Guided Meditation

0:00 Enjoy the emotion and experience of real stillness when nothing moves. Report an error in the passage at 0:00

0:10 Okay, that's a nice introduction, just got me speechless. So if you want to get into a beautiful, what you think is a beautiful at this stage, posture of meditation, and we'll make it even more beautiful in a short time. Report an error in the passage at 0:10

0:27 And again, those who come for the introduction to meditation class, that's just in the room next door. Report an error in the passage at 0:27

0:48 So for those who don't know, we usually meditate for 45 minutes and I ring the chiming bell at the end so you have nothing to worry about. Forget about time for yourself. Just be here and enjoy this moment. Report an error in the passage at 0:48

1:11 Don't think about it and try and understand it through your brain. Understand it through your heart. How it feels? Report an error in the passage at 1:11

1:29 Right now, because I've been talking, you do feel a little tired. But I've been doing this for so long, I know in a few moments the mind will turn just towards the words about meditation. And then that will arouse the feelings of meditation. And the feelings of meditation will start to arouse. Those very happy moments of meditation. All in this moment with no plans, no telling you do this, do that and then this will happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:29

2:15 That's way too complex. Just learning how to be still and feel this moment. So straight away, how do you feel? Report an error in the passage at 2:15

2:32 What's it like in this body of yours at this stage of your life? On a Saturday afternoon, and just in the first few days of 2026, as much as I know, how do you feel? What Report an error in the passage at 2:32

3:02 sense of peace and happiness can you know right now? Report an error in the passage at 3:02

3:12 You don't expect this moment to start out blissful. You allow the bliss, the peace, the happiness to develop. Report an error in the passage at 3:12

3:26 First of all, I become aware of my body mostly. This body's got its aches and its stresses, just because you move it around during the day. And Report an error in the passage at 3:26

3:47 it's almost like I promised to my body, I'm not going to really work you or stretch you. I'm just going to let you be. Report an error in the passage at 3:47

4:00 It's like I'm putting you down on a cushion, on a chair, letting you relax. Report an error in the passage at 4:00

4:15 Sometimes I imagine my body just like an employee. Report an error in the passage at 4:15

4:22 I sit down, okay, this should be good enough. Now I'm going to leave you alone and go to my mind, my heart. Report an error in the passage at 4:22

4:34 My body can relax. It just does not want to be disturbed. Report an error in the passage at 4:34

4:44 Any adjustments of my body I usually do at the beginning and after about three or four minutes. Let my body stay as it is. At Report an error in the passage at 4:44

5:01 the same time, I am aware of it. I am willing to receive any messages from my own body. And sometimes it's just like, can you just slightly adjust this? A lot of times I say no, honestly. Instead I change my perception of that part of my body. I let it be as it is. Report an error in the passage at 5:01

5:34 You find that your perceptions, they have a huge amount of power which we rarely use. Report an error in the passage at 5:34

5:46 One of the things I could know, an example is my own body this moment. My chest feels a bit tight. I think I've got my waist belt on a bit tight but I don't mind. I'm just going to leave it like that because I know it's not that bad. In a few moments I will. Not even be aware of it. Report an error in the passage at 5:46

6:16 Stillness allows things to disappear. Report an error in the passage at 6:16

6:26 So I'm just not sweeping through my body as I usually teach you. I'm just being aware of my body. How Report an error in the passage at 6:26

6:38 else is my body now? Shoulders usually are a problem, but I look at them, they're good enough. But I don't just look at the problems in my body. I'm aware of those parts of my body which are really, really comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 6:38

6:57 So this is my legs right now. They're sitting down here, reasonably good posture. And I know that they're going to be fine for the next hour or two. My arms and hands, even my head. I Report an error in the passage at 6:57

7:21 don't just look at faults. If I keep being aware of faults in my body, I just get de Report an error in the passage at 7:21

7:35 -energized. So Report an error in the passage at 7:35

7:40 I start to look at the parts of the body which are... Perfect, balanced, peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 7:40

7:49 Look at all the feelings on my face, which Report an error in the passage at 7:49

7:55 is nicely relaxed. And Report an error in the passage at 7:55

8:00 when I notice the relaxed feelings in my body, that helps any feelings which aren't relaxed ease off and also be relaxed too. Report an error in the passage at 8:00

8:17 Sometimes I learn the word being a fault finder, seeing what's wrong with my body. Report an error in the passage at 8:17

