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Kings Creek Redwood Hermitage

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29/09/2024

The Road from the Monastery (trailer)
https://youtu.be/UUhFOwnRsQQ
In this zoom talk to the Buddhist group associated with the college where Ajahn James went to school, Ajahn discusses his journey from being a Buddhist monk for 33 years to his current life in the mainstream of society. He discusses why he disrobed, his doubts and reflections, and how he has integrated the lessons he learned as a reclusive monk into a mainstream lifestyle.

Ajahn discusses Buddhist community dynamics and conflicts within a spiritual community. He speaks to why monks and nuns disrobe and how disrobing can affect the wider community. He speaks openly about his personal experiences, including his reflections on bringing the Dhamma into romantic relationships: how and to what degree is it possible to bring the principles of non-attachment and freedom from craving into a relationship without experiencing suffering while still allowing one's heart to love?

This is a short introduction to the full video. To access the full 1 hour video, join Ajahn James as a member on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/kingscreekhermitage.

24/07/2024

New Talk from Ajahn James
https://youtu.be/nicn7mY5zBc
In this talk, Ajahn recounts times during his monastic and post monastic life when he was faced with situations that challenged his peace of mind, and he gives advice on various Buddhist tools he used in order to overcome these problems with wise solutions. The stories range from irritating monks to encountering tigers to post-monk relationships.
To listen to the entire talk, become a member of Ajahn James' Redwood Hermitage.
https://www.patreon.com/kingscreekhermitage/membership

26/05/2024

Three Ways to Deal with Problems, Part 2
AAjahn Chandako
Although the instructions for mindfulness of breathing are generally simple and straightforward, mastery can take a lifetime (or longer) and lead to full enlightenment. Even if we can’t fully see the process at work or verbalize many of the specific effects, this exercise can address deeply held, or ‘subconscious’ issues in a way that the intellect cannot. As we breathe, we might be aware of tensions or release of tension in various parts of the body and mind; or we might be aware of general mental feelings of anxiety, sadness or joy being present without clearly knowing what their cause is.

With the mindfulness of breathing approach, it is not actually necessary, and often may be impossible, to know the exact causes of the feelings and emotions that manifest on the surface of our awareness. However, the meditator’s job is simply to pay close attention to this process, approaching each breath with curiosity, without expecting it to be a particular way, appreciating its uniqueness, while acknowledging and accepting whatever mental states arise in the process. When obstacles or tensions seem to block or distract our attention, this may be an indication that mental defilements are being challenged below the surface. Especially at these times it’s important that our effort remains relaxed and persistent. Check to make sure that the knowing of the breath is not tainted by desires for, or wanting to get rid of, something. After a while we may simply notice that we feel lighter, as if a burden has been set down, although we may not know exactly what. This gradually builds confidence that mindfulness of breathing is able to work through deeply held attachments and insecurities, laying a foundation of stable peace and increasingly profound insights.

Some people, however, find that their minds won’t settle down enough to even begin to have some continuity of awareness with their breathing......(to be continued)

Become a member of Ajahn James' Redwood Hermitage:
https://www.patreon.com/kingscreekhermitage/membership
Members will have access to new and previously unreleased teachings and personal access to Ajahn James as a spiritual guide.

18/05/2024

Three Ways to Deal with Problems, Part 1
Ajahn Chandako

The Buddha taught that there are many angles from which we can effectively approach difficult issues. Any single technique can never be suitable for every person in every situation. In fact, in the Buddha’s Dhamma we find a considerably wide range of methods of meditation and perceptual adjustment appropriate for a broad spectrum of personality types and stages of development. Three examples of different and mutually supportive approaches are mindfulness of breathing, analytical contemplation and awareness of knowing.

First, let’s take a look at the classic technique of mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati). It is easy to underestimate the profound potential offered by watching our breath with full awareness. ‘How is just sitting and looking at my breath going to help beyond the superficial? That might offer some soothing calm, but how can it help when dealing with deeply held issues? How is it going to lead to any real understanding, to wisdom, to Awakening?’

Many of our most deeply rooted fears, painful emotional patterns, anxieties and harmful behavioral issues stem from conditioning that was formed in early stages of childhood development or from trauma that has affected us on a non-verbal level of the mind. We often refer to such personality traits as ‘hard-wired’, as if they are intractably just who we are. In actual fact, no matter how deep or reinforced the habitual conditioning is, there is nothing that cannot be gradually transformed and no behavior that is impossible to change. However, because the roots of these recurring issues thrive in a non-conceptual area of the mind, intelligent analysis can be very limited in its ability to modify the underlying perceptions leading to our behavior. Such conditioning needs to be addressed on a similar or deeper level as it was created, and mindfulness of breathing is uniquely effective in this regard.
To be continued.....

Become a member of Ajahn James' Redwood Hermitage:
https://www.patreon.com/kingscreekhermitage/membership
Members will have access to new and previously unreleased teachings and personal access to Ajahn James as a spiritual guide.

07/05/2024

Supporting Ajahn James
When he was a monk, Ajahn James’ basic needs were taken care of through the monastery where he was staying; however, the Sangha has no retirement fund for those who leave monastic life. Now that he is a layman, there are costs associated with normal daily life. Ajahn has continued to teach on a donation/dana basis, and if you would like to support this, please consider making a donation:
https://redwoodhermitage.squarespace.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=63c85fde48ed3a16185a723f

You can also become a member of Ajahn James’ Redwood Hermitage Community with a monthly donation. This will allow you access to exclusive teachings that are only available to members and the opportunity to have a personal connection with and guidance from Ajahn James.
https://www.patreon.com/kingscreekhermitage/membership

Ajahn dedicated over 30 years of his life to the Sangha: tirelessly practicing, teaching, writing, building and planting trees. He did all of this out of love for the Dhamma, not expecting anything in return; however, in order to continue his work, it would be helpful to have others support this effort through becoming a member of the Kings Creek Redwood Hermitage Community.

New Zealand Supporters
Ajahn James spends part of the year each year in Auckland, New Zealand. Supporters in New Zealand might find it easier to make a direct deposit into a local account: 02-0404-0302013-083

03/06/2023

For current information please see redwoodhermitage.org

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Kings Creek Road
Boulder Creek, QLD

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