In this episode, I am once again joined by Dhammarato: a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching conversations conducted with students online. 

Dhammarato guides us through the Ānāpānassatisutta, a much loved scripture which describes Buddhism’s famous breath meditation practice.

Dhammarato describes the technique in detail, challenges common misconceptions about this practice and the sutta, and explains how the whole Buddhist path is contained within it.

Dhammarato also argues that loving kindness meditations and remembering past lives are not Buddhist practices, addresses jhana and other meditation practice mistakes, and reflects on the fruits of his own practice when faced with illness and physical pain.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep342-npnassati-dhammarato

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro

00:52 - Various breathing meditations

02:28 - MN 118: Ānāpānassatisutta - about the sutta

04:58 - 4 foundations of mindfulness

05:37 - Factors of Enlightenment

06:39 - Mistaken readings of the sutta

08:01 - Critique of loving kindness meditation

10:12 - Sitting meditation vs ānāpānassati

11:22 - Sati vs loving kindness meditation and recalling past lives

13:00 - Right noble looking

13:55 - Entering the first jhana and gladdening the mind

17:19 - Victim attitude

19:31 - How to make the body comfortable

22:36 - The skill of developing sukha, satisfaction

26:02 - Thoughts, feelings, and body are interrelated

27:35 - Ānāpānassati is not a breathing meditation

28:42 - Pragmatic Dharma vs Engaged Buddhism

30:25 - How to apply ānāpānassati

33:27 - The first step of nobility

36:22 - A feeling of success

39:14 - Attaining knowledge and deliverance

41:58 - Common jhana practice mistakes

46:52 - Loving kindness meditation mistakes

51:50 - Metta is a consequence not a practice

53:06 - Vipassanā vs samatha

57:10 - Explaining other Buddhist masters’ enlightenments

59:23 - Comments on Ajahn Chah and correct practice

01:01:53 - Working with pain and sickness

01:03:06 - Cancer and meditation

01:05:31 - Dhammarato’s aging and health

01:06:03 - Criticism of Goenka and sitting through pain

01:07:11 - Magical thinking of sitting through pain

01:08:28 - Advice for approaching death

01:10:53 - Dhammarato reflects on the deaths of his loved ones

01:13:37 - How to die happy

Dhammarato Episode Playlist

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=DHAMMARATO

To find out more about Dhammarato, visit:

- Email: [email protected]

- Discord: https://discord.gg/epphTGY

- https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/

- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ

Read the Ānāpānassatisutta:

- https://suttacentral.net/mn118/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit.

- www.guruviking.com

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James