8:29 Learn how to do the opposite. Being appreciative of this whole body, especially the parts of it which are at peace. And Report an error in the passage at 8:29

8:46 that peace kind of spreads. Report an error in the passage at 8:46

8:51 Peace, contentment, is kind of infectious. It makes other parts of the body content. Report an error in the passage at 8:51

9:05 That's why we have this chant in the Mettā Sutta. Learn how to be content. And easily satisfied, not demanding. And Report an error in the passage at 9:05

9:26 then what happens? My body starts to disappear and go to the world of the mind. And there's all these beautiful objects which are by their very nature peaceful and joyful. I start to become aware of my breathing. It doesn't have to be. It's just feeling the body can be so delightful. You Report an error in the passage at 9:26

9:59 start to enjoy. This meditation, for those of you who've had some wonderful meditations before, why you Report an error in the passage at 9:59

10:14 start to feel the nature of the body and the mind, where the mind is more important and it can enjoy its time being here, alert, kind, with nothing needed to do. Report an error in the passage at 10:14

10:41 It really is like the holiday. Report an error in the passage at 10:41

10:47 Retiring from this body and this world, going into the mind a place of peace, freedom and happiness. If Report an error in the passage at 10:47

11:05 you can't feel that happiness yet, be patient. Be in this moment. Allow the perception time to see how wonderful freedom is. I Report an error in the passage at 11:05

11:30 will be quiet now because my mind is beginning to refuse. To say anything. It too was just enjoy moments upon moments of peace. It's Report an error in the passage at 11:30

· · · silence, 33 minutes

44:23 getting close to the end of this meditation period. How do you feel? How Report an error in the passage at 44:23

44:59 is your body more important? How is your mind and your heart? Now Report an error in the passage at 44:59

· · · silence, 1 minute

46:23 I'm going to conclude the meditation. With the sound of the ringing gong. Thank Report an error in the passage at 46:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

47:36 you. So Report an error in the passage at 47:36

47:44 now have chance for questions from overseas. It's working again. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 47:44

47:57 First question from Lily. Dear Ajahn, how can one stay inside calm with an empty mind if the body works meanwhile in the world? The body just doesn't work. In the world, sometimes when we go to bed at night and we can close our eyes and go to sleep, we may be sleeping next to our partner, may have children, so in the next room, but nevertheless when you close your eyes, you're alone, you're still, you're in another world. Report an error in the passage at 47:57

48:42 We make all of these worlds and when one sees The power, the precedence, the most important part of this body and mind is the mind and the heart. It's kind of easy to stay calm when in this moment, as often as you can, it lessens the stress, increases the health and makes sure that your work, your time in this world is much better spent. Report an error in the passage at 48:42

49:17 It's one of those little things which I've taught and practiced too, that when you are doing a little bit of mindfulness in the middle of your busy day, no matter what you're doing, you find that your mind is clearer, wiser, does not get stressed, and also is much more productive. Report an error in the passage at 49:17

49:42 That's a weird thing. If you want to do a lot of stuff, then do a lot of nothing. And then afterwards you can actually write essays, make decisions so easy. I still remember this story of this one lady. She had really such an awful job. Awful, I wouldn't like to do it. She was a social worker and very high profile. Report an error in the passage at 49:42

50:10 Her job, her job was to sign off on whether a kid should be removed. removed from their parent or parents because it was really dangerous for them. A very compassionate, kind person. But these jobs, as you all know, would sort of change people's lives dramatically. Report an error in the passage at 50:10

50:33 And so because of that, when she came to one of my retreats, she was already tired, stressed out. She said she still hadn't finished all the work which needed to be finished off. So she said, I just had to leave it. Report an error in the passage at 50:33

51:14 insights into ways of solving these problems. And she said, couldn't believe she wasn't thinking about them, she wasn't asking the questions, the answers just came up. And I told her, please write the answers down and then just leave them until the retreat finishes. That's what she did. She said, it's amazing how productivity works. You don't waste time thinking about difficult problems. Report an error in the passage at 51:14

51:42 You've got those problems in your mind. You go and meditate, get very still, don't do anything. You let them go. And when you let them go, the answers come up very easily. Report an error in the passage at 51:42

51:55 I thought that was an amazing sort of example which I would never forget of how to solve some of the most difficult problems in life by not thinking about them. Report an error in the passage at 51:55

