Your Online Metta Retreat is over!

Dear Online Retreaters,

I am very pleased with the progress you all made during this retreat; some of you advanced far beyond the beginner stages. If you want to better understand your level of practice, then go back and watch a talk on sutta MN 111. Then you can decide for yourself how you did. 

Keep your meditation going and see what happens next. Bhante says that once you attain a jhana, you now have the capability to attain Nibbana. It just takes some more time and sitting.  Things can happen quickly once you have gotten through that first hurdle.
 
You may wish to continue for a few more days, and that is just fine. You can continue to turn in reports, and we can keep working together. I have another list of videos to continue with. Just let me know.

After the retreat should any questions about the practice or anything come up feel free to send an email back to your guide.
 
You can see how important the 6R process is.   When the hindrance finally let’s go, a state of Jhana arises. The release can be extreme, or gentle.  You never know. You are fully aware, and you feel very good.  You notice you have no hindrances at all and can stay on your object for a long time.
 
But, alas, some of you thought about the process a little too much and didn't quite understand how to do this but hopefully, you will soon. If you meditate daily your mind WILL figure it out!   It might take a little more time with the instructions, and that’s ok. You have gotten a start and listened to the basic talks.
 
I urge all of you to attend a retreat with with a DSMC Teacher for 7-10 days and miracles will happen.  What you accomplished in 9 days on the online retreat, you can do in 1-3 days on a physical retreat. Check the website for more retreat information.
 
It is important if you want to have spiritual growth to FOLLOW THE 5 PRECEPTS.  They develop your moral base (Sīla)-the first pillar of the Dhamma. When you break precepts, you create hindrances that will arise in the future (not to speak of unpleasant results).  So the more you keep them perfectly, the better your practice will become.
 
The 2nd of 3 pillars of the Dhamma is Generosity.  Not just money but the generosity of your heart - giving your smile away.  Being kind to people.  Helping people. Showing them the meditation, if you think it will help.  This is called Dana.  Taking care of the sangha of monks is the most common way people think about it.  Sutta MN 142 says giving is very powerful and when practiced in a pure way yields wonderful results. See that sutta for more information. Or just google “Generosity Buddha”.
 
The 3rd Pillar is Wisdom or Panna. It is also Bhavana or Meditation practice which is what this is all about... It is also about reading the suttas.  Get a copy of the Majjhima Nikaya and read the suttas (the one translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi). You can read Bhante's books too.  Moving Dhamma is a bunch of discourses that you just heard but in written form and edited.  Bhante reads the sutta, and then he comments. It is all there. The book that will explain all of these concepts in detail is “Meditation is life, life is Meditation” by Bhante V.  He spent a lot of time getting down everything he knows about how this all works into one book.  Check our books section.
 
You can listen to talks or watch them from our website or YouTube.  We even have an app for your iPhone or android phone that you can search for in the stores. Just search “vimalaramsi.” It is free. There is also now POD BEAN for iPhone or android, and if you search for vimalaramsi, there will be podcast files there. All free. Listen to it in your car through your Bluetooth system or on Bluetooth speakers systems like Alexa.

If you believe you got something out of this and enjoyed the personal attention (try getting that elsewhere!) and wish to make a donation in support of mine and the center's work you can follow this Donation link. We wouldn’t be here without your help

 Please know that the teachings are always free to anyone who wants to receive them, but without the support for Dhamma Sukha we would not be able to offer these retreats, so if you can manage a donation it will be very much appreciated and put to good use continuing the online retreat program.  If you wish to your deposit back please let us know and we will refund it but if you can leave it, that helps us.
***Help others to take more online retreats with a donation   Click here.
 
So please continue and don't hesitate to send emails directly to your guide to ask any questions as you practice.

Find out the next retreat Dhamma Sukha conducts, check our website at www.dhammasukha.org 

There are sitting groups around the world that you might be close to:
Check our website: here

Also you might check out the book “The Path to Nibbana” now on Amazon. It goes into all of the experiences of the eight jhanas and it is also a guide as to how to attain all of those on your own if you can’t make it for a retreat!  Check our books like David's The Path to Nibbana which lays out the step by step method and background of TWIM.

with Metta and hoping all of you attain Nibbana soon!

Your Guide