Explore every episode of the podcast Monks in the Morning from Colombo Dhamma Friends
Dive into the complete episode list for Monks in the Morning from Colombo Dhamma Friends. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
223 Visākhā Gets Her Wish
04 Nov 2021
00:28:00
Have you ever wished for something? Something you wanted really, really bad? Lots of people wish for things for themselves. New clothes, new games, a favorite food. Well, some people have a wish to help other people. That was the case with the great disciple named Visakha. Do you know about her? The Supreme Buddha said she was the best giver to the Sangha of all his female lay disciples. She had made the wish a long time ago to be this best kind of giver. In today’s sermon we’ll learn about the wish she made and how she ended up getting her wish. She didn’t get her wish because someone else gave it to her. She got it by developing many, many good qualities.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
222 Good-hearted Friends
01 Nov 2021
00:28:00
Do you know what it means if someone is good-hearted? It’s not talking about their physical heart in the middle of their chest. If someone is good-hearted then, they always act in a good way and try to help other people. In today’s sermon we will learn about what a good-hearted friend is and how we can also become a good-hearted friend to other people.
Contents
5:04 Sermon on thegood-hearted friend
11:13 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.
21:34 Therigatha: Verses of Arahant Kisāgotamī Theri
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221 Invest Your Gold in Merit
25 Oct 2021
00:28:00
If you haven’t listened to the last episode yet, you might want to go back and hear it first. Because today we’ll learn the rest of the story of the girl who offered her gold to help make a stupa.
You know, if we are fortunate enough to have lots of nice things in this life, we should always remember that it’s because of the good actions we did in the past. At the same time we need to remember that we can invest in our future by doing good things now. That’s what’s happening with the people we will learn about in the sermon today.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
220 A Girl Gifts Gold to a Stupa
20 Oct 2021
00:28:00
Have you ever seen a stupa before? Or maybe just a photo? Stupas hold the relics of the Supreme Buddha or Arahant disciples of the Supreme Buddha. Usually these relics are small pieces of bone or hair, or sometimes teeth. Showing respect to these places is a very powerful way of collecting merit, isn’t it. We learned all about that in the last programme. Well, how many of you have helped to build a stupa? This is a very rare opportunity in the world. In today’s episode we’ll learn about a young girl who showed respect to the relics by offering something you might not expect.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
219 Respect Comes from Respect, Mangala Sutta, Part 12
17 Oct 2021
00:28:00
When we are with each other we get to learn all sorts of things that help us be better people. The more we learn from our good Dhamma friends, the easier it is to remember to do the right things, even when it is difficult. This is important to remember when we do bad things… no matter what, the Buddha reminds us that we can give up doing bad things by following his teachings. And when we spend time with good people like this, we naturally start to give up these bad actions.
One of those bad qualities we need to give up is being disrespectful towards other people. Especially being disrespectful to those people whom we should respect, like monastics, our parents, our teachers, and our older relatives. Even in the time of the Supreme Buddha not everyone respected these people. Now a days especially people seem to forget to be respectful. When we aren’t respectful, it’s not just something that affects us in this life, but it can also have bad consequences in the future as well.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
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218 Heedfulness, Mangala Sutta, Part 11
15 Oct 2021
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn the next blessing in the Mahamangala sutta. Do you remember all the blessings you have learned before? If not, you can go back and listen to those shows. Just go to the show notes on the website and click on the link for the whole series of talks.
The blessing we will learn today is called heedfulness, or diligence. In the sermon we will get many similes and stories to help us understand this very important word. It’s a blessing so important that the Supreme Buddha said that all the other good qualities he taught us can fit into this one quality of heedfulness.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
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217 Dangerous Drink, Mangala Sutta, Part 10
16 Mar 2021
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn another one of the blessings that we can find in the Mahā Mangala Sutta, the great discourse on blessings. I’m sure most of you have chanted the Mangala sutta before. It’s important that we understand the meaning in detail since when we follow the Buddha’s instructions it can bring blessings into our lives now and blessings in future lives as well. And specifically today we’ll get to learn what the results of using intoxicants like alcohol are when it comes to our future life. We’ll also learn about a previous life of Arahant Sāriputta when he became addicted to alcohol and did a really terrible thing.
