Monks in the Morning from Colombo Dhamma Friends

223 Visākhā Gets Her Wish

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 02:49:23 +0000

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.

Yathāpi puppharāsimhā, kayirā mālāguṇe bahū; Evaṃ jātena maccena, kattabbaṃ kusalaṃ bahuṃ.

53. As an expert garland maker makes many garlands from a heap of flowers, you who obtained the human life should do many wholesome deeds.

Dhammapada Verse 53, read on SuttaFriends.org

6:15 Sermon 12:54 Canda Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 21:25 Petavatthu Pv 1.10 Khallāṭiya Sutta: Dressed in Hair Read it online on SuttaFriends.org

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.
Stories of Ghosts from the Petavatthu. Get a copy of the print book or read for free online.

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222 Good-hearted Friends

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 16:30:00 +0000

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.

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

For Reading

Thig 10.1 The Verses of Arahant Nun Kisāgotamī

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221 Invest Your Gold in Merit

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 18:09:00 +0000

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.

5:25 Sermon 13:42 Dhammapada Verse 31 Read it on SuttaFriends.org: Dhp 2 Appamāda Vagga: Diligence (21-32) 14:45 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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220 A Girl Gifts Gold to a Stupa

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 03:01:46 +0000

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.

6:29 Sermon

17: 58 Angulimala Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 17:47 Vimāna Vatthu 7.8 Anekavaṇṇa Sutta: Mansion of Many Colors

Reading

Stories of Heavenly Mansions from the Vimanavatthu Get your own copy. Or read online.

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219 Respect Comes from Respect, Mangala Sutta, Part 12

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 21:34:00 +0000

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!

6:40 Sermon 19:31 Mora Paritta. Read online or download a pdf.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Print Book.

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218 Heedfulness, Mangala Sutta, Part 11

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 04:16:01 +0000

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!

Learn More:

Read Dhp 2 Appamāda Vagga: Diligence (21-32)
Read SN 15.11 Duggata Sutta: The Poor Person, Is our suffering unique?

5:30 Sermon 16:11 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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217 Dangerous Drink, Mangala Sutta, Part 10

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 11:48:37 +0000

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.

5:40 Sermon on the Maha Mangala Sutta 13:14 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

For Reading

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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216 The Four Requirements for Life

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 09:52:05 +0000

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.

6:25 Sermon 15:24 Lokavabodha Sutta. Download a PDF or read online.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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215 Giving with Two Intentions, Part 2

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 12:07:58 +0000

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.

5:16 Sermon on the Daddallavimānavatthu Sutta 15:07 Dhammapada Verses 1 & 2 17:47 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

Reading

Dhammapada: What Does the Buddha Really Teach. Get your own copy or read online for free.
Stories of Heavenly Mansions from the Vimanavatthu Get your own copy. Or read online.

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214 Giving with Two Intentions, Part 1

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 10:44:49 +0000

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.

6:10 Sermon on Pv 3.6 Dazzling Mansion (Read the sutta on SuttaFriends.org) 14.54 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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213 Giving to the Maha Sangha

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 09:35:33 +0000

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.

4:24 Sermon 13:59 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

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212 Dhamma Discussion: Disciples in Lockdown

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 08:21:24 +0000

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.

5:46 Dhamma Discussion

211 The Story of Kali Yakshini, Part 3

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 05:02:37 +0000

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.

5:29 Sermon 17:41 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Read online or download a PDF.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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210 The Story of Kali Yakshini, Part 2

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:39:10 +0000

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.

Read the whole chapter on SuttaFriends.org.

5:57 Sermon 19:28 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

Reading

Dhammapada: What Does the Buddha Really Teach. Get a copy of the print book or read online for free.

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209 The Story of Kali Yakshini, Part 1

Sun, 12 Jul 2020 09:22:46 +0000

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.

5:31 Part 1 of the story of Kālī the Yakkhini 16:49 Suriya Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Print Book.

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208 Dhamma Discussion: Novice Ordination Ceremony

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 14:36:38 +0000

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.

6:57 Dhamma discussion on a novice ordination ceremony

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207 Hope and Train to Be Free from Anger

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:37:29 +0000

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.

5:19 Sermon on loving-kindness 16:11 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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206 The Story of Arahant Jambuka

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:18:25 +0000

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.

Theragatha

Read the Verses of Arahant Jambuka in the Theragāthā on SuttaFriends.org.

Dhammapada

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.

Read the whole Dhammapada chapter on SuttaFriends.org.

6:05 Dhammapada 70, the story of Arahant Jambuka. 23:20 Vimana Vatthu 6.4 Lodging Giver's Mansion

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205 Don’t Get Tricked!

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 11:47:43 +0000

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.

5:32 Sermon 14:58 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

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204 Where Should We Keep Our Savings?

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 13:55:24 +0000

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.

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

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Print Book.

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203 Five Benefits of Giving

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 14:33:37 +0000

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.”

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

Related Book

The Voice of Enlightened Monks: Theragatha. Get your own copy.

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202 Dhamma Discussion: Kids Dana

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:47:02 +0000

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.

4:57 Discussion: Kids Offering Dana 19:57 Mora Paritta. Read online or download a pdf.

For Reading

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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201 Overflowing Goodness

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 07:46:37 +0000

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.

5:41 Final Sermon on the Puññābhisandha Sutta 16:24 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Read online or download a PDF.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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200 Complete Confidence in the Blessed One

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 14:50:25 +0000

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.

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.

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199 A River of Merit

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 08:57:16 +0000

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.

6:04 Sermon on the Puññābhisanda Sutta AN 4.52 16:33 Maha Kassapa Thera Paritta. Download a copy or read online.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Print Book.

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198 Happy Here, Happy There, Happy Everywhere

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 14:22:22 +0000

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.

6:14 Sermon on Itivuttaka 17 12:37 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3. 19:53 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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197 Can Our Relatives in Heaven Help Us?

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:59:11 +0000

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.

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.

For Reading

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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196 Sadness from the Ones We Love

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:01:14 +0000

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.

6:04 Sermon 19:40 Maranasati verses on mindfulness of death. Read on line, download a PDF or MP3.

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

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195 Offering a Milk Rice Puja

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 09:19:35 +0000

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.

5:53 Dhamma Discussion on offering milk rice 19:08 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

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194 Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:32:34 +0000

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.

5:22 Sermon 16:07 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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193 Good Friendship to Improve Our Lives

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 09:33:42 +0000

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.

5:18 Sermon on Itivuttaka 17 10:45 Khanda Paritta. Read along online or download a PDF. 17:06 My Merit Methods: Learning from three sisters

Related Book

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Get your own copy.

192 Noble People Let Go of Desire for Everything, Araham Quality pt. 4

Sun, 07 Jun 2020 12:15:34 +0000

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.

6:04 Sermon 14:18 Angulimala Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 19:06 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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191 The Buddha Knows Three Important Things

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 14:30:22 +0000

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.

5:43 Sermon 13:04 Lokavabodha Sutta. Download a PDF or read online. 23:30 Verses of Arahant Vaḍḍha. Read them online!

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190 Drunk on Food. Araham Quality pt. 3

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 07:55:43 +0000

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)

5:28 Sermon

15:47 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

Reading

Dhammapada: What Does the Buddha Really Teach. Get a copy of the print book or read online for free.

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189 Beauty Disappears

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:50:16 +0000

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.

5:23 Sermon 17:34 Chanda Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

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188 Don’t Do Bad Things in Public or in Secret

Sun, 31 May 2020 15:23:54 +0000

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.

5:46 Sermon on Udāna 5.4 Ud 5:4 Kumāra Sutta 11:51 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3. 22:24 Theragāthā Verses of Arahant Sumana. Read them online

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187 Happy without the Defilements. Araham Quality pt. 2

Wed, 27 May 2020 14:50:45 +0000

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.

6:08 Sermon 16:41 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

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186 Life Is Short, Be Heedful

Tue, 26 May 2020 15:04:58 +0000

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.”

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

Mon, 25 May 2020 14:12:19 +0000

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.

5:46 Sermon

20:02 Angulimala Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 24:24 Thag 5.3 Girimananda Arahant

Reading

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The Voice of Enlightened Monks: Theragatha. Get your own copy.

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184 What Should We Plan For?

Sun, 24 May 2020 14:36:02 +0000

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.

6:37 Sermon 19:17 Maranasati verses on mindfulness of death. Read on line, download a PDF or MP3.

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183 The Blessing of Giving Up Evil, Mangala Sutta part 9

Wed, 06 May 2020 10:21:07 +0000

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!

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

Sun, 03 May 2020 11:46:20 +0000

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.

5:46 Sermon 16:41 Mittānisansa Sutta. Download a copy or read online.

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181 Victory through Blameless Actions, Mangala Sutta part 8

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 11:35:22 +0000

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!

5:59 Sermon on the Mangala Sutta 15:36 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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180 Growing a Garden of Good Qualities with Right Effort

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:54:36 +0000

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.

5:57 Sermon 16:45 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Read online or download a PDF.

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179 True Help for Relatives, Mangala Sutta part 7

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:00:19 +0000

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!

5:17 Sermon on AN 9.5 Powers 18:47 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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178 Don’t Decrease in Good Qualities

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 11:43:52 +0000

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.

5:33 Sermon on AN 7.29 19:26 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

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177 Sharing Merits with the Gods

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 11:49:00 +0000

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.

5:20 Sermon on the Macch-Uddana-Jataka Number 288 14:08 Lokavabodha Sutta. Download a PDF or read online. 24:17 What you learned from Episode 157 What Exactly Is Right and Wrong View?

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176 Like Dirt Under a Fingernail, Mangala Sutta part 6

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 10:38:14 +0000

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!

5:25 Sermon on the Mangala Sutta 18:39 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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175 Old Medicine for Corona Virus

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 12:03:17 +0000

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.

5:41 Sermon 20:09 Mora Paritta. Read online or download a pdf.

Reading

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174 Helping Ourselves and Helping Ghosts

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:31:33 +0000

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.

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

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The Voice of Enlightened Monks: Theragatha.
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173 A Simple Method to See Suffering

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 06:43:20 +0000

When the Supreme Buddha was still alive, people would go and ask him all kinds of questions. Some people asked questions to try and trick the Buddha, but some wise people asked very important questions, and so they got very important answers. We’ll meet one of these wise people today. His name is Bhadraka. Actually the word bhadraka means a fortunate person. And this Bhadraka really was a bhadraka because he was fortunate to learn the cause and ending of suffering from the Supreme Buddha’s own sacred mouth. And we’re also a bhadraka because we get to learn this too.

5:23 Sermon on the Bhadraka Sutta 13:47 Voice of Enlightened Nuns: Therigatha. Get a copy of the print book or listen on line for free. 15:26 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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172 Shocked by Impermanance

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 08:04:51 +0000

How have you been doing with your job of being an investigator? Remember I asked you to start looking around you to see if you could find anything that lasted forever, using your powers of investigation. Well, today we’ll learn about a man who was shocked when he realized that things were impermanent. If we keep with our job of investigating, then we won’t be shocked like he was.

5:19 Sermon 16:28 Ratana Sutta. Read online or download a PDF.

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171 Super Giving with Five Factors

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 15:02:41 +0000

What do you think? Does a gift need to be very big and expensive to collect merit? No, it doesn’t. Our teacher, the Supreme Buddha taught us that how we are thinking and the way we give the gift are more important. This is really good news, since sometimes we don’t have big things to give, do we. That means that if we learn the proper method of giving, we’ll always be able to collect powerful good karma, even if our gift is very small. Today we’ll learn five ways to give so we get great benefits from whatever we give. They are really valuable, so I’d like you to write them down as the Bhante teaches us.

5:36 Sermon on the five factors of giving 16:07 Maha Kassapa Thera Paritta. Download a copy or read online.

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170 Questions on Precepts, Jealousy, and the Next Buddha

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 08:34:45 +0000

Today we have some of your questions and the Bhantes will answer them. We’ll also practice loving-kindness meditation in a new way. You’ll want to know which direction is north, so if you’re not sure, now’s the time to ask someone. There’s a PDF with the compass points in the shownotes you can download to help you remember.

5:07 Q&A 13:35 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation in the 10 directions

PDF with compass points.

Cut out these squares and stick them on your kids bedroom walls to teach the directions.

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169 Does It Last Forever?

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 06:55:09 +0000

Today we are going to become investigators. An investigator is someone who likes to look very carefully at things and discover the truth. Because we have minds that are very strong, we can use our other senses to look at things and see them exactly as they are. Today we are going to use our investigation powers to see where things come from and how long they last. This was the kind of investigation the Supreme Buddha when we was trying to become enlightened. So get ready to become an investigator just like the Buddha.

5:37 Sermon on impermanance 17:03 Suriya Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

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168 Share Things, Share Happiness

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:45:58 +0000

Yesterday we learned three things that help us to get along with people. Do you remember what they are? Showing people loving-kindness to people with our bodies, showing people loving-kindness with our speech, and showing loving-kindness with our minds. Well, today we will learn three more things to help us live in harmony, and these three have to do with sharing. Maybe your parents have told you for a long time to share things, but did you know that the Supreme Buddha also taught us to share? We’ll learn about that today.

5:56 Ssermon 15:08 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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167 Harmony Happiness

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:43:43 +0000

Today we are going to learn advice from the Supreme Buddha on how to live in harmony with people. Do you know the word harmony? When we live in harmony, we get along with the people around us. We don’t fight. We don’t argue, and we don’t get upset with them. That’s a happy way to live, isn’t it. So we’ll start to learn the Buddha’s advice on living in harmony so we can get that kind of happiness.

5:15 Sermon 13:11 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

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166 Happiness in a Dungeon

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:53:53 +0000

Have you ever been stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be? If we can’t be content where we are, then it’s hard to be happy. Today we are going to hear the story of one of the great disciples of the Supreme Buddha named King Bimbisara. This king understood the Dhamma very well, so much that he could even be happy when he was forced to live in the dungeon of the palace, even worse than being in prison. But still, he kept practicing the Dhamma and lived peacefully.

5:24 My Merit Method 6:48 Story of King Bimbisara 20:45 Theragatha: Verses of Khadiravaniya Revata

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165 Happiness from Contentment

Sun, 05 Apr 2020 08:53:57 +0000

Today we are going to talk about a very special word, a word that if we can remember and practice it, it will be really easy to be happy. That word is “contentment”. When we are content, then we are happy with whatever we have. We don’t keep thinking about all the things we don’t have but wish we had. I’m sure all of us can think about a time, maybe even today, when we weren’t happy with what we had and we wanted something that we didn’t have. Maybe we wanted to go outside for a walk, or go outside to play, but we couldn’t. Even though we may be already sitting in a very good place, we wish we were somewhere else. Maybe we weren’t happy with the food we had and we wanted something different. As long as we aren’t happy with what we have, then we can’t be happy. Especially if we are stuck in the house with no where to go.

In the sermon today we will learn about the life of the great Arahant monk Maha Kassapa. You may remember sometimes we recite a paritta that was given to him when he was sick. Well, today we’ll learn about a different event in his life, one that shows how he could be content with whatever he got.

9:22 Sermon on contentment 16:12 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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164 Our Minds Have Power

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 08:45:00 +0000

Today we are going to think about how powerful our minds are. Just by thinking, we can collect good or bad karma. Today the Bhante is going to give us some tips for training our minds. He’ll also tell us a little bit about the great Arahant Monk Upāli. He was the monk who was the top expert in the Vinaya, the rules that monks and nuns follow. We’ll find out how, because of his mind in a previous life, he was born as a low caste barber in his last life.

6:24 Sermon on the power of the mind 13:36 Chanda Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 21:30 Verses of Arahant Saṅkicca

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The Voice of Enlightened Monks: Theragatha. Get your own copy.

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163 Poisonous Jewelry

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 10:28:51 +0000

Have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do? Most people have. It doesn’t feel good, does it? We may even get angry at the person who is accusing us. And afterwards most people don’t learn anything from the situation. Maybe they just complain about the person who accused them. But do they attain the first stage of enlightenment from being accused? Well, today we’ll hear about a farmer who, with the help of the Supreme Buddha, was able to attain the first stage of enlightenment learning from the situation of being wrongly accused.

5:27 Story of the wrongly accused farmer 17:59 Paticca Samuppada Samudayo and Nirodho, Arising and Cessation of Causality. Read online or download a PDF.

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162 It’s Time to Read Suttas!

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:05:16 +0000

Have you heard the word sutta before? A sutta is a specific teaching or sermon given by the Supreme Buddha or one of his enlightened disciples. It’s amazing, isn’t it, that over 2500 years later, we still know what the Buddha taught? Today we are going to start to talk about ways that we can read these suttas for ourselves.

5:41 Sermon 17:36 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

Read the Dhammapada online

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161 The Secret to Being Generous

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision? Maybe there was a time that you had to decide not to tell a lie, even though you might get in trouble. Or maybe you had to decide to help someone else, even though it might mean that you loose something for yourself. Well, today we’ll learn about a young man who had to make a difficult decision. He had the chance to do something really, really good, but he might risk loosing his job. Sometimes it’s hard to follow the Buddha’s teachings. But in this show we’ll get to learn the secret to making good decisions.

5:58 Sermon on the florist Sumana 19:48 Khanda Paritta. Read along online or download a PDF.

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160 Is a City of Grandchildren Happiness?

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 10:43:13 +0000

Have you ever heard about the lay disciple Visākhā? She was an amazing person. For one thing, she was the woman who was the biggest supporter of the Supreme Buddha and the Sangha. No one gave more than she did. But what’s really amazing is that she was a stream enterer. Not just that—she attained this first stage of enlightenment when she was only seven years old. That’s incredible, isn’t it. We shouldn’t think this Dhamma is only something that adults can understand. Even kids can get stages of enlightenment if they work hard to understand the Dhamma.

Now even though she was a stream enterer, she could still get sad sometimes. This is one of the differences between a stream enterer and an arahant like the Supreme Buddha. Stream enterers still have some attachment to things in their mind. And today we will learn about a time that Visākha was very sad because of this attachment. Fortunately, she was able to go to the Supreme Buddha and talk about the situation and he helped her overcome this sadness.

5:55 Sermon on the teachings to Visākha, Udana 8.8 16:12 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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159 May the Triple Gem Protect You!

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 11:31:41 +0000

One of the best things we can do to start the day is to go for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Then when we have difficulties or problems today, we can remember to think about what our teacher the supreme Buddha has told us and try and find a solution that matches with the Dhamma. Because the happiness that comes from following the Buddha’s instructions lasts a long long time. Even into our next lives.

Today we are going to recite a longer sutta that the Buddha taught to explain the meaning of these three refuges, the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. He gave this sutta when there was a big problem in the city of Vesālī. First there wasn’t any rain, so people couldn’t grow food. Because they didn’t have food, many people died. Because there were so many dead bodies, evil spirits came to the city to eat the bodies. And then because of all this, a great disease started spreading, which made the whole thing even worse. So because of the faith of the leaders, they sought the Supreme Buddha’s help. When the Buddha came to the city, he taught this sutta to the Venerable Ānanda and told him to walk around the city chanting this very sutta. That’s why even today in times of difficulty like we may be in now, people still recite this sutta. If you don’t have a copy of the chanting book, you can click on the show notes link and down load a copy. You may even like to memorize this sutta and chant it together every day with your family.

6:18 Ratana Sutta. Read online or download a PDF.

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158 Discussion on Loving-Kindness and Attachment

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 07:50:10 +0000

Today we have a special chance to listen to a discussion between a young student who visited the monastery and one of the monks. This student understood the value of going to see people who know the Supreme Buddha’s teachings. And because they let us record it, we get to learn too. We’ll learn about three things called gratification, danger and escape. Gratification is the happiness we get from something. The danger is that whatever it is, it’s going to change and not give us as much happiness. And most important is the escape, The Noble Eight-fold Path that solves that danger for us.

They talk about loving kindness, so afterwards we are going to meditate by listening to some ancient verses that guide us in developing a mind full of good wishes for everyone in the world. You can either listen along silently, or click on the show notes link to download a copy or follow on line.

5:37 Dhamma discussion on loving-kindness and attachment 16:08 Aham Avero Homi: Loving-Kindness Chanting. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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157 What Exactly Is Right and Wrong View?

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 09:49:07 +0000

Do you know what a view is? You may hear people use that word when they look out a window of a very tall building and say, “Wow, that’s a great view! You can see so many things from up here!” Well, that’s one kind of view. Another kind of view is a view about how the world works. Just like when you go up a tall building and look out you have a good view, the Supreme Buddha, with his wisdom, was able to have a perfect view about how the world works. He called that Right View. In Pali we say Sammā Diṭṭhi. Today we’ll learn about the type of Right View that the Buddha wanted us to develop on the path to enlightenment.

5:33 Sermon on Right View 11:42 Maranasati verses on mindfulness of death. Read on line, download a PDF or MP3. 17:10 Vimana Vatthu 4.12 Rajjumala's Mansion.

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156 What Could Be Better Than Money?

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:09:52 +0000

Do you know what a stream enterer is? In the Buddha’s teachings we say that someone has entered the stream when they have a deep understanding of the Dhamma and the Four Noble Truths in a way that cleans the mind in a special way. The thought that our body is really who we are gets removed from the mind. Any doubts we have in the Buddha’s teachings are removed from the mind. And wrong ideas about actions and their results are removed from the mind. Once they are removed in this way, they can never come back. And this means that this kind of person can’t be reborn in the bad worlds and can only be reborn as a human or a god. And most importantly it means that person will attain Nibbāna within seven lifetimes, guaranteed.

So what do you think? Is this something valuable? Today we’ll learn about a child, maybe like us, who didn’t really know what is valuable and what is not.

5:56 Sermon on the son named Kāla who got paid to listen to the Dhamma 18:58 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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155 Dhamma Protection from Danger

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 11:32:54 +0000

Sometimes we may hear about things happening in the world that seem a little scary. Usually we try not to think about these things, don’t we. But sometimes we keep hearing about them again and again so it’s hard to ignore. It’s important to talk to someone we trust and ask questions and tell them how we are feeling. If we can talk to someone who knows the Buddha’s Dhamma, we get the chance to use the Buddha’s teachings to calm our mind and do things to help our situation.

Today, one of the monks is going share some suttas taught by the Buddha that reminds us of all the good things we can do, even in a dangerous situation.

5:48 Sermon on the Vannaropma Sutta & Jetavana Sutta (SN 1.48)

16:36 “What you should do” 17:35 Mittānisansa Sutta. Download a copy or read online.

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154 Does Wishing Work?

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 13:43:31 +0000

Have you ever wished for something? Maybe wished for a special toy or game? Maybe you wished that you could go to a friend’s house to play. Maybe you wished that you could be good in sports. Maybe you wished that you would get good marks in school. We wish for things all the time. But does this wishing really work? Can we get what we want by just wishing for it? What do you think?

Today we will hear a conversation between the Supreme Buddha and the householder Anāthapiṇḍika where the Buddha talks about five things that people often wish for but can’t get from wishing. I want you to listen very carefully and memorize what the five things are. I also want you to pay attention to how the Supreme Buddha tells us we can actually get the things that people wish for.

6:25 Sermon on Sutta AN 5.43 11:25 Maha Kassapa Thera Paritta. Download a copy or read online. 20:54 Therigatha Verses

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153 Giving without Stopping: Visayha Jataka part 2

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 08:00:32 +0000

In the last episode we started to learn about a previous life of the Supreme Buddha when he was named Visahya. If you haven’t listened to that episode, you should go back and listen to it now. But just to refresh our memory, the Bodhisatta was practicing giving so much that god Sakka noticed. God Sakka became worried that the Bodhisatta would take over his position of lord of the gods because he was working so hard to practice generosity. So God Sakka took away all of the Bodhisatta’s possessions. But remember, the Bodhisatta still didn’t stop giving. Today we’ll learn what happened at the end of the story.

5:38 Sermon 12:59 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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152 Giving without Limits: Visayha Jataka part 1

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:07:00 +0000

Have you ever heard the word Jātaka before? The Jātaka stories are good information about the previous lives of the Supreme Buddha before he became enlightened. When we are talking about the supreme Buddha in those times we call him the Bodhisatta. You know, most people in this samsara waste their time either doing bad things or just playing and having a good time. This was not how the Bodhisatta lived. Even then the Bodhisatta was working hard to develop good qualities in his mind that would help him become a Sammasambuddha. A fully and perfectly enlightened Supreme Buddha.

5:42 Sermon 15:24 Lokavabodha Sutta. Download a PDF or read online.

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151 Getting the Message Right Away

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:00:57 +0000

When it’s time to wake up in the morning, and your parents come in to get you, do you wake up right away? Or do they have to tell you a few times? Or maybe they even have to come in and shake you? Well, the Supreme Buddha understood that some people are very quick to get started and some people are a little slower. Today we’ll learn a great simile about how there are four different kinds of horses in the world and there are four kinds of people that are like those horses.

5:30 Sermon 18:46 Maranasati verses on mindfulness of death. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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150 How Can We Protect Ourselves?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 03:56:06 +0000

Tell me, children, how can we protect ourselves? How do people ususally think about protecting themselves from the dangers in this world? Sometimes people try to build up strong bodies so they can protect themselves by fighting other people. Sometimes people even buy weapons thinking that if they have a gun or a knife, they will be protected. When we ride in a car, how do we protect ourselves? We wear a seat belt, don’t we. That protects us if we get into an accident. Now, those methods of protection keep us safe from external things. That may be true. But when our teacher, the Supreme Buddha talked about protecting ourselves, he was most concerned about the actions that we do. Because when we do bad actions with our body, our speech, or our minds, then we can be in a real danger. When we do bad things, then the results of our actions can come back a hurt us.

So the Buddha taught us that there are two things that can help protect us from doing bad actions. In Pali they are called hiri and ottappa. In English we can say feeling shame at the thought of doing bad things and feeling fear for the results of doing bad things. In today’s sermon we will learn the importance of these two things.

6:57 Sermon 14:12 Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

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149 Learning from a Greedy Crow

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 01:48:34 +0000

Have you ever made a mistake before? I think we all make mistakes sometimes. But did you learn anything from your mistake? This is what wise people do. They learn from their mistakes. Today we’ll hear the story of a monk who learned from something bad he did in one of his previous lives. If we can also learn from the experience of other people, then we have the chance to develop good qualities very quickly. So as we listen to the story today, we want to be sure to see if we can learn from the mistakes this monk made in his previous life.

5:43 Sermon 20:11 Khanda Paritta. Read along online or download a PDF.

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148 Who Are Parents?

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:29:40 +0000

In the last episode, we talked about the bad karma we collect when we scold our parents. Today we are going to learn more about the special relationship we have with parents.

We’ll also hear several verses from enlightened nuns.

