A Chance To See The Dhamma | Online Retreat Oct 2024

Ajahn Anan sincerely encourages practitioners on the path of liberation. He notes that the modern opportunity to study the Dhamma should be met with sincere intent to gain understanding and relieve doubts.

The core of the teaching is that the five aggregates (form, feeling, etc.) are stressful, constantly changing, and not self. Suffering arises only because the heart mistakenly clings to these impermanent aggregates as "me".

To overcome this, we must train the heart through the Noble Path: Dāna (generosity), Sīla (virtue), and Bhāvanā (mental cultivation). The practice requires establishing a peaceful mind (Samatha) and maintaining continuous mindfulness. From peace, wisdom (Vipassanā) arises through contemplating the body's nature as impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not-self.

The ultimate goal is not to gain or become anything, but to train the mind for the sake of letting go and abandoning all clinging, leading to genuine peace within the heart.

Transcript

So it's the first day of our coming to practice the Dhamma together online for this retreat in October just before the end of the annual monastic rains retreat.

So we all have this sincerity,

This interest to come and join like this in order to study and get to know about the principles and the foundations of the practice.

We may live close by or far away.

We have this opportunity to study and 50 years ago there wasn't these kinds of opportunities.

It was very hard to be able to listen to the Dhamma and then to take those teachings and to practice them but now as communication technology has developed a lot we're able to connect from far away like this so we can study and get to know these teachings even though we're a great distance away and get to know about the Dhamma.

And so if we really set our hearts and our intent on practicing during these nine days we have together then we'll gain knowledge and understanding and many of our doubts can be relieved or perhaps we'll even know and see right into the Dhamma.

And so for myself I found this great benefit in listening to Dhamma teachings because when one listens well then wisdom can arise.

I heard these teachings by Venerable Ajahn Chah on siddhi and vimutti,

So on conventions and liberation and then the views my mind changed and there was a clear understanding that arose and I gained this very firm faith in the perfectly awakened Buddha and his teachings.

And so for us we have this opportunity and we have an opportunity for the direct experience of the Dhamma to appear for us.

And even though we may live in many different countries,

Be of different ages,

Male or female,

That we all have this chance because the Dhamma,

It is timeless,

It appears independent of time.

On studying the Dhamma and practicing the Dhamma.

So now we have the opportunity to listen to the Dhamma and we should be meditating and cultivating our samadhi while we do that as well.

So you can sit with your eyes open,

It's okay,

Or have your eyes closed and be cultivating this samadhi along with listening to the Dhamma.

And so you listen with a mind which is peaceful and when you do that then wisdom will arise.

And so we need to put down all of the things of the past,

All of the things of the future,

Anything to do with our work and for this time that we bring our minds to peace.

That we are just receiving and listening to these sounds of the Dhamma and perhaps a deep,

Profound understanding can arise and all of our doubts can go.

And when this happens we're able to cut those doubts off and then the heart will feel very bright and very spacious and very open like this,

That we're receiving this brightness.

And due to the stream or the flow of the Dhamma which is coming in.

And so the Buddha,

When he taught the Dhamma,

That all of these teachings can be summarized as about rupa and dhamma,

And so physicality and mentality.

So we have these five khandhas,

So there's this form and then there's feeling,

Memory,

Perceptions,

Mental formations,

Sense consciousness.

And all of these are ever-changing,

They're stressful and they're not self.

But this heart that doesn't yet understand that it clings to these five khandhas,

These five aggregates as being me,

And then craving arises.

So when this craving comes up it's of three kinds,

So the craving for sensuality,

The craving for being,

Coming,

Or not having,

Not being.

And when these arise,

Well this is the cause for suffering to arise.

Well we don't want to suffer,

It's no being wishes to suffer,

We all want for happiness.

But the suffering,

It's a noble truth,

It's something that's normal,

That's natural,

That when the causes and conditions for that suffering is there,

Then that suffering will appear.

