Sutta Meditation Series

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

In today's session, we look at Dhammapada Verse 177 - THE STORY OF INCOMPARABLE ALMS-GIVING and the generous, abundant giving of King Pasenadi of Kosala and Queen Mallika. We learn a great deal from this story and the Buddha's saying about giving, generosity, right view, making merit, the cause and effect of our actions (kamma), having joy for others' generosity, and tapping into the frequency of goodness. 

This story and saying of the Buddha links to the First Doorway to Nibbana and the importance of acknowledging and abandoning stinginess. Stinginess blocks giving, blocks giving up of craving, obstructs the mental absorptions, obstructs the development of loving kindness, and leads to unwholesome fruits. It also links back to our examination of wealth. 

The Buddha's words:  

“Na ve kadariyā devalokaṁ vajanti,

“Truly, the stingy do not go to the deva realms.

Other suttas that are mentioned directly or indirectly in this talk: 

To read the full chapter Loka Vagga (Dhp 167–178) of the Dhammapada - https://suttacentral.net/dhp167-178/en/sujato   

The video of this talk has been published to the Sutta Meditation YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRWVBM1Ajug AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

Following on from the sessions looking at "117 Why associating with good people (sappurisa) is so important on the Noble Eightfold Path" and "118 Developing the Buddha's qualities of a good person" and, "142 The Importance of Hearing True Dhamma", we now examine "ESTABLISHING UNWAVERING CONVICTION".

This talk is part of our examination of the Avijjā Sutta (AN 10.61). Instead of ignorance, we want to cultivate and develop to fulfillment True Knowledge and Liberation (vijjāvimutti).  The intention is to look at a few different parts of this insight pathway (which has all the main teachings of the Buddha to develop the Noble Eightfold Path and realise Nibbana) before pulling it all together to explain how to meditate on the full  insight pathway.    

This Dhamma Talk builds on top of what we've previously examined about conviction (saddhā), as one of the good qualities in the Sekha-patipada Sutta (Podcast #30 - https://bit.ly/3ojN1Ml)

In this session we: 

Most of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to in this session: 

To read the Avijjā Sutta (AN 10.61) - https://suttacentral.net/an10.61/en/bodhi 

A VIDEO of this segment has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1qwE_SLK40 AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

Role models play an important part in all of our lives, whether we seek them out or not. And whether we walk the Buddhist Path or not, they can have the power to shape the direction we take and the ability to influence the decisions that follow on from there.   For Buddhist practitioners,  the Buddha is our most eminent role model, teacher and the Perfectly Enlightened One. And there are also many noble and great disciples of the Buddha.

Today we will focus on lay disciples of the Buddha, and one in particular - Velukantaki, Nanda’s Mother. She was nominated by the Buddha as one of the two role models (along with Khujjutara) as the standard for lay female disciples of the Buddha.  

Although she doesn't appear in many places in the suttas, the two main suttas give us her astounding qualities, confirm her attainment of non-returner, and provide us with a wonderful example of the factors to manifest when giving.  

Some of the suttas mentioned in this talk include: 

In learning about such noble beings, we can delight in their lives and accomplishments;  recognise the importance of seeing them as worthy role models; and use it as inspiration towards progress on the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.  

Bohoma pin to the person who requested this talk.

The VIDEO with slides has been uploaded to the Sutta Meditation Series podcast channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOUh6AhTL3Q AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

A question received in relation to our recent poya Dhamma session on The First Doorway to Nibbāna:  

"Could you briefly run through the instructions again for the Painful Practice with Slow Realisation and how to get to immeasurable mettā please?" 

 **This is a particularly powerful meditation, but may not be for everyone, as the meditation objects are unpleasant, hence it is called a Painful Practice. However, it is very beneficial and fruitful for everyone to learn this. It leads to Immeasurable Metta or Loving Kindness, so can be very joyful and rapturous once you get into the meditation**  

Some of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to: 

Bohoma pin to the person who asked this question.  

A VIDEO of this DHAMMA Q&A with presentation slides has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIR1lrXGN0Y

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

A question received in relation to our recent poya Dhamma session on The First Doorway to Nibbāna:  

"Why is stinginess a block for the development of immeasurable mettā? And can you explain how to examine and overcome stinginess?"  

The short answer relates to stinginess linking to craving contact as nutriment with consciousness steadying on feeling leading to greed, hatred and delusion (with an emphasis on the hate path). This goes against the Buddha's path the liberation, which is based on non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion. To overcome stinginess, we need to cultivate giving, generosity and renunciation. This leans towards abandoning craving, which leads towards the cessation of suffering.

To answer this question we look into : 

Some of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to: 

Bohoma pin to the people who asked this question. 

