Ven Canda gives a Dhamma talk and leads a guided meditation on the topic "Why don't you want to be happy".

[0:00] Introduction

[2:49] Sutta reading, part 1

[20:08] Does “bonds” mean the same thing as “fetters”?

[21:45] The danger of clinging

[23:55] Is “existence” referring to our human existence or phenomena in general?

[25:38] Can we receive love or only give love?

[28:21] What is the origin of something—is that related to cause and effect?

[32:09] Suffering and the 5 components of existence (khandas)

[35:09] Receiving and giving

[39:04] Sutta reading, part 2

[47:13] How do we gain the right understanding?

[51:15] Does severing the bonds happen suddenly or gradually?

[1:00:25] What happens to somebody who has achieved stream entry in a previous life?

[1:03:18] Lessening craving

[0:00] Introduction [2:30] Sutta reading with contextual reflections

[24:45] Open discussion on celebrating heart qualities

Sutta references:

MN 32: The Longer Discourse at Gosiṅga https://suttacentral.net/mn32/en/suja...

AN 7.53: https://suttacentral.net/an7.53/en/su...

[0:00] Intro

[5:55] Loving-kindness meditation

[45:47] Questions and reflections

[0:00] Introduction

[3:30] Meditation

[44:16] Dhamma talk

[1:34:02] Questions

[0:00] How to focus loving-kindness meditation on one person

[2:44] Delighting in subtle states like peace and contentment

[7:58] Abiding in equanimity [9:53] Meeting shame with compassion

[13:03] Metta for non-humans and objects

[17:07] External conditions

[21:20] Metta for those who have passed away

[24:38] Are skillful states dukkha?

[28:05] Practicing metta for someone you’ve yet to meet

[30:08] What love, peace, and happiness have in common

[31:53] Guided meditation

"How to notice subtle mental states" 2nd Q&A and "Metta for every living being", 5th guided meditation of the "The radiant quality of loving kindness" New Year Retreat for Sheffield Insight, 02 & 03 Jan 2026

[0:00] What is wisdom?

[6:07] Teachers and spiritual companions

[11:23] Always be kind

[15:00] Shame and regret

[21:56] Asking questions

[26:00] Seclusion and virtue

[33:49] Learning what is beneficial

[38:52] Right endeavor and meaningful talk

[45:46] Arising and vanishing aggregates

[50:59] Final discussion

Sutta references: AN 8.2: Wisdom https://suttacentral.net/an8.2/en/bod... SN 56.31: The Simsapa Grove https://suttacentral.net/sn56.31/en/b...

[0:00] Introduction

[6:20] Guided meditation

[40:05] Discussion

[0:00] Introduction

[1:58] The importance of silence

[8:53] Unnecessary speech

[13:58] “Letting be” meditation

[18:10] Will taking 8 precepts bring deep meditation faster?

[22:05] Why chocolate and cheese?

[25:05] Is the Pali Canon really the Word of the Buddha?

[30:57] Getting into the suttas

[36:05] Tricky dualities: the wise and unwise person

[40:50] Guided meditation

[0:00] Dhamma Talk

[22:25] Meditation

[0:00] Getting in touch with emotions

[5:38] Guided meditation

[44:44] Ending reflection

He shows how misogyny goes against core Buddhist principles by investigating the first six factors of the Noble Eightfold Path through the lens of gender equality.

[0:00] Aftermath of the bhikkhuni ordination

[9:44] Misogyny and patriarchy

[14:22] Right and wrong views

[22:20] A perversion of lust

[27:16] The hidden hate in misogyny

[36:00] Untrue and divisive

[43:11] Violence, land, and temptresses

[50:33] Keeping resources from nuns

[58:13] Q&A

In spite of the tumultuous state of politics and ethical crises worldwide, he encourages us to believe that our practice can support us to take moral action in a form that is suitable for each of us.

Using the Buddha’s approach to political advice as an example, he further urges us to have faith that governments can still be used to make the world a better place.

