A Dhamma discussion based on the question (paraphrased)… ‘Suffering is an underlying attitude of resistance to the way things are / wanting things to be different which again leads to disappointment, frustration, more bad feeling?

Our life is made up of many moments that lend significance and give us a sense of time. These milestones can include things like the first day of school, winning an award, getting a first job, receiving a promotion, getting married, and so on. These events and their significance form what we might call the…

A Dhamma discussion based on the question (paraphrased)… ‘How can I see clearly which lifestyle or hobbies or engagement as a lay person is not harming to others or oneself on a very subtle level?’

This ovāda compares ‘bhava’ or ‘becoming’ to a cyst. It’s something that starts small but grows and spreads. This is one of the meanings of the word ‘papancha’—expansion or proliferation. In our meditation practice, we sometimes need to act like surgeons, removing the cyst of becoming. We take out what is harmful and leave behind…

In Sri Lanka, there is a strong cultural memory of the existence of large numbers of arahants. There is a folk tale that so many arahants used to fly through the sky at a monastery in the south of Sri Lanka that farmers found it hard to grow crops in the vicinity. The existence of…

India was the birthplace of the Buddha. It gave rise to the Buddhist religion. The Buddha and his greatest disciples lived and taught there. How did Buddhism disappear from its homeland? What can we learn from Buddhsim’s fate in India? In this talk, we will explore these questions to find out what lessons history holds…

In some cases, one needs to practice with difficulty in order to progress. In fact, these situations can be among the most important for advancement in the path. However, it’s important to know the difference between practice that is painful and advancing, and practice that is painful and heading towards an injury. In this discussion,…

The Buddha taught a path of renunciation. To create space in the mind, one must give things up. To achieve the highest goals of one’s practice, one must be prepared to relinquish everything.

A Dhamma discussion with the Dhamma Vijaya community, given on the weekend of Poson Poya in Sydney, Australia.

A Dhamma discussion based on the question .. “How should one practice the Paramis ( also a way to develop wholesome mind states I would think). Should one concentrate on a few of them and develop say a couple throughout life or try and fulfill all ten of them in one go. I like to…