Seattle Retreat Talks-Video Mar 2007

Videos -Day by Day during the retreat

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This is the second dhamma talk (1st one not available) given during a three day retreat in Seattle, Washington 24-Mar-07 during. This one discusses the Five Hindrances, Dependent Origination, Delusion, the 6Rs, and the Smile. This helps you to understand how to meditate. What step do you need to handle the hindrances. What was the Buddha's advice on how to solve meditation problems.

• What is the 8 Fold path as Bhante describes how it relates to meditation practice.
• What is Depression? How does it arise. What does the mind do.
• Questions- Is listening to music and having joy being attached?
  

1 Hour. (Note- audio quality low -others good)

401 - MN#59 The Many Kinds of Feeling - Bahuvedaniya Sutta

The Third talk given in Seattle area, 25-Mar-07. Very good instructions on both breathing and lovingkindness. Explanations of Jhana in the way the Buddha actually taught it. 1hr.

403 - MN#53 "The Disciple in Higher Training" Sekha Sutta

The Fourth talk given in Seattle area, 26-Mar-07. 1:30 Hours.

• The 4 directions and subtle energy flows
  
• Story about sitting longer and longer, working with pain
  
• What "Attachment" is and what it isn't! Cheesecake -Pizza Hut
  
• When you look and relax into something you actually see it
• Story of Lady Anagami and monks she fed each day.
  
• How to Eat Properly. When to stop. Eating one meal a day. The benefits; Australia.
• Being Devoted to Wakefulness - Sleeping
• Explains the 4 Jhanas
• The Three Knowledges -How the Buddha attained Nibbana
  

404 - MN#107 "Discourse to Ganaka - Moggallana" Ganaka-Moggallana Sutta

The Fifth talk given in Seattle area, 27-Mar-07. This talk is concerning the training of a monk. 1:18 Hours.

• The Gradual Training of Monks just as accountants are trained.
• Monks Rules! First time on tape. Saying thank from a monk to a layperson. The proper way it is to be done: Sahdu. Tremendous Merit may be made by giving, but you must do it properly.
  
• How does Dependent Origination work? How does Craving manifest in your mind (and body)? What is clinging. How to you let it go. How do you work with the hindrances, exactly.
  
• Fighting with the Truth of the moment is the cause of suffering.
• How does smiling help? Why?
• What happens in your mind when you let go of a hindrance? What is the first stage of meditation (Jhana). Smile like a fool!
• Working with sadness and grief. How is it dangerous to your health. Indulging in these kinds of thoughts lead to illness.
• How to eat properly. When a monk can eat. Keeping precepts.
  
• The stages of meditation- Excellent description of the levels!
• Why does one student experience the fruits and one does not?
  

405 - MN#30 "The Shorter Discourse on the Heartwood" - Culasaropama Sutta

The Sixth talk given in Seattle area, 28-Mar-07. 1:31 Hours.

• A man seeking the heartwood only comes away with the branches. What is the heartwood of the teachings? Speculation on others attainments lead nowhere
  
• The lower meditation Jhana's explained.
  
• Your mind has always moved forward but now you may see movement backward.
• Attachment to family. What is the freedom from attachment.
• You can develop meditation states to do "parlor tricks"; magic but it is best to go beyond this surface level.
• Whenever you are serious, attachment is there! Time to smile!
• What is contentment? What is "Rubbish Mind?
• Vipassana as it is taught elsewhere (at0:59:00). What is it? Is it the same or different. Does it give real insight? Bhante goes to the Satipathana Sutta and shows how today's teachers are not following what the Buddha taught. Very important piece here! What is noting. What "Vipassana Meditation" is missing! Hindrances are suppressed during Vipassana and should NOT be. That is what shows you your attachment and how it arose. You start to see the impersonal nature of your mind.
  

406 - MN#48 "The Kosambians" - Kosambiya Sutta (The Verbal Daggers Sutta!)

The Seventh talk given in Seattle area, 29-Mar-07. 1:40 Hours. This Sutta describes a dispute between the scholarly or Sutta monks and the Vinaya or Rules monks. This dispute became a very divisive conflict. This is about Metta in daily life.

• The principles of cordiality. How to get along with others.
  
• What you think and ponder on is the inclination of your mind.
  
