Ajahn Cattamalo leads a 25 min guided Buddhist meditation on Anapanasati (Mindfulness of the Breath) during the New Year's Eve event at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Brisbane.
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 the Fichtelgebirge in Frankonia, Bavaria.
Ajahn Cattamalo and Ajahn Dhammasiha know each other for over 30 years. They met first at Island Hermitage, Polgasduwa, Sri Lanka in April 1994, when Ajahn Dhammasiha was still a lay person during his first ever stay in a Buddhist monastery.
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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 the Fichtelgebirge in Frankonia, Bavaria.
Ajahn Cattamalo and Ajahn Dhammasiha know each other for over 30 years. They met first at Island Hermitage, Polgasduwa, Sri Lanka in April 1994, when Ajahn Dhammasiha was still a lay person during his first ever stay in a Buddhist monastery.
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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 acknowledge all the good things we receive, our mind will be uplifted and joyful.
In this guided meditation, Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to recollect those fundamental things we usually take for granted, but which are in reality great blessings.
Instead of having a long list of complaints, rather let us consider what we have to be grateful for:
When we count our blessings, we feel contenment, satisfaction and joy in our meditation, and the mind can settle down easily.
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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, desires, hopes, concerns, phantasies, images, thoughts... and so on.
When Santa takes the gifts out of his sack, his task is simply to give it away to the kid that requested that particular gift. Whether the gift is some beautiful doll, or some ugly monster, or some boring game, Santa is not getting involved at all:
Whatever he finds in the sack, he just acknowledges it and then gives it away to the kid it's meant for, without clinging or aversion to the gifts.
Similarly, whatever comes up in our mind, we just acknowledge it for what it is, but don't get involved at all. We don't attach to the pleasant stuff, we're not averse to the unpleasant mental objects, no liking, no disliking, no holding on. It's not our's anyhow, so we just give it all away, letting go, emptying our mind.
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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 feelings, emotions, thoughts, views, intentions, consciousness...
If we're a good Santa, we let go completely without holding back.
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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 resident at Vimutti Monastery, Auckland, New Zealand, looking after the management of the monastery, and conducting most of the Dhamma teachings there: https://atba.nz
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Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about the 10 Foundations for Making Good Karma (Dasa Puñña-kiriya-vatthu):
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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.
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Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about steps in the Buddha's 'Gradual Training' that lead on from fully established virtue to the develpment of samādhi.
These steps form the necessary foundation for the next stage in the gradual training: Abandoning the five hindrances to develop samādhi in solitude.
If we struggle to unify our mind in samādhi, we should give more attention to these five.
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In the last Tetrad of Ānāpānasati, the last four steps of Breath Meditation, the Buddha teaches us to breathe in and out focussing on:
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 generosity and kindness, or purifying our ethical behaviour through keeping precepts, or practising sense restraint, or cultivating any meditation object - all of it should be done with these four modes, these four guidelines informing and directing our efforts in bhāvanā.
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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":
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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.
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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:
Ajahn also gives some general encouragement helpful to establish a regular meditation practice.
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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:
https://bodhinyanarama.net.nz/
He accepted our invitation to attend our robe offering ceremony, and kindly agreed to conduct teachings for our One Day Retreat program on Sunday 16 November.
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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':
We're simply the witness, knowing and observing it all, without identifying or owning any of it.Ajahn Nandiyo is the abbot of Bodhinyanarama Monastery, Wellington, New Zealand: https://bodhinyanarama.net.nz/He accepted our invitation to attend our robe offering ceremony, and kindly agreed to conduct teachings for our One Day Retreat program on Sunday 16 November.
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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' in the discipline of the Noble Ones?
It is the world of our subjective, conscious experience.
