Suburban Dharma

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on November 17, 2024, Subodha shares his thoughts on a world that often seems to make little sense and the pain and stress that comes with living in it. He shares the story of Christopher Thomas Knight, who, seeking seclusion, lived in the woods of North Pond, Maine for 27 years without human contact. Living in the woods, on the periphery, he survived through burglary, as he regularly broke into the cabins nearby, taking what he needed to survive. This story is contrasted with the skillful seclusion of the Buddhist path, which steals from no one.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on October 20, 2024, Subodha discusses the unskillful qualities and skillful qualities inside us. Attention is given to how the Buddha talked about the unwholesome qualities and how important it is to abandon them in Itivuttaka 88 of the Pali Canon.

On this talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on September 15, 2024, Subodha shares about his ongoing recovery from Bell’s Palsy and his reflections on the bases of power as a means of cultivating consistency in cultivating the Dhamma.

In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on 6/16/24, Subodha discusses the Buddha’s fear and discontent that made him leave his home and become a renunciant. There is a brief summary of the Buddha’s lesson to his son, Rahula, and how this lesson aligns with the factors for becoming a stream-enterer.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 12, 2024, Subodha talks about how all Buddhist traditions train in developing goodwill and compassion for all beings. He also elaborates on why we must protect our goodwill and our hearts if we want to ensure we are skillful in our interactions with others.

A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on April 21, 2024. In this Dharma talk, Subodha discusses Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood as well as how Buddhist karma differs from Jain karma. The Kumara Sutta, Udana 5:4 in the Khuddaka Nikaya is also shared in this talk.

In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on March 17, 2024, Subodha talks about a bad movie he watched in 2002 and uses it to have a larger discussion on knowledge and vision on the path as outlined in the Kimattha Sutta (AN 11:1).

In this Dhamma talk at the international Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on February 25, 2024, Subodha discusses Samma Sankappa, Right Resolve, and how we are encouraged live purposeful lives of renunciation, non ill-will, and harmlessness.

In this Dhamma talk on January 21, 2024, Subodha discusses right view and right resolve and their importance on the path. An example of the importance of right view comes in the form of a commonly shared story in American Buddhist circles and the lessons we might take from it.

In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on December 17, 2023, Subodha talks about the Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22) and how unskillful views can be a detriment to our path and an obstacle to unbinding. In this, there is a discussion about things that might be allowable for laypeople but defeat a monastic, making them no longer a member of the sangha.