http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/ This is a discussion forum. en Thu, 17 May 2012 22:49:17 GMT vBulletin 120 http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/images/misc/rss.png http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/ http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/630-Vesak-Day-and-the-Precepts?goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 10:15:14 GMT Good Evening to the Community I was very disappointed on Vesak Day. I so much wanted to attend and hopefully, undertake the 5 Precepts. Sadly I... Good Evening to the Community

I was very disappointed on Vesak Day. I so much wanted to attend and hopefully, undertake the 5 Precepts.

Sadly I awoke with a nasty dose of food poisoning at about 2:30am on Sunday morning. I did still manage to be ready for my lift to the centre at 7:40 (thanks Gina) and managed to sit through the talk but just could not manage anymore. I just had to get on a bus and get home. (In itself not any easy task, it took almost 2 hours). Arriving home I just slept almost 24 hrs.

Last night I watched the video of people taking their precepts, and Ajahn Brahm offering to do a special session for the 4 people that were not there. Is it possible to 'tag on' to that group? Otherwise when is the next time this event will happen.

Much Metta

Martin Richards ]]> Housekeeping Martin Richards http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/630-Vesak-Day-and-the-Precepts http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/627-How-to-bow?goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 14:23:57 GMT Coming from http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/625-HowTo I know, the meaning is much more important than how to do it but is there... Coming from
http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/s....php/625-HowTo

I know, the meaning is much more important than how to do it but is there a preferred way how to bow? ;)

With metta,
Ralf :) ]]> Daily Buddhist Life Ralf Enders http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/627-How-to-bow http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/626-How-is-the-order-decided?goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 21:42:36 GMT Dear Ajahn Brahmali, Ajahn Brahm talks in his Dhamma talks sometimes about the time that he was not an abbot yet, but third or fourth in line. How... Dear Ajahn Brahmali,

Ajahn Brahm talks in his Dhamma talks sometimes about the time that he was not an abbot yet, but third or fourth in line. How is the order of the monastics determined, and what does it actually mean? In other words: what is the function of that order?

Thank you in advance for your reply,

Jo ]]> Ask A Monastic! Jo Tummers http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/626-How-is-the-order-decided http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/625-HowTo?goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 20:22:29 GMT What’s about a HowTo board, thread or group for beginners? Like, how to bow? Anjali? Address the sangha and so on? With metta, Ralf :) What’s about a HowTo board, thread or group for beginners? Like, how to bow? Anjali? Address the sangha and so on?

With metta,
Ralf :) ]]> Housekeeping Ralf Enders http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/625-HowTo http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/624-Making-decisions-using-the-thinking-process?goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 02:19:23 GMT Dear Venerable Ajahn Brahmali, How do we make decisions in life using this thing called thinking? since one moment the mind looks at one thing in... Dear Venerable Ajahn Brahmali,

How do we make decisions in life using this thing called thinking? since one moment the mind looks at one thing in one way and another moment it looks at it in another way, in the end we think endlessly this way and that and go nowhere. I remember Ajahn Brahm speaking about this in one talk it doesn't matter what decisions you make in your life, in the end what happens you don't know because the future is uncertain. But you still need to exercise some control and take life in the right direction? How is this done?

We are told to watch the thinking as thinking, but this is more of a meditation technique rather than something useful in daily life. Atleast this is what I feel. Ofcourse the spiritual practice makes the thinking process more organized and subtle so that the thinking causes less suffering and helps in producing insights, but when the time to take decisions come, all the thinking the went behind is gone to waste and we end up following what people in society is following or following something out of faith or some deep seated view which is most probably due to some defilement.

Or is it the case that someone thinks so much, that they end up forming a view and then they act on that view? if this is the case then do we let the mind proliferate as much as it wants so that the view is formed and then we act and how much thinking does it require for a view to get formed in the mind.

But when the view is not strongly formed, the mind just keeps going back and forth in thinking in wasted thinking and confusion.

Hope I've not overwhelmed you with too much information.

