Talk 6 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Talk 5 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Talk 4 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Talk 3 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Talk 2 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Talk 1 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma reflection on the practice of Maranasati, the Buddhist recollection of death.
Vesak is the celebration of the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, celebrated by Buddhists on the full moon of May. On this auspicious day, Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma reflection and answers questions from around the world. Opens with a Dhamma Talk; Q&A begins at 23:52.
Teatime at Birken (9 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:30 - How does one practice Loving-kindness when entangled with unskillful people? 09:12 - In the past, I used to end my sittings with a smile and start to laugh. Is this “laughing-kindness” like “Loving-kindness”? 11:41 - In a Jataka story, the Bodhisatta practices patience (Khanti). Isn’t it a practice of Loving-kindness as well? 15:34 - What strategies can we undertake to keep from getting overwhelmed beyond one’s capacities for Loving-kindness? 20:53 - As a psychotherapist, how can I express to patients, family, etc, that I am not available for periods of time? 27:01 - Please explain how something persisting through many lifetimes, carrying the kamma from many lifetimes, is separate and distinct from an idea of a self? 35:14 - What thoughts, feelings and wishes are appropriate when seeing a dead animal on the street? 37:47 - How does eating meat relate to Loving-kindness towards animals? 43:50 - When I am in a rush and time pressure, it is hard to sustain Metta. Any advice? 48:34 - Can you speak to balancing our own inner wisdom with that of outside voices (teachers, etc)? 51:55 - Any advice in keeping Metta that we’ve cultivated in daily life after the retreat?
Teatime at Birken (8 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:32 - Beings in nature are inevitably food for other beings, so how does sending Loving-kindness fit in with the food chain? 05:02 - What do monks do when they are having ongoing health problems? 10:59 - How does Metta practice relate to the compilation of death? 15:09 - Sometimes Metta fades and it’s tiring to keep generating it. Any suggestions? 20:11 - Do people get benefits in chanting a sutta (say, in Pali) without knowing it’s meaning? 25:41 - When in an urban environment I try to take negative thoughts that arise from sights and sounds and turn them into positive ones. Am I fooling myself? 30:56 - Why is it that positive or negative emotions put into the universe come back amplified? 38:15 - Can chanting the Metta Sutta act as good kindling for getting Metta started? 40:53 - Having survived trauma, sometimes fear arises during meditation. Does one stop meditating or keep going? 44:46 - Can you clarify the difference between the physical sensation of pain and the concept of dukkha? 48:04 - I have an end of life directive. What would the Buddha say? I don’t want family to be left with bad kamma resulting from that. 52:44 - Can you explain what to observe in our dreams to see how much Metta has penetrated?