The Task at Hand

0:00 Any questions or anything that came up in the meditation, in the practice? What have you been learning in terms of the kammas? Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:18 Chanting is a good way to develop samādhi. So, you know, we have meditation, but particularly for people who can't meditate easily, you know, learning the chanting, And then chanting, so you actually, you know the meaning, you know when you're chanting, and then keep the mind with that chant as you're chanting. Report an error in the passage at 0:18 Highlight the passage at 0:18

0:49 So that's actually developing samādhi. So in the forest tradition, Ajahn Mun, who's the teacher of Ajahn Chah, used to do many hours of chanting in the year. Report an error in the passage at 0:49 Highlight the passage at 0:49

1:07 And also the devas would really like you to develop some chanting. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07

1:19 Thank you. another thing you can do as well as the chanting is have the favorite teachings of the Buddha or the great teachers, and then you can chant them aloud, you know, as a way like wake up early in the morning rather than going back to sleep and do some chanting. You know, some people complain about not being able to waking up and can't go back to sleep or something, so you just get up and do some meditation meditation and or chanting. Report an error in the passage at 1:19 Highlight the passage at 1:19

1:50 chanting, or having a routine during the mornings and in the evenings. So these are just skillful means to keep the mind on the dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:50 Highlight the passage at 1:50

2:07 And even if we don't know the meaning of the chants, if we keep practicing, maybe one day when we If we develop deep meditation, we will know the meanings. Report an error in the passage at 2:07 Highlight the passage at 2:07

2:21 And that's what the great teachers tell us. Or the devas will come and tell us the meaning. Interestingly, some of the devas have been around a very long time. So they know what monks should and should not be doing. They know the call of what. They know, like, saka. As we know, Sapa became a Sotāpanna. So on the lunar observance nights at midnight, he sends down his ministers, so basically one day a week on the moon nights. Report an error in the passage at 2:21 Highlight the passage at 2:21

2:59 So at that, for example, you can set your alarm and you wake up at 11.45 if you have to work or something, and then just do an hour's meditation at midnight on the lunar observance days, four days a month. And that's the particular time when Sattva sends down his ministers to see if the Buddhists are being good Buddhists or not. Report an error in the passage at 2:59 Highlight the passage at 2:59

3:28 And if you can't do that, even just choosing one day a month, you can do one day a month where you can take the eight precepts or just the five precepts and wear white and have that day as a particular day. You can focus on the precepts and focus on the dharma meditation. And if you can't do the lunar days, then you can just do a Saturday or Sunday. Report an error in the passage at 3:28 Highlight the passage at 3:28

3:55 Many people have to work. So basically, you just try and have some kind of routine. And so with the chanting, Ajahn Ananda, actually in the book that's on the table in the library at the moment, He has a section in there about chanting that, you know, that it's a way to develop samādhi. And, yeah, so whether we learn the Dhammacak Sutta or, you know, some of the house chants or some of the deva chants, we just learn those things that inspire the mind. Report an error in the passage at 3:55 Highlight the passage at 3:55

4:42 I'm a bit... Report an error in the passage at 4:42 Highlight the passage at 4:42

5:18 You know, we have to learn how to develop bhāvanā. So bhāvanā, the Buddha always talks about bhāvanā to lay people. So, you know, we need a reason to practice so we can look at old age, we can look at sickness, we can look at death. So we think with old age, you know, I too am of the nature to grow old. I have not gone beyond old age. Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

5:49 I too I am of the nature to sicken. I have not gone beyond sickness. And I too am of the nature to die. I have not gone beyond death. And so when we're meditating sometimes, we can see, you know, at the end of an England, we can die. At the end of an Ireland, we can die. And it's hard to contemplate it this way. But at least sometimes, you know, we have to look. Report an error in the passage at 5:49 Highlight the passage at 5:49

6:23 These contemplations, we have to see that unless we become zealous, unless we become focused on the dharma for our own welfare, for the welfare of others, then old age, sickness and death will just come along and suddenly we'll be at the end of our lives and we'll wonder, what happened? How did I get here? How did everything disappear? And so the Buddha is telling us, why? Report an error in the passage at 6:23 Highlight the passage at 6:23

