Samaneri Jayasāra - Wisdom of the Masters
4 years ago - 1.5K likes

These recordings of the enlightened Masters’ teachings began spontaneously. I wanted to be able to listen to Dhamma teachings rather than simply read them as, like a lot of people, I find the meaning and understanding goes deeper.

About 20 years ago, when I was living as a novice Buddhist nun in a monastery in the UK, I had written out a section from Padmasambhava’s teaching on 'Self-Liberation through seeing with Naked Awareness' in a journal. When I happened upon this again about one year ago, and my own hand writing was plain to see, I wondered how such a profound and amazing teaching hadn’t really impacted me as much as I felt it should have. Obviously, my understanding of the true Dhamma wasn’t as developed then, but I also felt that if I had had a way to 'really' absorb this teaching, it might have gone deeper then.

That’s when I was moved to read and record the entire text of this incredible teaching by the great Master. I made a fairly amateur recording with a subpar microphone and perhaps too much “busy” music for the background, but it worked! The teaching and meaning hit home like never before and it went deeper and deeper into my heart. My mind and heart became still and my meditative stability grew stronger. The more I listened to it, the more nuances I understood and I was amazed that with each new listen I heard and understood something new each time. These were insights that went beyond mere intellectual understanding. I deliberately used music as a soundscape too, rather than voice alone, because as a former teacher, I know that music works on the right brain and words tend to impact the left brain or conceptual realm. The idea was to ensure a harmonious integration engaging both sides of the brain and to allow these masterful teachings to be immersed within both the heart and head.

I continued to make more recordings and shared them with Ayya Jitindriya in the monastery where we were living at the time, and she found them extremely helpful too. I then uploaded a few of the Theravada teachings onto the monastery website and had the idea to load others onto You Tube for people who might find them helpful. I thought these recordings would appeal to just a few people, especially the high teachings of Dzogchen. After all, it is just my boring voice reading slowly and methodically, accompanied by an uncomplicated and often repetitive music track. Nothing to see here folks in the wild, crazy and exciting world that is YouTube! However, I am delighted to see that many people are finding these recordings helpful for their meditation and spiritual practice, and sending requests and suggestions for others which I really enjoy.

Legend has it that Padmasambhava (and other Masters) actually predicted that these Dharma teachings would flourish and be most applicable in these degenerate times which we now find ourselves in, as well as being suitable for Western minds with their highly developed intellect. For those who don’t know the legend, Yeshe Tsogyal (Padmasambhava’s disciple) hid his teachings in a various places, such as caves, rocks and ethereal/psychic realms, for dissemination at a later date and for rediscovering by Tertons. I see many similes between this and the modern day phenomena of the internet and ‘the cloud’. After all, both are ephemeral, nebulous realms, lacking any substance but having an enormous impact on the development of our collective consciousness.

So the library has grown well beyond what I initially envisaged and continues to grow.

All I ask is that you treat these teachings with the respect and reverence they deserve. They are precious jewels which we are all most fortunate to be holding in the palms of our hands at this difficult time in the world. Despite belonging to a range of spiritual traditions, they are all consummate pointers to the Absolute. That is their beauty, power, and excellence.

May you all realise your Absolute nature and may these teachings bring you to peace, joy, love, and ultimate liberation.

P.S. Many people have written to ask me how they could make a donation, feeling gratitude for being able to access these profound teachings. While this channel is NOT MONETIZED and these recordings are offered freely (the Dharma should never become a commodity), people are most welcome to offer support, if they would like to, in this way. In such a case, you could make a donation via PayPal using this email address: [email protected]

Viveka Hermitage is a small residence where I and Ayya Jitindriya currently live and practice. Any donations offered, however small, will be lovingly received and will support our daily requisites and living costs.

Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - please contact us on the email above for account details.

With all blessings, Samaneri Jayasara
www.vivekahermitage.com
🙏🙏🙏