Dhamma-Vinaya Patipadā Podcast

Bhante Joe
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Dhamma talks, meditation and discussions with Bhante Joe

  1. Sep 4

    The Wisdom of Knowing When | Bhante Joe

    How can we know when to speak, remain silent, persevere, or change our approach? In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe explores the Buddhist teaching of knowing the right time and place. Drawing on his early years as a monk and the contrasting behavior of senior Thai Forest teachers, he explains how Buddhist practice unifies apparent opposites: faith and discernment, restraint and lightness, serenity and insight. He cautions against relying rigidly on one meditation technique or simply strengthening our natural tendencies while neglecting weak areas. Faith guided by discernment becomes stable, while discernment supported by faith gains energy and confidence. Through the Middle Path and a chemistry simile, Bhante Joe shows how skillfully combining the path’s qualities in the right proportions creates steady momentum and helps practitioners advance more effectively over the long term. PRACTICE WITH US ──────────────────── BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION VIA ZOOM North America — 1st and middle Sunday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. https://dhammavinayapa... GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING Monday to Saturday — 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Colombo time https://dhammavinayapa... SPECIAL EVENTS ──────────────────── Subscribe to our Luma calendar for updates on retreats, days of practice, and other special events: https://luma.com/dhamm... FIND OUT MORE ──────────────────── Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dham... Website: https://www.dhammavina... TIMESTAMPS ──────────────────── 00:00:00 — Knowing the Right Time and Place 00:01:24 — Balancing Faith and Discernment 00:02:15 — When to Speak and When to Be Silent 00:02:48 — Developing Intuition Through Reflection 00:03:38 — Creativity in Meditation Practice 00:04:13 — The Limits of One-Sided Practice 00:05:00 — Strengthening Faith With Discernment 00:05:43 — Learning From Faith-Based Practitioners 00:06:29 — When Skepticism Becomes a Hindrance 00:07:11 — Unifying Opposites on the Middle Path 00:08:12 — Applying the Dhamma in the Right Measure

  2. Aug 31

    When Mental Images Help, and Hinder Meditation | Bhante Joe

    Can mental imagery strengthen meditation, or can it quietly pull the mind away from its intended object? In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe answers a practitioner’s question about using imagined pictures to restore and maintain mindfulness. He explains meditation objects, or kammaṭṭhāna, and examines image-based Buddhist practices such as asubha contemplation of the body and kasiṇa colour discs. Drawing on Ajahn Chah’s spider simile, Bhante Joe shows how an image can briefly guide attention back to the breath, while warning that interesting pictures may fade, multiply, and lead into unrelated thought. The key is to match the method to one’s temperament, use temporary reminders in proper measure, and remain with the chosen object whether meditation feels engaging or dull. Applied patiently, these Buddhist teachings support steadier mindfulness and a more resilient long-term Buddhist practice. PRACTICE WITH US ──────────────────── BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION VIA ZOOM North America — 1st and middle Sunday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. https://dhammavinayapa... GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING Monday to Saturday — 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Colombo time https://dhammavinayapa... SPECIAL EVENTS ──────────────────── Subscribe to our Luma calendar for updates on retreats, days of practice, and other special events: https://luma.com/dhamm... FIND OUT MORE ──────────────────── Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dham... Website: https://www.dhammavina... TIMESTAMPS ──────────────────── 00:00:00 — Can Mental Imagery Support Meditation? 00:00:36 — Ajahn Chah’s Spider Simile 00:00:57 — Meditation Objects And Foundations Of Mindfulness 00:01:19 — Asubha Contemplation And Mental Images 00:02:39 — Kasiṇa Practice With Colour Discs 00:03:17 — Choosing A Suitable Meditation Object 00:04:19 — Using Imagery To Return To The Breath 00:05:05 — Mental Images Versus Direct Intention 00:05:19 — When Imagery Becomes A Distraction 00:05:39 — Using Images In The Appropriate Measure 00:06:35 — Staying With Meditation When Interest Fades

