Role of Compassion and Loving Kindness on The Noble Eightfold Path

0:00 Today also happens to be the full moon day and today is the day that marks the end of the actual end of the rains retreat the three months rains retreat and so on such days on opposite the days the full moon and the new moon days we have a little ceremony at the monastery so it coincides today. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:24 with this program and we also so happen to have quite a few people at the monastery coming from many different states and countries too like people coming from Canberra, Western Australia and Singapore as well as New South Wales. So this is because of that we are having this program up here in our meditation hall and we had our chanting now. Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

0:50 And we will do the meditation as usual until 7.30. And then we will have our dharma talk. I also want to remind everybody that our actual official ceremony, which is called the end of the rains retreat ceremony, or sometimes people call it katina ceremony. He's on this Saturday, the 19th of October. And we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the monastery. Report an error in the passage at 0:50 Highlight the passage at 0:50

1:22 If you have not been here yet, if you have only been in touch with us on Zoom, it's a nice day to come if you are able to come and see this beautiful monastery, go for some walks and participate in this. Once a year ceremony that happens, which is quite special in the Buddhist world. So, okay. So now let's do some meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:22 Highlight the passage at 1:22

1:48 So as usual, I like to take, think about this time as time to relax. Report an error in the passage at 1:48 Highlight the passage at 1:48

1:59 For the next half hour, we have nothing else to do. Nowhere to go. We don't have to worry about anything. So all of those things will be there later on. We can deal with them. It's nice to have some time to just rest, to do nothing very much. Report an error in the passage at 1:59 Highlight the passage at 1:59

2:36 So being a weekday, even weekday or weekend, most days for most people, there's always things happening. But as we start our meditation, Report an error in the passage at 2:36 Highlight the passage at 2:36

2:51 Just have this perception of allowing all of those things to fade away. Give your consent for all of these things to go away. Because sometimes we just hang on to some things that we think are important. You can pick them up later, but for the time being, allow all of the busyness. All of the things that has happened, allow all of those things to just fade away into the background and Report an error in the passage at 2:51 Highlight the passage at 2:51

3:34 bring yourself into here, into now, into the body. This is the time we give our thinking mind a bit of a break and instead we establish our attention in the body. Report an error in the passage at 3:34 Highlight the passage at 3:34

4:00 Often I like to start by grounding myself with the touch sensations on my palms and my feet, touching the ground or touching my thighs. If you wish, you can use that. Based on that, you can ground yourself into here and now. Our Report an error in the passage at 4:00 Highlight the passage at 4:00

4:45 attitude is also very important. So whatever is happening right now, allow it to be. Accept it. Whether it is the feelings in your body, whatever emotion that is there in your mind, whatever sounds that you're hearing, any other sensations you're feeling, instead of rejecting them, just allow them to be. Report an error in the passage at 4:45 Highlight the passage at 4:45

5:23 This Report an error in the passage at 5:23 Highlight the passage at 5:23

5:34 is my time to rest and relax. But tell your mind clearly that You want to be present. You want to be here to enjoy the relaxation. That is helpful. Not to fall into sleepiness, but instead to stay alert. Report an error in the passage at 5:34 Highlight the passage at 5:34

· · · silence, 18 minutes

24:13 As we are coming close to the end of this meditation, take a few minutes to see how you feel now. How Report an error in the passage at 24:13 Highlight the passage at 24:13

24:27 is your body? And how is your mind? Report an error in the passage at 24:27 Highlight the passage at 24:27

· · · silence, 1 minute

25:03 Now I invite you to take three slow deep breaths. At the end of the last one, you can open your eyes and come out of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 25:03 Highlight the passage at 25:03

25:43 So today I have received a couple of different requests. In fact, I have invited and people have suggested. But the main topic that I'm going to speak or give address is the function of Compassion and loving kindness on the Noble Eightfold Path. This is quite a good, nice topic, important one too. Report an error in the passage at 25:43 Highlight the passage at 25:43

26:13 But also today we are very privileged and nice to have a nice group of people attending in person at the monastery. So I have asked the people as well for different topics and I wish to address as many of them. Together with this same topic because I can see that they will go together. So I'm going to start with one of the topics that two people independently asked and that is they asked the topic was why are we here? Report an error in the passage at 26:13 Highlight the passage at 26:13

26:51 Right? Good question, right? Why are we here? Now, to do real justice to this topic, I would need like a whole workshop, maybe over a couple of days or even weeks, we could talk about this. Why are we here? So this is not going to be a full explanation, but I'm going to say a few things about it to relate to it to the rest of the dharma talk. Report an error in the passage at 26:51 Highlight the passage at 26:51

27:21 So if you take for a moment, yeah. We wonder, right? Why are we? There are different ways we could ask this question, but why are we here? So even the question itself assumes that there is me. Why am I here, right? The sense of self. So already there. So that is the main problem, the delusion, what we call as delusion, yeah? Report an error in the passage at 27:21 Highlight the passage at 27:21

27:48 Ignorance. So avijja. So when that is there in the mind, it gives us a feeling of an agency within. Even though we learn the teachings of the Buddha and we learn that there is no self here, we hear about it. But when you go to brush your teeth in the morning in front of the mirror, who do you see? Me, right? Whenever you are in front of a mirror or anytime you see yourself and you call yourself and you see this body is me, the person who talks is me, the person who feels is me, the person who feels, who knows, who does all these things is me, right? Report an error in the passage at 27:48 Highlight the passage at 27:48

28:31 I, me and myself. We can't go away with it even though as a knowledge or as a teaching we know there is nobody here. So this me, myself and I is why we are here. So when there is an I, what happens? I can't be just there, right? I always want things. This is the thing. Think about it or even close your eyes for a moment, not for meditation. Report an error in the passage at 28:31 Highlight the passage at 28:31

