Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Forgiveness & Compassion | Ajahn Brahmavamso

Evening talk at Brighton Community Base on the topic of forgiveness and compassion.

This event was part of Ajahn Brahm's UK tour 2016 - "Buddhism in the 21st Century" in support of Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project. These teachings are offered freely and with much joy. We are extremely grateful for any contribution you are able to make so that we can continue to provide regular teachings by developing a monastery in England. Please visit our page https://anukampaproject.org/donate/ for further details on how to proceed with your donation.

Meditation (Dhamma Talk) | Ajahn Brahmavamso

Ajahn Brahm discusses the benefits of meditation practice during a talk at The Buddhist Society, London on 19th October 2011.

Teaching retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1M_h7aCtUQ (YouTube Channel: The Buddhist Society)

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

To find and download more Dhamma Talks on Podcast, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the talk you want and then type the title into the Podcast search box.

Ajahn Brahmali - The Obstacles and Problems to Meditation - The Armadale Meditation Group

Ajahn Brahmali, as one of our most senior and respected monks, doesn't often get the time to visit us at AMG so when he does, we have a full house as he is an excellent teacher.

Ajahn began the night with a talk on the obstacles and problems most often associated with meditation for beginners. Tiredness and the thinking mind, these are the two main issues we deal with when we first learn to meditate. Actually, even experienced meditators experience these obstacles. Ajahn continued to explain how to overcome them.

Ajahn then guided us through a 30 minute meditation followed by opening to questions and offering sound answers and explanations. One of the questions related to death contemplation which in western society is not so much a taboo subject, but one most of us don't want to hear about, let alone contemplate. Ajahn showed us that this was a way of putting down our thoughts of the future when meditating.

This meditation is well suited to those wishing to get a start in meditation.

 

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

 

To find and download more Armadale Meditation Group Teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page, choose the AMG teaching you want, then type the title into the Podcast search box.

Contemplation and Developing Wisdom | Ajahn Nitho | 14-12-2018

Ajahn Nitho share examples and advice on how to develop our wisdom to improve our life qualities, such as health, energy and peacefulness. Ajahn also teaches and encourages us to let go of our sicknesses, tiredness, anger, thinking and sensual inputs.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

To find and download more Dhamma Talks on Podcast, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the talk you want and then type the title into the Podcast search box.

Befriending Inner Fear | Ajahn Brahmavamso

Ajahn Brahm speaks at his old alma mater as a guest of the Cambridge University Buddhist Society sharing his guidance on the topic of befriending inner fear. Talk given at Lady Mitchell Hall, University of Cambridge on 26th of October 2016. The event was organised by the Cambridge University Buddhist Society in collaboration with Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, of which Ajahn is Spiritual Adviser. Donations towards Anukampa's aim to develop a nuns' monastery in England are extremely welcome. Please visit https://anukampaproject.org/donate/

Teaching retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS09ESgPAVs&index=2&list=PLPxfnU-O-ZyeLHWATLqHA2_g13_MLhGPa (YouTube Channel: Cambridge University Buddhist Society)

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Why I am a Buddhist Monk | Ajahn Brahmali | 07-12-2018

Ajahn Brahmali explains how he came across the Buddhist path and the various reasons why he decided to become a monk, in particular experiencing the peace of breath meditation led him to want to pursue this further. Ajahn explains how through experience you gain confidence in the teachings of the Buddha and he discusses the Kalama Sutta (AN3.65) on navigating among different spiritual options.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

The Ten Perfections | Ajahn Appichato | 24 April 2009

Venerable Appichato talks about the Ten Perfections (Paramis):

1. Generosity
2. Morality
3. Renunciation
4. Wisdom
5. Energy
6. Patience
7. Truthfulness
8. Determination
9. Loving-Kindness
10. Equanimity

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Bhante Buddharakkhita - Gratitude and Draining The Swamp - The Armadale Meditation Group

Bhante Buddharakkhita was about to start the evening when he noticed that the Christmas lights were on in our room. Bhante asked that they be left on, and the main lights turned off, so as to mark the time of the year which, to those of us in western society, is Christmas.  Such things, that may seem not to be an issue to us, are to others a trigger for anxiety and stress.  As this was the case for some in our audience, Bhante explained that to run for a lifetime from such things does not make them better or resolve them.  Sooner or later you have to face such triggers and where better than in a group of like minded people who are all learning to meditate.  Bhante then further explained that to help resolve such issues in his own life he would reverse the process by acknowledging the event, and trigger, and instead of allowing it to stress him, he would tell himself to relax.  In this way he managed to resolve his anxiety and simply relax.

Bhante continued his talk, returning to his subject of gratitude, prior to leading the group in a meditation with gratitude foremost in mind. Bhante used the image of floating in a swimming pool to relax and extend his gratitude to the universe before moving to a breath meditation.

