Meditation for Lay People is a two-part online Vibe with Venerables series where Bhante Aggacitta shows how meditation can fit real lay life. In Session 1, he explores what the Buddha recommended for lay disciples and how that applies today, while Session 2 offers a guided, practical way to cultivate the four Satipaṭṭhānas through open mindfulness.
The talk will discuss the meditations for lay disciples recommended by the Buddha as recorded in the suttas in comparison to what is being taught and practised nowadays. It will explore practical and efficacious meditations for the laity in our modern society.
References
Here are the suttas Bhante Aggacitta referenced during Vibes with Venerables #37. (But first, if you don’t know what “SN” and “AN” etc. stand for, or what “Nikāyas” mean, check out this page. More generally, if you like to learn more about how Buddhism was first documented, see Topic #15 on the Learn Buddhism page.)
- 6 Recollections: AN 6.10, AN 11.12. Both discourses were given by the Buddha to his cousin, Mahanama.
- Loving-kindness for all beings: AN 9.18, Iti 1.27 (KN 4.27), SN 20.4. (Note: for AN 9.18, Bhante Sujato chose to translate “Uposatha” as “Sabbath” for the benefit of English readers, but know that he’s not referring to the Judeo-Christian Sabbath.)
- 5 Reflections: AN 5.57
- 4 Satipatthanas: SN 47.29, SN 47.48, MN 51. (Note: the 4th establishment of mindfulness, mindfulness of dhammas / dharmas, is tricky to translate. Bhante Bodhi chose to translate it as “phenomena”, Bhante Sujato as “principles”, and Bhante Aggacitta chose to leave it untranslated. Meng and Soryu too chose to leave it untranslated in their book, for reasons stated here).
- Origin and ending of (mind-made) suffering: SN 42.11.
- 4 Noble Truths: SN 56.26.
- Steps for Jhana practice: MN 107.
SN 47.48 and SN 56.26 above are bolded because, in these suttas, the Buddha explicitly told the monks to teach them to people who they know, and who are inclined to listen.
… those for whom you have compassion, and who think you should be heeded—whether friends or colleagues, relatives or kinsmen—these you should exhort, settle, and establish in the development of these four establishments of mindfulness.
SN 47.48
… those for whom you have compassion, and who think you should be heeded—whether friends or colleagues, relatives or kinsmen— these you should exhort, settle, and establish for making the breakthrough to these Four Noble Truths as they really are.
SN 56.26
“Homework”
The 4 Satipaṭṭhānas in Essence Part 1
The 4 Satipaṭṭhānas in Essence Part 2
You can find all of Bhante’s videos on this Youtube playlist.
Donation
This series is freely offered by Buddhism.net. If you’d like to show your appreciation and gratitude to our teacher, Bhante Aggacitta, you may make a donation to Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary. We thank you for dāna, the practice of cultivating generosity.