29:02 Just close your eyes and see the movement of your mind. Your mind is constantly moving. Towards some sort of a desire, even as small as just being comfortable, adjusting how you sit, anything, any form of wanting. There's always, when I am here, there is always something that I want, constantly want. It is that craving, that is what keeps us moving. Report an error in the passage at 29:02 Highlight the passage at 29:02

29:33 Even we breathe. At the end of the day, that subtle craving of wanting to exist. And you can see, like if you suddenly fall into a body of water unexpectedly, how desperately you try to struggle to breathe because you want to exist. In the normal day-to-day life, we don't realize that that is there, that is bhavatan. Report an error in the passage at 29:33 Highlight the passage at 29:33

29:57 The craving for existence is there underlying us constantly. So that itself is there as a wanting. We are not even aware of it. But everything else, even why we blink is to give comfort to our eye. There are so many things that's constantly, but of course there are much bigger cravings too. So when I am here and when I want or when I don't want. Report an error in the passage at 29:57 Highlight the passage at 29:57

30:24 So don't want is also a form of Wanting, right? It's a rejection. So the want is the direct one that is the rāga or desire or passion or whatever you want to call it. And it's opposite side. The other side of the same coin is don't want, aversion, ill will, negativity, irritation or whatever it is that pushing things away. So these two are there and this is what. Report an error in the passage at 30:24 Highlight the passage at 30:24

30:49 continues us yeah and I recall a beautiful sutta in the middle length discourses Majjhima Nikaya called Anathapindika was one of the Buddha's main supporters who offered the Jetavana grove and where Buddha spent many many rains retreats and did lots of teachings And so when Anathapindika was passing away, Venerable Sāriputta and one of the Buddha's main disciples and Venerable Ananda was at his bedside as he was passing away. Report an error in the passage at 30:49 Highlight the passage at 30:49

31:27 And one of the instructions that he was given was like if you die attached to an eye, if you die attached to sights, If you die attached to the feelings that are born as a result of sight, eye consciousness, all of that, that whole area, if you die attached to that, you will get an eye again. And if you die attached to sounds and hearing and the ear and the sensations born from hearing and the ear consciousness, same. Report an error in the passage at 31:27 Highlight the passage at 31:27

32:11 With food, yeah? This is a real problem. People were joking and making fun of me for having ice cream today. I confess my diabetic sin confessions. It's not so easy, right? Yeah, it's easy to say, but these are very ingrained things, yeah? Our attachment to think for a moment. Are you ready? If somebody tells you that you're going to lose your tongue from tomorrow morning when you wake up, you won't have a tongue anymore left to taste anything, you're not happy, right? Report an error in the passage at 32:11 Highlight the passage at 32:11

32:51 If you say that tomorrow morning when you wake up, you will be blind or that you can't hear, yeah, it'll be difficult. I want to stop for a moment. Ursula, if you are uncomfortable sitting, you can stand up also, no problem, okay? It's really fine. Be comfortable however you want to be. Report an error in the passage at 32:51 Highlight the passage at 32:51

33:14 So this is the thing. So we have quite a lot of attachments. So once we have these cravings, we don't even think about it, but they're there. So once they're there, we are here. So why are we here? That's why we are here. But if you come to an understanding of the uselessness of going around and around in circles, eating, singing, dancing, going here, going there, seeing this, seeing that, some people still enjoy it and that's fine, no problem. Report an error in the passage at 33:14 Highlight the passage at 33:14

33:47 Yet, at least for me. But if you come to, some people have come to a point where they ask the question, why? Yeah, why? Sometimes that's why you ask that question. So if that has come, then understand why we are here and we will keep being here if we don't do something about it. So if we are attached to this sensual world or even to the world of the meditative world, jhāna world, or all of those things, anything, if you are attached to those things, well, you will get another. Report an error in the passage at 33:47 Highlight the passage at 33:47

34:25 life another birth and you'll be there and ask a question again why am i here again So that's one way of looking at it. But what am I going to do about it? How is this? So now I'm here already, can't do anything about this life, right? But what is a meaningful way to live this life? That's an important question as well, right? Sometimes it's also important. You're also not just here to eat, drink and have a jolly good time. That's fine. Report an error in the passage at 34:25 Highlight the passage at 34:25

34:53 You can do that. But if that's the only thing we did, that would be a waste of a life as well. A human life is quite precious. Why so? Because the human beings are able to comprehend wholesome and unwholesome. Report an error in the passage at 34:53 Highlight the passage at 34:53

35:15 Yeah, they can understand. Whereas any other realm like animal realm and the lower realms, it's very hard. That's why dharma is very hard for them, especially the animal realm. They can't comprehend wholesome and unwholesome. Report an error in the passage at 35:15 Highlight the passage at 35:15

35:35 But the thing is, you know, our actions, for them, it's mostly the habits that keeps them going in those same realm and stuck in those realms. It's really hard to get out of from the animal realm. But for the human beings, at least, still our habits are strong, but we can understand wholesome and unwholesome. Report an error in the passage at 35:35 Highlight the passage at 35:35

35:56 And then we can comprehend the dharma. We can understand the teachings and we can. Make use of these things. If we want to make an end as well to the suffering or the difficulties or the problem of being here, if we want to find a solution, that is possible. So human life is very precious. So not to waste it as well. And the thing is, we don't know. We don't know when, how long we are going to be here. Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:29 Because the only thing that is certain about this life, It's that once born, we will die for sure. Death will come. But we don't know when. So the time is little. And this time, we do have this incredible opportunity. Incredible, beautiful gift of having these beautiful teachings that we can make use of. Report an error in the passage at 36:29 Highlight the passage at 36:29