A VIDEO of this DHAMMA Q&A with presentation slides has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUDVNCN-ndE AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

This is a GUIDED MEDITATION on JOY. This quality of joy is developed out of conviction (saddha) or confidence in the Buddha and the Noble Arahants. We tap into the abundance of the wisdom of the Noble Ones through sharing the same noble wish that they have.

In this meditation, we develop and spread this noble wish "May the doors to Nibbāna stay open for all sentient beings"

These are the doorways of the immeasurables.

Built into this meditation is the wisdom of impermanence, suffering and not-me-and-mine (anicca dukkha anatta)

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

This is the FULL DHAMMA SESSION conducted on BINARA POYA (20 September 2021) via zoom on "THE FIRST DOORWAY TO NIBBĀNA - PAINFUL PRACTICE WITH SLOW REALISATION", focusing on the Buddha's instructions in the Asubha Sutta (AN 4.163) and insight pathway detailed in the Petakopadesa.

*Please note - meditation slots have been removed, but you can easily stop the audio to do the meditation(s)*

**This is a particularly powerful meditation, but may not be for everyone, as the meditation objects are unpleasant, hence it is called a Painful Practice. However, it is very beneficial and fruitful for everyone to learn this. It leads to Immeasurable Metta or Loving Kindness, so can be very joyful and rapturous once you get into the meditation**

This session follows on from our last two poya sessions examining the Noble Truth of Suffering and the Arising and Passing Away of the Five Aggregates. Knowing how to do the Karaṇīyametta Sutta meditation correctly is a pre-requisite, and will aid this meditation on the Painful Practice with Slow Realisation. 

We are meditating to overcome craving for the Physical Nutriment (correcting our wrong perception, thoughts and view), which leads to the Wrong Way with Desire (sickness). This session looks specifically at the medicine, which is the Painful Practice with Slow Realisation, which opens the doorway with Immeasurable Loving Kindness.

In this Dhamma session we:

Some of the suttas covered directly or indirectly in this session:

To read the Asubha Sutta (AN 4.163) - https://suttacentral.net/an4.163/en/sujato

A VIDEO of this FULL SESSION with presentation slides has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoakCswaE8U AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

Most of us are knowingly or unknowingly caught in many false narratives, theories and views. Maybe more so with the current conditions we all face in regards to the global pandemic and economic crisis.

This is a gentle but firm encouragement to come out of these wrong ways of thinking, to pull ourselves out of the danger of these wrong views and to use a simple question to help with this process. If you have saddha or conviction towards the Buddha's teachings and have started to develop the Noble Eightfold Path, then this can be a very quick process each and every time you get lost in the world and find yourself holding to strong views and opinions.

Always remember, holding to views as me-and-mine, comes from craving Mental Volition as Nutriment. Where does this end up? Going the wrong way with fear (episode 159 explains in more detail - https://bit.ly/3nter1U)

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

A question received in relation to our examination of the Four Nutriments and Going the Four Wrong Ways:  

“Could you explain in more detail how to meditate on the Greed Path? After watching your videos on our craving for food, sex and a whole lot of other things, it strikes me as an important meditation especially when it comes to bad habits and how this can lead us to future rebirths possibly in bad destinations”  

To answer this question we: 

• — go through the importance of seeing the gratification and danger of fuelling craving for sensual pleasures 
• — emphasise the danger of burning with lust 
• — go through the meditation step-by-step of how we re-establish consciousness that results in rebirth 
• — highlight the link to lack of virtue (sexual misconduct and taking what is not given) 
• — emphasise our intolerance for when feeling changes or slides 
• — outline important tips for this meditation  

Some of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to: 

• — Upādāna Sutta (SN 12.52) 
• — Ādittapariyāya Sutta (SN 35.28) 
• — Suttavebhaṅgiya (Pe 9) 
• — Ādittapariyāya Sutta (SN 35.28) 
• — Paribbājaka Sutta (AN 3.54) 
• — Āhāra Sutta (SN 12.11) 
• — Vipallāsa Sutta (AN 4.49)  

Bohoma pin to the person that asked this question.  

A VIDEO of this DHAMMA Q&A with presentation slides has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ6o5ISaI2M AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai.

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

When we start to penetrate the Buddha's Teachings on impermanence (anicca), painfulness in change (vipariṇāma dukkha) and not taking the five aggregates as me-and-mine (anatta), then how we view birthdays also starts to change.

This Dhamma talk looks at how we can recalibrate our view on birthdays, understanding the existing conditioning we have around celebrating birthdays, and finding different ways of honouring our birthdays that align with the Buddha's Teachings and developing the Noble Eightfold Path.

Some of the suttas mentioned directly or indirectly in this talk:

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai