Ajahn Brahm Podcast

Meditation is the path to enlightenment. Enlightenment is a state of mind where you no longer measure yourself against others, and you find inner peace. Enlightenment is the state of finally understanding the answers to life's big questions. It's possible for everyone, and it's a part of the Buddhist path. This talk is about the Buddha's enlightenment a...

The Buddha taught that meditation is a way to gain Insight into the nature of our mind and to overcome our sufferings. Buddhism is a tolerant religion that has never fought a war in its name. When Buddhism spread, it created three great traditions which have a lot of similarities. Practices and customs vary significantly among Buddhist traditions, but t...

This talk is about the Origins of Buddhism.

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You can find the text transcription and other related information on the Ajahn Brahm Podcast website.

This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then - remember dialup?) on 2nd May 2003. It has now been remastered and p...

Compassion is essential to overcoming loneliness. Compassion is a disposition towards life that can change whether it's enemies into friends. Compassion is wishing well for somebody or something. It can be an impersonal emotion. You can be at peace with life by practicing compassion and kindness. Saying there's something wrong with me, being sick, makes...

Fear can create sickness and death. Fear creates a narrow state of awareness and can create the world you think exists. Focusing on the bad bricks in the wall instead of the good bricks can lead to irrational thoughts and behaviors. Our minds can create sickness, death, and fear. Fear can be dangerous. To overcome fear, we need to focus on the good, the...

When things go wrong in life, it's a chance to show the beauty of the heart. Take the time to cherish life and to learn from the experiences that we have in life. Grief is a feeling of sadness or regret in response to something bad that's happened. As Buddhists we can challenge all the conditioned responses we have to events in our life, and see them as...

In silence, you find inner peace and wisdom. Meditation is a central part of Buddhist teachings, teaching people to find out truths for themselves and to find ways to cope with the challenges of life. Meditation is about having insight into the big picture, about understanding and realizing the truths of life for yourself. When you become one pointed in...

Measurement is how we get into control and lose our perception of love. Buddhism teaches us to stop measuring so we can love. Judging and measuring creates control and ill will, which keeps us from experiencing love. Don't measure others; stop trying to control them. Learn how to be at peace with yourself and with life. The opposite of love is hatred an...

Buddhism can offer help in coping with the challenges of life, including illness and death. Sometimes we can help other people with our wisdom, with our Dharma. Sometimes in helping others, we take away their power and independence, which isn't always in their best interest. It's important to remember that when one helps others, they need to be act out ...

Buddhism teaches us to solve world problems through our wisdom and compassion. Hatred doesn't lead to peace, violence doesn't lead to peace. This talk is about the mundane and the super mundane, the world and what lies beyond. It explores what real freedom is and what the fake freedom is. Meditation helps us to feel life more deeply, to understand it in...

Judging other people can get you into a cycle of depression and negativity. Insisting on rightness is delusional and can lead to violence. We can learn to cooperate in our family, workplace, or in our relationships instead of always competing or trying to be right. Don't get stressed about arguments. Just investigate that stress and see if it's stemming...

Buddhism says that sometimes people die young because of their karma, sometimes people become millionaires because of their karma, and sometimes people get sick because of their karma. This talk is about good and evil cloning and how to solve the world's problems. Karma is the cause and effect of your actions, so don't blame others for the situation you're in. You can do something about it right now. There is no one answer to the...

Jokes can be a way to heal and learn from traumatic experiences. Old age, sickness, and death can teach us valuable lessons in life, and they can be viewed as Buddha nature. Peace and goodwill towards all beings is a central message of Christianity. People come to teachers for guidance, not to be lectured to. Stay true to your beliefs and help those in ...

The Buddha’s teachings can help you change your attitude and stop suffering. When encountering a problem in life, focus on learning from it, not exterminating the problem. Check your expectations and take on board that everything is a teaching opportunity. Sometimes people try to abuse you in order to upset you, but don't let them succeed. Just be peaceful and aware of what is happening and you'll be fine. The Buddha's teachings on...

Mindfulness is having a guard on your mind and remembering what you are supposed to be doing. To be mindful, instruct your gatekeeper what to do in order to keep negativity out of your mind. Mindfulness can help you stop being angry, because you become more alert to what's happening inside. Mindfulness is the ability to know and be aware. It's developed...

To find out the origins of your consciousness of mind, you can test it out and find out where you come from. The mind is the biggest thing in the world because it can see everything and everything can fit in the mind. An origins talk is beneficial for many reasons, including that it reminds us of the importance of the mind. Mind is comprised of delusion, craving and ignorance. The way we understand and experience the world is based...

Ajahn Brahm gives a talk about how to deal with loss and the death of loved ones.

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You can find the transcription and other related information on the Ajahn Brahm Podcast website.

This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size on 18th October 2002. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm ha...

Happiness means being good, and the benefits of being good are immense. Allow other people to be kind to you and it will make you happy. Happiness comes when we give without expecting anything in return, and it's one of the first ways to develop in our lives. Happiness is found by letting go and learning how to meditate. Enlightenment is the ultimate happiness. Sleep well at night by remembering the good things you've done, rather ...

Keeping precepts gives you freedom from worry, anxiety and other negative qualities. In meditation, the more you try and control, the worse the meditation gets. The deeper you go in meditation, the more still and silent it becomes, until you find freedom from desires. Keep moral precepts in your life to feel freedom. Freedom is being where you want to be, not where someone else wants you to be.If you're not happy in your life, it's...