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Dana
Dhamma DasaDana, this means generosity, Giving freely & wisely to all beings, in this modern age many teachers & groups have been consumed by greed & power, this is ok, if they want this type of lifestyle let them enjoy it & all that comes with it, but for the individuals realizing some balance and wisdom, it’s good to donate, food, money to organizations that are truly deserving of such blessings because of one fact, they are earnestly attempting to help end suffering not only for themselves but also for the world, Charity is a giant pillar of Buddhism often forgotten, generosity seems to be most apparent in peoples lives when they have an audience seeing just how generous they are lol, it’s better to give and not make a big show of it, it’s better to realize full enlightenment and be humble not arrogant or judgmental of others beliefs or attempts at freedom, if we are truly noble ones we are the cream that rises, but if we remain ignorant, greedy, judging, thinking we are somehow special, more important, surely we will fall like Lucifer to the icy colds of Hell, so in closing dear friends, don’t be a door Matt, God gave us a brain for a reason, use it wisely, give freely, be compassionate, have a kind heart, be generous, help support Sanghas, churches. Temples, people, animals, Generosity, Humility, open mindedness, & Loving kindness are sure fire ways to Sukka here & now, it’s like this moment here EmailViews: 44
Santacittarama (IT) review
Yesu Upasaka (Jesus) Santacittarama: (Pali) The garden of the peaceful heart. Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Italy, Santacittarama stands as a testament to serenity and spiritual nourishment. As a visitor, my experience at this Buddhist monastery was nothing short of extraordinary, encompassing a myriad of elements that made my stay truly enriching. Gorgeous Monastery: Santacittarama is a visual delight. The monastery’s architecture seamlessly blends with the natural surroundings, creating an atmosphere of tranquility. The meticulous design and landscaping enhance the overall aesthetic, making it a feast for the eyes. Modern and Comfortable Accommodation: The accommodation provided is a perfect harmony of modern comfort and simplicity. Equipped with everything one might need, the living quarters offer a peaceful retreat after a day of introspection and meditation. Beautiful and Spacious Temple: The temple, nucleus of the monastery, exudes a serene energy. Its spaciousness allows for a sense of expansiveness, fostering a conducive environment for meditation and contemplation. Diverse and Kind Monastic Community: The monks at Santacittarama represent a harmonious blend of Thai and European backgrounds. Their kindness, humor, and helpfulness create a warm and inclusive atmosphere. Interacting with this diverse monastic community adds a unique dimension to the overall experience. Opportunities for Spiritual Growth: The monastery provides ample opportunities for spiritual growth. Question-and-answer sessions with the senior monk or abbot, as well as private interviews, allow for personalized guidance on the path to self-discovery. Regular meetings contribute to a sense of community and shared spiritual journey. Diverse and Nutritious Cuisine: The simplicity of the daily meals at Santacittarama belies the richness of flavors and nutritional balance. Catering to various dietary preferences, the food not only nourishes the body but also supports the practice of mindful eating. Expansive Forest and Meditation Spaces: The monastery’s extensive forest, dotted with kutis and caves, offers a sanctuary for contemplation. Whether wandering through nature or engaging in meditation, the surroundings provide a conducive environment for inner exploration. The presence of an old abandoned cemetery/crypt adds a poignant dimension to the contemplation of impermanence and the cycle of life. Invaluable Benefits of the Stay: The rewards of my stay at Santacittarama extend far beyond the tangible. The tranquility of the surroundings, the wisdom shared by the monks, and the self-discovery facilitated through meditation and reflection make the experience invaluable. It’s a journey that leaves a lasting impact on the citta. In conclusion, Santacittarama is not merely a physical space but a sanctuary for the soul. Its beauty, combined with the modern amenities, the warmth of the monastic community, and the diverse opportunities for spiritual growth, creates an environment where one can truly embark on a transformative journey. My time at Santacittarama was not just a stay; it was a profound and enriching encounter with the essence of self-discovery. Yesu EmailViews: 57
Keep practicing
Corey WaterreusThe dhamma is simple we just need to keep doing it, over and over! EmailURLViews: 55
The Highest Protection
Nour Meddeb “Not consorting with fools, consorting with the wise, paying homage to those worthy of homage: This is the highest protection. Living in a civilized land, having made merit in the past, directing oneself rightly: This is the highest protection. Broad knowledge, skill, well-mastered discipline, well-spoken words: This is the highest protection. Support for one’s mother & father, assistance to one’s wife and children, consistency in one’s work: This is the highest protection. Generosity, living in rectitude, assistance to one’s relatives, deeds that are blameless: This is the highest protection. Avoiding, abstaining from evil; refraining from intoxicants, being heedful of mental qualities: This is the highest protection. Respect, humility, contentment, gratitude, hearing the Dhamma on timely occasions: This is the highest protection. Patience, being easy to instruct, seeing contemplatives, discussing the Dhamma on timely occasions: This is the highest protection. Austerity, celibacy, seeing the noble truths, realizing unbinding: This is the highest protection. A mind that, when touched by the ways of the world, is unshaken, sorrowless, dustless, at rest: This is the highest protection. When acting in this way, everywhere undefeated, people go everywhere in well-being: This is their highest protection.” EmailViews: 43
Best thing iv ever done
Dean gardinerMeeting Dhammarato and practicing the real teachings of the buddha is one of the greatest things I have ever done 🤜🤛 EmailViews: 52
A Little summary of the teachings: Dissatisfaction and its end.