    When Mental Images Help, and Hinder Meditation | Bhante Joe

  3. Aug 22

    Going With the Grain of Silence | Bhante Joe

    In this Dhamma talk from the ancient monasteries of Anuradhapura, Bhante Joe explores how physical solitude supports meditation and how a quiet mind can carry inner peace wherever it goes. Drawing on Ritigala, Kaludiya Pokuna, forest monks, and his own retreats, he explains why silence can initially feel threatening. Buddhist teachings on distorted perception are illustrated through the Buddha’s leper simile, while the boiling-water simile shows how the hindrances obscure clear seeing. The six animals tied to a stake represent the senses restrained by a steady meditation object, until their restless pulling subsides. By cultivating a strong desire for stillness and learning to delight in an empty dwelling, Buddhist practice gradually transforms our perception of happiness, benefiting both ourselves and those around us. PRACTICE WITH US ──────────────────── BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION VIA ZOOM North America — 1st and middle Sunday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. https://dhammavinayapatipada.com/monthly-meditation-meetings/ GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING Monday to Saturday — 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Colombo time https://dhammavinayapatipada.com/monthly-meditation-meetings/ SPECIAL EVENTS ──────────────────── Subscribe to our Luma calendar for updates on retreats, days of practice, and other special events: https://luma.com/dhammavinayapatipada FIND OUT MORE ──────────────────── Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dhammavinayapatipada Website: https://www.dhammavinayapatipada.com TIMESTAMPS ──────────────────── 00:00:00 — Homage and Silence in Ancient Anuradhapura 00:01:55 — Why the Buddha Recommended Noiseless Places 00:03:32 — How Solitude Supports Meditation 00:06:52 — Forest Monks and the Silence They Carry 00:08:52 — Why Silence Can Feel Threatening 00:10:15 — Distorted Perception and the Leper Simile 00:12:29 — The Boiling-Water Simile for the Hindrances 00:14:09 — Training the Mind to Enjoy Solitude 00:17:37 — Sense Restraint and the Six Animals 00:20:00 — Acceptance, Letting Go, and Catharsis 00:21:49 — Delighting in an Empty Dwelling 00:24:44 — Cultivating a Burning Desire for Stillness

  4. Aug 13

    When a Feeling Becomes a Story | Bhante Joe

    In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe explores what the Buddha means by being “developed in body” and “developed in mind”: learning not to be overwhelmed by painful feeling or carried away by pleasant feeling. Drawing on a discourse involving Saccaka, he explains how whole-body awareness, mindfulness of feeling (vedanā), and careful attention can prevent thoughts and emotions from taking root. The talk examines papañca, distraction and doomscrolling, the influence of speech and association, counter-perceptions such as mettā and asubha, and the development of equanimity. It also considers how identity and perception shape experience, and how awareness can become a more stable basis for peace. The concluding Q&A discusses breath meditation, working skillfully with physical pain, and changing long-established patterns of thought. Tune in with fellow practitioners for dhammavinayapatipada online events and community practice! BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION via ZOOM *North America — 1st Sunday and middle Sunday of the month: 7-8:30pm *Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month: 7-8:30pm https://dhammavinayapatipada.com/monthly-meditation-meetings/ LUMA CALENDAR *Subscribe for updates on special events https://luma.com/dhammavinayapatipada?k=c Find out more... Linktree https://linktr.ee/dhamma.vinaya.patipada Website www.dhammavinayapatipada.com Welcome!

  5. Aug 13

    The path that destroys itself | Bhante Joe

    In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe reflects on MN 106 and the Buddha’s teaching that identity can form around sensuality, form, meditative attainments, and the perceptions that shape our experience. He explains how the Buddhist path uses wholesome desire to overcome unwholesome desire, refined perceptions to release coarser perceptions, and contemplation of the four elements to calm and ground the mind. Drawing on Thai Forest meditation teachings, the talk explores breath energy, embodied awareness, upādāna as both clinging and sustenance, and the gradual uprooting of craving. The concluding Q&A offers practical guidance on using meditation instructions, approaching teachers, and framing questions around the ending of suffering. PRACTICE WITH US ──────────────────── BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION VIA ZOOM North America — 1st and middle Sunday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month, 7:00–8:30 p.m. https://dhammavinayapa... GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING Monday to Saturday — 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Colombo time https://dhammavinayapa... SPECIAL EVENTS ──────────────────── Subscribe to our Luma calendar for updates on retreats, days of practice, and other special events: https://luma.com/dhamm... FIND OUT MORE ──────────────────── Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dham... Website: https://www.dhammavina... TIMESTAMPS ──────────────────── 00:00:00 — Where Identity Takes Hold 00:01:22 — How Perception Creates Our World 00:05:18 — Using Perception to Go Beyond Perception 00:08:41 — Using Desire to Overcome Desire 00:10:30 — The Four Elements as a Meditation Framework 00:15:21 — Grounding the Mind in the Body 00:17:49 — Balancing the Elements and Refining Happiness 00:19:06 — Upādāna: Clinging, Sustenance, and Identity 00:21:41 — Uprooting Craving and Realizing Nibbāna 00:23:29 — Q&A: MN 106 and Noble Liberation 00:24:01 — Q&A: Craving, Clinging, and Fuel 00:25:38 — Q&A: Working with Meditation Instructions 00:29:22 — Q&A: How to Ask a Meditation Teacher for Guidance Can Desire Lead to Freedom? How Perception Ends Clinging | Bhante Joe

