Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Ajahn Brahm gives a talk on how to overcome obstacles in life.

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We haven't seen Bhante at Club Med for some years so it was a welcome surprise to see and hear him.  Bhante started the evening in an unconventional way which was an unusual but welcome change.  Bhante, having been present in areas of the world that have suffered greatly from both natural and man made disasters, replayed a podcast from the US radio station website "This American Life".  The podcast documentary tells the story of a phone booth in Japan that attracts thousands of people who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami and earthquake.  A Japanese TV crew from NHK Sendai filmed people inside the phone booth.  The phone line, however, is not connected.  The episode by Miki Meek is incorporated into our podcast but can be listened to independently by following the link below.

Bhante thankfully warned us that hankies and tissues would be and were required.

Bhante used this podcast to highlight the need for us to come to terms with ourselves more than anything and in doing so, forgive ourselves. Don’t wait for the forgiveness of those we have  trespassed against.  Forgive ourselves now -  for ourselves.

Immediately after the podcast had concluded, Bhante lead us into a body scan meditation.  Toward the middle of the meditation, Bhante used the Metta Sutta as a mantra in and for the rest of the meditation.  After the meditation, Bhante continued to talk on forgiveness and why we should forgive ourselves.



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This American Life - episode 579 - One Last Thing Before I Go - act one

Ajahn Brahm visits Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia to talk about finding the true meaning of life.

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Bhante Sujato broke with our normal format and gave us a dharma talk on Dependant Origination prior to the meditation.  Dependant Origination is at the core of the Buddha's teachings and is viewed by many as a very difficult, confusing subject.  Bhante handled it by using real life examples from his own life, with a good dose of humour, using words and terms that the lay person can understand.

Bhante then asked the group what type or object they would prefer for the meditation.  The raised hands were fairly even on all the suggestions, so it was left to Bhante to decide.  Bhante having just given a dharma talk on Dependant Origination suggested a meditation on the four elements as recognised by Buddhists.  So the meditation object was Earth, Water, Fire, Air and how they relate to everything (our bodies and all things around us) both seen and unseen.

After meditation Bhante opened to Q&A suggesting that anyone who may have been confused by the dharma talk, should now ask.



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Are you not enjoying meditation? Perhaps you are trying too hard to achieve something in your meditation. Venerable Hasapanna teaches you to take your time; to relax your body and to practice metta and contentment before meditating on your breath.

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Do you have problems that you want to get rid of? Venerable Hasapanna explains how your wanting to get rid of the problem creates additional suffering.

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Venerable Hasapanna guides a meditation for about 30 minutes.

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The Buddhist Society of Western Australia is honoured to guest speaker Professor Ajahn Dhammavihari give a Dhamma talk. Ajahn begins by talking about the Buddha’s first sermon. (13 June 2006). 

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Ajahn Brahm talks about how Buddhism can solve all sorts of problems in the world.

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Most people who come to see Ajahn Brahm don't come to talk about Buddhism, they come to talk about all their problems and troubles in life. Oftentimes people ask themselves when they are suffering, "Why me?" In this talk, Ajahn Brahm offers an answer to this question.

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Ajahn Brahm talks about his life as a forest monk in the jungles of Thailand.

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Venerable Cunda encouraged us to "give ourselves a break".  We carry the responsibilities in our daily lives very heavily, from new parents to business, and it affects both our physical and mental health.  Our life styles come with a cost.  From rushing around in our cars to trying to relax, we over do it all.  We need to give ourselves a break.  Relax, let it all go and just live in this moment.  Leave the past where it is and not focus on a possible future that may never happen.

Venerable Cunda led the group through a very relaxing body scan and breath meditation well suited to both beginners and experienced alike.

After meditation Venerable talked on the benefits of meditation.  After we meditate we are more relaxed, more calm and physically relaxed. Venerable then opened to Q&A.



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When you have ache or pain in meditation which adjusting your posture doesn’t solve, try to incorporate it into your meditation through awareness and caring for it. 

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Are you listening to what the other person is saying, or are you listening to what you think the other person is saying? Ajahn Brahm teaches us how to listen with wisdom and compassion.

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Ajahn Brahm guides a meditation for about 30 minutes.

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Ajahn Vayama starts by sharing a Jataka Tale about wisdom gone wrong, which explains how we can easily misunderstand the teachings when we don’t get the full story and this can cause things to go wrong. Ajahn discusses people’s misrepresentations, misperceptions and misunderstandings of the Buddhist teachings, as well as how to know whether our motivations and intentions are wholesome. Ajahn also talks about how in Buddhism we go with the flow of wisdom, truth, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, non-self and changeability.

We apologise for the quality of this audio, but it does improve a bit. This Buddha Dhamma talk was given in 1999.

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Ajahn Brahm talks about how wisdom stems not from thinking, but from the deep well of silence that comes from a mind still in meditation.

Given to an audience Buddhist Maha Vihara in 2012

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Ajahn Brahm talks about the challenges of teaching Buddhism to modern audiences.

Given to an audience in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in 2014.

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Ajahn Brahm explains how generosity isn't just about sacrifice. It's about generating happiness not only for the receiver of the gift, but also joy for the giver of the gift also. He relates several stories of how generosity bring joy into our lives.

This talk was given to a large audience in Singapore organised by the Buddhist Fellowship.

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Bhante talked to us about letting go. Just as we would automatically pull our hand out of a fire, so to, with consistent practice, will we naturally let go of our thoughts when meditating.

Bhante then leads us in a guided breath meditation. First encouraging us to relax our bodies and then guiding us to direct our attention to our breathing, to be aware of it, not change it, just watch it. Bhante's meditation is well suited to beginners and experienced meditators alike.

After meditation Bhante opens to Q&A. Bhante then gave a talk on morality, virtue and many of the steps needed by us in order to meditate.

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