Bhante Sujato. Chanting. Guided meditation focused on pairs of contrasting ideas to encourage contemplation on wholesome and unwholesome qualities in the mind. Dhamma talk on the Dvayatānupassanāsutta from Sutta Nipāta 3.12 (Contemplating Pairs). Detailed analysis of this sutta of contrasting pairs with correlation to dependent origination; of which one pair aspect leads to the origination of suffering, and the other pair aspect leads to the cessation of suffering. Brief discussion on the history, organization, and grouping of numbers in the suttas. Resources: Snp 3.12 (Contemplating Pairs) The Numbered Discourses: things that are useful every day by Bhante Sujato

Bhante Sujato. Guided meditation on the breath; peace of mind as a natural state. Dhamma talk on the disruptive and mysterious figure of the 'dark sage' with reference to three people in the suttas: Nālaka, Asito Devala, Ambaṭṭha. Discussion of this archetype, racism in the suttas, the three figures and their attempts to problematise caste. Resources: Nālakasutta (Snp 3.1) Ambaṭṭhasutta (DN 3) Assalāyanasutta (MN 93) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.2.3

Bhante Sujato. Guided meditation on death: 'Life is uncertain, death is certain'. Dhamma talk on death; how the Buddha talked about death as something knowable, and what happens after death.

Bhante Sujato. Guided meditation on the five khandas (constituents / groups). Dhamma talk on the five khandas: rupa (body / appearance), vedana (feeling / experience), saññā (perception), saṅkhāra (choices), citta (consciousness). Discussion of how in the EBTs, the 5 khandas were often what people already identified with, and their impermanence was what the Buddha emphasized. Discussion of how other disciplines and near-death-experiences implicitly invoke the five khandas.

Bhante Sujato. Meditation and dhamma talk on the four iddhipādas (feet/powers): enthusiasm (chanda), energy (viriya), awareness (citta), inquiry (vīmaṁsā). Discussion on the four iddhipādas and vibhava-tanhā (the desire to not exist) and its antidote, the wish to know. The basis of psychic powers as expansions of things we know already. Ideas on how to develop the iddhipādas.

2022-07-29       Bhante Sujato. Guided mettā meditation for a loved one with focus on feelings, noticing and sensations inside the body. Dhamma talk on war, with discussion of the first precept, 'just war theory' and peace. Discussion of peace and the work people do to maintain peace.

2022-07-22       Bhante Sujato. Meditation talk on reducing a sense of self. Guided meditation on sense of self and gentle awareness of mood. Dhamma talk on hopelessness. Losing hope/living without hope, and how we can commit without a sense of emotional investment to something in the future. Differences between hope, faith (sadha) and enthusiasm (chanda).

2022-07-15       Bhante Sujato. Guided meditation on letting go and meditating in the present. Talk about the rains retreat tradition and its origin stories, various traditions, events and rules around the rains period, possible commitments laypeople can make.

2022-07-08       Bhante Sujato. Guided mettā meditation for a loved one with focus on feeling. Dhamma talk an entry-to-rains discussion on giving (cāga/dana), drawing from the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta and the four noble truths. Cāga as one of the metaphors for nibbāna and how it fits into the four noble truths. Discussion of suffering and its relationship to letting go.

2022-07-01       Bhante Sujato: meditation on mindfulness of breathing. Bhante's trip to Sri Lanka. Q+A: Buddhist view on the body. Spiritual sadness (nirāmisa domanassa). Buddhist view on the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Facts about first bhikkhuni ordination at Ajahn Brahm's monastery. Meditation and difficult emotions.Link: Changemakers