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216 The Four Requirements for Life
20 Feb 2021
00:28:00
So, have you ever had to move houses? If you did, were you able to pack all of your things in a box or two? Or did you have to rent a big truck? Or maybe you went on a long vacation somewhere once. Could you fit everything you needed in a shoulder bag? Or did you need lots and lots of luggage? Well, the Buddha had such compassion for his monks and nuns, that he taught them about what was necessary to have and what was not necessary. He called these things that we really need requisites. 'Requisites' is a fancy word for things that we require. Things that are important to make life livable. In fact, it is so important for monks to know about these things that during the ceremony when someone becomes a monk, the teacher has to explain what these four basic requirements for life are. So today we are going to learn what those four things are and why we can be comfortable in life as long as we have those four things.
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215 Giving with Two Intentions, Part 2
02 Feb 2021
00:28:00
In the last episode we started to learn about two sisters who practiced giving. Because of that giving, they were both reborn in heavenly worlds. Do you remember their names? One was called Bhadra, that means lucky, or fortunate. The other one was called Subhadra. That means very lucky or very fortunate. And as it turned out, Subbhadra really was more fortunate. Why? Because of the intention she had when she gave the gift. Now we are going to get to learn what that very good intention was.
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214 Giving with Two Intentions, Part 1
08 Oct 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to talk about intention. An intention is like a wish that our mind is thinking about when we do some action. For example, when we give someone some medicine, we have the intention to help that person. That’s a good action that we do with a good intention. Sometimes it’s not always easy to see what someone’s intention is when they do some action. For example, if our parents scold us, they may be doing it with the intention to help us, even though we may not like it at the time. One of the important abilities we have as human beings is the ability to think about what our intentions are when we do something, and make sure that we always act with the best intentions. That way we know that we won’t hurt other people or ourselves. Today, we are going to learn about two sisters who practice giving things away, but they do it with two different kinds of good intention. We can learn from this and make sure that we always give with the best intentions.
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213 Giving to the Maha Sangha
22 Sep 2020
00:28:00
Sometimes people wonder about whom we should give gifts to. Once King Pasenadi asked the Supreme Buddha whom he should give gifts to. The Buddha told him to give wherever made him happy. Then King Pasenadi asked him where gifts should be given so they produce the greatest results. In the sermon today, we are going to learn about the difference between giving to an ordinary beggar and giving to the Mahā Saṅgha.
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212 Dhamma Discussion: Disciples in Lockdown
16 Sep 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to listen in on a discussion that some of our good Dhamma friends had with one of the venerable monks about their time in lockdown. Now some of you may be listening to this episode long after the corona virus happened and you may not remember what it was like. So to protect ourselves and our friends, wise leaders asked people to stay at home whenever possible. This way the virus won’t spread to other people. It isn’t a punishment, it’s a way to keep everyone safe. For many, many people who don’t understand the Supreme Buddha’s teachings this situation gives them lots and lots of suffering. Because they can’t go where ever they want, they can’t see the people the like to see, they can’t eat the food they like to eat. But in this Dhamma discussion, we will learn how these kids were able to live happily in this situation even though they were scared and couldn’t do the things they were used to doing.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
211 The Story of Kali Yakshini, Part 3
15 Sep 2020
00:28:00
Today we will listen to the last part of the story of Kālī Yakshini. Although lots of terrible things happen in this story, something very wonderful happens, doesn’t it. The mother and the yakkha, who had been terrible enimies for a long time in saṁsara had the chance to give up this hatred that caused them so much suffering. Until they came to the Supreme Buddha, they had no idea how long they had been in danger because of their hatred for each other.
Dhammapada 5
Na hi verena verāni,
sammantīdha kudācanaṃ;
Averena ca sammanti,
esa dhammo sanantano.
5. Hatred never ends through hatred; by non-hatred alone does it end. This is an eternal law in this world.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
210 The Story of Kali Yakshini, Part 2
02 Sep 2020
00:28:00
In the last episode we started to learn the story of a very unfortunate family who were terrorized by a yakkha who kept eating their babies. That would have been horrible, wouldn’t it. That family definitely would have wanted to conquer the yakha. Do you know that word, conquer? When we conquer someone, it can mean we have a battle or fight with them and we win the fight. Usually we talk about conquering an enemies army, but we can use it for people to. But this family didn’t have any power to conquer the yakkha, did they. So their only hope was to go to the Supreme Buddha for help. Today we will learn what happened when they went to see the Buddha.
Dhammapada Verse
Na hi verena verāni,
sammantīdha kudācanaṃ;
Averena ca sammanti,
esa dhammo sanantano.
