250 Arahant Disciples gathered spontaneously, without prior announcement, around the Buddha in the Veḷuvana (Bamboo Grove Monastery) in Rajagaha. All of these 1,250 Arahants were ordained by the Buddha personally.The Buddha then recites the famous 'Ovāda-Pāṭimokkha', a summary of the teachings of all Buddhas in 16 lines of verse:"Abstain from any evil deed,accomplish what is good and true,And fully purify your mind -That is what all the Buddhas teach.Enduring patience is the bestof all ascetic practices;The best of everything at allis called Nibbāna by the sage.If you cause harm to anyoneyou can't be called a genuine monk!Refrain from harming and abuse,and strictly keep the Buddha's rules;Be moderate when taking food,and dwell alone in solitudedevoted to the Higher Mind -That is what all the Buddhas teach."Dhp 183-185Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the profound meaning of these verses, which are taught not only by our Buddha Gotama, but by all Buddhas when and wherever they arise. They contitute a core teaching, the essence of the Dhamma spoken by every Buddha. Consequently, every line, even every single word, is of supreme importance.www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

"Abstain from any evil deed,accomplish what is good and true,And fully purify your mind -That is what all the Buddhas teach.Enduring patience is the bestof all ascetic practices;The best of everything at allis called Nibbāna by the sage.If you cause harm to anyoneyou can't be called a genuine monk!Refrain from harming and abuse,and strictly keep the Buddha's rules;Be moderate when taking food,nd dwell alone in solitudedevoted to the Higher Mind -That is what all the Buddhas teach."Dhp 183-185Ajahn Dhammasiha points out that these essential instructions start with:"Abstain from any evil deed..."Before we rush ahead and try to do good, we have to make absolutely sure that at least we do not cause any harm.If we look at human history of the last 100 years, there have been numerous ideologies that claimed to do good, but instead have caused misery and death to countless millions. Whether communism, facism, nazism, maoism and so on, so many of their proponents claimed, and possibly even believed, that they are acting in persuit of a high ideal, and that the 'damage' therefore is 'justified'. This false argument is known as: "The end justifies the means.If we put absolute avoidance of any evil as our first principle, we can never fall into the trap of intentionally harming other beings for a supposedly noble end. We simply do not kill or harm, never mind whatever motivation or justification anyone may suggest.www.dhammagiri.net

Two qualities are fundamental for any progress on our path of spiritual purification:Shame and Conscience.(Pali: Hiri & Ottappa)As long as we havn't attained liberation yet, the defilements ('kilesa') like greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, jealousy, laziness and so on are still active in our heart. Shame and conscience are the dam wall, holding back and restraining the defilements, and stopping us from committing any evil deeds. They are the very foundation of society, enabling human beings to live together in peace. Someone who feels no shame, and has no conscience, is a psychopath who might commit any kind of evil.On the other hand, anyone who has a keen sense of shame and conscience will automatically progress in the Dhamma. They do not require much external instruction and correction, as their own conscience will tell them what to do, or not to do. Someone with a GPS Navigation system doesn't need constant advice where to drive, because the navigation system will get them wherever they want to go.Similar, once we are in tune with a finely developed sense of shame and conscience, these two qualities will guide us along our path of Dhamma practice.www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

"The universe is eternal"

"The universe is not eternal"

"The universe is finite"

"The universe is infinite"

and so on...

Additionally, they always assert: "Only this is true, anything else is nonsense".

