Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the Final Parinibāana of the Lord Buddha on occasion of Vesak. He explains why the Buddha decided to spend his last rains retreat not in the famous Jetavana at Savatthi, like the last 15 years, but instead with the Licchavis in Vesāli. He describes several main events at the Buddha's final passing, including the Buddha's last words, and the verses spoken by h...

In this guided meditation, during the Vesak Full Moon program at Dhammagiri, Ajahn Dhammasiha uses the Mantra: "Bhagavā Araham Buddho - Buddho Araham Bhagavā" as a form of 'Buddhānussati', Recollection of the Buddha. Remembering the Buddha with the help of a Mantra is an easy and very straightforward method of establishing one's Samatha/Samādhi meditation. Many of the great Ajahns of the Forest Tr...

Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the "Great Renunciation", how the Buddha left the pampered life as prince behind, and set out alone to find freedom from suffering and death: The Buddha's father, King Suddhodhana, had confined his son, the young Bodhisatta, in the pleasure palace, where he tried to keep all suffering away from him. He wished for him not to renounce, but to continue in household life,...

Venerable Ajahn Kāruṇiko has been a Bhikkhu for 37 years. He ordained at Cittaviveka Monastery as a disciple of Luang Por Sumedho in the early 80ies, and has served as abbot of Cittaviveka from 2015 to 2020. He has also spent 3 years with Luang Por Anan at Wat Marp Jan in Tailand. Cittaviveka is the first monastery of the tradition of Ajahn Chah outside of Thailand. Ajahn Chah has personally visit...

During his visit to Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Ajahn Kāruṇiko addresses a very common problem in meditation - too much thinking. Luang Por encourages us to bring awareness into the Body. The Buddha himself warned us that whoever neglects mindfulness directed to the body, neglects the path to the deathless. If we can establish mindfulness and awareness within our body, we will be able to let go o...

During his visit at Dhammagiri, Luang Por Kāruṇiko kindly agreed to lead a guided meditation for our regular Sunday afternoon program. He begins by reminding us to be aware of our intention when we meditate:Are we trying to get something out of it? Are we trying to repeat a previous very pleasant experience? Ajahn Kāruṇiko has been a Bhikkhu for 37 years. He ordained in Cittaviveka Monastery as a...

On occasion of Ajahn Karuniko's visit, Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the foundation of Cittaviveka Monastery in 1979. Cittaviveka, in Sussex, England, is the first monastery of the tradition of Ajahn Chah in a Western country. Ajahn Dhammasiha relates crucial events of its establishment, as described in the book "The Chithurst Story" by George Sharp. It required great courage and dedication from Ge...

"We ourselves have to be our own saviour, No one else can be our saviour. If we train ourselves well, We have found a Saviour that's hard to find." "Attā hi attano nātho, Ko hi nātho paro siyā. Attanā hi sudantena Nāthaṃ labhati dullabhaṃ" Dhammapada Verse #160 It is a hallmark of the Buddha Dhamma that it doesn't point to any external agency, any supreme god or deity, to effect deliverance for us...

Ajahn Dhammasiha responds to a question about the nature of the human body, and how to contemplate it. He brings up the first five mediation objects that are taught to every monk or nun at their novice ordination. The Buddha considered these five to be of such fundamental importance, that he made it a duty for the upajjhāya (preceptor) to teach them to each condidate as part of the ordination cere...

Ajahn Dhammasiha reminds us that death is not the end. We do not suddenly cease to exist at the moment of death. What we call 'mind', or 'consciousness', or 'the heart' in a metaphorical sense, actually survives the death of the body, and will move on to a new rebirth depending on one's karma and desires. There is even good evidence available for survival of consciousness beyond death: There are m...

Ajahn offers a short (11min) reflection on the theme of 'Paccavekkhana', reviewing one's own meditation. From time to time, we have to make our own meditation our meditation object:How does our mind relate to our regular meditation objects? Are wholesome states increasing, and unwholesome states diminishing? Of perhaps the opposite? Is there mindfulness and awareness? Do we enjoy our meditation?an...

Nibbāna is the unshakable liberation of the heart, when all desire, aversion and delusion have been completely and irreversibly abandoned. By this realisation the heart has attained complete peace and liberation, and found the true refuge. In Saṃyutta Nikāya (Connected Discourses) #43 the Buddha gives 32 inspiring synonyms for Nibbāna (Nirvāna), the ultimate goal of our spiritual practice, and exp...