• Why is Metta Meditation easier to do than the Breathing.
• What to do in line at the grocery store? What about traffic?
• Smiling and what it does for your meditation.
• Story about San Francisco businessmen and meetings.
• Story about Joe Lieberman and debate experience.
• Using Metta to solve problems. The benefit of an uplifted mind.
• Story of Munindra and the park bench.
• Story of woman letting animals go free and the benefit. Story about fish and chickens and what they did! This woman had cancer before she started and do you know what happened next!?
• Story about woman who could sit for 4 hrs but no longer could. The power of keeping the precepts. Ants and chickens.
• Story of lady in hospital smiling. Metta through Massage.
• 12 year practice of giving food.
• How to get rid of bugs and other critters without having to kill them and break a precept.
  

407 - MN#135 "The Shorter Exposition of Kamma" - Culakammavibhanga Sutta

The Eighth talk given in Seattle area, 30-Mar-07. 2:15 Hours. This talk focuses on how Kamma works and many examples good and bad results from actions carried out in this life

• Practice your generosity by giving LIFE. How to make yourself healthy by giving life to creatures that are doomed for the cooking pot. Real life stories about this practice.
• Story of woman who cured Cancer.
• Butchers don't have a long life. Doctors too!! Why???
• The effects of Kamma on rebirth
• Mosquitoes- What to do about them and so many other types of critters. Story of Bhante and the wasp nest.
  
• Questions and answers about Kamma. Is euthanasia ok? (Answer=No) Is taking someone off of life support, killing? (Answer=no!) Is it OK to buy meat from the store?
• Eating and health- Monks rules and their benefits
• Anger and its results. Metta Meditation and its benefits.
• How does one gain influence. Hint: Sympathetic joy.
• How does one gain wealth? Why is one poor?
• Story of woman who could sit 4 hours and then could not. What did she do and how did she fix it.
• Story about Bhante's visit to hospitals in Malaysia
• The 12 year practice of generosity
• Story of woman who follow precepts but had never meditated. What happened when she sat in a chair!
• Why you should always ask questions! Einstein asked a bunch.
• Story of Hospital visits. Man with Cancer. "Miracle" healing.
  

408 - MN#128 "The Imperfections" - Upakkilesa Sutta

The Ninth talk given in Seattle area, 30-Mar-07. 1:25 Hours. This is a talk about the "big hindrances". We are back in Kosambi with monks stabbing each other with verbal daggers.

• Further instructions. How to handle doubt. How to relax. How to stay on your object of meditation. What is drowsiness? How does it happen? Detailed instructions and examples.
  
• Story of root canal job in Burma. No Novocaine!
• How Hatred can only be overcome only by love.
  

409 - MN#121 "The Shorter Discourse on Voidness" (Advanced) - Culasunnata Sutta

The Tenth talk given in Seattle area, 3-Apr-07. 1:15 Hours. This discourse discusses what the term voidness is and what it is not. This is a talk that specifically defines the 5th-8th jhanas.

• Just who is Migara's mother? Visakha!
• Story about Migara offering "Stale Fare"
• Story about Visakha's robe and her donation to the Sangha.
• The 4th Jhana (Arupa) What are there characteristics?
• Kasinas and and were they really taught by the Buddha?
• Working in the Arupa Jhanas with the vibrations of mind. How to keep continually going deeper by relaxing.
  
• Bhante goes on to discuss the cessation state and how long it occurs and the subsequent experience of Nibbana (The Path).
  
• What is Nibbana? What is it not? How does this experience occur? What is the result of this experience.
• What is the Fruition you experience later after the initial experience of Nibbana. What does the Fruition do?
• This is the entire process and the result of the practice.
  

410 - MN#19 "Two Kinds of Thought" - Dvedhavitakka Sutta (What you think & Ponder on)

This talk was given in Seattle area, March 30, 2007 1:07:00 Hours. This talk discusses the hindrances and how to handle them in your meditation. Bhante clearly tells you step by step how the mind should be trained.

• What is the real definition of Compassion? How to all people to have their pain but love them anyway.
• Stories about hospital visits and how to relate to people in pain.
• The releasing of endorphins through Metta practice.
• Detailed instructions on the "Relaxing Step".
• How does depression work. What is this state of mind exactly?
• Why worrying about a problem doesn't work. How can you really solve problems. How do you dissolve your problems away.
• People want to develop Intuitive thought-yet they ignore their own intuition.
• WHAT YOU THINK AND PONDER ON...