Wisdom of the Masters

Ryōkan Taigu 良寛大愚 (1758–1831) was a quiet and unconventional Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He renounced the world at an early age to train at nearby Sōtō Zen temple Kōshō-ji, refusing to meet with or accept charity from his family. These selected excerpts and poems by Ry...

Selected teachings of Ma's taken from various sources. Anandamayi Ma ( 30 April 1896 – 27 August 1982) was a Bengali Saint, described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced." Precognition, faith healing and miracles were attributed to her by her followers. Paramahansa Yogananda translates the Sanskrit epithet Anand...

A reading of the Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing - MN 118 This reading is an amalgam of translations by Bhante Sujato, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Thanisarro Bhikkhu - compiled and edited by Ayya Jitindriya. The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," Majjhima Nikaya 118, is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana)...

Dṛg-Dṛṣya-Viveka : An Inquiry Into The Nature of The ‘Seer’ and The ‘Seen’, Discrimination between the Real and the Unreal Attributed to Adi Śankarācarya and Bāratī Tīrtha - Translation by Richard Miller, PhD The Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka contains 46 slokas/verses performing an inquiry into the distinction between the "seer" (Dṛg) and the "seen" (Dṛśya), an overview of samadhi, centerin...

These excerpts for meditation/contemplation have been taken from Madame Guyon's text, 'A Short and Easy Method of Prayer'. Published by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (Commonly known as Madame Guyon - 13 April 1648 – 9 June 1717) is Christianity’s best-known and most influential woman in church history. She was a celebrated French Mystic...

Reading of the famous seventh-century Zen classic  Xin Ming, or "Song of Mind" - this poem is a masterpiece of expressing the inexpressible. 🔆 If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: vivekahermitage@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: ⁠https://www.paypal.com/...

These sublime and profound teachings on the nature of reality by the great master, Longchenpa is taken from the Finding Rest in Illusion trilogy . It is suitable for those practitioners who have an in-depth understanding and insight into Dzogchen's concepts and paradigm. Longchenpa, also known as Longchen Rabjam , ‘Infinite, Vast Expanse of Space’, or Drimé Özer (1308-1364), was one of the mos...

This is a guided meditation spoken extemporaneously by Samaneri Jayasra on learning to recognise, abide in, and rest as, the stillpoint of intrinsic Awareness. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: vivekahermitage@gmail.com with PayPal or using...

This is a reading of the chapter "Citta" taken from the text 'Uncommon Wisdom - Life and Teachings of Ajaan Pannavaddho. Written and compiled by Ajaan Dick Sīlaratano. Venerable Ajaan Pannavahho was the senior-most Western monk following Ajaan Mun’s path of practice for over 40 years. Ajaan Paññā, as he was called, was a man of intellectual brilliance who, through his own efforts in...

A reading for meditation taken from the text, 'The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind: Buddhism, Mind and Meditation' by Lama Thubten Yeshe. Lama Thubten Yeshe was born in Tibet in 1935. At the age of six, he entered Sera Monastic University in Tibet where he studied until 1959, when as Lama Yeshe himself has said, “In that year the Chinese kindly told us that it was time to leave Tibet...

A reading of the timeless teaching of Naropa's - "The Summary of Mahamudra". English version by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and Erik Pema Kunsang Nāropā (1016-1100) was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Naropa's instructions inform Vajrayana, particularly his six yogas...

Evelyn Underhill (6 December 1875 – 15 June 1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic poet and novelist as well as a pacifist and mystic. An only child, she described her early mystical insights as "abrupt experiences of the peaceful, undifferentiated plane of reality—like the 'still desert' of the mystic—in which there was no multiplicity nor need of explanation". The meaning of these...

These few selections of Rumi poems are from the newly translated text "Gold" - Rumi. Translated by Haleh Liza Gafori. The book can be purchased here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo... https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Rumi/dp/1... Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic origin...

Best to listen to this meditation with headphones 🎧 🎧 🎧 This is a selection of key pointers from Nisargadatta formatted for guided meditation, taken from the texts, 'I am That' - translated by Maurice Frydman. Nisargadatta Maharaj (17 April 1897 – 8 September 1981), born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli, was an Indian guru of nondualism, belonging to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a lineage of teac...

This reading is from chapter 3 and 4 of the teachings found in the text, The Secret of the Golden Flower, and explains in detail the method of 'turning the light around'. Translated by Thomas Clearly. According to Cleary, this text is is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifying the mind. A distillation of the inner psychoactive elements in ancient spiritual classics, it d...

This is a guided Yoga Nidra meditation to induce deep relaxation and rejuvenation and to assist with deepening conscious Awareness in the pre-sleep and deep sleep states, with gentle rain sounds to help you relax and let go. Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, like the "going-to-sleep" stage, typically induced by a guided meditation. Yoga N...

Selected excerpts from the text "Notes on Spiritual Discources" - taken by Nitya Tripta. For PDF and hard copy versions of the 3 Volume teaching see this website of Greg Goodes: https://greg-goode.com/article/notes-on-spiritual-discourses-of-shri-atmananda/ Śrĩ Atmananda (8 December 1883 – 14 May 1959), also referred as Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, was an Indian sage, guru, and philosoph...

This is a reading of a chapter on 'The Art of Letting Go' taken from the text: "Keeping the Breath in Mind by Ajahn Lee. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacarya (1907–1961), commonly known as Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, was a meditation teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order of Theravada Buddhism. He was born in the Ubon R...

These extracts from Krishnamurti's talks on meditation have been taken from various sources and are intended for contemplation. Jiddu Krishnamurti (12 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and withdrew from the Theosophy organization behind it. He stressed the need...

A selection of pointers read from the text, 'Selfless Self: Talks with Shri Ramakant Maharaj'.Ramakant Maharaj was a direct disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and spent 19 years with him. From 1962, he visited Nisargadatta Maharaj and listened to his lectures regularly, until his master's Mahasamadhi in 1981. During the last decade or so at his ashram in Nashik, Ramakant Mah...

This reading is a synthesis of the teachings found in the text, The Secret of the Golden Flower, translated by Thomas Clearly. According to Cleary, this text is is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifying the mind. A distillation of the inner psycho active elements in ancient spiritual classics, it describes a natural way to mental freedom practiced in China for many centuries. T...

Selection of verses from Longchenpa's heartfelt parting advice to his students, exhorting them to vigorously engage the path to liberation while they are still able. It is said these are Longchenpa's final words prior to his death. Translated by Herbert V. Guenther. Longchenpa (1308-1364) stands at the center of the Nyingma tradition. Acknowledged by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as one...

Selected excerpts from the text "Notes on Spiritual Discources" - taken by Nitya Tripta. Śrĩ Atmananda (8 December 1883 – 14 May 1959), also referred as Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, was an Indian sage, guru, and philosopher. He has been described by scholars as a "neo-Hindu". His teachings have become a foundation for a spiritual method called the Direct Path. 🔆 These podcasts...

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. She is best known for having spent twelve years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, three of those years in strict meditation retreat. On 16 February 2008, Tenzin Palmo received the t...

A reading for meditation of the Upajjhaṭṭhana Sutta  (AN 5:57) ~ Subjects for Contemplation - Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Upajjhatthana Sutta ("Subjects for Contemplation") focuses on the five remembrances, or five facts, regarding life's fragility and our true inheritance. The discourse advises that these facts are to be reflected upon often by all. Contemplation of these facts...