5. Hatred never ends through hatred; by non-hatred alone does it end. This is an eternal law in this world.
Have you ever had something strange happen to you that you couldn’t explain? We’ll start to learn the story of a family that had something really strange, and really scary, happen to them. They couldn’t understand why it was happening. In the end, and in a panic, the went to the wisest person in the world to ask for help—the Supreme Buddha. He was able to offer them protection and also give them an answer to why these things were happening.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
208 Dhamma Discussion: Novice Ordination Ceremony
07 Jul 2020
00:28:00
We have a very special show today to talk about something very special that happened recently in one of our monasteries. There was a novice ordination ceremony. Do you know what that means? It’s a special event where someone becomes a novice monk. They take the ten precepts and start wearing robes and living as a monk. As a novice monk they then keep all the precepts you may keep on the uposatha when you observe the eight precepts, but they split one of the precepts into two, and they take one more precept to give up using money. we’re gong to speak with one of the monks who attended this ceremony and he’ll tell us all about becoming a monk.
Contents
6:57 Dhamma discussion on a novice ordination ceremony
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207 Hope and Train to Be Free from Anger
06 Jul 2020
00:28:00
Lots of you have told us how you really like to practice loving-kindness meditation. This makes all the monks so happy to know that even as kids you are learning to train your minds in wholesome qualities. We also want you to remember that thoughts of loving-kindness are not just something we need to have when we meditate. We also need to know when to think in this way in real life. In the sermon today we’ll be reminded of how important it is to watch our minds and make sure that when anger arises that we work hard to replace it with thoughts of loving kindness.
Contents
5:19 Sermon on loving-kindness
16:11 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
206 The Story of Arahant Jambuka
02 Jul 2020
00:28:00
The Supreme Buddha taught us it’s very very important that we associate with good people who like to practice the Dhamma. Because when we do, our good qualities increase. But sometimes, we don't take advantage of being around good people, do we? Today we’ll learn the story of someone like that, who had the chance to spend time learning from an arahant, but instead he cursed him and chased him away. Can you believe it? See how dangerous saṁsara is? Fortunately for this person, he eventually got to meet the Supreme Buddha. I don't want to give the story away, so you’ll just have to listen.
70. The foolish ascetic who eats food with the tip of a blade of grass, month after month, is not worth a sixtieth part of the lives of the liberated ones who have realized the Dhamma.
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205 Don’t Get Tricked!
01 Jul 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever been tricked before? Maybe someone pretended to throw something to you and when you tried to catch it, it wasn’t there. Or maybe someone traded you for something, but what you got wasn’t what they promised. Well, what if I told you that we are all letting ourselves be tricked by the world all the time. That what we think we experience in the world is totally different from reality. And its because we are letting ourselves be tricked that we have to suffer. But the Supreme Buddha wasn’t tricked by the world. He saw things as they really are. In the sermon today, we’ll learn four ways that the world tricks us. They are really important, so you may want to write them down in your Monks in the Morning journal to help you remember.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
204 Where Should We Keep Our Savings?
29 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Do you have a savings account? Maybe you have a jar that you collect money in that you hope to buy something with in the future. Lots of people do. And people did that in the time of out Supreme Buddha as well. Today we will learn a wonderful sutta called the Nidhikaṇḍa Sutta: The Discourse on Savings. In this sutta, we will learn how the Buddha advised us to save for the future in a way that we are sure to get the benefit of our savings. And at the end of the show, we will get to listen to a recording that one of you made of the whole sutta. It’s really beautiful, so pay attention.
Contents
5:37 Sermon on Khp 8 Nidhikaṇḍa Sutta: The Discourse on Savings
12:25 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.
22:37 Listen to the whole Nidhikaṇḍa Sutta: The Discourse on Savings You can read the whole sutta yourself on SuttaFriends.org
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203 Five Benefits of Giving
28 Jun 2020
00:28:00
On the programme we talk a lot about how when we practice generosity it leads to being wealthy in the future. The Supreme Buddha says this again and again. Well, today we are going to learn five more benefits of giving. Some of these benefits we can even see right now in this very life. They are good to remember, so I recommend that you write them down in your special Monks in the Morning Journal. You do have a place where you keep track of what you’re learning don’t you? All you need is a small notebook you can keep with you when you listen. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it’s good to keep it just dedicated to things that you learn on the show. That way it will be easy to go back and look things up later.
