This week we read from the Buddha’s very first teaching, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. In it, the Buddha teaches two things: the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths.

Confucius says: “What greater joy can there be than putting into practice what you have learned?” To free ourselves from suffering, the Buddha teaches us 3 questions we can ask ourselves to step out of suffering.

The sixth of the six paramitas is Understanding - Right View. It enhances the other five and, at the same time, is enhanced by them. It is another important tool we can apply to develop peace of mind in any situation.

Diligence and meditation go hand in hand. They are the fourth and the fifth of the six Paramitas - techniques and mental actions that we can use to help ourselves cross over from the shore of negative mind states to the shore of happiness and peace.

Allowing what happens in life to be and becoming open to accepting any and all events as our true experience, that’s what it means to practice inclusiveness. It’s the third of the six Paramitas - boats that we can use to row ourselves from the shore of negative mind states to the shore of happiness.

Thanksgiving is over, December has begun, the holiday season is picking up speed. Hohoho. With it, we may become occupied with what gifts we can give to our loved ones. What a wonderful practice it is to give!

Life throws us curve balls left and right. Sometimes it is hard to make sense of it all. The law of karma helps us to understand, make sense of it all, and keep a calm and happy mind.

Mens sana in corpore sano - goes the often quoted Latin saying: which is best translated in meaning as a healthy mind can only live in a healthy body. Do you want to know who came up with that?

Last week, we started learning about the “Four Divine Abodes” for the mind. The first one is unconditional love, which doesn’t expect anything in return. This week, we look at the other three: compassion, joy, and equanimity.

I would like to let a master explain what metta is and how it fits in with Buddha’s teaching and meditation practice. So, I am reading you today from the book “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Thich Nhat Hanh.

You may have heard that Buddhism teaches us about letting go of our desires. But not all desires are created equal. Bhante Vimalaramsi recently told us about wholesome desires. Wanting to make good karma or wanting to reach spiritual enlightenment are examples of wholesome desire.

In today’s talk we look at a bookmark that I got from the Budhist Society of Western Australia. Its backside contains the core text of the Mahāmaṅgala Sutta, the Buddha’s advice on what to consider to be the greatest fortune.

In today’s talk, we are blessed to welcome Bhante Vimalaramsi and hear him speak about life, meditation, the 6 R’s, and how to keep a light mind. The talk includes a very informative and inspiring Q&A session.

A little while ago, I sat in meditation as the memory of a friend from the past kept coming up, along with how I had hurt her with my words and actions. When we sit in meditation and our mind settles down, it is inevitable that this kind of defilement, namely regret, remorse, guilt, is going to come up.

A few years ago, we went to Boise, Idaho for a conference and heard the author James Clear speak. He was talking about building new habits and about making incremental 1% changes each day. He says: “The way to becoming something is by doing that [some] thing.”

We are so delighted that many of you have found the 6Rs to be a breakthrough in your practice. But there were also some questions that arose about the 6Rs.

Hindrances and distractions in life and meditation are our secret helpers: the friends within. It’s worth getting to know them intimately.

Are you feeling the change in the air? Here we are so acutely aware of the changes in the forest around us. The cricket sounds have reduced in volume. The temperatures are getting cooler. And some yellowed leaves are falling. Fall is here.

Last week, we learned from Bhante Vimalaramsi about adding smiling and relaxing to the active part of the process of meditation. Today, I want to let Ajahn Brahm chime in. He’s big on smiling, enjoying, and relaxing during meditation. We often hear him say: “Relax. To the max.”

During the last eight months we have been meditating weekly together. So how is your meditation practice unfolding for you? We have come across a new monk whom we didn't know about a week ago. He taught us something that we have been missing in our meditation practice.