52:09 That's how you stay calm and even with an empty mind, but you're still very much in the world. Next question from Wolfram. Dear Ajahn, if there is no self, how come I can feel anything? There is the difficulty in that problem. You say, how come I feel anything? You've already assumed a self there. Something must exist that experiences the feelings. Report an error in the passage at 52:09

52:40 Thank you kindly. Not something exists that experiences the feelings, but you know the experience of feelings exists. But is that correct to say that is permanent, that is myself, that's who I am? If it is, it means you're going to spend the rest of eternity having to feel feelings. Is that what you would love to do? It's lovely just having no sense of self. Report an error in the passage at 52:40

53:15 There's much more freedom when you don't own anything. That's what a self does. It owns things. Even like here it owns your feelings. Is that legitimate? How many times have you tried your very best and still something goes wrong and you feel guilty about it? Is that fair? A lot of times the answer is no. This is what happens when you own things. Report an error in the passage at 53:15

53:53 There when you own things, you own our success. You'll always own. The sense of failure as well. You cannot have one without the other. And eventually we see that all those things which you're praised for or blamed for, is it really your fault? Is it the fact of your genetic makeup from your parents? How you've been taught at school? How you've been encouraged to behave? Report an error in the passage at 53:53

54:28 Say when you... Have to sign up for military service. All these little things which we've done in life. Is it really your fault? Report an error in the passage at 54:28

54:42 So after a while, it's lovely to know when there is no self and that's what you do during meditation. You do nothing. When I do nothing, it's always a much more beautiful meditation. It's weird. I always think, how can you have happiness? happiness, if you don't work for it. Report an error in the passage at 54:42

55:11 that's basically what I've been doing the last 50 years as a monk. learning how to do nothing. learning how to be peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 55:11

55:24 Ajahn Brahm. you can understand what happiness is big happiness Report an error in the passage at 55:24

55:38 questions from the floor. Report an error in the passage at 55:38

55:44 Anyone want to ask a question here? Report an error in the passage at 55:44

56:01 Is there any field as such? No, thank you. Your response to me was very funny. Like in some instances there are fields in the universe of energy. So with the Buddhist belief systems, Is there a field there that when you can go into meditation, you can go into that field as such or be in contact with that field? Report an error in the passage at 56:01

56:41 You can feel the influences. And an example of that, a story I'm sure you've heard me say, when I went on one of these pilgrimages over to the Buddhist holy sites, started off in those early days, Going to Nepal first and the place we went to obviously Kathmandu and then we went just on a walk first of all to the old imperial quarter of Nepal and I was getting bored I wanted to see Buddhist sites not ancient sites and this was the palace where The kings of Nepal would live. I was getting so bored and being a bit rebellious, as you know, often am. Report an error in the passage at 56:41

57:39 Oh yes. I'm already rebelling now. So anyway, getting bored, I just walked through one of these little arches into one of the courtyards there. And it had such terrible energy. And I was kind of shocked. You know, this wasn't a Buddhist temple. It was no part of the palace of the royalty in Nepal. When I went in there, I just, you really wanted to get out as quick as you could. Report an error in the passage at 57:39

58:13 But I said, no, I want to find out what is this? Is it just me or is it just the energy of this little courtyard? And it was the energy of the courtyard because when I went out, they were kind of looking for me. I'd, you know, where's he gone? They didn't want to lose me. And I did, I wanted to lose me. So when they found me I asked, what is this place? He said, oh you shouldn't have gone in there. Report an error in the passage at 58:13

58:41 Yeah, but what is it? It's a place where once a year they sacrifice the animals. They feel that that is a way of making sure that their whole family will last a long time. Report an error in the passage at 58:41

58:58 And honestly I did not know what was going on there. But it was a place of sacrifice and it really felt terrible. And of course that energy there was some of the worst I've ever felt. But the worst I ever felt, that once we went to a Buddhist conference over in Cambodia, it was just the way that different rich western governments could actually help and serve and make sure that A country could actually get repaired from those years of terror and torture. And then one day they asked, where do you want to go this afternoon? Report an error in the passage at 58:58

59:45 We have a free afternoon. And so we said, we wanted to go and see the killing fields. And I remember just a small bus with other Australians on this trip. And they were Catholics, they were Hindus, Muslims. We were all very friendly by this time. We were talking and joking. But as soon as you went into these killing fields, no one said a word. Everyone went quiet. You could feel the energy there. Report an error in the passage at 59:45