A mother asks Ajahn Dhammasiha if he could explain the benefits of meditation to her kids. Ajahn explains that meditation ('bhāvanā') can provide us with the highest benefit possible at all: Freedom from death, rebirth, and any problem we might suffer from. But even on the beginning and intermediate stages we already derive profound benefits from meditation:We experience wholesome happiness and jo...

The normal tendency of the unenlightened mind is constantly directed outwards into the external world. The Dhamma of the Buddha points us in the opposite direction, right back into the mind itself, right back to our conscious experience. It's not an easy task to work with the mind internally, and to fully purify and release it. But at least it's a possible task, it has been done by millions of hum...

Most people are very careful that their mobile phone doesn't run out of battery. Or they worry that their Tesla is out of power before they reach the next charging station ('range anxiety'). They are concerned that thay run out of money, or that the suparmarket may run out of food with current global supply chain issues. And sure enough, we should be careful and prepare so that we don't run into t...

When we see reports and videos of war and violence, we may experience feelings of helplessness that there's no possibility for us to stop all the carnage from happening. However, there is one thing we always can do, which no one can take away from us:We ourselves can remain unwaveringly committed not to harm any being;Not to go to war ourselves;Not to kill, but to remain peaceful and to continue d...

We have just experienced heavy flooding in Brisbane, and at the same time the war in Ukraine started. With twitter, facebook, TV and whole internet flooded by live reporting of all disasters and wars, our minds easily become flooded as well by fear, depression or anger. We have to apply the principle of the 'Middle Way' ('Majjhima-Paṭipadā') to our media consumption:One extreme is that we're glued...

Brisbane has just experienced the most extreme rains event in decades, with more than 600 mm precipitation in three days! (For comparison, London receives about the same amount in a whole year). Very surprisingly though, when we had outings with our visiting senior monk Ajahn X on Wednesday and Friday, we walked for hours without any rain at all. Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to not always believ...

As we have just experienced heavy flooding in Brisbane, Ajahn Dhammasiha discusses Suttanipāta Verses 1092 - 1095:[Kappa's question]Lost in the fearful flood that drownsus all in ageing and in death - Amidst this sea of misery where is the island that is safe? Direct me to that island, please,where I shall never drown again. [The Buddha's answer] Lost in the fearful flood that drownsyou all in age...

On occasion of our first visiting senior monk after a long time, Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the importance of hospitality to keep the Sangha strong and connected. He also reads out the protocol for receiving arriving monks from the Buddha's original instructions in the 'Vinaya', the part of the Tipitaka dealing with monastic discipline. https://www.dgammagiri.net

On Magha Puja, the Full Moon in February, 1,250 Arahant Disciples gathered spontaneously, without prior announcement, around the Buddha in the Veḷuvana (Bamboo Grove Monastery) in Rajagaha. All of these 1,250 Arahants were ordained by the Buddha personally. The Buddha then recites the famous 'Ovāda-Pāṭimokkha', a summary of the teachings of all Buddhas in 16 lines of verse:"Abstain from any evil d...

"Abstain from any evil deed,accomplish what is good and true,And fully purify your mind -That is what all the Buddhas teach. Enduring patience is the bestof all ascetic practices;The best of everything at allis called Nibbāna by the sage. If you cause harm to anyoneyou can't be called a genuine monk! Refrain from harming and abuse,and strictly keep the Buddha's rules;Be moderate when taking food,n...

Two qualities are fundamental for any progress on our path of spiritual purification:Shame and Conscience.(Pali: Hiri & Ottappa)As long as we havn't attained liberation yet, the defilements ('kilesa') like greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, jealousy, laziness and so on are still active in our heart. Shame and conscience are the dam wall, holding back and restraining the defilements, and stopping u...

Ajahn Dhammasiha explores Anguttara Nikāya, Book of Tens, Sutta #93 (Numerical Discorses of the Buddha p. 1464) One of the Great Lay Disciples of the Buddha, Anathapiṇḍika, famous as the donor of the Jetavana monastery, has a discussion with ascetics from a different religion on the subject of 'views'/'doctrine'. The 'Wanderers' explain the various doctrines they are convinced of, like: "The unive...

It is well known that the Buddha teaches us to abandon all attachment ('upādāna'). However, attachment doesn't refer only to material things, and to feelings and emotions, it also includes views and opinions ('Diṭṭhi').In fact, the Buddha's analysis of cinging to views is one of the unique characteristics of his teaching, not to be found in that form in any other religion or philosophy. He shows t...