Talk 4 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.

Talk 3 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.

Talk 2 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.

Talk 1 from The Highest Blessings Virtual Retreat, recorded December 2021 at Birken Forest Monastery.

Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma reflection on the practice of Maranasati, the Buddhist recollection of death.

Vesak is the celebration of the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, celebrated by Buddhists on the full moon of May. On this auspicious day, Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma reflection and answers questions from around the world. Opens with a Dhamma Talk; Q&A begins at 23:52.

Teatime at Birken (9 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions:  00:00 - Welcome 00:30 - How does one practice Loving-kindness when entangled with unskillful people? 09:12 - In the past, I used to end my sittings with a smile and start to laugh. Is this “laughing-kindness” like “Loving-kindness”? 11:41 - In a Jataka story, the Bodhisatta practices patience (Khanti). Isn’t it a practice of Loving-kindness as well? 15:34 - What...

Teatime at Birken (8 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions:  00:00 - Welcome 00:32 - Beings in nature are inevitably food for other beings, so how does sending Loving-kindness fit in with the food chain? 05:02 - What do monks do when they are having ongoing health problems? 10:59 - How does Metta practice relate to the compilation of death? 15:09 - Sometimes Metta fades and it’s tiring to keep generating it. Any suggestions? 20:11...

Teatime at Birken (7 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:20 - How does one get the right balance between breath meditation and Metta practice? 07:35 - How does kamma relate to past actions? What releases us from negative past actions and corresponding results? 19:00 - How does one balance retreating from the world when opportunities arise to make active contributions in the world? 24:02 - How do we...

Teatime at Birken (6 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:28 - Can Metta protect one from greed and sense desires? 10:54 - How can one be “a graceful receiver” in a relationship, rather than the giving end? 21:04 - Is there a way to cultivate Metta without words? 24:52 - Does Loving-kindness require vulnerability and forgiveness for oneself and others?   27:33 - You’ve said that one should not be guilty...

Teatime at Birken (5 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:23 - Does Metta include patiently bearing with the unpleasant? 07:34 - Can you speak of Metta towards objects or natural elements? Like, towards snow. 16:18 - What is the middle way in cultivating Metta powerfully without trying to force it? 22:24 - Do you need to be a Buddhist to recieve or radiate Metta? Does speaking Pali help?   26:31 -...

Teatime at Birken (4 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions:  00:00 - Welcome 00:33 - Which requires greater effort - overcoming bodily or mental unpleasant feelings? 10:33 - How do we give meaning to Loving-kindness as kusala-kriya - skillfully moving towards the ultimate release of suffering? 23:05 - Could it be that the pandemic has brought good conditions for the development of Metta? 32:53 - Can Metta lead to the Jhanas and...

Teatime at Birken (3 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions:  00:00 - Welcome 00:36 - Did the Buddha teach Metta in the same structured approach as taught by lay retreat teachers? 08:46 - Is a sweet feeling in the middle of the chest a natural response when cultivating Metta? 16:30 - How do you work with joy and energy when they get in the way of sleep?   19:30 - How does Metta transform perception? 29:27 - Can the notion of a...

Teatime at Birken (2 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions:  00:00 - Welcome 00:41 - When using Metta to induce a sense of safety, images arise of the possibility of not being safe. How to best work with this? 11:01 - Of the Four Divine Abidings, is Metta the most important for our daily lives? 23:03 - How can one skillfully relate to remorse over harmful speech done in the past? 29:09 - How does one get to an embodied experience...

Edited HD version of Teatime at Birken (1 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 01:57 -  What is the relationship between Metta and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment? 06:02 - As Metta arises in the body, what sensations arise as a result? 18:15 - Is the development of good ethics (Sila) the foundation for generating Metta? 26:20 - When on this Metta cruise on the canoe, is it OK if I want to be on a yacht as...

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Ajahn Sona. Vocals by Upasikas Bodhipala & Metta.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.

From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala.  Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.