36:54 Either to have a pleasant, peaceful, good life here and now. Or... to make much more progress towards enlightenment whichever way whichever one suits you so so this is that and then the beautiful thing that happened that is very fortunate for us is the teachings of the Buddha is still alive there has been a Buddha in this world and we are still in that time where these teachings are available And what happened at the time when Buddha was a normal human being, right? He was a prince. He had a wife. Report an error in the passage at 36:54 Highlight the passage at 36:54

37:39 He had a son. He had a normal life. And when he became a Buddha, what he woke up to, or the insight, his big insight, is right view, understanding what's going on, the problem. Yeah, what is happening, the dependent origination, all of those things. And these teachings are available to us here. Report an error in the passage at 37:39 Highlight the passage at 37:39

38:09 And the main teaching of the right view is that there is unsatisfactoriness or suffering in the world. But the good news is suffering, the second noble truth is there is a cause for the suffering. Third noble truth is, and that can be ended. So it's a good path. So it's not about suffering. It's about ending suffering. It's a path about happiness. And the fourth noble truth is about the path leading to it called the noble eightfold path. Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:45 So this is the main teaching, the teaching that is extremely special to Buddhism or to the Buddha's teaching is the noble. And we have given several dharma talks on this subject and mentioned them. But just for the completion, just to mention them briefly, to name them, the first noble truth, sorry, the first step in the Noble Eightfold Path is Right View, Samaditti. Report an error in the passage at 38:45 Highlight the passage at 38:45

39:15 Second one is Right Intention, Sammasankappa. Third one, Sammavacha. Right speech. Fourth one, samma kammat, right action. Fifth one, samma ajiv, right livelihood. Sixth one, right effort. Samma vayama. Seventh one, samma sati, right mindfulness. And eighth one, samma samādhi or right stillness or the deep meditation. So the main topic is that where is Report an error in the passage at 39:15 Highlight the passage at 39:15

39:55 Compassion, mettā and karuṇā, loving kindness and compassion coming. Because we hear this, right? These are very important themes that come up, important meditation subjects, right? Brahmavihāra or divine abodes they are called. How come they're not on the path? We wonder, are they not there? Where are they? This is the question. What is the function? And it is really, really beautiful. Report an error in the passage at 39:55 Highlight the passage at 39:55

40:25 to think about it now going back to this why am i here problem we said there is this understanding because of the delusion i am here and also when i am here i also have lust that is rāga and also ill will and negativity dosa comes up and more the delusion of again I am here, is there. Rāga, dosa, moha and all the other defilements. I mean, enmity, negativity, ill will, all of these, so many different defilements are there. Report an error in the passage at 40:25 Highlight the passage at 40:25

41:04 So an obligeful path is about, you know, ending all of these things. So how it is important to understand how is mettā and karuṇā, loving kindness and compassion, functioning, what's their function, into. Report an error in the passage at 41:04 Highlight the passage at 41:04

41:22 This path of purification, if you want to say. Noble Eightfold Path is a path of purification of your mind, isn't it? It is a path of eradication of these defilements. Report an error in the passage at 41:22 Highlight the passage at 41:22

41:34 So if you want to think about what is Nibbāna, for a moment, because I have to bring this up to make the point. So Nibbāna or Nivana, it's the extinguishment, the meaning of that word. What is switching off something? Switching off something that is a light, a fire. That's the kind of light they had at the time of the Buddha, right? Report an error in the passage at 41:34 Highlight the passage at 41:34

42:00 That's the fire, the light they use. So nibbāna or nibbuto means just switch it off or it goes out, light going out. So the idea is fire going out. Report an error in the passage at 42:00 Highlight the passage at 42:00

42:12 So the Noble Eightfold Path is about extinguishing the fire. So are we on fire? So this is where we think about, or the Buddha says, rāga ginna, dosa ginna, moha ginna, right? So lust or desire is a fire. Think for a moment how your mind is, yeah? When you have strong desires coming up, yeah? It's like we are on fire. Report an error in the passage at 42:12 Highlight the passage at 42:12

42:39 When ill will negativity comes in our mind, it's like a fire. And my ego comes up, yeah? Moments of when somebody challenges you on your profession. Who are you to tell me? Yeah, see how it's like a fire. Yeah, comes up, your sense of self coming up and you start, I know when somebody tries to tell you, you can see these are all just in a very lighthearted way showing that all these things, these defilements are burning us. Report an error in the passage at 42:39 Highlight the passage at 42:39

43:13 Yeah, all of them are fires. So this noble eightfold path, this beautiful path, It's a path for cooling down and extinguishing these fires. So it's very interesting. Now I'm going to take up mettā, just for an example. So in the Mettā Nisamsa Sutta, this is like benefits. There are 11 benefits given by the Buddha for somebody who is practicing mettā. Report an error in the passage at 43:13 Highlight the passage at 43:13

43:44 I'm not going to talk about all eight, that's 11. That's another dharma talk. You can look it up if you search for Mettani Sanghsasutta. And one of the things is that it says, if you practice mettā, you are safe from fire, right? So no burning possible, right? And what kind of fire? This is interesting. Report an error in the passage at 43:44 Highlight the passage at 43:44

44:13 Very often people think about The bush fire or the normal fire, right? The fire. Is that the kind of fire that you have protection if you are a serious mettā meditator? Report an error in the passage at 44:13 Highlight the passage at 44:13

44:27 Now again, if you look at the suttas, there's a story called Magandiya Sutta. This is the female Magandiya, a story about that one. And I don't know whether the name of the sutta is Magandiya Sutta, but this one is somehow where, so there was... I can't remember which king it was. Who had the queen Sama? Maybe not. I can't remember one of the kings. Report an error in the passage at 44:27 Highlight the passage at 44:27

44:56 Queen Sama was the main queen. King Udena. And the second one was Mahagandha. So Mahagandha was quite jealous of the first queen, Queen Sama. And she was also very upset with the Buddha. There's a big story, but anyway, I'm not going to go into the details. So Magandiya, this queen Magandiya was also not very happy with the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 44:56 Highlight the passage at 44:56

