Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

In the Buddha's own instructions for Breath Meditation (Anapanasati), the third step is: "Sabba-kaya-patisamvedi assasissami/passasissamit ti sikkhati" "One trains oneself to breathe in/out feeling the whole body" Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the meaning of this step, and how to cultivate it in one's own meditation. Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Buddha has given a special Pali Recitation to protect the monks (or anyone) against snake bite, the Khandhaparitta. The power of this protection rests mostly on developing loving kindness (Metta) to all the various kinds of snakes, and to all other animals and beings in general. Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/news⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our e...

A teaching on Dhammapada Verse 204 of the Buddha: Contentmet is the greatest wealth. How can we relate to our material posessions in a skillfull way, so that we use them for a good purpose rather than increasing our defilements? No matter how much you have - you can always want more and have the feeling that you haven't enough yet, even if you already have $ 1 billion. While someone with relat...

The Buddha says that every perfectly awakened one has a pair of monk disciples who are the most outstanding among all the several thousand Arahants (completely liberated disciples). The Buddha calls them "the pair of chief disciples, an excellent pair". For our Buddha the pair of chief disciples were Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Mahamoggallana. This is a Dhamma-Talk recollecting the life and...

The Buddha was not only perfect in knowledge and conduct and developed supreme purity, compassion, wisdom and liberation but he was also the unsurpassable trainer of trainable people and teacher of gods and humans and as supreme teacher he had the ability to guide others to awakening. Just like the sun is not only bright and radiant only for itself, but also provides the energy for the entire ecos...

The Buddha says that every perfectly awakened one has a pair of monk disciples who are the most outstanding amongall the several thousand Arahants (completely liberated disciples). The Buddha calls them "the pair of chief disciples, an excellentpair". For our Buddha the pair of chief disciples were Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Mahamoggallana. This Dhamma-Talk by Ajahn Moneyyo is recollecting...

Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about thoughts coming up while we're meditating. How can we abandon unwholesome thoughts, and can we perhaps even use thoughts to further our meditation if they are of a wholesome nature. Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/news⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our email Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/new...

Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked about the meaning of Saddhanusari and Dhammanusari. Both are considered 'Noble Individuals' by the Buddha, although they have not yet attained stream entry. However, their spiritual faculties have matured so much that they will definitely experience sotāpatti in this life, at the latest at death. Their distinction is that one has an emphasis on the faith faculty (...

Ajahn Dhammasīha describes monasteries of the Ajahn Chah tradition that he's going to visit on his travels from 13 May to 21 June. Talking about the 'Incineration Toilets' they have installed at Skiptvet Monastery in Norway leads Ajahn onto a little sidenote about 'Asubha Bhāvanā', contemplating the unattractive nature of the human body. Asubha is a very important meditation ob...

There is no objectively 'right' of 'wrong' way how we perceive and experience the breath in Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of In & Out Breath) meditation. Perception of internal phenomena is entirely subjective. However, there are ways of perceiving and feeling the breath that are conducive to deepening our samādhi & insight, and there are other ways of perceiving that have the o...

Have you ever deliberately broken social conventions to follow your own true conviction? We can't realize awakening by just following the norms and expectations of society. Enlightenment, realizing the Dhamma, is a complete flip-over of all conventionality. We have to become aware how much we're conditioned by what's conventionally expected from us by society and family. Only once we&#...

Ajahn Dhammasīha cites the following short Pali quote at the beginning of his Dhamma Talk : "Yena yena hi maññanti, tato taṃ hoti aññathā." "By whatever they conceive, that is becoming otherwise." = "Whatever they use as support for their illusion of identity, that is all changing and becoming otherwise" (Majjhima Nikāya/Middle Length Discourses #113, "Sappurisa Sutta" / "Discourse on the Authenti...

Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked to give examples of attachment to Self, clinging to the illusion of an identity, called Sakkāyadiṭṭhi = Entity View by the Buddha. The quote Ajahn mentions: "Yena yena hi maññanti, tato taṃ hoti aññathā." "By whatever they conceive, that is becoming otherwise." = "Whatever they use as support for their illusion of identity, that is all changing an...

