Our Purpose:
Awakening and Elimination of Unhappiness
Bhante Vimalaramsi is the abbot of Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri. He is the guide for the on-site residential retreats. He teaches Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (T.W.I.M.) which uses the "Mindfulness of Lovingkindness" practice (otherwise known as the practice of the Brahma Viharas) for the journey to Nibbāna. Little known fact but verifiable in the suttas is that the practice of Metta, as part of the larger Brahma Vihara practice, will take you to all the way through the Divine Abidings to the moment of awakening - Nibbāna - where a transformation of mind takes place. Happiness arises as the burden of the ego melts away.
"Before TWIM I was having multiple panic attacks per week, for the past 12 months. Learning the 6R's taught me the skills to manage my anxiety. I haven't had a panic attack since starting TWIM and I rarely feel anxious anymore." M.A. Australia
We teach the Brahma Vihara Practice (Metta) and it will take you to Awakening!
Dhamma Sukha and Bhante Vimalaramsi offers the meditation practice that is based on the earliest teachings of the Buddha and selected commentaries. We use the Majjhima and the other Nikayas for our main source books, along with many parts of the Vinaya. We try to stay with just the words of the Buddha. We strive to get back to the original teachings of the Buddha!
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We are not Zen,Vajrayana, Theravada, Mahayana, Insight, Concentration, Vipassana, Vedanta, Yoga...
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We only follow the suttas. We are Suttavada. This is actually a historical sect of Theravada . When theravada split apart after the 2nd council 18 new sects were created.
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Suttavada only followed the suttas and the vinaya and was one of the 18. The first monk to declare that the suttas and vinaya were the only valid texts was Ven Nanavira in Sri Lanka in 1960.
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"In my second sitting with the six directions I had an amazing experience. During the first sitting I was having trouble keeping my Metta up, but in the second sitting it seemed to be spontaneously arising after I got it started. When I started to direct the Metta downward, it was like igniting a rocket. All of a sudden I had this extraordinary sense of lightness as if I was about to levitate. My arms felt like they were about to lift off my thighs. I tried the Relax Step to make sure that it was not an experience of wanting such and such to happen, but this was simply occurring on its own. When I switched to radiating the Metta above it was like I got blasted into space with my whole body, light as a feather and when I switched to all directions I was simply radiating serenity to everywhere with no thought of doing so, no doing at all." L.W. NY
We teach a meditation, in which serenity and Insight practices are “yoked” together. We use the commentarial works as reference books only when they are in alignment with the main texts mentioned. We are trying to teach what the Buddha taught only using the suttas.
The goal of this practice is to attain Nibbana. The Buddha spent countless aeons to give us this gift - Let us not waste this precious Human life.
We call this Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM)
By employing the "relax" step, which is "tranquilize" (literally the bodily and mental formations) described in sutta MN-118 Anapanasati Sutta and MN-10 Satipatthana Sutta. An aware relaxed state develops. This then develops into the Tranquil Aware (TWIM) Jhanas described in the Anupada sutta MN-111. When the relax step is employed the TWIM Jhanas change from the fixed absorption state normally taught elsewhere to a level of understanding, ending with the experience of awakening. And it can happen fast. Even on one retreat.
Metta or Loving-kindness (The Practice of the Brahma Viharas) and Breath is what is taught, with the emphasis on Metta.
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"For the first time I am happy! I can't believe it!" P.H.of St. Louis On the third day of his retreat. "Is it really this easy?"
From here the student embarks on a journey to the goal of Buddhism: Awakening in this very life-Nibbāna. Meditation progress can be very fast when it is taught exactly as it is in the suttas. The Buddha said this practice is "akāliko" immediately effective! Listen to a one hour audio public talk on Youtube that covers everything! Start with TWIM here... or take a retreat.
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" I was able to generate loving-kindness and radiate the feeling to my spiritual friend. Within a few seconds I felt an overwhelming wave of joy. It was like my spiritual friend was radiating metta back to me; I cried out of joy..... Again I returned to my meditation object (spiritual friend) but again I felt the wave of joy, this time I just felt and tremendously grateful." E.M. California
Sign up for an on site retreat with Bhante here in Missouri anytime starting May and ending in October. See full schedule of retreats scheduled you around the world for TWIM here or see below. Also 9 day monthly Online retreats are available for practicing Metta and Forgiveness.
See our registration retreat pages for further details. Retreats are on your schedule.
Single cabins can be requested no extra charge. Inexpensive all inclusive rates.
Testimonials
From a Retreater in an "online retreat" just meditating at home - second day of his retreat!
'Tell me about your Best sitting since your last report. What did you experience, how long on the object, anything new appear? If nothing new just tell me the quality of the feeling and what happened in your best sitting.'
"This morning's sit: Settled well, established that warm feeling in the chest and watched it grown in waves. Joy arose quite strongly within 10 minutes of commencing, but quickly settled into a warm and balanced contented feeling that stayed for around five minutes before a more intense expression of joyfulness arose that took much longer to settle into a feeling of calmness and quite strong contentedness. At this point, mind was stable and balanced. I recall that I 6R'rd one disturbance that arose, and it subsided very quickly...
"At some point, I noticed that the feeling of joy had gone completely and that I was going deeper. I became aware that no sensations were being given off by my legs, arms and abdomen although I knew those body parts were still there!. At some point, my head -- or at least the sense of that part of the body, started tingling and I noted that my chest area had become "cooler." From this point I sent Metta to my spiritual friend from my head. Everything felt "just right", relaxed, balanced and unshakeable. This state got deeper, mind became quieter and sort of "opened up" to reveal a "night sky" display. At this point, I think I mismanaged the energy, because the mind got pretty busy - movement, lights and swirling coloured objects. I 6R'd these and things settled down and the mind became again settled and quiet. But I felt I was lost. Not afraid or upset - just lost. Like "where am I?, should I be here?"
Note from DSMC- that thought simply then is to be 6Red and let go and then the state would go deeper.