6:55 We have the strength, the health, the ability to build mindfulness that we need to attend to the Buddha's teachings. And it's not beyond lay people. In one city alone, at the time of the Buddha, there were 600 lay people who were Sotapannas. 600 in one city. So we can see, you know, it doesn't matter whether you're a lay person or a monk. Report an error in the passage at 6:55 Highlight the passage at 6:55

7:25 It's about the faith, having that satsang, that truthfulness and sincerity to do things as the Buddha said. Because it's only if we have that faith that we will follow the teachings as they've been laid down by the Buddha. And we will hold things up to the light and see whether it aligns with the Buddha's teachings. Report an error in the passage at 7:25 Highlight the passage at 7:25

7:55 And it's not always going to be correct. We have to understand if we had everything correct, we would already be enlightened. So we have to see that we have some course of actions in us. We have some defilements in us. And it's going to take a process of training to gain our strength, to gain our wisdom, to gain our faith. Report an error in the passage at 7:55 Highlight the passage at 7:55

8:24 That we can face Māra, so that we can overcome the challenges in our lives, so that we can perfect the Buddha's teachings. Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

8:35 And in order to become a Sotāpanna, we have to take up the path of becoming a Sotāpanna. So we have to learn what is right view. So this right view that leads to heaven, and this right view. That leads to the Buddha's teachings. And this is why, you know, to begin with, the Buddha teaches lay people the benefits of heaven and the dangers of sense pleasures. Report an error in the passage at 8:35 Highlight the passage at 8:35

9:07 Because it's because of sense pleasures that people kill, that people steal, that there's sexual misconduct, that there's drugs and alcohol, that there's heedlessness, laziness, and time wasting. Report an error in the passage at 9:07 Highlight the passage at 9:07

9:25 You know, we have to look into our own hearts and see what are the things that are blocks for us. And then as we start to practice and we keep our precepts pure, we try to correct our actions of body, speech and mind. And before we do an action by the body, by speech or mind, we think about it. As we're doing an action by body, Speech or mind, we think about it. After we do an action by body, speech or mind, we think about it. Report an error in the passage at 9:25 Highlight the passage at 9:25

10:03 What do we think about? We see. Is it in line with dharma? Is it in line with what the Buddha taught us to be doing? And the Buddha said, if there was another way, he would have taught it, but there is no other way. All the Arahants have to look right here. You know, they had to perfect right here. They had to fix their bad actions. And some of us have conceited. And we're in love with our bodies. Report an error in the passage at 10:03 Highlight the passage at 10:03

10:31 We're in love with our beauty, with our health, with our wealth. And, you know, some are deluded. Some are lazy. Some are angry. You know, some don't do things in the right way or they just get lost and have bad friends. Whatever it is, we have to see that these are just defilements. So it's not up to us to get angry at other people. The Buddha said, he abused me, he hit me, he hurt me. Report an error in the passage at 10:31 Highlight the passage at 10:31

11:06 Those who harbour such thoughts, hatred does not end. So we have to think, are we thinking in line with dharma? Because when we think that somebody hurt us, somebody hit us, somebody... did something wrong to us, we already have wrong view. So we shouldn't think like that because we're just earth, we're just water, we're just fire, we're just wind, we're just space, we're just consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 11:06 Highlight the passage at 11:06

11:39 So yes, we have to yoke to goodness, but it's not our body, you know. Here we're breathing in air. Are we the inwind? Are we the outwind? What about the next one? What about the next one? Now the air in the room, is that us? Is that them? So we see, you know, we make these assumptions. We think that it's me and mine. Report an error in the passage at 11:39 Highlight the passage at 11:39

12:11 But this is like ultimate reality. This is the Buddha teaching us, you know, what true mettā is, that we practice well. We become like a king or a queen of our own lives. We do things to a very high level, to a very high standard, and we don't worry about the actions of others. Yes, our family and our friends and certain beings, we try to help as best we can, and we have met them. Report an error in the passage at 12:11 Highlight the passage at 12:11