45:20 In fact, quite angry with the Buddha. And also with this queen Sama, who was a disciple of the Buddha, was practicing. And she had like a lot of friends with her. They were all practicing mettā meditation. In fact, all the Brahma Kiharas. They were good practitioners. And one day, this Queen Sama manages to, while all of them are in meditation inside a room, they lock it all up and put the room into fire to kill all of them, including King Sama and all of her friends. Report an error in the passage at 45:20 Highlight the passage at 45:20

45:56 They were like not just mettā meditators, they were doing mettā jhānas, like they were really serious meditators. So if mettā meditation give protection against fire, they would be not dying, right? They would be alive. They would be safe. But did that happen? No, they died. They all died. But they died as anagamis, non-returners. Report an error in the passage at 45:56 Highlight the passage at 45:56

46:24 They really used that time, practiced the meditation and probably entered the jhānas and they made quite big... So what mettā meditation, for example, gives protection against is the fires of defilements. If you practice mettā meditation, you get protection or safety from burning down with lust, anger, ill will, negativity, all of those things. Report an error in the passage at 46:24 Highlight the passage at 46:24

47:03 Quite beautiful to think about, right? That's the thing. So you can see, imagine for a moment. If your heart really has these beautiful feelings of loving kindness, these days I like to think about mettā as affection. When you say affection, it's easy to bring up. Like this very simple form of affection that you would have when you see a little puppy dog or even like a little kid. Report an error in the passage at 47:03 Highlight the passage at 47:03

47:30 Anybody, simple forms of affection, beautiful feelings of affection. When your heart is full of that, when you're really happy, Do you think that you will have very gross forms of sensual desires coming up in your mind? Usually we run into the sensual world when we are suffering. This is also in the suttas. The Buddha says when the worldlings, the people who are not yet enlightened, when they are faced with suffering, any form of suffering, All they know is to run into the sensual world to find some kind of happiness. You want to eat something, listen to something, go somewhere, do something to enjoy. Report an error in the passage at 47:30 Highlight the passage at 47:30

48:13 This is what they know. But if you do have a lot of mettā, that kind of beautiful affection in your heart, you feel full, you feel nice. So you actually won't be going towards the sensual desires. And of course, mettā is the direct antidote for ill will and negativity. So that wouldn't be in your mind, yeah? Your mind is quite cool with mettā. Report an error in the passage at 48:13 Highlight the passage at 48:13

48:41 And of course, can you imagine being feeling sleepy and drowsy when you have lots of affection in your heart? It's not possible, right? You are very bright, yeah? Very nice. And will you be restless and worrying and your mind all over the place? now when you have affection if that beautiful mettā feeling is there it's very cooling and very powerful even that is not then doubt also is unlikely to be there anyway this is just to look at mettā the cooling effects of mettā just even as you're practicing so the mettā for example the function of mettā is a very powerful cooling agent yeah cooling agent of our departments a purifier of our departments so this is a big function of mirtha and karuṇā is the same all the brahmaviharas actually has that kind of same effect and Report an error in the passage at 48:41 Highlight the passage at 48:41

49:42 before i go any further i also want to say something from the suttas this is from the connected discourses from the yakka sanyuta Manibadha Samyutta. And this is Sutta number 4 from chapter 10 of Samyutta Nikaya. On one occasion, the Blessed One was dwelling among the Magadhas at Manimalaka Shrine, the haunt of the Yaka, Manibadha. Report an error in the passage at 49:42 Highlight the passage at 49:42

50:17 Then the Yaka Manibadha approached the Blessed One and in the Blessed One's presence recited this verse. it is always good for the mindful one the mindful one thrives in happiness it is better each day for the mindful one And then the Buddha gives a reply. He says, It is always good for the mindful one. The mindful one thrives in happiness. It is better each day for the mindful one. Report an error in the passage at 50:17 Highlight the passage at 50:17

50:56 But he is not free from enmity. And then said, one whose mind all day and night takes delight in harmlessness, who has loving kindness for all beings, for him there is enmity with none. So this is quite important, right? In the modern world, mindfulness is highly elevated. Report an error in the passage at 50:56 Highlight the passage at 50:56

51:27 Mindfulness is the thing, yeah? But the Buddha says, yes, mindfulness is great. Mindfulness is good. Mindfulness has many benefits. But just mindfulness is not enough to get enlightened or to eradicate all of your defilements because enmity is one of them, right? Enmity is a very important one. That we need to purify our mind with if we want to cool down. In fact, you can even feel that as a big fire. Report an error in the passage at 51:27 Highlight the passage at 51:27

51:57 When you have that kind of feelings, it's like you're on fire. So mettā meditation is the direct antidote. You need mettā in order to eradicate this enmity. To overcome enmity, just mindfulness isn't enough. Mettā is also, harmlessness is also important. Report an error in the passage at 51:57 Highlight the passage at 51:57

52:20 So where mettā is coming, even though you can't hear it in the same, it's not in the same word, is in the samma sankappa, second factor of the noble eightfold path, the right intention. Report an error in the passage at 52:20 Highlight the passage at 52:20

52:35 So the first one is nekama sankappa, that is renunciation. Second one is avyapada, so non-ill will. So non-ill will is the opposite, is mettā. So it's another way of saying mettā, is non-ill will. But also harmlessness, that is where the compassion comes up. So harmlessness, avihinsa, so that is related to compassion. So mettā and karuṇā is there in the Noble Eightfold Path in the right intention. Report an error in the passage at 52:35 Highlight the passage at 52:35

53:08 And right intention is really important, isn't it? And how are they related? So starting from the first factor, right view. So not all of it, I'm just going to take a little bit of it just to explain. It would be much more than that. And it's also nice for each one of you to think about it, contemplate it and explore your own ways. Report an error in the passage at 53:08 Highlight the passage at 53:08