With metta. ]]> Ask A Monastic! Abhishek Venkatesh http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/624-Making-decisions-using-the-thinking-process http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/623-MN-138-Uddesavibhanga-Sutta-The-Exposition-of-a-Summary?goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 12:06:41 GMT Ajahn Brahmali discusses MN 138 Uddesavibhanga Sutta - The Exposition of a Summary Ajahn Brahmali discusses MN 138 Uddesavibhanga Sutta - The Exposition of a Summary ]]> Sutta Podcast Dhammaloka http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/623-MN-138-Uddesavibhanga-Sutta-The-Exposition-of-a-Summary http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/622-Mindfulness-With-Compassion?goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 08:44:48 GMT Want to improve the emotional and physical qualities of your life? According to Ajahn Brahm, you will need to practise mindfulness along with... Want to improve the emotional and physical qualities of your life? According to Ajahn Brahm, you will need to practise mindfulness along with compassion and kindness. Listen on to find out more… ]]> Dhamma Podcast Dhammaloka http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/622-Mindfulness-With-Compassion http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/620-Poetry-amp-the-Spiritual-life?goto=newpost Sun, 13 May 2012 23:33:25 GMT Hi everyone, Hope you are all feeling well. I wanted to share a little poem I wrote today. It helped me to express some feelings and to put some... Hi everyone,
Hope you are all feeling well. I wanted to share a little poem I wrote today. It helped me to express some feelings and to put some things in perspective, including awareness. :)

"Blaow!" says the angry panther
"Squeek!" says the mouse
"Meow" says the kitty cat, in the comfy house
"Om" says the buddhist, sitting up tall
Awareness says nothing and embraces them all


Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share any (preferably also little) poems that you've made or found by others that relates to spiritual practice or life. If you share something by someone else please do give credit to the author who originated the work. Thanks very much! Have a wonderful day!

~Andria ]]> Daily Buddhist Life Andria Armstrong http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/620-Poetry-amp-the-Spiritual-life http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/619-Happy-mother-s-day?goto=newpost Sat, 12 May 2012 20:02:08 GMT For the mothers in our Buddhist community,

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! This is also being sent to our venerable nun's at Dhammasara monastery! They are our mothers in the Dhamma! :cool:

Happiness, health, and peace be yours!

Anjali and Metta.

with respect and aloha,
Russell ]]> General James Taeza http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/619-Happy-mother-s-day http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/618-Pali-English-Chanting-at-Wat-Pah-Nanachat?goto=newpost Sat, 12 May 2012 02:15:27 GMT Here's a link to the Pali - English Chanting done at Wat Pah Nanachat.
Pali words immediately followed by it's translation in English.
Very Beautiful.

http://www.watpahnanachat.org/mp3playWPN.php

With Metta. ]]> General Abhishek Venkatesh http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/618-Pali-English-Chanting-at-Wat-Pah-Nanachat http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/617-Boon-vs-Meditation?goto=newpost Sat, 12 May 2012 01:31:10 GMT Dear Ajahn Brahmali, Regarding the subject of boon. Can you reference a sutta that claims good boon guarantees a subsequent lifetime of increased... Dear Ajahn Brahmali,

Regarding the subject of boon. Can you reference a sutta that claims good boon guarantees a subsequent lifetime of increased wealth and happiness?

Conversely, are there any suttas that flat out deny this and state that short of stream winning, there are no guarantees even if one (ie) builds 10,000 temples!

Do suttas conflict on this? If so, which are most reliable?

This is an ongoing discussion I believe some falungs have with cultural Thais, as many Thai monks teach this way of boon/merit/metta. Some suggest that their laypeople not meditate at all until their boon is just right, (the monk will tell them when they are ready) and in the meantime, they should work hard at maintaining the monks and the temple and perhaps just do "working meditation." Usually there are no organized meditation classes or sittings.

I don’t believe that the monks are being consciously exploitative; rather, I think they really believe this.

Also in the confusing mix is that many cultural Thais won’t stay with a teacher that makes them do much sitting meditation. Many Thais will walk out of the sala right after morning and evening chanting if the Ajahn even has only a twenty minute sitting session after chanting, and then they come back in to hear the desana! They don’t seem to like sitting, but love chanting and desanas.

Some have expressed the belief that they can become stream winners by simply listening to the dhamma (if the monk is very advanced) which seems to lead to monk worship and endless temple visits to find enlightened monks to listen to.

On the other hand, falungs walk into Thai temples in America expecting meditation classes, and finding none, soon leave, keeping Theravada Buddhism very ethnically centered, while Zen, TM, and Tibetan, which are growing fast, understand Americans, and stress meditation over chanting and ceremony.