12:41 But we shouldn't get upset when things go wrong. We shouldn't get upset. When there's harsh speech or divisive speech or people are hit or hurt and other things because that's just the world, you know, things happen in the world but it's not alternate reality, you know. That story of Venerable Sāriputta, one day a man heard of the great power of Venerable Sāriputta and he thought that he would test him. Report an error in the passage at 12:41 Highlight the passage at 12:41

13:17 So he got a stick, this big stick, and he went and hit Venerable Sāriputta as he was walking along from behind as hard as he could. Venerable Sāriputta was very old at the time, maybe in his 70s, I'm not sure. And he just faltered and then kept walking as if nothing happened. Such was the power of his mind that he was probably just thinking, Earth hitting Earth, Earth touching Earth. Report an error in the passage at 13:17 Highlight the passage at 13:17

13:47 And such was his mindfulness that he didn't even have a moment of ill will, a moment of why is somebody hitting me. And that's the power of the great disciple of the Buddha, the right-hand disciple of the Buddha, and his supreme wisdom. And then the lay people, they heard that this man had hit Sāriputta. Report an error in the passage at 13:47 Highlight the passage at 13:47

14:09 So they all rallied together and they were going to kill him. Probably beat him to death. But he was coming along with great remorse and regret to ask Venerable Sāriputta for dharma the next day. And so there were these people coming to beat up this man. And Venerable Sāriputta said to them, well, did he hit you or did he hit me? Report an error in the passage at 14:09 Highlight the passage at 14:09

14:40 And then they said, he hit you, Venerable Sāriputta. He said, well, leave him be. Go on your way. And then he accepted the meal for dharma the next day. And, you know, so that's, you know, supreme forgiveness, supreme wisdom. It shows us how we should be thinking. So when you start thinking, oh, you know, the world is terrible and these things are happening and that happened, you see we're already trapped in wrong views, you know. Report an error in the passage at 14:40 Highlight the passage at 14:40

15:13 How many world systems have there been between the Buddhas? We might be in an age of Buddhas now, but countless aeons go by before Buddhas arise. So the whole idea of a Buddha in a world system is extremely rare. And so we have an opportunity as humans to better ourselves, to make use of The Buddha's teachings. And whether we delight in the peace of the meditation or we delight in the wisdom or some delight in the teachings of the Buddha, some delight in developing certain aspects of the mind, that's just our particular temperament. Report an error in the passage at 15:13 Highlight the passage at 15:13

16:07 We should never think that this particular way is better. In another particular way, because there are many doors to the dharma, there's 84,000 doors to the dharma, so whichever door we take, whichever doors that we take, that's just our particular temperament. So the teachers that we follow, we want to make sure we take the Buddha as our standard. Report an error in the passage at 16:07 Highlight the passage at 16:07

16:37 So from the time of the Buddha we have the Arahats. Coming down to the present. So, you know, we go to the great teachers and we question them. And we ask them, how should we live? And how should we keep our precepts? How should we develop goodness? How should we restrain ourselves? How should we develop our minds? Report an error in the passage at 16:37 Highlight the passage at 16:37

16:59 And by coming into association with good saṅgha and well-practiced saṅgha, it will give us inspiration and zeal. To practice in our own minds. And then we can come across beings who have realized Sotāpanna, Sakadagami, Andakami or Arahant. And there are lay people who have attained to some of the first three paths. And some lay people may even attain to the last path on their deathbed. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:37 The amount of people in the world who are retained is very few. We are in a time where this age of technology and information has probably been a cause for decline in dharma practice because we need noble silence, we need sensory strength. So in order to switch off From external contact, you know, beings need great self-restraint. But, you know, there are these great beings in the world. Report an error in the passage at 17:37 Highlight the passage at 17:37

18:16 So what we do is we just set up our intention. You know, may I come in contact with the true dharma by all my good actions, by all my good speech, by all my good thoughts, by my accumulated pāramī. May. I come in contact with the true dharma. May I grow in the true dharma. May I realize the true dharma. So we use that very goodness that we cultivate in our daily life as a source to make sure that we actually grow in Lord Buddha's dharma. Report an error in the passage at 18:16 Highlight the passage at 18:16

