Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

What happens when we die? A very moving and uplifting talk about life and death and life again.

Len Warren has volunteered in palliative care for 15 years. He is a long-time student at Hayagriva Buddhist Centre. He founded The Pure Land Centre for those who wish to focus on the spiritual aspects at the end of life. He tells a deeply personal story about the loss of his son and the blessings that led him on the Buddhist path.

Sue Lee is a retired physiotherapist whose work entailed both working with patients and managing a large department. As a member of the Buddhist Society of WA for 28 years, the teachings of Ajahn Brahm and other senior sangha members have informed her spiritual path and provided an inspiring guide for living. Sue talks about the ways that these teachings can help the dying.

In helping with the development of the Pure Land Centre, both Sue and Len hope to help spread the Buddha’s teachings where they are needed, and lighten the load for those at the end of their lives.

For more information, please visit

https://purelandcentre.org.au/
https://bswa.org/event/friday-night-speaker-rains-2023/

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

A lovely evening spent with Ven Thubten Chokyi from Hayagriva Buddhist Centre, Ven Hue Can from Sunyata Buddhist Meditation Centre along with Geetha Mendis and Sandra Henville from Buddhist Society of WA celebrating International Bhikkuni Day by sitting on country in a sea of spring Djilba flowers to talk about the Buddhist Women who inspire us, how to respond to modern challenges and of course meditation wisdom! We raised about $300 for Sakyadhita to support Australian Bhikkhunis travelling to study overseas. Thank you everyone for your warm and generous spirit! Sadhu sadhu sadhu! lekso lekso lekso!

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

This teaching includes a 30 minute guided meditation, followed by a Dhamma talk by Dennis. Dennis Sheppard has been involved with the Buddhist community since 1976, joining the Buddhist Society of Western Australia in 1978 as a young man interested in meditation and spiritual practice. He went on to serve multiple terms as president, as well as serving in several other capacities including designing several buildings for both monastics and the lay community. Dennis's talks delve deep to explore reality, deep meditation and the meaning of life. Dennis was recently awarded life membership for his services.  

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Apologies, the audio is rather soft - please use headphones. Steven Towler has been a Buddhist for over fifty years and is a Dhamma Group facilitator at Wat Dhammayanaram managed by the Cambodian Buddhist Society WA. Steven spent 7 rains as a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition learning from teachers including Acharn Fun, Acharn Baen and Acharn Tate. Steven has skillfully translated text from teachers such as Luang Poo Tate, Luang Ta Maha Boowa and Acharn Piak from Thai to English.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.
While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023 (Rains Retreat Speakers' Series 2023). Hear stories of everyday dhamma as told by monastics and lay practitioners from various Buddhist traditions.

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Published with permission of Treasure Mountain Podcast. Please visit Treasure Mountain Podcast, Everyday Dhamma Network and Treasure Mountain Facebook page. 

On this episode of Spirit Stories we have as our guest, Piotr Jagodziński from the Poland who has led the establishment and growth of the Sasana.pl website and youtube channel that has been translating the teachers of the forest tradition into Polish and getting an astonishing amount of traffic! Recently Piotr is leading efforts to establish a monastery in the Theravada tradition. Piotr is a true pioneer of the Buddhist Sasana in Poland and has supported thousands of people to connect with this authentic spiritual tradition and develop their own practice.

Links referred to in this episode:

• Sasana.pl website – http://sasana.pl
• Sasana.pl youtube channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/sasanaPL
• Theravada.pl website – http://theravada.pl
• Dhamma.pl free books in Polish – https://dhamma.pl

Treasure Mountain links:

• Treasure Mountain Podcast – https://www.treasuremountain.stream/
• Treasure Mountain website – https://www.treasuremountain.info/
• Treasure Mountain facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/TreasureMountainPodcast

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

Sutta References for this talk:
(A) Meditation
1. Body Scan - Kāyagatāsati sutta (Mindfulness of the Body) MN 119 
2. Two essential factors for Meditation: Well purified ethics & correct view – Bhikkhu Sutta (A Monk) SN 47:3
3. Dvedhāvitakka Sutta (Two Kinds of Thoughts) MN 19
4. Vitakkasaṇṭhāna Sutta (Stopping/Calming of Thoughts) MN 20

(B) First Part of the Talk: Turning Points
1. Buddha’s Autobiography - Ariyapariyesanā Sutta (Noble Search) MN 26
2. First Dhamma Discourse – Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Rolling Forth the Wheel of Dhamma) SN 56:11
3. Establishment of Bhikkhuni Order – Gotamī Sutta (With Gotamī) AN 8:51

(C) Second Part of the Talk: Dhamma Bonus Points for our Welfare & Happiness
1. Five Aggregates
a. Maha Punnamā Sutta (The greater Discourse on the Full-Moon Night) MN 109
b. Dutiyagaddulabaddha Sutta (A leash) SN 22:100

2. Five Hindrances
a. Maha Assapura Sutta (The greater Discourse at Assapura) MN39
b. Saṅgārava sutta (With Saṅgārava) SN 46:55

3. Five Precepts / Purification of Ethics
a. Pañcaverabhaya Sutta (Dangers and Threats) SN12:41 - https://suttacentral.net/search?query=sn12.41
b. Velāma Sutta (About Velāma) AN 9:20
c. Lonakapalla Sutta (A Lump of Salt) AN 3:100
d. Sappurisa Sutta (A True Person) AN 5:42
e. Dhammapada Verse 173

4. Five Benefits of Offering Food / Generosity
a. Bhojana Sutta (Food) AN 5:37
b. Dānānisaṁsa Sutta (The benefits of Giving) AN 5:35
c. Dhammapada Verse 118

5. Five Practice Factors for planning for a Favourable Rebirth
Saṅkhārupapatti Sutta (Rebirth by Aspiration) MN 120

Notes: MN= Majjhima Nikāya; AN= Anguttara Nikāya; SN= Samyutta Nikāya

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023 Drew Bellamy

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice.

