A Dhamma talk given on 2025-05-23 by Ajahn Kalyano at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

A Q&A session given on 2025-05-20 by Luang Por Passano at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

A Dhamma talk given through Zoom on 2025-04-04 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

Q&A:

1. Where does the fruition or production of art stay in all this? Art doesn’t just end suffering but gives joy…

2. Thank you for sharing this with us, Ajahn! The theme of today’s Dhamma talk is very relevant to what I’ve been experiencing and thinking about recently.

Regarding the fetters, what I struggle to truly see is the craving—specifically toward pleasure. Intellectually, I understand its temporary nature, but that alone doesn’t seem to give me the motivation to abandon it.

So, what’s the practical or effective way of abandoning the fetters, especially craving for pleasure?

A Dhamma talk given through Zoom on 2025-04-11 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

Q&A:

1. It is hard to see the suffering of things that give pleasure, how would come see it to be suffering?

2. Most of us don´t have the good enough kamma to get ordained and practice in the monastery.. i think there's the sadness from there...

3. Sometimes I feel that it’s only when I’m on the limit of my suffering that I fully accept the here an now, and I feel liberated… but in the meanwhile it’s harder.

4. How do we cultivate this presence, awareness, acceptance, while being with others, while being into action, while deciding, while taking our place into a group…

A Dhamma talk given through Zoom on 2025-03-21 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

Q & A:

1. Is the liking of somebody an unwholesome thing? It’s so hard to avoid these feelings of liking and disliking. What to do?

2. Have been keeping the 5 precepts for several years, but recently I don’t feel I see or feel the ‘benefits’ or any improvements on myself from the practice. When the ‘power cut’ happens in the citta, motivation and happiness are both not there… then I don’t know what to do.

3. Any tips on how to relate (with fearlessness) to someone not seeing any value in the practice? All sort of thoughts and impulses arise in this context, from pride in that I know better to shame and wanting to hide or even lie to be accepted - which I try to observe with curiosity and usually end up in inaction

4. You talked about "is not really their fault".... what is fault r when can we say that is their fault or our fault or there is no fault because they are or we are in deep suffering?

5. When you feel your heart energy is low, and can't feel piti to practice, what do you do?

A Dhamma talk given on 2025-03-14 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

Q&A:

1. From where come these distortions? From the fears and wants?

2. Although I enjoy practising Dhamma, I still can never understand how to really ''take refuge in the Triple Gem''. Please can Ajahn advise. Thank you.

3. A colleague offered me a cup of coffee with 3 drops of whisky. Does this count as me 'drinking alcohol' thus breaking my precept?

4. Low self-confidence always creeps in. It seems it's bound together with insecurity in oneself. I wonder can this ever be solved?

5. Are you related to Sister Vajiro?

6. One of the five obstacles is craving pleasure, which the Buddha said leads to rebirth. On an intellectual level, I understand that pleasure is impermanent, but this alone doesn’t seem enough to genuinely aspire to abandon it. So, what level of wisdom is required to truly abandon craving sense pleasure? And what practice can make really this happen?

7. Could you meditate while you were sick?

8. Are these distortions you mentioned a kind of memory (Sankara ?)

How to make the present more informed from the present momoment, than from past stories (sankaras -- can memory be understood as a Sankara) ?

A Dhamma talk given on 2025-04-25 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

A Dhamma talk given on 2025-04-18 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

Q&A:

1. This moment is truly wonderful". Even when is painful. How can be wonder in pain? Isn't a paradox?

2. You talk about sensitivity and bringing life to life, but isnt buddhism about not suffering? Being less sensitive to sufferimg?

3. When I contemplate death, I feel indifferent. It’s neither frightening nor sorrowful—just neutral, and sometimes even relieving, as the end of life’s suffering. Could you please guide me on how to practice correctly regarding mindfulness of death?

4. What is the difference between Sila, Samadhi, Panna, and Dana, Sila, Bhavana?

5. I have recently thought a bit about life and the sense of this little passage here... specially when we haveso much potential and capacities... but we end up not realle becoming famous or doing something realy socially significant and wellknown worldwide. In the last 2 years lots of young people have died. In Portugal Sara Tavares was a famous young singer, yesterday Nuno Guerreiro a 52 years old singer, and many others. Also friends that have passed away. It seems death and illness nd not knowing what happens but just out of sudden not being here any longer is becoming more common... As time passes and we age... And maybe there is a global wave of more deaths...

6. It seems also after covid the world is in another phasis. We don't really know whats happening but there might be something... that also is affecting the underlyingindividual consciousnesses and also the collective conscience, like people are just doing what they are doing but we are all s aware of a certain uselessness, an end is guaranteed and who knows near, some things may happen which we have after all no control or word over, being it politically or socially or personally... How to deal with all these realisations?

7. And how to deal with a certain anxiety but procrastination too of wanting to write letters to parents and brothers, for example, telling them stuff we never clarified and wanting to express and express before there is no time? Is it useful? Will it actually help? Or will it "just" help our mind talking about on and on?

8. Do you as a Buddhist believe in Jesus, who apparently died "today", and his role in Humanity? What differences would you make from Buddha? Could Jesus be a reincarnation of Buddha?

9. Regarding the idea of "It's like this": What if "there is" something unskillful (my own speech or actions, for instance) arising? How could I approach figuring out the line between accepting it (and not creating more sankharas around it, just letting it go be letting it be) and needing to replace it with more skillful action? The latter feels like stirring up things (unnecessarily); the former like passivity.

A Dhamma talk given on 2025-02-07 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.

A Dhamma talk given on 2025-02-12 by Ajahn Vajiro at Sumedharama Forest Monastery in Ericeira, Portugal. For more Dhamma talks, please visit sumedharama.pt.