Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Ajahn Brahm often says “never allow your knowledge to stand in the way of truth." Ajahn elaborates on this saying and explains why there is no ultimate reality and the consequences of believing there is.

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

Ajahn Brahm helps us to understand and be at peace with tragic events that occur in the modern world. Ajahn Brahm talks specifically about how Buddhists should respond to and deal with these real tragedies. And Ajahn reflects on how by relating the Buddha’s teachings to our real experiences we develop a better understanding of them.

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

Ajahn Brahm talks about the banning of his speech on gender equality. Ajahn Brahm gives a powerful talk on how to bring about gender equity in Buddhism that is acceptance of full Bhikkhuni ordination. Ajahn looks at how social activism in Buddhism works and how people can reach any goal as long as it is worthwhile; meaning not just for your own happiness and peace but for the happiness and peace of all sentient beings, such as lowering consumption and materialism.

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

Ajahn Brahmali reflects on the idea of Right View (Samma-ditthi); the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Ajahn looks at how Right View is a very powerful foundation and drive for our whole Buddhist practise. Ajahn talks about how to develop Right View and also enhance our confidence in the Buddha and our teachers.

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

Tuesday 2nd May 2017 was a special day for the Armadale Meditation Group.  We celebrated 30 years of meditation and guidance by the monks of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine.  For this special occasion Ajahn Brahm and Venerable Akaliko graced us with their presence.  Ajahn Brahm likes to refer to the group as Club Med.  Being typically Aussie, we like that.  Venerable Akaliko once remarked that on his way to Club Med one evening [his first teaching at Armadale], he was considering a topic for his Dharma talk when he realised that there is "no fail in Armadale".

The group has adopted these slogans and now we have T-shirts that clearly state who we are and how we feel about meditation.

For the benefit of the five new people who joined us for our celebrations, Ajahn gave us a guided beginners meditation.  Ajahn used his wit, humour, common sense and stories to describe the purpose of meditation and why worrying about the future or reliving the past, is pointless.  We can't change the past and we can't control the future, so why do we worry so.  Give it a miss and meditate instead.

After meditation Ajahn gave a Dharma talk and joined us for our 30th Year celebrations.

Have you ever gotten upset or angry when people don't appreciate all the kindness you've shown them? Ajahn Brahm explains how to keep giving without expecting or getting any reward.

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

The Buddha talks about the whole spiritual path as an act of purification. Ajahn Brahmali offers an inspiring talk on purifying our mind of defilements, such as anger and ill-will because he says ‘one of the main problems on the spiritual path is the problem of anger.’

Ajahn offers ways to overcome anger so we can unblock the natural beauty of our mind. And he helps us to understand what purification actually means by sharing with us Buddhist similes and examples of people who have purified the mind.

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

Ajahn Brahm’s opinion is sought on a proposal to limit religious vilification or a proposal against the freedom of speech. Ajahn Brahm offers a different perspective and instead of looking at how vilification occurs by our speech and how to speak properly, he looks at how we let vilification happen by listening in the wrong way. So Ajahn gives a teaching on how to listen with wisdom and compassion.

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

Ajahn Brahm starts off by talking about how to find happiness and joy in your meditation. The instructions according to one of Ajahn's favourite monks ‘Ajahn Ganhah’, are breath in "sabah", breath out "sabah" (meaning nice and easy).

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

Ajahn Cittapalo suggested we count, 1 to 10, or select and visualise our favourite colour to meditate.  Most of us focus on our breathing or bodies when we start or first learn to meditate.  So counting or visualising a colour makes for a welcome change of pace.  For beginners [and aren't we all] this is often a much easier way to start meditating.  Ajahn explains how to do it and what will happen to most of us when we count or visualise our favourite colour.

Ajahn then gave us a very enlightened Dharma talk, so much so that the group lost track of time with no-one in a hurry to stop or go home.

Ajahn Brahm explains what this making merit business is all about and its essentiality not only for the path towards enlightenment but for a happy, peaceful life. Ajahn also describes how through the beautiful service of making merit you learn to love, care and laugh and create a beautiful pure mind.

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

Ajahn Brahm reflects deeply on the idea “I am not good enough”. Are you good enough? Why is it that we always think it’s not good enough?

Ajahn talks about how you can never satisfy the reach of what other people ask of you and to stop worrying about what other people think of you and trying to please others.

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

Uncertainty and not knowing are part of human existence. Ajahn Brahm describes human beings tenuous hold on life or safety or happiness or health and offers advice on how to live with such uncertainty and still enjoy life, such as love, kindness happiness, good friends and so on. 

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

Ajahn Sujato uses this opportunity to describe his recently published book entitled ‘The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Text’, written by himself and Ajahn Brahmali. Ajahn explains what the book’s about and why they produced it.

Ajahn talks about the benefits of reading and discussing the suttas, but points out that the most important thing is your own experience of the Dhamma, understanding suffering and practising the eight fold path to overcome suffering. 

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

Ajahn Brahmali discusses the importance placed on generosity by the Buddha, how we can develop generosity and how this quality of mind supports our meditation practice.

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

Ajahn Brahm offers many great ways of overcoming phobias, such as using awareness, compassion, kindness, catching it early, relaxing the body and so on. Ajahn reveals that some phobias can be traced to previous lives and finding out the reason behind your phobia can take away a lot of the fear, which takes away a lot of the problems. 

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

After visiting Singapore where Ajahn Brahm met many Buddhists working in the prisons to care for and help the prisoners. Ajahn Brahm decides to give a talk about the prisons of the mind and how to break free. In this talk Ajahn also recollects his visits to the prisons.

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

Ajahn Brahmali teaches that when you keep the 5 or 8 precepts, you are following in the footsteps of the Buddha and his great disciples. Ajahn instructs us to give ourselves a sense of uplift by reminding ourselves we are doing something very good with our life. Doing this gives rise to joy in your meditation.

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

Ajahn Brahmali explores the Buddhist idea of freedom of choice and will. Ajahn looks closely at the connection between the Buddhist idea of freedom that is freedom from suffering or problems in life, compared to freedom of choice or will. Ajahn also looks at how our choices and intentions affect us.

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

Venerable Hasapanna expands on the first noble truth, that life is inherently unsatisfactory.

Venerable talks about how life is beyond our control, things happen according to causes and conditions and therefore all we can do is make the causes we want and let them unfold. 

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