Ajahn Brahm Podcast

Explore the concept of responsibility through a Buddhist lens, learning to respond wisely without the weight of ownership. Discover the balance between solvable problems and those needing acceptance, with personal anecdotes emphasizing self-improvement. Dive into the joy of community over material wealth, and reflect on the bittersweet nature of progress. Gain insights on compassion and ethical dilemmas, alongside the courage to make tough decisions in the face of societal pressures, all while embracing true accountability in our actions.

Answering to a request for a talk from Canada on the topic of mudita – sympathetic joy. This divine emotion forms a pair with compassion. Whereas compassion feels the suffering of others and involves having our heart go out to others to sympathize with their pain, mudita involves having our heart go out to others to feel and sympathize with their happiness and joy. Ajahn Brahm explains why and how we can develop this divine emotion of sympathetic joy. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 3rd October 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.

The truth is not something found in a book or passed on from someone else, but is something that is found within one’s own experience. But the deeper truth is not found in thoughts, but rather in silence. This teaching by Ajahn Brahm is about how to find one’s own way into silence and to seeing the truth directly for oneself. In short: how to stop doing things and to invest our energy into just knowing. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 25th July 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.

Ajahn Brahm explains with kindness and wisdom where Buddhism stands on issues related to sexuality, starting from the basis of Buddhist morality which is about refraining from harming oneself or others. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 18th July 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.  

Ajahn Brahm explains with kindness and wisdom where Buddhism stands on issues related to sexuality, starting from the basis of Buddhist morality which is about refraining from harming oneself or others. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 18th July 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.

Dive into the transformative power of the mind, where meditation is portrayed as essential for nourishing our mental health. Discover the futility of trying to control life, embracing its messiness through mindfulness. Learn how to cultivate acceptance, navigate inner conflicts, and maintain peace amid negativity. With personal stories of resilience, find out how meditation not only fosters happiness but also nurtures emotional healing. Embrace the idea that true contentment starts from within, not from external achievements.

Ajahn Brahm gives a talk on addictions and obsessions, including the skillful means to overcome them to to have freedom from them. This talk is not just about addictions to alcohol and drugs, but also about obsessive behaviours of body, speech and mind which are the source of suffering for both others and for ourselves. By overcoming our addictions and obsessions we become internally at peace, and a person who doesn’t create problems for ourselves and others.

Explore the distinction between mental and physical suffering, learning how acceptance can lead to happiness. Discover the importance of letting go of control, as trying to manage the uncontrollable only creates more pain. Gain insights from personal stories about fully engaging in life and the profound lessons found in unexpected encounters. Embrace suffering as a path to peace and understand how mental well-being deeply connects to physical health, promoting a compassionate approach in relationships and meditation.

We are taught to forgive so that we can free ourselves from the past and move on to happier times. Guilt only makes you unhappy and makes you do bad things. Talking about forgiveness creates peace and prevents guilt. You can’t be happy if you don t think you deserve happiness. Guilt comes from judging, from treating someone as if they’re inherently bad. Guilt is a by-product of revenge, you don’t need it, and there’s a way to get rid of it. Punishment seldom works and often does more harm than good. Instead, try to acknowledge your faults and learn the ‘AFL code’ of Buddhism, which is to ‘Acknowledge’, ‘Forgive’ and ‘Learn’ from your mistakes. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 30th May 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. If you like the Ajahn Brahm Podcast, you may also like the Treasure Mountain Podcast and / or the Forest Path Podcast which are also produced by the Everyday Dhamma Network. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.

The key to happiness lies in contentment and letting go. The happiness that comes from being generous comes from freeing ourselves from our attachments and worries. Buddhism teaches us to let go of negative thoughts and emotions associated with death and sickness, and to be happy in the face of these occasions. Buddhism teaches that true happiness comes from understanding the Four Noble Truths and practicing the eightfold path. This can be achieved by following the basic tenets of the religion, such as detachment, acceptance, control of desires, and contemplation of the moment's beauty. When tragedies happen, we usually focus on the things that are going wrong. But when we focus on what's actually going on inside of us, we start to see that life is always changing and that it's always going to pass. This allows us to be happier and handle difficult situations better. Buddhism teaches that by slowly letting go and becoming more at peace, we can be free of our past. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 30th May 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. If you like the Ajahn Brahm Podcast, you may also like the Treasure Mountain Podcast and / or the Forest Path Podcast which are also produced by the Everyday Dhamma Network. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.