53:31 I'm going to go through in one direction just to show how this is happening. Now, how does enmity come about? Right? So usually it comes about when somebody does something that is difficult for you, unfair, harmful, hurtful for yourself or to loved one or to somebody, right? So when these kinds of things happen, enmity can come up in our heart with negativity, ill will, all of that. Report an error in the passage at 53:31 Highlight the passage at 53:31

54:01 Enmity also comes up in our heart. But when we know the right view, right view says all of us, us are conditioned by our past. So we are conditioned. So that person who's giving a hard time to us is also conditioned by their past, both this life, previous lives, so many things. Report an error in the passage at 54:01 Highlight the passage at 54:01

54:31 So even though what they're doing is not right, you understand why they're doing. But more than that, you also know. That whatever we do intentionally by body, speech and mind have karmic consequences. Report an error in the passage at 54:31 Highlight the passage at 54:31

54:50 So your intention is your karmic. So whatever intentional action, so that person who is doing these terrible things that makes you feel very upset and even have enmity coming up, they have to repay for their bad. unskillful actions. When you see that, do you go and say, great, good, they deserve it, let them be punished? Or when you see their conditioned nature in saṃsāra as they are traveling, without any mindfulness in this darkness in this delusion with no help with no teachings not knowing what's going on and maybe terrible things also have happened to them during this journey which is what has shaped this person to be doing these things that are unskillful and harmful for other people but for themselves as well because when they do something they are also in danger, in difficulty because of Kami Kwasi. Report an error in the passage at 54:50 Highlight the passage at 54:50

55:58 So when you see that as part of right view, you can respond with compassion. It's important, isn't it? Because at the cost of other people, whatever they do, we can't control, we can't make the whole world to become saints and good people, right? Well, this will love all kinds of people traveling their own journey, going through in this darkness and doing all sorts of things. But at their cost, if we start having all this, you know, angry feelings, negative feelings, ill will, irritation, enmity, all of those things, it's not going to be helpful for us. Report an error in the passage at 55:58 Highlight the passage at 55:58

56:36 And that is going to keep our defilements up. So how do we cool our mind? Our own mind, purify our own mind is by seeing from right view, when you understand the conditionality, the process of cause and effect. When you see that, and also, of course, the understanding of rebirth, it has far-reaching consequences for a person, both this life and many lives to come. Report an error in the passage at 56:36 Highlight the passage at 56:36

57:07 When compassion comes up in our heart in place of enmity, you can see how. That is eradicating the defilements, how compassion is. So that is where the right intention, right intention, the second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path comes up from right view. In this occasion, you can see how it can come up. Instead of ill will and negativity, and instead of having harmful thoughts, you can have compassion, you can have loving kindness coming up. Report an error in the passage at 57:07 Highlight the passage at 57:07

57:38 That's the right intention. That is the way to respond. So how do you do when this person is doing these things? You can respond with compassion in your heart, with loving kindness in your heart and speak in a way that is good. So that would be right speech. Otherwise, if you have ill will, negativity, enmity in your heart, what kind of speech would come out of your mouth? Report an error in the passage at 57:38 Highlight the passage at 57:38

58:06 Wrong speech, right? It would be harsh speech or any form of speech that is not skillful. So you can see how from starting from right view, going into right intention and then right speech, yeah? And your actions. The opposite is also true. If when immediate negativity will come and it really was overpowering, this is when people go and hit somebody or even kill somebody, right? Report an error in the passage at 58:06 Highlight the passage at 58:06

58:36 You can go into the wrong action. But instead, if you have the right attitude, non-harm and non-ill will, instead mettā and compassion in your heart, your actions would be right. You won't be killing. That doesn't mean that you don't take actions. If the right thing, the compassionate thing is to put the person in jail if it's a really, really difficult person, Report an error in the passage at 58:36 Highlight the passage at 58:36

59:08 You can do that. That's not against the precepts, right? Taking action for somebody who's doing harm to other people or to themselves, because that at least stopped them from doing further damage to other people and stops their karma and also saves everybody else. So taking that action is not a problem. Yeah, that's right. But you don't have to have... Report an error in the passage at 59:08 Highlight the passage at 59:08

59:31 Anger, enmity, negativity. Instead, you come from a place of compassion for the person and for everybody else who's affected. This is just one example of showing. You can expand this, apply this in a bigger way. This talk is not going to be enough. The time is not going to be enough to explain, but this is just showing a gist of how we use mettā and karuṇā, the function of those in the application. Report an error in the passage at 59:31 Highlight the passage at 59:31

1:00:00 In the lived experience of the Noble Eightfold Path, in here and now. So action is good. A livelihood isn't coming up into this particular scenario, but all the effort that you go into to deal with the situation in a right way is right effort, right? Because you're doing wholesome, not unwholesome. So that is part of your right effort. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:00 Highlight the passage at 1:00:00

1:00:32 And in order to do all of that, navigate through this, do you need mindfulness? Yeah. So that is where it is coming, but that is not the right mindfulness in the direct way. It's more the sati sampajanya, mindfulness and clear comprehension. That's a starting point of mindfulness that develops into the meditative form of right mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:32 Highlight the passage at 1:00:32

1:00:56 So I have mentioned this similarly many times before, but there are people who have not heard this, but it also comes up in a very beautiful way to explain the Noble Eightfold Path and the function of mettā and karuṇā in a beautiful way. So I'm going to tell the same story again. So people who have heard this, please bear with me and have compassion and have joy. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:56 Highlight the passage at 1:00:56

1:01:25 Allowing other people who have not heard this story to hear it. And this is a story from my life when I came to Santi three and a half years ago. My first time in Santi in 2021. I came here with another nun and it was our very early days. So it's a beautiful big property, a big really wild forest next to a big national park. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:25 Highlight the passage at 1:01:25