With exceptions such as Bhante G in America and Ajahn Brahm in Australia, etc., many Theravada monasteries don't offer meditation retreats, such as Ajahn Thanissaro, Ajahn Douglas, Ajahn Passano, and probably Ajahn Dick in his new monastery under construction in Virginia. Ajahn Dick expressed in an interview a few years ago that one really has to commit long term in order to advance in meditation, so what good is a retreat if you have to go back into the busy world and compete?

What’s your take on all this?

Metta, anagarika eddie ]]> Sutta, Vinaya and Pali Ed Rock http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/617-Boon-vs-Meditation http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/616-Friday-talk-upload-request?goto=newpost Fri, 11 May 2012 13:12:55 GMT Hello, perhaps this is too much to ask for but previously the Friday talks would be uploaded to the website right after the talk. I believe a couple... Hello, perhaps this is too much to ask for but previously the Friday talks would be uploaded to the website right after the talk. I believe a couple of weeks ago the format was changed and they are no longer uploaded to the website but just the youtube channel. It usually takes a couple of days for the talk to be uploaded to youtube. I used to be able to stream in live but my boss has been holding meetings at 8 am on Fridays (ah!) and I tend to miss the talks. Perhaps I could be patient and just keep checking to see when they are uploaded but if it is not too much trouble, it would be so nice to start a weekend with a fresh talk. I wait all week for them. During my meeting, all I can think about is when the meeting will end so I can go listen to the talk at my desk (i use my break time for it, no judging :). ]]> Housekeeping Meher Makda http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/616-Friday-talk-upload-request http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/615-Member-profiles-(Buddhist-Teachers)?goto=newpost Wed, 09 May 2012 00:50:05 GMT I am curious about whether we could add Venerable Ajahn Brahmali to our list of teachers in the member profile section? I am sure that Ajahn Brahmali... I am curious about whether we could add Venerable Ajahn Brahmali to our list of teachers in the member profile section? I am sure that Ajahn Brahmali would never be prone to vanity and care about such things, but as he is such an influential, patient, and wonderful teacher, it seems that he should be on that list. As long as we are going to list our teachers, why not? Is this something we can do?

With metta and all due respect,

Jerrod ]]> Housekeeping Jerrod Lopes http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/615-Member-profiles-(Buddhist-Teachers) http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/614-Four-Noble-Truths-and-the-Noble-Eightfold-Path?goto=newpost Tue, 08 May 2012 11:31:15 GMT Dear Venerable Ajahn Brahmali, In the right view of the Noble Eightfold Path, we have the 4 Noble truths. Now the 4th noble truth is once again... Dear Venerable Ajahn Brahmali,

In the right view of the Noble Eightfold Path, we have the 4 Noble truths. Now the 4th noble truth is once again the noble eightfold path(knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.)

So how is this supposed to be understood?

With Metta. ]]> Ask A Monastic! Abhishek Venkatesh http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/614-Four-Noble-Truths-and-the-Noble-Eightfold-Path http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/613-greed-hatred-delusion-why-greed-and-hatred?goto=newpost Tue, 08 May 2012 09:55:57 GMT Dear monastics,

Could you please answer me the following question:

I often hear and read in Buddhism about the "three poisons": greed, hatred and delusion.

I wonder why all three of them are mentioned.
Isn't it the case that greed and hatred are only aspects of delusion?
I would simply define delusion as "wrong view", as not seeing things the way they are.
Thus, in my opinion the word delusion already covers hatred and delusion, doesn't it?

For example:
Greed is the delusion (or wrong view) to think that lots of wealth will make you happy.
Hatred is the delusion (or wrong view) that unpleasant persons and circumstances can somehow be avoided.

Therefore I wonder why always all three of them are mentioned?
Is there anything about greed and hatred that is not covered with the word delusion?

Although I hesitated to ask this question because I thought it was too intellectual perhaps, I nevertheless would be glad if you could answer me it.
Maybe this will improve my understanding. :)

Kind regards, Michael ]]> Ask A Monastic! Michael Steinfeld http://community.dhammaloka.org.au/showthread.php/613-greed-hatred-delusion-why-greed-and-hatred