  6. Aug 4

    what if ignorance is something we choose? | Bhante Joe

    In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe explores how ignorance (avijjā) and craving (taṇhā) work together as the roots of suffering. He explains that ignorance is not merely a lack of knowledge, but also the mind’s tendency to forget, conceal, or avoid seeing what truly leads to happiness and suffering. Drawing on personal experiences with meditation, worldly ambition, travel, and busyness, he shows how mindfulness (sati) restores memory and helps us recognize cause and effect. Through practical examples involving food, sensual pleasure, meditation, and stream-entry, the talk encourages practitioners to become careful “connoisseurs of happiness,” discern the real costs and benefits of their choices, and gradually follow the Buddha’s path from temporary pleasure toward deeper peace, dispassion, and release. Tune in with fellow practitioners for dhammavinayapatipada online events and community practice! BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION via ZOOM *North America — 1st Sunday and middle Sunday of the month: 7-8:30pm *Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month: 7-8:30pm https://dhammavinayapa... LUMA CALENDAR *Subscribe for updates on special events https://luma.com/dhamm... Find out more... Linktree https://linktr.ee/dham... Website www.dhammavinayapatipada.com Welcome! TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 — Opening Chanting 00:00:22 — The Two Roots of Suffering: Ignorance and Craving 00:00:49 — Why Are Both Ignorance and Craving Called the Cause of Suffering? 00:01:19 — Avijjā: Not Knowing the Four Noble Truths 00:01:37 — Searching for Happiness Through Wealth and Power 00:02:20 — Worldly Success, Dissatisfaction, and Turning to Meditation 00:03:33 — How Ignorance Gives Rise to Craving 00:04:00 — How Craving Strengthens Ignorance 00:04:36 — Knowing the Truth but Not Wanting to See It 00:05:00 — Using Meditation to Enhance Worldly Life 00:05:49 — When Meditation Became More Fulfilling Than Worldly Pleasure 00:06:30 — Craving, Forgetting, and Protecting the Causes of Suffering 00:07:46 — Knowledge as the Antidote to Ignorance 00:08:21 — Why Intellectual Knowledge Is Not Enough 00:09:16 — How Meditation Reduces the Baseline of Suffering 00:09:34 — The Connection Between Ignorance and Forgetting 00:10:19 — Busyness, Community Work, and Losing Touch with Peace 00:11:17 — Returning to Longer Periods of Meditation 00:12:34 — How the Memory of Peace Gets Covered Over 00:12:53 — Sati: Mindfulness as Memory and Recollection 00:14:00 — Recognizing the Signposts That Lead to Peace 00:14:28 — Training the Mind to See Cause and Effect 00:15:13 — Investigating Sensual Pleasure in the Present Moment 00:15:41 — The Food Experiment: How Much Happiness Does Pleasure Give? 00:17:16 — Becoming a “Connoisseur of Happiness” 00:17:43 — Maraṇasati and Remembering What Truly Matters 00:18:31 — Quieting the Mental Noise That Obscures Happiness 00:18:56 — Stream-Entry and Understanding Cause and Effect 00:19:26 — How We Guard and Protect Our Own Suffering 00:20:14 — Opanayiko: How the Buddha’s Teaching Leads Onwards 00:21:17 — Developing an Intuitive Understanding of the Mind 00:22:28 — Seeking Greater Happiness at a Lower Cost 00:22:49 — Saṃvega and Chanda: Urgency and the Desire for Something Better 00:23:56 — Cleaning the Cloth: Preparing the Mind to See the Dhamma 00:24:43 — What the Stream-Enterer Directly Understands 00:25:04 — Why Ignorance Cannot Be Overcome Through Intellect Alone 00:25:47 — Moving from Sensual Pleasure to the Happiness of Meditation 00:36:09 — Why Discernment Remains the Supreme Faculty