Our education system is set up to learn almost exclusively about external processes. But we don't learn about what's going on in our mind internally, we don't understand all these different feelings and emotions, we're not educated how to become aware or them and how to deal with them. For example, most people have a good knowledge how to use their mobile phone. They know how to us...

This is the concluding session of our 1 Day Meditation Retreat at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage with Ajahn Medhino. Venerable Ajahn Medhino has been ordained as a bhikkhu for 33 years. Originally from the Netherlands, he received his ordination as a Buddhist monk at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand. However, for the last 12 years he has lived in Sri Lanka, where he has established a hermitage in Badulla...

This is the initial session of our 1 Day Meditation Retreat at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage with Ajahn Medhino. Ajahn explains the program and provides instructions for meditation, including a guided meditation. He also leads the community in taking the Triple Refuge and the five or eight precepts. Venerable Ajahn Medhino has been ordained as a bhikkhu for 33 years. Originally from the Netherlands,...

Ajahn Dhammasiha explains suitable meditation objects for investigation (vipassana/insight/wisdom) that we can direct our attention to, after the mind emerges from Samatha/Samādhi meditation. Samādhi/Concentration imbues the mind with calm, tranquillity, hightened mindfulness, brightness and radiant awareness, as well as wholesome joy, rapture and bliss. At the same time, the five hindrances of se...

Venerable Ariyananda Thero explains fundmental Buddhist contemplations. We have been circling through Saṃsāra, the wheel of repeated death and rebirth, since beginningless time. We don't know where we came from (what was our last rebirth?), we don't know where we're going (what will be our next rebirth?), and still we pretend everything's fine and try to be merry. Instead, the Buddha ecourages us...

Ven. Ariyananda Thera explains fundmental priciples of Buddhist meditative practice, emphasising that the Buddha uses a scientific method that doesn't require belief based on pure faith, but that is open to and actually inviting investigation. Venerable Angulgamuwa Ariyananda Mahāthera is the abbot of Na Uyana Aranya, the largest forest monastery in Sri Lanka: https://nauyana.org/ He has kindly ac...

Venerable Ajahn Medhino has been ordained as a bhikkhu for 33 years. Originally from the Netherlands, he received his ordination as a Buddhist monk at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand. However, for the last 12 years he has lived in Sri Lanka, where he has established a hermitage in Badulla district, at Udakiruwa Forest, located roughly between Bibile and Monaragala. Ajahn plans to develop the hermitag...

In response to a question about the supernatural psychic powers and unique knowledge of the Buddha, Ajahn Dhammasiha examines a passage from 'Mahā Sīhanāda Sutta' ('The Greater Discourse on the Lion's Roar'), Majjhima Nikāya / Middle Length Discourses No 12. In this passage on the 'Tathāgata Bala' , the Buddha himself describes 10 powers he is endowed with, and 4 unshak...

With the visit of Bhante Ariyananda coming up, Ajahn Dhammasiha reminds us all: When it comes to listening to Dhamma, it's not about quantity of input. It's about quality, and in particular about the quality of the mind of the listener. Many of us have heard the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (First Discourse of Buddha) receited many times. But did we have the vision of Dhamma arising, did we attain...

Ajahn Nyanadipo is the abbot of Bodhipala monastery, the Ajahn Chah monastery near Adelaide. https://www.bodhipalamonastery.org He has recently passed the formal Thai examinations to qualify as an upajjhāya (preceptor who can ordain monks), being only the second foreign monks to do so. Ajahn shares inspiring stories of his monastic life, in particular meeting senior monks of our tradition and atte...

After our guided mettā meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha shares some strategies how to overcome typical difficulties in our development of Loving Kindness, and to deepen our meditation. Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/news⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our email Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dhammagiri.net/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Latest Photos ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://latest-pics.dham...

Ajahn Dhammasiha praises participants of our One Day Meditation Retreat for their commitment to virtue and unshakable ethical principles. By committing ourselves, without any if or when, to non-violence; to commit ourselves to abstain in all possible circumstance from any act of killing, we're making a powerful statement against war, and remove ourselves from any participation in war and viole...