Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talks

(Big Bear Retreat Center) A deep guided Brahmavihara meditation.

(Big Bear Retreat Center) Investigating what matters and what we can let go of to improve our relationships.

(Big Bear Retreat Center) As we develop generosity, moral virtue, meditation and wisdom, our lives become simpler and we become more and more trustworthy. We become less entangled and at some point, we awaken to fully living the Dhamma.

(Big Bear Retreat Center) With the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as the framework, we reflect on what we believe to be ourselves and use mindfulness practices to see ourselves more clearly in relation to the body, feelings/emotions, thoughts and Dhamma. In doing this, we untangle our attachments to self and discover who we really are.

(Karuna Buddhist Vihara) This dhamma talk, guided meditation, and Q&A was offered on June 21, 2025 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - Intro 02:07 - Guided Meditation 24:48 - DHAMMA TALK 38:18- Q&A

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Identifying the appearance of the 7 Awakening Factors in meditation with Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing as a basis.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) A few sentences of summary on the morning reflection on Nibbana and the Path.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Readings from chapter 8 of the Udana (1-4) on Nibbana, followed by reflections on the path and practice.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Sound of Silence, tranquility and equanimity, not-self, for goodness sake, samadhi sensations, letting go in meditation, realizing Nibbana and sticking around afterwards.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) A reflection on the teaching of Ajahn Ganha: "We have to do good for the sake of goodness. We observe the precepts for the sake of keeping precepts. When we practice samadhi meditation, we practice for the sake of meditation. When we cultivate our wisdom, it is just for the sake of cultivating the wisdom. Then we can gain the peacefulness of mind and wisdom at the s...

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Readings from "Stillness Flowing" (biography of Ajahn Chah by Ajahn Jayasaro) describing practicing with the three characteristics for insight into the true nature of reality ('Beyond the Monkey' pgs. 375-379) and how it takes us to the end of the path.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Observing phenomena in light of the three characteristics of existence: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and not-self and the arising of wisdom as described by Ajahn Chah. Readings from "Stillness Flowing" - pages 201, 373-374, 534-535

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Dispassion, cessation, delusion, Buddhas before Shakyamuni, Piti all night long, sharing merit and metta practice

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Guided meditation (following Chi Gong practice) beginning at the root chakra paired with mindfulness, traveling up through the chakras and awakening factors for visualization and investigation.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) A detailed look into recognizing the sense of self in action and "stepping back" to the Dhamma perspective.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Seeing our life through the lens of Dhamma instead of through the perspective of Personality View.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) These meditations were taught to the Buddha's son Rahula (MN 62) on the elements: earth, water, fire, air and space, followed by the advice to develop meditation like each of these of these elements so that whatever might be experienced by the mind, likeable or dis-likeable, that would not invade the mind and remain.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) The Buddha's step-mother and most senior bhikkhuni, Venerable Mahāpajāpati, came to him for a teaching in brief that she could use for ardent practice. We can use this advice to guide our practice today and our relationship with the world.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) We know there is a need for letting go when we experience suffering, but how do we do it? When we find that we can't let go just because we want to, we need to know how to put in the causes and conditions so the practice ripens in letting go.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Our experience may not match what we've read in the suttas or heard teachers describe. The encouragement here is to use the teachings as guideposts and learn for ourselves what works and what doesn't.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Tips on cultivating the awakening factors of piti (joy) and tranquility (passaddhi) and encouragement to follow your intuition.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center)

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) How do we change the habits that continually bring us suffering? This is a reflection based on SN 3.13 "A Bucket of Rice" and a personal experience providing some ideas on how to let go of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair, anger, resentment, righteous indignation, and so on that keep us bound up in suffering, pointing to Nibbāna here and now.

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) How can we stop our habit of reinforcing the first two fetters: personality view and cultural and social conditioning that bring us suffering and keep us in ignorance?

(Cloud Mountain Retreat Center) Chi Gong to "shake off" tension in the body and ground the body with a mindful body scan that ends in sitting meditation.