While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.

TURNING POINTS 2023 Venerable Thubten Chokyi from Hayagriva Buddhist Centre.

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

The BSWA celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2023. Are you curious when, how and where it all began? This video in an interview with one of the remaining living founders of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, Maureen Barton took place on 28 January 2022 at Upper Warren near Manjimup, Western Australia. Together with her was her son Ananda and was interviewed by Venerable Mettaji and Cecilia Mitra. Maureen tells the fascinating story of how the BSWA was founded.

If you have any other information about the formative years of the BSWA please add it as a comment - we would love to hear from our earliest members! Thank-you.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

Published with permission of Treasure Mountain Podcast. Please visit Treasure Mountain Podcast, Treasure Mountain website and Treasure Mountain Facebook page. 

Our guest today on Treasure Mountain is John Waite who was born in post WW2 United Kingdom and brought up to be fiercely independent. From a young age he was searching for a better way to live in the world and was influenced by the simultaneously political and spiritual principles of Mahatma Gandhi. Travelling to India in the 1970s he was touched by the kindness of the Indian people despite their modest means. A chance meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala was a turning point on his spiritual journey. Later John would go on a two-week meditation retreat in Queensland and was pleasantly surprised when every thorny question and challenge to the teacher was warmly received and returned with wise, well-considered answers. This led him to commit himself to the path of practice. He was influenced deeply by Lama Zopa’s emphasis and example of being of service to others. John put this philosophy into practice enthusiastically as a volunteer fire fighter, ambulance medic, trade union steward and later as the Director of Hayagriva Buddhist Centre in Perth for 17 years helping to bring many great Buddhist teachers to Australia and supporting his local community of practice.

John is an old friend of mine and we worked together to found the Buddhist Council of Western Australia around 2005, and we also participated in getting the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils off the ground around the same time. Not only did I appreciate his calm and steady presence in the work we were doing to bring the various Buddhist groups together for a common cause, but also his insistence that all the Buddhist traditions have the same heart of dharma at their core. I think his attitude was prescient as we enter into this post-sectarian Buddhist renaissance in the twenty-first century.

And that’s why I wanted to interview him on the podcast. In one sense this interview is John Waite’s Spirit Story, about his path into practice, but on the other it’s telling a broader story about Buddhism as it moves into the West, specifically into Australia, and where it may be heading in future. I’m so glad you’ve joined us as we seek for the Dharma within…

Links from this episode:

• Hayagriva Buddhist Centre
• Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

Thank you for listening to the Treasure Mountain Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with you friends. If you'd like to support me to produce this type of content in future, you can support my work by offering a tip or becoming a Supporter or Member of Treasure Mountain Podcast via the Ko-fi payment applet.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Published with permission of Treasure Mountain Podcast. Please visit Treasure Mountain Podcast, Treasure Mountain website and Treasure Mountain Facebook page. 

• One of the most impactful traditions of Buddhism in the modern world is one that isn’t very good at publicity - but is very dedicated to practice. Despite it’s strict adherence to the principles of monastic discipline and the principles of Buddhist ethics, like for instance never selling the teachings, it has gained a huge grass roots following in many Western countries where people are drawn to its plain, simple honesty and dedication to the original principles of set out by the Buddha. I’m referring to the Thai Forest Tradition, and to help us understand the origins and practices of the Thai Forest Tradition I have as our guest, Steven Towler, who, at the age of 19 left his home in the UK to travel to Thailand to ordain as a bhikkhu in 1972. This was a time in which the Thai Forest Tradition was in full bloom, and the first Westerners were travelling to Thailand to practice and even ordain. Steven ordained at Wat Bovornives with Phra Khantipalo, and we on to have many great teachers, including the renowned meditation master Ajahn Thate. He’s still dedicated to the Thai Forest Tradition and practicing to this day, and he has translated several Dhamma books from Thai to English for the benefit of the community. He’s kindly joined us on the Treasure Mountain Podcast to offer his knowledge and insights into this tradition that continues to grow in popularity to this day.

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  Links from this episode:

  • Talks by Steven Towler

Thank you for listening to the Treasure Mountain Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with you friends. If you'd like to support me to produce this type of content in future, you can support my work by offering a tip or becoming a Supporter or Member of Treasure Mountain Podcast via the Ko-fi payment applet.

Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon.

To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

Monday Night Meditation at Wat Dhammayanaram, Cambodian Society of WA (CBSWA) with Steven Towler on the 5 December 2022. These weekly teachings give an introduction into Meditation and some guidance and basics into the practice of the Buddhist Path. They usually consist of a short talk, thirty minute meditation and then questions & answers.

Steven Towler has been a Buddhist for over fifty years. He studied and practised meditation with several well known teachers of the Thai forest tradition. He has translated text from teachers such as Luang Poo Tate, Luang Ta Maha Boowa and Acharn Piak from Thai to English.

Please support BSWA in making these teachings available by donating via Patreon or our General Expenses Fund.

To download the audio, click on the audio tracks' title to open up in Podbean.

More dhamma teachings are available from:

• BSWA Podcast Channel (Dharma talks and guided meditations)
• BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel (retreats and suttas)
• BSWA YouTube Playlists
• Books and articles are available on our website.

Teaching retrieved from CBSWA please visit https://thecbswa.org to find out how to attend the monastery in person.