5:27 Sermon 10:23 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3. 20:27 Verses of Arahant Nuns

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147 Question on Scolding Parents

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:32:44 +0000

We know that most of you don’t get the chance to go to a monastery every day and collect merit by worshipping the supreme Buddha and helping and worshipping the monks. But I think most of you live with your parents. Did you know that you can also collect powerful good karma by treating your parents respectfully? This is a chance we should never miss. Our parents can be a great source of merit for us. But we have to be careful, because if we don’t treat them properly, it can cause a lot of bad karma for us.

Have you ever scolded your parents before? I hope not. But many children do. Today, one of your Dhamma friends asks a question about why we collect especially bad karma when we scold our parents.

5:40 Q & A. 20:18 Mora Paritta. Read online or download a pdf.

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146 A God Has Gratitude

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:39:06 +0000

[Alternate Download Link]

In today’s programme, we are going to learn about a lay disciple of the Supreme Buddha named Uttarā. We will hear about all of the good actions she did in the human world that helped her to be reborn as a beautiful devata. As you listen to her story, I want you to be thinking about two very important things. First of all, I want you to listen for things that she did that you have also done. It would even be good to write them down. The reason I want you to pay attention to things she did that you have also done is so that you can be happy knowing that you are also doing the kinds of things that lead to rebirth in heaven. Second, and you may want to write these things down too, I want you to listen for things that she did that you haven’t done or could improve on. That way you can be happy thinking about the good things you have done and the good things you are going to do.

7:04 Sermon on Vv 1.15 Uttarā Sutta, Uttara’s Mansion. Read on SuttaFriends.org 17:17 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Download a PDF or read online.

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145 Vows That Lead to Heaven

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:22:56 +0000

Have you ever made a promise before? Today we’ll learn about seven promises, or vows, that the God Sakka made when he was in the human world. By keeping these promises to do good things, he was able to be reborn as the lord of gods in two heavenly realms.

Have your notebook ready so you can write down these wholesome vows. Maybe you’ll even like to make the same seven promises.

As long as I live may I help my parents.
As long as I live may I respect the family elders.
As long as I live may I speak gently.
As long as I live may I not speak divisively.
As long as I live may I live at home without greediness, removing the stain of stinginess, open-handed, always ready to give, always free to help others, delighting in giving and sharing, and well organized in giving charity.
As long as I live may I speak the truth.
As long as I live may I be free from anger, and if anger should arise in me, may I remove it quickly.

5:04 Sermon. 10:44 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF. 21:09 Uposathā'a Mansion from the Vimana Vatthu

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144 A Mother Harasses Her Arahant Son

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Do your parents ever scold you? Do they ever accuse you of things you haven’t done. I hope not. But if they do, how do you react? Did you know it’s possible to not get angry at people who scold us and wrongly accuse us of things? Today we’ll learn from the example of the Great Arahant Sariputta and see how he endured terrible abuse from his mother.

6:10 Sermon. 17:29 Suriya Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

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143 Learning from a Deva’s Merit

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 23:32:28 +0000

Do you know what a deva is? A deva, or devata, lives in one of the heavenly worlds. In those worlds they get to live in beautiful palaces and have all the most wonderful things. Today we’ll get to meet a deva who collected a special kind of merit when they lived in the human world and we’ll learn about their life in the heavenly world.

5:16 Sermon. 12:49 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3. 21:50 Angulimala Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

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142 When is Giving Useful?

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Today we are going to meet a very wise disciple of the Supreme Budha named princess Sumana. I know that she is wise because she went to the Supreme Buddha and asked a very good question. She already understood the importance of saddha, sila, and pañña. Do you know the meaning of those three words? Shraddha means faith in the Supreme Buddha’s enlightenment. Sila means virtue, keeping the precepts, and pañña means wisdom. But she wanted to know if two people had the same saddha, sila, and pañña, would it matter if only one of them practiced generosity? What do you think? Is giving still important if you have faith, virtue and wisdom? In today’s sermon we’re going to find out.

6:23 Sermon on the Sumana Sutta. 12:17 Chanting Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

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141 Happy Merit on Pilgrimage

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Today we are going to listen to a Dhamma Discussion where one of the Bhantes interviews a couple of kids from the Dhamma School about the many trips they have taken to Anuradhapura. They call these trips pilgrimages. A pilgrimage is a special kind of trip because we are going to a special place to do special things related to the Supreme Buddha. In Sri Lanka we can go on pilgrimages to places the supreme Buddha visited, like Shri Pada. We can also visit stupas that have parts of the Supreme Buddha’s body that were left after he passed away. And we can also visit things that the Supreme Buddha used, like the Shri Maha Bodhi Tree.

In this discussion you’ll get to learn how these kids have fun on those trips and collect merit at the same time. They also have some suggestions for having a beneficial weekend even when you can’t make it to one of the holy places.

5:51 32 Marks of a Great Man 6:59 Dhamma Discussion on pilgrimage 18:32 Buddhanussati verses Meditation. Read online or Download PDF.

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140 Listening to Dhamma Needs All Our Attention

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 08:27:12 +0000

Today we’re going to talk about listening to the Dhamma. You may spend time listening to the radio, TV programmes, or movies. And those things can be easy to listen to, can’t they? But listening to the Supreme Buddha’s Dhamma is much more difficult. We have to give all of our attention to what we are hearing. Without doing that, we don’t have a chance to really understand what the Buddha is wanting us to do.

6:52 Sermon. 19:23 Maranasati verses on mindfulness of death. Read on line, download a PDF or MP3.