The Benefits of Giving: Dānānisaṃsa Sutta AN 5.35
“Monks, there are five benefits of giving. What five?
A giver, a donor is dear and beloved by many people.
Good people associate with them.
They get a good reputation.
They don’t neglect a layperson’s duties. (keeping the five precepts)
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. These are the five benefits of giving.”
Contents
5:56 Sermon on Dānānisaṃsa Sutta AN 5.35 The Benefits of Giving
11:11 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
22:23 Verses of Arahant Nadī Kassapa
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202 Dhamma Discussion: Kids Dana
24 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to listen to a really interesting discussion between one of the venerable monks and a couple of kids who have been attending Dhamma programmes for a few years. Among other things, they are going to talk all about the process of making and offering food, or dāna, to the Mahāsangha. You can really tell that they have been learning a lot and putting what they learned into practice. Especially, they talk about good ways of thinking about things. For example, how to think if a monk doesn’t eat something that we offer. Also, what to think about when we are preparing the food we will offer. You know, we can’t always control the world around us, but we can learn to control the way we think. So let’s see what we can learn from these kids today.
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201 Overflowing Goodness
23 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Click on the links in case you missed part 1 and part 2 of the Puññābhisanda Sutta.
Today we’ll learn the rest of the Puññābhisanda sutta. You know, when we think about merit, many people only think about the physical things we do with our bodies, like giving things to the Saṅgha, or making offerings to the Supreme Buddha. Or maybe they think about things we do with our voices like reciting parittas. Well, in this sutta we learn about having confidence in the triple gem is also a kind of merit. And not just a little merit, but an overflowing source of merit. The Supreme Buddha once taught us that “Faith is the seed.” Saddhā bījaṁ. If we have faith or confidence in the Triple then from that can grow immeasurable good qualities. It’s even the cause leading up to stream entry. So lets think more about this today.
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200 Complete Confidence in the Blessed One
22 Jun 2020
00:28:00
In the last episode we started to learn the Puññābhisanda Sutta, the way to always have merit flowing into our lives. The first way is to have strong confidence in the enlightenment of the Supreme Buddha. The way that we can get this is by learning about the qualities of his mind and how his mind is different than our own minds. We can see how easily we get attached to things. We have favorite clothes, favorite foods, favorite TV shows and games. But the Supreme Buddha didn’t have any of these things. His mind was completely unattached to these kinds of things and he taught the way for us to also become unattached. This is why we can have unshakable confidence in him. We’ll learn more about that today.
Contents
5:35 Sermon on the Puññābhisanda Sutta Sutta AN 4.52
14:42 Benifits of Loving-Kindness
16:23 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
199 A River of Merit
21 Jun 2020
00:28:00
One thing the Supreme Buddha is very clear about is that we have to work hard if we want to improve our situation in life. If we want to be happy, this isn’t something we get just by wishing for it. We have to do things with our body speech and mind. But once we begin to work hard like this, then the benefits start flowing into our lives like a great river. Have you ever seen a big, strong river? It keeps flowing, doesn’t it? It doesn’t just suddenly stop and take a rest. And if it’s a big river, it doesn’t run out of water. The Supreme Buddha said that if we want goodness to continuously flow into our lives, there are things we can develop so we keep accumulating good merit all day long, night and day. We are going to learn about that today.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
198 Happy Here, Happy There, Happy Everywhere
17 Jun 2020
00:28:00
One of the things that’s so great about being a follower of the Supreme Buddha is that if we follow his advice, it brings us happiness right now as we practice his teachings, and it’s also guarenteed to bring us happiness in the future, either in a good rebirth or in attaining Nibbana. In some religions, the most people hope for is happiness in the future. But when we keep precepts, we avoid trouble here and now. When we practice generosity, we can be happy right away. And when we practice meditation, even if the benefits seem small at first, they quickly build up and we realize that it’s possible to be happy in a way that doesn’t depend on external things like material posessions. So today we’ll learn a verse in Pali that talks about this. Click on the show notes if you’d like to read them for yourself.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
197 Can Our Relatives in Heaven Help Us?
16 Jun 2020
00:28:00
When we collect good karma by practicing the Buddha’s instructions, we will often share merit with heavenly beings. And we may even have the wish that all heavenly beings protect the Dhamma and those who practice the Dhamma. Well one of you was curious if when our relatives are born in the heavenly worlds they can come back and help us in this life. So I invited one of the venerable monks to give an answer. I think you’ll be really interested in what he shares with us.
