Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo discusses various skilful means—specifically ones related to a felt sense of spaciousness—for relating to the 5 hindrances of:

00:00 Introduction to unbounded mind vs little mind

08:12 (1) sensual desire

11:45 (2) ill-will

17:21 (3) sloth and torpor

20:35 (4) restlessness and worry

24:50 (5) doubt

An overarching relationship is drawn between:

(a) the Buddha's comparison of a vast, lakelike mind with a constricted, confined, salty mind (https://suttacentral.net/an3.100/en/sujato) and

(b) the Buddha's comparison of the mind afflicted with the five hindrances to various types of unclean water (https://suttacentral.net/an5.193/en/sujato).

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

This is PART TWO of Clear Mountain's interview with Bhante Sujāto, co-founder of SuttaCentral.net and abbot of Lokanta Vihara. Watch PART ONE here: https://youtu.be/dJvntE6aw-s

00:00:00 Introduction & Textual Curiosity Across Buddhist Genres

00:16:51 Comparative Studies of the Creation of the Bhikkhuni Order

00:24:59 The Trojan Horse Simile of Picking and Choosing & How to Hold Varrying Views

00:31:51 The Buddha, Bodhisattva, and Arahant Awakenings

00:38:18 The Buddha as Distinct From Arahants?

00:41:08 Maintaining Inter-Tradition Epistemological Humility?

00:47:00 A Buddhist Perspective on Artificial Intelligence - "Start Generating"

01:01:22 What Mendicant Would Grace the Gosinga Sal Tree Grove?

Bhante Sujāto's Biography:

Born in Perth in 1966, Bhante Sujato left a career as a musician to become a Buddhist monk at Wat Nanachat in 1994. Some years later, he returned to Perth to study with Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana Monastery, before going on to found Santi Forest Monastery in New South Wales in 2003. In 2005 he, together with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly, founded SuttaCentral which has become the unchallenged juggernaut of Early Buddhist Textual Study. In 2015, seeing the need for a complete, accurate, plain English translation of the Pali texts available entirely for free, he undertook the task, spending nearly three years in isolation and completing the four main Nikāyas in 2018, and the early books of the Khuddaka Nikāya by 2021. In 2019, Bhante Sujato moved to Sydney to establish Lokanta Vihara (the Monastery at the End of the World) to explore what it means to follow the Buddha’s teachings in an era of climate change, globalised consumerism, and political turmoil.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_mona... for details. Welcome!

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the definitions of "dukkha", and the importance of understanding its various meanings in order to practice skillfully towards its ending. To truly embody the directive of the First Noble Truth is to initiate the alchemy of release.

Chapters

00:00 - Understanding Dukkha (Translations & Etymology)

02:11 - The Malunkyaputta Sutta & Leaves in the Hand

04:33 - The Four Noble Truths as a Path of Practice

10:10 - The Two Types of Dukkha: Characteristics vs. Clinging

16:44 - Suka, Dukkha, and Nibbāna

19:50 - Turning Towards Suffering with Gratitude & Khanti

31:02 - Pain Meditation as a Direct Practice

33:45 - Rumi Poem: Fire and Water

36:17 - Q&A Session

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

This is PART ONE of Clear Mountain's interview with Bhante Sujāto, co-founder of SuttaCentral.net and abbot of Lokanta Vihara. Watch PART TWO being premiered next Wednesday here: https://youtu.be/h1RotjMuH_M

00:00 Introduction

01:56 Bhante Discovers the Suttas

07:01 The Origin Story of SuttaCentral

13:52 How Comparative Agama Study Supports Pāli Sutta Practice

20:59 Key Insights Uncovered Through Comparative Text Studies

29:45 Navigating the Impact of Text-Critical Studies on Faith

36:38 The Necessity of Jhāna and Its Role on the Path to Awakening

48:00 Layering Text-Critical Study with Traditional Pāli Canon Study

Bhante Sujāto's Biography:

Born in Perth in 1966, Bhante Sujato left a career as a musician to become a Buddhist monk at Wat Nanachat in 1994. Some years later, he returned to Perth to study with Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana Monastery, before going on to found Santi Forest Monastery in New South Wales in 2003. In 2005 he, together with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly, founded SuttaCentral which has become the unchallenged juggernaut of Early Buddhist Textual Study. In 2015, seeing the need for a complete, accurate, plain English translation of the Pali texts available entirely for free, he undertook the task, spending nearly three years in isolation and completing the four main Nikāyas in 2018, and the early books of the Khuddaka Nikāya by 2021. In 2019, Bhante Sujato moved to Sydney to establish Lokanta Vihara (the Monastery at the End of the World) to explore what it means to follow the Buddha’s teachings in an era of climate change, globalised consumerism, and political turmoil.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

The Key of Compassion (Free Download): https://sravastiabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/The_Key_of_Compassion_v2026-04-09_ClearMtn_Secured.pdf

In this interview, Ven. Chodron speaks about the new book, "The Key of Compassion: Finding Meaning where

In The Key of Compassion, incarcerated men articulate how they landed in prison, the reality of life behind bars, the benefits of educational programs, and how the Buddha’s teachings on nonviolence and compassion changed them. Through evocative stories, poetry, and artwork, they show us that compassion is possible, no matter where you are. Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron shares her experience of introducing inmates to these teachings and the revolutionary effect it has had on their lives.

You can find out more about the Sravasti Abbey prison project at https://sravastiabbey.org/who-we-are/how-we-help/

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

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- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!