[0:00] The eels of the Darug nation

[5:46] Gratitude meditation

[31:25] Dhamma talk

[1:10:30] Q&A

He goes on to tell various stories of overcoming discomfort, fear, despair, illness, and various other kinds of difficulty by cultivating attitudes of letting go, loving kindness, and joy.

The session ends with a 45-minute Q&A with participants.

He goes on to tell various stories of overcoming discomfort, fear, despair, illness, and various other kinds of difficulty by cultivating attitudes of letting go, loving kindness, and joy.

The session ends with a 45-minute Q&A with participants.

In collaboration with Handful of Leaves, this episode explores the inspiring journey of Anukampa Grove, founded by Ven. Canda—a dedicated Buddhist nun passionate about making the Dhamma accessible to all.

From its humble beginnings to its growing role as a sanctuary for deep practice, Anukampa Grove is creating a refuge where spiritual seekers can cultivate inner peace and wisdom.

In the discussion section, members of the group share personal stories of coming to terms with death.

[0:00] Short meditation

[6:29] Sutta and story of Kisagotami

[23:25] What to prepare for the journey

[30:55] All we have to give is love

[34:44] Parents and children

[37:05] Confronting death daily

[42:40] Escaping the cycle

[45:27] Worry for those left behind

[51:48] How you live and die

[57:36] Tending the sacred fire of one’s parents

[1:02:10] Communal mourning

Sutta references: SN 5.3 Kisagotami Sutta https://suttacentral.net/sn5.3/en/bod...

In the last few minutes, participants share reflections on topics such as developing a perception of rejoicing on behalf of others, and gratitude in the realm of heavenly beings (devas).

[0:00] Introduction

[5:09] Guided meditation

[45:10] Ending discussion

Discussion on the first sutta focuses around our experiences of sensual pleasures, while the second focuses on experiences of gender discrimination.

[0:00] Background

[6:38] Sutta reading and reflections

[13:00] Sensual pleasures as swords

[21:34] Subtle and coarse pleasures

[34:30] Confronting Mara through creative means

[40:26] Seeking solitude

[50:48] Gender discrimination

[54:31] Second sutta reading

[0:00] Foundations for breath meditation

[9:55] Starting at the end

[13:19] What brings us to practice?

[20:04] Settling with the breath

[30:30] The sphere of pleasant feelings

[36:53] The power of joy

In this episode, Ven Candā reflects on the healing bliss of breath meditation through a discussion of SN 54.9, from the Ānāpāna Samyutta.

After the initial sutta reading and reflection, she leads a discussion with participants that touches on topics such as our relationships with our bodies, suicide, depression, and compassion.

[0:00] Intro and sutta reading

[20:46] How do the stages here relate to deep meditation (jhana)?

[24:36] Suicide and craving not to be (vibhavatanha)

[30:30] Counteracting aversion to the body

[36:58] Chronic pain and trauma in the body

[42:45] Depression, anxiety, and the breath

[49:11] Replacing empathetic distress with compassion

[55:24] Feeling the breath in the body

[0:00] Intro and sutta reading

[5:55] Devadatta

[13:38] Wisdom as compassion

[18:01] How we make friends

[23:18] Finding transformation

[30:22] Reflecting the people around us

[34:18] A gift of safety

[48:18] Unwholesomeness in close relationships

[52:49] Choosing our teachers

[57:35] The hard work of gratitude

[0:00] Review of the simile of six animals (35.247)

[5:15] Sutta reading and interpretation (five hindrances)

[25:01] Sense restraint, gentleness, and mindfulness

[34:18] The restraint of the Venerable Sariputta

[41:36] The danger of to-do lists and protection of mindfulness

[45:52] Suggestions for difficult environments

[53:00] Comments and suggestions in brief

[0:00] Introduction and sutta reading

[9:14] Interpretation of the sutta

[25:05] Group discussion

Sutta references:

Suttanipāta 1.8: Metta Sutta - https://suttacentral.net/snp1.8/en/pi...

