Morning sky above Buddha Pada, Kalimpong. Recorded on the final day of Me as Blues Sky Retreat in 2023, this podcast includes Compassion Meditation led by Ven. Ryodo Yamashita, Sudhammacara Bhikku. Guidance on posture preparation and a brief Dharma talk on Compassion are also offered at the outset. Compassion meditation serves as the third part of …

This recording delves into the first two steps of the One Dhamra Meditation Method, namely the Four Elements Meditation and Subtle Body Meditation, guided by Ven. Ryodo Yamashita, Sudhammacara Bhikku, on the final day of Me as Blues Sky Retreat in 2023. The session starts with a brief Dharma talk in which Ven. Yamashita deciphers a Ghata by Ven. Th…

The altar on the ground floor of the Buddha Hall, Buddha Pada, Kalimpong This is a recording of chanting from the last day of Me as Blue Sky Retreat 2023. You can find the full text of the stanzas here. Homage to the Buddha (in Pali) The Three Refuges (in Pali) Five Precepts (in Pali) The Three Refuges (in English) Originally from Plum Village…

To be mindful, you need to undergo a shift—moving from “this world”* to a dimension where awareness exists. When you happened to be mindful, according to Ven. Yamashita, it did not occur as the result of successful control of your mind, but because of the shift, which happened unnoticed and unintentionally. Without understanding this point, he emph…

The importance of surrender has been one of the most significant themes in religious discussions. But what does it mean to surrender? And what is it to surrender in the context of mindfulness practice? Trying to control, and doing things to achieve specific desires, are inherent to our human nature. How can we stop this? According to Ven. Yamashita…

The truth that the Buddha discovered, referred to as Dimension X in this retreat, does not exist as a continuation of our ordinary mind. Entering it requires a “jump,” which made it extremely difficult to teach. For this jump to happen, you need to be ready–says Ven. Yamashita. According to him, when he sees practitioners who meet the following thr…

When participating in a retreat like ours, the most significant obstacle is not the pain in your leg but your ego. However, attempting to escape from it or suppress it only deepens the entanglement in ego– judgments, hatred, and reactive responses, qualities that are contrary to mindfulness. Then, what should we do? According to Ven. Yamashita, we …

While our suffering can take many forms, we know our mind is the culprit. Mindfulness can bring an end to it, so we are convinced. However, can meditating with the same mind that causes suffering truly make us mindful? “NO”. says Ven. Yamashita. In this introductory talk, he teaches that real practice won’t start unless you realize this fundamental…

December 7th, 2018, Pune, India Day 3 (the last day) of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat in Vajuradhatu A view from Vajuradhatu Retreat Center, Pune In this final Dharma talk, Ven Yamashita once again lays out what mindfulness truly means. Mindfulness, an impossible attempt for our ordinary mind, and yet the Lord Buddha tasked us to do, is the brid…

December 6th, 2018, Pune, India Remains of East gate, Kapilavastu castle, Nepal. Prince Siddhartha’s journey started here. This is the 2nd Dharma Talk given at the 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India. “The Buddha’s path is your path. Buddhism is about you, and every single one of us. So it is quite important that we understa…

December 5th, 2018, Pune, India Dharma Talk (somehow we do not have Dharma talk photo of 2018. This is from 2019 Vajradhatu Retreat) This is the introductory Dharma Talk given on the 1st day of 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India. In this talk, Ven. Yamashita explains the reason why we need subtle body meditation, which is t…

Meditation instruction recorded at the 2018 international retreat, Deer Park Institute, Bir, India. Sunrise on the Holy river of Ganga, near Baranasi, India On December 2nd, 2018, Bir Please note that no recording of guided meditation was made at the 2019 international retreat. This is the latest version available in English as of 2020.…

November 29th, 2018, Bir, India Walking meditation in front of the Buddha Hall, Deer Park Institute, Bir Day 2 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute When you lose touch with this one crucial thing about you, suffering is inevitable. You mistake who you are, and get caught up in life’s misery—birth, old age, sickness, and death.…

November 28th, 2018, Bir, India Day 1 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute Dharma Talk at Deer Park Institute, 2018, Bir, India Have you ever been fascinated by mindfulness? Have you ever tried it but found it difficult to remain in that state and wondered why? If your answer is yes, this is the talk for you. Because you know …

Ven. Yamashita teaching the subtle body meditation to the Young Global Leaders (class of 2014) 9/14/14 Hounen-in, Kyoto, Japan With Ven. Issho Fujita An introductory talk on meditation given to the Young Global Leaders Forum, a project of the World Economic Forum. YGL is “a community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping th…

