Full Moon – Heeding Wise Counsel – Saturday 26th September 2026
Only blessings can arise from seeking the company of wise and discerning persons, who skilfully offer both admonition and advice as if guiding one to hidden treasure.
Dhammapada 76
Sometimes I think spiritual practice is like having poor eyesight and searching for your glasses. So long as we are unable to see clearly we will stumble and fumble around in search of that which is going to help.
Our apparently limited efforts to discover the truth that the Buddha and the Great Disciples realised do not have to be a sign of failure. How could this situation be otherwise? What matters is that we are interested in seeing beyond the way things merely appear to be. It matters that when we stumble we begin again. Also, it matters that we seek out and heed the advice of those beings who arrived at the state of clear-seeing.
These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.
All content strictly for free distribution only.
Full Moon – Self Mastery – Friday 28th August 2026
Self-mastery is the supreme victory - much more to be valued than winning control over others. It is a victory that no other being whatsoever can distort or take away.
Dhammapada 104-5
We might hold to the view that the Buddha taught there is no such thing as a ‘self’. This is a popular misunderstanding. Rather, what he taught was that if we want to be free from suffering we ought to be enquiring into whether that which we perceive as our ‘self’ is actually anything substantial. He wants us to cease seeking security in that which is inherently uncertain. Our sense of self is a construct. It is dynamic. Like a rainbow it looks like a substantial thing though in fact it only ‘appears’ that way. There is nothing wrong with having an individuated sense of self. The trouble arises from identifying as this ever-changing process. With a little education we learn that it is a mistake to chase after a rainbow hoping to find a pot of gold. Now we need to make the effort to stop seeking contentment by following ‘my’ way. This is why we go for refuge to the Buddha’s way, the Dhamma.
These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.
All content strictly for free distribution only.
Q: How To Handle Loss?
(approx. 8 minutes) Q: Could you say something about how to handle loss? Sudden loss, difficult feelings, light switch, perception of absence, how we relate to the sense of loss, structures, no judgement, angry, ‘be with’, fear, conceptual curiosity, no judgement.
Q: Working With The Compulsive Judging Mind
(approx. 6 minutes) Q: Is widening attention the only way to cope with the compulsive judging mind? Habits, we were trained this way, identifying AS the discriminative intelligence, struggling, criticism, Ajahn Chah, virtuous struggle, a beautiful struggle, aspiration.
Full Moon – Following the Truly Wise - Wednesday 29th July, 2026
You should follow the ways of those who are Truly steadfast, discerning, pure and aware, just as the moon follows the path of the stars.
Dhammapada 208
The culture we grow up in shapes the way we think and what we value. For many of us this means that we place a lot of value on individuality. One disadvantage of this orientation is that we don’t really value the perspective of others. What ‘I’ think, and what ‘I’ feel can seem so important that the suggestion we should follow someone else appears as weakness. In this verse the Buddha strongly advises the opposite.
These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.