AJAHN CATTAMALO at Dhammagiri | New Year's Day Dhamma Talk | "What's Nice about Being a Monk"
Before the auspicious paritta chanting on New Year's Day, Ajahn Cattamalo shares some short Dhamma reflections at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Venerable Ajahn Cattamalo is the founding senior monk of Muttodaya Waldkloster (Muttodaya Forest Monastery) in Germany. Associated both with the tradition of Ajahn Chah and the Dhammayut tradition, in particular Luang Por Tongdaeng, Muttodaya is located in the beautiful spruce forest of the Fichtelgebirge in Frankonia, Bavaria. Ajahn Cattamalo and Ajahn Dhammasiha know each other for over 30 years. They met first at Island Hermitage, Polgasduwa, Sri Lankia in April 1994, when Ajahn Dhammasiha was still a lay person during his first ever stay in a Buddhist monastery.WebsiteOur Spotify PlaylistsNewsletterDhammagiri Youtube ChannelPics#buddhism #dhamma #dhammatalk #buddhistwisdom #buddhiststory #insight
Gratitude: Count Your Blessings | Guided Buddhist Meditation | Ajahn Dhammasiha | Kataññu Katavedi
At the end of the year, we're usually focussed on resolutions for the future. But we may overlook good things we already have, and good qualities we already have developed in our character. Reflecting on all the good things we can be grateful for doesn't mean denying all the bad things happening in the world. However, if we're only focussed on the bad stuff, our mind is in danger to become angry of depressed.If we acknowledge all the good things we receive, our mind will be uplifted and joyful.In this guided meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to recollect those fundamental things we usually take for granted, but which are in reality great blessings.Instead of having a long list of complaints, rather let us consider what we have to be grateful for:Born as a human being in a peaceful, wealthy country like AustraliaIn reasonable good health with unimpaired mental facultiesAt a time when the teaching of Buddha is still availableWhen we have 'Kalyaṇa-Mitta' (good spiritual friends)When we have Forest MonasteriesAnd when we have at least some confidence/faith in the Triple Gem(...)( There are many more, feel free to fill in all the other blessings you can find in your own meditation 😊 )When we count our blessings, we feel contenment, satisfaction and joy in our meditation, and the mind can settle down easily.WebsiteOur Spotify PlaylistsNewsletterDhammagiri Youtube ChannelPics#meditation #buddhistmeditation #buddhism #dhamma #blessings
Santa Meditation - Empty the Heavy Sack! | Guided Meditation | Buddhist Xmas | Ajahn Dhammasiha
In this guided meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha uses Santa Claus as a metaphor for the process of emptying the mind.Santa's job is to give gifts to all the kids for Christmas. He's working very hard to fulfill this task, travelling on his sleigh carrying a very big and heavy sack with all the presents. Similarly, our mind is carrying around the heavy load of all kinds of different emotions, feelings, moods, worries, desires, hopes, concerns, phantasies, images, thoughts... and so on.When Santa takes the gifts out of his sack, his task is simply to give it away to the kid that requested that particular gift. Whether the gift is some beautiful doll, or some ugly monster, or some boring game, Santa is not getting involved at all:He's not terrified at the monsterHe's not attached to the handsome doll trying to keep it for himselfHe's not throwing away some yukky looking Ninja Turtle in disgustWhatever he finds in the sack, he just acknowledges it and then gives it away to the kid it's meant for, without clinging or aversion to the gifts.Similarly, whatever comes up in our mind, we just acknowledge it for what it is, but don't get involved at all. We don't attach to the pleasant stuff, we're not averse to the unpleasant mental objects, no liking, no disliking, no holding on. It's not our's anyhow, so we just give it all away, letting go, emptying our mind.WebsiteOur Spotify PlaylistsNewsletterDhammagiri Youtube ChannelPics#xmas #christmas #meditation #buddhistmeditation #buddhism #dhamma
Be Like Santa Claus - Give Everything Away! | Buddhist Xmas | Christmas | Ajahn Dhammasiha
Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to "be a good Santa".A good Santa Claus will give all the gifts to the kids.A bad Santa may cheat and keep the most expensive presents for himself.Similarly, our task as followers of the Sakyan Sage is to not hold back, but to give absolutely everything away.Not literally giving away, but letting go of absolutely everything:Whether it's material objects, or relationships, loved ones, or our own feelings, emotions, thoughts, views, intentions, consciousness...If we're a good Santa, we let go completely without holding back.WebsiteOur Spotify PlaylistsNewsletterDhammagiri Youtube ChannelPics#xmas #christmas #dhammatalk #buddhism #buddhistwisdom #dhamma
TAN SAMVARO | The Essence of Dhamma Practice | Essential Buddhist Teaching | Ven Saṃvaro
Ven. Samvaro has stayed with us for here at Dhammagiri for one month in November to December 2025. In this short (10 min) video, recorded after the Saturday morning Changting and Refuge & Precepts Session, Tan Samvaro answers a question from the audience: With all the various Buddhist teachings we here about, what's the gist of them all? What do we really have to focus on in our practice? Venerable Saṃvaro is currently resident at Vimutti Monastery, Auckland, New Zealand, looking after the management of the monastery, and conducting most of the Dhamma teachings there: https://atba.nzWebsiteOur Spotify PlaylistsNewsletterDhammagiri Youtube ChannelPics#dhammatalk #buddhism #meditation #buddhistmeditation #buddhistwisdom