When the conditions are absent,

Then suffering will be absent.

So just like the teaching that Venerable Sariputta received from Venerable Asaji,

That the Buddha taught about all Dhammas,

That they have their causes for arising.

And he taught the causes and the cessation of all Dhammas.

And through just that Sariputta was able to see the Dhamma.

And then he listened to another teaching directly from the Buddha again and awakened fully and gained Arahantship.

And this arose because of the Parami,

The spiritual virtues that he had created already to a complete and full degree.

So for us we are coming to train together for the sake of bringing this heart to be freed from all suffering.

And the path that the Buddha taught has Dhana,

This generosity.

It's Dhana,

Sila,

Bhavana,

It's a generosity,

Virtue and mental cultivation.

He taught this because this mind of ours still has selfishness.

We still cling to the things in this world.

We're trying to seek them out,

Trying to seek out a lot of wealth.

And when we get that,

Then we attach to all that we can.

But this is a great danger for our hearts.

So we need to learn how to give some of that and to be selfless to some degree with our things.

And so by doing that then our heart feels relaxed and open and spacious.

And when we're generous then we can go to this aspect of virtue of Sila to be composed within our actions of body and speech.

And so all of the things that we do,

That we have that composure.

Because if we just follow whatever moods arise,

Whatever it is,

Thoughts pop into our heads,

We act on those,

We speak from those,

Then the heart will be very agitated and chaotic.

So we probably all have experience of that already,

We have passed that already.

But really for us as practitioners coming together,

We're at the point where we're already generous,

We're already virtuous,

That we understand these things already.

We need to give our forgiveness,

This generosity of the heart as well.

And in order to do that,

What do our hearts need?

They need metta,

This loving kindness.

This wish that may I be happy and for all beings to be happy.

And there's karuna,

Compassion,

Wishing for all beings who are suffering to be freed from that suffering.

And then mudita,

This sympathetic joy.

That when those that we love receive goodness in their lives that we're happy.

But also those we feel different to,

Those that we don't like,

That whenever they receive goodness then we're happy for them.

And then there's upekka,

That we don't do things which just aggravate situations and make it worse,

But rather we have that equanimity there.

And these four brahmaviharas,

These divine abidings,

That they're really important for us to maintain in our hearts in order for our hearts to be able to maintain samadhi.

And from that basis then wisdom can arise.

So this samadhi then,

Bringing the mind to be well established,

We can be doing that while we're listening to the Dhamma just like this.

So we have this firm intent on listening to the Dhamma.

We have this intent making it very firm,

Contemplating the Dhamma while we're listening.

Because if we just abandon our minds and they become absent-minded,

And then they get very chaotic and scattered,

Then we're not able to contemplate anything.

That the mind,

It's not composed and established in this act of listening.

So therefore we need to have this intent to establish the mind well when listening to the Dhamma or the times that we have to be meditating.

And so the monks here will be leading the meditation sessions,

The walking meditation,

The sitting meditation.

And we need to be intent in doing that as well.

To be meditating really when we're sitting and when we're walking.

To have a mindfulness firm,

Well established during these times of practice.

And also outside of these times that we have together as well.

You need to be mindful then too.

So whatever duties you're engaged in,

Whether you're eating for example,

Then be very mindful when you're doing that.

And whenever you're mindful then you're close to the Buddha.

So we develop our mindfulness and make this continuous.

And those moments of mindfulness to connect with each other.

And we bring up our effort as well,

We put forth this energy.

So whatever we're doing then we try to maintain our mindfulness there.

So have this intention then to be mindful during these formal periods of walking meditation,

Sitting meditation,

Listening to the Dhamma.

And also outside of those times as well.

And what this is,

Is bringing up our effort continuously.

So during this time that we try to put down all different sensory impressions,

All different moods and thoughts.

And try not to think about anything.

And be cultivating peace within the mind using Samatha,

Kamatthana.

So this is the method to make the mind peaceful.

