Month: November 2024

Four Friends on the Path and Four Qualities to Cultivate

Chithurst Buddhist Monastery

Ajahn Karunadhammo


Ajahn Karunadhammo, on a visit from Abhayagiri monastery in California, reflects on four aids to our development on the spiritual path, namely developing kalyanamitta (spiritual friendship), listening to Dhamma, using wise attention, and practicing in accordance with Dhamma. He then discusses four spiritual practices that the Buddha encouraged us to develop: asuba contemplation, cultivation of metta (loving kindness), anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing), and the perception of anicca (impermanence).

With Little Dust in Their Eyes

Chithurst Buddhist Monastery

Luang Por Sudhiro

Luang Por Sudhiro, abbot of Wat Pah Kanjanabhisek in Khon Kaen, Thailand, offers reflections on the life of the Buddha during a short but auspicious visit to Chithurst. He details the Buddha-to-be’s renunciation of his comfortable lifestyle for one of asceticism, abandoning this when he remembered an experience of peace he experienced in childhood, and finally deciding to teach the way to enlightenment to those with little dust in their eyes.

The Crown of the Dispensation

Chithurst Buddhist Monastery

Ajahn Sucitto


On the occasion of Chithurst’s annual Kathina festivities, reflections are offered on the beauty of generosity, a safe and non-manipulative gift to others, and on the value of renunciation. When we can relinquish our own personal preferences, a sense that ‘this is bigger than me’ can arise, and a heart that is larger than the personality can be cultivated. The monastic sangha reminds others to uphold virtuous behaviour, and is a sign of stability, a bright, shining lantern in an otherwise darkened world.

Be a Light Unto Yourself

Chithurst Buddhist Monastery

Ajahn Siripañño

Ajahn Siripannyo, abbot of Wat Dtao Dtum in Thailand, during a rare and auspicious visit to Cittaviveka, offers his thoughts on the many benefits and joys of living a monastic life. On the eve of the annual Kathina festival, he points out the harmony that is created during the sewing of the robe, and explains how it is the smaller rituals that bind together the larger tradition, establishing a conduit for goodness.