Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

Āsāḷhā Full Moon marks the beginning of the annual 3 months 'Rains Retreat' period ('Vassa') for the monks. It commemorates the first formal discourse of the Buddha, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, where he expounds the four Noble Truths.During the session, Ajahn Dhammasiha wears a surgical mask. Not because he or anyone at Dhammagiri is sick, or because there is an outbreak in Brisbane. In fact, everyone is fine at the monastery, and Queensland did not have a single case of community transmission for more than a month. But he wants to make a point: Just as masks are effective, as they dramatically reduce the cause of COVID-19 disease, which is the virus; likewise, precepts are very effective in reducing the cause of suffering 9'dukkha'), which is craving ('taṇhā').We can compare the Buddha's teaching of the 4 Noble Truths with a doctor diagnosing and treating a disease:The disease we've all got is suffering ('dukkha'), with the following symptoms: Old age, sickness, death and rebirth; seperation from loved ones; encountering what we dislike; not getting what we want; in short the 5 groups of clingingThe deep cause for our sickness is the craving ('taṇhā') in our own heartIf we remove craving, the sickness which is caused by it, will be removed as wellThe prescription to cure the craving is the Noble Eightfold PathBy the way, we have put a lot of effort into improving audio quality, and it should be noticably better now :-)www.dhammagiri.orgwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

Eighth and final part of our series on the Noble Eightfold Path, 'Right Samādhi'. You can also veiw all eight talks of the complete series on video here:https://vimeo.com/showcase/7218983Sammāsamādhi has been defined by the Buddha as follows:1. First Jhāna 2. Second Jhāna 3. Third Jhāna 4. Fourth JhānaThere's no way around it, we can not 'leapfrog' the practice of samādhi, even if it's difficult and requires years of patiently training the mind - we have to abandon the five hindrances and experience gladness, rapture and bliss, and unify our mind in jhāna if we truly want to unfold the complete 8-fold path, and experience it's compete result: Right knowledge and right liberation.www.dhammagiri.org.au www.vimeo.com/dhammatalks tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive

Right mindfulness is defined by the Buddha much more precise and profound than just "choiceless/non-reactive awareness".Firstly, our mindfulness has to be directed to one the following four areas:The physical bodyFeeling: Pleasant or painful or neutral; wordly or spiritualThe mind: Affected by desire or free from it; affected by aversion or free fom it; and so onDhamma: Stucturing and anyalysing/contemplating our total conscious experience in terms of the categories the Buddha has taught, e.g the arising and passing away of the five hindrances or the five groups of clinging, or contemplating experience in terms of 4 Noble TruthsSecondly, mindfulness has to be accompanied by wisdom/understanding, right effort, and the develpment of all other factors of the Eightfold Path.Thirdly, one has to be mindful of arising and passing away of the phenomena one is observing, discerning their impermanent and conditioned nature.www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.

Ajahn Dhammadharo leads the ceremony of taking refuge in Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha, and observing the 8 or 5 precepts. He also offers some general encouragement for practice.

Ajahn Dhammadharo discusses questions from the live podcast audience. He compares the Western concept of 'enlightenment' with the meaning of 'Sambodhi' ('perfect awakening') in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha.www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.

In our meditation practice, we may put too much emphasis on occasional huge expense of effort, and underestimate the effects of small but persistent effort.Just to let go of a little grumpy thought doesn't seem much. Just to think once: “May all beings be happy and at ease” looks like nothing.But doing exactly these 'small', 'little' things consistantly, continuously over hours, days, years and decades is sufficient to dramatically change our character, attain samādhi, and carry us most of the way to Nibbāna.www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.

Next installment in our 8-part series on the Noble Eightfold Path, #6 'Right Effort' ('Sammāvāyāmo').There are 4 factors for right effort:1. To prevent unwholesome phenomena like anger, greed, conceit, doubt, jealousy from arising2. To abandon unwholesome phenomena that already have arisen3. To arouse wholesome phenomena like faith, mindfulness, diligence, compassion, kindness, gratitude, calm, patience, wisdom, insight, knowledge and so on...4. To fully develop wholesome phenomena that already have arisen, to maintain them and lead them to perfectionThe antidote to abandon anger is loving kindnessThe medicine to heal cruelty is compassionThe means to counter sensual desire is contemplation of the unattractive nature of the human body; contemplation of impermanence; and contemplation of deathThe way to overcome doubt is study and insight into Dhamma; association with those of great knowledge and right view; and development of samādhi.Most important, however, is that we're actually DOING it!www.dhammagiri.org.awww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.

Next installment in our series on the Noble Eightfold Path, part #05 "Right Livelihood".The job we work in is crucially important karmically and for our progress in mental cultivation. A huge part of our time and energy is usually dedicated to our job. Consequently, if we work in a wholesome profession, where we can keep our precepts pure, and where we can develop right intention, we can accumulate good karma easily, and progress smoothly in our bhāvanā (meditation).www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.

Ajahn Dhammadharo responds to several questions posed by our live audience. He talks about 'multitasking' versus focussed attention, and advises us to adorn and make our mind beautiful through our practice of Dhamma.

Ajahn explains three fundmental principles that we have to gradually unfold and learn to enjoy in our meditation:Directing our attention inwards, to observe our own internal feelings, thoughts, emotions and moods, rather than external phenomenaTo let go of past and future, and to settle down in the present moment, the 'paccuppanna dhamma'To calm down all activity, doing, thinking, creating, making, and instead to establish conscious awareness in knowing, observing, watching, understandingwww.dhammagiri.org.auwww.vimeo.com/dhammatalkswww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.