And Vipassana,

The means of meditation to bring out wisdom.

And so all methods to bring the mind to peace,

These are Samatha,

Kamatthana.

But we don't have to have any doubts about this.

And some people worry that,

Well if I am doing this then I'm not developing wisdom,

Wisdom won't come up.

But the peace that we experience this flows on into wisdom.

And if we have a lot of peace in the mind then we'll be able to gain wisdom quickly.

And so we shouldn't be afraid of that or worry about it.

And some people want to practice Vipassana inside because they want wisdom.

And so then we can be contemplating the body.

So contemplate the body as being a heap of difficulty and pain.

The heap of Anicca,

Dukkha,

Anatta.

And so something which is always changing,

Which is unsatisfactory and not self.

Or a heap of Asubha,

This unattractive heap.

So we can use this contemplation like this in the beginning.

And that's for the sake of peace arising in the heart.

And then when we get that calmness to our heart then we'll be able to gain a knowledge.

And then that is the arising of wisdom.

And so therefore when you practice don't doubt about the practice.

And be training your mind,

Be following up on your mind,

Looking after the mind.

Whatever you're doing,

Whether you're eating,

Doing various activities and duties,

Always be watching,

Observing your mind.

Whenever the mind meets with any sensory experience,

You can ask,

Is there liking towards that?

Is there disliking towards that?

And then be contemplating how all of this,

It's not sure,

It's unstable.

So teach your mind well.

And train your mind well so that it doesn't get involved in liking and disliking.

Because these minds of ours,

They're really fond of clinging to things in a deluded way.

Just like a child,

A child that doesn't know anything.

And if its mother's not there,

Its father's not there,

Then it can get itself into all kinds of trouble.

It can fall into a well or run into the street and get hit by a car.

There are animals that may come and bite it.

And it's very dangerous in that state because it's not able to help itself.

And that's because it doesn't have adults there looking after it,

Watching over it.

And if there are many children together,

They're not able to look after one another.

It's very dangerous.

They can't give any help,

Any assistance to themselves.

And why is that?

It's because they are lacking in wisdom.

And the mind,

Too,

Is lacking in wisdom.

And then when it meets with all different kinds of things,

When our eyes see various forms,

Our ears hear sounds,

Our nose contacts odors,

There's taste that contacts the tongue or various feelings that contacts the body.

And then we cling to those as being me,

Belonging to me.

And then the suffering arises.

And the suffering arises and ceases,

Arises and ceases like this.

Even though we don't want for that to happen.

So we need to be training these minds of ours,

Teaching our minds.

What's the mind like right now?

What state is it in?

If there's any sensory experience that's entered in,

Come into contact with the mind,

And the mind starts attaching to any of that,

Then we need to be teaching our mind well.

Because if we don't,

Then it just runs after those experiences,

Always concocting and giving rise to a story proliferating upon them.

So we teach our minds,

Well,

Don't attach to these,

Because if you do,

You'll suffer.

That I don't want these things.

That I'm not practicing to become anything,

To gain anything.

But we practice for the sake of putting down,

Of letting go,

Of abandoning.

We practice just for goodness.

But we don't want anything,

We don't want to become anything.

We don't want to be this person or that person.

We practice for the sake of letting go.

So we have this mindfulness,

Watching over our hearts continuously,

All the time,

Until the mind gathers together and samadhi becomes firm.

And then we contemplate this body,

Contemplate how it's anicca,

For example,

That it's always changing,

Right from the time that it was born,

And then it's constantly growing,

And then eventually gets old and starts getting sick,

And at one point will die.

But nowhere in that process can we find a self there.

So if we contemplate like this,

Then wisdom will arise.

So we need to try to do this a lot,

Be training in this way a lot,

Developing this a lot.

So in this time that we have,

Nine days together practicing,

That I hope that all of you will gain peace,

And a genuine understanding into the true Dhamma which arises within your own heart.

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Practicing to let go!!!!

🙏🏿 2025.