Peace Beyond Suffering
  • Welcome
  • About
  • Index
  • The Collection
  • Pilgrimage
  • New Talks & Meditations
  • Q & As
  • Chanting
  • Zoom
  • Galleries
  • Video
  • Dhamma Books
  • Anandagiri

Keep In Touch

News and updates to students and Dhamma practitioners

Anatta – 'Not-Self' – Workshop

28/8/2019

 

'Contemplating Not-Self with Understanding and a Kind Attitude'
​

'Contemplating Not-Self with Understanding and Determination'

Picture
Greetings fellow practitioners,
​

The Teachings on the subject of 'Anatta'– or Not-Self are peculiar to Buddhism, and are possibly the most important component to these Wisdom Teachings, as when understood with penetrative Insight – A realisation of Not-Self leads to release from ignorance and delusion and all the ills which stem from these. Understanding the Teachings on Not-Self can be tricky though. When one really 'gets it' as a concept the teachings are actually quite simple and straight forward and form a great foundation for wise reflection and investigation. But one can misunderstand these things and/or approach the subject with an unskilful attitude. This is where we need experienced teachers and practitioners to give some pointers. 

With this in mind I am sharing with you two separate talks which are a reading and commentary upon the Anattalakhana Sutta, which Lord Buddha taught in the Deer Park nearly 2600 years ago. So why share two talks on this subject you might wonder?

I remember Ajahn Anan explaining once that in general he would give two types of Dhamma talk. One which is intended to be an encouragement and a blessing, to uplift and inspire people to practice. And another which is more of an admonishment to stop making excuses, stop wasting time and 'get on with it!' Curiously while editing both of these talks recently I found that they each fell very clearly into one of these separate categories. One is very gentle, loving and warm… while the other is emphatic, firm and rousing. This is not so surprising given that the talks were given in very different places and contexts. One on the 6th day of a 9 day retreat when people's minds were very soft and sensitised. And the other on the second day of a 3 week Pilgrimage to the Holy Sites in India, in the place where Lord Buddha made his Lion's Roar and set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion – which no mara or demon or deva or Brahman could stop! Evidently there's something in the air there!

So I sincerely hope that in sharing both of these talks that you will come understand this central teaching with more clarity, be inspired to practice more diligently, while motivated by the correct compassionate attitude.

With Loving-Kindness

Ajahn Achalo Bhikkhu

Listen to the Anatta Workshop Talks >>

Pilgrimage to the Four Sacred Buddhist sites of India and Nepal – Slideshows

28/8/2019

 
Greetings Fellow Pilgrims on the Path!
Back in February and March earlier this year I had the opportunity and honour to lead a group of four monks, 1 nun and around 35 laypeople on the traditional Buddhist Pilgrimage circuit in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states of India, as well as in Lumbini, Nepal. I have shared both talks and slideshows from previous India Pilgrimages at the Peace Beyond Suffering website before. But this time I am happy to announce that we are able to share something a little more engaging and lively. As many of the pilgrims took pictures (at the allowed time ☺) and mini movies, there was a lot of material that could be shared.

Chooiwan, a Chinese-Malaysian living in Melbourne, Australia and who had joined the Pilgrimage kindly volunteered to select the choicest pictures and splice them together with excerpts of video footage - in the order that we visited the various important sites. The combination of still shots as well as moving footage and sometimes audio from those places, as well as relevant text, helps in bringing the experience more to life than the previous slideshows.

Because doing all of this work takes quite a bit of time we will be releasing the slideshows in two batches. On this occasion however we do have three separate slides. 
  1. Varanasi and Sarnath - (First Teaching)
  2. Bodhgaya and Dungeshwari - (Austere striving and Enlightenment)
  3. Rajgir and Nalanda – (First Monastery and Vultures Peak)

The pilgrims and I hope that by sharing these glimpses of our journey, which was undertaken with great faith and commitment by all, that you will feel nourished and inspired to continue in whatever way you can on your cultivation of this noble Path, wherever you are now.

There is also a more serene and simple slideshow that can be used as something of a Pilgrimage Contemplation/meditation (scroll to page bottom) with 350 pictures carefully selected by me. These pictures have a higher resolution so that the wonderful sites and magnificent vistas, as well as the joy on the faces of the pilgrims can be shared in greater detail.
​

With Loving-Kindness
Ajahn Achalo Bhikkhu

Watch the three slideshows of the pilgrimage >>

Sincere and Pertinent Questions and Answers

12/8/2019

 
Picture
Greetings fellow practitioners,

On a recent visit to Sri Lanka I was asked to answer some questions from a group of sincere students of Buddhism. As the occasion was filmed I am able to share it with you now. The questions were of a high quality and were asked in a coherent order so I feel happy to share them. The time constraints of the session forced me to be succinct and to the point... which on this occasion seems to have worked well.

Some examples of the questions asked are...

What is mind?... what is mindfulness?... what is skillful concentration?
How does one develop the levels of samadhi progressively?
How does one develop Vipassana Insight? How to work with pain?

The entire session is quite long, so feel to listen to the first half in one go and come back to listen to the remainder.

I hope that something contained within this session is useful or encouraging to you.

With Loving-Kindness  

Ajahn Achalo Bhikkhu

Watch the Questions and Answers session >>

    Subscribe -

    Receive notifications when a new talk, guided meditation or other teachings are added.

    Picture

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    The official ‘Ajahn Achalo Bhikkhu’ YouTube channel to share links with Dhamma friends
    Picture
    There is also another YouTube channel 'Peace Beyond Suffering'
    Picture

    Archives -

    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

Privacy Policy
The Forest Sangha
Enquiry Form

Welcome - Overview - All Teachings Index - Collection 01 - Collection 02 - Collection 03 - Collection 04 - Collection 05 - Collection 06 - Collection 07 -
​ Collection 08 - Collection 09 - Archive - More Talks & Meditations - Questions & Answers - Devotional Chanting - Formal Pali Chanting - Galleries - India Pilgrimage Gallery - An Experience Shared - Alms-round Gallery - Photo Album - Video - Zoom gatherings - Dhamma Books - Anandagiri - Chedi Project - Chedi Development - Chedi Slideshow - Final Relic Enshrining - Chedi Article - Monastery Symbol - Support Anandagiri
- The Forest Sangha -​ Enquiry Form - Subscribe Updates
​En Français - ​Note du Traducteur - ​Contenu - ​Les Collections - ​Pèlerinage en Inde - ​Chant rituel - ​Questions et Réponses - Les Traductions
Picture

Creative Commons License | Privacy Policy | Spectral Mirror Web Design 
- 
Copyright 2021 © All rights reserved
  • Welcome
  • About
  • Index
  • The Collection
  • Pilgrimage
  • New Talks & Meditations
  • Q & As
  • Chanting
  • Zoom
  • Galleries
  • Video
  • Dhamma Books
  • Anandagiri