Dhammarato Dhamma

Choices & Changes | John #1 | 6.16.22

John and Dhammarato talk about the things that are missing in most Western systems of meditation and compare them with the method explained in the suttas of remembering to look and making a change. #goenka #mahasisayadaw #buddhadhamma
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tjyx-g6INQ
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00 We must be making choices and changes; remember to wake up, look, and make a change (MN 19, MN 117, MN 118)07:33 Most systems are missing right effort (samma vāyāma); gladdening the mind; thus one trains oneself13:43 Goenka misses control and gladdening; the noble Dhamma becomes self-evident23:33 The 16 stages of insight; starting students at step 12: the four noble truths27:43 Seeing the need for change; Muktananda29:48 U Pandita; Bhikkhu Buddhadāsa; Achan Poh33:34 Samādhi as unification of mind - gathering together; keeping the mind wholesome; first jhāna (MN 36)39:56 Samma sankappa (right intention, right attitude): I can clean up the mind43:04 Don’t worry about the long-term, practice right now; practice joyfully46:49 Dukkha, dukkha-nirodha; the method is to remember to look at what you’re doing and make a change; hindrances (MN 2)50:30 Life-stories don’t help; monkey see, monkey do55:25 Choose how you feel; dukkha, dukkha-nirodha in this moment

Expectations, Standards, Rules | Robert Ca #10 | 6.15.22

Robert and Dhammarato talk about insight into the unreachable standards, rules, and expectations of the parent ego state and how this becomes the basis for change. #buddha #freud #transactionalanalysis 
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MljR0eff-Uk
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00 Thou shalt not feel good; the Buddha, Freud, and Berne; neuroanatomy09:12 Beginning to change the parent ego state; listening to the adult; the basis of investigation14:39 The linchpin; “I see you, Mara”; remembering to make the change17:50 Repetition, repetition, repetition - confidence will grow; make it as best you can until you make it right22:58 Making mistakes about jhāna; you do not have to meet any standard30:45 Standards we can’t match up too; coming out of socialisations so we can be social

Freedom From Western Passivity | Beau #2 | 6.9.22

Beau and Dhammarato talk about the foundational skills and attitudes that are often missing in Western Buddhism. #buddhism #skills #relaxation
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFZaBgL9gHY
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Skills that need to be developed: remembering, looking, changing00:08:10 Music and repetition; mercy, grace, and forgiveness00:12:06 Noting and despair; the 16 stages of enlightenment; stage 16 is “never mind, start again”00:16:54 Back to skills; playfulness comes with the expectation of success; taking the right effort to gladden the mind00:22:17 Steve James and Daniel Ingram on Mahasi noting; any thought can be improved; samma sankappa (right attitude or intention)00:29:48 Developing confidence; the practice of being a lion, of being in charge00:33:34 Working with the feelings (vedanā); getting in touch with the senses; mindful walking 00:40:47 We use the mind and body to control the feelings; the fox and the grapes (MN 12); Western passivity00:51:58 Training in sukha (MN 118); the primary feeling of fear00:58:51 Comfort: relaxing the body; freedom from fear; safety, security, satisfaction, confidence (piti)01:04:12 First jhāna and panoramic openness; sustaining the quality of feeling very good; arising and passing away01:12:27 Everything is a skill to be developed

Be the Hero | Robert Ca #9 | 6.8.22

Robert and Dhammarato talk about waking up to the crowd inside, how we create our own emotional rollercoaster (samsāra), and how we can develop a winner’s attitude by understanding that we can stop, make a change, and gladden the mind. #heroism #samsara #victimhood
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6YuIRL8yHI
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00 Becoming moods; waking up to the crowd inside02:10 Congratulations on seeing the cycle: samsāra; the emotional rollercoaster we create07:34 All personalities are a disorder09:07 Effort is tainted with being; right effort is just enough; repetition11:11 Start recognising what thoughts you are having at different points in the cycle16:32 Ill will and wisdom towards oneself21:24 Alwaysisms and being in the moment; trained to be negative; taught to be a victim28:00 Dhamma teachers and stone Buddhas; we can change (MN 9)35:51 Take a deep breath; the winner’s attitude is knowing you can handle it

Soaking up Success | Robert Ca | 6.3.22

Robert and Dhammarato talk about rules and reality, and developing the skills to build new habits. #habits #rituals #wisdom
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ujz-oY9K9o
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Wanting to be unhappy; resistance; the child (id) and the parent (superego)00:05:20 Letting it sink in; keep practicing00:11:30 Investigating the rules; the most common woeful state; four types in ok corral00:21:00 Fear of losing happiness; fear of punishment; ignorance is the start00:24:12 Giving up to being miserable; modifying lifetime habits; it’s ok to be happy00:34:11 Reality is not the rules; protection, permission, and potency00:42:49 Catching unwholesome thoughts; relishing being alive00:59:16 Gladden the mind: celebrate that you’re still alive01:00:00 Stupidity from the past; grand wisdom

Satisfying Seclusion | Robert Ca | 6.2.22

Robert and Dhammarato talk about how to use seclusion to build skills. #seclusion #beinginthemoment #righthererightnow 
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQfIkhRwv-k
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00 Building up seclusion time; start in bed in the morning04:38 Maintaining motivation; types of motivation; positive winner’s attitude13:51 Switching between different modes of being and losing balance; right here, right now22:35 Let go of dukkha; pick up sukha30:07 Getting real; avoiding romantic thinking33:13 Feeling the need to track the past to avoid traps37:06 Wisdom is becoming a win-win person; seeing the world as a farce41:58 The power is you don’t have to be part of it; it’s the Keystone Cops48:20 Back to seclusion50:12 The gift of a smile; the gift of joy; the gift of the present moment

