Teatime at Birken (9 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:30 - How does one practice Loving-kindness when entangled with unskillful people? 09:12 - In the past, I used to end my sittings with a smile and start to laugh. Is this “laughing-kindness” like “Loving-kindness”? 11:41 - In a Jataka story, the Bodhisatta practices patience (Khanti). Isn’t it a practice of Loving-kindness as well? 15:34 - What strategies ca...
May 09, 2021•56 min
Teatime at Birken (8 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:32 - Beings in nature are inevitably food for other beings, so how does sending Loving-kindness fit in with the food chain? 05:02 - What do monks do when they are having ongoing health problems? 10:59 - How does Metta practice relate to the compilation of death? 15:09 - Sometimes Metta fades and it’s tiring to keep generating it. Any suggestions? 20:11 - Do...
May 08, 2021•58 min
Teatime at Birken (7 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:20 - How does one get the right balance between breath meditation and Metta practice? 07:35 - How does kamma relate to past actions? What releases us from negative past actions and corresponding results? 19:00 - How does one balance retreating from the world when opportunities arise to make active contributions in the world? 24:02 - How do we expand small g...
May 07, 2021•57 min
Teatime at Birken (6 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:28 - Can Metta protect one from greed and sense desires? 10:54 - How can one be “a graceful receiver” in a relationship, rather than the giving end? 21:04 - Is there a way to cultivate Metta without words? 24:52 - Does Loving-kindness require vulnerability and forgiveness for oneself and others? 27:33 - You’ve said that one should not be guilty for past uns...
May 06, 2021•57 min
Teatime at Birken (5 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:23 - Does Metta include patiently bearing with the unpleasant? 07:34 - Can you speak of Metta towards objects or natural elements? Like, towards snow. 16:18 - What is the middle way in cultivating Metta powerfully without trying to force it? 22:24 - Do you need to be a Buddhist to recieve or radiate Metta? Does speaking Pali help? 26:31 - Previously you sai...
May 05, 2021•56 min
Teatime at Birken (4 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:33 - Which requires greater effort - overcoming bodily or mental unpleasant feelings? 10:33 - How do we give meaning to Loving-kindness as kusala-kriya - skillfully moving towards the ultimate release of suffering? 23:05 - Could it be that the pandemic has brought good conditions for the development of Metta? 32:53 - Can Metta lead to the Jhanas and Enlight...
May 04, 2021•51 min
Teatime at Birken (3 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:36 - Did the Buddha teach Metta in the same structured approach as taught by lay retreat teachers? 08:46 - Is a sweet feeling in the middle of the chest a natural response when cultivating Metta? 16:30 - How do you work with joy and energy when they get in the way of sleep? 19:30 - How does Metta transform perception? 29:27 - Can the notion of a Bodhisattva...
May 04, 2021•53 min
Teatime at Birken (2 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 00:41 - When using Metta to induce a sense of safety, images arise of the possibility of not being safe. How to best work with this? 11:01 - Of the Four Divine Abidings, is Metta the most important for our daily lives? 23:03 - How can one skillfully relate to remorse over harmful speech done in the past? 29:09 - How does one get to an embodied experience of Me...
May 02, 2021•1 hr
Edited HD version of Teatime at Birken (1 of 9) streamed live as part of the Virtual Metta Retreat (December 23-31, 2020). Index of questions: 00:00 - Welcome 01:57 - What is the relationship between Metta and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment? 06:02 - As Metta arises in the body, what sensations arise as a result? 18:15 - Is the development of good ethics (Sila) the foundation for generating Metta? 26:20 - When on this Metta cruise on the canoe, is it OK if I want to be on a yacht as well? 32:...
May 01, 2021•58 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 25, 2021•34 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Ajahn Sona. Vocals by Upasikas Bodhipala & Metta. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 24, 2021•10 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 18, 2021•30 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 15, 2021•31 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 11, 2021•24 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 08, 2021•26 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 04, 2021•21 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Apr 01, 2021•21 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 28, 2021•19 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 25, 2021•24 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 21, 2021•29 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 18, 2021•28 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 14, 2021•28 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 11, 2021•29 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 07, 2021•26 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021.
Mar 04, 2021•27 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021. Music Credit: Riley Lee Photo Credit: Adobe Stock
Feb 28, 2021•28 min
From Ajahn Sona's book "Bloom: Buddhist Reflections on Serenity and Love", narrated by Upasika Bodhipala. Serenity: Chapters 1-8 | Love: Chapters 9-17 Published weekly March-April 2021. Music Credit: Riley Lee Photo Credit: Adobe Stock
Feb 28, 2021•5 min
Talk 10 (of 10) from the Virtual Metta Retreat given in December 2020 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Jan 01, 2021•32 min
Talk 9 (of 10) from the Virtual Metta Retreat given in December 2020 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Dec 31, 2020•35 min
Talk 8 (of 10) from the Virtual Metta Retreat given in December 2020 at Birken Forest Monastery.
Dec 30, 2020•31 min