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139 The Blessing of Giving in a Proper Way: Mangala Sutta part 5

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 07:49:52 +0000

Today we are going to learn about the blessing of being generous and the things we need to do to practice generosity in the best way. We’ll learn about five things we need to remember when we are giving things to others that will help us bring the most blessings and happiness into our lives. They’re so important you may even want to write them down. You might find it helpful to get a blank notebook and write down the things you learn on each show. Not because there will be a test, but because it’s important to remember and actually try and follow the advice we learn from the Supreme Buddha.

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!

6:18 Sermon on Mahamangala sutta. 15:23 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3.

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138 The Demon Alavaka is Tamed

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 07:48:25 +0000

Today we have a special show. There’s a sutta that I’ve been wanting to chant with you, but it’s a little long. So today we’re dedicating the entire show to reciting the Alavaka Sutta. I think maybe you are familiar with that name, Alavaka. He is a yakkha. Yakkha’s are a type of non-human being who are sometimes friendly, but mostly not very nice. In English sometimes we call them demons or devils. Whatever we call them, they can be kind of scary. But here’s the thing we need to remember. Our Supreme Buddha was able to convert this yakkha from being really nasty to being really good. In fact, he became a disciple of the Supreme Buddha when he learned the Dhamma. Because that’s how the supreme Buddha tames others, by preaching the Supreme Dhamma. That means if we feel scared when we think about yakkhas, we can remember that we are disciples of a great teacher who can tame not only humans, but non humans as well.

6:05 Reciting the Alavaka Sutta. Download a copy or read on line.

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137 Seven Years of Merit

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Have you ever practiced loving kindness meditation? Well, today we are going to learn a sutta that talks about the benefits that the Supreme Buddha gained by practicing loving kindness in one of his previous lives when he was a hermit. Do you know what a hermit is? That’s an English word for someone who lives all alone, far away from other people. Sometimes a hermit is a monk or a nun. Sometimes it’s just a person who doesn’t like to talk to people or even see people. But in that life, the Supreme Buddha was a hermit so he could practice loving kindness.

5:48 Sermon sutta number 22 in the Itivuttaka. 12:26 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Download a PDF or read online. 16:16 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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136 To Support Mother and Father: Mangala Sutta part 4

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 08:00:00 +0000

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!

You know, the Supreme Buddha taught us that we can consider him to be the best kalyanamitta of all, because he is the one who discovered and taught us the Four Noble Truths. Another kalyanamitta who is very important to us is our parents. Because they are our very first teachers and they teach us about the world. For many of us, they are the ones who first taught us about the Supreme Buddha’s Dhamma. They may even be helping you to listen to this programme right now.

Today we’ll learn more from the Maha Mangala sutta. And one of the blessings we’ll learn is the blessing of supporting our mother and father. So as we listen to the sermon, I want you to think specifically about ways you can help support your mother and father.

6:00 Sermon on Mahamangala sutta. 15:07 Peta Vatthu 14 Sariputta Bhante's Mother 18:47 Mora Paritta. Read online or download a pdf.

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135 Words We Like to Hear: Mangala Sutta Part 3

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 01:47:00 +0000

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!

Today we'll learn three more blessings from the Mangala sutta. We'll also create blessings by practicing loving-kindness meditation.

6:41 Sermon on Mahamangala sutta. 15:12 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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134 Watch for These Signs

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 12:30:02 +0000

Have you ever seen a baby before? I think you have, haven’t you. Do you remember when you were a baby? Probably not. But you know for sure that you were a baby at one point. And if you think about it you will probably know that when you are reborn, you have to be a baby again don’t you. But do we think about this every time we see a baby? No. But the Supreme Buddha wanted us to remember every time we see a baby that we have to be a baby if we are reborn in samsara. Today we’ll learn all the things to watch out for that remind us about samsara.

5:40 Sermon on the Divine Messengers 12:06 Buddhanussati meditation. Read online, download a PDF or MP3. 23:00 Kavi: Sadu! Sadu! Mama Gautama Munindu Sarana Yanne. Read online.

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133 Does It Matter Where We Live? Mangala Sutta Part 2

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:30:26 +0000

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!

Today we’ll learn more details about the Maha Mangala sutta. Do you remember what Mangala means? It means blessings. That’s really just a fancy word for things that are good for us. Today we’ll learn four more things that are good for us.

5:07 Sermon on Mahamangala sutta. 13:19 Chanting Maha Mangala Sutta. Read online or download a pdf.

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132 Tribute to an Arahant

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 12:30:00 +0000

In the last show, we learned about the value of associating with wise people. Today we are going to hear about a very famous situation where someone was doing terrible things, but then they had the chance to associate with the most wise person in the world, the Supreme Buddha.

6:03 Kavi: Sadu! Sadu! Mama Gautama Munindu Sarana Yanne. Read online. 8:31 Sermon on Angulimala 15:20 Angulimala Paritta. Download a PDF or read online. 19:47 Dhammapada Chapter 4: Flowers. Read online. Listen online.

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131 Associate with the Wise: Mangala Sutta Part 1

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 12:30:00 +0000

We should always remember that even just by coming together for this programme, we are following the Supreme Buddha’s instructions. Have you thought about that? When we listen to these teachings together we are associating with wise people. Who are the wise people? Well the most important wise person is of course the Supreme Buddha himself. When we listen to his teachings, then we are associating with him in a way. And when we learn about the great arahant disciples, we are also associating with them.