18:58 Because some beings maybe take so many lives to realize, but we have to see. We have to take up the battle in this life that we can't put it off. We can't say that because of the things in my life I can't practice. And so as lay people you have bhavana, you have mindfulness. So you use the goodness of the heart so when we're coming in contact with the world we try and do it with a light heart. Report an error in the passage at 18:58 Highlight the passage at 18:58

19:31 We try and do it with brahma-vihara. With generosity. And then when we have moments where we can direct our mind, maybe we're washing the dishes, and maybe we're going for a walk, and we can think about the Buddha, we can think about the Dharma, we can think about the Saṅgha, and we can bring inspiration into our hearts. Report an error in the passage at 19:31 Highlight the passage at 19:31

19:54 And this is a very wholesome form of bhavana, because it leads to samādhi. Because... If we can think at the Mahanama Sutta, the recollection of the Buddha, the recollection of the Dhamma, the recollection of the Saṅgha, the recollection of Sīla, of Dhamma, of the five qualities of the Devata, the heavenly beings, any of these six contemplations, usually I say just pick two. Report an error in the passage at 19:54 Highlight the passage at 19:54

20:28 Usually, so for me myself, the two that I... I have developed the most is Buddha Nisati and Sīla Nisati because without Sīla, now we're lost. And with Sīla, like the contemplation is unbroken, flawless, unblemished, unblotched, freeing, praised by the wise, ungrasped and leading to samādhi. And so we just direct. Report an error in the passage at 20:28 Highlight the passage at 20:28

21:01 Our minds, to those eight points, we think about what does this mean? That sīla is like this, that virtue is like this, that good action is like this. And we see, ah, it's because when it's like this, the mind is bright, the mind is strong, the mind is firm. And when the mind is like this, then we can practice the dharma. Report an error in the passage at 21:01 Highlight the passage at 21:01

21:24 Then we're not going to fall from the wholesome states that we've developed. We have a strong foundation. A castle can be built upon that. So we see the benefit of sīla, or like any of those six recollections, and so as we contemplate them, as we keep our mind on them, what happens, you know, is this inspiration in the meaning, inspiration in the dharma, the joy connected with the dharma. Report an error in the passage at 21:24 Highlight the passage at 21:24

21:55 And when we are joyful, the body becomes tranquil. The body that is tranquil, you know, this pity, this joy arises. And then when there's joy, then the happiness arises, the ease. And then the mind gathers into samādhi. So we have this process where, you know, we could just be washing the dishes, saying the word buddho. Report an error in the passage at 21:55 Highlight the passage at 21:55

22:21 And that connects with all those contemplations of when we've practiced. recollection of the Buddha before. We could be going to sleep and we're just reciting Buddha or going for a walk and we contemplate qualities of the Buddha. So, these are like supports for our meditation. Supports. Because once we have silo, and now we have the giving, which is the foundation, and... Report an error in the passage at 22:21 Highlight the passage at 22:21

22:53 The dharma and then the sīla, the five precepts or the eight precepts or the more precepts, depending on who one is. Then you have the bhavana and the samādhi. So if the mind doesn't gather easily into samādhi, then we can develop bhavana. For example, if we contemplate death, for many people, it just stirs them up. Or if we were to look at the elements, The body as elements may be difficult, but if we start with those six recollections, they're very easy to bring joy into the mind, because we just think about the qualities of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 22:53 Highlight the passage at 22:53

23:34 It makes our heart happy. It makes us light, because all of that power, all of that effort that the Bodhisattva did to become the Buddha. The Buddha is like the sun. By practicing to be like the moon. So the moon reflects the light of the sun. So the goodness that we're growing in, you know, it all shines from the Buddha. And it's because of the Buddha that we can grow in these wholesome states and we can direct those inner good qualities that we have to grow in the dharma because of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 23:34 Highlight the passage at 23:34

24:14 And so, you know, whether it's easy or difficult, whether we have a lot of time, a lot of time, You know, whether the body is heavy or light, whether we're lethargic or lazy, whatever our difficulties are, we just pick up one thing at a time and we see, how can I better this? How can I overcome this? You know, like nothing. There's always solutions. Like I remember in the past when I used to get upset, Report an error in the passage at 24:14 Highlight the passage at 24:14

