Clear Mountain Monastery Project

The 4-Part guided meditation on "sharing merit" that preceded this talk can be found here: https://youtu.be/cK__2ma48vs

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks to the practice of "sharing merit" (pattidāna-mayā puññā) based on the "Verses of Sharing & Aspiration" chant on page 33 of the Chanting book (https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/30/Chanting-Book-Vol-1-Web.pdf):

"Through the goodness that arises from my practice,

May my spiritual teachers & guides of great virtue,

My mother, my father, & my relatives,

The Sun & the Moon, & all virtuous leaders of the world,

May the highest gods & evil forces,

Celestial beings, guardian spirits of the Earth, & the Lord of Death,

May those who are friendly, indifferent, or hostile,

May all beings receive the blessings of my life.

May they soon attain the threefold bliss & realize the Deathless.

Through the goodness that arises from my practice, & through this act of sharing,

May all desires & attachments quickly cease & all harmful states of mind.

Until I realize Nibānna,

In every kind of birth, may I have an upright mind,

With mindfulness & wisdom, austerity & vigor.

May the forces of delusion not take hold nor weaken my resolve.

The Buddha is my excellent refuge,

Unsurpassed is the protection of the Dhamma,

The Solitary Buddha is my noble guide,

The Sangha is my supreme support.

Through the supreme power of all these,

May darkness & delusion be dispelled."

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

Ratthapala was a wealthy young man who heard the Buddha teach and immediately wanted to ordain. His parents refused - he was their only son, raised in privilege. So he lay on the floor and declared he would die there if not permitted. After seven days of fasting, they relented. He quickly attained arahantship and later returned home. His father tried to lure him back with piles of gold and his former wives, but Ratthapala was unmoved. When King Koravya asked why someone with youth, health, and wealth would renounce the world, Ratthapala taught the famous "Four Dhamma Summaries". The Buddha declared Ratthapala foremost among disciples who ordained on "pure conviction" - not from misfortune, but from profound insight into the nature of existence.

To learn more or join via Zoom for the Sunday "Mission Majjhima!" discussion group from 5:10 - 6 pm PT following the video premier, visit Clear Mountain Monastery's website and click on the link for the "Mission Majjhima! – Sunday Evening Sutta Teaching & Discussion" (https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/sunday-sutta-study/).

THIS SUTTA:

The Ratthapala Sutta (About Ratthapala) - https://suttacentral.net/mn82/en/sujato

THE FULL MISSION MAJJHIMA PLAYLIST & SERIES:

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLomY-Sp4p5YsIVG0DmvJhUcR6YaXR_3wf

- https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/sunday-sutta-study/

SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES:

- Reference Notes - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GbSQaD5VJr3oVkoOXQZOP23NeysBTsY9u5h4O8wub_E/edit

- SuttaCentral Translations and Parallels - https://suttacentral.net/mn82

- Bhikkhu Bodhi Translation - https://suttacentral.net/mn82/en/bodhi

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu Translation - https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN82.html

- Bhikkhu Bodhi Lecture - Syllabus for a Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikāya:

-- https://bodhimonastery.org/a-systematic-study-of-the-majjhima-nikaya.html#:~:text=MN%2082%2E%20Ra%E1%B9%AD%E1%B9%ADhap%C4%81la%20Sutta,-V

-- (audio) https://scdd.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/uploads/original/3X/d/3/d3c0aa5d75be1472abc9000e329bc671942d09a5.mp3

- Bhikkhu Analayo - A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikaya - MN 81 - Page 477 - https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/compstudyvol1.pdf#page=477

- Venerable Ekaggata - MN 82 - https://bswa.org/teaching/mn82-ratthapala-sutta-12-december-2012/

- Dharmata - Ratthapala Sutta Analysis - https://palisuttas.com/2015/12/06/ratthapala-sutta-mn-82-r/

- The Four Dhamma Summaries (Chanting Guide) - https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/ChantingGuide/Section0013.html

- "The World Is Swept Away" (Thanissaro Bhikkhu) - https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/Meditations2/Section0039.html

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain's weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening "Mission Majjhima!" Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho converse with Bhante Rahula, founder of Paññabhumi Monastery in Guadalajara, Mexico (https://dhamma-pb.org/ and https://www.bhanterahula.com/). They talk about how the monastery served as a refuge during recent political upheaval, the role of monastics in times of tumult, favorite hidden gems in the Suttas, reasons for ordination, and more!

