July 6: Tonight we listened to a Dhamma talk on Patience by Ayya Medhanandi.
July 13: Tonight we listened to a guided meditation by Ayyā Medhanandi and then the beginning of a Dhamma talk by Ajahn Brahm. It is on the Upakkilesa Sutta. This is a power packed sutta. It discusses harmony, which is the part that was covered tonight. Next week we will continue with the second section of the sutta which is on how to develop stillness then jhanas which are the condition for insight and Awakening to arise.
July 16: Kusala presented a talk by Bhikkhu Thanissaro on Insight:
What is Insight and What Good is It? March 9th, 2016
This led us into a fruitful talk on purging our homes of excess stuff.....a movement towards the freedom and happiness of renunciation.
July 20: Tonight we continued with the Upakkilesa Sutta with commentaries by Ajahn Brahm. The focus tonight was on nimmitas, the signs that tell us we are getting close to samadhi: stillness: jhanas. The Buddha lists nine reasons why nimmitas don't develop into jhana: 1. doubt 2. inattention 3. sloth and torpor 4. fear 5. elation 6. inertia 7. excess of energy 8. deficiency of energy 9. longing/wanting 10. perception of diversity 11. attention to forms.
July 23: This morning we read a Dhamma talk on happiness by Ajahn Vayama. This talk is found in "Let the LIght Shine", an anthology of Dhamma offerings by Bhikkhunis.
July 27: Tonight we listened to the Q+A session of the Upakkilesa Sutta. Hopefully this sutta will inspire us in our samadhi practice.
July 30: This morning we listened to Ayya Santacitta's summary Dhamma talk on The Seven Factors of Awakening.