It is the Universe of:
👁 Eye, Forms, Eye Consciousness, Eye Contact;
👂 Ear, Sounds, Ear Consciousness, Ear Contact;
👃 Nose, Fragrances, Nose Consciousness, Nose Contact
👅 Tongue, Flavours, Tongue Consciousness, Tongue Contact
🤸♂️ Body, Bodily Sensations, Body Conciousness, Body Contact
💭 Mind, Ideas, Mind Consciousness, Mind Contact
And the feeling that arises with sense contact as condition, whether pleasant of painful or neutral, that is also part of 'the All' of subjective conscious experience.
And this whole universe is one gigantic conflagration. This whole world of the six senses is burning with the fire of desire, the fire of hatred, the fire of delusion. On fire with birth, decay, death, disappointment, loss, pain, suffering, frustration, depression and despair.
However, fortunately an escape is possible from this burning world. We can go beyond this conflagration, and experience the state of supreme coolness, the extinction of the fire burning us, Nibbāna.
While listening to the Buddha, the 1,000 monks contemplate and clearly see see the whole of subjective experience as one blazing mass of fire burning us. Seeing and contemplating thus, they experience 'nibbidā', disenchantment. Feeling disenchanted, desire and passion fades away. From the fading of passion, they experience release. When their hearts is released, the knowledge of release arises:
"Rebirth is finished, the goal of our practice has been attained, the job is done, there's no more rebounding to this world!"
However, this contemplation is a very advanced form of vipassana (insight-meditation). If we start feeling depressed, fearful or dejected while contemplating the world being on fire, instead of experiencing dispassion and release, we have to understand that we're not yet able to contemplate as intended by the Buddha. In that case, we have to go back to our samādhi (concentration) practice, to make our mind bright and happy again, before returning to the contemplation of dukkha.
The text of the whole Sutta is available for free viewing or download in the Amaravati Chanting Book, Vol 2, page 24:
https://amaravati.org/dhamma-books/chanting-book-volume-two/
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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:
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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 Buddha himself some 2,500 years ago.
Ajahn Saengchai Ratananyano from Bodhisaddha Monastery, Wilton near Sydney, is leading the chanting.
Ajahn Den Atthakaro from Bodhipala monastery near Adelaide recites the traditional invitation to all devas and spirits at the beginning.
Ajahn Varadhammo from Bodhisaddha Monastery, Ajahn Dhammasiha & Ajahn Moneyyo from Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, and Tan Khema & Tan Dhammavitakko from Buddha Bodhivana Monastery, Warburton near Melbourne, are all joining in.
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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 sharing the story of King Ajatasattu confessing the murder of his own father, stream enterer King Bimbisāra, to the Buddha. He does that in full public with 1,250 arahant monks present, and also his own 500 wifes and whole court.
You can read about that amazing story, a true Shakespearian drama, in the introductory section of the 'Sāmañña-phala-sutta' (Discourse on the Fruits of the Holy Life), Dīgha Nikāya/Long Discourses #2.
The most important thing after a transgression is to fully recognize it as such, make amends as far as possible, and then to abstain from doing it again in the future. Then one lets go of the past, forgiving oneself, and rather than dwelling in guilt, one tries to make as much good karma as possible, to weaken and overcome the bad karma one has created.
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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 impossible to drive a car for an hour without causing the death of insects smashing against the windscreen. However, that's normally not the intention when driving the car, the intention is simply to get to one's destination.
It would be totally impossible to live as a human, without ever being causally involved in the death of other beings. Even as a total vegan, and refraining from using leather or silk, even then the production of cotton for clothing, or the cultivation of vegan food, could still not be done without some beings dying.
Therefore, intention is really the crucial factor to focus on.
Usually, if someone buys meat of fish in a supermarket, there is no intention of killing. Consequently, buying and eating meat is not breaking the first precept.
On the other hand, if someone deliberately becomes vegetarian or vegan, or simply reduces meat/fish consumption, with the intention that less beings will be slaughtered, this is good karma, because there's intention to reduce killing and suffering.
If more humans were aware how much pain and torture and suffering animals have to endure, not only in the slaughterhouse, but actually for their whole life in unimaginably cruel factory farming, I believe many more would go vegetarian, or at least reduce their meat & fish consumption.
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