We will explore how the Buddha’s teachings map onto the challenges that many face navigating this arena of life. Concrete practices and suggestions will be offered.

Pain is a given and suffering is optional. Mindfulness of unpleasant feelings, such as pain, can transform pain into fertile soil for wisdom and for freedom from suffering to arise.

The recording starts with Ajahn describing the word cultivation and his suggestions as to how one can cultivate the most direct animate experience we have? Q1 06:53 Why do you make the distinction between the heart and the body? Can you elucidate the qualities of the heart please? Q2 13:06 I've read that the refuge is an awakening to reality because the unconditioned is reality. How do we awaken to the unconditioned? Is it not unformed and unoriginated? 24:38 Q3 how to answer the angel question what is the meaning of life? What do you believe our purpose is as human beings? 27:48 Q4 I detach when confronted by emotions avoid, suppress, don't discuss. What do you recommend to facilitate reconnection and healing. A related question: There's been a lot of mention of dissociated or dispassionate reactions. Is not a big risk of becoming detached and disassociated from life? 34:53 Q5 How can I manage equanimity when in the midst of raw grief, pain etc I'm left rudderless at sea. 40:52 Q6 You mentioned parami satta. Can you review them please?

Mindfulness of feelings plays a crucial role in our daily life and practice. The arising of feelings is beyond our control but mindfulness of them can make a difference between being in bondage and being free from suffering.

The cultivation of metta for a dear person seems easy. However, one must watch out for the ‘hidden’ defilements of either attachment & lust or worry & grief. Hand out as many Metta Candies as possible.

Includes chanting

Mindfulness directed equally to every experience in the style of Dipa Ma opens us to shift from happiness dependent on conditions to unconditional happiness.

Joy is an important aspect of the Buddha’s path to freedom, appearing as both an awakening factor and one of the four heart qualities known as the brahmavihāra. However, for many people it can feel elusive - or even irrelevant – in the midst of so much global, societal and individual suffering. For this reason, the word Joy in the title of this talk is accompanied by question marks, as an invitation for us to explore together some common questions and/or doubts that often come up in relation to joy in the context of insight practice. Together we’ll discover some of the ways that cultivating joy can help nourish the heart and deepen wisdom, even amid the challenging everyday realities that most of us face.

Learning how to shift the awareness from the primary object toother physical sensations and back.

Q1 In some sessions I find my self repeatedly lightly dreaming and then waking after a few seconds. How can I deter this? 25:46 Q2 If the mind has been trained to engage in either zero or 100% and knows very little of the in-between, how would one engage the mind via the body to find the middle path? 29:03 Q3 Can you say more about becoming as a cause for suffering?

The benefits of pure metta are manifold. Even a short moment of metta is more powerful than a big offering of food. Do not dismiss small acts of kindness.

In February 2026 London Insight Meditation hosted Jill Shepherd for an online evening on the theme of "Joy".

Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation - Week Three Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 15-20 minutes. 2. Ride out an emotion. 3. Notice feelings of happiness and contentment.

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on February 7th, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - GUIDED MEDITATION 27:34 - DHAMMA TALK 1:15:56 - COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES From January 4th to April 2nd 2026 the regularly scheduled Saturday morning program taught by Ayya Santussika, will take many of the suttas referenced in "Mindfully Facing Disease and Death" by Bhikkhu Anālayo as their basis. For those who want to dive deeply into this material, you may want to read the book as we discuss the suttas, listed below. Jan 10 SN 22.1 Nakula’s Father Chapter 2 Jan 17 SN 36.6 An Arrow Chapter 3 Jan 24 SN 22.88 With Assaji Chapter 10 Jan 31 SN 22.89 With Khemaka Chapter 11 Feb 7 AN 10.60 With Girimānanda Chapter 12 Feb 14 SN 3.22 Grandmother and SN 47.13 With Cunda Chapters 13 & 14 Feb 21 MN 143 Advice to Anāthapiṇḍika Chapter 16 Feb 28 SN 55.3 With Dīghāvu and SN 55.54 Sick Chapters 17 & 18 Mar 7 SN 36.7 The Infirmary (1st) Chapter 19 Mar 14 AN 6.56 With Phagguna Chapter 20 Mar 21 SN 35.74 Sick (1st) and SN 41.10 Seeing the Sick Chapters 21 & 22 Mar 28 DN 16.31, 34-36 The Buddha’s Last Words Chapter 23

Practicing the 4 protective meditation namely- Reflection on the qualities of the Buddha or Dhamma or Sangha; Reflection on metta, reflection of body parts (visible ones); reflection on death causes and protect us from: Doubt, Attachment, Aversion, Laziness, respectively.

One of the seven factors of awakening is investigation-of-dhammas (or phenomena), which includes an attitude of patient curiosity or keen interest. This important factor works together with strong mindfulness to help us discriminate between the wholesome and unwholesome mind states present at any given moment. The Buddha described this as one of the key qualities that led to his awakening. This talk will explore how we can better understand this factor and begin implementing it more in our practice.

The Five Spiritual Faculties is a central teaching of the Buddha that explains how the practice develops and unfolds. This classical list of five qualities expresses both the importance of balance, as well as a natural progression of development with one quality leading to the next.