24:52 At a very, a person with many good qualities, because sometimes when you live with people, you know, emotions can run high and we get upset and the mind gets into moods. And so what I used to do is write down a page of 20 or 30 good things about that person, you know. So it takes a lot of effort to do that. If you're upset with somebody to come up with 20 or 30 things that they haven't done as good. But then, any time you're upset with that person again, you can just go read that page again. Report an error in the passage at 24:52 Highlight the passage at 24:52

25:31 You've done the work. And so, whatever our issues are, we just try to find skillful means to overcome them. And we just use the peace of our meditation. And maybe sometimes we just Sit for 15 minutes or half an hour just to calm the mind. And then we can deal with some of the issues that we have. And coming to temples and quiet places and forests, you can also learn to quiet the mind, bring the mind to stillness. Report an error in the passage at 25:31 Highlight the passage at 25:31

26:10 And those who are agitated, like we were saying earlier, can learn some chanting. And direct the mind that way. And so the result of all of these things, of the dhana, sīla, paona, you know, all these good qualities, is that the mind starts to gather. And this gathering is what we call samādhi, what we call concentration, where the mind gathers into one point. Report an error in the passage at 26:10 Highlight the passage at 26:10

26:41 And the breath might stop for a moment. Or the Kripa Ajahn's tell us, you know, Up in a samādhi where the mind gathers into itself. And we're told in these states that even the breath can stop completely and gather in for half an hour, an hour, or even much longer for very advanced beings. But these states, this is called samādhi. So this is where either we get it in drips or we get it a lot. Report an error in the passage at 26:41 Highlight the passage at 26:41

27:16 This is called concentration. So we use this concentration then to continue backwards again and develop the Eightfold Path. So then, you know, we develop more mindfulness, we develop more right effort, more right livelihood, more right action, right speech, more right intention, more right views, and all these things. Report an error in the passage at 27:16 Highlight the passage at 27:16

27:44 We go backwards and forwards. And if we want to be beings who grow in the path, then we also need to have enough time. So maybe in the year, sometimes maybe we take a rain streak, three months, or we take two weeks or a month off, here or there, where we can focus on developing more quiet, more calm. Report an error in the passage at 27:44 Highlight the passage at 27:44

28:13 More peace and develop ourselves more. Because sometimes in the busyness of the world it's hard to keep track. Or the other option is we come to monasteries and forests or we have a quiet corner of our house or our room where we can sit and make the heart quiet and then focus on the dharma. So all of these things come together. Report an error in the passage at 28:13 Highlight the passage at 28:13

28:41 As an ability for us to make a fight against the defilements and it is possible that we can have a joyful and a happy heart that inclines to peace and for itself can, you know, realize higher determination, you know, path and fruit and even Ibanja. So this is not beyond us. And we have to teach ourselves, see what we can do to take up the task. Report an error in the passage at 28:41 Highlight the passage at 28:41

29:26 Now let us chant the verses of sharing and aspiration, through the goodness that arises from my practice. May my spiritual teachers and guides of great virtue, my mother, my father, and my relatives, the sun and the moon, and all the churches of the world. world. May the highest gods and evil forces, celestial beings, high in spirit are here and May those who are friendly, indifferent or hostile, may all beings receive the blessings of my life. Report an error in the passage at 29:26 Highlight the passage at 29:26

30:18 May they soon attain the three profits and realize the deathless through the goodness that arises from my practice and through this act of sharing may all desires and attachments quickly cease and all harmful states of mind until I realize Nibbāna in every kind of birth. May I have my prime time with mindfulness and wisdom, austerity and vicar. Report an error in the passage at 30:18 Highlight the passage at 30:18

30:57 May the forces of illusion not take hold, nor weaken my resolve. The Buddha is my excellent refuge and surpasses the protection of the dharma. The solitary Buddha is my noble Lord. The Saṅgha is my supreme support. Through the supreme power of all beings, may darkness and illusion be dispelled. Report an error in the passage at 30:57 Highlight the passage at 30:57