1:00:16 In those days, they said, you'll always see on the area around, there's always little rags come up every year. There's people who have been killed and tortured there. Basically their rags were just... Thrown out, some were actually buried there or just left to rot there. And they had this big jade here, like this pyramid, all with the skeletons of the people who died. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:16

1:00:50 And that was just, oh, that was some of the worst energy you'd ever seen or felt. And against that, when you went into other parts where, you know, the Buddhas had been enlightened, I said that, I think, last night. One of my favorite spaces was the Vulture's Peak. When I went there, there was a rock, and it was shaped like a vulture, like a big bird. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:50

1:01:21 I did, the last time I went there, it was a piece broken off. That's one of the troubles when people see it and become tourists. And I thought, it's probably broken off by somebody and taken away. But anyway... When you first went there, that was huge energy. Because you know that was one of the places where the Buddha loved to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:21

1:01:45 And it was fantastic energy. That's one of my favorite places. So there are places where it has huge energy. Places which have terrible energy. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:45

1:02:01 What I was actually trying to get at... Okay, sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:01

1:02:08 What I was actually trying to get at, it's like... I do a form of exercise and movement and I can go into the universe as Yes. Mm-hm. Yeah. to come through and I'm asking is there a field like that within Buddhism or a Buddhist thing where you can sit and meditate and you can go into that field Report an error in the passage at 1:02:08

1:02:43 Usually, no. But then, you know, whenever I do meditation, even just like that last meditation, as long as I'm not trying to describe it and tell myself what to do, you can do, feel some incredible peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:43

1:03:00 Peace, safety, happiness. You never notice, I never notice any idea of healing inside those experiences. But I always notice afterwards the body feels so much better. You have had examples of, even in your own body, of things just vanishing and staying vanished. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:00

1:03:28 So I can kind of understand but I don't call it in those terms. It's hard to describe, isn't it? If it works for you, carry on. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:28

1:03:43 You're more rebellious than I am. Excellent. Thank you for that question. Okay. You have another question over there. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:43

1:04:00 Ajahn Brahm, I remember Ajahn Brahmali talking about virya, which I sort of understood to be like a bubbly energy, a beautiful energy that comes up during meditation. Can you talk some more about that? Virya, yeah. Okay Report an error in the passage at 1:04:00

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:04:24 That's sometimes the idea of virya, this energy. People feel it's something which you have to create. It's like these other things, what you have to do in meditation, to be mindful. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:24

1:04:44 Is that another thing you create? I prefer looking at something like even mindfulness, as well as virya, as something which is natural. You don't create it. You have to get... Almost let go of all the obstacles to mindfulness, to virya. All those obstacles is what prevent it. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:44

1:05:12 Basically the human mind is naturally mindful, but it has all these other things which delete the power of that mindfulness. The human body and mind has got naturally some virya, but sometimes... That we delete it by doing silly things or thinking too much or misunderstanding what virya really means. And a good example of that is the fellow Venerable knows that this morning when we went on an alms round it was only for about an hour and that really wore me out this morning. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:12

1:05:55 I said, where was my virya? You're not really understanding what virya is. I'm a 74-year-old, I'm a 75. I'm an old person. I've got an old body. But against that, I always remember just on one of the other occasions, when I decided I was on this long walk in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, North and South Korea. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:55

1:06:30 And they wanted me to do a walk, a walk for peace, like a walking meditation. I never asked them how long it was. I forget how many kilometers, but it was a lot of kilometers. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:30

1:06:43 And it was through the zone and back again, and on the outside of the zone afterwards. And then I got to that point where I really got exhausted, but there was no way of actually getting a lift. So I remembered, what should I do? And this is where the rebelliousness comes in. And I said to my body, walk faster, instead of slowing down, which is what a sensible person would do. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:43

1:07:15 So I started walking faster when I got exhausted. I don't know what the medical explanation of this is, I'm sure there is one. But then I started getting energy, the tiredness disappeared. And I overheard, it was about two or three really young monks behind me, and they were saying, Kung Fu monk. That's what they said. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:15

1:07:38 And I was giggling, of course. But then I made the whole walk, and I was energized. It was really weird. But that was the truth of it. When I got tired, I walked faster. Do you understand that? It worked anyway. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38