MN 19: Dvedhāvitakka Sutta - https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/suja...

After the 30-minute reading, she leads a 45-minute Q&A discussion.

[0:00] The six sense bases and sense restraint

[9:00] Sutta reading and explanation

[28:30] The role of mindfulness of the body in sense restraint

[35:30] The relationship between sense restraint and rejoicing

[39:24] Seeing aversion to sense objects in daily life

[45:26] How rejoicing in pleasant sense objects (ex: nature) relates to sense restraint

[50:30] How the sense doors are like wounds

[53:03] Moving the focus off of unpleasant sensations and skillful perception

[1:02:00] What to do when the senses are immersed in the suffering of others

In the second part, he gives a 45-minute talk on the importance of finding meaning in the Buddha’s wisdom as the world fills with unskillful speech and behaviour.

The session ends with 25 minutes of an audience Q&A, mostly focusing on right speech.

[0:00] Holding on is hard

[7:02] Finding the wisdom in mindfulness of breathing

[18:11] Letting the breath do its job

[23:16] Guided meditation

[46:20] Fools and wise people

[58:21] Right speech in a world flooded with wrong speech

[1:21:44] In the eye of the storm

[1:28:48] Questions on right speech in challenging situations

[1:45:13] Conditioned evil and connection

He then leads a 25-minute guided meditation that expands off of the previous meditations to extend loving kindness to all beings.

[0:00] Reflections on previous meditation

[4:05] What’s the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

[29:03] Christian values

[36:50] Guided meditation

[1:04:30] Closing words

He ends with meditation instructions for practising loving-kindness towards a loved person, and a guided meditation.

[0:00] Q&A on loving-kindness meditation

[21:17] Intro to Dhamma talk

[25:37] The Noble Eightfold Path and Right View

[32:43] Right Intention

[34:50] Right Speech

[43:46] Right Action

[1:10:25] Right Livelihood

[1:26:23] Loving-kindness for a loved person

[1:38:24] Guided meditation

He describes the method he teaches for loving-kindness meditation and leads participants on a guided meditation focused on oneself.

[0:00] Chaos

[3:42] Love is already present

[15:55] To meditate is rare and incredible

[22:29] Your thoughts are what you do

[30:32] Methods for cultivating loving-kindness

[39:41] Guided meditation

[0:00] Sutta reading, discussion of terminology, and general reflection

[20:39] Renouncing craving for food

[26:46] What is meant by “attending to”

[33:20] Focusing on the opposite of the unwholesome

[36:26] “Attending to”, part 2

[40:50] Focusing on the opposite, part 2

[43:24] “Attending to”, part 3

[46:08] Equanimity

[57:24] Metta and ill will

[0:00] Intro and sutta reading

[4:44] Heedfulness, mindfulness and guarding

[14:11] Things that provoke lust and hatred

[22:02] Lust, desire, and adoration

[32:00] Changing the situation versus learning to be with it

[36:06] Not ready to let go

[41:32] Freedom from trembling and shaking

[46:28] Desire for acceptance from loved ones

[52:00] How is guarding the mind related to virtue?

[59:27] Experiencing delusion and intoxication

[1:02:51] What to do about addictive things like phones and social media?

[1:05:15] Adult children rejecting Buddhism

[1:14:10] Motivating ourselves before we can access the joy of deep meditation

[0:00] Sutta reading 1 with reflections

[10:10] Which mode of practice do you relate to?

[27:20] Sutta reading 2

[39:14] The stickiness of hidden delusion

[44:30] Modes of practice are not fixed

[46:16] Delusion versus ignorance

[48:58] Insights from unpleasant practice

[53:18] Cultivating energy

Sutta discussion the topic "To Do &N ot To Do!" The Buddha's Advice to Mahapajapati Gotami (AN 8:53)