In May 2025, DNBF was at Venabu for the fourth time, this time with early spring and beautiful weather for trips in fantastic nature in the mountains. The teaching this week was focused on the gradual training, the importance of joy and happiness in meditation, meditation on loving-kindness, the hindrances, as well as deeper topics about the body’s passing/death, and what happens after the body’s passing. The teaching was followed up with guided meditation and the opportunity for individual guidance.
Teachings
The teaching from the retreat has now been published to our podcast dnbf enigma, and you can listen to the teaching on this website or in a podcast app.
If meditation is your only method, then the result can be limited and meditation becomes difficult. Developing our mind is an integrated whole, focusing both on virtue, meditation and wisdom. It is the calm of meditation that can abandon craving. And when insights are developed, we understand and we can abandon delusion − we can see the truth.
One way of looking at the training is called the gradual training, which is a gradual refinement of wholesome happiness and freedom. It starts with the arising of an enlightened being which can teach right view, then we adjust our lives with right intentions and simplicity, we develop virtue conduct, we restrain our senses and develop contentment and mindfulness. And then, when the foundation is strong, then we can do our meditation, get into deep meditation and develop wisdom about our own nature.
This teaching was given at Venabu 2025:
https://dnbf.org/en/2025/05/venabu-may-2025/
– – –
Please, feel free to recommend this podcast to your friends!
Feedback
If you have feedback or questions about this podcast, send an email to: post@dnbf.org
Donation
The non-profit society DNBF together with the instructor has produced and distributed this podcast for free and without advertising, but we are dependent on financial support through one-time donations or monthly patron donations for our operation and development:
Anukampa – https://anukampaproject.org/donate/
DNBF Donation – https://dnbf.org/en/donation/
DNBF Patron – https://dnbf.org/en/patron/
Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about our activities:
https://dnbf.org/en/newsletter/
Membership
You are welcome as a member, and we have a lot to offer in terms of activities:
https://dnbf.org/en/membership/
Problems
If you have a problem with this podcast, send an email to: post@dnbf.org
Here are some of the guided meditations:
Letting be meditation is really simple, and works wonders on an active mind. Starting focusing on the body, then being mindful of our inner world – doing absolutely nothing, just being an observer.
This teaching was given at Venabu 2025, and the relevant illustrations are found here:
https://dnbf.org/en/2025/05/venabu-may-2025/
– – –
Please, feel free to recommend this podcast to your friends!
Feedback
If you have feedback or questions about this podcast, send an email to: post@dnbf.org
Donation
The non-profit society DNBF together with the instructor has produced and distributed this podcast for free and without advertising, but we are dependent on financial support through one-time donations or monthly patron donations for our operation and development:
DNBF Donation – https://dnbf.org/en/donation/
DNBF Patron – https://dnbf.org/en/patron/
Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about our activities:
https://dnbf.org/en/newsletter/
Membership
You are welcome as a member, and we have a lot to offer in terms of activities:
https://dnbf.org/en/membership/
Problems
If you have a problem with this podcast, send an email to: post@dnbf.org
Photos and videos
Venerable Canda at Myfallet, Venabu
Illustrations
Here are some of the illustrations we used for the teaching:
AN 10.2 Will
Meditators, when one is virtuous one does not need to will “Let me be free from regret”. It is natural that one who is virtuous becomes free from regret.
When one is free from regret one does not need to will “Let me be happy (pāmujja)”. It is natural that one who is free from regret becomes happy.
When one is happy one does not need to will “Let me be joyful (pīti)”. It is natural that one who is happy becomes joyful.
When one is joyful one does not need to will “Let me be tranquil (passaddhi)”. It is natural that one who is joyful becomes tranquil.
When one is tranquil one does not need to will “Let me feel mental pleasure (sukha)”. It is natural that one who is tranquil experiences mental pleasure.
When one experiences mental pleasure one does not need to will “Let me enter jhāna”. It is natural that one who experiences mental pleasure enters jhāna. (sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati)
When one has experienced jhāna one does not need to will “Let me see things as they really are”. It is natural that one who has experienced jhāna will see things as they truly are.
Photos: Stefanie Reinhart
