Loving kindness is simply the intention of unconditional good will to all beings, without any distinction.

Ajahn Dhammasiha explains benefits of a well established practice of loving kindness ('Mettā').

When we experience benefits of our metta practice (for instance healthy, peaceful sleep and waking up happily), they are the most powerful motivation to continue to develop our loving kindness even further.

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#metta #lovingkindness #dhammatalk #buddhism #goodwill

Sometimes our mind may feel a bit dark, or frustated, or sad.

If we can arouse the energy to do some act of kindness, some simple act of generosity or sharing, it will shine like a little star and illuminate our mind.

As we accumulate more and more acts of good karma (puñña), we make our mind brighter and brighter, until it's illuminated like the star-spangled night sky.

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#karma #punya #puñña #goodkarma #mind #nightsky

One of our retreatants noticed a crow attacking its mirror image in the glass sliding door. He doesn't reckognize that the image it actually himself. Instead, he thinks it's another crow intruding into his territory.

Ajahn Dhammasiha uses this as a metaphor for unskilful effort in meditation. In particular, we can't overcome the delusion of self by fighting it. If we take it for real, and fight it, it will only 'fight back' harder. The successful approach is to wisely observe it, analyse it, and reckognize it as an illusion.

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#mirror #self #sakkayaditthi #entityview #buddhism #dhamma

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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