David James Bennison Dissatisfaction and its end, this is the core of the truly awake teaching! The cause of dissatisfaction is wanting unwisely. When we stop wanting unwisely dissatisfaction ends. The method to stop wanting unwisely is The Noble eightfold path. This includes the skills to Remember, look, and change. Remember to look at what you are doing and make a wholesome change. These 3 qualities run circles around each other and the rest of the path. Practice remembering in or out breathing. To develop R.L.C (Remember, Look, Change) as well as the whole Noble Eightfold Method. Remembering the in and out breath as an anchor to wake up, look, and direct the mind away from the unwholesome and to the wholesome. Getting into seclusion helps develop these skills, into a spot that is safe. Makes it easy to talk yourself into feeling safe, secure, and satisfied when it’s the reality. It’s very beneficial to develop these skills because the mind can run off into Dissatisfaction Town very quickly, so it’s of great benefit to keep the practice in mind and return home here and now often. One wholesome thought after another leads to A wholesome attitude. Then the mind becomes unified, whole, and Free from dissatisfaction. When the mind is whole we speak, act, and live kindly and skillfully. I have seen this work again and again directly. I have full confidence in the method and the Four Noble Truths. They are just that Noble and True! You can do this! Simply remember to look, make wholesome Change, and Congratulate yourself for doing so! Recognizing that this truly is enough, dissatisfaction ends! Thank you, Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. EmailURLViews: 80
Experience at Sumedharama in Portugal
Joe StanskiI would like to write about my experience staying at Sumedharama in Portugal for 2.5 weeks. This is a monastery in the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest tradition, usually with about 4-6 lay friends visiting, 8-12 monks, and a lot of people that come for the night meditation. Its a really nice environment to practice in for people that know how to practice already and don’t need a lot of guidance. Ajahn Vajiro and Ajahn Appamado were available for some discussions in the afternoon and I got a lot of benefit talking to them, as well as talking to some of the other monks and lay practitioners during my stay. It really gave me a lot of time to reflect with space from my life at home. Also in terms of personal practice, I noticed a willingness to let go of the physical sensation of the breath and fall more calmin and looking into the other aspects of the 16 steps of anapanasati; the vedana, citta, and dhamma. Opening more to the mind in this way, and really noticing where the thoughts were arising from really brought a lot of clarity and confidence to my practice. I would highly recommend a stay here to people; you can stay for one week on an initial visit, longer on subsequent visits. EmailViews: 96
Avijjā Sutta (AN 10.61)
Alexander Hipple“Bhikkhus, this is said: ‘A first point of ignorance, bhikkhus, is not seen such that before this there was no ignorance and afterward it came into being.’ Still, ignorance is seen to have a specific condition. I say, bhikkhus, that ignorance has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for ignorance? it should be said: the five hindrances. The five hindrances, too, I say, have a nutriment; they are not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for the five hindrances? It should be said: the three kinds of misconduct. The three kinds of misconduct, too, I say, have a nutriment; they are not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for the three kinds of misconduct? It should be said: non-restraint of the sense faculties. Non-restraint of the sense faculties, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for non-restraint of the sense faculties? It should be said: lack of recollection and awareness. Lack of recollection and awareness too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for lack of recollection and awareness? It should be said: no concurrent attention. No concurrent attention too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for no concurrent attention? It should be said: lack of trust. Lack of trust, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for lack of trust? It should be said: not hearing the good Dhamma. Not hearing the good Dhamma, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for not hearing the good Dhamma? It should be said: not associating with good people.” —AN 10.61 EmailURLViews: 147
Mettāsutta (Kp 9)
Alexander Hipple “Those who are skilled in the meaning of scriptureshould practice like this so as to realize the state of peace.Let them be able and upright, very upright,easy to speak to, gentle and humble; content and unburdensome,unbusied, living lightly,alert, with senses calmed,courteous, not fawning on families. Let them not do the slightest thingthat others might blame with reason.May they be happy and safe!May all beings be happy! Whatever living creatures there arewith not a one left out—frail or firm, long or large,medium, small, tiny or round, seen or unseen,living far or near,those who have been bornand those about to be born—may all beings be happy! Let none deceive another,nor look down on anyone anywhere.Though provoked or aggrieved,let them not wish pain on each other. Even as a mother would protect with her lifeher child, her only child,so too for all creaturesunfold a boundless heart. With love for the whole world,unfold a boundless heart:above, below, all round,unconstricted, without enemy or foe. When standing, walking, sitting,or lying down while yet unweary,keep this ever in mind;for this, they say, is a divine meditation in this life. Avoiding harmful views,virtuous, accomplished in insight,with desire for sensual pleasures dispelled,they never return to a womb again.” —Kp 9 EmailURLViews: 50