Contents
6:07 Q & A: Can our relatives in heaven help us?
17:05 Paticca Samuppada Samudayo and Nirodho, Arising and Cessation of Causality. Read online or download a PDF.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
196 Sadness from the Ones We Love
15 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Do you remember that word, kalyanamitta? It means a special kind of friend who likes to help us practice the Supreme Buddha’s teachings. That’s what we’re going to do together today, practice the Supreme Buddha’s teachings. It’s hard to find people in the world to help us practice the Dhamma, so we can be happy knowing that we have found this rare opportunity. It’s so important to have friends like all of you so we can encourage each other to make the effort while we can to learn and live by the Supreme Buddha’s teachings.
You know, when the Supreme Buddha talked about kalyanamitta, he said that of all the people that can be a good friend, the Supreme Buddha is the best. Because without him, we wouldn’t know about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. We wouldn’t understand the reason that life is full of problems. Today, we’ll hear about two people. One person gave up the chance to have the Supreme Buddha as a good friend, and one person who took full advantage of her opportunity to learn from him.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
195 Offering a Milk Rice Puja
14 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever heard of offering milk rice to the Supreme Buddha? Today two of the monks are going to talk about the practice of offering milk rice to the Supreme Buddha. In Sinhala this special kind of milk rice offering is called kiripindu Buddha Puja. Together we’ll learn about the ancient history of offering milk rice to the Buddha, how we should do it, and what the benefits are. We’ve even included some instructions in the show notes so you can also make this kind of milk rice and offer it.
Contents
5:53 Dhamma Discussion on offering milk rice
19:08 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
194 Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation
11 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to hear the eleven benefits that we get when we practice loving kindness meditation. Some of the benefits of practicing meditation we can see in this life, and some don’t come until a future life. But when we know the good things we can expect from meditating, then it’s easier to make the effort to practice right now.
Contents
5:22 Sermon
16:07 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
193 Good Friendship to Improve Our Lives
09 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn a teaching from the Supreme Buddha about the importance of friendship. We can find it in the collection called the Itivuttaka, so if you would like to read it again after the show, just click on the show notes link below and you can read it for yourself. This is one of the great things about learning the Dhamma, that we can read it for ourselves and think about it carefully whenever we like.
192 Noble People Let Go of Desire for Everything, Araham Quality pt. 4
07 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Can you remember the three knowledges we learned in the last episode? The three things that the Supreme Buddha was able to see and understand on the night of his enlightenment? The first one was the ability to remember his past lives. Not just one or two, many thousands and thousands of lives. And not just a little bit about those lives, but everything in detail. How about the second knowledge? It had to do with other people… It was the ability to see exactly how and why specific living beings are reborn according to the good and bad actions they do. And the third? He was able to see that his own mind had become purified of all defilement and that he had attained enlightenment. That means that he no longer had greed, hatred, or delusion in his mind. We’ll learn more about that quality of his mind today, and how we can benefit from having the same kind of mind.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
191 The Buddha Knows Three Important Things
04 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Have you heard about the night of the Supreme Buddha’s enlightenment? You probably remember that it happened on a Vesak full moon. And that he sat next to the river Neranjara. You may even remember that Māra tried to stop him from attaining enlightenment. But can you remember the three special things that he gained in his mind that night? We’ll learn about those three things in the sermon today. We’ll even learn the Pali words for these three things. If you can’t quite catch them in the sermon, click on the shownotes link to see them written out clearly.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
190 Drunk on Food. Araham Quality pt. 3
03 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Today we will learn more about the Arahaṁ quality of the Supreme Buddha. Do you remember the story we learned about the monks being happy with the food given to horses? Well, there’s more to the story and we will learn that today. If you haven't listened to that episode, you may want to go back and listen to it first. (187 Happy without the Defilements. Araham Quality pt. 2)
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189 Beauty Disappears
02 Jun 2020
00:28:00
Today we will learn another example of why our Supreme Buddha was the best teacher in the world. You know that sometimes the Supreme Buddha would even use his psychic powers to teach if he thought they were necessary to tame someone’s mind. Well, that’s exactly what he did in the example we’ll learn about today.