Skills of Music and Dhamma, Playing with Smoking | Beau #1, Robert Ca | 6.6.22

Robert, Beau, and Dhammarato talk about the relationship between music skills and meditation skills, investigating the hindrances, and gaining mastery and control through play and crazy thinking. #mindfulness #smoking #playfulness
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfujvpLHmm8
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Can meditation skills be used in music? Analogy of changing gears: similarities and differences00:05:57 Mastering skills; dealing with things right here, right now00:11:21 Becoming tired of gladdening the mind; strategies for exhausted and exhausting; just stop (MN 86)00:20:11 Investigating cause and effect - a missing element in Western Buddhism; analogy with chemical reactions00:25:07 Figure out what it is you’re doing; you’re already in the holy place00:29:36 Wanting to smoke; hatred for the desire; hatred for yourself00:45:21 We imprison ourselves in rules; self-flagellation00:48:47 Feelings and associated sensations in the body; crazy thinking and taking control 00:56:33 Sati one of five faculties, four foundations of mindfulness, seven factors of awakening, and the noble eightfold path01:00:03 Secondary self-hatred; self-acceptance - or complete friendliness; the mentality of always

Kinds of Freedom, Care, and Ignorance | The Sangha UK #55 | 6.5.22

The Sangha discuss meditation as analogous to training a puppy in that we enjoy immediate rewards as opposed to delayed gratification, or seeking grace and mercy as a reward for working hard. #righteffort #concentration #delayedgratification
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8c-Hfl7I1M
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Meditation takes a little bit of effort; immediate benefit, no benefit; fits and starts00:08:48 What are you doing right now? Remembering and making a change; perfect sila00:11:13 Concentration is what losers do because they expect to fail00:14:52 Attitude and immediate benefit (MN 111); being completely free from unwholesome thoughts00:19:05 Sati is the number one skill to be developed; like training a dog00:23:31 “Enlightenment” is something you can experience right here, right now; practice being satisfied00:36:12 Gaining benefit right here, right now is missing from Western meditation; wholesome pleasure (MN 36; MN 139)00:42:52 Pseudo-discipline; grace and mercy; suffering greatly from things that never happen00:46:21 Right effort: the least amount of effort to get the job done00:57:19 Passive meditation vs. skin in the game; noting vs. discrimination and change01:04:21 Free falling into fear; from conceptualisation to observation/examination01:20:05 Panda the puppy; right watching is putting the mind into another gear; remember to look at what you’re doing and make a change

Practice Being Satisfied | The Sangha US #41 | 6.4.22

The Sangha discuss wholesome thoughts and emptiness, the value of interactive communication, the qualities of the jhānas, and learning to live by the law of nature in friendship and satisfaction. #friendship #jhana #enlightenment
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_YCuk9iuAc
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM BST - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Investigating thoughts and feelings; anxiety as a concept; having wholesome thoughts and feelings00:07:17 Wholesomeness, emptiness, and happiness; is this dukkha or dukkha-nirodha?00:14:38 Emptiness all the way; the Tathāgatha00:19:32 Gladdening the mind and Sangha; communication-intensive media; meditation competition 00:24:52 Insights come through conversation 00:26:46 The Alex Channel; the need for live dialogue; there is a path and a method00:30:54 Improvisation and the Dhamma; the natural method and the organised method00:35:00 First jhāna is everyday; byproducts of being satisfied; second, third, and fourth jhāna; arūpa jhānas00:49:23 Empty thoughts; living by the law of nature; fear; self-preservation; existential threats00:59:39 The Buddha was a homeless person who learned how to feel good01:01:01 There’s nothing magical about satisfaction; friendship is the path

The Way of Satisfaction and Friendship | The Sangha UK #54 | 6.2.22

The Sangha discuss wholesome thoughts and emptiness, the value of interactive communication, the qualities of the jhānas, and learning to live by the law of nature in friendship and satisfaction. #friendship #jhana #enlightenment
See the video version of this call on YouTube.►YouTube Video - https://youtu.be/SOIqfKzhbZM
Find the full video chats on the Dhammarato Dhamma YouTube channel.►YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/DhammaratoDhamma
Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome. ►The Sangha US, Friday 7PM PDT with Dhammarato - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK, Sunday 10AM GDT with Dhammarato - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh ►The Sangha UK, Wednesday 8PM GDT - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh
To meet Dhamma friends, hang out, or volunteer—join our Discord Sangha. Everyone is welcome.►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY
These videos are also available in Podcast form on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.►Podbean - https://dhammaratodhamma.podbean.com/
00:00:00 Investigating thoughts and feelings; anxiety as a concept; having wholesome thoughts and feelings00:07:17 Wholesomeness, emptiness, and happiness; is this dukkha or dukkha-nirodha?00:14:38 Emptiness all the way; the Tathāgatha00:19:32 Gladdening the mind and Sangha; communication-intensive media; meditation competition 00:24:52 Insights come through conversation 00:26:46 The Alex Channel; the need for live dialogue; there is a path and a method00:30:54 Improvisation and the Dhamma; the natural method and the organised method00:35:00 First jhāna is everyday; byproducts of being satisfied; second, third, and fourth jhāna; arūpa jhānas00:49:23 Empty thoughts; living by the law of nature; fear; self-preservation; existential threats00:59:39 The Buddha was a homeless person who learned how to feel good01:01:01 There’s nothing magical about satisfaction; friendship is the path