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The 37 Aids to Awakening - Part 4
The Four Iddhipada (steps to spiritual power) Iddhi means spiritual power and pada means steps. So these are the four steps to spiritual...

Sanghamitta
Nov 12, 20192 min read
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The 37 Aids to Awakening - Part 3
The Four Applications of Mindfulness (Satipatthana) As the title explains, these four aids to Awakening tell us where to apply our...

Sanghamitta
Nov 7, 20194 min read
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37 Aids to Awakening - Part 2
The Four Efforts Before we can meditate, we have to purify ourselves of the gross hindrances (defilements, fetters). The hindrances are...

Sanghamitta
Oct 28, 20195 min read
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37 Aids to Awakening - Introduction
The essence of the Buddha's teaching is contained in the 37 Bodhipacchiyadhammas, the 37 Aids or Wings to Awakening. He gave this...

Sanghamitta
Oct 22, 20197 min read
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Shaila Catherine Retreat: Distracted Mind, Distracted Life
Shaila Catherine is an American teacher in the Theravada tradition (more or less). She is best known for her study of jhana (absorptively...
Leslie Lewis
Jul 5, 20198 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 10/10
In this talk, Ayya Santacitta gives us the "take home" message or summary from the Seven Factors of Awakening retreat. Our meditation...

Sanghamitta
Jun 30, 20191 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 9
Guided meditation on incorporating the Seven Factors of Awakening into any meditation practice.

Sanghamitta
Jun 29, 20191 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 7
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are a basic blueprint of the teachings of the Buddha. The body contemplations, as well as calming our...

Sanghamitta
Jun 29, 20191 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 6
Ayya discusses how to use the Seven Factors of Awakening to awaken in this talk. This is a very encouraging talk for anyone who is...

Sanghamitta
Jun 29, 20191 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 8
Ayya discusses three different contemplations on mortality. 1. Charnal ground meditation - visualizing the different stages of...

Sanghamitta
Jun 29, 20191 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 4
Ayya gives a guided meditation on the elements. The purpose is to understand the concept of anatta, not-self. Not-self is a phrase to...

Sanghamitta
Jun 28, 20191 min read
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The Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 3
Vipallasa - Distortions of Perception The purpose of our meditation practice is to train our mind to look at experience in a different...

Sanghamitta
Jun 26, 20192 min read
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The Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 2
In this talk, Ayya Santacitta discusses how the hindrances and the Factors of Awakening (Enlightenment) are related to each other. The...

Sanghamitta
Jun 24, 20191 min read
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The Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 1
Ayya Santacitta hosted a retreat in Canmore in June 2019 on this topic. She gave a preview of the Seven Factors of Awakening at our...

Sanghamitta
Jun 23, 20192 min read
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What is Right Effort?
Right Effort is a very important part of our practice. We need to get it right or we waste time and get frustrated. We know we are using...

Sanghamitta
Jun 15, 20194 min read
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Seven Factors of Awakening - Part 5
A guided meditation on the Brahmaviharas. Metta, loving friendliness, is like the noon day sun that shines equally on everyone. Karuna,...

Sanghamitta
Jun 12, 20191 min read
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Khanti - Patience
The Buddha described patience as the highest spiritual practice. Khanti, the Pali word for patience, derives from the word khamati which...

Sanghamitta
Jun 8, 20194 min read
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The Wandering Mind - Part 2
In Part 1 of this topic on the Wandering Mind, also known as Outflowings or asavas, we discussed the first of seven methods to still our...

Sanghamitta
Jun 2, 20194 min read
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The Wandering Mind - Part 1
The Buddha called the wanderings of our mind outflowings (asavas), because the mind flows out to distractions from our meditation focus....

Sanghamitta
May 30, 20194 min read
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Wise Ways to Watch the Breath
It's not easy to watch the breath, because it is so subtle. So the following suggestions, by Ajahn Brahm, on how to stay with the breath,...

Sanghamitta
May 3, 20198 min read
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