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188 Don’t Do Bad Things in Public or in Secret
31 May 2020
00:28:00
In the sermon today we are going to learn a wonderful verse taught by the Supreme Buddha. One day he was walking on alms round, collecting his meal for the day, and he saw some boys catching fish. Because he had compassion for these boys, he went up and asked them if they disliked liked suffering and if they were afraid of suffering. And what do you think they said? Of course they didn’t like to suffer and they were afraid of suffering. So just like they were catching fish, the Supreme Buddha caught them. They had to listen and think about the verse the Supreme Buddha taught and think about it very carefully. We’re going to get to do that too.
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187 Happy without the Defilements. Araham Quality pt. 2
27 May 2020
00:28:00
Today we’ll learn more about the arahaṁ quality of the Supreme Buddha. I should also mention that usually when we see the word arahaṁ written, it will end with the letter “m” with a dot over it. You may have also seen it in the phrase “Buddhaṁ saranaṁ gacchāmi. In languages like Pāli, this was a special letter that usually came at the end of words, so we use the m with a dot. But it’s pronounced like an ng sound like at the end of the word “sing.” But more important than pronunciation is the meaning. And that’s what we are going to learn today.
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186 Life Is Short, Be Heedful
26 May 2020
00:28:00
Today one of the monks is going to teach us a beautiful passage spoken by the Supreme Buddha. It’s a great reminder of how short our human life is, and how important it is that we work hard to practice the Buddha’s teachings. We may think that we are going to live a long time, but no matter how long we live, we need to try and follow the instructions the Supreme Buddha gave us. That way we’ll live happily now, we’ll be happy in our next lives, and we also have the chance to experience the ultimate goal of Nibbāna.
“Appamidaṃ, bhikkhave, manussānaṃ āyu.
“Bhikkhus, the life span of humans is short.
Gamanīyo samparāyo, kattabbaṃ kusalaṃ, caritabbaṃ brahmacariyaṃ.
You must go to the next life. So you should do what is skillful, you should practice the spiritual life.
Natthi jātassa amaraṇaṃ.
No-one born is immortal.
Yo, bhikkhave, ciraṃ jīvati, so vassasataṃ appaṃ vā bhiyyo”ti.
A long life is a hundred years or a little more.”
Contents
5:21 Sermon on SN 4.9
12:43 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
22:12 Vimāna Vatthu 4.09 Mansion of Yellow Flowers
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185 The Buddha’s Mind Is Undefiled. Araham Quality pt. 1
25 May 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn about the meaning of the word arahaṁ. I know you’ve said this word maybe even 100 times before. It’s one of the qualities of the Supreme Buddha we recite in the Itipiso gatha. And to understand the meaning of arahaṁ, we are going to learn how the Supreme Buddha was undefiled. Have you heard the word defilement before? In general we can say that a defilement is anything that pollutes or makes something dirty. It’s a fancy word, so we usually use it to talk about our minds. In our minds, things like greed, hatred, jealousy, pride, and anger are all different kinds of defilements. In the sermon, we’ll hear an example of how the Supreme Buddha’s mind was completely free from defilements.
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184 What Should We Plan For?
24 May 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever made plans to do something and your plans didn’t work out like you hoped? Maybe we planned on taking a trip and then the trip had to get canceled. Or maybe we planned to call one of our friends and talk, but we couldn’t get a hold of them? Or how about when we plan to make something, but then we realize that we don’t have everything we need to make it. You know, there’s nothing wrong with making plans. But our plans don’t always work out, do they. Sometimes people even make plans that stretch out for a long time. Like maybe we plan on getting a certain kind of job, or attending a certain university. If we don’t remember that plans don’t always work out, then we can be really sad and disappointed when we don’t get to do what we hope for.
Sometimes, people make long term plans like this, but then they die before they do what they hope to do. Today we will learn about a man who lived in the time of the Supreme Buddha who made these kinds of plans that didn’t work out. But fortunately for him he got to meet the Supreme Buddha and change his plans to something even better.
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183 The Blessing of Giving Up Evil, Mangala Sutta part 9
06 May 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn an important Pāli word. The word is pāpa. In English, this word mean evil. Now, when the Supreme Buddha uses this word, he means all the different kinds of bad things we can do, not just the really really bad actions like killing someone. He taught us that giving up all kinds of evil actions is a blessing for our lives. It’s one more of the blessings we can find in the Mangala Sutta and we’ll learn about it today.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
Contents
5:45 Sermon on AN 7.29
16:58 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
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182 Half a Day of Merit, a Very Big Result
03 May 2020
00:28:00
Do any of you remember the simile the Supreme Buddha gave for doing very small good things? He said that just like a water pot will eventually get filled even if only a few drops of water fall into the pot at a time. He said we should remember that even when we do a small good karma, we should never thing of it as a small thing. That when we do the good actions that the Buddha teaches us about, the results always come to us in a great way, much bigger than the action we did.
