In need of some brightness and calm, in the midst of all the turbulence? This podcast by Ajahn Brahmali to the Armadale Meditation group in WA, 20/10/2020, may help
This podcast focuses on 2 things
Method of meditation - āarm-chairā meditation. Looking at other ways of getting into a peaceful mind-state, when the usual techniques donāt seem to be working. Includes 30 min meditation.
A spiritual way of looking at, and dealing with, the turbulence and suffering evident in our world today with Co-vid, political unrest and social divisiveness.
During the talk there was a question that asked about not being able to get good meditation when under stress. It brought out a really important point, and I think itās worth some elaboration, as it may be of benefit to others with similar issues
The person asked about a situation where they are under a lot of stress and finding it difficult to access peaceful mind states in meditation. Ajahn Brahmali replied that this is natural, under those conditions, and not to set unrealistic expectations as this can lead to disappointment.
I think a lot of people can relate to this situation, especially at the moment, and so it is worth teasing out a little further. Ajahn @Brahmali please correct or add to it if needed
It is good to realise that meditation progress relies on conditions. When on the path, all 8 factors play a part in this, and it is the interplay between these factors and external conditions that either facilitate or hinder the generation of positive and peaceful mind states and enable immersion and absorption to occur. Understanding the conditionality is important here. When stressful external conditions get in the way, it is a wonderful demonstration of causality. When this happens, it is good to attribute the effects experienced, to the correct causes - this can feed directly into further practice, in knowing what situations give rise to what mind states. As such, it can be used as a learning process and demonstration of cause and effect, rather than internalising feelings of failing to live up to ones own expectations of meditation practice etc. As soon as one realises that it is not āpersonalā then relief follows
People are always asking for videos. I think most people these days are āvisual listenersā, especially the younger among us!
Videos tend to keep peopleās attentionāmore senses engaged, maybe? Whilst with audio people often do other activities whilst ālisteningā. Thatās what Iām told!
Does that have the same authority as āThus I have heardā?
Interesting ā¦ I divide my time between a download-rich environment and a download-poor one, but itās not a concern with saving $$ that makes me prefer podcasts. Itās just that Iām long used to closing my eyes while I listen to Dhamma talks as it helps me to concentrate, and the usual Dhamma talk doesnāt have any AV; tho of course some teachers have lovely AV backup and then I do appreciate the video.
I totally prefer a youtube video over an audio download. And Iām a Gen Xā er. I tend to āzone outā when listening. Video helps me stay focussed. Body language, perhaps? Additionally, I love the ability to auto generate captions. Somehow, reading the captions while hearing the talk helps reinforce the subject matter. It also helps to be able to pause at particular points/ track back to revise what was said a bit earlier and then come back to the current point - something which is difficult to do in an audio only talk.
Thatās me!
I tend to āzone outā when listening. Video helps me stay focussed. Body language, perhaps? Additionally, I love the ability to auto generate captions. Somehow, reading the captions while hearing the talk helps reinforce the subject matter. It also helps to be able to pause at particular points/ track back to revise what was said a bit earlier and then come back to the current point - something which is difficult to do in an audio only talk. 