1:08:03 So that's the sort of thing which you can mess around with. I love experimenting. And when you experiment and rebellion, there have been quite a few Bhutanese here recently. And it's also, it's a great segue into on the 19th and 20th of this month, there's a relic exhibition being held in the Serbian Community Center in Kenwick. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:37 And everybody's invited. There's no charge to go in. And on those days it's between, I think, 10 o 'clock and 7 p.m. Yeah, the Monday is 10 to 7, and the Tuesday is 10 to 5, I'm pretty sure. Oh, okay. But anyway, it's a lovely place to go to if you have the time. And also, in those places, You can feel energy. And the reason I first got to know the Cambodian community, a weird thing which I get up to. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:37

1:09:16 We have, every now and again, I try to raise funds for other organizations. So we had an auction, and one of the items on the auction Report an error in the passage at 1:09:16

1:09:32 Instead of doing normal things we auction, I auction Ajahn Brahm. Not a statue, not a photo or a picture. I said for 10 days you can take Ajahn Brahm wherever you like in the world as long as he keeps his Vinaya and as long as you return him in as good as or better shape than when you took him. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:32

1:10:00 And that's all he said. He was kind of... Weird and funny, I got lots of complaints about that, but nevertheless we did it. And the person who won that, I think he actually gave 100,000 I think in the end. I forget what cause that was for, but anyway it worked. And anyway he took me to Bhutan. And part of going to Bhutan was actually going to Tiger's Peak. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:00

1:10:31 Tiger's Nest, is that Tiger's Peak? Tiger's Nest, okay. And that's a walk up the mountain to Tiger's Nest. It's not a long way. It's not steep either. But there's hardly any oxygen up there. It's so high. If you breathe, you don't get as much oxygen as you just breathe once every minute over here in Perth. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:31

1:11:00 So that's always very tiring. And I got lots of complaints. I said, please, don't do that, Ajahn Brahm. He said, why not? I said, you'll die out there. You're not the fittest old monk we've seen. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:00

1:11:18 And that was great that they wanted to ban me. You don't know what it's like. I said, you can't do that. He said, yeah, I'm going to do it just because you said I can't. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:18

1:11:29 So I got up there again just because, why not? So he got up to the top there with the rest of my group. And there's so many old people in that group, as well as this old monk, and they said afterwards, thank you for getting up there because they always wanted to, they never thought they could. They were following their doctor's orders. And then when I did it, so they followed and said, thank you for inspiring us. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:29

1:11:57 So those are the sorts of things I love doing when I'm not supposed to. Yeah, good excellent, yeah. Nothing wrong with that, it's not breaking Vinaya. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:57

1:12:10 The Vinayas are monastic rules, so that's what I get up to. And of course he also got to know some of the Bhutanese community. There's only here today, one of them was here on Friday nights. But anyhow, that you get to know them and understand them. Even our tour guide, he was a local Bhutanese, so I couldn't help but ask him, are there really any yetis? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:10

1:12:42 over in Bhutan. He said, I'm a monk, senior monk, you mustn't lie to me. He said, I won't lie. And the answer is yes. He said, and in his house, which was in the north, a long way away from anywhere, he said his father had a yeti skin in his house, for good luck. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:42

1:13:15 A real yeti. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:15

1:13:20 I'm just saying what he told me. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:20

1:13:25 Interesting. But I think there's more Bhutanese have migrated to Perth than any other city in Australia. And there's more Bhutanese in Australia than any other country, I think, in the world. Maybe in India, maybe more, I'm not sure. It's amazing how many Bhutanese have come to Perth. And many of you may know, if you have an old person, a sick person, and the Bhutanese, Look after the old people, sick people, really well in the old people's homes. They're really, really kind, very nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:25

1:14:08 So sadhu, sadhu, sadhu to the Bhutanese. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:08

1:14:15 Okay, any more questions or should I finish off? Going, going. Are Report an error in the passage at 1:14:15

1:14:27 we gone? Any more? Okay, let's finish off now then. And thank you all for coming. And if any of you need to know, Again, it's the Serbian Community Centre in Kenwick. Not this week coming, but the weekend afterwards. I'll make some more announcements about it next week too. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:27

1:14:55 Unfortunately, we don't have any yetis coming. They'd make great security guards. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:55

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:15:52 I'll just let you know, I should have announced, it's also on Sunday at three to four, there is a Sutta class. This Sunday, yes. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:52

1:16:02 Being held by the senior scallywag monk. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:02