  7. Aug 4

    Say what you do, do what you say. A Buddhist talk on truthfulness

    In this Dhamma talk, Bhante Joe reflects on truthfulness, keeping promises, and the Buddhist training in right speech. Beginning with the Buddha’s description of the Tathāgata as one who “does as he says and says as he does,” he explores how hypocrisy weakens faith, how clear goals support honest speech, and why trustworthy conduct matters both outwardly and inwardly. He also explains how to balance firm commitment with wise uncertainty, using phrases like “I’m planning to” or “I’ll try to” when conditions are unclear. Drawing on Ajahn Chah, the Cankī Sutta, and practical examples, he shows how keeping our word builds integrity, self-trust, and strength on the path to the end of suffering. Tune in with fellow practitioners for dhammavinayapatipada online events and community practice! BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION via ZOOM  *North America — 1st Sunday and middle Sunday of the month: 7-8:30pm  *Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month: 7-8:30pm   https://dhammavinayapa... GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING -Monday to Saturday -4:30am and 6:30pm, Colombo time https://dhammavinayapa... LUMA CALENDAR  *Subscribe for updates on special events https://luma.com/dhamm... Find out more... Linktree https://linktr.ee/dham... Website www.dhammavinayapatipada.com Welcome! TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 — Opening: The Tathāgata Does as He Says 00:00:13 — Avoiding Hypocrisy in Religious Life 00:00:36 — Keeping Promises and Speaking Truthfully 00:01:03 — Goal-Setting as a Support for Honest Speech 00:01:45 — Doing What We Say Becomes a Habit 00:02:17 — When Goal-Oriented Speech Goes Too Far 00:03:31 — Ajahn Chah: Speech Without Uncertainty 00:03:48 — Protecting Truth with Wise Phrasing 00:04:21 — Discernment: Balancing Confidence and Ambiguity 00:04:42 — The Near Enemy of Ambiguous Speech 00:05:25 — The Cankī Sutta: Saying What We Actually Know 00:05:55 — The Power of Being Around Trustworthy People 00:06:15 — How Punctuality and Culture Shape Speech 00:06:49 — Living Among People Who Break Their Word 00:07:42 — Choosing Supportive Conditions for Virtue 00:08:10 — Balancing External and Internal Supports 00:08:25 — Becoming Trustworthy to Yourself 00:08:54 — Determination Through Difficult Times 00:09:04 — Less Hypocrisy, Clearer Goals, Stronger Practice 00:09:29 — Using Uncertainty to Protect the Truth 00:09:39 — Truthfulness as Support for the Buddhist Path

  8. Jul 31

    What Is the Best Investment You Can Make in Life? | Bhante Joe

    What gives the greatest return on the time and energy we invest in life? Bhante Joe explores this question through the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence, death, meditation, and long-term happiness. Drawing on the simile of four mountains closing in on King Pasenadi, he explains why aging, sickness, and death should inspire wise urgency rather than fear. This Dhamma talk considers the hidden cost of busyness, the peace found in solitude and meditation, and how Buddhist practice helps us live meaningfully and without regret. By investing in the Dhamma, we gradually develop greater inner ease, stability, and independence from changing worldly conditions. Tune in with fellow practitioners for dhammavinayapatipada online events and community practice! BI-WEEKLY MEDITATION via ZOOM *North America — 1st Sunday and middle Sunday of the month: 7-8:30pm *Australia — 1st and middle Monday of the month: 7-8:30pm https://dhammavinayapatipada.com/monthly-meditation-meetings/ GROUP MEDITATION & CHANTING *Monday to Saturday — 4:30am and 6:30pm, Colombo time https://dhammavinayapatipada.com/monthly-meditation-meetings/ LUMA CALENDAR *Subscribe for updates on special events https://luma.com/dhammavinayapatipada?k=c Find out more... Linktree https://linktr.ee/dhamma.vinaya.patipada Website www.dhammavinayapatipada.com Welcome! TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 — What Is the Best Investment in Life? 00:01:08 — Death, Uncertainty, and the Future 00:02:29 — The Rickety Chair of Impermanence 00:03:32 — Four Mountains Closing In 00:04:20 — The Hidden Cost of Busyness 00:05:54 — Meditation, Solitude, and Greater Ease 00:07:11 — Why Stillness Goes Against the World 00:08:48 — How to Live Without Regret 00:10:00 — Investing in Long-Term Happiness 00:11:31 — Becoming an Island Unto Yourself

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Dhamma talks, meditation and discussions with Bhante Joe

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