Bhante Rāhula Bio

Bhante Rāhula, born in Mexico, has spent the last 22 years in Asia in various periods, where he has practiced and studied the Dhamma.He was ordained in Myanmar by Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa, who is his preceptor. Since 2004 he has received meditation guidance from Sayadaw U Tejaniya. For 6 years, Bhante studied Suttas and Abhidhamma with Sayadaw Dr. Ukkamsacara in Macau. In 2019, he completed a course on Buddhist scriptures from Harvard University. After living for several years at Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary (SBS) in Malaysia, he returned to Mexico to found Paññabhumi Monastery in Guadalajara.

To find out more about Bhante Rāhula or Paññabhumi, visit https://www.bhanterahula.com/ or https://dhamma-pb.org/

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The link to the 7:00-7:45 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about how we can use Buddhist cosmology to understand the mind and its refinement. Where the standard lists of mental factors and contemplations taught by the Buddha often provide the necessary language for practice, the variegated world of Buddhist cosmology contains great wisdom as well.

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Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

This is PART TWO of Clear Mountain's interview with Jack Kornfield. Watch PART ONE here: https://youtu.be/selbulve5z0

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:35 - Early Years: From Dartmouth to Haight-Ashbury to Peace Corps to the Thai Forests

00:05:28 - Meeting Ajahn Sumedho

00:07:26 - Meeting Ajahn Chah and Being the Second Western Monk at Wat Nong Pah Pong

00:10:00 - Life in Caves (Wat Tam Saeng Pet), Walking alms barefoot

00:12:25 - Visiting Ajahn Chah with Ram Dass and Joseph Goldstein

00:13:04 - Returning to the West and the poignant decision to disrobe

00:16:28 - The Birth of IMS: Lay Practice and Unexpected Karma

00:17:39 - Founding Spirit Rock: Sacred Land and Generous Benefactors

00:20:45 - Asian Origins of Western Teachings

00:22:15 - Modernizing the Dharma: Lay Teachers and Team Teaching

00:26:21 - Integrating the Feminine

00:27:35 - Right Effort for Westerners Moving Beyond "Cowboy Style"

00:31:20 - Inviting Asian Teachers to America: Ajahn Chah, Mahāsi Saydaw, the Dalai Lama,

00:33:50 - Teacher Conversations for Mutual Growth and Respect

00:39:40 - Ethics and Sexual Misconduct: Precepts for Teachers

00:42:11 - Psychology and the Path

00:44:15 - The "Insight Tradition" and Teacher Training and Curricula

00:49:35 - Addressing Trauma and Seeing Suffering

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Jack Kornfield, a pioneering bridge between Theravāda Buddhism and Western psychology, and a key architect of the mindfulness movement currently flourishing in the United States. Jack brilliantly summarizes a life devoted to bringing the Dharma West, touching on such topics as Kornfield’s early encounters with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho in the Thai forests, the serendipitous karmic origins of major American centers like IMS and Spirit Rock, and the deliberate evolution of Western Dharma through team teaching, female leadership, and secular teacher training. Kornfield highlights the vital "middle path" of adapting ancient monastic medicines—such as mindfulness and Metta—to address modern issues like trauma and psychological striving, while preserving the core essence of the Four Noble Truths.

Jack's Biography:

Jack Kornfield has been a pioneering force in bringing Theravāda Buddhism – and mindfulness more broadly – to the West. After serving in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s, Jack trained as a monk under our teachers' teacher Ajahn Chah, and - for varying lengths of time – also met and trained with such other monastic luminaries as: Mahasi Sayadaw, Ajahn Jumnien, Taungpulu Sayādaw, Ajahn Buddhadāsa, and Ajahn Maha Boowa. As a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in 1975 and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in 1987, Jack has spent decades bridging Eastern tradition with his background in clinical psychology. He is the author of several modern Spiritual classics, including: "Living Dharma" (formerly "Living Buddhist Masters", "A Path with Heart", "After the Ecstasy the Laundry", and "The Wise Heart". His most recent book is a collection of stories: "All in This Together". To learn more about Jack, visit: https://jackkornfield.com/

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!