Buddhist Women on a Path of Spiritual Awakening
Batik Buddha
Ayya Medhanandi reflects on the meaning of the different mudras or hand gestures used by the Buddha himself when he gave teachings. Each represents an important quality for us to practise and develop such as fearlessness, faith or compassion. You can see these mudras…
Energy Audit
You can conduct an energy audit on the strength of your attention when you sit down to meditate. Notice if your attention is wavering and then patiently seal up the leaks so that your mind is no longer tempted by the world that the…
Empty of Fear
A dedication to a member of the community who is in the last stages of life. She struggles with breathing but is composed and at peace with the process. We are reminded how important it is to train the mind while we are able…
Let E-go
Our Dhamma practice builds an inner refuge that we can truly trust and rely on – a steadying influence through life’s challenges to help us meet them with greater wisdom, patience, and forgiveness. In the monastic setting, a dual focus on Dhamma and Vinaya,…
Medicine Heart Metta: Guided Forgiveness
May you be well, happy, and peaceful. Learn how to connect with the radiant, loving energy in your heart. Dissolve your opinions and unwholesome attitudes and deepen a quintessential quality for the Path – forgiveness. It is the key to greater loving-kindness for all…
Bhikkhuni Pioneers
Ayya Medhanandi offers a historical perspective on the bhikkhuni tradition as well as insights on how to live with compassion in the world. She describes how the monastic communal experience provides abundant opportunities for the exploration of personal and collective aspirations to fulfill the…
Mapping the Beauty Within
The Buddha has provided us with a map called the Eightfold Noble Path that can lead us to the gate of the Deathless. With diligence, we can discover an unshakeable peace and directly experience the beauty that lies within us. A talk given at Satipaññā…
Life-Saving Treasure
A reflection on the Upaddha Sutta (Half of the Holy Life) about the importance of good friends, companions, and comrades on the Eightfold Noble Path. Good friends encourage and share in developing seclusion of mind, dispassion towards the sense pleasures of the world, and,…
Guardian Parents: Mindfulness, Wisdom, Compassion
Parenting ourselves with mindfulness, wisdom and compassion. A talk given during Waking Up to the Peace in Our Hearts Monastic Retreat at Insight Meditation Society Retreat Centre in 2013.
First Insights: Ways of Working with Hindrances
Brief summary of right effort. A talk given during Waking Up to the Peace in Our Hearts Monastic Retreat at Insight Meditation Society Retreat Centre in 2013.
~ Dhammapada Verse 54