Sometimes one can hear the opinion that one shouldn't expect anything in return when pratising generosity. And sure enough, if one expects the recipient to reciprocate the gifts, perhaps even with something materially more valuable, it becomes more of an investment than an act of selfless giving.However, to have the understanding that our acts of charity will reap great karmic rewards has actually been encouraged by the Buddha. He teaches us to give with confidence that our generosity will lead to a fortunate rebirth.But even more valuable is the happiness we experience from generosity here and now. The most profound motivation for giving is to deliberately generate happiness, and then to deepen that happiness until it turns into rapture and bliss, so that our mind can unify in samādhi. Once the mind has experinced samadhi, it will be able to see things as they truly are, and to develop the 7 factors of enlightenment, and realize Nibbāna.This is the final aim of our practice of generosity:To provide the supporting factors, the equipment our heart needs to realize Nibbāna. www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

It is well known that the Buddha teaches us to abandon all attachment ('upādāna'). However, attachment doesn't refer only to material things, and to feelings and emotions, it also includes views and opinions ('Diṭṭhi').In fact, the Buddha's analysis of cinging to views is one of the unique characteristics of his teaching, not to be found in that form in any other religion or philosophy. He shows that any view, doctrine, philosophy, religion, dogma, is a conditioned phenomenon, not somthing right or wrong in an absolute sense. Views arise due to certain causes and conditioning factors, and they change and pass away when the conditions change.The Buddha doesn't look only at the content of a view, he investigates where the view comes from, what are the causes for someone to develop a certain view; and what are the consequences of holding this view.If we can see all views and doctrines as a 'sankhāra' something that's put together, intentionally thought out, arising and passing due to causes, impermanent, and not me or mine, we can no longer maintain any naive belief in the 'absolute truth' of any view, and we can let go.'Letting Go' doesn't mean that we now don't have any views anymore. But it means that we're no longer identified with any view, we don't regard it as our self. We actually deliberately develop 'right view', meaning a view which is helpful and beneficial for developing the 8Fold Noble Path, weakening defilements, and leading us to the end of suffering. We deliberately form and then use a view to achieve a certain objective. Just like an engineer designs and builds a specific tool, and then uses that tool to build the thing he requires.www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

Ajahn Dhammasiha reminds us that the default position of our mind is actually samādhi. The mind is naturally blissful and calm. It is only the kilesas (defilements) that get our mind moving, and that are causing agitation.Like a body of water will become still all on it's own, as long as we do not disturb it, so our mind would be still if only we did not actively agitate it.Trying to force the mind to be still is as fruitless as trying to forcefully calm down the waves in a pond. The more we splash around, the more the water will be disturbed. But if the wind stops, the water will gradually calm down by itself.The point is to recognize how we're constantly and actively creating agitation in our mind, and then to gradually reduce and weaken that process.www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

The circle of Saṃsāra, the endless wheel of birth and death, has been going on for such a long time that a beginning point can not be discerned. We all had many past lifes, not just one or a hundred or a thousand, but billions and trillions of past lifes.The Buddha explained that we had so many past lifes, that the tears we shed is more than the water in the pacific ocean. The blood we shed when we were injured or slaughtered is more than the water in the pacific ocean. The bones of the bodies we left behind in just one aeon would form a mountain greater than the Himalayas. And there have been countless aeons passing along in this beginningless Saṃsāra.If we have conviction in the reality of this vast number of past lifes, there are certain inferences we have to acknowledge as well, simply as a statistical truth:Whatever plane of existence, whether human or deva/angel, whether animal or hell or hungry ghost or any form of spirit, we have been reborn in that plane before at some stage.Whether having a PhD and becoming a Professor, or earning a million (or billion) $$$, or having a dozend children, or being the most famous model or film star, or travelling the whole world: In some past life we actually had achieved already exactly that! Whatever is on your 'Bucker List' of things you feel you really must do in this life before you die: You have done it already in some of these beginningless past lifes.Except one thing:REALIZING NIBBĀNAGaining the Vision or Dhamma, freeing our heart from all defilements and experiencing the end of all suffering, partaking of that ultimate reality of the Deathless - that's the only thing we have not yet done. That's the only thing that's really worthwhile to put on the bucket list for a true disciple of the Buddha.The Buddhist Bucket list has only one item:Realizing total Liberation in one's heartwww.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.