Check out the Dhamma Friends Discord
David James Bennison One of the benefits of Discord is that it allows there to be rooms where folks can join and voice chat. You don’t need to call anyone and it operates like a virtual space where members can join and talk about the dhamma. I have been hosting Saturday night sangha meetings and there are also several forms where people can post. One of my favorites is for sharing wholesome thoughts to help remember to gladden the mind. Here is a link to the Dhamma Friends discord if you are interested in an open space to share Dhamma. https://discord.gg/qQ2Mquk5dn EmailURLViews: 65
We can all be winners
Cathal Costello CostelloI learned something from a nun that i felt like sharing. I just stopped a moment and asked myself why does she always ask for me to give other people things she makes/cooks? I’m not even sure she thinks about the way i’ll explain but she always makes something and then asks someone to offer it, instead of offering it herself which is interesting because here in thailand merit and merit making is such a big deal that anyone will happily jump on the immediate opportunity to ‘gain merit’ and I was confused about her but eventually realized that for her, her generosity is that she gives other people the opportunity to practice generosity, she has also said she’d been in temples for 17 years so she probably picked up a few good things and that in itself showed me that giving others the opporunity to grow is such a big deal, so profound that it goes right into the fundamental design of the sangha relationship to the laypeople, it is entirely about support, about helping each other from the point we’re at, whereas in the west it’s about who can win, who can be the best and who can be perfect, and if that’s true then the dissatisfaction of not being good enough is going to affect us and everyone around us, instead of happily enjoying where we are at and happily practicing the good way. It seems when it comes to the Dhamma, it is impossible to teach in one sense, but it is possible to teach the intellectual stuff and give people an environment to realize it themselves. We can in many ways refine our behaviours to both completely benefit from each other instead of the western way that always someone will be a loser, why don’t we just all be winners? EmailURLViews: 47
Noble Conversation
BrettIn pursuit of more skillful speech, especially with teachers and members of the Sangha, yesterday I downloaded the freely available book Noble Conversation, by Ajahn Thanissaro. https://www.dhammatalks.org/ebook_index.html It’s amazing to have these free books available and I am very thankful to have found them at this time. On a 10 day retreat in 2013, I wasn’t really supposed to read books but one book that went with me was Right Mindfulness, by Ajahn Thanissaro (Thanissaro Bhikkhu at the time). It was worth taking with me. These books are distributed free of charge. EmailViews: 45
7 motivating tips for practitioners
PietroDN Be confident in your skills and abilities. They are the foundation of every situation and the most reliable tools you have to build, act, react, and create. Be unshakable in every situation. Be active. Don’t dwell on the circumstances or the odds of success. Just takethe first step and the path will reveal itself. If you want to change your life, you don’t have to settle for or trust external opinions. They are simply reflecting the reality of the present moment. Try it for yourself. If you keep affirming your reality and vision, things will change for the better, but you won’t have any confirmation. However, if you stop doing so, things will start to fall apart very quickly. You are the one who has to believe in yourself. If you fall, dust yourself off and start again. Learn meditation and how to breathe properly. Meditation can teach you how to control your thoughts and emotions. You must learn how to use your breath to control your inner state and make it wholesome at all times. Don’t try to understand reality. For the most part, inputs are just inputs that we can allow to pass through and not even register. See thoughts as thoughts, feelings as feelings, and sensations as sensations. See things for what they are, regardless of your habit of labeling them as something different than they actually are. EmailURLViews: 47
Mission statement – letter to Alex