Today we’ll start to learn about the Mahmangala sutta. And one of the blessings we’ll learn about is this very blessing of associating with the wise. I know that most of you are really familiar with the Maha Mangala sutta, but starting today we’ll get to think very deeply about it.

We’ll also associate with some enlightened nuns and find out how they attained enlightenment by also associating with enlightened nuns.

6:07 Sermon on Mahamangala sutta. 14:54 Verses of 500 Arahant Nuns from the Therigatha 17:10 Mittānisansa Sutta. Download a copy or read online.

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130 Getting Power, Wealth, and Wisdom: Culakammavibhanga Sutta Part 5

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:30:02 +0000

Today we are going to learn the last part of the CullaKammaVibhanga Sutta. Now, you may remember that Culla means litter, or shorter. Well, don’t think that means it is somehow less important. You may be small, but your still important, aren’t you? In the same way, eventhough this discourse is called shorter, it has some big Dhamma in it that will help our lives now and in the future. We’ll learn why we can see people in the world who are very powerful and some who don’t have any power. Why some people are wealthy and some people are poor. And most importantly we’ll learn why some people are wise and some people are foolish.

6:41 Sermon on CullaKammaVibhanga Sutta. 17:04 Maha Kassapa Thera Paritta. Download a copy or read online.

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129 Being Undefiled

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 12:30:00 +0000

Today we are going to learn about the defilements. Another word for defilements could be impurities. So when we eat food, we don’t like it to have any impurities in it do we? Things like chemicals, or dirt, or stones. So we could say that those things are defilements of the food. They are things that make the food difficult to eat and could even hurt us. In the same way, the Supreme Buddha taught that the mind can have defilements. And when there are defilements or impurities in the mind, we can hurt our selves and other people around us. We’ll learn about the three big defilements we have in our mind: greed hatred and delusion.

6:02 Thirty-two marks of a Great Man 7:22 Sermon 20:20 Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Meditation Download PDF or MP3.

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128 What’s Going on With Christmas?

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 11:19:40 +0000

Today we’ll we’ll learn what Christmas is all about. Unless one of your parents or relatives are Christians, you may not know what the significance of Christmas is and why it is important to people. As Buddhists, we should at least know a little bit about these things, especially because people who are Christians may ask us why we don’t celebrate Christmas and it’s good to have a clear answer.

5:30 Sermon 20:20 Khanda Paritta. Read along online or download a PDF.

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Episode 127 Speech Like Dung

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 12:30:32 +0000

Today we’ll learn a new simile taught by the Supreme Buddha about the different kinds of speech people use. The first kind is speech like dung. Do you know that English word, dung? It’s a polite word for poo or poop, or excrement. Now, which end of the body does dung come out of? The back end, doesn’t it? Well the Supreme Buddha is going to explain how for some people, their speech is just like what normally comes out of our back ends! He’ll also teach us about speech like flowers and speech like honey.

5:30 Sermon on AN 3.26 14:37 MahaMangala Sutta in Pali and English. Read online or download a PDF.

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Episode 126 Mind Like a Diamond

Sun, 12 Jan 2020 10:31:39 +0000

Today we’ll learn a new simile taught by the Supreme Buddha about the difference in people’s minds. Normally we look at people and see that their bodies are different. Some may be tall, some may be short. Some may have dark skin and some may have light skin. But the Buddha didn’t care about those things so much, did he. He cared most about our minds. And when we look carefully we can see that different people have different kinds of minds. Now, the good news is that we can develop our minds and make them better. We can’t do so much to change our bodies, but our minds can completely improve to bring happiness into our lives. So we’ll learn some similes to help us think about the different kinds of minds.

6:05 Sermon on AN 3.25 16:02 Therigatha 92-96. Arahant Nun Mittakali 17:47 Suriya Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

Related Books

Mahamevnawa Pali-English Paritta Chanting Book. Print Book.
Voice of Enlightened Nuns: Therigatha. Get a copy of the print book or listen for free online.

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Episode 125 Questions on Metta and Giving Dana to One Monk

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 07:35:32 +0000

Today we’ll hear answers to a couple of questions your friends from Dhamma School have asked. We’ll also hear a new segment where we can learn about the 32 marks that all supreme Buddhas have. I think you may have heard about these before. There is the very famous story of when the Bodhisatta baby was taken to the Brahmins to predict his future. When the brahmins looked at him they could see these signs that showed he would either become a ruler of the entire world, or a Samma Sambuddha. So for each of these marks, we want to pay close attention to three things. First, what was the action he did in the past? Second, what was the mark on his body that came as a result of that action? And finally, what was the special ability or quality the Supreme Buddha had in his life as a result of that mark?

Now, I bet you remember how the Supreme Buddha’s cousin Devadatta tried to kill the Buddha. But he wasn’t successful, was he. Well, when we learn this first mark, we’ll understand why. It was because of the Buddha’s good karma done in his previous lives.

6:02 32 Marks of a Great Man, #1 7:59 Q & A 17:58 Karaniya Metta Sutta. Download a PDF or read online.

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Episode 124 Problems with Wealth, Solutions with Wealth

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 15:28:37 +0000

Today I want to tell you about a sutta taught by the Supreme Buddha to help us understand wealth, or money. Do you like to have money? Most people do. Have you thought about the disadvantages of money? Have you thought about the best ways to use money? Well, we’ll learn about that today.

5:53 Sermon on AN 5:227 17:58 Chanda Paritta. Download a PDF or read online.

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Monks in the Morning from Colombo Dhamma Friends

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