1:01:53 And so I wanted to familiarize myself with this property. So one beautiful sunny morning, I decided to go for a walk by myself, very quietly, very mindfully, yeah, and peacefully. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:53 Highlight the passage at 1:01:53

1:02:11 And the other nun who was with me also has decided on her own to go for a walk. Halfway through, we both met up. So what happens when two people meet together? We start. What happens to the mindfulness? Mindfulness is dropped. Luckily, I had a bit of good karma. The other nine had better mindfulness than me. So this is why I'm still here and talking to you. So as we were walking, suddenly she was ahead of me. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:11 Highlight the passage at 1:02:11

1:02:45 I was behind her. It was a narrow little path. We were going through the forest and she put her hand out to stop me. So when I stopped, what did we see? Just like a foot in front of us, a huge red belly black snake. So if you know how poisonous they are, they don't give you much time to live. And we were about half an hour away from the main monastery buildings where the telephones are, where the people are, and where the vehicles are. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:45 Highlight the passage at 1:02:45

1:03:18 And if we scream or yell, nobody can hear because it's quite far. And if you try to walk after being bitten by the snake, you won't walk very far. And the red-bellied black snake can actually strike you very high. It has already lifted itself up. It's ready to strike when we saw it. So I usually ask the question, since I have a live audience here, I want to engage with you and say, What would be your honest response? If you were there with a big, huge snake, poisonous one, what would be your response? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:18 Highlight the passage at 1:03:18

1:03:59 Run. Yes. What else? Do nothing. What else? Freeze. Yes. What else? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:59 Highlight the passage at 1:03:59

1:04:14 Do you want to try that? Shall we go for a walk? Then I will find the real answers. Scream, yell, run, or some people might freeze. Yes, it's true. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:14 Highlight the passage at 1:04:14

1:04:32 Of course, we are all good Buddhists taking up our precepts, so we won't think about killing, but there are many people in the world, when they also see a poisonous snake, they will try to kill. Also, like if they are in a farm, because to save their livestock, if they have little children running around, they also take the action of killing, yeah? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:32 Highlight the passage at 1:04:32

1:04:53 That is also something that most people might do. Anyway, I'm bringing this up, right? Are they compassionate things? Some are, some aren't, right? But anyway, never mind. So even my feeling was to run because I was so scared. I wanted to run. But of course, the other man had a different plan. She grabbed my hand. Even though she's small, she was strong, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:53 Highlight the passage at 1:04:53

1:05:19 So I couldn't run. So I was in my head thinking, what are you doing? Let's go. But I didn't. I trusted her and she was calm. So I could feel her calmness. So because she's calm, I calmed down. So then we froze and we waited for a little while. After that, we took a few steps back. But what she did after that is something that if you haven't heard the talk, the story you won't tell. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:19 Highlight the passage at 1:05:19

1:05:48 You wouldn't know, but guess. So she spoke to the snake in the most beautiful voice. She's anyway very sweet and kind, gentle person, right? Very sweetly she spoke and said, oh, we didn't, I can't imitate this, right? I'm trying my best. It's much better than this. I'm trying my version. Oh, we didn't know you were here. We were just going for a walk. It's a beautiful day. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:48 Highlight the passage at 1:05:48

1:06:16 Enjoy your sunbathing. We don't actually have to go this way. We are going to go back. Have a really, really nice day. I can still remember this snake and its glassy black eyes looking at us, waiting there. And then she says, let's have a good look so we can identify this. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:16 Highlight the passage at 1:06:16

1:06:38 So we identified this, had a good look, and then we went back. But I'm 100 % sure if we wanted to go through, we could have also said, we want to go through, will you allow us? And if he stayed there for a little while, the snake would slither away. And if I was the snake, I would be flattered by the way she spoke. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:38 Highlight the passage at 1:06:38

1:07:03 She spoke words that went into the heart, right? Really kind, full of mettā, full of beautiful and respectful. Respecting the other being. Didn't say, you stupid snake. You are an animal. I am a big human. What are you doing on my road in my property? Get out of my way. Didn't say that. Didn't have any anywhere near that kind of feelings. Nothing like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:03 Highlight the passage at 1:07:03

1:07:34 So we walked back and that was just an incident. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:34 Highlight the passage at 1:07:34

1:07:41 And this is a very powerful story to remind the Noble Eightfold Path. So do you meet black snakes in your life, in your day-to-day life? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:41 Highlight the passage at 1:07:41

1:07:53 Do you meet black snake situations? Situations where anger comes up, fear comes up, anxiety, irritation, worry comes up, desires come up. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:53 Highlight the passage at 1:07:53

1:08:09 Same, right? We scream, we freeze. We try to kill the situation by words, yeah? Words can kill, isn't it? I saw once a graffiti saying, bombs don't necessarily kill people, but words do, yeah? It can kill the situation. Or we never think about that other option, that we also have a choice to deal with this situation with kindness, with care, with respect, with compassion, with loving our heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:09 Highlight the passage at 1:08:09

1:08:43 Right? Every situation. We have this choice, but we never think about it, that we don't realize. So it's very powerful. So this is where, very practically, we apply the Noble Eightfold Path here, right? So just to just think about it in the lens of Noble Eightfold Path and how the compassion and mettā comes in here in a very practical way, the function of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:43 Highlight the passage at 1:08:43

1:09:10 So with right view, you know. If you act in an unskillful way, like kill the snake, for example, or scare the snake or do something really bad to it, you know there are karmic consequences of it. So you act with kindness, without ill will, without negativity, harmlessness, right intention. So the speech was nice, the action was nice, you didn't kill or hurt or do anything bad. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:10 Highlight the passage at 1:09:10