PietroDNDear alex, today i had a beautiful and inspiring conversation with dhammarato with the purpose of clarifying the points about the mission statement for the OSF, in addition to the recordings that he will make available for transcription, i took some notes with what i regarded as important and could be helpful for the document. We started from the concept of triple gem, in which dhammarato said that the most important of the three is actually the sangha, that in fact had originated at the time of the Buddha, when bhikkhus started to get along in nobility and friendship with one another. The triple gem is in fact being friend on the inside, friend on the outside and so developing the qualities of the buddha. In fact we heard many times how buddhism and dharma is based upon friendship, noble friendship. So then we came to the mission itself, which is about networking for people who want to join or continue to stay on the path, facilitating them with some structure as a reference point and facilitating major life changes that many people are going through in their lives. In fact the OSF will reach: Monks (ajahn, – some names are in the recording) who already teach the noble dharma to add sangha to their teaching equation. Affirmed western teacher to bring in the dana orientation But also: aspiring teachers or teachers that want to get established, so that they can find a context of support and reference point trough “eastern oriented” existing buddhist structures The idea is to remove the exchange of money But also: people who want to go to asia, to give them support finding facilities, friends, monks, noble monks and learn from the asian perspective. But also: people who just google dharma Then we went again through the importance of friendship on how the OSF will bring together different buddhist traditions and people will have the possibility to get along for similarities rather than arguing on the differences, accumulated by the movement of change that is going through their lives. Here some other features of the website: website meetings, groups, spread the dharma, contact teachers, meet and greet—meet friends and stay. western community. website helping people find temples, clubs, organizations near them and map it. profile of volunteers with bio. donation Here some values: Morality (came after wisdom) Joy, friendship To say that the community is already forming, and this website will facilitate. In the end, personally I would say that this is the opportunity for people to jump, or follow the stream. change ther lives, let go of their job and the bank account and jump right in completely. Dhammarato picks up new people, but there will come a point when he will not have the power to help us further, and so the network will be of primary importance. again for this reason is a pleasure for me to help build and develop the sangha. HAVE A GREAT DAY, SEE YOU SOON FRIEND! EmailURLViews: 46
Join the discord!
Cathal Costello Costello Join the discord to chat with other people on the path, ask questions and get answers; https://discord.gg/8ZZC7gyrYB EmailURLViews: 32
First jhana is all you need
PietroDN And so now i Wake up, take a look, make a change. I stop right here, right now, whatever thing i am doing, i can remember to consciously stop and see: what is happening right now? How do i feel? Which thoughts am i having? And then enter the doors of the senses, how do my clothes feel on my skin ? And the feet on the floor? The butt on the chair? Can I take some deep breaths and remind myself how much I can feel good with very little, because I believe that is enough, that I have arrived, that there is nothing to do and nowhere to go? I can be alive here and now, i let the chest expand with inhalation and going back with exhalation, such a gift that It is! Feeling safe, secure, wholesome on the inside , and satisfied. Then first jhana arises, I come to the state of the plateau, my homebase, the always on time train of the present moment. And I let go of the worries, the neediness, the complaining,and the wanting for something more , for something next. Here the fire of the wholesome has started, from a little sparkle of intention, now the logs are on fire and it warms me up, what a joy to nourish it and keep it alive! I will abide in the wholesome, I will get to know my mind and its mysteries because from here everything looks more clear and the clouds of doubt are far away , blown by the winds of conscious decision. Right effort and awesome thoughts in line, born one after another, from the womb of nourishment and awareness of my sweetest behalf, the one i call when i need to come to understand that this moment is all i have and i will be relaxed and chilled, swimming in an ocean of wholesomeness. My safe environment is a state of mind that doesn’t need boundaries to be protected, that I don’t have to put a guard on it and that I don’t have to defend my security. Is an expanded light of softness that embraces all there is right here right now. Such a delight to abide in first jhana Such a delight to be here and now In noble wisdom I trust, and I let myself flow in the stream of the never ending present moment. EmailURLViews: 38
A-Buddhist-Charter-Buddhadasa
https://opensanghafoundation.org/ [pdfjs-viewer url=”https://opensanghafoundation.org/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/A-Buddhist-Charter-Buddhadasa.pdf” attachment_id=”7993″ viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=true print=true] EmailURLViews: 69
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