Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

We have all heard of Mettā ('Loving Kindness'), the teaching of the Buddha to feel unconditional, non-judgemental goodwill to all beings without distinction. But how to develop this quality? Ajahn Dhammasiha shares advice on skilfull means to cultivate the quality of Loving Kindness in our heart, and to make so strong so that it can be maintained even in challenging situations.www.dhammagiri.org.a...

Compassion ('Karuṇā') is the wish for all beings to be free from suffering. In this guided meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha recommends to use a little Mantra either in English:  "May all beings be free from Suffering!" Or else in Pali (or both, if you prefer 😊):  "Sabbe Sattā Dukkhā Pamuñcantu" Additionally, we can focus on wishing to all beings to be free from the causes that are ultimatel...

Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the theme of:Vivekanissitaṃ - Founded on SolitudeVirāganissitaṃ - Founded on Fading Away/DispassionNirodhanissitaṃ - Founded on Ending/cessationVossaggapariṇāmiṃ - Culminating in RelinquishmentWhichever Dhamma Practice we're engaged in, the Buddha urges us to base that activity on these four foundations.www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-...

After the meditation session, Ajahn Dhammasīha offers a few short reflections on impermanence ('anicca').We can contemplate the unreliable, inconstant nature of all conditioned phenomena both externally and internally. We can observe 'anicca' in the objects of our desires and aversions, and we can contemplate the impermanent nature of all desires and aversions themselves. However strong they may a...

Ajahn Dhammasiha describes how we can deepen our 'Recollection of the Buddha' ('Buddhānussati'), using the mantra:"Bhagavā-Arahaṃ-Buddho-Buddho-Arahaṃ-Bhagavā".A bell will sound louder, longer and more sonorous, the bigger and heavier it is built, due to it's larger resonance-body. Similarly, our mind will have a stronger response to the mantra, if we have built up a large mental 'resonance body',...

When we want our body to look more beautiful, we can go to the beauty parlor to look better with a new hairdo, manicure and make up. But at the same time, we all know that the mind is much more important than the body. So, where do we go to make our mind more beautiful? What makes our mind ugly is the defilements: Greed, anger, jealousy, arrogance, lazyness and so on. What makes our mind beautiful...

On the first Full Moon in the Rains Retreat, Ajahn Dhammasiha reminds of the crucial importance of the 4th Buddhist Precept:Musāvādā veramaṇi sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmiI commit to the training-rule to abstain from lyingOf all the defilements, delusion/ignorance ('moha'/avijjā') is the most pernicious. It has serious karmic consequences, and is very difficult to overcome. But if we intentionally, knowi...

On the first Full Moon Day of this year's Rains Retreat, Ajahn Dhammasiha dedicates his Dhamma Talk to the first Buddhist precept:"Pāṇātipātā veramaṇi sikkhāpdaṃ samādiyāmi"."I undertake the training-rule to abstain from killing any living being".Ajahn quotes from a military study that found the majority of US American soldiers in 2nd World War deliberately avoided shooting to kill. They tried to...

Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked about lockdown-anxiety regarding the first Buddhist precept, namely to abstain from killing any living beings. Are we breaking the first precept if we inadvertently infect someone else with corona virus, and then that person might die? Ajahn points out that INTENTION is a necessary factor to break the precept against killing. If we have no intention to infect anyone, and...

Every day at mealtime, after the almsoffering, the monks at Dhammagiri chant a Buddhist Blessing. The recitation is in Pali, the language spoken by the Buddha himself, as recorded in the oldest part of the Pali Canon. With the blessing, Ajahn Dhammasīha, Ajahn Moneyyo and Ven Buddhisāro express their 'anumodana' ('rejoicing') with the offerings of food and requisites they have received. They recit...

Ajahn Dhammasiha quotes Dhammapada Verse #110, where the Buddha makes it very clear that the length of our life is not the most important thing. Instead, the most important thing is the quality of our life. What truly gives quality to our life is spiritual practice: Not to harm either ourselves or others, and to develop a calm, unified mind, bright and free from defilements. Ajahn expresses his co...

This is the final part in a series of four talks on 'Mindfulness of Breathing' ('Ānāpāṇasati'), conducted by Ajahn Moneyyo at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Ānāpāṇasati was the favourite meditation object of the Buddha himself. It can be cultivated both for samatha/samādhi and for insight/vipassana. The Buddha has given us highly detailed instructions how to develp mindfulness of the breath. The mos...

