Suburban Dharma

In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on October 15, 2023, Subodha shares a concern that a friend of his shared that the Dhamma is harder to practice today in contemporary life than it was in the time of the Buddha and his disciples. Subodha gives an answer to this concern based on the conditions of the world and human nature today.

In this Dhamma talk at the IBMC Los Angeles on September 17, 2023, Subodha discusses how, once we are well established in the Dhamma and the Buddha's categorical truths, we are able to confidently derive Dhamma lessons from unlikely sources. Subodha then illustrates this by looking at The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and relating the teachings there to the Dhamma.

In this talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on August 20, 2023, Subodha discusses the growing dichotomy between religion and science in our current discourse and how that has led to some Buddhists distancing themselves from Buddhism as a religion and turning to science to explain and prove Buddhist belief and practice with sometimes disastrous results. Subodha proposes a way to avoid the whole thicket of views entirely by not placing any limits on the Dhamma.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center on July 16, 2023, Subodha reflects on getting older and the maturity that we often gain over the passage of years. This is contrasted with the maturity that comes from studying and practicing the Dhamma, which is an ageless maturity that can take us all the way to the deathless. Responsibility, friendliness, ardency, alertness, and mindfulness are some of the qualities discussed.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on June 18, 2023, Subodha reflects on his complex relationship with Father's Day and the harmful messages from family and society that we internalize. Proposed as ways to think and act skillfully with ourselves and others are the psychological concept of reparenting, the Buddhist teachings on being an admirable friend to oneself, using the perception of not-self in determining what internal narratives are worth developing as we train our minds, and generating sincere goodwill and compassion for ourselves as a necessary component to having sincere goodwill and compassion for others.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 21, 2023, Subodha discusses five of the six characteristics of the Dhamma and how they relate to a teaching from the late Upasika Kee Nanayon, a laywoman Dharma teacher from Thailand. The translation of her teachings referenced in the talk is Pure and Simple, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on April 16, 2023, Subodha discusses the misconception that it is the torture and strict asceticism that the Buddha did while still a seeker that led to his awakening. It is his overcoming of his fear of pleasurable meditation and pleasures not associated with sensuality or unskillful mental qualities that led to his realization of the path and his awakening. It is this that we emulate.

In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 3/19/23, Subodha shares his thoughts on Ven. Thich Thien-An's legacy as the founder and first abbot of IBMC. Sharing from Ven. Thich Thien-An's book, Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice, Subodha gives his interpretation of three essentials of the practice: great faith, great doubt, and great determination.

A Dhamma talk given at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 2/19/23. Subodha shares his first encounter with Buddhism as a child and the story of the Buddha overcoming Mara, the Buddhist personification of death that appears in several stories attempting to dissuade people from living the holy life and attaining liberation. How can the belief in Mara be used skillfully in our practice today to free ourselves of defilements?

A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 1/15/23. Subodha shares a story from the Pali Canon about two monks who get into a fight and one commits a transgression that the other does not forgive. The Buddha weighs in on the matter, saying what is unwise and wise in regard to transgressions and pardoning. Subodha then relates this to his own past and a humbling lesson he learned as a young man.

A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 12/18/22. Subodha shares lessons from the Pali Canon on what constitutes true happiness and why it is worth pursuing.

A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 11/13/22. Subodha shares thoughts on living a quiet life in the forest being a waste if the mind is not also secluded. He shares a reading from the Viveka Sutta (SN 9:1) on the importance of training the mind away from the hindrances. The third tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of Breathing Sutta), dealing with the mind, is explained as a tool for mental happiness.

A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 10/23/22. Subodha discusses what it means to practice the Buddha's teachings in our modern time and place.

A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 9/18/22. Subodha shares a story about driving by a casino and then shortly after witnessing a murder of crows making a game out of consuming roadkill as they dodge oncoming cars. These events are then related to the eight worldly conditions and how the Buddha teaches us to be free of them.

A talk at IBMC Los Angeles on 8/14/22. Subodha begins with a story about an encounter with a rattlesnake to build on the themes of kindness, skillfulness, and discernment.

A talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 7/10/22. Not getting caught up on arguing over maps when they can be so different from the terrain. Maps are useful when they an accurate guide and put to use, but we still need to be innovative and adapt when needed. And we eventually transcend the need for a map at all because we've reached the destination.

A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 6/5/22. Subodha shares his experience of practicing meditation while sick and severely short of breath.

A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 4/24/22.

A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 3/13/22

A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 1/2/2022. Subodha shares the Yoga Sutta (AN 4:10) and the four burdens of sensuality, becoming, views, and ignorance. Craving and clinging to these burdens impact the way we think and our existence in the present and future.