1:09:37 So all of that is right effort, the mindfulness for that. It's a good mindfulness. So all of that. So a large part of it, the Noble Eightfold Path in day-to-day life. So for your day-to-day black snakes, remember this. Remember you have a choice of engaging with the situation with affection and compassion in your heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:37 Highlight the passage at 1:09:37

1:10:03 Your outcome will be much more powerful, much more helpful for yourself. And everybody else, your solutions to life would be better because have you ever achieved anything useful and skillful when you acted with anger, when you acted with fear, acted with anxiety, negativity, or even with strong desires? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:03 Highlight the passage at 1:10:03

1:10:27 Usually not because those things distort our perceptions. It distorts our views. It distorts our mind. These are the distortions that the Buddha talks about. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:27 Highlight the passage at 1:10:27

1:10:39 So being distorted, highly deluded in the darkness, our actions by body, speech and mind is unskillful. Who suffers first? Me, right? And we have a karmic inheritance to take with. We just chanted, you know, that's my inheritance. You know, it comes with me. So this is where it is so important. If you have mindfulness to remember when you meet your black snakes in the daily life, this is how you apply Noble Eightfold Path. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:39 Highlight the passage at 1:10:39

1:11:15 It's not like you apply Noble Eightfold Path when you're on retreat. When the computer got disconnected, we were talking about, I suppose, the practical application of the Noble Eightfold Path in the day-to-day life based on this simile of the snake encounter. It's very clear that every wakeful moment We have opportunity to practice because that is one of the questions that one of the people in the room asked. So they have been on retreat for the three months range retreat at Jana Grove. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:15 Highlight the passage at 1:11:15

1:11:50 And now going back home, so he was asking, so where to now? After the retreat, yeah? After the retreat, where to? But the thing is, we don't stop the practice, yeah? The practice is every moment. Yes, there's an intensive... level of practice when you're on a very long retreat that's like the you know actual practice and when you go out into the world that's your exam right so you have the you have to face the exam so you apply yourself and that gives you strength because it's one thing for me to tell Yeah, we can do this, spread mettā, do that and this when you meet a snake, but you have to meet the snake and see whether you can bring up mettā. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:50 Highlight the passage at 1:11:50

1:12:41 But if you have been on retreat, when you have been cultivating your mind, being meditating, more opportunity, more chances to do it. But nevertheless, whatever ability you can do, you can apply. So where to now after retreat? It doesn't stop. The practice never stops. Application of the Noble Eightfold Path is to be done every wakeful moment ideally, or as many wakeful moments as possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:41 Highlight the passage at 1:12:41

1:13:12 To remember every time you have to make a choice. Every time, not a choice, every time you are about to do something, intentional actions by body and speech, but also mind. How do you think about things, right? This is so important. We are quite good as practitioners taking care of our actions by body and speech as much as possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:12 Highlight the passage at 1:13:12

1:13:37 But what about our mind? How do you think about things? Even that is dangerous. Remember, these are the invisible snakes. Still important because our mind, whatever we think about. Ponders is what breaks into speech and actions down the track. So it is really important to remember that we have a choice. We have a choice in every opportunity to either go in our habitual way of run or freeze or scream or kill, whatever, all of those things, or act with kindness, act with wisdom, with compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:37 Highlight the passage at 1:13:37

1:14:16 And that would be... Application of the Noble Eightfold Path there. So compassion, mettā and all of those things come up in the right view. When you have right view, it comes up in your heart. That is your right intention. Breaks into your speech, to your actions and that effort is coming from there. So the whole thing essentially as somebody who is practicing this Noble Eightfold Path, the whole of the practice is actually to be coming. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:16 Highlight the passage at 1:14:16

1:14:47 From a heart of compassion, kindness, and affection. And this is what purifies. Because what is the problem? Problem is not outside. It's not the outside world. The problem is me. What we think. Problem is outside. It's this person, it's this situation, it's the COVID, or whatever it is, is the problem. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:47 Highlight the passage at 1:14:47

1:15:10 That's outside. But who's going against it? Me. So purification of myself, my own defilements is the thing. So I can't finish this even though we are going to go over time this time. This important topic without mentioning the mettā sahagatena sutta. Now this comes up in the Sanyuttanikaya. uh connected discourses uh i believe that is uh chapter 48 sutta number 54 Report an error in the passage at 1:15:10 Highlight the passage at 1:15:10

1:15:50 This is in a very brief form, I have mentioned this many times in other dharma talks as well, is that the mettā practice or this four brahmavihāra practice was pre-buddhist. Even before the time of the Buddha, this practice was there, spreading of mettā. But the Buddhist monks were asked by the others, people from the other, practicing other religions, what's the difference between how you practice mettā in Buddhism and in other religions? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:50 Highlight the passage at 1:15:50

1:16:26 It was an interesting question. The monks didn't know, so they went and asked the Buddha. What's the difference? Is there a difference? So usually this misunderstanding is still here. Sometimes even some of us may not be practicing mettā in the Buddhist way, in the way that the Buddha has recommended. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:26 Highlight the passage at 1:16:26

1:16:48 Or we may be practicing it in the other way. Like this is where we think, oh, I'm sending mettā to convert my enemy to be my friend. Yeah, I'm sending mettā to my work colleague who's giving me a hard time. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:48 Highlight the passage at 1:16:48

1:17:06 I am sending mettā to my friend who is sick to get them better. As if I am here and with my mettā I can change everybody. If that is the case, the Buddha would have cured the whole world, right? But this is not possible. I mean, of course, mettā has effects in the sense you can feel somebody kind, somebody full of affection coming into the room. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:06 Highlight the passage at 1:17:06

1:17:29 In their presence, you cool down. So there is a cooling effect that's beautiful. But that cannot get you enlightened. That cannot resolve all your problems. And that cannot necessarily cure you or protect you for anything. You have to do it yourself. So in the Buddha's dispensation, the practice of the Brahmavihāras is inwards. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:29 Highlight the passage at 1:17:29