After the meditation Bhante used his ample wit and humour to continue his subject of gratitude.  Bhante encouraged us to look for gratitude in all situations and used, as examples, his experience in teaching meditation to a group of children of various ages.  In doing so we can resolve situations that make us anxious or annoyed.

 

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

 

Friday Night Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahmavamso | 30-11-2018

Ajahn Brahm guides a meditation for approximately thirty minutes. 

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Death and Grief | Ajahn Brahmavamso | 30 November 2018

Contradictory to our common belief, Ajahn Brahm contests that when a loved one dies, you don't have to have grief and he goes onto explain how death can actually be an inspirational experience.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Buddhism and How to be Healthy | Ajahn Brahmavamso | 21 October 2016

This is Ajahn Brahm's first talk back at Dhammaloka after the Rains Retreat in 2016. Ajahn Brahm shares some ways to be healthy such as; laughing, happiness, understanding how our body works, mindfulness and meditation. Ajahn tells us some stories on how to deal with a range of physical and mental, emotional illnesses.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Finding a Place of Peace to Retreat | Ajahn Brahmavamso | 24 July 2015

This is the last dhamma talk by Ajahn Brahm prior to the 3 months of the Rains Retreat in 2015. The Rains Retreat is a tradition going back to the time of the Buddha when monks and nuns stop travelling and spend time developing the peace of their meditation practice. In this talk Ajahn Brahm talks about how we all need a place in time and space to retreat to and find peace within.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Understanding Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths | Ajahn Brahmali | 23 November 2018

Ajahn Brahmali is back after the rains retreat. Ajahn Brahmali revisits the basic teachings of Buddhism such as the Four Noble Truths because he says these help us to see what Buddhism is pointing to and is all about. Ajahn talks about the problems of our existence and shares a story from the suttas to help illustrate the point clearly. Ajahn describes how the Buddhist path is the path to purify ourselves so that we see things in the right way, get insights into the Four Noble Truths and ultimately eliminate our suffering once and for all.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon. 

Live a Fearless Life | Ajahn Brahmavamso

Ajahn Brahm gives advice for dealing with fear and letting go.
A public talk given in Sydney, March 2011.

Teaching retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKHUkv1wUnw (YouTube Channel: Dhammanet)

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Using Loving Kindness to Pay Respect to the Buddha | Ajahn Nissarano

Ajahn Nissarano talks about paying respect to the Buddha through practicing loving-kindness (metta).

Recorded by the Buddhist Society of Victoria in Melbourne.

Taking the Axe Out Of Our Mouth | Ajahn Nissarano

Ajahn Nissarano talks about using Right Speech (sama vaca) to prevent and overcome anger, and live more peacefully.

Recorded by the Buddhist Society of Victoria in Melbourne.

Our Path To Enlightenment | Ajahn Nissarano | 16 November 2018

Ajahn Nissarano talks about the meaning of a chant; “I honour and pay respect to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and by this practice according to Dhamma I will be freed from birth, old age, sickness and death.” Ajahn explains that the Buddhist path is our lives 24 hours a day and that the complete Buddhist path (which is also the short cut path) is the Noble Eightfold Path which takes us all the way to enlightenment because practicing it creates the conditions and causes for enlightenment.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

The ABC's of Kindness | Ajahn Brahmavamso

(A)ccepting complements, negative moments and not punishing is kindness. (B)eing kind by letting people be as they are. (C)aring with kindness for yourself and others instead of improving or curing. This talk was an offering for the Theravadin Forest Tradition Bhikkhunis residing in Dhammadharini Vihara in Santa Rose, CA, USA during February 15-24, 2015. To help build Dhamma, by contributing money to the temple as a place of practice, go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-feminine-wisdom-in-buddhism#/

Teaching retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRdNIsLQ7AU (YouTube Channel: Ajahn Brahm's Benefit Talks for Dhammadharini)

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Ajahn Nissarano | An Introduction to Meditation - The Scanning Meditation - Armadale Meditation Group

Each year we are blessed with a visit and teaching by Ajahn Nissarano. This year we have been fortunate enough to have him visit twice. Ajahn is based in Sri Lanka, visiting his home city of Perth once or twice every year or so. On such visits Ajahn is usually in high demand so we at AMG are very grateful of his time.  On this occasion Ajahn began the night with an explanation of meditation and programing our minds before we start our meditation. Being aware of negative states of mind prior to our meditation will help immensely. The two most important states of mind being motivation and intention. Ajahn talked to us about these states of mind and how they affect our meditation as well as our daily lives.

Ajahn then guided the group through a 30 minute scanning [body sweep] meditation suited to all, beginners to experienced alike.

After the meditation Ajahn opened the floor to "comments, questions or complaints". Ajahn then continued his talk on programming our own minds and the external influences we are subjected to in modern life.

 

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Emptying the Rubbish Bin | Ajahn Nissarano

Ajahn Nissarano talks about how to clear some of the emotional rubbish that has built up in our minds using tools like forgiveness and letting go.

Recorded by the Buddhist Society of Victoria in Melbourne.