Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts
Dhamma Talks, Chanting, Precepts and Meditation with Ajahn Dhammasiha and other experienced Senior Buddhist Monks in the Theravada Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. Recorded at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Brisbane, Australia. Our website: https://www.dhammagiri.net Our Youtube Channel, including regular live streams on the weekend "Dhammatalks at Dhammagiri": https://www.youtube.com/@dhammatalksatdhammagiri8724 Our email Newsletter: https://www.dhammagiri.net/newsletter Our Spotify Playlists are here: https://open.spotify.com/user/8z4dmrysnbbnjtz9f0wzjgcre .
Episodes
Before the auspicious paritta chanting on New Year's Day, Ajahn Cattamalo shares some short Dhamma reflections at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage.
Venerable Ajahn Cattamalo is the founding senior monk of Muttodaya Waldkloster (Muttodaya Forest Monastery) in Germany. Associated both with the tradition of Ajahn Chah and the Dhammayut tradition, in particular Luang Por Tongdaeng, Muttodaya is located in the beautiful spruce forest of ...
At the end of the year, we're usually focussed on resolutions for the future. But we may overlook good things we already have, and good qualities we already have developed in our character.
Reflecting on all the good things we can be grateful for doesn't mean denying all the bad things happening in the world. However, if we're only focussed on the bad stuff, our mind is in danger to become angry of depressed.
If we ackno...
In this guided meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha uses Santa Claus as a metaphor for the process of emptying the mind.
Santa's job is to give gifts to all the kids for Christmas. He's working very hard to fulfill this task, travelling on his sleigh carrying a very big and heavy sack with all the presents. Similarly, our mind is carrying around the heavy load of all kinds of different emotions, feelings, moods, worries, desire...
Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to "be a good Santa".
A good Santa Claus will give all the gifts to the kids.
A bad Santa may cheat and keep the most expensive presents for himself.
Similarly, our task as followers of the Sakyan Sage is to not hold back, but to give absolutely everything away.
Not literally giving away, but letting go of absolutely everything:
Whether it's material objects, or relationships, loved ones, or our own feelin...
Ven. Samvaro has stayed with us for here at Dhammagiri for one month in November to December 2025.
In this short (10 min) video, recorded after the Saturday morning Changting and Refuge & Precepts Session, Tan Samvaro answers a question from the audience:
With all the various Buddhist teachings we here about, what's the gist of them all?
What do we really have to focus on in our practice?
Venerable Saṃvaro is currently res...
Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the 10 Foundations for Making Good Karma (Dasa Puñña-kiriya-vatthu):
- Generosity (Dāna)
- Virtue (Sīla)
- Mental Cultivation / Meditation (Bhāvanā)
- Reverence / Respect (Apaciti)
- Service, Offering One's Labour & Skills & Talents, e.g. our now monthly held Working Bees 🔨👨🌾⛏️👩🌾 ✂️(Veyyāvacca)
- Transference of Merits / Sharing Good Karma with Past Relatives (Pattānuppadāna)
- Rejoicing in Othe...
Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to refocus our meditative effort on letting go.
We can get overly obsessed with focussing on a particular meditation object, and lose sight of our general mindstate: We may fall back into the long established habit of acquiring things, of trying to get something.
Instead, everything in our cultivation of bhāvanā should aim towards letting go.
Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about steps in the Buddha's 'Gradual Training' that lead on from fully established virtue to the develpment of samādhi.
- Sense Restraint / Indriya-saṃvara
- Contentment / Santuṭṭhi
- Maintaining full awareness of all bodily movements / Sampajāna-kārī
- Wakefulness / Jāgariyam-anuyutta
- Knowing the right measure when eating food / Bhojanasmiṃ Mattaññutā
These steps form the necessary foundation fo...
In the last Tetrad of Ānāpānasati, the last four steps of Breath Meditation, the Buddha teaches us to breathe in and out focussing on:
- Anicca - Impermanence
- Virāga - Fading Away of Passion = Dispassion
- Nirodha - Ending/Cessation
- Patinissagga - Letting Go
However, these four contemplations do not apply only to breath meditation.
In fact, they should be underlying principles of our whole Dhamma practice: Whether it's gener...