1:17:54 To purify our own defilements, to cool down our own anger and enmity and all of other defilements. This is why I mentioned how when the heart has mettā, there is no possibility even for the hindrances to be there, let alone the defilements, which is the much closer form of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:54 Highlight the passage at 1:17:54

1:18:15 So mettā, the function of that is that cooling process. Other things are there as, you know, Things to do, but mettā is constantly there. This is why if you hear the Ajahn Brahm story about the, you know, Mrs. Y and Mr. Samatha and the dog Mettā climbing the meditation mountain and you wonder what does mettā has to do with vipassanā and samatha, you usually hear those two things. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:15 Highlight the passage at 1:18:15

1:18:42 But mettā is an integral part of it. Mettā is like the source. That's the cooling agent really. Mettā is an aspect of wisdom. This is the thing. Wisdom is how you see it. But to be wise is to be kind. Kind and compassion is coming from that wisdom. So they are quite connected. So this is interesting to see. So this is where, this is how, I mean, this is a really big topic. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:42 Highlight the passage at 1:18:42

1:19:09 It's a beautiful topic. It can be a whole retreat, a long retreat even. But even with this, just with the starting with this, if you do your own contemplation, how? Mettā, these two things, in fact, I was mostly talking about Mettā, but Karuṇā, both of those things. How are they? What's their function in the Noble Eightfold Path? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:09 Highlight the passage at 1:19:09

1:19:31 I hope I made the point to make it clear a little bit and you can build it up. And see, but most importantly, apply it. So building up mettā goes a long way and it's important. The last thing I want to say, I suppose, is that generosity, right? You say usually dana, sīla, bhavana. The noble eightfold path, another way of presenting it is like that. So that generosity, mettā and compassion, karuṇā, they are both acts of generosity, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:31 Highlight the passage at 1:19:31

1:20:03 How does it break into action? I mean, mettā and karuṇā, they are meditative states. They are mind states when you spread it and when you do it. But it also has a normal functional form. So how do you do mettā? It's by actions, being caring, being kind. This is how you do mettā. And when you do that, that is how you build up. So outside, in your day-to-day life, with your actions, with your words and the way you think about. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:03 Highlight the passage at 1:20:03

1:20:33 If you come from a place of kindness, come from friendship, coming from care, that is the kind of mind that's going to be able to bring up the stronger form of mettā into meditation, not otherwise. If you are behaving in another way, opposite way to that, do you think we can sit down and bring up mettā? Report an error in the passage at 1:20:33 Highlight the passage at 1:20:33

1:20:54 Not at all. And these are really beautiful teachings. Ajahn Brahmali always mentioned this as well, right? How the active form of mettā, how this breaks up into snowball effect when you do acts of kindness, act of care, acts of friendship. That's what builds up in your heart as mettā. And then when you go on retreat, then you can use that as mettā meditation. So it's really important to see that. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:54 Highlight the passage at 1:20:54

1:21:20 And also, A few years ago, quite a few years ago, also Ajahn Brahmali did a nice nine-day retreat. The theme was 37 factors of enlightenment, right? So all these 37 factors, at the end, I remember very clearly the last talk after having gone through all of these 37. So people were all, you know, some were new. 37 things to remember and practice. My goodness, this is too much, right? He could almost feel that that's what was going in the mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:20 Highlight the passage at 1:21:20

1:21:52 The people said, Forget about all 37. If you want just one thing to remember, to practice that will build up into all of that 37 and more, remember to be kind. Practice kindness. Take up kindness as that one thing and everything will be there. So 37 factors of enlightenment has the Noble Eightfold Path there. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:52 Highlight the passage at 1:21:52

1:22:16 Everything is there. So kindness is a driving force. It's a beautiful... powerful factor that is necessary and also sometimes lagging yeah some people forget they become very technical and finding out if i know the right technique i'll meditate and i'll get into these states and i'll get enlightened no need for this nambi pambi cream practice or some mettā and this and that they seems like all You know, not important. There are people who think like that and think, oh, I'm just Vipassanā only or just only Jaan only. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:16 Highlight the passage at 1:22:16

1:22:53 Can't do that. It's only an idea. In reality, it won't happen. Yeah, mettā is very essential. And mettā comes up in your heart as the mind becomes pure. You can't help it. You can't say it even. It comes up. And that is when the true forms of mettā comes up. When the mind becomes still, when the hindrances go down, when the defilements started to die down or become reduced, they lose their power. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:53 Highlight the passage at 1:22:53

1:23:20 That is when the real forms of mettā comes up. So the way to bring up mettā is also like that. So they are connected. So anyway, I will stop the talk here because it was a long talk. Any questions from anybody who is online? Report an error in the passage at 1:23:20 Highlight the passage at 1:23:20

1:23:40 or anybody in the room or if you want to end we can also end because it's been long let's see okay so there's questions here so can i check to see if i am understanding correctly Report an error in the passage at 1:23:40 Highlight the passage at 1:23:40

1:23:59 Does this mean that if we look at situations or issues through the lens of the four Brahmavihāras, then we are likely to stay true to the Noble Eightfold Path? Yes, absolutely. Would you agree, people in the room? Yes, that's what essentially I was trying to say or the Buddha is trying to say in everywhere in the suttas. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:59 Highlight the passage at 1:23:59

1:24:26 So the Michael says, so the Buddhist path is to put your own fire out. Absolutely. Putting your own fire out is the Buddhist path and the function of mettā also in the Buddhist path. Yes. And that is why we practice mettā to purify our mind. And once our mind, once our own fire is put out, then true forms of mettā comes from our heart and goes out, spreads out. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:26 Highlight the passage at 1:24:26

1:24:54 Yeah. That's a really beautiful way to think about it. Okay, thank you for those questions. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:54 Highlight the passage at 1:24:54