12/28/13 PM, New Delhi, India From this talk: “Once you start your own meditation, you find your mind does not work as you think.” Topics covered include: Mindfulness and problems in meditation, subject and object, the untrainable monkey mind, the fundamental misunderstanding, and the role of compassion in meditation…

12/28/13 New Delhi, India From this talk: “If your mind created this anxiety, your mind can also stop this anxiety.” Topics covered include: Yamashita-sensei’s background and connection with Deer Park (Himachal Pradesh, India), an explanation of Blue Sky (Clear Sky) Meditation, the meaning of Dharma, and the cause of anxiety and how to handle it.…

Talk given 12/22/13, Goa, India. Topics covered include breath awareness (anapanasati) and habitual tendencies, ego and the thinking mind, resistance, and true practice.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/21/13 PM, Goa, India From this talk: “If you check your mind please find your resistance. This is the core of your ego.” Topics covered include: ego vs. compassion, the meaning of samatha and vipassana, resistance and acceptance, the importance of retreats, and mindfulness in daily life.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/21/13 AM, Goa, India From this talk: “With your new identity you cannot have any negativity. This and compassion are the same. No negative emotion can survive in the dimension of compassion.” Topics covered include: Real medicine, the new dimension, the difference between ego and monkey mind, the right tool for meditation, and overcoming negativ…

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/20/13 PM Goa, India From this talk: “Why does mindfulness really change the game?” Topics covered include: The real meaning of mindfulness, updating Buddhism, realizing you’re a patient, when meditation doesn’t work, and the ego’s gameBy Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/9/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India Walking Meditation in front of the Dharma Hall, Deer Park Institute, Bir, India From this talk: “Little by little you enter into the dimension of the Blue Sky. Then, standing in the Blue Sky, you finally can deal with the white clouds. Your thought, your emotion. Everything.” Topics covered include: Thinki…

12/7/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India A view of Himalayas from Deer Park, Bir, UP, India From this talk: “ We have clouds, but at the same time our essence is Blue Sky. So when can we enter the Blue Sky? Any time we realize it.” Topics covered include: Real happiness, the secret of mindfulness, the essential point of observation, Blue Sky and …

12/5/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India From this talk: “If we can change our minds, the world itself will be different.” Topics covered include: Not realizing you’re locked up, thinking mind and true identity, and a different approach to problemsBy Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

9/3/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea – Day 3 English / Korean From this talk: “Unless you understand this change of identity, meditation doesn’t work.” The final Dharma talk from the 2013 Korea retreat. Topics covered include: the most difficult point in meditation, the role of trust in practice, the ego’s tricks, and the world of Blue Sky and clouds…

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

8/31/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea English / Korean Topics covered include: Confusion with different traditions and meditation techniques, clarifying vipassana and mindfulness, Blue Sky Meditation and Blue Sky Yoga, and the retreat schedule.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

6/30/13 Hualien, Taiwan – Day 3 English / Mandarin Early morning Yoga, Hua-Lien, Taiwan From this talk: “Your identity is changing. You are White Clouds. But now you know, you are also Blue Sky.” Topics covered include: confusion with words of enlightened teachers, just sitting, view from the new dimension, and practical advice for applying meditat…

6/28/13 Hualien, Taiwan – Day 1 English / Mandarin Meditation Hall, Hua-Lien, Taiwan From this talk: “Observing things as they are, it means observing things with acceptance.” Topics covered include: Likes and dislikes, objective observation, acceptance, and the fundamental mistake.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/27/12 Goa, India From this talk: “The purpose of compassion meditation is how to have a relationship based on compassion with [everybody].” Topics covered include: Real freedom, some benefits of meditation, mindful eating, mindfulness in everyday life, and compassion.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/27/12 pt.2 Goa, India From this talk: “If you can improve your relationship with family members, then you can be called a good practitioner.” Topics covered include: Tich Nhat Hanh, the importance of practicing with others, the anapanasati sutta, and the four foundations of mindfulnessBy Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/08/12 Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India From this talk: “[Desire] means you are saying “no” to your present state. But now you said “yes.” You are content. That’s why your desire will disappear.” Topics covered include subtle consciousness, the problem of dulling yourself down, desire, and leaving the world of thinking mind. With a question and answe…

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

12/18/11 From this talk: “When we observe from the Blue Sky point of view, this is true mindfulness.” Topics covered include avoiding confusion between traditions, form and formlessness, true mindfulness, and the cloud of anxiety.By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道

By Sudhammacara Bhikkhu / 山下 良道