Today we’ll learn a story about a man who worked for Anāthapiṇḍika who tried very hard to follow Anāthapiṇḍika’s good example, even though he could only do this for a short amount of time.
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181 Victory through Blameless Actions, Mangala Sutta part 8
30 Apr 2020
00:28:00
So, tell me. Should we care what other people think of us? Should we care about being blamed by other people? This isn’t a simple question, is it? But the Buddha knew how to answer it. He said that we should care about what wise people think about us. We should care if wise people blame the actions that we do. Because when foolish people praise or blame us, it doesn’t really mean anything. Maybe a foolish person blames us for doing something good and praises us for doing something bad. But we should really care about what wise people would think about our actions. Today we are going to learn another blessing from the Mangala Sutta, the blessing of blameless deeds.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
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180 Growing a Garden of Good Qualities with Right Effort
28 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold path that’s all about practicing the teachings. It’s called Sammā Vāyāmo. In English we can say Right Effort. We’ve all heard about making effort to do things, but Right Effort is something very special and very specific. You’re going to have the chance to learn exactly what that is today.
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179 True Help for Relatives, Mangala Sutta part 7
27 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever helped your family before? I’m sure you have. Maybe you’ve given them gifts, or you took care of them when they were sick. Or maybe you have helped them with things around the house. All of these are great ways to help our relatives. But do these things help them in their next lives? No, not really. So today we’ll learn ways that we can help our relatives in this life and future lives as well.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
178 Don’t Decrease in Good Qualities
26 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever known someone who was a really good person, but then slowly they started doing bad things? This can happen to any of us. Even though now we may be trying to follow the Supreme Buddha’s teachings very carefully, it could happen that our good behaviour starts to decrease. Our teacher, the Supreme Buddha taught us seven ways that our good qualities can decrease and seven ways they can increase, and today we are going to learn what they are. They’re so important that I’d like you to right them down so you can think about them later.
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177 Sharing Merits with the Gods
22 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Recently we learned about sharing merits with ghosts. But I think you know that we often also share merit with gods as well. Today we’ll hear a story about two brothers, one good and one bad. The good brother practice dana and then dedicated the merit to gods. When the bad brother tried to cheat him, the gods looked after the good brother out of gratitude. Keep listening and you’ll learn the whole story.
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176 Like Dirt Under a Fingernail, Mangala Sutta part 6
21 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Today we are going to learn about a very important word. In Pali, the word is dhammacariyā. Can you recognize any part of that word? Dhamma-cariyā You probably know the first part: Dhamma. The second part means action or conduct. So dhammacariyā means action that matches the Dhamma. In English we can say “righteous conduct.” This is one of the blessings we get in the Maha Mangala sutta.
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes on the Maha Mangala Sutta, you might like to start at the beginning of the series. Click here. But you don't have to!
Contents
5:25 Sermon on the Mangala Sutta
18:39 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.
Optional: You may want to turn the app notifications on and change the show settings so new shows are downloaded automatically when you are on wi-fi.
175 Old Medicine for Corona Virus
20 Apr 2020
00:28:00
I think many of you may be hearing about this virus that is spreading around the world. Today, the Bhante is going to help us think about this in a wise way according to the Supreme Buddha’s teachings. That way instead of feeling worried or scared, we can know how to protect not just our bodies but most importantly our minds.
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174 Helping Ourselves and Helping Ghosts
19 Apr 2020
00:28:00
Have you ever offered dāna to monks and shared merits with your departed relatives? Have you ever wondered about how that works? Well, today we’re going to hear about an incident that happened in the time of our Supreme Buddha where a ghost came back and asked his former brother for help. I know that may sound like a scary thing, having a ghost visit. But in this situation, the person wasn’t scared because he was a monk and understood all about ghosts. He knew exactly what to do to help this ghost, and soon we’ll know too.
Contents
5:59 Sermon on Petavatthu 3.2
14:45 Paticca Samuppada Samudayo and Nirodho, Arising and Cessation of Causality. Read online or download a PDF.
22:39 Theragatha: Arahant Subhūti