We dont need to know a lot in order to understand Dhamma. It's not like studying for a PhD. No need for eleborate, sophisticated intellectual proliferation. We only have to understand one thing very deeply:Craving inevitably results in Suffering. When we let go of craving, suffering will come to an end. That's all we have to comprehend, by carefully observing craving ('taṇhā') in our heart, and mi...

The Buddha has expounded four Noble Truths:  The Noble Truth of Suffering ('Dukkha')  The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering, namely Craving ('Dukkha-Samudaya', i.e. 'Taṇhā)  The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering, namely the end of craving ('Dukkha-Nirodha')  The Noble Truth of the Practice leading to the End of Suffering, namely the Noble Eightfold Path ('Dukkha-Nirodha-G...

This is the second part of a series of four talks on 'Mindfulness of Breathing' ('Ānāpāṇasati'), conducted by Ajahn Moneyyo at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Ānāpāṇasati was the favourite meditation object of the Buddha himself. It can be cultivated both for samatha/samādhi and for insight/vipassana. The Buddha has given us highly detailed instructions how to develp mindfulness of the breath. The mo...

Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to turn our mind away from constant preoccupation with external events and distractions, and instead to pay attention what's going on inside of our mind. He uses the example of the pleasant and unpleasant feelings we experience right now:The wordly, sensual pleasant feeling of just having eaten a really nice meal. The spiritual pleasant feeling of making good Karma (...

We are far too occupied with external events: She said this, he did that, politics, social media, and so on... Our mind gets constantly pulled outside into the world.  In meditation, however, we direct the mind inside. We turn our attention to internal experience:  What do we feel?  What emotions do we experience?  Can we directly experience our physical body?  Once we bec...

Ajahn Moneyyo recites the Hemavata Sutta (Sutta Nipāta Verses 153-180) at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. The chanting is in the Pāli, the original language of the Buddha, as preserved in the Canon of the Theravāda tradition. On a full moon night the two Yakkhas (Spirits) Hemavata and Sātāgira meet. Sātāgira is already inspired by the Buddha and wants to convince Hemavata to go to visit the Buddha to...

This is the second part of a series of four talks on 'Mindfulness of Breathing' ('Ānāpāṇasati'), conducted by Ajahn Moneyyo at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Ānāpāṇasati was the favourite meditation object of the Buddha himself. It can be cultivated both for samatha/samādhi and for insight/vipassana. The Buddha has given us highly detailed instructions how to develp mindfulness of the breath. The mo...

Whenever our insight meditation makes us feeling down or anxious, we:Mindfully recognize that we have not yet reached the intended result of the meditationInstead, the intended result is dispassion, letting go, and ultimately the experinece of complete release from all DukkhaWe remind ourselves that there exists this state of complete freedom from old age, sickness and death, Nibbāna, and that it...

This is the first of a series of four talks on 'Mindfulness of Breathing' ('Ānāpāṇasati'), conducted by Ajahn Moneyyo at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Ānāpāṇasati was the favourite meditation object of the Buddha himself. It can be cultivated both for samatha/samādhi and for insight/vipassana. THe Buddha has given us highly detailed instructions how to develp mindfulness of the breath, the most ext...

On occasion of the annual commemoration of Ajahn Chah's birthday, Ajahn Dhammasiha shares some reflections at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage about the exceptional 'Pāramī' ('Spiritual Perfections') of Luang Por Chah. Nowadays, it tends to be rare to find individuals who have Pāramī mature enough that they can realize full Nibbāna in this very life. But it is even rarer that the same person additional...

Pali recitation of Dvayatānupassanā Sutta ('Contemplation of Pairs') from Suttanipāta ('Group of Discourses') 2.12, Verses #729 to #771. Chanted by Ajahn Dhammasīha in the ancient language Pāli, the language of the Buddha and the Theravāda Scriptures. The prose portions of the sutta are omitted, only the verses are chanted. This is one of Ajahn Dhammasiha's favourite suttas. An exposition of Paṭic...

Our bodies and all material things are made up of the four elements:Earth ('paṭhavī-dhātu')Water ('āpo-dhātu')Fire ('tejo-dhātu')Wind (vāyo-dhātu')We are very attached to them, and try to manipulate and control them all the time. But the Buddha compares these four elements to four poisonous snakes: However much we look after and nurture them, at any time they may turn against us and 'bite' us - ju...

Māra is the evil spirit who can't stand anyone escaping from his influence, and thus tries his very best to stop everyone from attaining Nibbāna. At the same time, 'Māra' is also used by the Buddha as a metaphor for the defilements in our heart, greed, hatred and delusion, that prevent us internally from reaching liberation. We can symbolically describe our spiritual practice as a martial arts fig...