Tan Jayadhamma has stayed at Dhammagiri for 7 months, spending the vassa (rains retreat) 2025 with us.
Just before leaving, he kindly offered this comprehensive guided meditation as a parting gift.
His one hour guided meditation consitsts of three parts on the theme of "tuning in":
- Part one explores the six sense spheres, based on the Buddha's simile of the six animals found at SN 35.247.
- Part two focuses on the five hindrances...
Tan Jayadhamma has stayed at Dhammagiri for 7 months, spending the vassa (rains retreat) 2025 with us.
Just before leaving, he kindly offered these reflections on balance in practice, based on the Soṇa Sutta (AN 6.55) and the Buddha’s simile of the lute.
His talk explores the meaning of sama (“in tune”), the five spiritual faculties as five strings, and how to maintain harmony in practice.
Ajahn Dhammasiha provides advice to a newcomer to meditation. Although it was his first time visiting Dhammagiri, and only the second attempt in his life to practice formal meditation, he had sat through a full our of guided meditation forehand, and had also joined the almsfood offering earlier in the day. Ajahn Dhammasiha gives a broad outline of the development of the two main aspects of Buddhist meditation:
- Samatha / Samādhi ...
AJAHN NANDIYO | Disenchantment Leading to Peace | Buddhist Dhamma Talk | Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage
In this Dhamma discussion, Ajahn Nandiyo first shares some of his personal experiences at Bodhinyanarama Monastery, NZ, and in Thailand & Australia. Then he responds to a question about internal peace, and how disenchantment (nibbidā) through contemplating our experiences both high and low can lead to that peace.
Ajahn Nandiyo is the abbot of Bodhinyanarama Monastery, Wellington, New Zealand:
After the Saturday morning Refuge and Precepts Ceremony, Ajahn Nandiyo guided a short meditation session.
He encourages us to be in the witness position, to know and observe conditions, rather than trying to own and control them.
Whether externally, like the severe thunderstorm with many fallen trees we've just experienced at the monastery; or internally, when various emotions arise in the mind and threaten to 'blow us over...
The 'Discourse on Burning', also known as 'Fire Semon', is considered the third formal discourse of the Buddha. It is distinguished by the highest reported number of attainments: 1,000 monks attained total release, Nibbāna, while listening to the Buddha teaching.
The Buddha starts this discourse with the challenging claim that the whole world is on fire! 🔥
But what is meant by 'world'/'universe'...
Ajahn Dhammasiha's formal Dhamma Talk at the Robe Offering Ceremony at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage.
Ajahn reflects on the power of puñña (good karma/'merits'), and the importance of harmony and cooperation when making good karma together.
He also goes through the five precepts forming the fundamental ethics of a Buddhist lay practitioner:
- We train ourselves to abstain from intentionally killing living beings
- We train ...
At our Robe Offering Ceremony at Dhammagiri, our Sangha of 7 Buddhist monks recites 'Paritta'. These auspicious protective verses are believed to ward off misfortune, protect from various dangers, and bestow blessings on all those listening.
Paritta verses have been recited in Pali, the language of the Buddha, for more than 2,000 years. The most important ones are still in their original form, as originally spoken by the Bud...
Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked if there are procedures for laity after breaking precepts in the same way as for monks.
Ajahn explains that the Buddha laid down eleborate procedures only in the Vinaya for the monks & nuns, but not for laity.
However, we can always ask for forgiveness from the Triple Gem. In fact, the full version of the evening chanting includes asking forgiveness from Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha.
Ajahn continues by s...
Ajahn Dhammasiha is asked whether eating meat is causing bad karma.
Ajahn explains that INTENTIONAL KILLING of other beings is bad karma. The crucial factor for bad karma is intention.
Therefore, even if one's actions have a causal relationship with the death of other beings, but completely without intention, it's not breaking the first precept or causing bad karma.
For example, in Queensland in summer it's virtually im...
On the eve of the large Kathina Robe Offering event at Bodhisaddha Monastery, as the senior Ajahn of the 12 monks attending, Ajahn Dhammasiha was invited to share Dhamma for the occasion.
Ajahn emphasizes the importance of harmony for the successful completion of the ceremony.
Harmony within the sangha, harmony within the lay community, and harmony between lay and monastic communities.
Monastics and laity depend on each other, neit...
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