Ven Candā: Day 6 Evening Talk "Recollection of Virtue & Generosity", Meditation & Q&A 21.05.21
Channel: Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project
Date: 2021-05-21

This evening's session with Venerable Candā is all about exploring ways of beautifying the mind in particular, "cāgānussati" or bringing to mind one's own generosity, giving up and "sīlānussati" or recollecting one's own virtues, virtuous acts/deeds. The benefits of virtuous living, ie by the 5 precepts, according to AN8 include  giving the gift of trust and safety to all beings in fact by keeping these precepts, they give freedom from fear, enmity and affliction to an immeasurable number of beings. Venerable encourages us to reflect when carrying out an act/deed to notice how it feels. To get a flavour for whether it leads to wholesome or unwholesome results. This way of reflecting on cause and effect establishes an ability of reviewing the results of actions and helps us make the necessary changes. Reflecting on generosity for instance can bring up a lot of joy - making much of one's goodness and giving is a sure fire way to move towards joy (pīti) arising, tranquillity (passaddhi) and contentment/lasting happiness (sukha). Venerable gives a guided meditation on rejoicing in one's own goodness. A Q&A session follows.

This teaching is part of a special 8-day online retreat called “Why We Suffer & How We Get Free,” given by Ajahn Brahmali and Ven Canda in support of Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project. The teachings explore two of the Buddha’s famous causal sequences, Dependent Origination and Dependent Liberation, which together reveal the entire course of human experience, through this world and beyond to Nibbana. 
Anukampa is a UK Charity and pioneering project that is raising funds to develop the first Theravada Bhikkhuni Monastery in the UK, where women can train towards full ordination. Donations of any amount are very gratefully received to help us achieve this noble aim, welcome you as guests and continue to spread the priceless Dhamma teachings. Please visit http://www.anukampaproject.org/donate